Chapter 30
James
“It's beautiful."
She tilts her hand, and the emerald catches the light, throwing up sparks of gold from somewhere deep in its heart. Like embers. Like her.
"Thank you."
"You’re welcome. I should have given this to you earlier, really."
She should have worn it when I took her to see Margot. It would have sent a stronger message to Margot that she was mine, and that she didn’t get to fuck around with my fiancée. But it hadn’t occurred to me. Not until yesterday, when I saw her wipe the back of her hand across her forehead.
I saw the bare ring finger of her left hand and realized something was missing.
"It’s the perfect time to give it to me." She looks up at me from under her eyelashes.
I frown. What does she mean by that? Then I look around and realize it’s that pre-dawn time.
Just before the skies lighten. When the night is at its absolute darkest, and the city slumbers.
And it feels like we are the only two people awake, encased in that absolute stillness that makes you want to whisper.
I have a déjà vu to another time I dropped her home at a similar time.
"This is around the time in the morning I dropped you back at your place, that first time too." I turn to her.
She nods.
Our gazes tangle. The air between us heats. She’s remembering that I kissed her just before I dropped her off. So am I.
Soft lips.
Trembling curves.
Strands of her hair that wound around my fingers as I deepened the kiss.
Heat spirals under my skin. My heart rate picks up.
"You had a Jeep then," she says on a soft breath.
"I had less gray in my hair then." I manage to form the sentence, despite the imminent fusion of my brain cells.
She takes in my temples. "I like the gray in your hair."
"I like…you."
I freeze. Did I just say that? Did I just confess to liking her? Did I hint at how much I want her? It rolled off my tongue without effort. It felt organic to admit it. In fact, I feel strangely relieved to have done so.
It also makes me feel vulnerable.
I look away and sense the disappointment in her. Fuck. I’ve hurt her feelings. And the fact that I recognize that? I’m not sure what to make of that. I’m not the kind of person who is sensitive to other’s emotions. But I am with her.
Once again, this makes me uncomfortable. I sense the questions radiating from her. And I don’t want to answer them. Yet. So, like a coward, I decide to retreat.
I push my door open, walk around, and open hers.
I hold out my hand, helping her from the car.
She giggles as she stumbles into me. Once she finds her footing, I realize how close we are.
We’re so close that I can smell her sweet scent and feel the heat of her body.
Something unmistakable is shimmering in the air between us.
She raises her chin, her green eyes stormy with lust. Fuck.
I can’t resist her. Just one kiss. She is my fiancée, after all. She's wearing my ring on her finger.
Possessiveness is a rocket that zips through my veins and fires up my need for her.
I bend my head, and she rises on tiptoe. I lower my chin, until we’re sharing breath, our eyelashes brushing up against each other. "You’re fucking beautiful." The words are wrenched from my throat. Then I press my lips to hers.
Soft. So soft. They part for me, and I swoop my tongue inside. She melts into me with a moan. I push her up against the car door, kicking her legs apart as I step between them. She gasps when I press my growing arousal into her sweet center, and I swallow the sound.
I grasp her hip with my other hand, feeling the curves of her body under my palm.
Lust throbs and envelops me fully. I cup her neck, feeling her pulse. Appreciating the slenderness of the column, which emphasizes her femininity. She tilts her head to the side, allowing me access to devour the taste of her.
A car drives by, alerting me to the fact that we're out in the open. I reluctantly pull away, despite the need still coursing through me. I stare at her flushed face, and notice the shadows under her eyes.
"We need to get you inside." I run my knuckles over her cheek. "You need your rest."
She looks at me from under her heavy eyelashes and allows me to lead her toward her apartment. I take full advantage of my position as we ascend the stairs. I stare at her pear-shaped bottom which sways enticingly from side to side as she walks up the steps.
When we reach her suite, I take the keys from her and open her door.
As I return her keys, she turns to me. "Thanks for driving me home."
"Any time." Unable to stop myself, I tuck a strand of hair which has come loose behind her ear. "Sleep well."