Finally Swanny dragged his mouth away from hers. His eyes were half-lidded and heavy with desire.
“Now you tell me if it feels to you like I don’t want you. Or that you’re somehow forcing my attraction, because honey, it doesn’t work that way. I can’t fake my reaction to you. I can’t even look at you without wanting you. The only thing I’m struggling with is my belief that a woman in your class could possibly want me.”
She smiled, warmed by the sincerity she saw shining in his beautiful eyes. She lifted her hand to caress his scarred cheek, running her fingers lightly along the ridges. He didn’t flinch or try to turn away, a huge victory because it meant he was becoming more comfortable with her.
She touched him often, wanting to tell him without words that she wasn’t bothered by his appearance. She knew it would take time, but she wanted him to know without question that she wasn’t put off by his scars. Not in the least.
“To turn your words back on you, I can’t fake a reaction this strong. If you want an explanation I simply don’t have one. Some things just are, and for me that’s you. I struggle over the fact that we’ve known each other such a short time. I mean, it never seemed possible to me to have an instant connection with another person like I do with you. But it’s there. It was there from the start. There was something about you that just . . . drew me in. You’ll find this hard to believe based on the way I’ve come on to you, but this isn’t normal for me. I’m actually pretty reserved. I’m having my own share of bewilderment over my boldness because it’s not who I am, or rather who I was,” she said ruefully.
He nuzzled into her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. “I like your honesty. It’s refreshing. There’s no guessing with you. I like that a lot. You don’t play games. I don’t find your forthrightness to be bold or brazen at all. I like knowing where I stand. And let’s face it. If you’d waited for me to make a move, you’d probably have waited forever because I would have never imagined for a single moment that you’d want someone like me. It would have felt to me like reaching for the stars or wishing for the moon. I guess I needed a kick in the ass and you provided that nicely.”
She laughed, relaxing into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. There was nothing overtly sexual about their position, but she felt comfortable and intimacy surrounded them, pulling them into their own little cloud. The rest of the world seemed miles away. There was only the two of them with no intrusions or interruptions.
Knowing she was being bold—again—she turned her head up just so she could see his face. “Will you sleep with me tonight?”
His eyes instantly flared and she hurried to correct the likely assumption that she was asking him to make love to her.
“I don’t mean to have sex,” she hastily amended. “I know we’re still feeling our way around each other and I don’t want to rush things. I’m liking where we are right now. But I’d love to sleep in your arms tonight. To just . . . be with you.”
He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I’d like that a hell of a lot. And Eden, stop being self-conscious about saying what it is you want. I don’t think you’re some brazen hussy. I hope you’ll never hesitate to ask me for anything you want or need. Because I’ll do pretty damn much anything to provide it for you.”
She smiled ruefully. “I told you this isn’t the normal me. It’s actually really hard to lay it out like I have. I like you a lot and I don’t want to ever put you off by being too demanding or pressuring you for something you aren’t ready for.”
“There’s no pressure, honey. I think we’ve already established I want you pretty damn bad. You’ll never come across as demanding or forceful by telling me what it is you want from me.”
“I want you to do the same,” she said softly. “I don’t want you to worry about coming across too forcefully. I’d like us both to meet each other halfway. So if you make me promise to tell you what it is I want, then I want that same promise from you.”
“Deal,” he said gruffly.
He looked regretfully at his watch and then back to her.
“You said you have an early morning, and if we’re going to get up and work out before your shoot, you should probably think about getting to bed now.”
She nodded. Before she would have been reluctant to go to bed—alone—because she enjoyed his company and she would have lingered, giving up rest to spend time with him. But now that he was sleeping with her, she suffered no qualms about going to bed now.