Did she really just say that?
I glance down at her, watching for any sign that this is a dream, but all I see in her eyes is pure want.
“Please, Austin,” she says again, confirming that, yep—I didn’t make it up. “I want this. I want you.”
Her voice doesn’t crack or tremble. It melts, soft and breathy. My fingers are still in her hair, frozen like the rest of me, and my heart’s hammering against my chest.
Maisie looks up, her eyes flickering with something that resembles a mixture of nerves and desire. She’s breathing faster, harder. I don’t think she even knows it.
“Maisie…” Her name scrapes out of my throat like gravel.
I’m trying to keep it cool, like I’m not short-circuiting inside, but fuck. This isn’t how I saw tonight going. I thought we’d have a movie night, maybe make out a little, and I’d keep my dick in my pants and my hands above her waist like a gentleman. Not… this.
“We don’t have to rush,” I say, holding her gaze, hoping she hears how serious I am. “I’m fine with just kissing. Or cuddling. Or—fuck, Maisie—whatever you want.”
She swallows hard and her fingers twist into my hoodie, searching my eyes. “Don’t you want me?” she whispers, furrowing her brows.
Fuck me, the way she says it, barely audible, like it scares her to ask. Her teeth catch her bottom lip, and I swear I see a flicker of fear that I might say no.
I run a hand through my hair and exhale hard, trying not to just yank her against me and kiss the living daylights out of her. “You have noideahow much.”
That earns me a soft smile. Her breath tickles my cheek when she speaks again. “Then have me,” she breathes against my mouth.
The moment our lips meet, all my hesitations fall apart, because she’s not doing this because she thinks I want it. She wants this. She wants me.
And I want this girl. I want her so damn bad I ache with it.
I pull back to look at her again, trying to memorize her exactly as she is right now. Hair mussed. Lips kiss-swollen. Cheeks burning.
“You really want it to be me?” My voice comes out lower than I expect as I try to swallow the nerves crawling up my throat.
Her eyes soften—those ridiculously gorgeous eyes—and she nods. Her hand comes up, warm against my jaw, her thumb brushing over my skin.
“I couldn’t imagine someone better.”
And just like that, I’m done for. Becauseholy shit—out of every guy she could’ve picked, she wants me. I don’t know whether to kiss her or ask if she’s sure one more time just so I can hear her say it again.
I drag my knuckles down her cheek, then lower, to the hem of her hoodie. I hook my fingers in and pull it up inch by inch, slow enough to give her time to change her mind. She doesn’t. Her arms lift. Her shirt comes off, and underneath she’s in a white bra that probably wasn’t meant to be sexy but looks like sin against her skin.
“Jesus,” I breathe, kissing the strip of skin just above her waistband. Her stomach is soft under my mouth, and she exhales sharply when I trail my lips along the curve of her hip. My hands explore, gliding under the fabric of her bra to cup her breasts gently. They fit perfectly in my palms, warm and full and firm.
I find the clasp and undo it gently, easing the straps off her shoulders. She watches me the whole time.
The bra drops, and suddenly I’m staring at her. Bare. Vulnerable. Fucking stunning.
I shake my head, the words swallowed up by the sight of her bare beneath me. “I want you so fucking bad,” I start, my voice shaky. “But I’ll go as slow as you need,” I assure her. “Tell me if you want me to stop.” My voice is rough with how much I crave her. “At any time. You say the word, and I’m done.”
She nods, breathing hard. “I trust you.”
I groan as I lean back down, kissing down her chest, dragging my tongue in slow circles over one nipple while my thumb teases the other. She gasps, her fingers tightening in my hair, and arches into me, her mouth falling open in a breathy moan. “Ahh. Austin…”
My name on her lips, like that? Jesus.
I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. Her skin is like silk, trembling slightly.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” I whisper as I kiss her again, guiding her gently down onto the bed.
Don’t rush. I remind myself.Don’t fuck this up. She’s everything.
