Chapter 12
twelve
My skin is buzzing with anticipation, my heart beating so fast I’m sure Everett can hear it from his side of the truck cab.
This is what I’ve been waiting for since the first time I saw his captivating hazel eyes years ago.
My leg bounces, an outward manifestation of my inner anxiety.
I chew on my inner cheek, trying to quiet the thoughts invading my mind that keep telling me there’s no way this is a good idea.
I feel Everett’s palm slide across my thigh, the warmth radiating from it calming me instantly.
Suddenly, all is quiet in my head and in my heart.
Whenever he touches me, it’s like the world snaps into place.
I feel like no matter how I got to this moment in time, it was all worth it just to be here next to him.
“I can hear your mind spinning from over here, babe.” Ev’s gravely voice breaks the silence. “What’s wrong?”
What is wrong? I honestly don’t know. I mean, I know without a single doubt that I want to climb this man like a fucking tree. So why am I suddenly so self-conscious and worried about it? I’ve never been that girl, the kind who goes out of her mind wondering if she’s good enough for a man.
“Nothing,” I say, giving him my best pageant smile.
“Don’t do that, Kelsea. You really think after four years of looking at your beautiful smile, I can’t tell when you’re faking it?” His words shock me. He’s been interested in me since we met?
“What do you mean, you’ve spent four years looking at my smile?” I prod.
He pulls into the driveway of the townhouse and cuts the engine, but doesn’t make a move to get out.
We just sit silently, Everett staring out the front windshield as if he’s battling with himself about something.
He swings his gaze to mine, and even in the dim lighting, I can see the intensity and lust blazing there.
“I’m not blind or stupid, Kels. I've known since the first second I saw you, soaking wet and shirt stuck over your head, that you were… incredible. You just have this way about you that emits confidence and joy, even in the toughest situations. Every time I saw one of those punk ass frat boys treat you like shit, it was everything I could do to keep from beating the fuck out of them. You deserve the world, goddess. And if I’m being honest, I’m afraid I won’t be able to give it to you.
I’m not a good guy, Kelsea. The things I’ve done in my life would make the devil blush.
But I am who I am, and I’m not sorry for that.
I know that if we do this, I have to be all in.
You deserve nothing less than that. I’m willing to try, but I’m asking for a little patience here.
I’m gonna need to you tell me when I’m being a pain in the ass or fucking something up, which I’m sure I will 99% of the time.
But if that’s what it takes to make you mine, that’s what I’ll do.
” He says every word with confidence and conviction, leaving no room for doubt or argument.
I can tell he’s nervous, but also sincere.
The way he says ‘mine’ sends shivers across my skin.
I don’t think I’ve ever had such a physical reaction to a man in my life.
“Well... I guess if I have to be the one to call you a pain in the ass, that’s what I’ll do,” I joke, and he rolls his eyes.
“I want this, Ev. I’m scared. There’s no denying that.
I know your reputation, and I would never hold that against you.
It doesn’t affect how I feel about you at all.
It just makes me… worried, I guess. Worried that you’ll get tired of me and want something more.
” I sound absolutely pathetic confessing my fears right now, but I’m already gone for this man. I might as well be honest.
“Tired of you?” He looks at me like that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever said.
“I don’t think I could ever get tired of you, Kels.
I think I’m more likely to become addicted to you.
You’re already under my skin, burning like a fucking itch I just can’t scratch.
No matter what I do to distract myself, you’re always there. ”
I reach over to him, pulling his lips to mine in a searing kiss I feel all the way into my soul.
My kiss is gentle, tender, and almost loving.
I want to brand myself on his lips. His hand on my thigh flexes and relaxes, his control obviously slipping.
Before I know it, he’s hauling me out of my seat and over the center console, settling me onto his lap so I’m straddling him.
He slides his arms around my waist and up my back, never breaking our kiss but pulling my body flush against his.
The heat radiating from our bodies is suffocating, but I’d rather die here with him than pull away now.
His kiss becomes demanding, taking and taking from me as his tongue maps out a path around the inside of my mouth.
