Fate (Steel Brothers Saga #13) - Helen Hardt Page 0,32

her to give up her virginity right here and now. She was young. Impressionable. I could make it happen, but I’d pay the price.

It would be the only time with Daphne. She’d regret it later, and I’d risk losing her.

No.

I couldn’t take her. Not tonight. Not when she obviously needed more time. Because the truth was, I also needed more time. More time with her. And if I took her tonight, I risked losing that.

“I’ll take you home,” I said.

“What if I don’t want to go home?”

My eyebrows shot up. “You mean…”

“Maybe. Just a little. I feel so…” Her sigh was a soft breeze against my cheek. “I need something. Something more.”

“What, baby? What do you need?”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Daphne

I had no answer.

I had no idea what I needed, just that my body was telling me I needed something, and I needed it badly.

My nipples were hard. The feeling was similar to how they felt on a cold day, but it was also different. It was a warm hardness, an aching hardness. They wanted to be touched, fingered, licked.

Between my legs, I throbbed in time with my heartbeat, which thundered in my ears, almost as if I were underwater. My whole body felt hot and flushed.

And my head… My head was spinning with images and feelings I didn’t quite understand but that I wanted to explore more than I’d ever wanted anything.

Again, I didn’t feel fear, even though I should have.

Something about Brad Steel negated all fear in me. He was like a large mountain shadowing me and protecting me from a swirling storm.

What do you need?

His question still rang in my ears.

He didn’t pressure me for an answer, but he did deserve one.

Face your fears.

Wise words from Dr. Payne.

The fear of this actual date with Brad—a man I was attracted to more than I ever imagined I could be attracted to anyone—had caused me to freeze earlier, caused me to feel panic.

Right now, though? I didn’t feel any panic.

If I faced my fear now, while I wasn’t feeling it, perhaps I could conquer it. Being here with Brad, kissing him, letting him touch my body—it all felt so right.

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Do you believe in fate? In destiny?”

He wrinkled his brow. “I never used to.”

“Meaning?”

“I never used to believe in any kind of fate…until I saw you.”

I smiled. Was it possible? Did he feel it too?

“Is that what you mean?” he asked.

I nodded slightly, embarrassed. “Yes. Something about you. It’s like I was meant to meet you. I know that sounds stupid.”

“Actually, it doesn’t sound stupid at all.” He chuckled. “Not to me. I think we were meant to meet as well.”

“Do you? Do you really?”

“Don’t be so surprised. You may be inexperienced, and that’s okay, but I know you feel the connection between us.”

I nodded again. Why was this so difficult to put into words? Words didn’t seem to exist for what I was feeling. Fate? Providence? Destiny? All of those plus something else. Love?

Yes, I loved him. I had no experience, nothing to compare this feeling to, but it was love. I had no doubt.

Someday, I would have this man’s child.

A beautiful dark-haired and dark-eyed child. Brad would be my universe and the child would be my sun. No more darkness. Only light.

I couldn’t help a little laugh. I sounded mushy. I certainly wouldn’t tell Brad what I’d been imagining. He’d think I was a sappy eighteen-year-old having my first crush and daydreaming about marriage and kids.

He was right, though. We had a connection made of something I couldn’t explain. All I knew was that everything about being with Brad Steel felt right. Felt safe.

I hadn’t felt truly safe in a long time. I wasn’t sure why. Nothing horrible had happened to me, and I’d always had a home and parents who, if they weren’t perfect, loved me very much.

So why had I never felt the safety and comfort I was feeling with Brad?

Did it even matter? Why not revel in this wonderful feeling that he seemed to share? Why not enjoy it?

“Yes,” I said. “I feel the connection. I felt it right away.”

“So did I.”

“Then what now?”

“That’s up to you,” he said.

“What do you want?”

He chuckled. “Something you’re not ready to give me.”

Face your fears, Daphne. “What if I am ready?”

“Baby, you’re not. I see it in your eyes. It’s like I said. Your body might be ready, but you aren’t. Not yet.”

“I want to give this to you, Brad,”