“We need to be downstairs soon.”
Her mouth parted slightly, and clarity shone in her eyes. “Oh, right. Who are we meeting again?”
“Darius. Head of security.” Dylan had brought him up to speed yesterday. He’d agreed to brief his team and have them on high alert, keeping an eye out for anything—or anyone—suspicious.
I brushed my fingers along her jaw and down the column of her throat. She shivered, heat gathering in her gaze as I leaned down, just wanting to feel her lips against mine one more time before we had to get up. Her pulse beat hard under my palm as I moved my lips slowly over hers.
I hated to do it, but I tore myself away and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before rolling over and getting out of bed. My cock was painfully hard, and there was no way I was leaving this room anytime soon.
“I’m going to take a quick shower.” Maybe—hopefully—a cold shower would help. I didn’t think I had time to do what I really wanted—needed—to do.
She nodded. “Okay.”
The slight hint of disappointment in her voice made it harder for me to walk away, but before I admitted exactly what I wanted to do with her, I made a hasty retreat to the bathroom.
Thankfully, the cool water did the trick, but within seconds of exiting the bathroom I was right back in the same predicament. The blue sweater Lyla had changed into almost matched the exact color of her eyes. It dipped low, revealing an ample amount of luscious cleavage, each swell of her breast on display.
I licked my lips, and my cock pulsed again, demanding to be acknowledged, freed, and attended to. I adjusted myself with a groan, and when her gaze tracked the movement, a gasp passed through her parted lips as her eyes widened.
Did she still not get it? I closed the space between us, gripping her hips and pulling her against me. She braced her hands on my chest, craning her neck to look up at me, the same look of surprise still on her face.
“For months, I’ve had to tamp down and hide the way you affect me. But not anymore.” With my fingers digging into each of her ass cheeks, I pressed my hardened length tighter into her. “Feel what you do to me?”
She nodded and ran her hands up my chest, making my body come alive with even more need. Lacing her fingers together behind my neck, her surprise slowly morphed into desire, and I internally cheered. I forced myself to not lean in and claim her mouth again, wanting nothing more than for her to initiate. Give me some clue she felt the same.
When she lifted up onto her tiptoes and slanted her mouth over mine, I closed my eyes and that little internal cheerleader did backflips. Matching her pace, slow and gentle, I held back the impulse to lift her in my arms and press her against the wall.
She pulled away, and I wasn’t sure if I was relieved ordisappointed. I wanted her so bad it hurt, but I also didn’t want to push her too far, too fast. And I sure as hell didn’t want our first time to be a quickie against the wall.
She sent me a saucy smile, turned, and with a little more sway to her hips, headed out into the hallway. Pausing to adjust myself and will my dick to calm the fuck down, I followed a second later.
The twenty-minute conversation with Darius did very little to lessen my unease about having to leave Lyla and head back to work. Even though his team seemed capable, the conversation was a reminder of just how big the property was and how many people go in and out all day. But I couldn’t bail on another shift and leave the crew a man down again.
“Don’t worry,” Darius said, pulling my attention back to our conversation. “We’ll keep your girl safe.”
My girl. I loved the sound of that. And taking in Lyla’s slight smile out of the corner of my eye, I hoped she liked hearing it even half as much as I did
After Zack’smom showed up in the lobby and swept Lyla away to have breakfast with her, I headed to my car. The almost thirty-minute drive would take some getting used to since my apartment was less than ten minutes from the station.
I parked my car in the back lot and got out. A moment later Zack fell into stride next to me.
“How’s the room?” he asked, a smirk plastered on his face.
I huffed. “It didn’t go like you hoped it would, if that’s what you mean.” He probably had some half-cocked idea that sharing a bed would lead to sex, but that wasn't my ultimate goal. I needed her to be sure of us first. To be sure of our future.
“Not yet, but it’ll help.” He chuckled. “And you’re welcome, by the way.”
“I don’t think Lyla wants to thank you, that's for sure.”
“Secretly she does, she just doesn’t want to admit it yet.”
I spun to face him with a scowl. “Maybe, but I promised her we could take things slow. The last thing I want is for her to make a decision out of some forced proximity or obligation and then regret it.” I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure. But I needed him to understand. “Because that will destroy me. I get you were trying to help, but from here on out, I need you to butt out.”
His eyes widened and he shook his head. “I’m sorry, man. You didn’t tell me you guys talked or anything. I was just trying to help you move things along.”
I blew out a breath. I wasn’t typically someone who snapped at my best friend, or anyone else for that matter. And I knew he was just trying to help, but the entire situation had me on edge. “I know.”
The alarms blasted from inside, cutting off our conversation.
