Page 101 of Chasing Hope

Her finger slides along my jawline. “Scruffy.”

“Didn’t have time to shave this morning.” Even to my own ears, my voice sounds rough.This is what she does to me.

She scoops a dollop onto her finger. “Hold still,” she whispers. As she starts to lather the cream on my face, I have to be honest, it does feel nice—thick, but not in a suffocating way.

“You have nice skin for a man,” she murmurs.

“Thank you? I think?”

Her lips twitch as she scoops out another clump. “It was a compliment.” Rising a little higher, she tries to layer some on the other side of my cheek, but starts wobbling slightly, balancing at an odd angle.

I’m not sure what possesses me—that’s a lie, I know what does. I’ve wanted to do this a million fucking times, except this time, I don’t hold back.

Placing my hands on her hips, I lift her and then lower her on my lap, her legs on either side of my hips. Evie’s breath hitches, eyes snapping to mine.

The question in them makes me drawl, “It’ll be easier for you this way.”

“For the skin,” she says through labored pants.

“The skin,” I agree.

This isn’t for the fucking skin and we both know it.

She scoots forward slightly and, fuck me, I know she feels it.We both hiss out a breath as Evie aligns herself perfectly over me and that’s when I realize my hands are still on her hips and she’s wearing nothing under my hoodie but her underwear.

Oh my fucking god.

I didn’t think this through. I didn’t fucking think this through at all because now that Evie’s on my lap—wearing my hoodie, her hair all messy, her breathing labored, hooded eyes on mine—I have to try and not get hard, and my dick isnotcooperating right now.

Panic mingles with the pure ecstasy that’s coursing through my veins at having her so close to me. I’ve dreamed—fantasized—about this happening and I can’t believe it is.

And shelikesit.

There’s no way she doesn’t. She’s barely paying attention to the mask anymore. Her hips keep slightly rocking, her thighs on either side of mine squeezing.

We’ve always danced around each other, have always had that insatiable pull, but it’s never been so clear to me that I’m not the only one that’s fighting it.

She feels it too.

Holy fucking shit, she feels it too.

My fingers twitch on her hips.

I can’t force myself to let go, couldn’t pry my hands off her body even if my life depended on it.

She’s perfect, so goddamn perfect I’m finding it hard to breathe. Like two trains barreling toward each other on the same track, I don’t think we can stop what we’ve started.

Her pearly blue eyes seem to glisten as they stare at me and before I can stop myself, my brain completely hijacked by my heart, I whisper gutturally, “So fucking beautiful.”

Evie’s breathing stutters, her hand hovering midair before she throws caution to the wind and gently strokes my cheek, adding another layer of face mask, but I’m not paying attention to the creamy consistency. All I can feel are her fingers on my skin.

My eyes shutter closed, my grip on her hips tightening.

“Valenti.”

“Matteo,” I plead. “Say my name, Dove.”

It’s easy to imagine how hard her heart is beating because mine is out of control, and it takes a nose dive as Evie’s angelic voice huskily whispers, “Matteo.”