Chapter 39 Sydney
THIRTY-NINE
SYDNEY
“Alright, honey,” my mom says, her eyes swimming with tears as she stands by the door of my apartment. “I know you’re exhausted, but if you need anything at all, call me. I can be here in a flash.”
“I will,” I reply, wrapping my arms around her in a tight embrace.
“I think I’d like to take a trip to Legacy Village next week.
Just you and me. We never did make it to that new shop you were talking about.
” I breathe in her familiar lavender scent, grateful that I was able to spend some quality time with my loved ones after today’s events.
Livvy and Maddox were here for a while, but I’m pretty sure she was just as exhausted as I am, because he had to carry her out of here after she fell asleep in his lap.
“Are you sure you’re okay with us leaving?
” my father says, his brows pulling tight with worry.
“We can stay in the guest room if you want us to.” Part of me wants to tell him yes, more for him than for myself.
All he’s ever wanted to do was protect me, so I’m sure he’s beating himself up over what happened.
There was absolutely nothing any of us could have done to prevent it, and while I’m sure it’ll take some time to get to a point where I’m not looking over my shoulder whenever I’m alone, I also don’t want the bad memories to consume me.
That’s why I’m going to do my best to keep things as normal as possible—and having my parents in the next room while I’m in bed with my boyfriend is definitely not that.
I shake my head. “I’m okay. Steele will be here, and you already said you’ve got security keeping an eye on everything. I’m sure they’ll have all hands on deck. I just want to love on Angus, eat some junk food, and sleep for a week straight.”
He takes a deep, soothing breath, his lips pressing into a flat line as he relents.
“Alright.” His gaze slides over to Steele, who hasn’t left my side all night.
“I’ll make sure that the coaching staff knows you’re excused from practice this week.
If she’s even the slightest bit uncomfortable, don’t leave her. Understood?”
Steele nods in response. “Yes, sir. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t, son.” My heart squeezes in my chest at the term of endearment, flipping as they shake hands and my dad pulls Steele into a hug.
If you’d have told me months ago that I’d be witnessing this, I’d have said there’s absolutely no way.
I figured we’d have to ease my parents into the prospect of our relationship, but I guess after they watched Steele use his entire salary to get me back without a second thought, they understand what I mean to him.
This isn’t some here today, gone tomorrow kind of thing.
The bond we have is unbreakable, and it’ll absolutely stand the test of time.
I give my father an extra tight squeeze, promising to call him when I wake up as they head out the door. Steele closes it tightly behind them, triple-checking the lock and deadbolt before turning to me with a soft smile.
“How are you doing, baby?” he asks, stepping in and ghosting his hands along my sides as I melt into the gentle touch.
“I’m good,” I breathe. “I think I want to take another shower before bed, though. I practically scrubbed my skin off earlier, but somehow still feel dirty.”
He nods, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Do you want me to come? Or would you rather be alone? I can make you something to eat if you need space.”
“Uh-uh,” I reply, a coy smile tugging at my lips. “I want you to shower with me. I mean, if that’s okay.”
He lifts a brow, grinning down at me as his fingers tighten around my waist. “Sydney, I don’t think you’ll ever hear the word no come out of my mouth ever again, to be honest. If you want me in there, I’m all yours.”
I flutter my lashes sweetly. “Let’s go, then.”
Taking his hand, I lead him to my en suite bathroom, where he immediately takes over.
He reaches into the shower and turns on the water, allowing it to warm as he peels off his clothes and drops them in a pile on the floor.
My breath catches in my throat as my gaze drags down his frame, admiring everything from the thick sinew of his biceps to the wide, veiny cock that hangs between his muscular thighs.
After everything I’ve been through today, I probably shouldn’t want him so badly, but the throb in my core is entirely too persistent to ignore.
I reach for the hem of my oversized crewneck, but Steele lays his hands over mine in a halting gesture.
I pull back, giving him my silent permission to take control as he lifts the garment over my head.
My bra is next to go, my nipples promptly hardening when the steam that swirls around the room dances across them.
He lowers to his knees, and my hands immediately sink into his hair, a shaky exhale leaking from my lungs as he works my shorts and panties down to the floor. If he notices how turned on I am, he doesn’t let on, standing to his full height before wordlessly ushering me into the shower.
