Page 66 of Built to Last

I have no intentions of leaving him. I can take some damage. If you asked me a month ago how I would handle a man who said the things to me Reid did tonight, I would have said I would leave. I would walk out because no one is going to treat me like that.

He’s more important than my pride. Lydia is right and Darnell is, too. I’ve been trying so hard to avoid living my mother’s life that I forgot to define what I want for my own. Something beyond working and keeping my head above water. I want this. I want to love someone, to go through life with these people who fill my soul. With people I can’t leave alone to face the storms inside them.

“Take off your clothes.” He steps back, dragging his shirt over his head and tossing it aside. Again he looks at me like he’s sure I’ll walk.

I would have seen it as arrogance once, but I know him better now. It’s not bravado or anger. It’s fear. In some ways he’s accepted that he’ll have to do everything alone and so he would rather get it over with. The me walking out part. From what I can tell, the woman he’s spent the most time with is a blackmailing asshole, so I have some walls to get around.

I pull my T-shirt over my head, and it joins his along with my bra. I kick out of my boots and make quick work of my jeans and stand in front of him completely naked.

“Just like that?” He asks the question with one raised brow.

But I think I’m starting to understand his secret language. One day he won’t need the arrogant tone. One day he’ll feel safe with me. What he’s asking is if he can trust this. If he can expect me to turn on him. There’s only one way to show him. Don’t leave. “Just like that.”

He forgets how often in a day he does nice things for me. He brings me coffee every morning and makes sure I have a sweater. If I forget one and get cold because I’m working in a part of the house that isn’t heated, he wraps me up in his and kisses me on the nose and tells me to stay warm. When I get involved in a job and forget lunch he shows up and sits and eats with me.

So no, it’s not just like that. What I’m doing is the culmination of weeks of tenderness from him.

“Sit on the couch, Reid.”

His eyes flare, likely because he realizes what I want to do to him. He pulls the belt from his slacks and undoes his fly before lowering himself to the leather Chesterfield. Yep. I know a little about furniture now because my boyfriend is obsessed with making things pretty.

Because design was the one thing he could control. When everything in his childhood seemed unruly and chaotic, he could make his space comfortable and safe.

He’s about to find comfort in more than expensive furnishings.

I lower myself between his legs, my knees cushioned by the soft carpet beneath us. I look up and his face is all planes and angles in the moonlight, his emotions stark.

“Harper, I want to tell you to leave. I should. I should force you out, but I want you.” He shoves his slacks down enough to free his cock.

I reach for it, sliding my hand over soft skin and hard flesh. “My point is you can’t force me out. Or maybe you can shove me away, but you can’t make me not worry about you. You can’t make me not care.”

Before he can reply, I lower my head down and give his big cock a long lick, and he doesn’t seem to feel the need to talk anymore. He groans and his hands find my hair, though he’s gentle now. He strokes my hair even as I suck and kiss and lick. I love the way he tastes, the way he feels under my tongue. The way his thighs tense and his eyes get hot. I watch him while I work my way down his dick, lavishing it with affection.

“I could take this and then throw you out,” he says even as his breathing picks up. “I could show you who I am.”

I know who he is but he needs to growl and howl for a little while longer. I simply whirl my tongue around his cockhead, drawing him further and further in.

“Stop.” He growls the word and tugs on my hair. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to come.”

“That is the point,” I say, pressing kisses on his skin.

“I want to be inside you,” he admits. “I want to see your pretty face and know you’re with me.”

There he is. My Reid is still here. He’s simply at war with the one Britta created. I plan to win. I get to my feet as he finds the condom in his wallet and rolls it on. His hands come out, waiting to guide me down. I straddle him and feel his cock against me, heat sparking through my system. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want him. I suppose that’s why I’ve been so afraid of him. I’m diving into the deepest pool, but I can’t back out now. I’ll learn to swim.

He sighs as he thrusts up and our bodies fit together like they were made for each other. His hands are on my hips, but he leans forward to kiss me as I start to ride him. Slow at first, and then building heat and friction. We kiss until I can’t stand it a second longer and I give in, pleasure pushing aside all the tension we feel and replacing it with nothing but joy. Reid grips my hips and swings me around so my back is against the couch and he’s on top. He takes over, thrusting in and out. Over and over until I feel it build again and ride the wave one more time. His whole body tightens, and he holds on as his orgasm takes him over the edge.

He falls on top of me, and I hope we’ve survived this storm.

Hours later I realize the sex was kind of the eye of the storm, and we’re definitely still in it.

“You should go home, Harper.”

The words are cold, but I can see his hands shaking slightly. He rolled out of bed after the last time he gave me a mind-blowing orgasm. He went straight to his dresser and pulled on a pair of boxers. I notice he didn’t bother with actual pants. He paces at the end of the bed.

I yawn and turn over. The drama is ongoing, it seems. He has way more energy than I do. I’m all happy and sated and sleepy, but does Reid Dorsey let me rest? Nope. “I think I’d rather stay here.”

He stops and puts his hands on his hips, looking judgmental but also hot. “And I want you to leave.”

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