Chapter Thirty
CHAPTER THIRTY
NATALIE
My heart has been uneasy since the moment the group mentioned going to the Black Alcove for drinks last weekend.
What if Griffin’s sister is working?
What if she says something to me?
Would she say something to me?
Plenty of time has passed since Griffin and I called off the engagement, but still, no one prepares you for this part. When you don’t just risk running into the ex but the ex’s family as well. Even though I’m not the one at fault, I have no doubt that they hold a grudge against me.
“Are you okay?” Tobias asks as I hesitate in the bathroom. I’ve been running my hands through my hair for at least five minutes to loosen my curls. At this rate, they’ll be flat before we even make it out of the house.
“I’m good.”
“As you would say, you forget that I know you.” He wraps his arms around my torso, kissing the side of my head and smiling at our reflection in the mirror.
“Do I ever tell you how beautiful you are? How amazing you are? How lucky I am?”
I press my lips together.
“You do, but I like hearing it.”
“Then I’ll do it more often. Now, what’s on your mind?”
I shift on my feet, looking away for a brief moment. When I finally bring my gaze back to his, I say, “Griffin’s sister works at The Black Alcove.”
He nods once. “Oh, I didn’t know that.”
“You’re not supposed to know that.”
“Well, I wish I had known before we made plans there.”
“We can’t pick a new favorite bar based on where my ex’s family works.”
“No, but we could have for one night.”
I blow out a breath. “No, no. I’ll be okay. This was bound to happen. I have to get used to the fact that I could run into them.”
He rubs the back of his neck. “Do you want me to keep some distance?”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know. Because he was obsessed with the idea of us being more than friends, and now that we are, maybe it’ll trigger her.”
I try not to beam a giant smile.
“You could never keep your hands off me, and I never want you to. I’m allowed to be happy. I don’t want to keep us a secret from anyone. Ever.”
He smirks and then kisses my forehead. His hands go to my hips, lifting me onto the countertop. He nudges my legs apart and stands between them.
“So, you’d let me do this?” he asks, one hand sliding slowly up my inner thigh as he rests his forehead against mine.
Instantly, my breathing picks up, and I hold back a moan.
“I mean,” I breathe, “maybe we can have some rules while we’re in public.”
“Damn,” he says, stopping his hand.
I unbuckle his belt.
“But we aren’t in public yet.” I kiss him hard.
That’s all the fuel he needs. He pulls me to him, so his erection is pressed exactly where I need and want him most.
I put on a fall flowy dress for tonight, so the only thing that separates us is a measly piece of thin and now-wet fabric.
“I love it when you go after what you want.”
“Do you?” I ask, pulling him free from his jeans and gliding my hand up and down his length. He grows bigger under my touch, and this time, there is no holding back my moan. I drop my head back—oh, how much I want him. His lips are like magnets to my neck as he kisses and sucks, finally sliding a finger past my thong and inside of me.
“Fuck, baby. How is this possible? How is it like this anytime we’re together?”
“Because it’s you,” I remind him. “I’ve never wanted someone the way I want you every single day.”
He kisses me again, biting my bottom lip and holding my head in place with his free hand. He kisses like he can’t get enough of me. Of my mouth, my tongue, as if he wants to memorize every inch of me with his own.
“We’ll be late if we keep this up,” he says.
“They’re our biggest supporters,” I reply. “They’ll wait.”
He chuckles but then hastily yanks my panties down my legs, tossing them somewhere on the floor behind him before returning to position himself at my entrance.
“I want you bare. Is that what you want?”
“Yes.” I pant as he flicks his tip against me, rubbing it over my center but never actually entering me.
He captures my lips with his once more, his tongue sliding past our lips and into my mouth at the same time he thrusts into me.
I moan into his mouth and then lock my heels behind his back once he’s all the way in.
I don’t let him pull back.
“Hold onto me,” he says.
I grip his shoulders and grind my hips up and down, then side to side.
“Oh, fuck, Natalie. Yes. Like that.”
I keep the pace for another minute, but my arms start to shake from holding myself up. Tobias can feel my grip loosening; he picks me up and walks me to the bed. Laying me down, without ever breaking contact, he stays standing. He pulls my legs up, resting my heels on his shoulders.
“Deep and slow is how you want it?”
I nod.
“Then that’s what you’ll get.”
He circles his hips as if he’s slowly trying to stretch me and make room for more.
My back bows at the feel of him inside of me, giving me what I want. He always does, and the idea of him always putting me first turns me on even more. I’m about to reach down to play with my clit because I need more, but his thumb beats me to it and another finger slides in over his cock.
I gasp.
“Do you like that?”
“Yes,” I breathe.
“Do you want more?” he asks, but I don't answer him. The feeling is better than I could imagine. Him hitting me as deep as he can go, his finger curling and rubbing me to oblivion.
“Right now, you have my cock and one finger inside of you. Do you want more?”
I run my hands through my hair and pull, as if it’s going to help me to keep from losing control.
I nod quickly. I want whatever he’s willing to give me.
He pulls out quickly, flips me over, lifts my hips, and thrusts back inside me before I can muster up any words.
Sex with Tobias is always exciting, and switching positions makes me last longer than I expect. It’s like he knows when I’m about to explode, so he switches things up to draw it out.
