Page 149 of After All This Time

"Yes!" Tessa points at me, grinning. "Exactly! Though obviously, we know you're not actually an asshole."

Tobias chuckles, leaning closer to me. "An asshole vibe, huh? Is that what you think of me, Firefly?"

I dig deep to find my most innocent expression. "Well, you know—the tattoos, that cigarette you always keep behind your ear—"

"Don't forget the piercings," Jen adds, helpful as ever.

"Player," I finish with a smirk.

"Player?Take that back, baby. Right now."

I shake my head, feeling drunk from the wine and the way he's looking at me. "Not a chance."

His eyes darken like storm clouds. "Fine. But we're addressing that attitude the second we get home."

"God, you're such a smooth bastard," Tessa mutters beside us.

"You had your chance,Blondie," he fires back, smirking at Tessa, who responds with a cheerful middle finger.

Laughter erupts, filling the room as Tobias takes the brunt of everyone's teasing, something he handles with an ease that only makes him more irresistible.

"Right, Mills. You ready to go?"

"What's the rush?" I ask, trying to sound casual, though my heart is hammering against my ribs.

"You really want me to tell the room? Because I will. Every dirty detail."

"Oh my god, get out!" Jen shouts while Harry clamps a hand over her mouth, grinning like the devil himself.

"Don't listen to her," Harry says, his eyes twinkling. "I want to hear it."

I laugh, shaking my head as I stand, sliding into my slippers.Tobias stands and lifts me into his arms. My legs find their home around his waist, holding onto him as the room spins slightly from the wine.

"Is it still raining out?"

"No," he says, and I hear everything he isn't saying in that single word.

That he just wants me close.

"Okay then," I murmur as a lazy smile spreads across my lips.

"Thank you for tonight, girls!" I call out over my shoulder, my words warm and loose with wine and happiness. "Best night ever!"

Tobias, ever efficient, shouts his quick goodbyes while cradling me against his chest, already striding toward the front door.

The cool night air kisses my skin as he steps outside, and I rest my head against his shoulder.

At his car, he sets me down on the hood, the cold biting through my thin pajamas. But then his mouth crashes into mine, and the chill becomes nothing—less than nothing because nothing matters except how it feels to be kissed by him.

His kiss is pure fire—hungry and demanding, his tongue sliding against mine as his hands brand my waist. He presses between my legs, and I feel the hard, aching proof of his need mirroring my own.

"Feel how much I've missed you tonight?" he rasps against my lips.

I can barely breathe, my head spinning for an entirely different reason now.

"Take me home and show me."

"Yes, ma'am." His exaggerated drawl pulls a breathless laugh from my throat.

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