“You’re always thinking of others and putting them first, which is amazing, but don’t forget to stand up for yourself.” He steps even closer, and now I can feel the fabric of his coat brush against the cotton hoodie I’m wearing. “You’re an amazing woman, Kenz.”

There it is. That shortened version of my name again.

He tilts his head down and we stand there, breathing each other in, on the precipice of something more.

I feel as though I’m standing at the edge of a cliff with a parachute on, looking down into a cavernous void, wanting to take the dive, feel the adrenaline and excitement of the free fall, but worried my parachute will fail and I’ll plummet to the ground.

My breathing grows erratic as the hand in my cheek slides around to the back of my head and he leans in. The scent of his cologne swirls around us, and when he tightens his grip in my hair and presses his lips to mine, I give in completely. I have no thoughts about whether this is the right thing to do, the smart thing to do, or whether it will lead to pain down the road. No, I give in completely, and when his tongue finds the seam of my lips, I open and hand myself over to him.

He groans when our tongues meet, and I slide my arms around his waist, clutching him to me while he kisses me slowly, thoroughly, as though he’s savoring the moment. Andrew’s hand in my hair grips tighter as he deepens the kiss and steps into me. Because his jacket is open, I feel the swell of his cock pressed against my stomach and it makes me moan.

The evidence of his arousal, coupled with my own undoing when he gently coasts his hand up my waist, over my breast, and holds my chin while he finishes the kiss, causes wetness between my thighs. When he pulls back, he continues to hold my face, angling it toward his while he stares at me with heavy-lidded eyes.

We’re both breathing heavily as we take the other in. Then he lets his hand drop from my face. This is the moment of truth where he’ll either take it back or push forward. I hold my breath and wait.

Chapter Twenty-One

Andrew

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a very long time,” I say and feel her energy shift from tense to relaxed.

“So have I.” Her voice is as soft as cashmere.

I drop my hand and rest my forehead on hers.

I’ve crossed a line I can’t come back from. I know it, but it’s hard to feel guilty about it when she looks at me as if I’m her world.