I crossed the room to him and he cupped my face in both hands, tilting my head up to look at him.
"I'm going to kiss you now," he said, his voice low. "And then we're going to take this slow. Really slow. No rushing. This is about you, Lily. About making sure you feel good. Okay?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
Then he kissed me.
It wasn't like the kisses I'd experienced before—sloppy, aggressive, all tongue and no technique. This was different. His lips were soft against mine, moving slowly, coaxing rather than demanding. When his tongue swept along my bottom lip, I opened for him, and the kiss deepened but never lost that careful control.
He was holding back, I realized. Keeping himself in check for my benefit.
I melted into him, my hands coming up to grip his shirt, and he made
