Unravel(70)

He stopped and turned. I licked my lips nervously.

“Are you leaving because you’re angry with me or because what you’re feeling scares you?”

His hands were on his hips and his jaw ticked. His eyes swept over everything but me. “Naomi…”

“Are you?” I persisted.

I stood there, my hands clenched at my sides, waiting for him to answer my question. I told him the truth long ago. I deserved the same. I deserved to have him look me in the eye when he finally did.

Seconds ticked by. It felt like years. And then his hazel eyes locked with mine.

“Do you love me?” I asked.

Lachlan was rigid, not saying a word. My heart pounded in my chest with fear.

He took that step forward. A step I had been waiting on for years. He ate the distance between us, and when he reached me, he gripped my face with both hands. His lips touched mine.

You know that one of a kind kiss? The one that takes all your pain, fear, insecurities, sadness and destroys it within seconds? The kiss that brings you back to life?

That was this kiss.

I stood on my tiptoes. I gripped his shirt with one hand and wrapped the other around his neck.

He backed me up until my shoulders touched the tree. I forgot about the world around us. Everything was put on pause and it was just the two of us.

Our hands reached for each other’s clothes at the same time with quick and impatient jerks. He fumbled with the buttons on my dress. He worked down my stomach, the material loosening around my body. His finger grazed my stomach as the last button popped free. My dress parted, exposing my pale, pink bra. My nerves were tingling. I wanted him to touch me, but I took this chance to grab the hem of his shirt. His arms lifted. Up and over his shirt went.

We didn’t reach for each other. We stood there, taking each other in. I had waited years for this moment and it was finally here. My eyes traveled down his body. The smooth skin of his chest. His abs tightened, becoming ridged with each heavy breath he took. My hands curled into tight fists when I looked at the muscle above his hips, the one that forms a V and makes my brain go haywire.

My hands were shaking as I reached for the clasp in between my breasts. It unhooked and the material of my bra parted, grazing against my ribs.

I stayed in place, wanting him to have time and look at me. Just like I did with him.

I looked at him and my heart started to frantically beat. His eyes were more than intense. They were almost desperate and showed me that maybe I hadn’t been the only one waiting for this to happen.

Lachlan swore before he crashed into me. The skin-to-skin contact made me gasp. His mouth moved over mine. I tilted my head back, my fingers digging into his biceps.

His hands drifted across my skin and his lips followed. I felt his warm breath on my breast, felt his tongue flick against my nipple.

“Keep going,” I urged.

I’d never felt so much heat in my body. It felt like I was seconds away from bursting into flames. I didn’t want it to stop.

He curled one hand into my hair. The other gathered the material of my dress, bunching it around my waist before he cupped my ass. He held me against him and I could feel just how hard he was.

I breathed through my nose and traced the taut muscles of his stomach.

Lachlan hissed through his teeth. He rested his forehead against mine as I unbuttoned his pants. My thumbs slipped past the material of his boxers. My hands were shaking and I started to breathe hard. I was ready to see and feel him.

That’s when Lachlan jerked away, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.

He stood there panting with his pants dangerously close to falling off his hips. I knew I didn’t look any better. My hair was messy from his hands and my lips were bruised from his kisses. I held my dress together with one hand.

“I’m not going to do this here.” His voice was raw.

“Why not?” I breathed.

His eyes were still white-hot, but they softened as he looked me up and down. “You’re Naomi,” he said, like it explained everything.

“I don’t care where we do this.” I meant that.

On the floor, in a bed, or even against a tree. It didn’t matter where, I just needed him and I needed my arms around him. I was back to square one with love. Where I was oblivious to the pain and completely starving.

“Touch me right now,” I whispered and let go of my dress. The material slid down my arms. Nipples hardened. Goose bumps covered my skin.

His mouth opened, but not a sound came out.

He came back to me before the last word had slipped from my mouth. His hands gripped the back of my thighs, lifting me up.

“Wrap yourself around me,” he said.

I eagerly hooked my legs around him.

“But my underwear,” I protested.

I grabbed the waistband, intent on pulling them down but he beat me to it. Material ripped and fluttered to the ground. I watched, breathlessly, as he reached for his wallet from his back pocket, and grabbed a square foil packet. The wallet dropped to the grass. He lowered his boxers. He was stiff, inches away from my thighs. I watched, my body shaking and he put the condom on.

His movements were slow and I swear he did it on purpose, letting me take a good look at him. I wanted to wrap my hands around him, the skin looked so soft. I reached out. Lachlan intercepted my hand, holding my wrist gently. He looked at me, his lips curved in a wicked smile.