Loving Rowan by Ariadne Wayne Page B

studying it closely, as if he were looking for something.
    “I’m in love with you, Rowan. I’m so crazy about you that it drives me insane to see you so upset about someone else. I think you feel the same way, only you don’t know how to tell me, or how to feel what I do. You’ve been so hurt and encased your heart in this cocoon that’s so hard to break through. I want it; I want it all to myself. I’m no good at sharing, and Andrew made his choice.”
    Without warning he leaned over and kissed me, his lips pressing against mine as his tongue pushed between my teeth. I let go, closing my eyes, tentatively touching his tongue with my own.
    I pushed him away, panting at the excitement of what had just happened. The kisses at the wedding were exciting, but I’d got it into my head that they were for show. This was real.
    “Rowan? If you don’t want me to kiss you, I’ll stop. I don’t want to upset you, I just want to show you how I feel.”
    “I do want you to kiss me. I feel like such an idiot that I didn’t know how you felt. Even my mother knew.”
    He shook his head. “You’re just you, Rowan. I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
    That just made it even more confusing.
    “What do you mean?”
    “You’re shy and unsure of people. It does mean that you are even more beautiful when you blush, but when you’re confident you shine so bright it’s blinding. I want to make you shine, Rowan. Shine for me.”
    The tears were building as I looked into his eyes. No one had ever said anything like this to me before, let alone meant it. Despite my instinct being to disbelieve him, and think the worst of myself, deep down I knew he meant every word.
    He kissed me again, grazing my lips with his before kissing each eyelid. Kissing away my tears. Stroking my face with his palm, he grinned. “I could do this all night. There’s a lot more that I want to do, too, but I don’t want to fall out with your parents.”
    I laughed, pulling him down for another kiss. His eyes were happy, and now I knew he loved me, I saw that look too. All these years I’d never known how to read people, to know when they were being genuine. Now I could read Kyle’s face, and he was all mine. Now was the time for me to be open and honest with him.
    “I have to tell you something,” I whispered. He frowned, his brows furrowing in concern.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing. It’s just that I haven’t been with anyone before.”
    He cocked an eyebrow at that. “I thought you’d had other relationships.”
    “I did. Kind of. I just never got as far as sleeping with someone.” He stroked my forehead with his palm, and it gave me comfort after telling him the biggest secret I had. Who on earth confesses to being a virgin at twenty-two?
    His kisses were gentle, his lips soft as he began to kiss my face again, my lips, my nose, and my cheeks. As he trailed kisses down my neck, I felt his hand stroke my shoulder, moving down to cup my breast.
    Without thinking about it, I froze, and he withdrew his hand.
    “Sorry, baby. I should slow down, I’m just excited about being with you.”
    “I just feel really self-conscious.”
    “I love you, Rowan. Your body has been driving me crazy all these weeks.”
    I laughed, and he nuzzled my nose. “We’ll go at what pace you want. As long as I know you love me too.”
    “I do,” I whispered. And it was true. I’d been attracted to him from the start, but the past few weeks I was sure I’d ended up with another case of unrequited love.
    “Good. I want so much to touch you, make up for the weeks we could have been in your bed instead of on your couch.”
    All that did was make me laugh again, and he raised his finger to his lips to shush me. “Your dad will throw me out if he finds out I’m in here.”
    “I am a grown-up.” I grinned at him.
    “I know, but if I ever have to come back here to visit or for any other reason, I’d really rather he didn’t greet me with a shotgun.”
    I