I’m not him, and I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that you can trust me to take care of you.”
“I have a lot of strong feelings for you, Landon. I’m just scared to give in to those feelings just to wind up getting hurt.”
“So you’re scared it might not work out?”
“Yes.”
“Not everything comes to an end, you know? But what I’m feeling for you, I don’t want to hide from that. Everything inside me is screaming to fall in love with you.”
“What if loving me isn’t as good as what you’re hoping for?”
“What if it is?” he counters. “What if loving you changes the trajectory of both our lives for the better?” He takes my hand and presses it against his chest, adding, “But what about you? Are you willing to love me?”
The sincerity in his voice begs for affirmation, and if there were any man to take this chance with, I know deep inside that it’s Landon.
“You don’t ever have to be afraid when you’re with me.”
So without the protection of guarantees, I trust in his words, and tell him, “If you’re willing, I’m willing.”
He sits back and pulls me on top of him. His hands wrap around my hips, and with mine gripped on to the back of the couch, I drop my armor. I reach down and pull his one hand up to me and rest it on my breast. “Touch me.”
Gently, he squeezes me in his hand as I watch him, and his eyes never leave mine when he sits up and sucks my nipple, which is still covered by my lace bra and thin chiffon blouse. The sensation ignites me, and I drop my head back. He keeps his mouth on me as the dampness from his tongue seeps through the delicate fabrics, wetting my pert nipple.
Emotions swarm, a plethora of them, but I choose to hone in on the ones that bring me comfort. The patience Landon has exuded these past few months says a lot about who he is as a man. Never pushing, only ever taking each moment for what it is and allowing us to bond as friends.
And now . . . now I give in to what I’ve been wanting but have been too scared.
I unbutton his shirt and push it back, sliding it over his shoulders and down his arms. His skin is smooth under my touch as I run my hands around his back and up his neck, burying my fingers in his hair. Landon’s head falls back onto the cushion, and he stares up at me. His face glows in the firelight.
“I never wanted anything as much as I want you,” he says deeply, and his words elicit my need to be closer to him.
Taking the hem of my top in my hands, I slip it over my head and drop it to the floor next to his shirt with my bra to follow next. Exposed to him for the first time, he looks at my body for a moment before shifting his eyes back to mine.
His breathing is just as heavy.
He touches me.
Skin to skin.
My body melts in a frisson of passion.
He picks me up and lays me down on my back. His eyes speak for him, asking a silent ‘is this okay?’, and when I nod, his hands grip the waistband of my pants before sliding them down along with my panties. He keeps his pants, but he spreads my legs and lies between them. With my fingers digging into his shoulders, he slides his tongue over my nipple and then sucks it into his hot mouth. He moves from one breast to the other as he drags his hand down between my thighs. Watching me intently, a sexy smirk graces his lips when his fingers slide between my folds and find my clit.
“Oh, God,” I moan as I open my legs wider.
Already wet with desire for him, I can feel him use my arousal to coat his fingers as he rolls them over my clit, driving my body to bow up to him.
“Open your eyes,” he says, and I do. “Does my touch hurt you?”
I shake my head.
“Does it feel good?”
“Yes,” I breathe on a broken pant.
“Don’t ever be scared of my touch,” he says before sliding his fingers inside me.
“Landon.”
My eyes fall shut as he continues to touch me so intimately, but it’s not enough.
I want more.
Need more.
I reach down with greed and unfasten his pants. He helps my eager