“Whatever it takes to get you back to your usual Rottweiler self. I kind of like having you nearby.”
Her words landed soft but heavy.
I looked at her,reallylooked. The porch lights from next door caught the side of her face, highlighting the faint freckles across her nose, the way her lashes cast shadows on her cheeks.
She was still flushed from earlier, still a little raw, but there was something steady in her eyes now. Something that made me want to protect her from every useless fuck who had ever made her feel like she was “too much.”
I wanted to take her inside, lay her out on her bed, and show her exactly how much she wasn’t “too much.” How she was exactly what I wanted morning, afternoon, and night.
But tonight, she needed safety and stability. Someone who wouldn’t push her when she was at her most vulnerable.
“I like being around you too, Bella.”
We sat like that for a while longer, our hands resting atop her lap.
Eventually, she straightened and unbuckled her seatbelt. “I should probably go inside.”
I walked her to her door, hand at the small of her back, not wanting the night to end even if it had been a mess. When we reached her porch, she looked up at me.
Fuck, I know that look.
“Kiss me,” she said, confirming it. There was no hesitation in her voice, just quiet want. “Please.”
“Bella.”
Her face fell, doubt flickering. “You don’t want to?”
“Of course, I want to,” I said, voice rough. “More than you know. But—”
“I’m okay now. I just—” She stepped closer. “Please give me something good to dream about tonight.”
There was no holding back after that.
Not when she was standing in front of me. Biting her lip. All but begging for exactly what she needed.
Such a fucking good girl.
I cupped her face and leaned in, slow enough that she could still pull away if she changed her mind. Thankfully, she didn’t.
She met me halfway, lips pressing against mine softly at first, like she was testing the waters. Then, her hands slid up to fist my jacket, and the kiss turned hungry.
I backed her against the door, letting her feel every inch of how much I wanted her. She gasped against my lips. I took the opportunity to slide in deeper, tasting the faint trace of whiskey still clinging to her tongue.
Her little moans drove me insane. Soft, needy. I ground my hips into hers, aching for more.
“You feel that?” I rasped, thrusting slow so she felt every inch. “That’s what you do to me.”
“Bennett,” she breathed. “I want . . .”
“Tell me.” She whimpered when I trailed my mouth down her neck. “What do you want, baby?”
“More.” She panted, arching into me. “I want more.”
I kissed her again, harder this time. My hands slid down to her ass, gripping the soft, generous curves and lifting her clean off the ground.
Bella wrapped her legs around my waist without hesitation, like she’d been waiting for this as long as I had. I smiled against her lips when she locked her ankles at the small of my back.
Fuck, she was climbing me like a goddamn tree.
