29
Broadway
I ’ m learning the hard way that patience is not one of my virtues. Not just when it comes to Violet and her lips, but also those remaining six men who don’t deserve to live.
Tom hasn’t mentioned any names recently, and I doubt I’ll get lucky again like I did with Timothy, so the tracking and locating’s fallen on Ryder’s shoulders. Too bad he has almost nothing to go on.
It’s still early, so instead of heading into my bedroom buck naked from my shower and collapsing into bed, I shimmy into a pair of sweatpants first.
A stellar choice given who’s on my bed.
Violet sits on the edge, the door wide open behind her... it’s her insurance policy, a quick way out. It stings, but I swallow my pride, eyes scrutinizing her from head to toe. She’s shaking softly, her fingers knitting an invisible sweater, brows drawing together, reconsidering.
That’s one aspect. One that screams vulnerability and uncertainty...
I don’t focus on that, drawn instead to the goosebumps dotting the crook of her neck, the fire burning in her eyes, how her violet irises keep sweeping over my lips.
“I thought you’d never come,” I say on an exhale, relief rattling through me. “Please tell me you’re here to kiss me.”
She pinches her lips, either holding off a smile, or hiding her nerves, I can’t tell.
She’s hesitant, her cheeks red, betraying shyness. She wipes her palms against her skimpy pajama bottoms. “Yes, but... ugh, I’m sorry. I imagined this differently.”
“Stop apologizing.”
“But this is so stupid!” she blurts. “Kisses shouldn’t be so fucking hard. They shouldn’t be planned. They should just... happen . I wanted us to just happen again, like in the elevator, but now it all feels so... stiff.”
“We’ll get to that.” I cross the room, taking back some control because Violet clearly sucks at this. I climb onto the bed, resting against the headboard. “Sooner if you don’t wait another five days before coming to me. Stop overthinking. Next time, tell me to sit my ass down and...” I demonstrate by shoving my hands behind me and knotting my fingers, “...put my hands behind my back.”
“Why are you so casual about this?” she huffs, climbing over me, her warm, bare legs flush with my thighs, small hands bracing against my shoulder. “Why are you agreeing? Even you have to admit this is odd, Broadway.”
“ Why ? Because you need to feel safe, Violet, and this—”
She presses her finger to my lips. “You’re telling me why I ’m agreeing. That’s not what I asked.” She tugs the hair at the back of my head, her face hovering over mine. “Why are you letting me use you?”
“Because I want you, baby.”
A small shudder shakes her, and the look in her eyes, the awe, the lust... God I want her to look at me like this forever.
“I want to be the one you feel safe with. The one you trust, the only man in your life.”
With a shaky breath, she closes the gap between us, her lips catching mine in a desperate but tender kiss.
I lick the seam of her mouth, deepening the kiss. She cups my face, scooting closer. Close enough that her warm pussy settles over my hard cock.
This time, she doesn’t pause. She grinds into me again, earning a low groan and a nip at her lower lip.
There’s less than three millimeters of fabric between us.
One tug at my sweatpants would free my cock, one swipe between her legs to uncover her entrance...
I knot my fingers harder, nails dig into skin and I pour all my patience and longing into this kiss, hoping she can feel how much I want her, how much I care.
The tension between us crackles with an overwhelming intensity. We’re treading lightly, but the desire, the lust, the fucking need between us is undeniable.
Slowly, her hands slide down my chest, and she breaks the kiss, pulling back. “I feel bad for using you like this,” she whispers.
“Is that all you’re doing?” I shake my head, dismissing the question. “Never mind. Don’t answer that.” I sit up straight, nosing a line up her cheek. “You’re overthinking, Violet. Stop. I want you to use me. I’ll take anything you’ll give.”
Her eyes soften, a small smile tugs at the corner of her swollen lips, and she leans in again, the kiss no longer tentative. It’s deep, raw, hungry.
“I shouldn’t have waited so long.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. Don’t do it again.”
She moans in my mouth, the sound so fucking erotic it should be illegal. I bet I’ll be sporting angry, half-moon marks on the backs of my hands for days.
It’ll be a miracle if I don’t break the skin and bleed for her.
Our lips work in sync, the kiss more and more daring until she reaches behind me and grabs my wrist, tugging twice. I untangle my fingers, letting her lead, and she moves my hand to her nape.
“The other one here,” she mutters, patting her thigh.
I obey, breaking the kiss to watch her face so I can react if she looks uncomfortable. She’s so fucking soft, so warm. I stare at the jarring contrast between her pale complexion and my tanned, bruised hand, then peer back into her darkening eyes.
Testing the waters—and pushing the boundaries once more—I gently caress one hand up and down her bare skin while the other massages the pressure points at the base of her neck.
There’s not an ounce of fear in her eyes. She’s perfectly content, watching my hand coast along the goosebumps dotting her thigh.
“Come here,” I say, coaxing her closer with words instead of wrapping my arm around her back and pulling her in like I want to. “Let me hold you for a while.”
Her head falls onto my shoulder. She adjusts her position, getting comfortable in my lap, the scent of her hair filling my nose and diffusing the last of the tension that torturing and murdering Tim left knotted into my muscles .
When did she crawl her way so deep under my skin? It feels like it happened at the flick of a switch, but she’s been in my life for almost three months. The initial pull, my body’s reaction to her proximity, made it clear she’d be important to me... I just didn’t realize how important.
I spent days watching her at Carter’s mansion whenever he allowed me a few hours of breathing room. I watched her transition from a broken, scared girl, from a victim to a survivor in my arms. We spent countless nights in my car and each time she relaxed more around me.
And now... I can finally hold her.
My hand moves to her back, fingers ghosting the line of her spine as she nuzzles her face in the crook of my neck, her breath warm against my skin.
We sit in silence, chasing our own thoughts.
This girl... this gorgeous woman trembling in my arms, holds me in the palm of her hand. Her scent, the feel of her skin, the way her breath tickles my neck—it’s all driving me to the edge.
“Do you really mean it?” she asks, her voice a soft tremor. “That you want me?”
“Of course I mean it, baby.”
She nuzzles in closer, exhaling a contented sigh and, before I know it, her beathing stabilizes. I pull the covers higher, the peacefulness of having her this close seeping into my bones. It’s intense, this feeling, much more potent than just having her in the same room.
Things have been shifting between us for a long time. Those stolen glances, hand brushes, late nights talking... all had an effect.
We wait for the sun to go down. Things are different under the guise of night. More intimate.
Her scent invades my mind, the feel of her small body pressed against me like a potent sedative. Careful not to wake her, I maneuver us into a more comfortable position, watching Violet sleep while the room is perfectly silent...