Hold My Hand Read Free Page A

when he spoke, commanding me. I shivered at his words as
if they were touches sliding down my spine. His commands –even the
simplest instructions over dinner- invoked a fear in me that served
only to feed my need for him, my desire. I wanted to sink myself
into him. I wanted my life to become his even though I knew
–there’s a part of me that truly recognized–wanting such a deep
claiming was maybe somehow wrong, I could no more help my desire
than I could resist taking my next breath. It was him. He created
this desire within me and I wanted nothing more than to allow him
to lead me, to guide me, to dominate me. I craved his power over me
so purely that I only needed to follow.
    I’m not the only person in
the small coffee shop that looked up and noticed him when he
entered and that little tinkling bell rang over his head. He was
jaw dropping handsome. The black shirt he wore stretched across his
broad shoulders and was tucked neatly into a pair of black
trousers. William dressed this way every time I’d seen him. His
attire reflected his ever-demanding role as the businessman I knew
him to be though I didn’t know yet what business exactly. Another
question I’d failed to ask.
    The dark curls that fell
onto his nape and down his forehead were slightly wet. I noticed
the gym bag hanging from his shoulder and couldn’t help but
consider just a few short minutes ago, this magnificent man was
naked, wet in a shower rinsing the sweat from his body. I also
couldn’t help but wish I’d been with him to clean him, running my
hands down his chest, lathering soap and stroking him. It seemed
all I ever wanted, especially since our dinner, was to be with him.
Even before I ever was, even just when I was watching him, I would
dream of him. Yet my unlearned body doesn’t quite comprehend what
being with him would feel like.
    “Aubrey” His voice was deep,
husky and warm. The word alone kicked up my heart rate. Then he
took my hand from the table, raised it towards his lips, turned my
palm over and kissed my wrist. The touch of his warm skin on my
pulse point made me jump. His eyes were fastened to mine, though
slightly hooded as I remembered from our date a few days ago, a few
days that seemed so long ago now.
    William’s hand on my thigh
brought me out of my thoughts of him naked and back to the coffee
shop. He sat down in the chair beside mine – not across from me but
so close beside me our thighs touched from top to bottom. He still
hadn’t let go of my hand and I could feel his warmth like a
blanket. I wanted to snuggle into him. No, I wanted to crawl on top
of him, become closer to him than I’d ever imagined wanting to be
with a man.
    I smiled over at William but
kept my eyes cast down. He made me jittery, nervous like I’m
seventeen again living under my father’s roof. Though William had
never told me I was ugly, fat, or stupid, the same tension that
built up when I was near my father reared its ugly head when I was
with William. No, I considered for a moment, not that same tension
exactly because I wasn’t so afraid I wanted to run. Instead, I was
excited by the tension, so overwhelmed by William’s very presence.
He’d told me I was beautiful, bright, and sexy so I knew it wasn’t
the same.
    I told myself my desire to
please was different this time. I was already pleasing William. He
told me as much and I believed him. He hadn’t yet lied to me –
perhaps he’d be the first to stay true to me, not to hurt me in the
way others had. He’s not my father. I reminded myself of that
often, repeating the thought in my mind so that I’d remember. I
wanted to move on.
    “How‘ve you been?” William’s
warm voice washed over me. His eyes were working to read me. They
were the most beautiful cocoa brown, so warm they melted my
reservations, as the sun shone through the coffee shop window and
landed on our table. His gaze though was intense when he looked at
me – nearly too much to be focused in on one