“Getting into bed, why?” I glance at the bed. “Do you want me to sleep somewhere else?”
“You know damn well I don’t,” he growls.
“Okay, then what’s the problem?”
He motions to my outfit. “That’s the problem.”
“Oh, right, sorry.” I tug on the string that holds the top together, and when it pops open, showing off my bare breasts, I say, “You want me naked, don’t you?”
“Jesus Christ,” he huffs.
And I don’t wait for him, I walk over to my side of the bed, drop my top to the floor but keep the bottoms up, and slip under the covers, casually picking up the lotion I keep on my nightstand and massaging a drop into my hands.
He remains standing by the bathroom.
Finally, I glance at him and ask, “Are you going to join me?”
He mutters something under his breath that I can’t quite make out, then walks over to the bed, flipping off the switch to the light and blanketing us into the dark. Then he slips under the covers, but instead of grabbing me by the waist and pulling meinto him like he always does, he remains on his side of the bed, stiff as a board, looking up toward the ceiling.
Aw, it’s so cute how he’s trying to avoid me. Little does he know.
I roll to my side, scoot in close, and press my body against him as I smooth my hand over his stomach.
He stiffens even more.
“Thank you for tonight, Halsey. I don’t think I’ve had that much fun in a while.” I kiss his chest. “And thank you for my bracelets. I love them so much.”
“You’re welcome,” he answers tersely.
“We should have totally purchased another lemon square and put it in the fridge for later. It was so good. Didn’t you like it?”
“Yup,” he says as I shift, my nipples rubbing against his side.
“And that dinner was amazing too. I’ve always heard such great things about the Sandbar. I’m so glad we were able to go.”
“Yeah, good,” he answers. His clipped responses make me chuckle.
I smooth my hand over his chest, running my fingers along the ridges of his muscles. “Honestly, it was one of the best nights I’ve ever had. What about you?”
“Great night,” he says on a sigh as my finger travels over his abs and around his belly button.
“That’s all? Just a great night?”
I move my hand to the waistband of his boxer briefs, and just as I start to slip my fingers underneath, he grips my wrist and then rolls me to my back, pinning my hand to the mattress as he hovers over me. His erection presses against my thigh as my eyes connect with his frustrated ones.
“It was the best night I’ve had in a really fucking long time,” he says through clenched teeth. “I’ve dreamed of the day that I could hold your hand and walk around, knowing you were thegirl I could claim as mine. The night wasn’t just great, Blakely, it was a fucking awesome reality that stemmed from many lonely nights dreaming.”
And this is why I need this man. Right here. Why I need him to not block me off from being intimate. When he says things like that, I want to savor them and make them last longer. Feel him so deep inside me that I can’t think of anything but him and me.
“Halsey,” I whisper, but he continues.
“You’re my dream girl, Blakely. Everything I ever fucking wanted. So never second-guess that.”
“If that’s the case, then why hold back with me?” I ask as I slide my hand not pinned down between us and grip his large bulge. His head falls forward as he sucks in a sharp breath. “Intimacy is not going to hurt us. Let’s play. Let us have fun. Let’s get to know each other on all levels.”
His eyes connect with mine as he says, “I’ll keep taking what I want from you, Blakely. Doesn’t that scare you? Because it sure as shit scares me.”
I shake my head. “It just makes me want you that much more. To be desired is never a bad thing, Halsey. It actually makes me feel that much more powerful.”
