The Bad Boy Bargain (Suttonville Sentinels #1)(65)

He let his eyes close, too. His pulse hammered; his skin burned. Her body was so soft against his.

Eventually Faith dropped back down. He could feel her shaking, and imagined her knees wouldn’t hold her up anymore. Their kiss broke and she stared up at him, her warm brown eyes reaching down to his soul, pulling it free from the earth to send him sailing into the sky.

She unbuttoned his shirt, and he shivered when her hands brushed against his stomach. “Is this okay?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m just a little nervous,” he admitted, heat flooding his cheeks. “But…don’t stop.”

Her fingers worked his shirt off his shoulders. “I think it’s sweet, the guy being nervous, but you can trust me, Kyle. I won’t break your heart.”

“I know.” And he did know. She’d take care of his heart, and he’d take care of hers.

She laid his shirt on the couch, then walked around to trace the tattoo. “It’s beautiful. What kind of bird is that?”

“A hawk,” he said. He was having trouble breathing, and he couldn’t make himself care. The feel of her fingers on his skin was giving him a contact high. “I’ve always loved them—they’re strong for their size, and fierce. I needed that, to remind me.”

She kissed his shoulder, and goose bumps rose in the spot her lips touched. “Well, I love it.”

He spun around and pulled her against him, kissing her, drowning in her. “I love every part of you.”

She nuzzled his neck. “How do you know? There are parts you haven’t seen.”

“I still love them.” God, his heart was going to explode any second. “But I’d like to see them.”

She took his hands and guided them to the skirt of her dress. His palms skimmed her thighs as he slid it up and over her head. All she wore underneath was a white bra and matching underwear, and he couldn’t help but stare. Faith wrapped her arms around her middle. He wasn’t sure if she was cold or shy, but he could fix both problems.

“You’re beautiful, Faith. In every way possible.” He stepped in close, feeling the softness of her skin against his. “You’re sure?”

She pressed her forehead against his collarbone. “Completely.”

“Then it’s a good thing Cade talked me into buying condoms a few days ago.”

Now she outright laughed. “Cade’s a good friend.”

“He is. But I don’t want to talk about him right now.” He slid his palms down her bare arms and took her hands in his. He breathed in the scent of her hair. It smelled like forever. “I don’t want to talk at all.”

She tilted her mouth up to his. “Neither do I.”





Chapter Thirty-Seven


Faith


Scared. He said he was scared. He’d sounded so ashamed of that, but it was music to her ears. She’d been so wrong about him, in the best way possible. Here was someone not looking for easy prey, but for someone to lead him as much as he led her.

Faith let go of Kyle’s hands and traced the lines of his biceps to his forearms. “You know, baseball players have the sexiest arms. Especially baseball players who can lift ballerinas up over their heads.”

He growled softly, his mouth tracing kisses along her shoulder. “And ballerinas have great legs.”

To prove his point, he reached down to stroke the outside of her thigh. She leaned into him, her breath quick and sharp in her lungs. One—or was it both?—of them was trembling, and his mouth crushed hers. He kept one hand on her lower back, and she arched against him. It lit her up inside, but still she wanted more, if he was ready. Would he be?

She splayed a hand on his chest and pushed him back a step. His eyes were unfocused and his hair was a wreck. And those jeans riding low on his hips made her blood race hot through her veins. God, what a beautiful mess he was. “You’re overdressed.”

He flushed. “So are you.”

His voice was hoarse, and he swayed on his feet like he was struggling to stay upright. She’d have to make the first move—he was too far gone to do anything but follow her lead. She reached for his hand and tugged him toward the bed. They made it three steps before he pulled her back into his arms, almost as if he couldn’t bear to let go, even for a second. Smiling against his mouth, she walked backward, pulling him along, until they finally made it.

She slid onto his bed, crooking her finger at him. Kyle bounded after her, his expression sweet and tense. She pulled him close, resting his head against her chest, and ran her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand, like he was starved and her touch was the only thing to sustain him. Maybe it was.

Were things a little awkward? Sure, but it was endearing, the way they learned at their own pace. She loved the gentle way his hands found places that made her world dissolve into sparks, and how he gasped her name when she found her own favorite places on his body. She loved this promise they made, here, now. Just the two of them, in their own little universe.

His heart raced under her hands when he glided over her, and she knew this had been the right choice. He could give her so much more than anyone else, even if it had taken him a while to see it.

And in the end, the look of wonder, of astonished release, on his face was the last puzzle piece falling into place.