“I’m not worried.” He sets his coffee down and hops off the counter. My brilliantly handsome and muscular man walks right up to me and loops his arm around my waist. “We’re taking the title this year, Blakely. I can feel it in my bones.”
“All the more reason you shouldn’t worry about me. Focus on what you need to do, and I’ll see you in California.”
He kisses up my neck. “What time do you have to leave?”
“Now,” I say as I chuckle. “There’s no time for that. Plus, you already had me twice this morning, hence why I have no time.”
“Twice is not enough. It will never be enough,” he says, bringing his lips to mine.
I let him kiss me, deep and hard, so I feel his love for me all the way to the tips of my toes, and I feel myself falling into his grasp, into this hold he seems to have on me.
His hold grows stronger.
His kiss lasts longer.
And I drop my bag to the ground as I wrap my arms around him.
He groans against me, then lifts me onto the counter. He pushes my legs to the side, twists my torso so I’m facing himbetter, and kisses me more, his tongue diving deep, his hands sifting through my hair. This man and his incredible kisses.He’s amazing. And I’m addicted.
“Fuck, Blakely,” he whispers just as he pulls away and leans his head against mine. “I know you need to leave. I’m not trying to be a dick here.” When his eyes meet mine, I see the desperation. I can see that he wants to say something, and it’s on the tip of his tongue.
“You’re not being a dick,” I say. “I will always love the way you want me.”
“And I want you, so bad, every fucking second of my life.” He takes a deep breath. “I can’t stop thinking about you. And I hate this, when I have to leave. And I hate even more that you have to leave. I like knowing you’re here in our apartment, safe.”
That last word hits me hard because I know exactly what it pertains to.
This clinginess.
The need for him to hold me.
Touch me.
Be near me.
He’s scared something might happen to me.
“Halsey,” I say, looking him square in the eyes. “Are you scared?”
He wets his lips while he nods.
“It’s okay to be scared. I get that, but please know, I’ll be making the smartest decisions to keep safe, okay?”
“Promise?”
The insecurity in his eyes.
The trepidation.
It nearly shatters me.
“I promise,” I say.
Nodding, he cups my cheek one last time for a kiss before helping me off the counter.
“Thank you,” he says softly as he picks up my bag for me and helps me to the door with my suitcase. “For understanding.”
“You never have to thank me for something like that,” I say.
