Patrick pulled me to my feet, bringing me close, our chests almost touching. I looked up at him, so close, so perfect. He was everything I needed: strength, warmth, and all man. It had been so long since I’d felt anything, since another man had touched me, wanted me, since I’d felt safe in strong arms. And I needed it. I needed to erase the bad with something good. So without thinking, without thinking at all, I leaned up on my toes and kissed him. His beard tickled my upper lip, making me smile, and it took a stupid-long second to occur to me that he wasn’t kissing me back. He pulled away
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