Page 108 of Top Shelf
“Thank fuck,” he murmurs, and it’s the last thing I hear before he’s kissing me.
His hands cup my face, tilting my head as I push up to my tiptoes to meet him. I sigh when his tongue slides against mine, and he swallows the sound. I am nothing but air, and he’s the anchor keeping me from floating away.
Yeah, that’s what he is—my anchor, but he’s not there to hold me down. He’s keeping me steady. Keeping me on my feet. Our kiss turns from hard and rushed to soft and sensual. When we eventually part, Gavin rests his head against mine.
“I’m not sure if I was clear or not, but I love you too.”
I giggle. “I kind of figured that, but it sure is nice to hear.”
“Good. I plan on telling you a lot.” He presses another soft kiss to my lips. “I’m sorry, Nessa.”
“What?” I pull my head back. “What do you have to be sorry for?”
“I shouldn’t have hidden you, and I shouldn’t have made you lie to Hutch.”
I dare a peek to my right, but Reed is nowhere to be found. He must have slipped away when Gavin showed up, and I’m okay with that. We’ll talk more later. I feel confident in that now.
“I shouldn’t have insisted this was just something fun and meaningless when it was never that,” Gavin continues. “It always meant something more to me, even that first night.”
I smile, because it meant something to me then, too. “You did tell me I belonged to you.”
“I did, and I don’t think I realized how much I truly meant it until I woke up and you were gone.”
I wince. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. A part of me wishes you hadn’t left, of course, but the other part… I’m glad. I think we needed to find each other again, needed to prove our night together wasn’t just some fluke and was as meant to be as it felt.”
“It felt so real even then.”
He nods. “It did, and that’s why it was scary. But you don’t have to be scared now. I’ve got you, and I have no plans of letting you go. We’ll take this slow. We’ll go at your pace. I know you’re still dealing with the repercussions of what your ex did, and that’s okay. If you need to wait…if you need more time…I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere, love. How could I? Not when I love your laugh and your smile so much. Or how you try really hard to wait up for me after my games. How you sleep on the couch because our bed feels too empty without me. How you order takeout in the perfect combinations.”
I chuckle, and he grabs my chin, tipping it up toward him.
“But more than that, I loveyou. I love your passion, your fire, and your drive. How your lips always taste like cherries,and how much you care about others, even though you try to hide it. I just… I love you, Nessa. You could never make me go anywhere. You’re never too much and you’re never not enough either. You’re perfect just as you are, and it’s what makes me love you so fucking much.”
I close my eyes against his words. Not because I don’t believe him, but because I do. Every single word. He would never hurt me. He’s proven that time and time again, and it’s time for me to trust that. It’s time for me to let myself be loved, this time for real.
“I’m not going anywhere either,” I promise him.
He grins. “Good.”
Then he’s kissing me again. It’s hard and it’s hot and it’ssoinappropriate, especially since we’re standing in the middle of my workplace right now, yet I can’t seem to care. I’m still scared, maybe even more than I was before, but with the way Gavin is kissing me… I don’t know. I think everything is going to be all right.
“Fuck,” he says against my lips. “I need to touch you right now.”
“You are touching me.” I pull him closer as if to prove it.
“Not enough,” he grunts, his hands falling to my ass. “Need more.”
“Home?” I ask.
He pulls away, his eyes sparkling with something, and it’s not just lust. It’s something more. Something grander. Something…a lot like love.
“Home.”
CHAPTER 23
LOCKE
