“We’ll fit, sweetheart.” He cupped his hand over hers. “But you keep doing that and I won’t get the chance to prove it to you.”
With a chuckle, Avery’s shoulders relaxed, and her eyes lifted back to his. She didn’t say anything, but with that one, heart stopping look, he knew she was ready.
“Lay back on the bed.”
She did as he asked. “You sure you don’t want me to take my shoes off, first? They might be a little…pokey.”
Pokey?
Garrett smiled and shook his head. God, he loved this woman.
Woah. Not love. It’s way,waytoo soon for that.
Or was it?
He’d heard women use the term ‘insta-love’ before, but only when referring to sappy romance novels or chick flicks. This was real life withrealemotions.
But the problem was he couldn’t quite name what those emotions were because he’d never felt like this before. Not about anyone. And he hadn’t even gotten inside her yet.
“Yet “being the operative word.
Pushing all the rest aside, Garrett looked down at the woman lying before him…and lost his ability to breathe.
Moonlight shone through his balcony window, lighting her up like an angel. With her hair splayed out around her, Avery stared up at him with heady desire.
Letting one leg fall to the side, she offered herself to him in the most precious of ways.
Garrett reached for the unopened condom, using his teeth to rip open the small, foil packet. He held back a wince as he rolled the protection over his throbbing erection, the skin there stretched to its limit by a hunger only this woman had ever created.
“I’m on the pill,” Avery blurted from where she lay. “Mainly to regulate things, because I don’t really date much. And it’s been almost two years since I’ve had sex, so I know I’m clean.” She swallowed hard. “I’m only telling you all this, so you’d know we’re doubly protected. I mean, I know we still need to use the condom for other reasons, just to be safe. But I just thought you should know all that before we…you know.”
“Have sex?” His lips twitched.
Her hair swished along the comforter as she bit her bottom lip and nodded.
She’s nervous.
Her adorable rambling was a dead giveaway to that fact. As for the other…
“That’s good to know.” Garrett climbed onto the bed beside her. “And just so you’re aware, I’m clean, and…it’s been a long time for me, too.”
“Really?” This seemed to shock her.
Tucking some hair behind her ear, he nodded. “Remember when I told you my work keeps me busy? It does, but that’s not the only reason I haven’t been with a woman in a long time.”
“What’s the other reason?”
“I got tired of doing the whole casual thing. Plus, this last job I went on…”Careful, now.“Itdidn’t go as planned. When I finally got back home, I realized how empty my apartment felt, and how badly I wished someone had been there to welcome me home.”
Garrett knew he sounded cheesy as hell, but it was the wholehearted truth.
He still didn’t know what made that op so different from any others he’d been on, butsomethinginside him had changed. It was the whole reason he’d agreed to go on this trip with Colt in the first place.
That first week back, all Garrett had felt was anger and confusion. But once he got here and forced himself to relax, he realized he’d been given a gift.
The gift of clarity.
Though it took him a minute, he truly understood the importance of balance in one’s life.