Page 85 of Defend Me

Gripping my hips, he backed me up until my legs hit the bed. I dropped onto it and he wasted no time settling his knees on either side of me. I sat up and captured his lips again while I enjoyed the weight of him straddling me. The way he started to grind his dick against mine told me that he needed more tonight.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“To fuck you.” He sucked on my tongue and clutched me to him desperately. “To lose myself in you.” When he shoved on my chest, pushing me onto my back, he didn’t break the kiss. “I want to be so tired and goddamn happy that I don’t feel it anymore and you don’t have the energy to ask.”

“Until tomorrow.”

He huffed, but I felt the way his lips curved in a smile.

A knock on the door shattered the moment just as he went for my pants. I was willing to ignore it, but he pulled back. The familiar, guarded expression on his face made me deflate.

With an annoyed growl, I put my shirt back on and waited for him to do the same, then marched toward the door. Usually, I’d be somewhat happy to see Dean standing there. Now, I wanted to punch him in his square-jawed face. The way he raised a single brow made me think he could see exactly what I was thinking.

“That’s a warm welcome,” he noted before he stepped inside.

I wanted to say something, but I was still on the punching idea. That fled quickly when I saw the way he was glaring at Brooks. He returned the expression, which did not make me feel so great.

Apparently, he was back to his state of resentment, except this time, Brooks looked like he felt the same way.

What the fuck happened?

Chapter 25

“The trouble was, I had been inadequate all along, I simply hadn't thought about it.”

Brooks

It all comes crashing down, just as I expected

For a second, it was okay. Suddenly, my fears, my insecurities, and my disgust were gone, replaced by whatever beautiful pieces of the universe lived inside of Tilian.

The entire time I’d been here, I felt better. It was hardly there, just a whisper in the back of my head. When I fucked around with people, I couldn’t make myself feel the way I did with him, even from just a kiss.

It had been quiet in my head, but not in the way I hated. The space that was usually full of my demons had been occupied by him instead. He was so goddamn beautiful and even though he knew I couldn’t give him more, he’d offered me every part of him. He bowed to me in a way nobody had before and the difference was that there was trust in his eyes. He wanted me to unleash my pain through him.

For some inexplicable reason, he wanted to protect me. I’d never felt anything like that before. It should’ve made me feel weak that I needed that, but it only warmed me right down to my bones.

Now, Dean was here, and his familiar scowl graced the land of the living again. He was one of the last people I wanted to be around tonight.

“What’s up?” Tilian asked in a tight voice.

Dean ignored him and met my eyes. “Can I talk to you?”

I took a solid thirty seconds to consider it before I nodded. If I didn’t, he’d probably start raging right here. I wanted to get this over with so I could be with Tilian again. Sex had left my brain, but I could lie with him and simply enjoy his presence.

Tilian watched me stand from the bed. The hurt expression on his face made my chest ache.

“I’ll be right back,” I told him softly.

Once Dean shut the door behind him, he grabbed onto my shoulders and shoved me up against the opposite wall. I didn’t fight him. It was pointless anyway. The guy was a damn tank and he was angry, so he was a legitimate threat that I couldn’t hold my own against.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he demanded.

“That’s not your business, is it?”

“After all that shit you said to me, you decide to show up at Tilian’s place. Probably with the intention of fucking him.”

My head cocked and I leaned forward. “Jealous about my sex life, Dean?”

---