HANNAH (Silicon Valley Billionaires 3)

He laughed, then shrugged. “Of course I want to. But I want the time to be right, for both of us.”

But the time was right for him—finally. I was fine. I could do this.

I went and tentatively wrapped my arms around him, relishing the feel of his muscles against me. He might not be back to where he was before the injury, but it felt like he was regaining strength fast.

I sighed in relief.

“What?” His question came out muffled against my hair.

“You feel like you’re getting stronger, back to your old self. I’m just so relieved.”

He held me tighter. “Shh, I got you.”

My body throbbed for his. It had been so long. “I want you to make love to me.” I reached up to kiss him.

His tongue sought mine, and I moaned against him. He ran his hands down my back, pulling me closer, and my body molded against his.

My body continued to respond, but I couldn’t fully focus. My thoughts kept crowding me. I want him. I want to do this.

Ugh, I willed my brain, then shut up!

Wes deepened the kiss, and I wrapped my hands around his hips, getting as close to him as possible. I tried to lose myself in his embrace, but I wondered what he was thinking right now, if I felt the same to him as I always had…

His hands roamed through my hair, and I stiffened. I want him. I want to do this. I can do this… He kissed me again, but I felt like I was two seconds behind, trying to catch up and not connecting to the moment.

He pulled back. “Are you okay?”

I shook my head, trying to clear it. “What do you mean?”

“You seemed like you checked out a little.”

“I think I just got distracted.”

He brushed the hair back from my face. “Let’s just go to bed, okay? I’m beat.”

I stepped back, stung. “I didn’t mean to ruin the mood. Can’t we just forget about it—”

“Hey.” He reached out and grabbed my hand. “We are in no rush. C’mon, we’re both tired. It’s been a long day.”

“I’ll just be a minute.” My voice came out small.

I retreated to the bathroom with my pajamas. I changed and started brushing my teeth, staring at myself in the mirror. There were dark circles under my eyes. My complexion looked dull. I barely resembled my normal, perky self.

I was tired. I was tired of this shit.

I roughly pulled my pajama top on and headed to bed. I climbed in and faced away from Wes.

He sat up a little and sighed. “You’re mad at me? I wasn’t trying to be a jerk.”

“You weren’t a jerk.”

He was quiet for a minute. “I just don’t want to rush you.”

“I’m perfectly capable of deciding what I’m ready for, thank you very much.” I sounded meaner than I felt.

He sighed again and lay back down. “I know that. But you hesitated.”

“So?”