Page 35 of Crossed Up

She writhes under me, and I grip her hips tightly to hold her still. “Give me a second, or this is gonna be over a helluva lot sooner than either of us wants it to be, angel,” I growl out through gritted teeth, shaking my head when she bites her lip with a mischievous look in her eyes.

She clamps down on me, making me curse. “Lyla, I swear.”

The smirk she gives me frays the thin thread of control I’m barely hanging onto, but when she swivels her hips, I’m fucking done for.

I snap my hips into her, basking in the way she cries out for more. I thrust hard and fast, bringing my thumb up to her mouth and pressing it against her bottom lip.

“Suck.”

She does, swirling her pink tongue around my finger like I imagine she would do to my cock. Yanking my thumb free, I bring it down to circle her swollen clit, smirking when she yelps at the contact. I’m dangerously close to losing it, and I need to get her there first.

I lean down and use my free hand to capture her jaw as I press our foreheads together. “Look at you taking my cock so well, angel. Such a good girl, takin’ me like you were fuckin’ made for me.” Her walls flutter around my shaft forcing a grunt from between my clenched teeth.

“Aidan, I’m close,” she pants out.

Leaning down, I pull her into another intense kiss, using the angle to my advantage to thrust as deep as I can. “Good. Come for me, Lyla.”

I circle her clit with renewed pressure, and she falls into an orgasm, triggering my own. It’s so intense that black spots float across my vision, and my breathing is so heavy you would think I just played a double header.

When I can see clearly again, I pull out, whispering an apology when she lets out a pained whimper. I carefully tie off the condom before disposing of it in the garbage can next to the bed, and then I grab a soft cloth from the bathroom and wait for the sink to run warm.

Wet cloth in hand, I return to the bedroom only to see my pretty girl curled on her side on the bed, breathing shallowly.

Concern spikes through my chest but quickly turns to anger when she flinches at my soft touch. I’m not angry at her. I could never be angry at her. But I’m pissed as hell at the motherfucker that sent her running to South Carolina. “It’s just me, angel. Can I clean you up?”

She nods, relaxing slightly. I make quick work of it and toss the cloth in the corner of the room before sliding into bed next to her soft, warm body. She doesn’t tense up when she feels me at her back, so I take a chance and wrap her up, holding her to me as tightly as I dare. “What’s going on in that complicated mind of yours, Ly?”

Heaving a deep sigh, she turns in my arms so we’re face to face. “I just needed a moment,” she murmurs, gently scratching her nails over the thin layer of scruff covering my jaw. My eyes close, reveling in the intimacy of her movements.

I had my fair share of hookups over the years, but they were always quick and meaningless and left me feeling kind of empty. I wasn’t ready for a relationship and all the things that went with one back then, but I forgot how damned good it feels to connect to another person like this. The little touches that show affection and make you feel wanted.

With a kiss to her slightly sweaty forehead, I breathe in her sweet cherry perfume that’s even more potent now. “Wanna talk about it?”

“I’ve been going over it in my head all week since you asked me out.” Her words drop to a whisper against my chest. “I just don’t see a way that we can make this work past this weekend, Aid. Not right now, anyway.”

My heart cracks, and I don’t even care that I probably sound like a pathetic loser. “But… was it something I did? I went too fast, didn’t I? Fuck.”

I run my hands through my hair in frustration before dragging them down my face. I knew this was a possibility, but I wasn’t expecting it to hurt so goddamn much.

“No! Aidan, no. I just… I promised to always make Crew my top priority. There are things in my life that might make us being publicly linked unsafe for both of you, and I couldn’t handle it if you or Crew were caught up in my mess.”

I hear the undercurrent of fear in her words, and her sudden reluctance makes sense. I knew one date probably wouldn’t have her spilling all her secrets but I won’t lie, I’m still pretty disappointed she’s calling things off before we even have a chance to start them.

Holding back a sigh, I force my eyes down to meet her determined ones. That one look is enough to tell me pushing her for more right now will only solidify her decision to end things, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean I have to stop trying to win her over. A plan forms in my mind, and the first step is to finish the weekend we promised each other.

“Finish out the weekend with me?” I beg, capturing her soft hands between my calloused ones. “If this is the only time I get to feel what it’s like for you to be mine, I want to keep that feeling as long as I possibly can.”

Lyla exhales with a sad smile. “I guess I did promise…”

I fight to keep the victorious smile from playing across my face. My girl may not know it yet, but I can be a relentless bastard when I want something. And if her heart is on the line?

There’s no chance I’m playing fair.

16

LYLA

I have a bad feeling I started a war with my boss by trying to end things last night. I hid it well, but I got several more thinly veiled threats from blocked numbers during our date, and it spooked me.

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