Page 26 of Don't Take the Girl
Her eyes flick between mine. "I could never. Your heart is tethered to mine; breaking it would break mine." She runs her hand through my hair. "You may have said it first, but I felt it first. My heart belonged to you since the first day I saw you."
"Is that right? And what day was that?"
"What day was it? How am I supposed to remember that?"
"I mean, what was I doing when you saw me?"
There's no way she will win this one. I wasn't just a pre-teen boy with an aversion to taking girls fishing the day my father was wrangled into watching the new girl that moved in next door.
"Helping your dad fix his riding lawn mower."
Called it. I didn't fix that lawn mower with my dad until the weekend. Laney and her mother moved in on a Tuesday, and the only reason I remember that is because at eleven, I still played soccer, and we had practice every Tuesday night.
"Well, that settles it, then. I said it first, and I felt it first." She leans onto her elbow. "I watched you unpack your room the first night you moved in. I sat on my bed in the dark so you wouldn't know I was there. Until that day, I had never really thought of girls in any type of way, but there was something about you. I was enamored, and I couldn't figure it out, so when the day came that I found out you were going on my fishing trip with my dad, I threw a fit. I see you now, I saw you then, and in that seeing, I found everything I never knew I was looking for."
Her mouth covers mine, and who saw who first is long forgotten. It doesn't matter who fell first; all that matters is that we're here now. We're both all in. We were all in from the start. It just took us time. We were careful, neither of us wanting to risk what we had and knowing that if what was meant to be was this moment, it would come because the best things are worth waiting for. Have I spent hours wishing she were mine sooner so I could have her longer? Yes, but having her like this now…I can't say I'd change a thing because it's perfect. She's perfect.
Her fingers find the hem of my t-shirt, and she tugs it up, our mouths only separating long enough for her to pull it over my head. I'm suddenly vulnerable under her gaze, my skin prickling with nervousness and anticipation. She's seen me without my shirt on countless times, and her soft hands have traced over every peak and valley intimately, but I know what's next…what she wants…what I want.
"Is this okay?" Her voice is small as her eyes search mine in the shadows, the only source of light streaming down from the moon above.
I nod, not trusting my voice, and reach for her with trembling hands. Despite the certainty that brought us here, there's a moment of hesitation. This is uncharted territory that will forever change us. There's a hitch in the breath that fills her lungs, and then she's leaning forward, her soft lips pressing against my collarbone, the gentleness unraveling something that has been tightly wound inside. I pull her close before flipping us over and positioning myself on top of her.
"We have forever, heartbreaker. I need you to promise me that if any of this is too much, you will tell me to stop."
"Are you ever going to stop calling me that nickname?" she teases, her voice light, creating a small bubble of breathing space between us in this intensely charged atmosphere.
"Not a chance. There's not a day in this lifetime that you won't hold the power to break my heart." My lips peck her cheek, and I murmur. "Now promise…promise you'll tell me."
"I will," she says, wrapping her hands around my neck with tender urgency as her mouth turns to mine. "But it won't be. It's not possible, because it's with you." The certainty in her voice warms my insides, and I let go, helpless to deny her anything she asks.
I press my jean-clad hardened length against her satin-covered center, and my arms shake. This woman will be the death of me. She's been everything to me since she walked into my life.
Her hands abandon my neck and glide down my back, and every hair on my body stands at attention, welcoming its master. The second I feel her hands slide around my hips, my heart stutters, and when her fingers flit over the button of my jeans and dip inside to grab my length, I break our kiss to catch my breath.
"Are you having second thoughts?"
"No." I nip her bottom lip. "But you're driving me crazy."
She smiles against my mouth, her hands pushing the band of my pants down before she squeezes my throbbing cock and strokes it slowly. "Good." Her sweet tongue darts out, and she seductively licks my lips, her eyes never straying from mine. "I've heard sanity is overrated."
My lips find hers, and one kiss flows into another, each deeper, more passionate than the last as my bare cock presses against soaked panties. But then she pulls them to the side.
"Shit, Laney," I hiss, feeling my length glide through her folds.
"What?" Her worried eyes search mine. "I thought?—"
I shake my head. "No." Then I reach into my back pocket and pull out my wallet. "Need a condom," I say, setting it beside her head and hastily flipping it open.
"Oh," she says with a sigh of relief.
I bring the foil packet to my mouth and tear the package before sliding my hand between us and slipping it on. Once it's on, I bring my gaze back to hers and settle between her thighs and let the gravity sit between us. Her fingertips lightly glide over my sides, and I patiently await her move. It's hers to define—hers totake, just like my heart. The space between us hums with energy that grows more charged with each passing second, and I still wait.
Her eyes darken and drop to my mouth, and I feel my restraint slipping as I give her all the space she needs before she wraps her legs around my waist, dissolving it all with her unspoken invitation. Our mouths collide passionately as I push inside slowly, taking my time and allowing her to acclimate to my size. Our tongues feverishly glide against each other as our hearts race, both eager for what's on the other side. With each slow thrust, I get a little deeper, but so do the nails digging into my back, the bite of their sting telling me what her lips won't—it hurts.
"Laney…" I pull back, breathless with concern.
She shakes her head. "Please don't stop. It's not all pain."
