Page 84 of Heart Over Heels

He nodded then motioned for me to lift my feet. I did, and he eased my pants the rest of the way off before settling on his knees. His hand traced along my thigh, caressing me while the quiet stretched between us.

“I haven’t been with anyone since,” I said.

The confession felt less like a sharing of information and more like self-sabotage, giving Darby the chance to realize he didn’t want to do this.

Rather than retreating, he posed the question I’d been asking myself.

“Why’d you choose me?”

I exhaled then lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t think it was really a choice. You were just…”

Didn’t he know?

Didn’t he see the way people watched him—hungry, reverent, spellbound?

“You’re…” I tried again and failed.

Darby rose. His palms trailed up my ribs and across the ridges of my abdomen on their way to my face. When he reachedmy jaw, he curved his fingers around it and pulled me down to bring our mouths together.

The kiss deepened, stealing my breath and any remaining distance. We were already tangled when he slid his knee between mine, his thigh riding up and dragging against my rallying erection.

“You’ll tell me about it?” he murmured against my mouth.

He meant my leg. The injury. The accident.

I nodded, my voice a rasp. “If you want.”

“I do.” Drawing back, he swiped his thumb over the damp corner of my lips. “When you’re ready.”

I nodded again, but the only thought behind it was yes. Yes to him, yes to this, yes to finally letting someone in.

My hands moved, snatching him up so fast it was startling, judging by the squeak he let out as I crushed him against me. He was light enough to lift, so I did, sweeping my arm under his bare ass and urging his legs to lock around my waist.

I stumbled a step toward the doorway before he reached back toward the counter.

“Lube,” he said. “And the rubber.”

With a half turn and clumsy grab, I snagged both then carried him out like a prize I couldn’t believe I’d won.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FIVE

Darby

Mercer wasn’t fragile, and I wasn’t about to treat him like he was. The way he stored his wheelchair and crutches out of sight said enough. Same with not mentioning his replacement part until it basically announced itself. It was hard to be different. Unusual. Niche. And even though “normal” was a subjective term, it always seemed out of reach.

Truly, there was nothing fragile about the man above me now. How could there be, when he’d swept me off my feet and tossed me onto his bed like I weighed nothing at all? His body caged mine, elbows and knees braced at my sides as his wonderfully stubbled jaw grazed my skin. He moved from my mouth to my throat then down my chest, leaving kisses that were firm, strong, and anything but breakable.

“You’re gorgeous, you know that? The prettiest…” He trailed off and lifted his gaze to mine. “I’m sorry, I don’t know?—”

“Girl.” My heart lurched. “Call me a girl.”

He caressed my face, knuckles sweeping across my cheek as he said, “You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

My smile chased his touch, nearly ear-splitting.

This crush was about to crushme.