Page 77 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
This might be the only time I remember ever feeling truly and completely cared for.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
THANE
She fell asleep almost instantly,and I felt like a complete ass. As much as I wanted her, I should have known better. She’s been so sick, but she also begged so sweetly.
Who am I if I can’t give her everything she asks for?
Much sooner than I’d like, I gently slip out from beneath her, my dick twitching in protest as it eases out of her warm pussy. Even though I’d love to spend all day ensconced in her wet heat, I need to get her cleaned up and get rid of this condom before Kara or Rafe make their way over.
Lottie groans, but her lids don’t so much as flutter. Orgasms will do that to you on a good day, but she’s also still fighting off the infections.
As I stand over her, the need to claim her, to beat my fists against my chest and tell the entire world that she’s mine, roars louder than my narrator’s ever been.
I don’t know what to do with that. I’ve never felt anything so acutely before. I’m not even sure what to call it, and I sure as hell don’t want to talk to Rafe about it.
Crossing the small room, I grab my notebook to add another note in my Lottie section. I’m even shocked that I have a Lottie section. I’ve only ever written down work ideas and personal reminders, but Lottie has changed all my rules. Turning the notebook around, I open the back cover and flip to a new page.
How do I handle the overwhelming urge to keep her safe, protected, secure?
How am I supposed to work when every thought is consumed by her?
Call the doctor to have my heart checked for an arrythmia.
That one pops out of nowhere, but it’s important because every time I’m near her, I’m twenty-five percent sure I’m about to have a heart attack, so it definitely belongs in the Lottie section.
After finishing the note, I head to the bathroom, where I remove the condom and prepare a warm, wet washcloth. Then I return to my girl and gently clean between her legs.
“Thane!” She kicks out and attempts to pull away from me. Her voice is groggy but no less sexy. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Quiet. I’m cleaning you so you can sleep.”
When she doesn’t respond, I peer up at her from my close-up inspection of her pussy.
“Do you… I don’t know. Is this something you do often?” That lovely shade of pink graces her face again, renewing my determination to have shirts made as soon as possible.
I shake my head and carefully finish my task. The scent of her arousal and our sex has me hard again. When she glances down, she bites down on that damn lip.
“I have never taken such care with anyone before,” I say. “But I will do it again, and only with you.” Before she can argue with me—because I know that she will—I return to the bathroom. “Sleep, Charlotte.”
The urge to have her again is fierce, but I need her healthy, so I toss the cloth into the hamper, turn on the shower, and step into the icy spray, feeling like a skyscraper in a small town.
That’s what she does to me. She makes me stand out and own it, and that might be the greatest gift I’ve ever received.
* * *
When I stepout of the bathroom, Lottie is fast asleep, wearing one of the shirts I’d folded and set on the chair in the corner.
My skyscraper grows another ten floors as I take her in for a long moment, then decide that she’s well enough to be left alone for a little while. I dress, grab my computer, and head downstairs to wait for Rafe and my sister.
Settled at the coffee table, I quickly get lost in work, but when I reach for my notebook, I remember it’s upstairs. I don’t want to disturb Lottie, so I search for a piece of paper. Even scrap paper would work at this point.
There are three stacks of mail from Mr. Abboud in the kitchen, and I pick up the first open envelope I find. Surely, she won’t need a ripped envelope, so I remove the letter and go to set it back in the stack, but the name of a law firm catches my eye.
It’s from her father, and the urge to protect her has flickers of lava bubbling in my chest.
With a quick glance at the stairs, I open the letter and read. My hands begin to shake even though I already know most of the details from fuck-face Roger.
