“Yes,” I answered, pulling her in closer to me. Fuck, it wasn’t enough. Any distance between us was too big a distance, and I wanted to eliminate it all. I wanted to be deep inside her.
“Go to sleep, baby,” I said. “I’ll be here to protect you.”
She let out a soft sigh I almost didn’t hear. “I know.”
And then we went to sleep, and I couldn’t remember a time when I had slept that soundly before.
Joseph’s housewas nearly empty out front in the early morning light.
I recognized the old brown SUV—it was Maura’s, who probably arrived early to get everything ready for the day. Iparked by a tree, close enough for Isa to walk back to her house, but out of sight enough that I wouldn’t be detected here.
I put the car into park and turned to her. She had been silent all morning, and I didn’t know what to make of it.
Did she regret it?
All of it?
Did she regret me?
I tightened my fists around the steering wheel, the move not going unnoticed by her.
She looked at it, then at me.
“Thank you for driving me home,” she said, sounding way too fucking polite for my liking.
I nodded, then looked off to the side.
I didn’t want her to leave. At least, not like this.
I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to me when it looked like she was about to open the door.
“What—”
Her words were cut off when I pressed my lips firmly against hers.
Her palms moved over to my chest, but she didn’t push me away. She didn’t pull me in closer either. They settled there, the weight somehow feeling both delicate and heavy.
I kissed her harder, running my tongue over her bottom lip until she opened her mouth for me. We both moaned from the first touch of my tongue against hers.
Fuck, but she tasted good. She tasted like mine.
She was mine.
I molded my lips over hers and deepened the kiss. I felt her palm fist my shirt tightly from the move.
I pulled away first.
Her eyes were still closed, as if she was committing every little detail about that kiss into her memory.
I cupped her cheek and kissed her once more, this kiss hard and brief.
She smiled a little and finally opened her eyes to look at me. Those baby blues of hers would be the death of me, I was sure of it.
“I’ll see you soon,” I said.
She nodded. “Soon.”
Then she opened the door and got out of the car. I watched her leave, a feeling of wrongness settling heavily on my chest. I didn’t want to let her go.
