Shattered Rose (Winsor Series) - By T L Gray Page 0,31
the table closing the distance between us saying, “I think we need to do more kissing and less talking.”
I leaned into him, putting less than an inch between our faces. “Maybe it’s time you were with someone who could do both.” I could tell my comment got to him as his guard seemed to drop for an instant while he kissed me. He pulled away and my eyes searched his, but the moment was gone and his relaxed, nonchalant demeanor was back.
“I love your eyes,” he said casually, still staring at me. “They are so light they look like blue ice crystals. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
I blushed and turned away. “I don’t even know how you can say that when you stare at yours every day in the mirror.” He lifted my chin back up and gave me a stare so smoldering that my breath caught.
“We should get out of here before my thoughts get us in trouble,” he whispered. “Besides, I want to show you where I live.” He grabbed the check, and I stood up and followed him out, excited, but nervous to be alone with him in his apartment.
Jake lived in a studio apartment only two blocks from the restaurant. The décor was pretty modern, and I knew without asking that Issy had been involved in the decorating. The only piece of furniture that looked like Jake was a long, soft leather sofa that nuzzled around you when you sat in it. I glanced up and saw a staircase leading to a small loft with a queen sized bed and dresser. My stomach started doing flip-flops as I realized how inexperienced I was in this situation. I had never been in a guy’s apartment alone before, and had never gone further with a guy than kissing.
I sat on the couch feeling completely out of place, putting my hands in my lap to try and settle the shaking. Jake grabbed us a few drinks out of the kitchen and turned on the TV. There was a basketball game on and Jake hit mute, so we just saw the screen. He slid behind me on the couch, straddling my legs as he pulled me back to him.
“You’re so tense,” he said, rubbing my shoulders.
“Sorry, I’m just not used to being so alone with you. In my apartment, there was always the thought of Issy walking in to hold us accountable,” I admitted.
He started moving my hair and kissing the back of my neck. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” he whispered as he continued to move up my jaw line to my ear. Every nerve ending in my body was on fire, and I was acutely aware that his free hand was resting on my exposed thigh.
“That will become a very short list if you keep kissing me like that,” I admitted, fighting every instinct I had to turn around and attack him.
“You promise?” His words were so soft they could have been the whisper of butterflies, and his touch so tender that I wondered how anyone could have such gentle lips. He started to unzip the back of my dress and I froze, completely terrified.
He chuckled, laid back on the couch and pulled me in to join him. “I love your innocence,” he said stroking my arm. “You don’t see that much anymore.”
I turned around to face him on the couch and kissed him with all the desire I felt welling up in me. He let me drive the moment, continuing to be a total gentleman. When I wanted to stop, he just held me close while we talked for hours. I knew right then that he was all I wanted, in every sense my match. I was sure of it.
Jake became the perfect boyfriend after our dinner date. Even Issy noticed his devotion and stopped giving me the warning speeches each morning. He’d call or come by every night and we’d talk for hours about anything or nothing. It didn’t matter.
He was interning at one of the largest stock trading companies in North Carolina. He took me step by step through what they were learning and how much fun he was having. I loved listening to every bit of it, so excited to see him happy. He was also opening up more and more about his past and with every new insight, I found myself falling harder and harder for him.
“I found my father, you know,” he said, stroking my arm