Holy. Fuck.
This woman.
I can’t stop the groan that slips out the moment our lips connect. Everything inside me settles, and for the first time in years my world feels right. Gina’s lips part, and I gently coax her tongue to dance with mine. Her lips are lush, soft, and giving. God, I could kiss this woman forever.
Her fingernails dig into my arms through my jacket, and she leans into me. Her body fits perfectly against mine, and I’m overcome with how badly I need her. I can’t believe I’ve been denying myself this moment for so long.
I’m a fucking idiot.
It nearly broke my heart when she looked at me and pleaded not to put her through any more emotional whiplash.
If my brief stint in therapy so far has taught me anything, it’s that we often hurt those we care about the most when we deny our own issues. Gina’s plea confirmed I’d done just that with her, and I hate myself for putting her through that. Kissing her seemed like the only way to prove to her I was done fighting.
And now that I’ve kissed her, I have no intention of going backward. This woman is mine. Whether I deserve her or not.
But I have to do this right. Gina deserves the best, and fuck knows she’s way out of my league, but I want to give her everything.
I reluctantly slow down our kiss and pull away. Her eyes slowly blink open. She looks dazed, and I love that I put that look in her eyes. Suddenly, her soft gaze turns apprehensive.
“Do you regret it?” she whispers.
My heart clenches. Fuck, I’ve really messed things up if her first thought after our kiss is that I might regret it. Shit.
I shake my head. “Not for a second.”
Her shoulders sag with relief, and I realize I have a lot of work to do to prove I can be the man she deserves.
“I want to take you out on a proper date.”
She looks at me in shock. “What?”
I smile softly at her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “You heard me. I want to take you out on a date.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
She tries to fight her smile but fails, and I catch the blush that heats her cheeks. I brush the back of my hand against her cheek and then delicately cup her chin and bring her mouth back to mine.
I want to live in this moment forever. Never in the history of the world has a woman’s mouth fit so perfectly with a man’s. I’m convinced our lips were made for each other.
For the briefest moment, I realize this woman is going to own me in a way no one ever has. The thought slides quickly from my mind when her fingers curl into the hair at the back of my neck.
God, that feels good. It’s been so long since anyone’s touched me like this.
She kisses me deeper and lets out the sexiest little moan. My blood rushes south, and that’s when I know I need to slow things down. I don’t want Gina just for sex.
Don’t get me wrong, I plan to fuck the hell out of this woman. But I want so much more with her, and after all I’ve put her through, I need to prove myself to her.
I pull away. “Okay, I’m going to need you to stop, or else I’m going to take you right here.”
She smirks. “Would that be such a bad thing?”
Ugh, I’m going to have the worst case of blue balls tonight.
“Yes, because then other people might see you, and I have no intention of sharing you with anyone else.”
Her look turns heated, and when she licks her lips, I’m certain she’s doing it just to torture me.
“Where are you parked?”
She points to a car just a few feet away. I place my hand against the small of her back and walk her to her car.
When she opens her door, I give her one more quick kiss and then take a step back. “A proper date. Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
She watches me closely for a couple of seconds before nodding.
Relief floods me, and all my muscles release the anxious tension I wasn’t even aware I was holding. “Okay. I need to go now before I take this too far tonight.”
Her flirty smile tells me she understands what she’s doing to me. “If you must. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She gets in her car, and I watch as she drives away. I let my head fall back as I look up at the night sky, feeling my body relax in a way it hasn’t in years. Gina is a game changer, and one I’m done pushing away.