Exposure - Kelly Moran Page 0,20

warming her cooling skin. "Thought what, baby?"

She closed her eyes, butterflies dancing in her belly for the pet name. "I thought maybe with you I could handle normal. But panic tightened my chest and I just couldn't. I'm sorry."

He was silent for a beat. "I'm not sorry, and it wasn't a letdown. Look at me."

Resisting the urge to hide, she lifted her head and looked into his turquoise eyes. Kind, often mischievous, and always intense eyes.

"There are so many things I want to do with you. You built up this wall to protect yourself, and no one can fault you for that. But this is me, and you don't need to protect yourself from me." His gaze dropped to her mouth, over her hair and back to her eyes. "When we walk away from this after a month, don't you want it to be with everything I can give you?"

Her heart started to pound, in fear, but also excitement. Wondering if she was capable of doing more, she bit her lip.

His thumb traced over the spot, releasing her teeth from the hold. Lifting his head, he gave her a brief kiss. "I would never hurt you."

"I know that." She did, with every fiber of her pathetic being, she knew. Frustrated, she sighed, wishing she could understand why she was this way in the first place. "I want those things, too, Noah. I just don't know if I can."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course." She cupped his jaw, no doubt whatsoever.

He nodded, even though he seemed doubtful. "Then let's do this, Raven. We'll go slow. But you need to meet me halfway and relinquish some control. Not all. This isn't a power play. It's me giving you pleasure."

She shivered, wanting that more than anything. If what they just shared was an indicator for what he had in store, she'd agree to anything. Plus, he promised to go slow. With anyone else, there was no chance she'd even try. With him, possibilities opened. God, she just wanted to be normal.

Her throat closed, but she forced words past the tightness. "Okay."

His grin was slow-coming, but it hit full watt in no time. "Good. First order of business is your living arrangements. You need to temporarily move in here with me."

Chapter Five

Raven shot up so fast his head spun. "What?"

Noah was a little shocked himself by the proposal. He'd never had a woman in his apartment, never mind asking one to move in, albeit temporarily. But after what they'd just done together, and everything they'd left on the table, no way was he letting her go until he got all of her.

She made a move to climb off of him.

He grabbed her hips to still her. "Stop. Hear me out."

She tensed, but ceased her escape.

"We live twenty minutes apart. Between your work schedule and mine, travel would waste time. One month, Raven." It would build trust on her end if she stayed. Falling asleep with her, waking up, it would push his typical boundaries, but she'd relax with him, put them in more intimate capacity. It would speed progress.

She shook her head. "That goes beyond the agreement. You don't share well with others. We'd kill each other."

Something else was going on in that pretty head of hers. "Right back at you. But what aren't you telling me?" She hedged. He pressed. "Honesty, Raven. I need you to talk to me or we're not going to get anywhere."

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. "I've never slept with a man before."

It was damn frightening how alike they were. "Me either. Man or woman," he teased. She didn't see the humor. "We'll figure it out. Worse case scenario, I take the guest room."

He wondered if she realized he was touching her now. With a firm grip on her hips, his thumbs stroked her skin while she argued with herself. She had no problem with him touching her in the living room, so he tried to gauge her triggers as they went along.

She drew in a breath, and his gaze dropped to her nipples with the movement. She had perfect breasts. Small, perky, and they'd fit in his hands. If she let him touch. Rose-pink in color, they begged to be sucked. Bit.

This wasn't helping. He was growing hard again. Already. They needed a shower, but he wanted her again desperately. An idea bloomed.

"Stay tonight. We can test things out over the weekend."

Her gaze met his, more mocha than cocoa in the dim light of his room. Slowly,