Free Unexpected Angel by Sloan Johnson Page A

close to mine. The only barrier keeping her soft skin from touching mine is a twelve-year-old t-shirt. The heat pooling between our bodies has me trying to think unpleasant thoughts so maybe she won’t feel how much I want to throw her back down and have my way with her.
    Carefully, I tighten my arms around her lower back causing her to arch away from me. The sight of her looking up at me with those eyes filled with unanswered questions causes part of my brain to tell me to cut her loose, run away, and never look back. No way will she understand and accept my world. I’m not sure I want her to because although it is who I am, my own introduction was a way for me to escape the pain of my past. A way to satisfy my urges without emotions clouding my path. “I promise, I will explain it all to you very soon. But for now, let’s just say what you saw last night is a feeble attempt to give people who think they’re into that lifestyle an outlet. It’s a marketing ploy, nothing more. And I have very little respect for most of the people who go there because they don’t have any respect for some of the simplest principles of what they’re trying to do.”
    Not the answer I was going for, but then again, being eloquent or cautious with my words is not how I do things. As much as I want to be articulate for Tasha’s sake, I fail.
    “Does t hat mean you…” her voice trails off, unable to finish the question I don’t want to answer any more than she wants to ask. For the first time in my life, I feel something less than proud of who and what I am. I’m not sure it goes to the point of shame, but it’s not something I am comfortable with when it comes to her.
    “Short answer, yes.” No point dancing around trying to find a way to ease her mind at this point. “But you have to know that what I said last night is a rule that I live by. I will never force you to do anything you don’t want to do. On the flip side, you have to trust me enough to tell me if I’m pushing you too far.”
    When Tasha shakes her head, I hold my breath, waiting for her to storm out of the room telling me she never wants to see me again. Instead, she wraps her arms around my neck, standing on her toes so she can kiss my cheek. It would be so easy for me to turn my head to the side and get a taste of her. It’s been too long since I’ve kissed a woman on the lips. Kissing is something intimate, and intimacy is something I don’t do.
    “I do trust you. Don’t ask me why because I’m not sure, but I trust you. But you really have to stop making it sound like we’re a couple. We’re not. And the way you throw around the ‘friends’ word, I have no idea if you even want something more. Heck, we shouldn’t even be having this conversation since we’ve only known each other a little over twelve hours.”
    I throw my head back, unable to stop the laughter. “If you don’t know whether or not I want more with the way your hips are grinding against me right now, I’m not sure what to say. But you’re right; we don’t need to have this discussion right now. You need to shower and I need to go make lunch.”
    I press my lips to her forehead and then smack her on the ass as she turns toward the master bathroom. For all the shit I put up with for a long time, it seems like things might finally be turning around.

 
     

    (Tasha)
    As I adjust the temperature of the water and strip out of Dylan’s t-shirt, I decide it is time to relax. For most of my life, I have felt like I’m waiting for something to happen, waiting for someone to tell me what I am “supposed” to do. Now, Dylan is paying the price for me needing to break that cycle. I meant it when I said I trusted him not to force me to do something I’m not comfortable with. And he agrees that we have a ways to go before it is even an issue. If I can force myself not to be on edge all the time, Dylan might be just what I need to start doing the things I want to do. But if I keep being