Page 22 of Within Shadows
I want to reach up to rip the mask off, to kiss her as I am and let her see me. Just as I’m on the verge of it, Al and Jess leave their room, smiling at each other like a couple of idiots. My mood sours instantly. I want Maeve to look at me the way she does Garrett. But I’m not him.Not truly.
Chapter 13
Maeve
Jess is on top of the world as she drives me home, and I’m incredibly happy for her. But a small part of me, the darkest part, is bitter. Knox just bluntly professed some weird obsession with me. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? Jess pulls up to my house and puts the car in park but takes my hand before I can undo my seatbelt.
“Maeve, did you hear a word I said?”
“Not exactly, I’m sorry. It was a long night, and I’m exhausted.” I cover her hand with mine, giving an apologetic frown.
“Knox seemed pretty infatuated by you, again. Al said he never shuts up about you.” She has a dreamy look on her face, and I pull my hand away.
“This isn’t some fairytale, love at first sight, type of thing. Knox doesn’t know me and is only interested in me because I don’t want him.” I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. “Garrett is waiting for me,” I say, forcing a smile. She frowns, her brow creasing, and she hesitates. I can see that she obviously wants to say something, but her shoulders slump as she lets it go.
“I just want you to be happy,” she says softly. I lean across the seat to hug her tightly.
“I am, Jess. I promise.” I wave goodbye as I close the door behind me, and Jess waits for me to get in the front door. Locking the door behind me, I look for Garrett. The TV is paused and there are blankets on the couch, but he’s not there. Leaving my purse and jacket at the door, I follow the sound of running water to the bathroom. The door isn’t latched, and I gently push it open to catch the full sight of Garrett in my shower.
He has his back to me, and I watch the muscles in his shoulders as they flex with each stroke of his hair. The door creaks and I stagger forward, not realizing how far I was leaning until I nearly fall into the bathroom. Garrett whips around with wide eyes, and we both stare at each other for a heartbeat. Itake a step closer, my eyes inching down his chest, devouring the sight of every drop of water that trails lower. Heat rolls through my body as I take him in; the muscles that wrap his tall frame aren’t massive but still prominent. The dark hair that dusts his lower stomach sits between the sharp lines of his hips, and my feet carry me a step forward.
“Maeve.” Garrett puts his hand on the glass, as if he’s warning me to stop. Another step closer, and I pull my shirt over my head without looking up. Dark curls frame the base of his erection, jutting from his body and exactly what I’m craving.
“Garrett,” I say his name when I finally rip my gaze away from his cock, not even slightly embarrassed to be caught staring.
“Did you have fun?” His tone is almost cold as he turns away, cutting the water off as he reaches for the towel hanging on the wall. I pop open the button on my jeans and nervously speak up, “I was actually going to join you in the shower.”
“I’m done, so it’s all yours. I’m glad you made it back safe.” Garrett frowns as he wraps the towel around his waist and walks past me. I grab his arm, stopping him before he can leave the bathroom.
“Garrett, I am asking you to be naked and wet with me.” I squeeze his arm gently, and he glances at me from the corner of his eye. “Maeve, not tonight.” He gently pulls my hand away and leaves me standing here feeling like a fool. The rejection stings, but I finish undressing and step into the shower, trying not to dwell on it. Is it something I’ve done, causing his sour mood?
Once I finally finish showering and step out of the bathroom, I’m almost shocked to see Garrett stretched out on my couch, sound asleep. Quickly throwing on a nightgown, I tiptoe back to the living room and have to press a hand to my lips to keep silent. My favorite snacks are laid out on the table, with a huge tub of popcorn and my favorite movie queued up on thetelevision. My heart thumps harder until my mind reminds me of the other reason my pulse pounded tonight.
Knox with his filthy words, spoken in that gravelly voice as his eyes burnt through me. My hands tremble as I pull the blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over his tall body. Garrett sighs in his sleep, shifting for a second before relaxing again. I quietly take a step back, turning to drag my exhausted body to bed until a voice stops me in my tracks.
“Thalia,” Garrett whispers my name, groaning in his sleep. I whip my head around to stare at him with wide eyes. He’s never called me by my first name, and I can't remember when I told him. Butfuck, it sounded so good coming from his lips.
I hurry back to my room, silently shutting the door before crawling under my blanket until my face is hidden. What is happening to me? There is a kind, sweet, and patient man sleeping on my couch, and here I am constantly fantasizing aboutKnox. A man who only sees me as a challenge. Trying to sort through the reasons I’m attracted to walking red flags won't get me anywhere tonight, and it won’t relieve the ache Knox created. Seeing Garrett naked didn’t exactly help things, either.
What if I could have them both?The thought stops me with one hand in my nightstand drawer, my vibrator held tight as the dirty images conjure in my mind. Knox with his hand gripping my throat, the cold plastic of his mask brushing over my throat as he breathes me in. Garrett would be between my thighs, his tongue dragging over my clit torturously slow as his fingers curl inside of me as Knox thrusts his cock down my throat until tears stream down my cheeks.
My body nearly leaps from the bed when a thud sounds from the living room. I shove the toy back into the drawer and roll onto my side, hiding under the blanket as I hold my breath and listen. A quiet shuffling outside my door has every one of my senses on high alert as my door creaks open.
I turn to see Garrett watching me, and he cringes back.
“Sorry, I may have flopped off the couch. I didn’t mean to fall asleep, and I was just coming to check on you,” he admits, scratching at the back of his neck. I sit up and cover my mouth as I yawn.
“It’s okay, I was just lying down. I didn’t want to wake you, you looked so peaceful,” I say, picking lint off of my blanket as Garrett steps inside and sits on the edge of the bed.
“Did you have fun?” he asks. I shrug and bite my lip, guilt eating at me as I remember how close I let Knox get.
“You know how people say that you should never meet your idols? I know why, now.” I laugh awkwardly, and Garrett hums, nodding his head. We sit in the quiet for a moment as I shift uncomfortably, my needy ache not interested in going away without some help.
“What’s wrong? Are your feet sore?” Garrett flips the blanket back and pulls my foot to him as he rubs it. My face has to be bright red in embarrassment, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. How can I say,‘Yeah, I’m just insanely horny, and you interrupted me masturbating while thinking of you and another man’without sounding insane?
I lay back and bask in the amazing feeling of him massaging my feet, but he doesn’t stop there and works further up my legs and slowly turns me to putty under his touch. He stops halfway up my thighs, and I open my eyes to see him yawning. I smirk and take his hand in mine, trying to pull him up to lie next to me.
“It’s freezing, you can sleep next to me and keep me warm,” I say, and he raises a brow.
