Her hair.
It’s down, maybe even curled a little.
For me?
It seems longer somehow, and Bailey’s enjoying it.
I don’t realize I’m walking closer to them until Meyer’s eyes lift to mine.
I’m not sure what she sees on my face, but her chest rises with a full inhale, and the softest of smiles curls her lips.
Taking the last few steps to get to her, I bend and grab her by the hand, hauling her to her feet.
She gazes up at me, worry pulling at her forehead as her eyes move between mine. She opens her mouth, but she doesn’t get the chance to speak because I cover her lips with my own.
My hands glide into her hair and at first, I kiss her slowly, before pressing my mouth against hers more firmly. The sweet scent of cinnamon and vanilla fills my lungs, conquering my mind, and pushing me forward. I take her long hair in my free hand, wrapping it around my palm as I pull her bottom lip between my own, giving both little tugs. Opening my eyes, I lean back to look at her.
Her cheeks are flushed in a way that has my body heating and me dying to see more of it, but it’s her eyes that I can’t look away from.
They’re bright and open, the deep brown shining with an added copper glow, but more than that, it’s what I can’t see that has my muscles flexing. There’s no tension in sight, no pull between her brows and no hesitation in her touch. It’s as if she’s with me right now, fully. Completely. Her fears and anxiety tucked away, at least for now, and this time, when my hand falls, freeing her hair, it’s her who pushes forward, reaches up, and pulls my lips back down to meet hers.
All I can think is fucking finally.
Finally, she’s doing what I wanted by taking what she wants.
And it seems my Tutor Girl wants more of me.
Thank fuck, too, because I’m not sure I could ever get enough.
CHAPTER 24
Avix Inquirer:
Pink balloons or blue?
Does The Playboy Pitcher have some explaining to do?
Tobias
Pushing out the double doors of the lecture hall, I take the steps two at a time and start the small trek across campus toward Meyer’s apartment. But as I pass the student center, a photo catches my eye and I jerk to a stop, squinting
No...
Tearing my new phone from my pocket, I pull up the school app and scroll down to the newspaper section.
Sure as fuck, there it is.
I zoom in on the image that was published in the school paper this morning and a low curse leaves me. It’s of Meyer and myself, standing right outside our hotel room doors, Bailey’s car seat at our feet. My hand is midair and Meyer’s anxious eyes are on me. The photo must have been snapped seconds before I grabbed ahold of her face and claimed her lips that first time.
The reporter that Neo hooked up with had to have crept back into the hall to take this and sold it to our staff here, knowing she’d get paid a fuck-ton more from them than she would her own school.
It’s one thing to throw a shirtless photo of me on the cover of the school newspaper to help up their sales and online views, but it’s another to exploit Meyer and Bailey.
I’ll have to talk to Coach about this later, see if there’s anything he can do.
So much for keeping a low profile until she was ready.
Rather than talking to her about it over the phone, I keep toward her place, but when I knock, it’s Bianca who answers.
Her eyes widen and she tugs the door closed behind her. “Uh … hi.”
“Hi.” I squint with a laugh. “Meyer in there?”
“She’s not actually. She left earlier.”
“She’s off today.”
Bianca nods. “Yeah, she is.”
I frown. “Where’d she go?”
She opens her mouth, and then closes it, her cheeks filling up with air as she shrugs. “Call her and see?”
“All right ...” My eyes narrow. “You know if she saw the school paper today?”
“She hasn’t been on campus, so I doubt it.” She crosses her arms, leaning against the doorframe. “Why?”
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I lift it up and she leans in.
She darts forward, snagging the thing from my hand, hers shooting up to cover her mouth, a muffled, ‘oh fuck’ following. Her strained gaze lifts to mine. “She definitely has not seen this. Don’t tell her about it!”
My head tugs back.
“I mean, just wait until you see her to tell her, or show her, and if she sees it first, fine, but don’t like … send it to her or anything. Let her have the day without adding a new worry.” Bianca bites at her fingernails. “It’s out there, so there isn’t jack you could do about it anyway, you know?”