Chapter Nineteen
Sothat'swhatI do. I give it the whole day. I keep myself as busy as possible. I cleaned the entire house from top to bottom, did the grocery shopping, and got all the laundry done. All while trying my best to completely ignore my phone.
It's four now, and I still haven't heard from Titus. I power off my phone, set it on my nightstand, then crawl into bed. Not sure my day could get better, so I might as well read. At least that gives me the chance to escape my reality.
I hear the muffled sound of Kelly's voice through my haze of sleepiness. I didn't get far into the book before my body decided it needed to nap.
Her voice gets louder as she comes up the steps, and then I hear a man’s voice.
Great, now I get to hear my bestie getting some while I lay here being ghosted by another guy. I grab my headphones from my nightstand, turn them on, queue up my favorite playlist, then blast the music to drown out any sounds.
I get halfway through the first song when I feel my bed dip.
"Leave me alone, Kelly. I'm really not in the mood."
A hand that’s not Kelly’s runs up my thigh to my hip and pulls me onto my back from laying on my side.
"Titus?" I quickly pause the music, take the headphones off, and sit up.
"Piper, I am so sorry."
His eyes are full of sorrow as I stare at him. I'm confused. He takes my hand and places a kiss on my knuckles. I honestly don't even know what to say or ask.
"Let me explain, okay?"
I nod my head.
"After I got to the shop last night, I had to spend four hours there with the cops and with one of my employees, cleaning up what I could. Someone threw a brick through the glass. It landed on and broke the glass on the front desk, and it was just a mess. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. I fell asleep in my clothes and forgot to plug my phone in. So, when I woke up, it was dead. Then I had to go into the city to talk to guys about new glass for the front, schedule a time to get that fixed, then find a new desk. When I got back to town, I had to go back to the police department because they had a lead. The whole time, I didn't have my phone. I left it home on the charger and forgot to grab it. My mind wasn't thinking clearly. As soon as I was done with the cops, I came here. I knew a text message or phone call wouldn't have been good enough."
I feel the tears prick at the backs of my eyes. I did exactly what I told him I wouldn't do.
"You have to trust that it was a whole big-ass mistake. I would never intentionally not talk to you."
A tear runs down my cheek, and his thumb immediately brushes it away. His hands stay on the side of my face, and I lean into it.
"I did let the little monster in my head take control today. I shouldn't have. I trust you."
"Good, baby girl, because I can tell you right now that I don't plan on ever letting you go. When I said you're mine, I meant it."
I pull the side of my bottom lip between my teeth and bite back the tears that want to come. His eyes close, and he takes a deep breath, but when they open again, the sorrow is replaced with hunger.
"Baby girl, I came over to apologize, but I think I need to show you my apology in a different way. Now stop biting your lip."
I don't even think about it when I do it. It's a natural reaction to certain situations. I release it, then he pulls me to him, lifting me onto his lap, my legs straddling his.
His lips crash onto mine, no caress, no regard. He grabs my bottom lip with his teeth, and it makes me whimper. Then he grabs my ponytail, wrapping my hair around his hand and pulls my head back, exposing my neck to him.
He bites and sucks his way down my neck while his other hand slips under the back of my shirt, his fingertips digging into my skin making me arch into him.
He releases my hair before he grabs my shirt and pulls it off, then quickly releases my bra. His mouth catches my nipple, and he bites down slightly, sending pleasure straight to my core.
He lifts me from him and lays me on the bed, unbuttons my jean shorts, hooks his fingers on either side and pulls them off along with my panties.
"Your body is so beautiful, baby girl."
"Your turn."
He shakes his head, then lowers himself on the bed. He pushes my knees up and spreads my legs as he kisses down my thighs, then his tongue sweeps against my clit.