When Our Worlds Collide (Our Worlds #1)(63)

I ease my way over the top of Kennedy’s small frame tucking myself into the bed next to her. She subconsciously moves herself into me until she’s perfectly tucked into the crook of my body. Her body seems too far in tuned with mine even as she sleeps. Her breaths fall into perfect harmony with mine and that’s when I know.

Her warmth radiates through her body onto my skin causing my voice to break as the words escape my mouth before my mind can try to protest. “I think I just might love you back, Kennedy,” I whisper into her neck praying that when we wake up everything will be a little less terrifying.





Chapter ThirtyOne



-Kennedy-



I can smell the tiniest hint of his cologne as my body slowly breaks from its slumber. Like always it’s that hypnotizing hint of sandalwood with the undertones of what can only be described as Graham. I want to remember this morning, the way he smells and his warm skin against mine, until I get to experience it all over again.

Graham’s arms still have a comforting hold on my waist. Making slow movements to insure I don’t wake him. He deserves a few more hours of sleep after how well he took care of me last night. If it had been anyone else besides Graham I would have minded the extra attention and the knowing glances. With him, I feel different.

I have come to adore the boy who fights for me when I can’t stand up on my own. When I feel my weakest he holds me up in his arms and allows me to break down without a blink of an eye. There’s a security in his arms as if he could stop any force that tries to cause me any harm. I love Graham despite all of his vices, mistakes, and history because of the guy that he is now. I’m not going to allow the guy he used to be impact the way I feel in this moment with him.

Did I say I love Graham?

“I can feel you looking at me, Ken,” Graham says accusingly still not opening his eyes to look at me. I’ve been caught and he knows it. I brush the underside of my hand down his cheek keeping it still on his strong jawline rubbing my lone thumb in a small circle without saying anything. “That feels good.” His eyes pop open suddenly.

A small smile forms on my face quickly falling. It’s the look in his eyes that give him away. Something’s wrong. I know what’s bothering him by the way his hand squeezes my lower hip in frustration and forcefully closing his eyes as if trying to erase a memory.

“I’m going to be okay, Graham,” I emphasize trying to alleviate some of that pain that’s running through his perfect eyes. He can’t draw his stare away from the bruises on my wrists that will be a constant reminder of last night until they heal.

“I’m going to kill him,” his voice full of a hatred that scares me. His anger radiates off of him in waves.

“No you’re not.” I close the gap in between his body and mine so that we are practically intertwined even more. I mentally take a note to remember to breath. My newfound confidence is making me feel more in control.

Every muscle in his chest and abdomen tighten against my chest. The warmth of his skin against mine causes my breathing to labor. Last night Graham had put me into bed with nothing but a towel wrapped around me. The knowledge that only a thin piece of cotton separates me and Graham puts my hormones into overdrive.

“And give me one good reason why I shouldn’t,” Graham raises an eyebrow at me knowing that I don’t have a good enough answer to stop him from burying Craig under the pitcher’s mound at the high school.

“Because if you kill him then you won’t be able to do this anymore,” I grab the back of Graham’s neck pulling him closer to me until my lips are colliding into his. It’s the type of kiss you tell your grandchildren about in hopes that they will find that much joy in being connected with another human being at least once in their lifetime. Our hands are all over each other as the kiss deepens. His lips erase every poisoning touch Craig had stamped down on my skin. He’s slowly helping me forget.

When Graham kisses me I feel my body going into some sort of shock, but when he touches me it feels life altering as if my body will never stop burning in need of just another simple brush of a finger. Graham latches on to my hips swinging me up on top of him so that I’m straddling his waist. He must have gone to bed in a towel too. I can feel the familiar cotton loop material resting against my thighs as I hold up my own towel around my chest to hide what is bare beneath.

Graham releases me from our kiss by putting his hand just below my neck. His hands are gentle, far gentler that I knew they were capable of. I sit up in response to his touch looking down at him with hooded eyes. Without thinking I reach down to brush my fingers through his thick hair as if this is second nature. His hair is soft under my grasp. I watch the way his eyes almost glaze over in response to my touch. One side of his smile moves up farther than the other in the most captivating smile.

This is the exact moment that I realize that I just don’t think that I love Graham, but I know that I do. He looks up at me through his eye lashes stealing every last part of my heart from me trusting him not to break it. I know that there’s a possibility that he will.

Graham bites down lazily on his bottom lip before rubbing both his hands up and down my ribcage, downward towards my hips then making a return visit back using the same agonizing path.

“Do you trust me, Kennedy?” intensity burns in Graham’s eyes as he speaks.