All before he can even figure out what happened.
When my hands go up to his belt though, he jerks. “What the —”
I look up at him, still working on his belt. “I was scared.”
“What?”
“To give you my name. To give you even a little piece of me because I knew that if I did it would belong to you. Forever.” His face flickers with a possessive look that steals my breath but I keep going, “But I’m not scared anymore. I’m fearless. And free. And yours.”
Aren’t I?
I am free now. I am fearless.
I’ve left everything behind. I’ve cut all the ties that were keeping me from him.
And just like the other night when he came for me, I feel relieved and at peace.
I feel like this is where I belong.
At his feet, on my knees.
Loving him.
I feel his abs going tight under his black dress shirt. “Echo —”
“I was worried,” I tell him, un-looping his belt, opening the button of his dress pants. “When he took me. I knew you’d be in pain. I knew that you’d be going crazy over here. And so I’m making you feel better.”
He puts a shaking hand on my chin, making me look up. “You sure he didn’t do something?”
His concerned, protective tone makes me want to tell him. That Lucas got scary for a second or two, and threatened him. But if I did, he’d go ballistic on my behalf.
So I’m not going to tell him.
I’m also not going to tell him that I may have irrevocably broken their friendship. That no matter how hard I tried, Lucas was adamant on believing that it was his fault.
Instead, I focus on the task.
I’ve unzipped his pants by now, revealing his dark gray underwear and that huge bulge. “No, he didn’t.”
“He mention the ultimatum?”
“Yes.”
“Fucking asshole.”
I rub the bulge with my hands. “It’s okay. I handled it.”
He jerks under my ministrations before gripping my chin tightly, “What’d you tell him?”
I look up in his eyes and whisper, “That I’m not his.”
“Not yet.”
I swallow down ‘not ever’ and give him what he wants. “Not yet.”
He breathes deep, his whole body moving with it. “Good.”
I’m not sure how I do it, but I manage to stay strong, and not break down with the absolute misery and hopelessness of the situation. My hands go to the waistband of his pants and underwear, aiming to push them down and finally reveal what he keeps hidden to protect me.