Page 141 of The Way I Hate Him
“Impress you? No.” He lets out a heavy breath, and from where my palm rests, I can feel the rapid beat of his heart. “Did I want to show you how much I care about you? Did I want to show you I’m not the monster you last saw? The one who attacked your brother? Then, yes.”
“And why wouldn’t you want me to see you as a monster, Hayes?”
He wets his lips right before saying, “Because I really like you. Because I want to have the chance at dating you, taking you out, doing this the right way.”
A much-needed smile passes over my lips. “Really?”
He cups my cheek and nods. “Really. It’s never been a question if I want you, Hattie. That’s been apparent since the moment I saw you dropping off that box at my front door.”
“But you said—”
“I lied,” he says. “Every chance I had, I lied because I knew if I gave in to the temptation that is you, I wouldn’t be able to let go.”
“So why now?” I ask, my fingers moving up to his face where I drag them across his coarse beard.
“Because of Cassidy,” he answers.
And that’s the exact answer I needed. I take his face in both my hands and crash our mouths together. His hands slide up my back, bringing me in tight and holding me in place as he reclaims my lips, but nothing is between us this time. It’s just me and him. No restrictions. No fears.
And he commands every second of it.
His tongue traces the plumpness of my lips, edging me to open, and when I do, he doesn’t dive his tongue in right away. Instead, he gently runs his tongue against mine until the embers between us ignite into a burning inferno.
Hungry, he delivers open-mouthed kisses, his grip moving all the way up to the back of my head, his tongue dancing across mine, owning every inch of my mouth.
This kiss is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
The passion.
The demand.
The pent-up need. It crashes together. It’s in the way he holds me and the way his mouth possesses mine. It’s addicting, making me want so much more.
“Fuck,” he says, releasing my mouth and pulling away, his eyes falling on mine. “I don’t want to push you too far.”
My body begs him to take anything he wants—to strip me down and make me his—but my mind, my fragile, barely healed brain is pumping the brakes...because he’s right. If I went any further, it would be pushing me further than I want to go. Further than I’m ready.
I lean back and take a deep breath. “I want to take it slow.”
“That’s totally fine,” he says.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yes, Hattie.” He cups my cheek. “Do I want to fuck you until you don’t have a voice anymore? Of course.” I gulp. “But I want to do it when you’re ready.”
Not sure I’d ever be fully prepared for that.
“I’m just barely getting my mind straight,” I say honestly. “I’ve spent the last week or so letting myself live in my feelings, remembering Cassidy and letting myself mourn. Today’s one of the first days I’ve gotten out of bed, put some makeup on, and gone into town. Aubree showed me the apartment, and I just . . . I had to come over here and thank you.”
“No need to thank me, Hattie.”
“What you did was really sweet. I appreciate it. I’m not sure I’m ready to stay there yet. I’m still kind of attached to Cassidy’s room right now.”
“That’s fair.”
“But I know I can’t stay there forever, especially since Ryland has been sleeping on the couch for months now. I was actually thinking of clearing it out for him and giving him a bedroom. He needs one badly.”
“Do you want me to help you?” he asks.
