“And Gavin told me about how you stood up to him when he started dating Harper. You might not realize this, but I am one hundred percent positive that the year and a half you kept your distance from me was your way of giving me the don’t-break-my-heart speech and making sure I heard you loud and clear.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she lowered her gaze.
He put his finger under her chin, lifting her face so her eyes met his. “What we have isn’t fleeting, sweetheart. It’s real because you and I are real.”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier about us having a strong foundation built on friendship. I know you’re right, but lust doesn’t last, Justin, and quite frankly, I’m bursting with it.”
“You have a lot of worries in that gorgeous head of yours. I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me about them. You’re right about lust, Chloe,” he said honestly. “Lust alone doesn’t last, and relationships built on it eventually fall apart. But lust does have a place in the best relationships. Lust, love, communication, compromise. They go hand in hand. All those things are what make relationships stronger. It took me years to learn what a healthy relationship was, and then it took several more years before I trusted myself enough to know that I was capable of being in a meaningful relationship.” He felt her relaxing into him, into them, and said, “You and I have lived through perfect examples of what not to do. I’ve watched Preacher and Reba, and Con and Ginger, and you and I have both seen our friends fall in love and create happy lives together. We know it’s possible for two people to think of each other before thinking of themselves, and I want to explore those possibilities with you, Chloe.”
Her fingers brushed the back of his neck, and she said, “How do you know just what to say to put my mind at ease?”
“Easy, babe. I just tell you the truth. If we weren’t meant to be, if you were a woman who was going to chase every dick in town, or if I was a guy who was out to break your heart, we wouldn’t be here right now. We’re both too smart for games like that.”
Her eyes filled with desire, but her brow wrinkled, and she said, “Everything you say tells me who you are, and I really like who you are. I want to kiss you so badly right now I could scream. But I know if we kiss, I’m not going to want to stop, and there’s a fine line between when it’s appropriate to do more and when it’s not. I don’t want to screw us up or make you think I’m easy. I haven’t had to deal with anything like this in so long, my radar is probably off. But I really want to kiss you right now, and I know you want to kiss me. So where is that fine line for us, Justin?”
He ran his hand up her back. Her skin was warm, and she was looking at him like she wanted to eat him alive, and man, he wanted that, too. But what he wanted even more was for her to feel safe and in control, so he said, “We’ve had a year and a half of not crossing lines, and I’ll wait however long you want. What matters most is where you want that line to be, Chloe.”
“I don’t want that line at all,” she whispered, and reached behind her back. In the next breath her coconut top fell to his lap.
He looked his fill at the woman who had tied him in knots for far too long. Her eyes held the confidence he adored and a secret, unexpected innocence that he knew he’d see in his dreams. “God, you’re beautiful, baby.” He skimmed his hands up from her waist, light as a feather, and brushed his thumbs over the sides of her breasts.
She inhaled sharply, a small smile lifting her lips.
“I’ve dreamed of seeing you”—he pressed a kiss to the center of her breastbone—“of touching you, for so long.” He ran his finger over a tiny white scar just above the swell of her left breast. “What happened here?”
“I don’t remember,” she whispered. “Kiss me…”
He kissed the scar, and then the swell of her breast. She inhaled shakily, eyes closed.