Page 28 of Completely Captivated
Their intimacy that morning took them to a whole new level, and Christa’s body was on fire.Nothing could quench this insatiable thirst but Aaron himself.When Aaron rose off her, she watched him as his eyes raked over her naked body.Aaron helped her to sit up and wrapped her shirt around her shoulders.He held the front of her shirt together as their eyes met.
“I want to give you something I’ve never given anyone before.If you’ll have it,” he murmured softly.
“What is it?”she whispered back, mesmerized by the adoration in his eyes.
“My heart,” he said as he placed her hands on his chest.“It beats only for you now.If you take it, don’t ever give it back to me.It’ll be yours forever.I will be yours, forever.”
Tears filled her eyes—tears of happiness, tears of requited love, and tears of relief.Having real love reciprocated without strings, without conditions, and without unreasonable expectations was foreign to Christa.But the way Aaron freely offered his love, in such a romantic manner, was by far the best moment of her life so far.
“I love you.I think I loved you from the moment I first met you, Christa.I can’t help it.The more I’m with you, the more I need you.”
“I love you, too, Aaron.I could never give your heart back.”She pulled his hands to her chest.“Feel it beating?That’syourheart—and I will take care of it like it’s my own.”
He stared at her—amazed, grateful, and even more in love than he was just a moment ago.This demure, beautiful, inexperienced creature had accomplished what the most skilled, acrobatically inclined supermodels couldn’t come close to doing.She had tamed him, domesticated him, and even made him want it.
He held her face in his hands and softly, slowly, and repeatedly kissed her lips, her eyes, and her nose.“You never cease to amaze me,” he said as he rested his forehead against hers.His hands moved down to her shirt and pushed it back off her shoulders.Her eyes widened, partly in fear and partly in anticipation, and Aaron smirked at her.He reached behind her and picked up her bra.With the utmost skill and care, he slowly redressed her until he fastened the last button on her shirt.
She sat still the whole time in astonishment at the care he was taking in making sure she was fully clothed.Somehow, the entire process of dressing her was just as erotic and sensual as undressing her had been.All the additional attention he’d given her made her feel extra special.He was never too busy for her, never had an excuse for not showing up when she needed him.He even came to the café, out of the blue, at five o’clock in the morning just to help her get ready for the morning crowd.
“You are the best man I’ve ever met, Aaron,” she said sincerely.His hands froze in midair, the stunned look on his face conveying his inner thoughts without saying a word.He looked as if he was waiting for her to laugh after making that statement, as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“What is it?”she prodded.
He shook his head from side to side while maintaining eye contact with her.“No one has ever accused me of being a good man before, Christa.”
She scrunched her brow up in confusion.“What do you mean?”
Aaron huffed out a deep sigh before answering.“Christa, I’ve never been in any real relationship before.I won’t lie.I won’t sugarcoat it.I want you to know me—the real me—and that was part of me.”
He looked away from her, suddenly ashamed of the life he’d wanted before he met her.“I was never with one woman for more than one or two nights.But it’s not like that with us.With you, I want itall.And if I have to wait a year to prove it to you, then I will wait.Without question or complaint.”
“Did you…date…the models you work with?”she asked tentatively.
“Yes, if by date, you actually mean have a one-night stand with them,” Aaron answered truthfully.Then held his breath, praying she didn’t kick him out.
“But you’re done with that?”She tried to hide the quiver in her bottom lip.She was trying so hard not to cry, not to be upset with him, and it was killing him.
“I was actually done with that just before I met you that first morning.You gave me extra incentive, though.”
“How so?”
“I wanted to be the kind of man you would want to be with,” he stated plainly.When she didn’t speak for a minute, Aaron continued.“Are we okay, baby?”
“We’re okay.I told you I can’t give your heart back.It already beats inside me.”
Aaron wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight to him.He hoped he wasn’t crushing the breath out of her, but he couldn’t loosen his grip just then.He felt like he had to make sure their connection was set in stone before she figured out that he wasn’t worthy of her love.Before she came to her senses and ran for the damn hills, he had to make sure she was as in love with him as he was with her.
“I guess we should get busy.You’ll have customers soon,” he said softly into her hair.She nodded but made no attempt to leave his arms.
“What about you?”she asked so softly he almost didn’t hear her.
“Me?I’m here to help you.I’m not leaving.It’s Saturday, and I’m off today.”
“No, not that,” she said shyly.“All you did for me…earlier… I didn’t do anything for you.”
Aaron pulled away from her just enough to have room to tilt her head up.She closed her eyes.Smiling, he said, “Sweetheart, what I did for you was because Iwantedto, not because I expected anything in return.”
She finally opened her eyes and saw his gorgeous smile.“What if I wanted to do something for you, too?”
