She makes a point to sniff around for an extra-long time.That cheeky dog.
As soon as she’s finished, I pick her up and march back inside. When I unlock the front door, I’m surprised to see that Jae is already waiting for me at my kitchen island, dressed in his chef’s whites.
“Where were you?” he asks swiftly.
“I took Lily out.”
“Only in your robe?”
“What are you talking about?”Does he know?Lily wiggles out of my arms and greets Jae like he’s just another friendly face, and not the man intent on getting on my nerves at 7:30 in the fucking morning.
The chiding grin on his face says hecertainly knows.
“Are you naked under there, Riley?”
I freeze up and hearing him say the wordnakedmakes me blush harder than I ever thought I could. “It’s none of your business if I am or not.”
“It is my business if my girlfriend is going outside in only her bathrobe.”
“Iamwearing clothes.” I chide.
I am definitely not wearing clothes.
“Prove it. Take it off.”
I get ready to undo the belt of my robe, a fiendish grin sprawling on my face, but before I can give him an eyeful, I bolt into my bedroom. Jae laughs, following me. He wraps his arms around my neck, and I hang on to him like my life depends on it. He presses kisses into my cheek, my forehead, my neck, and I stand there and take it like the champ I am.
“Every second I spend without you is like eternity,” Jae whispers into a kiss behind my ear. “Where have you been all my life?”
“Waiting until you were ready for me,” is my answer. My hands follow no laws as they climb up into his hair. I kiss him like a threat.Kiss me back, or else.Kiss me back, or you won’t live to regret it.I grab his arms, his chest, his ass, anything I can get my little hands on.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for you.” Jae pulls me to him, closer than I thought possible, his hand at the base of my spine. I leech energy from him. He fuels me. “You’re too much.”
“But you have to be. I’m ready.” I swallow even though there’s nothing in my throat. Jae moves his hands to cup my face. I am a boiling kettle, and he is the fire from within, the burner on a stove, the campfire in the wilderness. “You don’t have to be,” I falter.
“I’m ready,” he replies.
“You’re amazing,” is all I have to say to him.
His hands have moved from my cheeks to my temples to my scalp.
“You are taking this agonizingly slow,” I remark.
“What’s the rush?” Jae’s hands are fiddling at the tie of my bathrobe. “I think you’re the one taking this slow.”
I have no answer except to wrap a finger around an empty belt loop.I’m going to do this and have a shit ton to talk about at therapy next time,I yank his waist closer to mine like I’m some kind of wildebeest.
“Why are you always in this bathrobe?” he asks.
“I live in this bathrobe. Why are you always in my apartment?”
“You invited me in.” Jae’s hands have moved from the tie to place a hand on each of my hips.
“You were at my door. You didn’t have to come in.”
“Are you always this defensive?” Jae squeezes my hip tighter before removing his hands and holding them palm up in surrender.
We are face to face, nose to nose, eyelash to eyelash.
