Page 98 of Tangled Kisses
“Hi, beautiful.” My voice breaks on the words.
Her lips curve, but it falters when she whispers, “You’re shivering. Are you cold?”
I blink, realizing she’s right. My fingers twitch against her skin. Not from the chill, but from the weight of what this means. “No, baby. I’m nervous, too.”
Her brows knit. “You? Why?”
I cradle her face in my hands, forcing her to see the truth in my eyes. “Because it’s you. And I want this to be perfect for you. So perfect you can’t remember a time when you weren’t adored.” My throat tightens. “Can I make love to you, Reese? Show you what it’s supposed to feel like?”
Something breaks inside her then, the last of her walls crumbling into dust at our feet.
“Please.” She rises on her toes and kisses me, and I taste every ounce of her surrender, her hunger, her hope.
And that’s all it takes to set the firestorm loose.
The second her mouth meets mine, the dam breaks. I strip her dress in a fever, shedding my own clothes until nothing separates us. She gasps when I lift her, her legs locking around my waist.
By the time we reach the bathroom, we’re both shaking with nerves and want. I press her against the tiled wall, fumbling for the knob until the spray hits us. Ice-cold.
She squeals, jerking against me. I grin, my back catching most of the water. “I’ll let you know when it gets warm.”
A shaky laugh bubbles out of her throat. “I can tell from your face it’s not.”
“Then take my mind off it.”
Her hands frame my jaw, her lips crashing into mine, and I forget about the water entirely. All I can feel is her—soft, trembling, giving herself to me. She’s so beautiful it undoes me.
The sting of cold disappears under the heat of her body, the press of her skin against mine. I drag my palms down her spine, soaping her gently, worshiping her inch by inch. She mirrors me, sliding her hands over my body—every touch sparking fire under my skin.
Steam curls around us, but it’s nothing compared to the fire blazing in my chest. I kiss her until we’re both breathless, until I can’t tell where she ends and I begin.
I shut off the water, snag a towel, and start drying her off before she can protest. Water beads along the ends of her hair, dark strands plastered to her cheeks, her skin glowing from the warmth. Her lips are swollen from kissing, but God help me, I want more.
“Feel better?” she whispers.
I drag the towel slowly over her curves, savoring the shiver that runs through her. “Better? Baby, nothing’s ever felt this good.”
I carry her from the shower, naked and trembling in my arms, and lay her gently on the bed. For a second, I just watch the soft rise and fall of her chest, the shivers reverberating through her slight frame.
I kneel at the edge of the mattress, my hand gliding from the curve of her foot up the smooth line of her calf. I press kisses along her ankle, her shin, slow and reverent, committing every curve to memory.
She shifts and grabs the edge of the sheet before reaching down to tug me higher. “Just come here. Don’t worry about any of that.”
My eyes snap to hers, my hand pausing against her thigh. A rough laugh rumbles from my chest. “Thisis my favorite part.”
I crawl up over her, bracing my forearms on either side of her head, my voice dropping to a rasp. “Reese, I need this. I’ve dreamed of this for weeks. I’m desperate for you. And you’re going to let me love every inch of you.”
Her fingers brush tentatively over my cheek. “I just don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“Obligated?” I claim her mouth, kissing her slow and deep until she’s gasping against me. I drag my lips to her ear, my voice raw. “Baby, I’m starving for you. I want you more than anything in this world.”
But the fear lingers in her eyes—that gnawing insecurity whispering she’s too much work, too frigid, too broken. That she’s only ever been thrown scraps and told it was a feast.
Not tonight. Not with me.
I rest my forehead to hers, holding her gaze. “Fall, beautiful. No rushing, no pretending. Just us.”
I peel the sheet away, baring her fully, and my breath hitches like I’ve been sucker punched. My hands tremble as I trace her body, every curve a map I’ll never stop memorizing.
