“Oh God,” I gasped as I grabbed onto Tucker’s arms. “B-blood. Everywhere.”
Tucker cupped my face with his hands. “Charlie, look at me.”
The smell of it hit me like a brick wall, and I started to sway. I’d never liked blood. Ever.
“Charlie. Look. At. Me.”
My gaze slowly lifted until we were staring into each other’s eyes.
“Take a deep breath in through your nose, out through your mouth.”
Tears threatened to build as I tried to do what he said. A sob slipped from my lips. “I hate blood.”
He nodded. “I know. Just don’t pass out again.”
I was known for passing out at the sight of blood. I dropped face-first once when we were playing volleyball. Nash jumped up to spike the ball and hit it straight into Blake, breaking his nose. I ate sand the second I saw the blood.
“You okay, Pumpkin?”
Tucker calling me his pet name tossed me right over the ledge. One tear, then two, then the onslaught came. I never cried. Ever. I was stronger than this, but this marked two breakdowns in less than twenty-four hours.
Being here with Tucker, I was an emotional mess. All the tears I had tried to keep inside over the last week pounded on the door, demanding I let them out and show how weak I truly was.
Why did my parents leave me?
His thumbs ran across my cheeks. “Please don’t cry,” he whispered while leaning his forehead to mine. “Charlie, please don’t cry.”
Between my soft sobs, I tried to speak. “Th-this … has … b-been the worst … w-week of … my l … li … life.”
“I’m so sorry. Tell me what to do to take it all away.”
My breath caught in my throat as I made immediate eye contact with him. I needed this man more than I needed my next breath in this moment, and he had no idea what he asked of me. This was no longer about me trying to seduce him for a stupid setup marriage. It was about my feelings for him and how he made me feel when I was with him. Lifting my head, our eyes met. I searched his face.
Did he feel the energy between us too?
It was so strong I swore I heard the air crackling.
I hated that he brought out this silly-in-love feeling from the middle of my chest … yet I was so over the moon for this guy. I always had been, and I always would be. There was no changing our chemistry and attraction. That mushy phrase came to my mind, “the heart wants what the heart wants,” and even though I didn’t want to be that woman, I was that woman in this moment.
The heat caused by the trail his thumbs left was unmistakable. His mouth opened and his gaze was almost pleading, begging me to say what he wanted to hear and what I longed to say.
With a heavy breath, he pleaded, “Tell me.”
Say it, Charlie. Say it!
“I … I need—”
My chest rose and fell with each breath.
His hand dropped to my neck and pulled my lips slightly closer to him.
“What do you need?”
Another tear slipped down my cheek as I responded with a barely audible, “You.”
Pulling me to him, our lips crashed. I instinctively wrapped my legs around him, feeling the fabric of his pants rub against my throbbing, exposed clit.
When his hand pushed into my hair and grabbed a handful like I was his life preserver, I moaned into his mouth.