Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Britt
Sorry I’ve been quiet this week.
Linc stared at his phone.
Has it only been a week since the bachelor auction? How is that possible?
It felt more like an eternity since he’d seen Britt in person. Seven days since his life had imploded.
He looked at his watch. Britt had taken last Saturday night off to attend the auction.
As far as he knew, she was working tonight.
Since it was a little after eight p.m. now, that must mean she was texting him on her break.
She worked Saturday nights at the restaurant and didn’t usually finish up until around eleven, sometimes later.
Reading the text again, he thought about what to type back. Now that she’d finally responded, he sure as hell didn’t want to say the wrong thing and have her go dark on him again.
Linc
It’s okay. You’ve checked in.
Barely. She’d barely checked in this week, and he’d been losing his mind worrying about what “the talk” she wanted to have was going to entail. Still, he should be thankful she’d texted at all. She could’ve given him the cold shoulder, but hadn’t. That had to mean something, right?
Britt
In case you think I’m mad at you, I’m not. I just freaked out and needed to get my head on straight.
Be cool, tread lightly, and whatever you do, don’t fuck this up.
Linc
Is it?
Britt
Is it what?
Linc
On straight.
Britt
When has it ever been?
Linc
LOL
After typing out the next message, he paused before hitting send.
You need to address it.
Linc
I get it. I threw you a curveball.
Britt
And I fumbled it.
He smiled at her football comment in response to his baseball analogy. Zana was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever met, but painfully worthless when it came to sports.
Linc
I wouldn’t call that kiss a fumble.
Great. Straight to the kiss. Way to ease into it.
Yes, they needed to talk about the other night, but he didn’t want to spook her any more than she already was.
Linc
I mean
“What do I mean?” he muttered to himself. That it was so good he could jack off to the memory exclusively for the rest of his life and still die a happy man?
Linc
I’m sorry I kissed you without your permission.
But not sorry I kissed you.
Britt
Are you? Sorry, I mean.
He stared at the text. The first thing he noticed was no emoji.
Britt always used emojis. She was obsessed with them.
In fact, he’d never seen her not use emojis.
It instantly put him on alert. Rereading the message slowly, he searched for a hidden meaning.
Was he missing one? No? Maybe? He wasn’t sure.
Pressing his lips together in a hard line, he contemplated his next move.
In the end, he decided to go with honesty.
Linc
About the kiss? No.
Never.
Linc
The lack of permission? Yes.
Britt
Do you always ask permission before kissing someone?
Still no emoji.
This was serious. He took a breath and held it for a few counts before blowing it out. It didn’t help the tightness in his chest. He still felt like he was walking through a mine field blindfolded, never knowing if his next step would trigger an explosion and destroy everything.
Linc
I didn’t with you, but I should have.
Britt
That wasn’t the question.
He stared at the phone, frozen.
Britt
Do you always ask for permission?
He took another deep breath and was rewarded with the same lousy results. He shouldn’t be this nervous texting with his best friend.
Yeah, well, you’ve never kissed the shit out of your best friend before, have you?
Linc
For a first kiss? Yes.
It was true. He was all about consent. He never liked to assume or do anything that would make a woman uncomfortable.
Britt
Except with me.
Fuck. Not like he could deny it.
Linc
Except with you.
Britt
Why?
He huffed out a mirthless laugh. “Why? Because you make me lose my fucking mind, that’s why!”
Yes, he was shouting at a text message. When it came to Zana, he obviously wasn’t rational.
“Because you’re you, and if I didn’t kiss you, I… Fuck, you’re perfect, okay? Fucking perfect and I’ve wanted you forever, and…” Shoving his fingers through his hair, he shouted at the device in his hand. “And I’m talking to a goddamn phone!”
The phone chimed again, signaling another text message. Linc closed his eyes and counted to ten.
Get your shit together, Pierce. You can’t not answer her.
Opening his eyes, he read the text and promptly stopped breathing.
Britt
I’m far from perfect.
What the…?
He spun around, scanning the room like he was expecting to find someone filming him or, at the very least, surveillance cameras in every corner. When the doorbell rang, he flinched like a gun had fired.
The phone chimed again.
Britt
There’s someone at your door.
Britt
Hint. It’s me.
“Zana?” His phone slipped from his fingers and landed, forgotten, on the carpet at his feet. In six strides, he was at the front door, flinging it open.
Britt blinked up at him with those big, blue eyes. “You make me lose my mind too.”
Before his brain had fully registered the fact she was standing on his doorstep, she kissed him.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when conscious thought ceased to exist.
Linc groaned against her lips and pulled her in. She hopped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, so he grabbed her ass to support her. The door shut with a bang when he pushed her against it, making her whimper and drop her phone.
Shit. He’d just manhandled her into the door.
“I’m sor?—”
“Shush,” Britt ordered, slamming her mouth back onto his.
One word and his dick turned to stone. He leaned into her and took control of the kiss, pressing his hips forward so she couldn’t mistake what she was doing to him. When she tightened her legs around him, he growled and nipped at her bottom lip.
“What do you want, Zan?” he ground out, kissing her deeply before she could answer. He slid a hand down her ass, swallowing her moan when he moved it underneath the hem of her short skirt.
Christ. She’s wearing a thong.
He squeezed her bare ass cheek before inching his hand lower.
“Tell me what you want.”
She whimpered when he reached the heat between her legs. It turned into a moan when he started rubbing along her fabric-covered slit. When he felt her panties dampen, he nearly lost his mind.
Fucking hell.
“Linc…” His name came out breathless, needy.
Desire surged through him, and damned if he could stop himself from pulling the material to the side and running his fingers through her arousal.
“Fuck,” he rasped against her lips. He was kissing Zana while playing with her pussy…
and she was letting him. This had to be a dream.
“Tell me what you want,” he repeated more forcefully, barely holding onto his restraint.
He needed an answer before he lost control. He needed an answer right fucking now.
“You.” She tried to move against his hand, but with the way he had her pinned to the door, she couldn’t. “I want you, Linc. All of you.”
He kissed her again. It was unchecked and urgent, but what did it matter? He was either dreaming or hallucinating. Regardless, he was running with it until someone woke him up or Zana said no.
“How do you want me?” He rubbed the stubble of his unshaven cheek along the smoothness of hers before tracing the shell of her ear with his tongue.
“My hand?” He sucked on her pulse point as he continued to tease her with his fingers.
“My mouth?” Trailing his lips down her neck, he breathed in her honeysuckle scent.
When he reached the place where her neck met her shoulder, he bit down hard enough to sting without breaking the skin.
She hissed in a breath and bucked her hips against him.
Damn, she’s responsive.
He soothed the area with his tongue before asking in a tone that sounded like shredded gravel, “Or my cock?”
A mewling sound escaped before she whispered a strangled, “Yes.”
“Good answer.” He speared a finger inside her, making her gasp.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he told her, moving it in and out.
“First, you’re going to come on my hand.
Right here against the door.” He removed his finger and shifted his weight until one of her feet touched the floor.
Keeping her other leg hiked to his waist, he reached into her panties from the front and thrust two fingers inside her.
The new position still kept her trapped against the door while allowing him to press a thumb against her clit.
She whispered a curse.
“Then,” he continued, moving his fingers faster.
“You’re going to come on my tongue while I eat you out on the kitchen counter.
” He started making circles with his thumb without letting up on the pressure, drawing another moan from her lips.
“And after that, you’re going to come on my cock in my bed.
” The more he described what he was going to do to her, the wetter she became.
It spurred him on and made him feral enough to add, “And wherever else I goddamn please.”