“Is everything okay?” she asks tentatively.
“Not right now, but it’s about to be,” I grumble before we slide to a stop. I slam the vehicle in Park, unclasp my seatbelt, then turn to Tinsley, unbuckling hers. I pull her onto my lap. She finds purchase on my shoulders. The tremors in my hands as I cup her cheeks are noticeable.
“You’re kind of worrying me, Leo.” Her voice is choppy, probably from the rush after I stopped so abruptly.
“Nothing to worry about, not between us, and I will never give you a reason to want to leave. I’ll fight for us when life has you down and you feel like giving up. I’ll be there to lift you up and give you reason to throw that attitude around, okay, baby?” I question.
“Oh, Leo, I really bungled things up, huh? I wasn’t saying that would happen, but if it did, just know I’d cherish every moment we’ve had. I’ll fight for you as long you want me in your life.” Her eyes tear up. The way her shoulders droop, I know exactly what she’s worried about. So many people have walked out of her life, some unintentionally, others, well, they were just shit people not to want Tinsley’s goodness soaking through them.
“No tears, no more talking about what could happen. We live in the here and now, okay?” Her head moves up and down, giving me the answer I need without words. I kiss Tinsley’s eyelids, wiping the tears that are streaming down her cheeks unchecked with my thumbs before giving her a kiss that carries so much depth and meaning, she has to know that I’m falling for her.
“Wow.” Her voice is soft, a smile playing on her face when we pull a part.
“There’s more where that came from.” Her hips grind down as I arch my own into her. It causes us both to moan.
“Okay, let’s get this show on the road. We can reconvene this at a later time,” she replies saucily, then climbs back over the center console. What Tinsley is wearing shouldn’t make me want to bite what she just inadvertently put in my face, yet somehow it does. The leggings she seems to love so much define her ass. The oversized sweater usually hides her curves from prying eyes, but when she’s practically shoving that heart-shaped ass in my face, it’s hard not to want that. Fuck, it gives me thoughts about licking her from behind, her hands fisting the sheets, her ass backing into me, begging for more. I can’t wait to finally be in my house with her, safe from the damn idiots who are out to cause more harm than good.
“No kidding,” I reply. Tinsley puts her seatbelt on. I do the same, then I shift the Suburban in Drive, and we drive more miles than I ever thought possible in a day and half the freaking night.
Twelve
Tinsley
Last night, when we made it to the hotel that we reserved, it was dark, like black as midnight. If it weren’t for Leo, there was no way I would have gotten out of his vehicle. It was so dark you couldn’t see if anything was lurking around the corners. That promise I gave Leo, yeah, it didn’t happen. We showered together, not alone like I suggested so he could get some much-needed rest. Leo wasn’t having any of that though. So, we both quickly washed off before piling into bed. I was snuggled under the covers when Leo’s stomach rumbled. We looked at each other, seeing who would blame whom for the ravenous hunger running through it.
Then came the debate of what we should eat. I didn’t care as long as neither of us had to leave. We chose pizza, both of us devouring it as soon as it was cool enough to eat. I told Leo once while we were still in Seattle how much I loved hot sauce on my pizza. He somehow had it delivered with our food. That man, he knows the way to my pizza-obsessed heart.
We passed out shortly after we ate. I snuggled into his side, my legs tangled with his, my head on his chest while feeling him play with the strands of my hair. It lulled me to sleep faster than a newborn being rocked to sleep. How he’s able to keep his eyes open this morning, I have no idea.
“Ready to be in Virginia?” he asks me as he takes a sip of his black coffee at the pit stop we just made for food. How anyone can drink black coffee floors me. It’s so flavorless.
“Definitely. Are you sure you’ll be okay to drive the rest of the way today?” I won’t say I’ve nagged him during this trip, but I definitely have voiced my fears of him doing too much.