I’d beg him to let me come if the sensation of his touch and the idea that he loves my body weren’t so intoxicating.
He slides in and out of me, his hips moving faster and faster, our bodies slapping together. Slow sex is amazing, but rough sex, the sex where he loses control because he just can’t get enough of me fast enough, is my favorite.
I balance on one hand, reaching back with my other as I look at him.
He grins.
“Yeah, baby, watch me take you. Watch your pussy make me come.”
And just like that, his pace quickens, and he lets out the deepest, sexiest moan, his head tilting back and his throat on display. The pure ecstasy of his reaction sends my body following right behind him.
I cry out, his hand rubbing my clit again to draw it out for as long as possible.
Too soon, we both come down from our high.
I flip over to my back to catch my breath, and Tobias lies next to me. I turn my head to look at him with a smile, and he does the same.
I’ve never been happier than I am right now, with him.
* * *
I let out a small breath as soon as we step into the bar. The coast is clear.
For now, anyway. I don’t see Griffin's sister anywhere, but I did see her car outside, so I know she’s here. A part of me wishes I saw her first thing. To get this moment over with.
“Are you doing okay?” Tobias asks, his hand on my lower back as we make our way to the back table at the bar, where we spot Greer and Simon.
“I’m good. Maybe she’ll just see you first and forget all about me. I’m probably overthinking all of this.”
“You’re not.”
“I could be.”
He leans into kiss my temple.
“Well, I’m here with you, so there isn’t anything to worry about.”
I squeeze his hand.
“We thought maybe you two were going to bail on us,” Greer says as we take a seat at the table with them.
“Nope. Just running late.”
“For two people who love to be on time, I find that odd.”
Greer elbows Simon in the hip.
“Sorry.” He looks at us and smiles. “I like this side of you two.”
I roll my eyes, and Tobias just holds my hand tighter.
Then I spot her. The hair on my neck instantly stands up as she glares across the bar at me.
“Ignore her,” Tobias whispers in my ear.
I nod and then focus on our friends.
Nora and Hero arrive, followed by Beck and Calla, and soon enough we’re a couple of drinks in, with plates of appetizers on the table.
“I’m going to run to the restroom,” I tell Tobias.
“Need a hand?” He smirks.
“Not from you.”
I hate that I look over my shoulder more than once on my walk to the bathroom, but I don’t see Cassie. I take care of business and push out the door to return to the table.
I was definitely overthin?—
“I can’t believe you,” a voice snaps beside me. I don’t even have to fully turn to know who it is. She must have been waiting for me to leave my friends so that she could corner me.
“Hi, Cassie.”
“Don’t. Don't even pretend like we're still friends. We are far from it.”
I nod and then sigh. “I know you're mad.”
“No, you don’t get to play the nice one. The calm one. You messed up, Natalie. Big time.”
What does that mean? He cheated on me. Not the other way around. Although, at this point, that might not be what he told his family.
“Look, Griffin and I are over, and I think it’s?—”
“And that guy, oooooh, ahhhh.” She points over my shoulder, trying to find her words. I’m not sure why I keep standing here, because she’s clearly mad, and this isn’t going to go in my favor. Maybe it’s because even though she is crazy, I did try to form some type of friendship with her. By her reaction, maybe she thought we were closer than I thought. Sure, I thought she’d be mad on her brother’s behalf, but hurt, no. Yet her eyes are glistening.
“You two are stupid,” she snaps.
“Is there a problem here?” Tobias walks up behind me, lacing his hand with mine. “I can hear you across the bar, and you’re drawing attention.”
Cassie glares at Tobias. “You two are unbelievable. I bet this was happening the entire time you were with my brother.”
“It wasn’t.”
But now we know what he’s been telling people.
“For your sake, I hope not. Because if it was, Tobias will be bored soon, too, and then just like my brother, he’s going to find someone better who?—”
“That’s enough,” Tobias says calmly in a clipped tone before I can. I don't need him to fight my battles, but I’m on the verge of tears, so it's nice to have someone in my corner right now.
“Go ahead. Defend her. Be who she needs you to be, because when you’re tired and bored, you’ll move on from her too.”
“I said that’s enough,” Tobias says and turns me to walk away.
“I sure as hell hope you figure it out soon, Tobias. You know where to find me when you need some excitement in your life!”
“Don’t listen to her,” Tobias whispers in my ear. “I’m going to have a word with the manager when I see him next. She shouldn’t be allowed to talk to customers this way.”
“She’s right, though,” I tell him, grabbing my purse off the table. Nora eyes me but doesn’t say anything. “What if you do get bored with me?”
“No. Don’t listen to her, Nat. You’ve had my attention since the day I met you. If I were going to be bored, it would have happened by now.”
My lower lip starts to shake. I know he’s trying to lighten the situation with a little humor, but it’s not helping. Yeah, friend Tobias never got bored with me, but what about boyfriend Tobias?
“Can we go home, please?”
He nods without another word, then pulls some cash from his wallet to leave with our friends. I hear him tell the others good night, but I don't know if they reply. Everything starts to blur under my tears.
I was starting to think I had things figured out, but now, I’m not so sure.