Chapter Twenty Four #2
“And what about my peace?” I step into his chest, my eyes blazing through my tears as I look up at him.
“What about the fact that you ditched me? Do you know how embarrassed I was to tell my dad you couldn’t make it?
It made me feel like I was the only one in this.
I put my job on the line for you. Had a mature conversation with my dad about us.
And I gladly took those risks because I believed we were strong enough to stand together. ”
“We are,” he pleads, his hands coming out of his pocket and locking around my arms. His grip is tight and desperate. “I am, Eva. I swear to God I am. I just … let the fear of losing him blind me to the fact that I could also lose the only thing that mattered.”
He pulls me in so our chests touch and rests his forehead against mine.
“Don’t give up on me,” he chokes out. “I love you. It feels like I’ve loved you since college if I’m being honest. I’ll take care of my brother.
I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I love you and that I’m committed to us. Just please don’t let me go.”
I close my eyes, my heart feeling like it’s breaking, but beneath that pain, my anger is melting under the heat of his apology. He’s an idiot. A hot and incredibly sexy idiot.
But he’s mine.
I reach up and wrap my arms around his shoulders. I look into his eyes, seeing the raw truth there.
“Aston,” I say softly, tears still warm on my cheeks. “I love you too.”
The words feel like the first real breath I’ve taken since Friday. “But if you ever lie to me again, or withhold the truth, I will personally guarantee that you will never have any highlight footage on prime time television. Do you understand me?”
A sudden laugh breaks through, a sound of relief that shakes the chill right out of us. “I understand, Honeybee. Loud and clear. And I’m going to call Ace tomorrow and tell him about us.”
A smile touches my lips, my hand coming up to cup his jaw. “Good. Because if you don’t, I’m going to schedule an exclusive interview with him and make you sit in the production truck watching the whole thing.”
Aston lets out a low chuckle, his forehead coming to rest on mine. “Vicious, Honeybee.”
Obviously I wouldn’t, but it’s fun giving him shit.
“Let’s go before we freeze to the spot and can’t make up properly.” I start to walk away, but he pulls me back into him and kisses me softly.
“Lead the way,” he says.
We barely speak on the walk back to my loft, but Aston’s hand is locked around mine, his fingers interlaced with my gloved hand. His grip is tight like he’s afraid I’ll bolt, and he wants to keep me from running away.
When we reach my building, he pulls me back against the brick wall next to the door. Before I can even draw a breath, his mouth comes down on mine.
It’s not a gentle kiss. It’s rough, desperate, and thick with the lingering taste of winter air and the raw adrenaline of our argument. His hands come up and cup my face, as his lips part mine with demanding pressure.
My hands move up his chest and grip the neck of his hoodie, pulling him in closer until his chest is pinning me up against the brick wall.
He kisses me like he’s trying to reclaim every single inch of me he’d given up over the weekend, his tongue sliding against mine in a deep, dirty rhythm that has my knees instantly going weak.
“Upstairs,” he mutters against my lips, his breath ragged as he pulls back. “Now, Eva.”
I don’t answer. I just unlock and open the door, tugging him through the doorway. He scoops up my bag, and we climb up the stairs, our shoes clapping loudly against the concrete stairs.
When we get to my door, I turn and insert my key and push it open with enough force that it hits the brick wall inside, then toss my keys on the counter
Aston pushes me into the loft, his hand gripping my hip. Then he drops my bag as I shed my coat. He catches me by the waist, lifting me off my feet until I wrap my legs around his hips, his mouth crashing back down onto mine with animalistic hunger.
We stumble against the kitchen island, the keys I’d just tossed there, dropping to the floor. He sets me on the edge of the counter, his hands immediately tearing at the buttons of my shirt, he licks up my neck to my jaw as he rips the fabric off my shoulders. Then removes my bra with one hand.
“Aston,” I gasp, my hands finding the hem of his hoodie and lifting until he takes over, reaches behind his neck and pulls it off in one swift move.
His mouth finds my skin again, sucking and licking, until his teeth bite gently into the sensitive skin above my collarbone.
“I’ve got you,” he says, his voice gravelly against my skin. “I’m gonna make you feel so good.”
I look down at him through the haze of my desire as he removes his T-shirt, exposing the beautiful canvas of his chest and shoulders. He’s truly magnificent.
He doesn’t wait. He moves his hands to the button on my jeans, pops it open, pulls down my zipper, and I lift my hips so he can remove them from my legs. He takes my underwear down with them, and my ass hits the gold stone of the island.
His hands slide up my inner thighs, and the heat of his touch is like an electric shock against my cold skin. He leans forward, his mouth seeking mine again in a deep, sloppy kiss, his tongue driving into my mouth while his fingers meet my already wet center, and I spread my legs wider for him.
I let out a cry against his lips, my fingers tangling in his hair. “Aston, please.”
“Look at me, Eva,” he pants against my skin. “Tell me I didn’t lose you.”
“You didn’t lose me,” I whisper, my hands moving down his neck, my fingers digging into the thick muscles of his shoulders. “But you’re going to make it up to me right now.”