And Then There Was Her (And then There Was 1)

“Adele,” he half-whispered, half-groaned. The sound went through my entire body like flames licking over me. “If I told you how I felt, you’d run away. You’d be so damn afraid you’d never want to see me again.”

I heard the fear in his voice and shook my head, knowing it would probably be the opposite. “Tell me,” I all but begged and pleaded.

He was silent, still for so long I wondered if he even breathed. I wanted to tell him what I felt, how he made me feel. But I was afraid. I bit my tongue, the pain a realization that saying too much might scare him away. I’d let him take the forefront in this moment. I’d give him the lead.

“I’m so damn afraid to say it,” he whispered again and lowered his gaze to my lips. “I’m so damn afraid of losing you again.” That last part sounded like it was meant for himself.

I shook my head and cupped his scruff-covered cheeks, forcing his head up so he could look into my eyes. “Tell me,” I pleaded softly.

He paused a moment as if debating whether to say what he wanted, as if fighting with himself.

Say it, Oliver. Please, say it.

“I love you,” he said in a hoarse whisper.

I swallowed, my heart beating hard and almost painfully in my chest. Oh my God. I’d been wanting to hear those words from him.

I wanted to say them myself.

“I love you too,” I whispered.

He looked stunned, then brushed the pad of his thumb along my cheek.

Back and forth, back and forth. All Oliver did was look into my eyes, almost disbelief in his expression. God, his eyes were so blue, so clear. I felt myself falling into them, getting lost in the color, in the deepness of them. I felt myself leaning forward, felt his warm breath brush along my lips.

I didn’t want to stop this. I wouldn’t.

I saw the way he kept looking at my lips, knew he wanted to have me again. And I wanted to give myself to him. When he leaned in, I wanted him to end this torment, to be with me once again, to give me what we both wanted.

He moved his hand behind my head, cupped my nape, and the pain and pleasure of his fingers digging into my skin had a surge of need filling me. My already climbing and repressed pleasure nearly exploded from me. And as the seconds moved by, I felt it break free into this explosive tingling sensation along my entire body.

Oliver leaned in close, his lips brushing along mine. He murmured, staring at my lips, “I want to go slow, but I can’t help myself. I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop, Adele. I love you… so fucking much.”

I breathed out harshly at the passion in his voice.

“I just want to get lost in you.” He murmured against my lips.

I licked my lips, knowing he was right, and not caring or wanting to stop either.

“You have no idea how much I want you right now, Adele. You have no idea how I felt when I first saw you after all these months.”

I held my breath, looked into his blue eyes, and felt my heart skip a beat. “I love you, Oliver. I want you, want this. I want to be with you.”

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. “When I woke up and you were gone, I felt like I’d lost the most integral part of me. The most important part of me.” He pulled back and looked into my eyes once more. “And then I saw you again in that hallway, heard your voice, smelled your scent… felt your skin, and I found my heart once again.”

I’d also felt this recognition and electricity move through me when I’d seen him for the first time, and then tonight? Tonight it felt like that part that had been gone for so long had finally found its way back to me. I felt like I was home.

Heat moved through me.

His lips were so close to mine that if he just leaned forward the last couple of inches that separated us, we’d be kissing once more. I felt desperate for him.

“I need to kiss you again,” he said in a low, deep voice. He groaned again. “But I should go slow, right?”

“No, fuck slow,” I said bluntly, and I saw his lips lift in a smirk.

My heart was thundering, and my panties were soaked clean through. He was so much bigger than my five-foot-four height, nearly a whole foot taller, muscular and hard. Manly.

I swallowed. “I want you.” I swallowed again. God, my throat felt so tight and dry. “Right now. I want to be with you, Oliver,” I whispered.

“You’re mine irrevocably, Adele.”

Oh. God.

“Yes,” I found myself saying before I could stop it.