black. His hungry gaze pinned me, and based on the way he leaned forward as if he wanted to launch himself across the room again, his white-knuckled grip on the chair was the only thing keeping him in place. Yet, despite all the desire I saw, he looked tormented, like I’d pushed him too far.
I went to my room and closed the door to do as he’d asked. However, after putting on my sleep shorts and top, I sat on the bed and stared at the dresser in growing concern. What was I doing? I’d been very plain in what I wanted, but what about what Thallirin wanted? He’d made that plain, too, and I’d ignored it. Had I just used that kiss as extortion to see me dressed again?
Standing, I changed out of my sleepwear and got fully dressed. I needed to apologize, then clear my head.
Thallirin was still in his chair when I returned.
“I’m sorry I pushed you,” I said. “I’m going to go to Mom’s for dinner. Is it okay if I come back here when I’m done?”
He stood and stalked toward me, looking a bit more angry than usual.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah. I thought you might want a little quiet time without me.”
His arms wrapped around me, holding me just a little too tightly.
“No,” he rumbled. “Don’t leave.”
His arms felt so good around me as I hugged him back.
“I’m not leaving-leaving. Just going to Mom’s for dinner. I should have put clothes on like you asked. It wasn’t fair for me to push you or use getting dressed as a bribe for a kiss. It was manipulation, plain and simple, and I wouldn’t have liked it if you’d done that to me. I’m truly sorry, Thallirin, and I swear I won’t ever do that to you again.”
His hand stroked over my hair.
“I liked the kiss,” he said. “More than I should have.”
Annoyance flared as I understood the way he’d acted wasn’t because of the kiss but because of my damn age. However, I’d said all I could say to help him see it the way I saw it. I sighed and rubbed my cheek against his shirt.
“Do you want to come to dinner with me?”
He grunted and picked me up.
“I can walk,” I protested. “It doesn’t hurt.”
He stopped in front of the door and looked down at me.
“Do you want me to stop?”
The way his gaze skimmed over my face and his hands tightened ever so slightly around me told me he liked holding me just as much as I liked being held by him.
“No.” I rested my head against his shoulder. “Don’t you want a jacket?”
“No.”
I smiled, knowing what that meant. He was comfortable with me. He knew I wasn’t looking at his scars, but at him. He stepped out into the cold and started toward Mom’s house. I pressed my nose against his chest for warmth but ended up inhaling deeply instead.
“I like the way you smell,” I said.
His steps slowed before picking up speed once more.
I grinned and smoothed my hand over his chest.
“I like the way you feel, too.”
He slowed again.
“Do you want me to stop?” I asked.
“No.”
“Can we kiss again tonight? After dinner?”
He looked down at me and started to shake his head. I gave him my best sad face. He stopped walking completely, and I could see he was torn. He wanted to make me happy, to give me what I wanted, what we both wanted, but he also wanted to respect the rule about my age.
“I liked kissing you, too, Thallirin. I was so worried I’d never like touching anyone that way ever again. But kissing doesn’t have to mean sex. It can be a way for people to show that they have affection for one another or a way to test how much they feel for one another. That’s what I was doing. Testing how you make me feel. Sometimes kisses are just nice. Just nice isn’t enough for me to start a relationship. I want kisses that are exciting and make my heart race.”
Putting what I was feeling into words was making my heart feel weird. How could an organ feel tight?
I focused on his shirt and toyed with the fabric.
“I liked our first kiss, and I want to do it again to help understand just where my feelings for you are going. But I don’t want you to feel that you have—”
“Brenna.”
I looked up at him.
“Our kiss made my heart race. My blood heat. My hands itch to