“I’m not going to run, Reed.” She lets out a small giggle that goes straight to my dick. I pull her onto the elevator with me. The doors barely close and I’m on her again. I can’t stop now. I lift her, pushing her up against the wall. Our mouths meet in a frenzy, both of us starved for one another. I press my cock against her, needing to feel her heat. I can feel how wet she is for me through her pants. She rubs herself against me, trying to get the friction she needs.
“Reed.” She breaks our kiss. She’s practically panting in need. “I need more.” I am going to give it to her.
“You’ll wait until my cock is inside you to come.” She whimpers. I want nothing more than to make her come again, but I need to be inside her when I do it. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice before you leave the house without panties on.” I step back, letting her slide down my body. The elevator dings, letting us know we’ve arrived on our floor.
“So you’re punishing me?” I can tell she’s turned on by the thought. I kiss her without answering her. Then I pull back, straightening her clothes before we get off the elevator. No one should be here right now, but you can never be too sure. I never want anyone seeing her like this. I grab her hand, leading her inside.
“If you consider me pleasuring you with my mouth, my hands and my cock until you’re screaming my name punishment, then yes.” I swear I can smell her arousal. I watch as her eyes heat. Her mouth parts and she licks her lips. She’s letting me know that she wants that. That she trusts me. That turns me on even more than I already am.
“What are you waiting for?” She lets go of my hand, running toward our bedroom. And I do exactly as I promised her I’d always do. I chase her. Her laughter fills the hallways before she disappears into our bedroom. I pull my shirt off as I follow her.
As much as I want inside her, I need answers. I am a bastard because at the end of the day it doesn't matter why she ran. She isn't going anywhere. When I enter the bedroom, she is falling back onto the bed already naked.
She lies on the bed looking up at me as I come to stand on the side of it. She comes up to her elbows to look at me. Her eyes trail down my bare chest to the top of my jeans. She bites her lips. I fight not to pounce on her.
“Why did you run?”
She releases her lip as if she’s remembering. “You were on the phone.” She sits up more. She licks her bottom lip. She starts to cover her breasts with her arm, getting self-conscious. I snag her by the wrist to stop her. I want to see all of her. I want both of us to be laid bare, not only physically but emotionally.
“Don’t hide from me.” I come down over her. “I think that’s a lot of our problem. No more hiding.”
She nods in agreement. “I heard you on the phone.”
I shift, freeing her wrist to turn her head to look at me. I need to look into her eyes. “With your dad.” Who may or may not be on a plane here. He was pissed, but Tinsley is an adult. She can do whatever she wants.
“It sounded like you were only doing this because you thought it was the right thing to do, not because—”
“I love you,” I finish for her. I do everything because I love her. Because I’ve always known that she was the one for me. That I would protect her, love her and honor her for all the days of my life whether she reciprocated those feelings or not.
“I know you love me, but I mean like love. Beyond friends.”
“Tinsley, I’m not even sure love is a big enough word for what I feel for you. What I’ve always felt.”
“But-”
I keep going, needing to get this out. She needs to know it all. To understand I’m all in. Always have been and always will be when it comes to her.
“Why do you think I’ve never been with another woman, Tinsley?”
“I just thought”—her eyebrows furrow together—“you don’t like people.” She finally comes up with, making me let out a bark of laughter. I don’t know if I really don’t like people or if I’m just in a shit mood because I can never have what I truly want. Her. “I love when you laugh.” She reaches up, touching my face. I lean into her touch, needing it like I need my next breath. Knowing that now that I’ve had her that I’ll never be able to be without her.