“The answer would have been no because Idon’thave a boyfriend,” I say.
As soon as the last word leaves my mouth, I feel Lachlan’s heat at my back. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me to his chest. I can’t breathe, think, or respond. Barlow doesn’t seem bothered by this. I’d bet money the only reason he’s not pushing is that he knows he’d get his ass kicked in a heartbeat. I continue to let Lach hold me. Not because it feels good or comforting, or because I instantly feel like I belong in them. No, I let him keep his arms around me, only because I don’t want to make a scene, but the moment these people leave, it’s on. God, I hope I can calm down by the time they leave.
“Well then, if you ever change your mind. . .” Barlow shrugs and sprints over to the pitch to join his friends.
“Jesus Christ, Lachlan.” I shimmy hard and he finally drops his arm. I turn and glare at him, expecting that hard look on his face, but I’m met with dancing eyes that I’ve missed more than anything. I swallow and lower my voice. “You can’t just scare off every man who comes near me.”
“No?” He raises an eyebrow. “Watch me.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” I say. “I said no to him way before you came over.”
“You said no and he heard maybe.” His green eyes are hard on mine.
“I can’t deal with you, right now.” I turn around and ignore him.
I say goodbye to most of the kids and speak to a mom about her daughter. When everyone is gone, I take a deep breath and look at the cones I have set up. I was dying to join them on their last drill, and when that guy asked me if I could do it, I really fought the urge to. I decide to go through it once to see if I beat any of their times. I do it, check the stopwatch, and look down the list. Huh. Barlow and one of the other guys beat my time, but not by much.
When I’m done, Lachlan walks over and helps me pick everything up. He’s quiet the entire time, which makes me a little nervous. When I finish putting everything away, I walk down the hall to get some Gatorade and start wiping off my sweat. I’m finishing when I hear the door open and look over to see Lachlan walk in. I’m surprised it took him this long to walk inside. He lets the door click shut behind him and stands there, staring at me for a moment before he stalks over. The walk from the cooler to the door takes me thirteen steps. Lachlan seems to do it in three. His eyes are dark, filled with fury, and something that makes my heart pound harder.
Without warning, he lifts me up with his left arm and presses me against the wall behind me. He crashes his mouth to mine in a hungry kiss. My body reacts instantly, the way it always does — I wrap my arms around his neck and go to wrap my legs around his waist, but he stops me. I’m about to pull away to find out why, when I feel his grip on my ass tighten and he slips his other hand past the elastic of my shorts. I gasp into his mouth. We can’t do this here. My mind is screaming that, but he starts touching me, his fingers leisurely going up and down my folds, and I lose all sense. His lips leave mine, and he puts his face in the crook of my neck, nibbling me there. I moan deeply. He presses his thumb against my clit and slips two of his big fingers inside me. I throw my head back with another loud moan. I wouldn’t be surprised if the force gives me a concussion. He moves his fingers so deftly that I whimper and dig my nails into his back.
“Fuuuuuck,” he says, a rumble that I swear shakes through me and the entire building.
I’m shocked I don’t come from that alone. It’s been too long. He bites my neck and does the same to my collarbone. I don’t even have time to process how sweaty I am right now because his fingers are moving in a way that’ll set me off any minute. He knows how to do it, too. He’s studied and memorized every one of my moans and gasps. He’s holding at bay on purpose.
“F-f-f-f-uck. Oh my goooooood,” I gasp, moving my hips to ride his hand. “Please, Lach, make me come.”
I don’t care that I’m begging. Apparently, he does, because he stops moving his fingers. I make an embarrassing sound in protest. My head is still thrown back against the wall, my neck stretched to give him access to it. I’m breathing hard. Waiting. Wondering why he’s on pause when I need him at double speed. I lower my head and look at him.
“What the hell, Lachlan?” I say, my voice a raspy pant, needy. If this is part of his plan to torture me, it’s working.
“Look at me,” he growls, biting my lower lip and sucking it into his mouth. When he pulls away, he starts fucking me with his fingers and my brain explodes. I can’t take my eyes off him even if I wanted to. “You’re mine, Lyla James.”
He adds a third finger, and I scream when he does something with it that sets me off.
“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.” My entire body shakes.
I come so hard that my eyes roll back, and my vision goes dark for a second. He doesn’t move his hand as I try to catch my breath. I’m waiting for him to put me down, but his fingers start back up, slowly now, his thumb on my clit moving in slow, teasing circles.
“No, no, no,” I say, gasping loudly. “I can’t. I can’t.”
“Look at me.” It’s a command I can’t deny. I open my eyes and find his burning into mine with such a force that the mix of that, the brush of his thumb, and his fingers hooked inside me makes me come again.
“Holyfuckingshit. HOLYFUCKINGSHIT, LACHLAN!” I squirm against him, riding the wave of the orgasm.
“Fucking mine,” he growls again, as he takes his fingers out of me and sets me on the ground.
I immediately bend over, panting with my shaky hands on shaky knees like I just ran a marathon.What the hell was that?It takes me a moment to compose myself, but when I do, he’s serious again, his eyes still burning as his jaw twitches. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Am I supposed to touch him? Kiss him? I’ve never been uneasy around him. I hate feeling this way.
“Why did you do that?” I ask quietly, to gauge his response.
“To remind you.”
I have no words. He’s robbed me of them. He’s robbed me of everything now — my thoughts, my emotions, my words, my freedom, and my sanity. I can’t figure him out right now. He does things that let me know he cares about me and then acts like nothing happened. Does he still love me, or does he just want to possess me? I don’t know if I’m strong enough to find out. I’ll willingly go down the rabbit hole if it’ll lead me to the man I fell in love with, but I’m scared that I won’t find him.
CHAPTER35
LACHLAN
