Love in the Dark (LarssonSiblingsSeries#1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE - EDWARD

EDWARD

I throw my arm over my face as I try to come down from the earth-shattering orgasm. That was... out of this world. I take a moment to breathe, listening to my heart strumming away in my ear as Delilah traces patterns on my chest. I don't think I'm conscious enough to register what she's saying, my dick getting ready for round-fucking-two.

"I think you broke me," she says close to my ear, letting out a deep groan as she rests her face in my neck.

The tension in my posture suddenly shows, but she's ignoring it, snuggling even closer. This is all so new to me. The meaningful sex. The caring words. The aftercare.

"I need to jump in the shower before work," I say.

And now it's her turn to stiffen up. My eyes go over to the gigantic clock on my bedroom wall to see it's almost ten in the morning. I'm usually there way before now, getting stuck into my daily jobs. Should I make her breakfast?

Yeah, that sounds like the right thing to do.

She looks at me with hurt and unsure eyes, hiding it well through her sexy smile. "I can join you in there."

"No." I panic, wishing she would just give me a second to breathe. "Sorry, Dee, I really do need to go to work."

What the ever-loving fuck is wrong with me? This here is all I wanted for weeks. I spent hours daydreaming like a teenaged girl, hoping for the chance to get to her in bed.

Yet, here I am pushing her away. It's like there's something broken inside of me. When anyone gets close, the first thing I do is run.

When you've lived selfishly for this many years, it's a hard habit to break.

It's different with Delilah, because even though those fears are there, I still want to work through them.

"This isn't how you make a girl feel special after sex, you know. You're making me feel pretty bad about myself, actually," she says, always happy to tell me when I'm wrong.

This is exactly what I need. For her to challenge me when I'm wrong. To wake the hell up.

I roll over and grab her into my arms, kissing the top of her head until she tips her neck to brush our lips together. "I'm sorry, forgive me," I whisper over her mouth.

"I love to cuddle after sex. It's what separates a one-night stand to something that means more for me," she replies, playing with my hair.

My eyes close as soon as my lips meet her soft forehead. "I can understand why you feel that way."

Those nails of hers doing a heavenly pattern across my scalp move to my body where she traces the hair on my chest. "Does this feel okay for you?"

"Yeah," I say, reaching inside of myself for those real emotions. For the truth. "It's different, but good."

"Then why the frowning?" She traces my eyebrows when she asks this question.

I dip my head to kiss her face. It's a warm cushion for my lips, and still so beautifully flushed from her orgasms. "I just don't want to disappoint you. If you have no expectations of me, then you won't expect a relationship. No ties mean no drama."

She gasps. "But don't you know how hurtful you sound? I'm not the girl who spreads her legs for just anybody. I want commitment, safety and love. Is that something you eventually want too?"

I scope out my bedroom to bide me some time, struggling to get my feelings into words. "I want anything you're willing to give me. It's scary, but I do."