Page 59 of Ruled Out

Mia approaches and then hauls herself up onto the countertop to sit beside me; this already feels different from how we were together in Dallas.

Better different.

Flipping the grilled cheese, I look over at her, unable to stop my eyes from trailing down her body. “Well, I wouldn’t describe this as gourmet food, but, yeah, I know my way around a kitchen.”

I pass her a glass of water, and she takes a sip.

“Who taught you?”

I run a rough hand through my messy hair, which definitely needs a cut. “Myself.” I want to offer her more, but that’s the God’s honest truth. This isn’t some cute story about how my mom taught me to peel potatoes and prepare a Thanksgiving meal when I was ten.

I watch the way heat warms her cheeks, almost like she’s working that out for herself. Years back, when Mia once asked about my parents, I told her their names were Wayne and Alice but left it at that. She now knows my dad is a straight-up asshole, but describing my relationship with Mom is going to be tougher and something I don’t know I’ll ever be able to explain. She isn’t a bad person, and I love her with everything I have, but she has made bad choices that have torn me apart.

The team psych, Ashley, along with countless other professionals, have tried—and failed—to talk to me about her. I guess I just refuse to throw her under the metaphorical bus. At one time, I was angry for the way she seemed to accept Dad’s behavior, but now, all I feel is sadness and desperation on her behalf. Hoping that one day, she will accept one of the many opportunities I give her to escape his clutches.

Mia clears her throat and takes another sip of water. “That’s impressive—teaching yourself, I mean.”

The need to share everything with her pools in my gut, screaming at me to follow my instincts and trust her with my secrets.

I flick off the burner and come to stand between her legs, resting my palms on either side of her. I’m still shirtless, butchanged into black athletic shorts. I can’t remember the last time I was so fucking turned on that I blew into my own pants. I should feel even a hint of humiliation at my dick’s lack of control. But I’m not. Going down on Mia, being the first guy to do that or even give her an orgasm, is way too fucking amazing to worry about my inability to hold it together.

She’s still a virgin.

I had every intention of being inside her all night tonight, despite the pain my body is in. But the second she told me, I knew her first time had to be something special.

Did she hold out for me?Warmth spreads across my chest at the thought.

I bite on my bottom lip as I take her in. She’s dressed again, back in the clothes she arrived in.

“You haven’t tried my cooking yet, so maybe reserve judgment on how impressive it is until you have.” Offering her a cheeky smile, I rub my hands up and down her thighs, feeling her jeans are still damp, although that’s not the real reason why I want her out of them. “You got dressed.”

She shrugs, the redness staining her cheeks getting deeper. It’s so fucking cute to watch my sassy girl show her shy side. “These are all I have with me.”

Leaning in and brushing my lips against hers, I shake my head softly. “Incorrect, Sweetheart. You have my entire wardrobe at your disposal.”

She giggles and then kisses me back. “Your stuff would drown my five-feet-four ass.”

The urge to gather her up and march us back into my room for round two overwhelms me, but I hold off, remembering we have food to eat. As I wind her long, dark hair around my fist, I feel the way my dick grows at the thought of doing exactly this while I slide inside her from behind.

Soon.

“That’s the idea. Utopia would be you waltzing around my place, wearing nothing but my name.”

I watch the way her throat works as she digests my fantasy. And I have fantasized about Mia in my jersey way more than I ever had the right to do after I walked out of her dad’s house and ignored her messages like a goddamn coward.

When I release her hair, my hands wrap around her gorgeous, round ass, and I pull her into me, noting she’s at the perfect fucking height.

“We need to eat this food.” I kiss the tip of her nose. “But I want you to know, I’m sorry for running away from us. I let you down. I had known the risk of getting caught when we started seeing each other. I need to be honest and tell you that I never expected you to be my forever girl—because girls like you don’t happen to boys like me.”

When she opens her mouth to speak, I know she’s going to protest and tell me that’s not true, but I stop her with a finger to her soft lips.

“The happiness you brought me back then felt too good to be true, so I lived in the warmth of your addictive sunshine for as long as I could. All cards on the table—it still kind of does feel surreal, having you here. But you didn’t rule me out, even if your dad did. You’ve given me a second chance, and I want to be a man you can call yours and be fucking proud of it. Even if it takes time to separate my past from the present, I’ll do it for you, for us. So, while I work on fixing myself and believing I’m lucky enough to have you in my life again, I want you to work on trusting that this time, I’m in it for the long haul. Your dad might want to murder me, but no matter what he does, I’m not going anywhere, Sweetheart.”

Mia’s eyes turn glassy as she looks at me, but doesn’t say anything.

When I pull her into my chest, she releases a silent sob against me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry, Mia.”

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