Page 32 of Meet Me In The Dark
“Give me your hand.”
I lift it without thinking, and his fingers wraparound mine. His large palm is warm and calloused in places.
“You’re in control here,” he reassures me. “Whatever happens is your choice. If you want to stop, we stop. If you want more, you tell me.”
The way he says it makes it sound like a promise, and I believe him.
His thumb moves in circles over the back of my hand. Once. Twice. “Would you like me to talk you through it?”
Relief washes over me. “Yes, please.”
“We should get to know each other a little better, then. What do you think?”
I nod.
He tuts softly. “Words.”
“Yes,” I agree a little too eagerly.
When he guides me to stand, my legs shake. It’s not from fear, but from something else. Something I don’t know how to name yet.
The moment I’m upright, my back meets the wall and presses against the luxurious fabric-covered paneling.
His cologne wraps around me, richer now, heady and intoxicating.
He’s closer.
Not touching, not yet, but near enough that the warmth of his body licks at my skin.
“Put out your hands,” he orders, and I obey. “Do you want more?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to touch your wrist, is that okay?”
“Yes.”
His thumb brushes lightly over the back of my hand. It’s almost worse than if he had jumped right in.
He guides my hands up to his chest. “Feel me.”
His shirt is soft, maybe cotton or something finer, but I can feel the heat of his skin beneath it. Solid muscle with a heartbeat thumping steadily under my palm.
I let my hand drift upward, past the fabric, past his throat—where I feel the subtle bob of a swallow—then higher still.
My fingers brush the edge of his sharp jaw, then the curve of his cheekbone. I pause at the ridge of his brow before drifting upward.
His hair is short but slightly wavy. It’s thicker than I expected, a bit unruly near the crown. My fingers curl into it before I realize what I’m doing, and I swear he leans into the touch.
He’s warm and solid. Everything about him is quietly magnetic, and I only have pieces—a jawline, a heartbeat, a voice like sin wrapped in velvet.
Suddenly, not being able to see him feels like the biggest tease of all.
I skim the solid breadth of his shoulders and feel his muscles flex under my touch.
He’s big.
Tall.
