Page 47 of A Play For The Heart
Without a moment of hesitation, he responds. “Yes.” The blue in his eyes pops as he speaks with conviction.
One simple word, but it flips my world upside down.
Henry Parker wants to be my boyfriend.
“Okay,” I respond, incapable of forming any other response than the four-letter word.
“Okay?” He parrots back at me, both confused and hopeful.
“Yeah. I would like that. You as my boyfriend, I mean.” I look up and smile at him. The smile he gives me in response could light up the darkest of nights.
He sweeps me into a stifling hug and swings me around in circles. My giggles fill the air as he places me back on the ground. He separates us about an inch, almost as if any farther distance will prove to him that this is a dream. The way he looks at me makes my toes curl, full of desire and then pulls me into a crushing kiss. I immediately melt into him, holding onto his forearms for dear life while he kisses me like there’s no tomorrow. Leaning into the kiss, I match his passion. After a moment, he attempts to pull away. He then thinks better of it and peppers me with kisses all along my neck and collarbone. After a few more pecks to my lips, he regains some self-control and pulls away fully. It’s a good thing one of us has any semblance of discipline because if I had the choice, I would choose to do that until the end of time.
“Sawyer, we still need to talk about some things.”
I groan because that sounds messy and complicated and all I want to do is kiss Henry and bask in the fact that he wanted to be my boyfriend and now he is.
Sawyer: 1. Rest of the world: 0.
Begrudgingly, I nod, and he leads me to the couch. He sits down first and pulls me into his lap. I’ve never sat in Henry's lap before, but it’s my new favorite place. A throne meant just for me. He’s soft, yet firm and so warm. I snuggle deeper into him, hoping the heat will transfer from me to him. The moment I'm comfortable, his hands are on me again, rubbing my back. This new touchy side of Henry is something that I could get used to. If all it took was kissing him twice to receive this treatment, I would have kissed him earlier.
“I don’t know how to start this conversation, so I’m just going to spit it out.” His hand on my back pauses and he wraps me up, his arms cradling my stomach. Mumbling into my hair, he continues. “I’ve had feelings for you for a long time, Sawyer. Since we were at Notre Dame. I had planned to tell you the night I was drafted, but then Declan asked you out, so I didn’t say anything. I saw how excited you were, and I didn’t want to make anything messy or uncomfortable, so I chose to say nothing. It felt easier. But I’m telling you now, so you know exactly how I feel about you. I’m all in Sawyer. You and me. I don’t expect you to be where I’m at, but I want you to know.”
He places a gentle kiss on my forehead and then pulls back, eyes searching my face for my reaction to his confession. I just stare back at him in awe. Warmth begins to bloom in my chest, stretching to my limbs. For years, Henry has had feelings for me. And the moment he was ready to tell me, he chose not to because he saw I was happy. It doesn’t matter that the relationship was a bad idea, but he stood by me and watched me date Declan because it brought me joy. Even when it probably tore his insides apart. I have never felt more appreciated or wanted by anyone as much as I feel wanted by Henry. The worries I had that this could be fleeting for him disappear with his confession. I don’t think I’ve wanted anyone as deeply as I want Henry in return. It’s a need. An insatiable itch.
I grab his head in my hands and kiss him. Pouring every emotion coursing through my veins into the kiss. Hoping he understands how much I want and adore him. He returns the kiss with equal fervor. Without breaking the kiss, I shift my position in his lap to face him and straddle his hips. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I deepen the kiss. I feel his tongue sweep across my bottom lip, and I open for him. Losing myself to the kiss and Henry, I slowly begin to grind against him, looking for friction. My body is overwhelmed with emotions and feelings and touches. I am a fire ignited by lust. At my movement, Henry groans. I muffle the sound with another kiss, continuing to rock into him.
“Sawyer,” he says, straining to keep his composure.
“Please,” I plead, continuing the movements. The plea snaps something inside him because Henry returns my kiss with a new sense of urgency. His hands run down my arms, across my torso, ending on my ass. He pulls me closer to him, nearly chest to chest. As I continue to grind into him, I gasp as I feel him lengthening beneath me. He swallows my gasp with another kiss. He makes his way down my neck, planting soft kisses on my skin as he makes his way toward my collarbones.
“You have no idea how badly I want you,” he says as he continues his way down my chest. He pauses at my tank top, looking up at me, his eyes hooded with desire. "How badly I've wanted you for years. You've consumed my every thought from the moment I met you."
"Henry…"
I have no words, the declaration ripping them from my throat. He stares at me, the truth of his statement swimming in his gorgeous blue eyes.
“Can I take this off?”
I nod, lifting my arms as he slowly drags my tank top up and over my arms. He flings it to the other side of the couch. Not wearing a bra, I’m bare from the waist up. Instinctually, I go to cover my breasts with my arms, but he gently pulls them away, drinking me in.
“God you're fucking beautiful,” he whispers, "What did I do to get so lucky?"
He slowly lifts his hand, cupping my left breast. His thumb grazes over my nipple and I moan tumbles from my lips. I arch into him as he rolls my nipple between his fingers. The contact is breath-taking, and he leans his face down, taking my right breast into his mouth. The stubble on his cheek rubs against my skin, the sensation combined with his tongue causing my knees to buckle. I start to grind into him again, seeking out friction. He playfully nips at my right breast before pulling away and refocusing his attention on the left. He alternates between soft laps and quick nips. The pressure in my core builds as I continue to move my hips against him.
I bracket his head between my hands and drag his lips back to mine. As I kiss him, my hands run along the expanse of his stomach. They explore the plains of skin, his skin soft as he slowly moves in time with me. Grabbing the bottom of his shirt, I break from the kiss and lift the shirt over his head. I lean back, taking a moment to drink him in. He's so beautiful it hurts. I run my hands along his torso, tracing the curves of his muscles. As I admire him, Henry begins kissing my neck, sending shivers down my spine.
His hands grip my ass and yank me closer to him, molding our bodies together. I can feel his erection pressed against me, which pulls me back to reality.
“Henry, hold on,” I say, pulling back, covering myself with my arms.
Henry snaps back, looking me up and down, worry etched into his features. “Is everything okay? Is something wrong?”
“No!” I shriek, afraid he thinks that my hesitation has anything to do with what he was doing. Things I was very much enjoying. I just need to move slowly and it’s unfair to him if he doesn’t know everything before we move forward. “Henry, I haven’t done any of this before.”
“What do you mean?” he asks, confused. All the blood has rushed away from his brain and towards other body parts because I feel like that statement is pretty clear. But I clarify it for him anyway.
“I’m a virgin. I haven’t done any of this. I need to move slowly.” I slightly cringe at the statement. I’ve never been embarrassed by the fact before, but sitting here on Henry's lap, half-naked, is exposing and vulnerable.
