Chapter 18 #2
I took a deep breath, hoping I wouldn’t yell.
“I needed this job. I know you might not understand why anyone would work at a bar with sticky floors and watered-down alcohol, but it was the only job I could find. This was my lifeline. And you just cut it. So I’m going to take a taxi home, because otherwise I might say and do things I’ll regret later. ”
My whole body shook with anger. I knew it wasn’t fair to blame Vance. Drunk Guy had been a dickhead, and Vance had protected me. But I’d needed this job. And now I was back to square one.
Vance crowded me against his car. “I’ve never been possessive over anyone I’ve dated.
Or jealous. Or utterly consumed by them.
Or unable to stay away. But then you came along.
You destroyed plans I’d made a long time ago.
Plans I had no intention of changing. Yet here I am, in a small town in Colorado, starting a new life because the person I can’t seem to live without is here.
Now, when someone else puts their hands on that person, there is absolutely no fucking way on this earth I’d sit back and watch. ”
The noises that left my mouth were a garble that sounded an awful lot like “gobbly bobbly boo.” Slapping a hand over my mouth, I watched him with big eyes.
He put his forehead to mine. “Fuck, Mae, you twist me up inside, and I don’t even care.
All I want is to be with you. And I’ll take you in whatever way you’ll give yourself to me.
And if you need time, I’ll wait. Because what we have is something you only find once in your life.
I’m not letting go. And you’re not going home in a taxi.
Not when I’m here to drive you and make sure you get back safely. ”
The little seed of hope in my chest turned into a tiny blossom. “Okay.”
After his beautiful words, that was all I could say. I was an embarrassment to womankind.
Vance just chuckled and then cradled my face in his hands. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
I went up on my tippy toes and kissed him.
It was all the invitation he needed, and he pressed his lips to mine, his tongue tracing them until I opened for him.
The kiss started out tentative, but it soon turned into more.
I wound my arms around his neck, and Vance cradled me to him, lifting me a few inches off the ground.
His kiss was a claiming, his touch a branding.
When we broke apart, my chest was heaving and my lips felt swollen. “I think as far as apologies go, you’ve nailed them.”
Vance’s deep rumbling laughter vibrated against my body since we were still pressed against each other. “I’ll remember that for the next time I piss you off.”
He set me back on my feet, and I climbed into his car. As soon as Vance was sitting next to me, he reached for my hand and placed it on his thigh. “I’m sorry about the job. But you’re no longer alone. I will help you with anything.”
He emphasized the last word. And I had to admit, it felt nice to be one half of a whole again. To not feel alone. I knew I had friends who’d help out, but this was different. I loved being in a relationship. Secretly loved someone taking care of me.
By the time we parked in front of my apartment building, I’d made the decision to stop holding back. Instead, I would dive in headfirst. Because I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t give us a chance.
Vance walked me up to my apartment, neither of us saying a word. I unlocked my door and stepped inside before turning back to him. “Do you want to come in?”
He studied me for a moment, then nodded. “The answer to that question will always be yes.”
He closed the door behind me, locking the two deadbolts and the brand-new lock he’d installed. “I don’t want to pressure you. I’m happy to sleep next to you, as long as you don’t make me go back to my hotel.”
Instead of answering, I figured a direct approach would be the best course of action. Especially since I had no words to give him that would adequately portray how much I wanted him. So I dropped my bag, then my jacket and shoes. Then I undid the button on my jeans and kicked them off.
Vance stood unmoving, watching me with hungry eyes. I pulled my T-shirt over my head next. I’d never felt so brazen.
Before it hit the floor, he was in front of me, his hands tracing my waist. “You’re perfect. Beautiful.”
I rested my hands on his chest, and he took a shuddering breath, then leaned down and kissed me.
My hands traveled over the powerful set of his shoulders and over each dip of his arms. He didn’t hold back, not like when he’d kissed me before.
This time there was no gentle teasing, no slow exploration.
With one hand on the back of my head, buried in my hair, and the other on my ass, he held me close, as if he was afraid I would back away.
As if I had any intention to. I might have been slow on the uptake, but I wasn’t stupid.
I shivered when he pulled back and reluctantly opened my eyes. Meeting his heated gaze with one of my own, I thought I was still wearing too many clothes. And so was he.
The shadow of his beard begged to be touched; his lips invited to be kissed. And his body, that was something I wanted to explore. The need to feel his skin against mine made me tremble with need.
He traced my curves, his beautiful hands nearly spanning my waist where they stopped and pulled me even tighter against him. “Tell me what you want.”
My arms lifted of their own accord, my fingers finding the top button of his shirt. “You. I want you.”
He watched me undo each button, only slightly releasing his hold so I could pull his shirt out of his pants and reach the bottom few.
The more of his skin I revealed, the more my hands shook.
He exuded masculinity and strength, his body a work of art.
He was even more stunning than I could have imagined. And there had been a lot of imagining.
Our eyes met again, his reverent and blazing with want.
He lightly fingered a loose tendril of hair on my cheek.
“I didn’t think I’d ever meet anyone who would be my reason for being.
But then you showed up. And I don’t know how I’ve ever lived without you.
” The soft brush of his fingers against my face turned my insides molten.
He cupped my chin tenderly in his warm hand.
“You belong with me. And to be absolutely clear, this is not a hookup. This is the beginning of us.”
My arms wound around him, and I gently smoothed the hair at the nape of his neck, my eyes on the top button of his shirt.
“What I feel for you scares me because I never felt even half of it for my ex-husband. But I married him. So what kind of person does that make me? Maybe I deserved what happened.” He shifted on his feet, but I shook my head so he wouldn’t say anything.
“But despite everything, I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine.”
I finished on a broken whisper, my hands tightening in his hair.
He bent his head and buried it in my neck, cocooning me in the strength of his arms. “I will do anything in my power not to fuck this up.”
His lips moved on my skin with every word, and I went boneless in his embrace.
He lifted me off the floor and shuffled to the couch, dropping onto it.
I climbed up on his lap, one leg on each side of him.
He was so much bigger than me that my knees barely touched the cushions.
But we made contact where it counted, and I dropped my head, brushing my lips against his.
One of his hands engulfed my butt cheek and squeezed.
The warmth flowing through me crumbled the last of my doubts. I felt whole again. My ex-husband might have taken a bite out of me, but Vance had put all my pieces back together.
The raw need I felt for this man was too much to ignore, and I wanted all of him. I mindlessly clawed at his clothes, somehow getting them off. A switch had flipped, a sudden urgency to our movements that hadn’t been there before. There was no more hesitation. No more insecurity.
My heart hammered against my ribs, my movements jerky. The rest of our clothes came off in a disorganized jumble, our hands impatient, our mouths refusing to stop kissing for more than a few seconds.
I dimly noticed the crinkle of a condom being opened.
He brushed up against me, and I shivered at the contact.
But it was still not enough. I needed more.
And so did Vance, his movements growing just as urgent.
And when he entered me with one powerful thrust, I clenched around him, reveling in the feeling of being so connected to him.
His uneven breath tickled against my cheek as he held me close, moving me up and down in powerful strokes.
He kissed me again, his lips a gentle caress against mine. Our breaths mingled and my breasts moved against his bare chest, spreading tingles throughout my body. I tipped over the edge and he followed me, his hands trailing over me, each reverent touch burning itself into my brain.
And when we settled down on my lumpy couch and he pulled me half on top of him, yanking the blanket off the back of the couch to cover us, I fell asleep, for once not worrying about what tomorrow might bring.