Chapter 14 #5
I try to come off casual even though I feel anything but. “I’m just saying it’s been kind of late the times you’ve left, and if you ever want to crash here so you don’t have to drive home in the dark, you can.”
“How would that work?” she asks, furrowing her brow at me like I asked her a complicated math question.
“What do you mean?” I slide my hands into my pockets and follow her into the foyer.
She pauses in front of the door and turns on her heel to eye me. “Would we cuddle?”
A smile spreads slowly across my face over how serious she looks. “I’m not a huge cuddler.” I reach out and smooth a strand of hair that’s sticking up above her ear. “But I could be convinced if you wanted to. You’re in charge after all.” I wink.
“No.” She shakes my touch away, but the heated look in her eyes tells me she likes it.
My hand moves to her wrist, and I trace small circles on the inside. She watches my finger as I lean in and whisper in her ear, “If you slept in my bed, you could assault me any time you wanted.”
“Oh, is that right?”
Her tone is teasing, but I’m not losing my edge. “I would be at your complete mercy.”
“Such a giver,” she cajoles, pulling back and smiling up at me. She sucks her lower lip into her mouth, and my body roars back to life.
I lift my brows. “It would be a tough job, but I’m pretty strong. You can feel my muscles if you want.”
She whacks me on the chest, then chews her lip more thoughtfully. “You know, Thursday would be good.”
Her reply puzzles me. Our first week together, we saw each other every night. Is she trying to see me less? “So you won’t be coming out here tomorrow?”
“God no!” she barks.
I deflate.
“I mean, yes!”
“Wait, what?”
“I mean, of course I’ll be coming out tomorrow and the next day. I’m free all week!” She gestures between us and her face falls. “Unless you don’t want me here that much?”
“No, I do!” I reply quickly, then bite the inside of my cheek. Get control of yourself, Gareth. You don’t want to look like a completely sex-starved wanker. Tanner has that look on lockdown. “I just don’t understand why you want to spend the night on Thursday in particular.”
She relaxes instantly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she replies, “Oh, well, it’s Thanksgiving on Thursday?” She says it like a question.
I tilt my head curiously. This is not anywhere near where my head was going. “I’m somewhat familiar with that American tradition.”
She purses her lips nervously. “I could like cook for us, maybe?”
My brows lift. “You cook?”
“Sometimes.” She shrugs. “I mean, I’ve never cooked Thanksgiving dinner completely by myself, but I think I can handle it. But I know you’re an athlete, so maybe you can’t eat certain stuff.”
My reply is instant. “I can eat stuff.”
She smiles with an adorably hopeful twinkle in her eyes.
“It’s just, it’s kind of a special holiday to me.
I think it would be fun to actually make a meal and, I don’t know…
Celebrate. Last year, I travelled home to my mom’s.
Every year before that I was busy with work, so I’ve never actually celebrated it here in England.
I’d really like to, though.” She looks awkward and quickly adds, “But after we eat, we can totally fuuuck.”
I fight back a laugh at her horrid attempt at sounding cool. “Is that part of the Thanksgiving tradition as well?”
She barks out a laugh. “It’s not, but we can definitely make it an annual thing.
” When she realises what she just said, her face falls and she claps her hands over her mouth.
“Not that we’ll be doing this every year.
I just mean…Freaking hell. I’m not saying that.
Of course this isn’t going to be a yearly thing.
Good God, I should leave right this second. ”
Desperate for an escape, she turns on her heel and swings the door open. In a quick move, I step forward and wrap my hand around her stomach, stopping her momentum and pulling her back against my body. She’s practically heaving with embarrassment as my other hand pushes the door closed.
“I’m such a puke,” she groans and covers her face.
“You’re not a puke,” I chuckle, pressing my lips to her hair. “Turkey and sex sounds perfect.”
She relaxes into my embrace and tilts her head back, revealing her bare neck. Her sweet scent rolls over my body. I have to fight the urge to turn her around, strip her naked, and fuck her against the door right this second.
Instead, I slip one hand into my pocket, grab my keys, and hold them in front of her. “I have practice until five and I assume turkey takes a while to cook.” I slide the key off the ring and hold it out. I say against her hair, “Front door key…for your convenience.”
“Thanks,” she husks like we just had thirty minutes of foreplay and she’s ready to come. She wraps her fingers around the key and nearly moans her next words. “I’d really love for you to kiss my neck, Gareth.”
My body roars to life from the gentle command.
I push her hair back with my nose and lightly brush my lips beneath her ear.
My tongue slips out and draws a line up to her earlobe.
When I pull the tender flesh between my lips, she sags against me, rolling her body in my arms and grinding her supple arse on my groin.
Just when I think she’s going to give me round three, she pulls away and opens the door, leaving on wobbly feet. I watch her, regret and yearning stronger than I’ve ever felt coursing through my veins.
I watch her car drive away, then close the door, realising with a nervous thud of my heart that I can’t wipe the smile off my face.