The Ahern Brothers Collection - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,31
hard. Every night I go to bed wishing that I was with you.” I bare my soul.
“You do?” she whispers, her brown eyes shining.
I caress her cheek, and she closes her eyes, breathing deeply. She opens her eyes and stares at me for a few beats. Then she moves her mouth, but only a soft whimper comes out.
“What are you thinking?” I press my thumb over her creased forehead.
She’s unsure about something. My words? My feelings? What can I say or do to convince her that I’m serious—that I want more with her.
Only her.
“I mean every word that I just said, Abby.” I cup her face with my hands lowering my head.
“Wes,” she says with a sigh, her arms encircling my waist.
“Shh,” I murmur, covering her mouth with mine.
A spike of electrified excitement rushes through my body the moment her mouth opens for me. I stroke her tongue, discovering her mouth, tasting her for the first time. I drink from her, sucking the shaky moans coming from her throat. She shivers as I press her closer to my body.
“God, you taste like an angel,” I mumble against her sweet mouth.
I nip at her lip, sliding my hands down her back.
“Is this real?” She finally finds her voice.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“It seems too easy, Wes. I come back, and you sweep me off my feet proclaiming that you want more.”
“Well, it was time to own up to my feelings,” I confess giving her a quick peck. “Ready to eat, my lady?”
I release her and pull out one of the chairs for her. As she sits down, I catch her hesitation. Did I imagine the intensity of our kiss?
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know … it’s this feeling of dread thumping along with my heart.” She shrugs. “I guess I’ve never dated before. There’s this uneasiness inside my stomach, like something is whispering: ‘enjoy this because it might be the last time you smile.’”
“Abby, please don’t be pessimistic. Trust me.”
She nods, but I can see the doubt etched in her face. What is she afraid of?
Chapter Fifteen
Wes
“This is delicious.” Abby takes a bite of the miso-ginger glazed salmon.
She smirks, taking a second bite. “You cooked?”
Abby watches me in amusement as I open my mouth and close it. I never said I made dinner for her. There’s no way I could’ve driven to Cherry Creek to buy her a present, cook, and be ready for dinner.
“What gave it away?”
“The rice,” she answers, taking a fork full of it.
I arch an eyebrow and eat some myself. “It’s perfect,” I claim.
“Exactly,” she says, drinking some wine. “This rice is fluffy and flavorful. It’s not easy to achieve the texture. You don’t cook that often.”
“I take it that you like it,” I confirm.
“Of course, and I love that you brought my favorite dish. Though, you could’ve given me a sandwich and I’d have loved that too.”
“Well, I had to run an errand and decided to just bring something for our first meal—together.” I pull out the box and hand it to her. “And this is for you, to remind you of today.”
“Oh my God, Wes,” she gasps, staring at the open box.
It’s a set of bracelets. The first bracelet has pink, orange, and clear crystals while the second has an anchor charm.
“This is beautiful,” she says, caressing the trinket. “Perfect.”
She smiles, rising from her seat and kissing me. This time the peck is on the lips.
“You’re perfect, you know?”
“I’m far from it,” I remind her. “And you of all people are aware of my faults.”
“I am, and I love each and every one of those flaws.” She sits back down putting on the bracelet.
Abby glances at me, then back at her wrist. “You need a compass.”
“So, you know why I gave it to you.”
“You’re my anchor, just like I’m your compass.” She shakes her head, laughing. “Always, right? Even if this ends?”
I take her hand, kissing the inside of her wrist. “Baby, this will never end, I swear.”
“Says the guy who can’t hold onto a girl for longer than a week,” she says, her eyes studying me.
“Why would I when I have you?”
She gasps, her eyes open wide. “What does that mean?”
Before Abby, I was too busy at school. I didn’t care if any relationship lasted just a day or a few weeks. My sole purpose was to keep Dad happy, so he wouldn’t tell me that I was taking too many credits and that many of them weren’t related to my degree. Afterwards, Abby was all