Let Me Fly by Hazel St. James Page A

an octave made Bryn’s inside clench, fanning the flames on her skin.
    Releasing the grip on her arms, he slowly sat back on his haunches. Time seemed to slow, as he watched her, making no attempt to touch her. Charlie looked at her like she was his prey, licking his lips as his eyes blazed a trail down her naked body, slowly back up to her face. Bryn’s breathing became erratic, her chest heaving as her need grew by every passing second. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, slowly letting it back out. She willed each part of her body to let go, relaxing into the bed.
    “Good girl.”
    Those two little words made her insides melt like butter. She smiled a languorous smile, feeling the bed dip beside her as Charlie inched closer to her. His body smelled like mint; drops of water from his hair were dripping onto her arm and then her neck as he crawled up her body like a panther.
    “I fully intended to wait until later to explore this gorgeous body, but since you are offering it to me so willingly, I have no choice but to revise my plans,” his lips softly brushed across hers, and then pulled back. He softly kissed her again, this time tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue. “Open for me, kitten.”
    When she opened her mouth, she took in a cleansing breath as he tilted his head, fusing their lips together. His tongue delved into her mouth, sweeping across her tongue in a dance. As he pulled back, Bryn whimpered against his lips, chasing his tongue with hers. She could feel his smile, “I need to ask you a question before we go any further, kitten. Do you have any triggers? Anything that you don’t like? I don’t want to make you panic.”
    The words slapped her right across the face, as the ease she felt quickly turned back into panic. Bryn pressed her eyes together, pulling her hands down from above her head. She wrapped them around her waist as she curled up into a ball, facing away from Charlie. Her lack of sexual history wasn’t something she really wanted to discuss right now. Having consensual sex twice before being raped doesn’t make good pillow talk. She didn’t want to have to explain her lack of experience, since he was obviously sexually adventurous.
    Damn it! Slow, easy breaths, Bryn. Pull it together, be honest.
    “I don’t know. I haven’t been with a man since…since,” the sob that tore through her made her stomach ache. Trying to get up from the bed, Charlie grabbed her arms, pulling her towards him. She buried her face into his chest as traitorous tears fell from her eyes.
    “Hey, Bryn. I’m sorry. Ah, shit.” He softly kissed her hair, gently resting his chin on top of her head. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. I just didn’t want to do anything to hurt you. Maybe you’re not ready.”
    “No!” she pulled from his arms, jabbing her finger into his chest. “You are the first person that I have trusted enough to even go on a date with in a very long time, Charlie. Don’t give up on me. I was embarrassed, that’s all.”
    Charlie scrubbed his hands down his face, reached behind his neck, tightly gripping his muscles as if he were in pain. “There is no reason to be embarrassed, Bryn. The fact that you are uncertain of yourself makes this mean something to both of us. Sex is very personal for me, and it makes me feel like Superman that you trust me enough to take you there after what you’ve been through.”
    His words were like a balm to her shattered ego, making her decision to continue easy. Bryn reached up, pulling his hands from behind his head. Clasping their hands together, she started to lie back down on the bed, pulling Charlie’s body with her. “I don’t know if I have any triggers, but if something bothers me, I will say something.”
    Charlie lifted her hands back over her head, but this time did not let go. Their arms were intertwined as he shifted his weight to his knees, which were resting on either side of her hips. Bryn could feel that Charlie was