Page 32 of Into the Shadows

I wanted to tell you about it the second it happened. I thought you’d find it hilarious. I can imagine you giving her a high-five for not being swayed by some idiot guy.

Sometimes, I wonder what’s keeping me from responding to you. It’s been two years since I read your last email. But then I remind myself that you’re better off without me in your life. You’ll find a man who can worship the ground you walk on one day, and he’ll make you happier than I ever could.

I’ll always be thinking of you, though.

–T

Chapter 20

Teddy

My stomach sinks as I pull into Lottie’s driveway. I’m not ready for this night to be over. When I left my house earlier, I had a fleeting thought that I’d be bored. Instead, I’ve never enjoyed myself more.

Every email Lottie sent me alluded to her fun-loving nature, but I’d never given myself permission to revel in it like I did tonight.

“Did you hear that?”

I tilt my head. “No, I don’t hear anything.”

“I’m pretty sure I heard thunder. You know, I could’ve sworn the weather was going to be bad tonight.”

My eyebrows furrow. “It is? I thought it was supposed to be a clear night.”

“Nope. I definitely heard thunder. You should probably stay the night, just to be safe.” Lottie’s teasing smirk finally clues me into her schemes.

I reach across the car and slip my fingers into her hair. She leans into me as I growl against her lips, “Tempting woman.”

She bridges the tiny gap between us to press her mouth to mine. I cup her head a little tighter, moving her where I wanther. When she slips her tongue out to tease my lower lip, a dirty groan falls from my chest. She’s a siren, hell-bent on drowning me in her lust. It’s too much and yet not enough.

“Come inside. Please,” Lottie whispers.

Who could resist those words? I nod, pressing another kiss to her mouth before I tear myself away. She doesn’t give me time to open her door for her, meeting me at the front of the car. She takes my hand and pulls me up to her door. I chuckle, reveling in her need to get me inside.

Lottie pulls her keys from her bag to unlock the door while I press into her back. When she grinds her ass into my rapidly hardening cock, I grip her hips with bruising fingers. “Naughty fucking girl,” I whisper in her ear.

She finally gets the door unlocked, and we’re racing upstairs and into her bedroom. I’ve never felt this overwhelming desire to have a woman under me. Anytime I needed a release, I would find a willing partner, and then it was over. I could move on without any big fanfare. There’s no doubt in my mind that the second I get Lottie naked, I won’t be able to get enough of her.

One night won’t satiate this need I have for her.

Not only do I want to strip her bare, but I want to do the same in return. I’ve been terrified to show her who I’ve become in the years since she’s last seen me. After tonight, I know Lottie won’t see anything less than the man she met the first time. It doesn’t seem to matter what I do or say to her; she still looks at me the same way she did when she was eighteen and starry-eyed.

Lottie walks backward to her bed, pulling me with her. She grips the hem of her shirt, crossing her arms to slide it over her head. The black lace bra she reveals is made of X-rated fantasies and dirty sex. I can see her nipples through the fabric, and my mouth waters.

I grip her waist, my fingers dimpling her skin, and pullher closer. Dipping down, I run my nose from her shoulder, up her neck, and across her jaw. Lottie tilts her head to give me space to explore. Her skin is as soft as silk against the bristles of my beard. It’s going to end up red by the end of the night, and I’m already looking forward to seeing the mark of my possession.

“You know this makes you mine now, right?”

Lottie whimpers. “Mm-hmm.”

“Good.” With a gentle shove, I push her back onto the bed. She squeals and then laughs at herself. I reach for the button on her wide-legged jeans. They’re tight on her ass, and I’ve been dying to rip them off her since she walked out of her bathroom in them earlier.

The black thong I reveal makes me want to worship at her altar for the night, and I have every mind to do just that.

“You have entirely too many clothes on,” Lottie pouts. I grin at her.

With quick fingers, I pop the buttons of my shirt and shrug it off. “Better?”

Her eyes skim down my chest. I’m not ashamed to say I flex a little at her perusal. “Only a little.” She stares at my pants, and a bout of nerves slithers through me. This will be the first time she sees my prosthetic. The open look Lottie gives me provides the acceptance I need to show her.

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