Page 14 of Let Me Love You
“Stop beating yourself up. This is on me.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.
“You bet your ass it is. What the hell were you thinking?”
Okay. So, he’d caught her in a weak moment. A woman could only hold out so long. He was incredibly attractive. He didn’t force her. God knows she’d begged him to fuck her. But that was it. One round. They could both move on. Though the idea of him with another woman had a lump forming in her throat and tears percolating at the corners of her eyes. That was why she was angry. She shouldn’t have any feelings about him.
“I’m not going to pressure you.” He strode across the tiled floor to where she stood.
She stepped back until the hard granite pressed against the small of her back. Having him so close, his salty, beach scent mixed with traces of their sex fogged her brain. He gripped the countertop on either side of her, caging her there. She clenched her jaw, biting the insides of her cheeks to keep from leaning forward and running her tongue over his taut pectorals and instigating another steamy round.
I’ve completely lost my mind.
“I know this may come as a shock to you, but I’ve wanted this for quite some time. This isn’t some crush, Stace. It’s not about living out a fantasy, though I will admit today surpassed all the fantasies I’ve ever had. I took this job in Tampa because I wanted to be here close to you. I want to be with you.”
She stiffened. Her shoulders sat close to her ears diminishing the length of her neck from the amount of tension that had taken over. He sounded serious about this relationship thing.
He leaned his forehead against hers.
She opened her mouth, prepared to reiterate all the reasons his proposal was ridiculous and out of the question, but he pressed a finger to her lips.
“I never thought I’d have a chance, but Randy is no longer in the picture. I know what I want. You. I’m willing to give you the time to realize you want the same thing. But don’t think for a single second that I’m not coming after you with everything I have. I have every intention of making you mine.
He slammed his mouth on hers, kissing her hard, and locking her breath deep in her lungs. She struggled to wrap her mind around his words because his kiss melted her into gooey putty.
He broke their connection. “I’ll see you later.” He kissed her forehead, then spun around, bent over to grab his t-shirt off the floor, and pulled the cloth over his head. He grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from the tray on the island countertop, bit into it, and moaned. “So good.”
She stood dumbfounded as he strode in the direction of the front door.
What the hell just happened?
“I had the best afternoon, Stacey.” He glanced over his shoulder, a little chocolate smudged at the corner of his mouth. His blue eyes twinkled with energy. The curve of his lips had her knees trembling. He disappeared out of the kitchen and the closing click of the front door allowed her to release the breath she’d been holding.
“Great job, Stace,” she said to herself, still gripping onto the countertop to stay upright. “Now what the hell are you going to do?”
Shannon would kick her ass if she ever found out Stacey had slept with Ren.
It had been incredible! She definitely wanted more. The sex, that is. Perhaps that was the answer to her lapse in judgment—more sex. Not with Ren, of course. Although today had been the best of her life,theycouldn’t happen again.
End. Of. Story.
Or was it? He didn’t seem to think so.
This was complicated. Ren wasn’t justsomeone. She’d watched him grow from a lanky teenager to a man over the course of ten years.
What a mess!
With her bikini in hand, she marched down the hall to her bedroom, feeling deliciously sore in places that hadn’t been sore for a while, and in desperate need of a shower. Ren’s scent still lingered all over her, arousing her. She was unable to think. A clear head would do her good.
She turned the shower on. When the water warmed, she dropped the towel she’d been clinging to like a life line and slipped under the stream. The water pelted her, washing away the anxiety and shame.
Stacey missed having a man in her life. She’d admit to that. Missed the companionship and the sex. But that was no reason to seek that connection from Ren.
This was a onetime event, even if he thought otherwise.
She’d never been a person to sleep around. Not that she saw anything wrong with having some practice. She’d never judged promiscuity. Just never been one to experiment with multiple people. Maybe sex with Ren was what she needed to kickstart her love life, or in the very least, her dating life. No one had to know Ren set her in motion.
After washing, she edged out of the shower and dried off, slipping on a pair of white shorts and a blue and white flowered tank top. She pulled her hair into a damp ponytail and applied some mascara because well, a girl never left the house without it.
She needed to get out for a bit. She called her sister, Jennifer, in Sarasota, for an impromptu visit and packed a bag with enough clothes to get her through at least two days.
