My chest burned as I stared into her sapphire eyes. I’d heard similar words before from my mom, my sister… Hell, even Tyson had tried his hand at the pep talk thing a time or two. But they were my family and thus required to be my biggest cheerleaders, reassuring me I’d done everything right no matter if it was the truth or not.
It was different coming from her. It meant so much more.
The constant pressure building inside me eased, as though a boulder had been removed from my chest.
This wasn’t the first time Remi had given me back the ability to breathe. Her smile. Her laugh. Just the sight of her, even when I was trying to convince myself I couldn’t have her, was oxygen for a man on the verge of suffocation.
And she wanted me. Why? I would never understand.
But I was also a smart enough man to know that when the world hands you a miracle, you don’t take it for granted by asking questions.
“Look.” She shook her head, misreading my silence. “I don’t know what happened, so please don’t think I’m speaking out of turn. But—”
Snaking a hand out, I palmed the back of her head. “Stop talking.”
Guilt painted her beautiful face. “Bowen, I—”
“Stop.” I leaned in closer with every word. “Fucking. Talking.”
Her eyes narrowed, pure Remi Grey attitude locked and loaded.
I had a better plan for her mouth.
Remi
As only Bowen’s could, his mouth came down over mine with a tender possession. How did he have such a powerful control over my body? Such a connection. Such a hold on me. I was not a prude or an angel, but if I were being honest, I hadn’t been intimate—like really intimate—with a man in a long, long time.
Not that I was nervous about being with Bowen, because I’d never felt so drawn to someone. But also, I didn’t want to get carried away physically if he wasn’t ready emotionally.
It wouldn’t be good for either of us. Plus, I wanted whatever this was budding between us to last. I wanted the man’s body seven different ways to Sunday, but when his mouth claimed mine and his strong yet gentle hands caressed my body as we lay on the massive swing, I reminded myself again to slow down and smell the flowers.
“Wait,” I whispered, cupping the side of his face.
His low voice filled my ear as he nibbled at my neck. “What are you doing to me, Remi?”
My mouth fell open as his teeth grazed the soft skin below my ear, chills exploding across my skin. “I’m making the serious, albeit probably frustrating, decision right now to slow us down so you don’t do something you’ll regret.”
His head popped up, a scowl I hadn’t seen since the bubble tea incident crinkling the space between his eyes. “Are you kidding me? The only thing I’m regretting right now is that I didn’t drag you back here the day I laid eyes on you at the courthouse.”
I smiled, basking in the realization that the attraction went both ways. “Are you sure? I don’t want all the talk of accidents and the past to cloud the present.”
He blew out a ragged breath. “Okay. That’s fair. But just so you know, I don’t feel the pain or the clouds of the past when we’re together. Being with you is the only time I ever feel the warmth of the sun.”
Emotion lodged in my throat as I stared at him.
It was different for me, but a part of me had been cold and shrouded by darkness for too long too. I hadn’t understood it when I’d met him, but Bowen’s own brand of warmth had been enveloping me from the very moment I laid eyes on him.
I had no hesitations when it came to being with him. No second thoughts or fears. And if he could say the same, then who was I to stop him from giving us what we both so desperately needed?
“You should probably get back to kissing me, then.” I offered him a playful grin. “And maybe lose some of the clothes.”
His breath caught as he stared at me, an inferno igniting in his eyes. “Do you really want this?”
It was such a simple question, and his sincerity cut me deep.
“Of course. Don’t you?”
“You have no fucking clue how much I need to feel you right now.” Reaching behind his head, he clutched the back of his shirt and pulled it off.
I’d been so damn wrong. His clothes had done his chiseled body absolutely no justice. His stomach was rippled, his chest carved to perfection, and even the deep V disappearing into his jeans looked as though it had been cut from stone. Unabashedly, I stared as he unbuttoned his jeans. He left them open as he toed his shoes off.