Hot water rains down on us from multiple angles, and I groan in contentment when he steps in, his front to my back, and begins kneading the muscles in my shoulders firmly.
He skates gentle kisses along the length of my neck, sending my libido into overdrive as I attempt to process the contrasting sensations.
“I love you,” he whispers, the words ricocheting off my warm, wet skin. His touch moves downward, easing the tension in my arms before he spins my body so I’m facing him.
“I love you too.” I smile, slowly gliding my hands up his chest and curling them over his shoulders as he dips down for a sweet kiss.
I immediately part my lips, but before I can deepen the connection, he pulls away, reaches for the bottle of shampoo that sits on the built-in shelf beside us, and squirts a generous amount into his open palm.
“You don’t have t—”
“I want to,” he cuts me off, rubbing his hands together before threading them through my hair, and holy hell, it feels incredible.
I moan out loud as he works up a lather, my eyes involuntarily rolling to the back of my head.
I’m sure I look and sound crazy, but I don’t care.
I’ve never had a man—namely the hottest man I’ve ever seen—wash my hair while his sexy-as-sin body is on full display to admire.
I make a mental note to start hinting at possible cohabitation, because a girl could definitely get used to this.
Someone to wash my hair, and he’s a good boy who drops to his knees whenever I tell him to?
Who wouldn’t want such a perfect arrangement?
Tilting my head back, he rinses the shampoo away, following with just the right amount of conditioner. Next, he goes for the body wash, skipping the loofah altogether as he carefully caresses my skin.
My eyes fall shut as his hands roam, a sea of thick, white bubbles trailing in their wake.
My mind slows more with each loving pass of his fingers across my flesh, my lungs filling completely for what feels like the first time all day.
The moment is so raw—so healing—that I can’t hold back the tears of relief as every bad memory and every what if slides down my body and disappears into the drain at our feet.
I sniffle, catching his attention and stopping him in his tracks as he looks at me with concern creasing the space between his brows.
“Hey,” he says softly, his palms cradling my cheeks. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Talk to me.”
I blink, looking up at him through wet lashes as a thick swallow works its way down my throat. “I just…you saved me, Steele.”
His expression twists. “You wouldn’t have been in that situation if it weren’t for me.
If I’d have just put my foot down years ago and cut Styles off, he’d have probably gone back to treatment.
He wouldn’t have gotten himself into trouble with Delano, and you’d have never been put through the hell that you experienced today.
I didn’t save you, Sydney. I failed you before we even met. ”
I shake my head. “You’re wrong. Before you walked into that room at Velvet, I was just going through the motions, thinking I was better off without love—that those impersonal, physical connections were all I needed, and that anything more would just end in heartache.
But you made me realize that life is so much more meaningful when you really open yourself up to the possibility of sharing it with someone.
As incompatible as I thought we were, I’ve never felt more seen, heard, or cherished in my entire life.
So, yes, you saved me…from never knowing what this feels like. ”
Before I can even form another thought, his mouth is on mine, kissing me so passionately that it steals every molecule of oxygen from my lungs.
He licks at the seam of my lips, his tongue plunging between them the moment they part.
As soon as my fingers intertwine behind his neck, he lifts me from the floor and presses my back into the hard tile wall.
We’re a mess of whimpers and moans, unsure of where one ends and the other begins as he slowly grinds his length over my warm, slick center. Arousal simmers in my core, flowing through me like molten hot lava until I’m desperate to feel every perfect part of him between my thighs.
“Steele,” I whine into the kiss when his tip hits my aching clit just right. “Please. I need you.” The only answer I get is a deeper kiss as he blindly cuts off the water and reaches for the steam-covered door.
I get lost in the connection once again, barely even registering my feet against the cold, hard floor until a towel is wrapped snugly around my shoulders.
I’m as dry as I’m going to get in this heated situation just a few seconds later, reluctantly allowing him to pull back just long enough to drag the plush terrycloth across his ink-covered skin.
Seconds later, I’m back in his arms, my lips moving along his face and neck as he gently lowers me to the bed.
“Fuck, baby,” he breathes, crawling on top of me with so much adoration behind those dark, mysterious eyes. “You’re so goddamn beautiful.”
“Take me, then,” I reply, pulling him into another fiery kiss. “I want you to fuck me so deep that I’ll feel it for the rest of my life.”