Everett’s lips taste like bourbon and fireworks, an explosion of desire flooding through my veins, shooting straight to my core.
Feeling my hips move on their own accord, I grind my clit down against his rigid shaft.
He growls into my mouth, and it’s a delicious sound I wish I could listen to on repeat forever.
“You gotta stop that, goddess, or I’m gonna fuck you right here in my truck. I can feel the heat of your pussy through my fucking jeans, Kelsea. Are you soaked for me?” His kiss slows as he nips at my lips.
A strangled cry slips past my lips as he thrusts his hips up into mine, white hot electricity shooting from my clit all the way through my body until I’m writhing on top of him. “Oh god, Ev. Don’t stop, never stop touching me. I swear I’m gonna come just from the feeling of your hands on my body.”
“Inside the house. Right now,” his words are clipped and demanding as he opens the driver’s door and helps me off his lap. I feel the sudden loss of his heat immediately, and I’m stunned at how much I hate it.
“Yes, sir.” My voice is breathy and desperate, and I hear him growl behind me as he pushes me in the front door and doesn’t stop until we’re inside his bedroom.
Suddenly, I feel a little self-conscious, as if I’m invading his personal space.
Even though I would love nothing more than for him to be inside my personal space as soon as possible.
As if sensing my hesitation, he kicks the door closed behind us and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling my back against his chest.
“Just be here with me, goddess. Nothing else matters.” As he whispers the words into my ear, I feel my anxieties slip away.
It’s like nothing can touch me when I’m in Everett’s arms. He kisses the slope of my neck gently, and my head falls back against his shoulder.
He seems completely content with taking his time, but I am definitely not.
I spin in his arms so we’re once again face to face and pull his lips to mine.
He moans into my mouth, scooping me up and wrapping my legs around his waist as he walks us across the space to his bed.
Holy shit. I’m actually about to have sex with Everett Blake. This man is a fucking wet dream come to life, and he wants me. I smile against his mouth as our hands roam over each other’s bodies, memorizing every plane.
“I know you’re already wet for me, baby.
I can smell you from here,” Everett says, as he drops me to my feet next to the bed, sliding my t-shirt over my head.
I stand in front of him in my hot pink lace bra that leaves literally nothing to the imagination.
Heat creeps up my neck at his words, but I’m not ashamed for him to know how he affects me.
He pulls his shirt over his head, revealing the beautiful array of ink covering his chest that I’ve always wanted to take my time exploring.
I can see exactly how I affect him as I slide my hand against the front of of his jeans, slowly tracing the outline of his cock.
Before I can blink, he’s unhooked my bra, slipping it down my arms and throwing it somewhere into the depths of his bedroom.
He groans as my nipples pebbles under his attention.
He shivers at my touch as I unbutton his jeans and slide them down his legs, catching the band of his boxer briefs and dragging them down, too.
He’s hard and ready for me, a bead of precum already leaking from his crown.
I use the pad of my thumb to rub the evidence of his arousal across his slit, his shaft jerking in response.
I swear, he has the most perfect dick I’ve ever seen, and I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve watched a lot of porn in my life. No one has ever compared to Everett.
Before I realize what’s happening, he tears my leggings down my legs and pushes me back onto the mattress, my legs falling open wide.
I expose my dripping core to him, nothing but a scrap of lace barely covering my center.
He climbs onto the bed between my legs, his nose trailing up the inside of my knee as he takes a deep breath, inhaling the scent of our arousal in the air.
That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
He dips his head between my thighs, blowing out a breath against my sensitive flesh, and my voice catches in my throat.
He kisses me roughly there, lapping at my center through the lace.
Hooking a finger in the side of my thong, he tugs sharply, and I feel the material bite into my skin momentarily before it gives way.
“Was that really necessary?” I scoff, rolling my eyes.
“Uh… yeah. It really was,” he replies as he kisses his way up my stomach, dipping his tongue into my belly button. His tongue laves over each of my overly sensitive nipples, and my fingers slide into his hair. My nails rake over his scalp, spurring him on.
“I liked those. They match,” I groan out, my voice and head both cloudy with lust.