to understand, made them fall again, faster than before.
“That’s not at all what I meant. Please, don’t cry.” He released one hand but brought it to my face, tracing the lines of my pain with his calloused fingertip. “I understand you’re hurting. I may not know exactly how you feel, but I understand it. All I want to do is help make it go away.”
“Why? Why do you want to make it go away? It never goes away.” My voice came out in a hoarse whisper, pain evident in every airy word. I felt so naked, so raw in front of him as he dried my tears, seeing me like no one ever had before. No man had ever looked at me the way he did at that moment. And no one had touched me that way before, both inside and out.
“It does, though. Pain and grief don’t last forever. But you can’t ignore it. You can’t rush the process. You have to take your time.”
I nodded and fell forward, too tired to hold myself up any longer. I pressed my head against his chest, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. There was something soothing about it, about the way he enfolded me in his arms, the sound of his heart beating rhythmically in his chest. It calmed me down the moment my ear pressed against his shirt, his body heat consuming me.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “Let’s get you back to your car.”
“What about the bill?” I asked, pulling away from him.
“It was a few bucks. I left money on the table. We’re fine. Let’s go.”
I nodded and followed his lead, letting him assist me in climbing into the monstrous truck’s passenger seat. We both remained silent as he drove me back to the bar where we’d met just a couple hours ago. It felt as if an entire lifetime had passed by. I wanted to say so much, but at the same time, I didn’t want to ruin the mood. I didn’t want to chance breaking whatever easiness we had going on between us. And I definitely didn’t want to start blubbering again. I just wanted to keep things the way they were now until he took me back to my car.
Bentley hopped out of the truck once we were parked and came over to help me out. And then he stood in front of me with my hands in his, my back pressed against the truck, acting as if he didn’t want to let me go.
I took the opportunity and went for it. Keeping our hands joined, I wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling our bodies together. The heat I’d felt earlier from his touch intensified now that the entire length of his body was pressed against mine. I tilted my head up, offering my lips for him to kiss. But instead, he moved his mouth to my ear and whispered, “Goodnight, Sarah.”
His words made me freeze, reeling from the sting of rejection.
He kissed my cheek and pulled his head back to look into my eyes.
“I’m not ready to end this night yet,” I begged desperately, my words thick in the humid June air. I sounded frantic and I hated that feeling. I’d lost all control of my emotions; this man had sucked them from me so easily. He’d put me under a spell and made me reveal things that I kept under lock and key. I didn’t want him to leave now. I wanted answers. What answers, who knows. But things felt unfinished.
“You should go home, Sarah. Get some sleep.”
“I don’t want to sleep.” My voice came out in eager, ragged pants. I didn’t want him to leave me like this. And for the first time, I didn’t mean sex. For the first time, I wanted to feel close to someone…even for just a little while longer. Maybe it’s because he wouldn’t kiss me. The challenge was there. No, that wasn’t it. It was so much more than that. I felt an unexplained connection to him and didn’t want him to leave.
“And I don’t want to be used.” That was enough to snap me out of my haze.
Without another word, I let go of his hands and backed away, breaking his hold around my waist. I spun and headed to my car, not bothering to glance back at him. I didn’t want to see the look of revulsion on his face, and I didn’t
“That’s not at all what I meant. Please, don’t cry.” He released one hand but brought it to my face, tracing the lines of my pain with his calloused fingertip. “I understand you’re hurting. I may not know exactly how you feel, but I understand it. All I want to do is help make it go away.”
“Why? Why do you want to make it go away? It never goes away.” My voice came out in a hoarse whisper, pain evident in every airy word. I felt so naked, so raw in front of him as he dried my tears, seeing me like no one ever had before. No man had ever looked at me the way he did at that moment. And no one had touched me that way before, both inside and out.
“It does, though. Pain and grief don’t last forever. But you can’t ignore it. You can’t rush the process. You have to take your time.”
I nodded and fell forward, too tired to hold myself up any longer. I pressed my head against his chest, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. There was something soothing about it, about the way he enfolded me in his arms, the sound of his heart beating rhythmically in his chest. It calmed me down the moment my ear pressed against his shirt, his body heat consuming me.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “Let’s get you back to your car.”
“What about the bill?” I asked, pulling away from him.
“It was a few bucks. I left money on the table. We’re fine. Let’s go.”
I nodded and followed his lead, letting him assist me in climbing into the monstrous truck’s passenger seat. We both remained silent as he drove me back to the bar where we’d met just a couple hours ago. It felt as if an entire lifetime had passed by. I wanted to say so much, but at the same time, I didn’t want to ruin the mood. I didn’t want to chance breaking whatever easiness we had going on between us. And I definitely didn’t want to start blubbering again. I just wanted to keep things the way they were now until he took me back to my car.
Bentley hopped out of the truck once we were parked and came over to help me out. And then he stood in front of me with my hands in his, my back pressed against the truck, acting as if he didn’t want to let me go.
I took the opportunity and went for it. Keeping our hands joined, I wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling our bodies together. The heat I’d felt earlier from his touch intensified now that the entire length of his body was pressed against mine. I tilted my head up, offering my lips for him to kiss. But instead, he moved his mouth to my ear and whispered, “Goodnight, Sarah.”
His words made me freeze, reeling from the sting of rejection.
He kissed my cheek and pulled his head back to look into my eyes.
“I’m not ready to end this night yet,” I begged desperately, my words thick in the humid June air. I sounded frantic and I hated that feeling. I’d lost all control of my emotions; this man had sucked them from me so easily. He’d put me under a spell and made me reveal things that I kept under lock and key. I didn’t want him to leave now. I wanted answers. What answers, who knows. But things felt unfinished.
“You should go home, Sarah. Get some sleep.”
“I don’t want to sleep.” My voice came out in eager, ragged pants. I didn’t want him to leave me like this. And for the first time, I didn’t mean sex. For the first time, I wanted to feel close to someone…even for just a little while longer. Maybe it’s because he wouldn’t kiss me. The challenge was there. No, that wasn’t it. It was so much more than that. I felt an unexplained connection to him and didn’t want him to leave.
“And I don’t want to be used.” That was enough to snap me out of my haze.
Without another word, I let go of his hands and backed away, breaking his hold around my waist. I spun and headed to my car, not bothering to glance back at him. I didn’t want to see the look of revulsion on his face, and I didn’t
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