Page 84 of Reckless
“You don’t have t—”
“You’re still not listening.” I stand and step around the bench, coming to kneel at the foot with a knowing grin. Winter looks flustered as she glances around. “I like everything I see. I wantyou.”
Her throat works, and she drops my gaze. I know there’s a cruel voice inside her, filling her head with shit that isn’t true. “What if someone comes in?”
“As long as I’m the one with my head between your legs, I don’t care who watches.”
Her mouth pops open in shock. “I don’t know what kind of weird shit you get up to on the circuit but—”
“What kind ofweird shit?” I quirk a brow at her. “The only ‘weird shit’ I’ve been up to is abstaining from touching anyone at all. And you sitting here in these tight fucking clothes”—I reach for the waistband of her pants and tug—“giving me those tortured fuck-me eyes is shredding my self-control. Like you’re begging me to be inside you.”
Her leggings and underwear hit the point where she’ll need to lift her hips for me to pull them down any further. But Winter’s ass stays planted on the bench, hands propped behind her. “What do you mean, abstaining from touching anyone at all?”
Cat’s out of the bag, I guess. Might as well come clean.
“I mean, I cleaned up my act.”
“Why?”
I huff out a breath and hold her gaze, wanting her to really hear this. “Because I wanted to be the type of guy who could land you for more than one night.”
Her gaze bounces around my face. “You mean someonelikeme?”
“No, Winter. I meanyou. That’s why I gave up my old phone. That’s why I have your number on my new one. I intended to call you. You needed time to rebuild, and I needed time to grow into someone who deserves you. I was biding my time, being patient.”
Her breath falls faster, stronger—choppier—as she regards me. It’s like I can see the pieces of the puzzle snapping into place, see her mind whirring. Which is why I reach for her hips and haul her toward me, taking the waistline of her pants as I go. Her hands fall to my shoulders when I look up at her and grin, tugging roughly at the stretchy pants that are now nothing more than flimsy fabric getting in my way.
“I’m done being patient, Tink. I’m coming for what I want. Right now.”
23
Winter
I’ve often thought about that night with Theo. Okay, I’ve obsessed over it. And I was certain I imagined how much he enjoyed going down on me. At first, I felt guilty.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to,” I said, while grabbing at his hair, trying to pull him back up.
He laughed, a deep rumble that I felt against my core. Eyes sparking, he stared up at me from between my legs. “I know I don’t need to, Tink. But I really, really want to.”
I’d never felt as naked as I did with his eyes fixed on the most private part of me.
I haven’t been with many men. I was too busy with school and then work.
And I definitely haven’t been with any men who ate my pussy with a smile. Which is what he did.
I had my first orgasm that night, with Theo Silva’s manicured stubble rasping against my inner thighs. I should be sad it took me twenty-eight years to have that moment, and yet, I’m not.
There was something poetic about it. Unforgettable. And right now, I’m taken back to that exact spot as Theo yanks my leggings from my body like he can’t wait another second.
“I just worked out,” I huff out before I internally berate myself for trying to sabotage this moment when I know how good it feels. How badly I want it.
Theo’s deep, amused chuckle is what I get in return. He spreads my legs and stares down at me. The bright halogen lights leave me nowhere to hide. “You barely broke a sweat. Which means I didn’t work you hard enough. But I will now.”
The pads of his fingers trail over the inside of my thighs, leaving gooseflesh in their wake.
“Someone could walk in,” I say again.
I hate myself. Why can’t I just shut up and enjoy good things?
