Page 47 of Two Minutes for Holding

My body flooded with heat as I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him.

“Please, you don’t need to feel like a piece of shit. I probably should have handled things a little differently. I’m used to being with guys—”

He placed his fingers on my lips, stopping me from going any further, the look in his eyes so intense and full of need.

“You aren’t with those guys anymore, Peyton. You’re with me now, if you’ll have me. I’ll never treat you as a second option. From here on out, you are my main priority. I’ll do anything for you, and I hope I’ll never let down.”

I could feel my eyes burning at his admission. In less than six weeks, I’d gone from having someone who treated me like garbage, who stole, cheated, and lied to me, to a man who sat here, wanting me to be a part of his life and wanting to be a part of mine.

When I felt the tears slide down my cheeks, he brushed them away with his thumb before meeting my lips with his. Then, with his arms wrapped securely around me, he lifted not only himself but me as well from the couch and carried me down the hall tohis bedroom, just the way he had the very first night I’d been here.

He kicked the door closed behind us and carried me over to the bed where he put me down. Without a word, he walked over to his dresser, opened one of his drawers, and pulled out a Dominator’s T-shirt, and gently tossed it to me.

“For you.” He smiled.

“For me? I don’t understand.”

I was certain he was bringing me down here for sex, only when he turned to look my way, I saw none of that in his eyes.

“Yes, for you, to wear to bed. It’s late. You need your rest, I need mine, and I want you to spend the night in my arms.”

I watched as he headed toward his closet. It felt weird that he didn’t want to have sex. I’d never spent the night with any guy without sex. Actually, that was the only time I was in their bed. After that, they’d drive me home and drop me off, or they’d simply leave.

I sat down on the edge of his bed and slipped my jeans off, neatly folding them and placing them on the floor, then slipped my shirt over my head, removed my bra, and then slipped the shirt he’d given me over my head.

“I’ll be right out,” he muttered, and I turned to see him enter the bathroom, returning only a couple of minutes later. “There is a new toothbrush on the counter for you, along with a set of towels for you in the morning.”

He pulled back the covers on his side of the bed and crawled in. I sat there, unsure of what to do. This was a foreign concept to me. When I felt his hand on my hip, I glanced over my shoulder at him.

“Are you getting in?”

I stood up and went to pull back the blankets, but he beat me to it. He tapped the mattress, waiting for me to slip in. I crawled in and laid down while he dropped the covers on me, thenslipped his arm under my neck and slid up against me, resting his arm around my waist.

“Comfortable?” he asked quietly before placing a kiss on the side of my neck.

The heat from his body enveloped me. I closed my eyes and placed my hand on top of his.

“Very,” I answered, allowing my body to sink into the soft mattress while welcoming his warmth.

I could feel him move away and was about to say something when the light went out, bathing the room in darkness. I felt him pull me a little into the centre of the bed, against his body.

“You warm enough?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure, because you are shaking.”

Yep, I was, there was no denying it, but it wasn’t because I was cold. It was because I’d never in my life been treated this way, and I wasn’t sure how to react.

“I know, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry. Is something wrong?”

I was quiet. How was I going to tell him this was new to me, so new that I didn’t know how to react. Maybe I should have just come out with it, be more like Clay, say what was on my mind.

“Can I share something with you?”

“Of course. No secrets with us.”

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