Page 64 of Radiant Exception
When Vaughn didn’t immediately follow me, I peeked out of the curtain and saw a sliver of his arm through the bathroom doorway. He was in the same spot I’d left him in.
“Vaughn…” I called to him.
He moved to the door, nerves evident on his pallid face.
“Get over here, silly,” I laughed, trying to diffuse the tension. “And no clothes allowed.”
He swallowed before pacing toward the bed, his anxiety transforming into determination. I let the curtain drop, allowing him privacy to divest the rest of his nerves along with his clothes.
And when Vaughn finally came through the curtain, I frowned to see he was still wearing his black boxer briefs, which were tented with quite an impressive erection.
Lucky me.
“I saidnoclothes.” I pouted.
He hesitated at the edge of the bed. “It’s—umm—been a minute since I’ve…” He ran his hand through his hair, his gaze focused on the sheets in front of me, rather than the naked woman before him.
“Me too—I don’t care,” I spoke softly, reaching toward him and lacing my fingers through his. “We don’t have to have sex. We can just cuddle—or kiss—or whatever you want,” I offered, a gentle smile playing on my lips when he finally gathered the courage to look up at me.
For all his bluster, and despite his immense size, Vaughn’s tenderness might have been my favorite part of him. He fought so hard to keep it hidden. But those whom he cared for saw past the facade of the rough-and-ready captain persona.
The Vaughn I saw before me was so much more than what the military had tried to reduce him to. He was warm, and lonely, and he was mine.
“Come here.” I tugged on his hand, willing him to get into the bed with me.
Lying on my side, I pulled the sheet over both of us, allowing us to face one another.
“Hi.” I smiled at him, resting my head on my arm.
“Hi.” He returned the gesture, mirroring my posture before reaching forward and snagging my hand in his, settling our clasped hands between us.
“Talk to me.”
He took a beat, studying my face, perhaps weighing his words. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
My brow furrowed. “How would you disappoint me?”
“I told you I haven’t been in a relationship before.” His gaze fell to our hands and stayed there. “I don’t know what comes next.”
This man was the one who had pushed me to be something more than a fling, but now that I had agreed to his terms, his defenses were down, and the truth was coming out. The cat had finally caught the canary and was left confounded.
I couldn’t help but let a bubble of laughter pass my lips.
His eyes flicked up to mine, an expression of hurt crossing his features for a split second before he heard what I had to say.
“And you think I do?” I snorted. “Every man I’ve been with was worse than the last, and the most recent was a real doozy, as you well know.”
He sighed through a quiet chuckle.
“The only thing I expect from you is to care about me…like I care about you.”
Vaughn’s gaze searched mine. “Relationships are more than just that.”
“They don’t have to be.”
He pursed his lips, clearly not believing me.
“Well—I’m hoping there might be some sex involved eventually…when you’re ready.” I leered at him, squeezing my thighs together in a poor attempt to alleviate the amplifying ache.
