She snorted but waved for him to continue. She kind of liked him all growly and broody—God help her.
“I liked the dance we had even though I hated it. I’ve wanted you, Hailey, but…well, for reasons of my own, I stayed away. I know I’m not good enough for you, but I don’t damn well seem to care right now. I love what we have, love that we talk and I watch you bake, but I want more.” He paused for a moment. “I don’t know as I deserve it, but I want it. And for the record? You could have asked me out anytime before now. You’re not one to back away. You have your secrets, but you say what you want most times.”
She swallowed hard, her mind whirling. “I guess I could have asked you out before. And you’re right. I do have secrets, and that’s why I didn’t do anything about it.”
He studied her face once more. “Well, we’re doing something about it now. So let’s move on from why we didn’t before and figure out what we’re going to do next. I know those secrets of ours are going to come out, but—”
This time, she interrupted him. “But if we keep going in circles, we’ll only end up hurting each other.”
“Exactly. So, does Illusion sound good to you still? Or do you want something different? I know you work with food every day, so you choose.”
Illusion was a hipster place that had popped up in downtown Denver a few months ago. It wasn’t as pretentious as many of the new hipster places tended to be, and they had fantastic food. They were a hole-in-the-wall that tended to be busy—hence the reservations for dinner. But everything was organic and tasty. Since Hailey only ate organic thanks to the chemicals she’d pumped her body full of in her effort to get healthy, it worked for her.
“Let’s go,” she said softly and took a breath.
Sloane reached out and cupped her cheek. Without thinking, she leaned into his touch. “Okay, then, Hails. Let’s get some food.”
He let her go, turned off the hazards, and pulled out onto the road again. All the while, Hailey sat back, her cheek still warm from his touch. She had no idea what she was doing, but damn it, she couldn’t wait to figure it out.
“Do you want to come in?” Hailey asked a couple of hours later, her belly full and her cheeks aching from laughing all night.
Dinner with Sloane had been memorable to say the least. He was all big, bearded, broody, and inked. And oh so hers for the evening. He’d laughed with her, touched her when he could—a casual brush of fingers along silk. He would lean in close to tell her a joke and then smile wide when she laughed.
Sloane didn’t smile enough.
The fact that he would in her presence warmed her.
Sloane stood next to her on her porch, his large body towering over her but not scaring her in the least. He was the largest man she knew, and yet she knew, without a doubt, he’d never physically hurt her.
“I could get warm,” he answered.
She swallowed hard, unlocked her front door and stepped inside, feeling his warm body behind her. He helped her slide off her coat, his fingers brushing along her ribs. She shuddered out a breath.
When he pulled her to face him, she tilted her head up and licked her lips.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long while,” Sloane said softly. “Should have done it before.”
“Then do it now,” she whispered.
When he lowered his head, pressing his lips to hers, she surrendered to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his, aware she was doing something she had not done since the diagnosis
Willingly allowing another to know the feel of her body.
It had taken years for her to allow herself to think of her body as beautiful. As brave. And with this kiss, she would take it one step further.
She would allow another to hopefully think the same.
His tongue slid along hers, and she moaned, loving his taste, the feel of him…everything.
When he pulled away, they were both breathless, a fundamental part of their relationship forever changed.
She met his gaze and knew there was something she had to do before she took the next step. It wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t.
“I…I’ve wanted to do that for far too long,” she finally said.
Sloane grinned, though she saw an emotion pass through his eyes she couldn’t quite name. Secrets, she thought again, they both had secrets. So, perhaps it was time she shared hers. She’d hidden them for so long, she almost didn’t know the words.
When she pulled away, he frowned. But he let her go, his fingers lingering on her hips as she moved.
“I’m glad we did it, then. How about we do it again?” he asked.
She licked her lips but held up her hand as he took a step forward. “I need to tell you something first.”
He tilted his head. “Okay.”
She let out a little laugh. “You’re always like that. You say okay and you listen. That’s what I’ve always liked about you, Sloane.”
He shrugged. “No use in being here if I’m not going to listen. You want to sit down?”