Page 34 of Changed By You
“I don’t want her, though.”
She closes her eyes, then opens them and sighs heavily. “Look, I know she seems like a lot. But she--”
I eat up the distance between us with two steps, cupping her cheek. “You’re not hearing me. I likeyou. I wantyou.”
Her lips part as she looks up at me, silent for a moment. “But you don’t even know me.”
“I know enough to know I want to know a lot more.”
“But Farrah--”
I put a finger over her lips, silencing her. “There’s only one name I want to hear you say, and it’smine. So say it for me.”
She inhales sharply, just looking at me. I stroke my thumb over her cheek, putting my other hand on her hip.
“Dalton.” She breathes my name, and it lights a fire inside me.
“Do you want me to kiss you as much as I want to kiss you?”
Her single nod is all the encouragement I need. I bend slightly and slant my lips over hers, sliding my hand around to the small of her back. She moans softly, her lips warm against mine.
There’s a pounding sledgehammer in place of my heart, my entire body relieved she wants me back and simultaneously soturned on I don’t know how I’ll stand it. She opens to me, our tongues meeting for the first time.
I deepen the kiss and she puts her arms around my neck, pressing her body against mine.
Fuck.I can’t take as much as I want. Not tonight. But damn, do I want to. My erection is molded against her stomach, and she seems anything but shy about it. Her fingers rake through my hairline at my neck and she tugs.
I move my hand down, cupping her ass and making her gasp into my mouth. She breathes against my lips for a couple of seconds and then I capture her lips with mine again, not ready for our first kiss to be over.
She matches my passion, both of us breathless when she pulls away. I kiss the line of her jaw and she sighs, her breath warm on my throat.
“I can’t stop thinking about you, Alice.”
“I...think about you, too.”
“I didn’t kiss her the other night. She kissed me. I shouldn’t have let her, though. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. If you can’t kiss anyone else, neither can I.”
She hums with amusement. “Why can’t I kiss anyone else?”
“Because I said so. Unless you don’t mind me knocking their teeth out.”
She laughs lightly. “Dalton.”
“God, I love the sound of you saying my name.”
She puts a palm on my chest, leaning back slightly. Regret is etched into her face and reflected in her eyes. “I can’t lose my job. If I could--”
“So we’ll keep it a secret, then.”
“If she finds out--”
“She won’t.” I take her hand and put her palm over my heart. “I’m having some strong feelings for you, and if you want to seeif there’s something there for you, too, I’ll stay. But if not--if you don’t want to give me a shot--then I’m leaving the show. I’ll let the producers come up with some bullshit reason for it, but I don’t want to be here just to pretend I’m having feelings for someone else.”
“No,” she whispers. “Don’t go.”
