Chapter 6: A Crazy, Beautiful Mistake

I don't think I can answer his question. Rafe leans closer, and I tilt my head back so I can keep looking him in the eyes.

"Did you want me to kiss you?" he asks again, his voice even lower than before. "Do you?"

My hand seems to rise on its own, my fingers grazing the thin fabric of his shirt. They finally come to rest on the side of his throat. His skin is so warm, pulsing with life.

It's been so long since I had real human contact. And he's so beautiful...

"Yes," I hear myself say. Yes, I want this. I want him to make me forget my loneliness and grief for a moment. And I want to help him forget his.

He takes his time tilting his face down to mine - so long that I start to wonder if he's simply teasing me. But then his lips brush against mine, and they're warm and soft and they chase every other thought away.

His mouth moves gently against mine, but he's not tentative - it's more like he's testing the waters, deliberately drawing it out to see how I respond.

And boy, do I resp