Chapter 15 #4
He leaned closer, the atmosphere around us tightening until it was impossible to breathe. Until the only thing left in existence was the barely-there whisper of his lips against the hair tickling my ear. “Curious to know what I taste like now? I bet I’ll still be the best kiss you ever had.”
His husky, rich tone ignited a ripple of tingles along my scalp, the feeling so euphoric my eyes momentarily slipped closed. I had no idea how he did it. How the mere sound of his voice could feel like a whole-body caress. Why everything inside me turned to putty the moment he whispered.
My back slid up the door when I pushed onto my toes, lashes fluttering like butterfly wings fighting against the wind.
His warm, calloused palm draped around my throat, a five-finger necklace more valuable than any gemstone. I swallowed for the sole purpose of feeling my Adam’s apple bob beneath the pressure of his hand and nearly moaned when the necklace turned into a choker.
Lifting hazy eyes, I tumbled into the galaxy he stared back with, free-falling into a place that only existed when he was near, a place that felt like home but never would be.
“Tell me what hurts, Pip,” he cajoled quietly, his voice sweeter than any bribe.
“Hm?” I hummed.
“Tell me what hurts so I can fix it.”
Something inside me caved. Collapsed right there in my chest, decimating everything I had left and turning me into a scrapyard of parts and pieces that might never fit back together again. Yet… it didn’t matter.
All that mattered was the ownership of his grip, the radiating warmth from his body, and the frustrating space separating our lips. My light whimper reached into the tension between us, and a flicker of unrestrained hunger glinted as he lowered his head.
The rough clearing of a throat jump-scared me back into reality, my head smacking into the solid wood door with a thud.
Hiro shifted back but reached for my head, and panic slammed into me so hard a wave of nausea nearly took me out. Flinching, I avoided the touch as I yanked open the door and squeezed myself through a narrow margin.
“Rett!” someone called. Maybe Hiro but maybe Kieran. Their bellows were oddly similar.
I sprinted down the hall, unzipped coat fluttering behind me.
“Let him go,” Haz hollered over the sound of a door crashing against a wall.
“You’re fixing that!” Definitely Kieran.
“Goddammit.” The low swear was followed by pounding feet. “Get back here.”
At the elevator, I pressed the button fifteen times and glanced over my shoulder at Hiro as he charged down the hall in literally nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants and a bandage.
The visual made me consider going back, but then I remembered what was at stake. Frustrated, I turned from the elevator to find the stairs, but the loud ding! had me throwing myself between the parting doors and pressing the close button like a man on fire.
“Rett,” he growled, and my god, why did he have to say my name so good? His hand shot out just as the doors were pushing closed, and I gasped because I was sure he was about to lose some fingers.
“Watch out!”
“Motherfuckinfu—” the doors slammed closed, cutting off the litany of curses.
The car started to descend, and I searched the floor, making sure none of his fingers were rolling around. If I found one, I’d have to put it in my pocket and take it back up there. Maybe they could reattach it. His hands were just too nice for any part of them to be missing.
Relieved to see it was just me in here, I exhaled and dropped against the wall. Another loud ding had me straightening as the car slid to a stop on one of the lower floors. Lungs frozen, I stared as the doors opened, bracing myself for an angry man to charge inside.
But it was just some woman and her chihuahua with a pink collar.
She gave me the side-eye like I wasn’t supposed to be there, which was fair. I tried to smile, but it probably looked more like I was suffering from constipation.
We rode in awkward silence the entire way down except for when I shifted and the chihuahua growled like it was going to eat me for dinner. I made sure to stay motionless until the doors opened in the lobby and the woman exited first.
The second I stepped out of the car into the well-lit lobby with floors so polished I could see my reflection, all the hair on the back of my neck rose.
“Garrett Redding.”
I nearly peed my pants at the threat in his tone and the shock that he was waiting. How the hell had he made it down all those stairs? And also, how dare he just announce my full name like that for the entire world to hear?
I took off running, shoes squeaking like wet balloons fighting with the floor as my knee threatened to give out.
And then it did. I crashed toward the floor, pain screaming through my wrist when I caught myself with my hand. Ignoring the searing discomfort, I shoved up and bolted through the door that a man with a briefcase had just pushed open.
“Thank you!” I called on the way past and dashed down the street.
I ran a block and then turned the corner, finally stopping to glance back.
Part of me expected to see him standing there scowling, and my stomach dropped when no one was there.
“What was he supposed to do, run through the streets practically naked?” I muttered and turned in the direction of the long walk home.