Free Damaged 2 by H.M. Ward Page A

no
air.
    "I…"
I can't say it.
    I
want to tell him, but I can't. I close my eyes and look down, but Peter doesn't
let me stay that way. His hand slips under my chin, and he tilts my head back.
Our eyes meet and the rest of the world melts away.
    I
want to be brave for once. I want to say it and see what happens. I've treated
him so badly and he was so mad at me. Fear keeps shoving the words down my
throat, but they rise up again, rebelling like they have a mind of their own. I
feel the sentence on my tongue and then on my lips. "It was different before—I
could drop the towel—because I was thinking about something, something I
shouldn't." My lips part as I stand there trying to find the right words. "I
got lost in the moment."
    Someone
sucked all the air out of the room, because I can't breathe. I feel like a fish
on a hook with Peter's hand holding my chin up. He doesn't free me; he doesn't
take the words and throw me back. Instead he leans in kissably close, and
breathes, "Oh? What were you thinking that would make this feel safe enough to
trust me like that?"
    There's
a knot in my throat that I can't swallow down. He has me reeling, dangling from
the end of the pretty pink string, and it's all I can do to not back away. This
conversation terrifies me, but it excites me, too. His hand is warm, gentle but
firm. It moves from my chin to my cheek. I lean into his touch and close my
eyes. "For a moment everything felt right, like things never happened. You
seemed to latch on to the girl I was and pull her back. She's not afraid of
you, and she's still in here wanting things I don't normally want."
    "Tell
me what you wanted, Sidney." Peter's eyes search mine, looking, hoping beyond
hope.
    My
jaw hangs open, but no noise comes out. It sounded so different in my head.
Saying it out loud solidifies the thought and makes it real. Peter brushes his
lips over my cheek and pulls back. His eyes drift to my lips like he's thinking
about kissing me again. I want to be brave, so I say it and tell him, "I wanted
you."
    A
shy smile drifts across his lips. "Like wanted me, wanted me?"
    A
blush paints my face red. I feel the burn creep across my cheeks and can't
contain my smile. I try to look away, but he won't let me. Peter's finger is
under my chin again, tilting my head back so our gazes meet. "Maybe."
    "When
you say maybe, it usually means yes."
    I
grin. "Maybe."

CHAPTER
12
    The
rest of the night passes slowly. I toss and turn on the mattress, but I can't
get my body to settle down. Having Peter at the foot of the bed makes me crazy.
I want his arms around me, but I'm afraid I'll go nutso and tell him to get
lost if he touches me wrong. I roll onto my back and pull the pillow over my
face. The towel is a lump under my back, all bunched up and horribly
uncomfortable. I'm smothering myself with the pillow when I feel it being
pulled away.
    Peter
looks down at me with those gorgeous eyes. "Restless night?"
    "Maybe."
We both laugh softly. Damn it. I had no idea I was doing that. I make a
mental note to stop saying maybe when I'm thinking yes.
    Peter
offers his hand. I take it, and he pulls me from the bed. I try to reach back
for the towel, but Peter closes his eyes. "Leave it. I won't look." He holds
his arms out, open. "Dance with me."
    I
tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. "Peter, I—"
    "You
said maybe. Maybe means yes. But you'll have to lead since I can't open my
eyes." Watching Peter, I make my decision. He's bare chested and wearing a pair
of gray sweatpants. I can barely see him in the darkness. The streetlight casts
a yellow glow through the slit in the curtains. It illuminates his toned body
and open arms.
    I
step into the space and take his hands. I put one on my waist and slip my palm
in the other. Our fingers lace together and we start a slow rockstep. My heart
is pounding even though we've done this a million times. In the past Peter was
my teacher and my boss. Now he's half naked with his eyes closed. How'd we
get here? I