“Oh?” I gasp as his hands squeeze my ass.
Sully’s lips brush against my cheekbone to my ear. He nips at my throat and hikes me up. I wrap my legs around his hips. He kisses me as my back meets the wall.
I claw his shoulder blades as he pins my arms above my head. His other hand works my buttons. My black lace bra peeks through, and his hips rock against mine. I can feel he’s ready to throw me onto the bed and screw my brains out.
“Can we put a pin in this?” I ask, between breaths.
He pauses, lips still on my chest. “Why?”
“Because I need to go home and make up with Alice, and you need to deal with this Gigi issue.”
“Do I?”
“Yes. She’s not going to…” My sentence fades as Sully frees my left breast, teasing the nipple into a hard pebble.
Desire builds in my core, and I’m about to tell him to forget it and rip his pants off when he releases me. My swollen lips ache for his as I tuck myself back into my bra and fix my shirt.
“We’ll resume later tonight.” He glances around and finds his shirt. “Don’t worry about the tour, and keep that notebook close. I told you before, and I’ll say it again, I’m not going anywhere if you’re not with me.”
He moves closer, and I press two fingers to his lips. “If we kiss again, I’m afraid we’ll end up on the bed, and we’ll never leave this room.”
Sully laughs, kissing each finger before walking over to pull on his shoes. “Don’t you find anyone else while I’m gone.”
“No promises.” I toss my hair over my shoulder. “You know how many men I beat off with my tail?” I joke.
His gaze darkens as his jaw clenches. “Don’t say shit like that. It makes me never want to let you out of my sight.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve taken care of myself this long. I think I can handle one more day.”
I’m not ready to face Alice yet, so I head down to Santa Monica to walk along the beach and clear my head. It’s a weekday, so there are only a few people lying on the sand or hanging out in the water. I spot a handful of surfers out catching waves.
This time of day, no shells wash up on shore to collect. Instead, I walk in ankle-deep water, listening to the waves crash while the seagulls cry out.
“Veronica!” a male voice shouts behind me.
I ignore it. There must be some other girl here by that name. Maybe a child who ran off from her dad.
“Hey!” a breathy voice says as a hand grabs my shoulder.
I whirl around and choke on my tongue. My ex stands with a smile like we’re old friends who haven’t seen each other in ten years. He opens his arms to hug me, and I stumble back, shoving my hands in front of me to keep him at bay.
“What are you doing here, Teddy?” I rasp. My voice isn’t as strong as I want it to be. Saying his name feels like I activated a terrible curse.
He smirks, placing his hands on his hips. He’s wearing a surf shirt and black swim trunks. “Saw you walk by and wanted to talk. I’ve been texting you.”
“Yeah…” And I’ve been ignoring you. Hoping you’d fade away like the horrible memory you are.
“Please. Can I buy you a cup of coffee? I want to talk.” He holds his hands up in surrender. “That’s it.”
He gestures to the little coffee cart past the sand parked on the sidewalk.
“I guess,” I sigh, following him to the cart.
I’m so going to regret this.
36
Weorderourcoffees,and Teddy tries to pay for mine. “We’re paying separately,” I say cooly to the cashier. The cashier looks at Teddy and then me before nodding.
