Brody jerked at my words, but he kept moving forward until he came to a stop a breath away from me. “You’re right. I don’t know what it’s like to fear that way. But I do know that the answer isn’t to cease existing. Be safe, take precautions, but don’t sentence yourself to a slow death without human connection or the things you love most in the world.”

My eyes burned as if someone had filled them with acid. Tears spilled over, trying to soothe. “I don’t know how. This is what I’ve done for so long. I don’t know how else to keep myself safe. I’m scared to reach for something, only to have it stolen away.” Just like it had happened so many times before. Everything I’d loved most, ripped right out from under me. Torn to shreds in front of my very eyes.

Brody reached out his fingers, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear before trailing his hand down my neck. “I’ll help you figure it out along the way. You just have to take that first step.”

My body hummed as I slowly and deliberately took a step towards Brody. Towards his strength and heat. Towards everything that was terrifying but oh so alive. “I don’t want to hide.”

His rough hands framed my face, his mouth the barest touch away from mine. “Been waiting for those words.”

“Touch me,” I whispered before I lost my nerve.

His eyes flared. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “I want to know what it’s like. With you.” I wanted to feel what it would be to come alive under his touch. To lose myself in the rhythm of our bodies.

Brody didn’t need any other words of encouragement. He lifted me in a flash, my legs naturally moving to encircle his waist. He climbed the stairs with a speed that made me dizzy. Each step he took created a delicious friction between my center and the hard planes of his body.

Striding into his bedroom, Brody came to a stop by the bed. Slowly, he lowered me, but his eyes stayed locked with mine as the movement sent little sparks through my nerve endings.

Part of me wanted to duck my head, to turn away from the intensity of the moment. But I wasn’t going to do that anymore. I would be in the here and now. I would experience the moment fully. No more running and hiding. I would give myself a shot at this one wild and reckless life.

As my booted feet finally hit the floor, Brody’s hands drifted up from my waist to the zipper at the back of my dress. He paused there, a silent question of permission. I brushed my lips against his. His fingers tugged at the clasp, and the sound of the zipper was like a cannon shot in the silent room.