Page 44 of Phantom
“I missed you,” she admitted.
“I missed you,” I said. “It was only four days, but it felt like—”
“Fourteen years?” Tess finished.
My hands laced into Tess’ hair to caress her head gently. “Yeah.”
Tess pointed up to where I’d pulled away some of the roof slats, offering a view of the night sky dotted with stars. The existing window offered a good view of the concert outside, and the new skylight allowed us to enjoy nature’s beauty as well—a perfect backdrop for what would hopefully be the first of many nights together.
“I’m sorry,” I said finally.
Tess tilted her head up to look at me. “For what?”
“It took me so long to just let go.” My left arm was wrapped around her waist, and I twisted it, letting the discolored scarring shine in the moonlight. “I was so afraid of getting attached to someone, but the more time I spent with you, the more I realized that I didn’t have a choice. You were already such a big part of my life, and when we reunited, it became clear that I don’t want to let that go again.”
“Me, too.” Tess sat up on her forearms and looked down at me. “So, stay. Stay here. My dad can keep you safe. We’ll figure out things with Caid. When he finally makes contact, we can figure out how to get him back here to Hoppa. We could get a bigger house so that he can live with us, too. Lockjaw would probably like him because he looks just like you.”
That life sounded so perfect to me. It was everything I ever wanted, all wrapped up and topped with a bow. The truth was, I’d never been a lucky person, and I probably wasn’t about to start.
But why couldn’t I dream?
“Okay.”
Tess’ eyes widened. “Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” My thumb rubbed over her cheek as I admired her beautiful face, framed by the sea of stars behind her. “I don’t want to leave you again, Tess. I…” I took a deep breath. “I’m in love with you.”
A smile exploded across her face. “Well, look at you, sharing your feelings.” She leaned down and kissed me. “I love you, too.” At that point, her hands did snake under the hem of my t-shirt. “Does that mean we’re done waiting?”
Bracing my foot on the hay, I held tight to Tess’ back and flipped her until she was underneath me. I grabbed the base of my shirt, pulled it over my head, and tossed it aside. “Yeah, Tess.” My breath was shortened and deep from the anticipation. “We’re done fucking waiting.”
Chapter Sixteen
Tess
Keeping my breath even while Colin slid his hands under my shirt and over my stomach was difficult. The many times we’d gotten close in the last few weeks skidded across my brain, but with his lips on mine and the weight of him pressed against me, there was no denying that we’d be interrupted no more.
His lips worked from mine down over my cheek and across my jaw. He got to my neck and took a hungry bite, following it up with a series of soft kisses, and I couldn’t bring myself to be worried about the mark that would probably be left behind. Colin had very boldly taken me by the hand right in front of Taylor. That was as clear a sign as any that he wasn’t threatened by Taylor, which was astounding but not unwelcome. If there was anything to be gained from Taylor’s manic, possessive behavior, it was that it kept me single until Colin made his way back to me, not that I could ever thank him for that to his face.
Colin left my neck behind in favor of working his way down my cleavage, and he slid his hand up to meet his mouth at my breasts. I helped him along the way by pulling my shirt up and off, and I was glad that I’d made a last-minute decision to throw on a set of deep purple lingerie. A bustier top held my breasts like trophies on display, and the lace was a perfect overlay for my tan skin.
With his hands smoothing down my sides, Colin buried his face between my breasts and sent a trail of kisses down until he could lick over an awaiting nipple. I let out a moan, and my hands instinctively clawed into his hair to pull.
He lifted his head with a grunt. “I’m sorry, this is so sexy, but I don’t want anything covering you up.”
I grinned, my face hot, my heart thundering. “Do whatever you want.”
It was all the permission he needed. I sat up enough so that he could unzip the bustier and unwrap it from my torso, and he appreciated my exposed chest like it was the best present on Christmas day. He peppered kisses along my collar bone, over my nipples, across my sternum, and down my stomach. When he got to my jean shorts, he popped the button and pulled him down, continuing his descent between my legs.
Coiling his arms around my thighs, Colin pulled me to meet his face, and I let out a drawn-out breath of relief as his tongue danced over me. Any ability I had to think logically fled from my body as I arched myself into the feeling of Colin below. With an expert mix of his mouth and his fingers, in no time at all, he made me a mess of incoherent sounds and shudders. One of my hands rested on the back of his head while the other grasped the sheets around me as if I needed to hold on to keep from floating up and out of the loft into the collection of stars above us.
“Colin,” I moaned. “Don’t stop.”
And he didn’t.
The desperation in my voice must have kicked him into overdrive. He buried his face even deeper, and his alternating licks and sucks got more fervent and hungrier. My legs shook as a strong orgasm reached out from the edges of my body, all corralling for my middle. The scream that left my mouth was louder than it was meant to be, but when I put the hand that wasn’t fastened to Colin’s head over my mouth to stifle my sounds, he brought a hand up to pull mine away.
He snaked his way up my body until he was hovering above my face. “Don’t be quiet.”
