Invisible Strings

Chapter Eleven

When Delaney went to speak, I placed my index finger over her lips, silencing her.

"Nope, don't even think about apologizing for what just happened." I said. "If anyone should do that, it should be me. But you know what, that's not going to happen because apologizing means that I am sorry for what happened. And I'm not. Not in the least."

"Neither am I." she said once I dropped my finger from her lips. "I do have a confession to make though."

"Really?"

"Yeah." she said, a blush creeping over her skin. "I've wanted to do what we just did since I was a freshman in high school."

"Well, I have a confession too." I said, pulling her even tighter against me. I dipped my head and placed my lips close to her ear as I whispered "so have I."

My words had arching her back so that she was looking me in the eye. I saw the look of disbelief written all over her face before she even had the chance to say the words. "I– I didn't think you even knew who I was back then."

"Laney, I've always seen you. It's just that... Well, I was with Amber and you seemed unattainable since we ran in different circles. You were the good girl who followed the rules and I was the guy who wanted to break every single rule ever made."

"And you're saying you're any different now?"

"Hell no." I laughed, lifting a hand and cupping her cheek. I let my thumb glide over her smooth skin, loving the face that she wasn't one of those women that felt the need to wear heavy makeup to hide their skin. Not that there's anything wrong with women who did, it was just that I preferred my woman to not feel the need to hide behind the things that they felt hid whatever flaws they thought they had.

My woman...

I pushed those words to the back of my mind to analyze later.

"So, umm, what happens now?" asked Delaney. I could hear the nervousness in her tone.

"What do you want to happen?"

"Brantley, I..." she said, pausing as if she was trying to process what she wanted to say.

"Laney, why don't we just play them by ear and see what happens. A very wise man told me not too long ago that we never know what could happen if we open ourselves up to the possibility of change." I said, sort of paraphrasing what her father had told me in the barn the day that he, Delaney, and her kids had come over to get puppies. My thumb glided over her buttery-soft skin once more as I locked eyes with her. "I don't know that I'm ready to start anything serious with anyone yet but I do know that I want to spend time with you and see what happens. If spending time together develops into something more than just friendship, then I will embrace it. But I won't rush into anything. Just like I know that you aren't ready to rush into anything either. You need time to get your head on straight, to find out who you are now that you are back in Jefferson, to help your kids adjust to the major changes going on in their lives."

"Okay." she whispered. It was a simple answer, but the fact that she agreed with me, that she wanted to see what could happen, meant everything to me.

Unable to help myself, I dipped my head back down and placed my lips over hers again, this time making the kiss soft, sweet, and sensual. Damn it felt good to hold her like this, to kiss her lips, to have her lean into it, to hear her moan softly as I kissed her.

My body wanted so much more but I'd promised to take this slow for her sake and for mine. So, when I couldn't stand the thought of kissing her a minute longer before I ripped her clothes off, I broke the kiss and stepped away from her –even if my body rioted against the movement. Shamelessly, I adjusted my cock through my jeans, trying to position the throbbing appendage in a way that didn't hurt to walk. As I did, I could feel her eyes on me, and it only made me want to say fuck what I just sad and have her naked in record time. But I was a gentleman, and my word was my everything. That didn't mean that when I got home that II wasn't going to stroke my cock to the image of her body pressed against mine, to the sounds of her moans as I'd dominated the kiss. And I wasn't sorry about it in the least.

"How about we finish that tour?" I said after a while.

This time, instead of gesturing for her to take the lead, I stepped towards her, placed a chaste kiss on her lips, and placed my hand on her back, guiding her out of the library.

Delaney's POV:

Holy SHIT!

Those were the only two words that replayed in my mind as Brantley and continued on with the tour of the school. I felt like I was floating, like I was on cloud nine. And all because my teenage dream of kissing Brantley-freaking-Gilbert had finally come true. And it was so much better than I had ever imagined it would be. I'm not kidding when I say that his lips were addicting. So addicting in fact that I couldn't wait for the next time that I got the chance to have his lips pressed against mine.

Part of me wished at that moment that I was more of the assertive type, that I could act on what I wanted and not wonder if I would be judged for it. But that wasn't me. I wasn't the type to take what I wanted from a man; never had been. Hell, I'd never wanted to be that girl. But with Brantley, I did. Especially when his hand would caress the small of my back when we would stop and he would talk about what this room or that would be when construction was complete.

And when the tour was over and I knew that our time had come to an end, I wanted even more to be the assertive girl that made a move.

I'd been trying to build the courage to act on what I wanted as I climbed into my SUV. But before I could, Brantley leaned into the cabin of the SUV and placed his lips against mine, his fingers tangling in my hair as he angled my head like he wanted. My hands fisted in the front of his shirt pulling him more towards me, my body reacting to his actions.

Before things could get too heated, Brantley broke the kiss and stood to his full height. "I'll see you around Laney. Drive safe."

And then he walked away, leaving me breathless.