Page 58 of Lonely Heart
The only thing I felt now was an overwhelming sense of dread. I didn’t want this date to end. I considered options for prolonging it, thinking it would be nice to just take a walk with her. But given the cold weather and Ivy not being dressed warmly enough for an extended period in the cold, I decided against it.
Of course, there was one small part of me that recognized I might have Ivy cuddling up closer to me if she was cold. The potential for that certainly had me reconsidering, but ultimately, I decided I didn’t want that to be the reason Ivy got close to me. I wanted her to do it because she couldn’t stop herself.
With any luck, we’d have another opportunity for a date, and we’d have more time together.
I drove her home, and the walk to her door left me feeling a mix of emotions. I’d taken hold of her hand after opening her door for her, and I didn’t let it go as we walked along the path to her front door.
Ivy’s fingers twitched in my hold, and I was left wondering if she was feeling just as conflicted or nervous about what was next. I knew what I hoped for, but the last thing I wanted was for her to feel pressured to do anything she wasn’t ready for, especially not mere weeks after being assaulted.
When we came to a stop at her front door, she turned to face me. “I know it was your birthday today, Marco, but I feel like I’m the one who got the best gift. I had such a good time with you tonight.”
My thumb stroked lightly over her knuckles. “It was easily the best birthday of my whole life.”
She sent a disbelieving smile my way, but there was a hint of something else lingering there, too. “I didn’t think you were a liar.”
I arched a brow. “Why would you say that?”
“Well, it’s just… how can this be the best birthday of your life when you haven’t even gotten a kiss?”
And there she was.
The bold, fearless woman who went after everything she wanted.
My body had tensed slightly, my heart rate increasing. I needed to play this cool. “See? I think the problem is that you don’t understand just how much I enjoy your company.”
“Marco?” There was something impatient in her tone.
I grew uneasy. “Yeah?”
“Do you like me?”
“Yes.”
“So, will you shut up and kiss me?”
The corners of my mouth tipped up, the tension easing out of my body. I released the hold I had on Ivy’s hand and slid that arm around her waist. As I hauled her body against mine, my other hand drove into her hair and angled her head.
A moment later, my lips touched hers.
Ivy’s fingers pressed in at my chest, my hold on her growing firmer. And the second my tongue ran along the seam of her soft lips, she didn’t hesitate to part them.
The taste of her was something I’d never forget, and the moan that crawled up her throat had me fighting every primal urge.
Her lips. Her mouth.
That was it.
That was all I was going to have tonight.
Not her neck, her shoulders, her breasts, her legs, or that sweet spot between her legs.
Just her mouth.
It wasn’t anything to be upset about, either. Her lips were perfection, her kissing extraordinary. I couldn’t get enough. I never wanted to stop.
But after a while, we separated our mouths and were breathing heavily.
“I know you don’t want me to talk about it, but now I can die a happy man.”