Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Tate
She looks from me to each one of my friends. Watching her make this decision is agonizing. I wanted to go over there and kiss her, to tell her that she belongs with me, that we belong together. I had told my friends what had happened, well, some of it. And from the interaction of a minute ago, it’s clear she knows that they know.
“It’s several hours to a city with a commercial airport. At least, let us get to a city, and then you can decide what to do,” I offer, hoping she’ll accept my terms.
She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. “Fine. Let’s just…go,” she says quietly as she gets into the driver’s seat. We drop the camping equipment off with the main office at the campgrounds, and then we start toward Denver. It’s a little over six hours away from our campsite. We’ll stay just east of the city tonight and then it’s a twenty-four-hour drive back to her house. If we can get a decent night of sleep, we should be able to drive it in three shifts. Worst case, we’ll have one last stop over around St. Louis.
None of us speak much. We all seem deep in thought. I’d ask my friends what the heck they are stewing about but I’m too fixated on how to get Sophia to see that the two of us can work. I’m sitting behind her, and I can smell her lotion. It’s driving me insane. I’ve adjusted my dick a dozen times, fine, like three dozen times, but it doesn’t seem to help.
I keep thinking about her. How her body felt against mine. How her lips felt against mine. Hell, how her inner muscles clenched around my fingers. God, that was hot as fuck!
But it’s more than that. It’s the talking…really talking. I’ve never had that with anyone. We’ve talked about things that I don’t even share with my friends. I talked about the parts of my childhood that I never speak about with anyone. She’s made me see what a relationship could be, what it should be. I mean, I saw how my grandparents were, but they were older and they didn’t go around showing tons of affection. I didn’t know couples could just lie in bed talking for hours. I love that. I love hearing her tell stories. I love her. I love this woman that I just met a week ago. It sounds crazy, but I’ve never felt this way with any other woman. I just wish I could make her see that we could work together and that I would never hurt her.
I sigh and look around the car again. I feel a slight twinge of guilt. I know my friends have their own burdens and yet here they are helping me with my struggle. Hell, I just made them traipse across the country for no reason at all. Guilt washes over me like a rogue wave. Penn’s extra quiet which is unlike him and that makes me feel even guiltier.
Sophia isn’t acting like herself either. She’s not singing along to music or chatting with the guys. Her eyes remain fixed ahead. She doesn’t even make us stop for a bathroom break, instead choosing to do the drive in one chunk. When we get near I-70, she pulls over at a chain hotel.
“I’ll get us some rooms. It’ll be easier that way,” she says quietly, slipping from the car before any of us can say something.
It’s quiet for a long beat and then Penn turns from the passenger seat to look at me. “You can’t let her get away. Do not let her be the one that got away.”
“He’s right. She’s amazing. And I don’t know how, but you guys definitely have something going on, something fucking real,” Rex adds.
“They’re right,” Jordan says.
I run a hand over my face. “I know,” I reply from behind my hand.
I turn to Jordan. “What the fuck did you say to her on that walk?”
He holds up his hands. “I didn’t say anything. She…I think she’s confused,” he says. “And scared. Think about it. She has two kids. She doesn’t have the luxury of just fucking around with a guy.”
“I’m not fucking around with her,” I growl.
“I know that, asswipe. But does she? Can she really trust you? She’s known you one whole week,” he points out and I know he’s right. Jordan was raised by a single mom, and I know her concerns must hit home for him.
“But it’s different. Like I said this morning, I’ve never felt this way before. I know she feels it. I just know it,” I mutter as I stare down at my hands.
“It might just take time, bro,” Penn says. I hate that he’s right. I hate that I might have to wait. I don’t want to waste any more time. Now that I know what I want, I want it. It’s juvenile, but I can’t help it.
“Maybe you’ll have to share a room again?” Rex says with a smirk.
Everyone glares at him.
“What? You never know?” he adds.
“Not likely. I…maybe I should just wait. Fuck, I wish I had more patience about this. I just don’t want her thinking this can’t work,” I mutter.
“She’s not wrong. It will be hard,” Jordan states. “Hell, it’s hard with Alisha and we work in the same industry.”
“But it’s possible. People do it all the time. I could make Maryland my home base. I might have to travel for filming, but I could come home in between it all. It’s not impossible,” I say to them.
I’m met with some nods and shrugs.
“I know you want this with her, but you need to prepare yourself that she might not be willing to. And if that’s the case, then you gained a hell of a friend and you also know what you want in life now. So either way, you’ve won, Tate,” Jordan says. I hate that he’s right.
The car door opens, and we all turn to look at Sophia. “Here, they had five rooms,” she says as she hands out card keys.
Penn shrugs and gives me a look before taking one. “Thanks, Soph,” he says as he gets out of the car to go grab his bag from the back.
Jordan and Rex follow suit, leaving Sophia and me standing by the car.
“Soph—” I start but she holds up her hand.
“Not right now. I want to shower and get room service or order food or something and just go to bed early. I need to call Mark and let him know we’re on the way back. I—I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says as she hands me my bag and hits the lock on her fob. The car beeps and I follow her inside.
I look at my key. Eighth floor. I wait for the elevator next to her, neither of us speaking. If sexual tension could be cut with a knife, we’d need a machete to hack through ours. A kid and a woman I presume to be his mom come to stand next to us.
The door chimes as it opens, and we all step inside.
“What floor?” I ask the woman.
“Two,” she says as she holds the little boy’s hand.
I press “8” and Sophia doesn’t add a number. Are we on the same floor?
The doors shut and a minute later open with another ping. The woman and child exit, leaving Sophia and me alone again. I step toward her. She doesn’t move but keeps looking forward.
My hand brushes her arm and I watch goose bumps form. Fuck, she has to stop denying what’s between us. She needs to at least give it a chance. I intentionally run my finger over her arm. She doesn’t pull away. I watch in the mirror as she swallows hard.
I can’t hold back any longer. I turn and cage her against the wall of the elevator, pressing my lips to hers. She shudders against me, not moving for a second. And then it’s like a dam bursts. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I lift her ass, her legs wrapping around my waist as we deepen the kiss. She feels so right in my arms. Our tongues tangle as my hands knead her ass. Fuck. She has the greatest ass. I could run my hands over this ass all day long and still not get enough of it. Thoughts of biting and kissing her flesh here invade my brain cells as our lips continue to connect. She grinds herself against me, and I press her harder into the wall of the elevator, thrusting myself against her.
The elevator pings and we just stand there for a moment, breathing hard as we pull back to stare at each other. She slowly slides down my body and grabs her bag from the floor, exiting and leaving me standing there with the biggest fucking hard-on that I’ve ever had.
I blow out a breath and pick up my bag. When I step out, I find she’s already unlocking her door.
“Sophia,” I call out, heading toward her.
“We…that was a mistake,” she stammers as she begins to shut her door, trying to block me out. I watch her face disappear from view.
Fuck, I can’t lose her. I need this woman like I need oxygen.