“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, which sounds like a warning. “Nothing is clear about where we stand.”
“Oh, I disagree. You’re the one who has this big bad secret that he uses as an excuse because he’s too chickenshit to be a man and take what he claims he?—”
Before I can finish, his mouth crashes down on mine, swallowing the rest of my words. The force of his kiss steals the air from my lungs, but it’s the hunger behind it that sets me ablaze. His hands grip my cheeks as his lips devour mine.
I fist his shirt and yank him closer, slamming his chest against mine. His teeth catch my bottom lip, a sharp sting that makes me gasp before he soothes it with his tongue, sliding deep and tangling with mine. Heat surges through me, and a helpless moan tears free, betraying just how badly I want him.
We are both ravenous as our lips continue to devour each other. He abruptly stops the kiss, then leans his forehead against mine, our breaths mixing together in the space between us.
“Come home with me,” he demands as his hands move down my arms until they find mine.
My brain is still reeling from our kiss, making it hard for me to think or formulate any kind of coherent thoughts.
“Please,” he continues. “I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to fucking worship your body tonight. To make you mine.”
I should say no. I should tell him to fuck off and stop messing with my head. There are plenty of things that I should be saying at this moment.
Instead, I find my lips moving before I can stop them. “Okay,” I whisper just as the elevator doors open wide.
Chapter Sixteen
Walker
I’m like a man on a mission on the way to my place. I only live two blocks away, so it only takes a couple of minutes, but my strides are long, making it hard for her to keep up with me.
I extend my hand behind me, and she willingly takes it. Something in me has officially snapped. I can no longer think of a single reason good enough to stop me from claiming her tonight.
I know it’s stupid. I know nothing has changed. I’m not sure what tomorrow holds, but I might lose my mind if I don’t get my hands on her body.
We ride the elevator up as Eli lies happily in her stroller with her pacifier. As soon as we walk into the apartment, I nearly sprint to the kitchen to make Eli’s bottle. My body is crackling with pent-up sexual energy, lips still burning from our kiss.
In record time, I have Eli changed and the bottle warmed.
I turn to Jessie. “I’m going to give her this bottle. Hopefully, she’ll fall asleep while taking it. Please,” I beg, “don’t leave.”
She smiles softly. “I’ll just put on a show while I wait.”
I walk into my bedroom and put the sound machine on and turn it up to the second-highest level, hoping it will drown out any noise we make in the other room.
I sit on the chair I ordered the other day and get comfortable as I feed Eli her bottle. By some miracle, she downs her bottle and falls into a milk coma instantly. I’ve noticed when she hits this level, she’s out like a light—at least for a couple of hours.
Being as gentle as possible, I stand up and softly place Eli down into her bassinet. She doesn’t budge or wiggle, which is a good sign. I tiptoe out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me, then reach for the monitor receiver and turn it on.
Jessie isn’t on the couch, and I begin to panic as I scan the room.
Did she leave?
Then I catch her walking my way from the kitchen with a glass of wine in her hand and a smirk on her face.
“I hope it’s okay.” She holds up her glass. “I could use a glass of wine.”
I nod my head as I watch her hips sway as she takes her steps. My fists clench with a desperation I’ve never felt before. It feels like the last decade of holding back has finally hit a brick wall. All my feelings are about to come bursting out of me with reckless abandon.
She takes a sip of her wine, and I watch her throat bob as it goes down. My mouth is suddenly dry, starved for another taste of her lips.
The right thing to do would be to let her sit down and enjoy her wine first. But I’ve waited far too long. I close the distance between us. She watches carefully with each step that I take. When I finally reach her, I grab the glass and put it down on the end table sitting on the side of the couch.
Then I wrap an arm around her waist and slam her body against mine. She releases a quick breath as our lips are now centimeters apart.
