Page 91 of Reckless
I take her hand, pulling her fingers away from where they fiddle with the V at the front of my T-shirt. Pressing a kiss to the center of her palm, I admit, “I think about you all the time.” Her breathing grows heavier when my tongue darts out over her skin. I pull away and look her in the eye. “Butespeciallywhen I jerk off.”
She laughs in response, but it’s breathy.
I lift my opposite hand and press the coaster from so many months ago into her palm.
When she sees it, her body stiffens. “Is that...”
I give her a casual smile as I lean in close to whisper in her ear. “I told you I’d be back to beg for another shot.”
Then I kiss her cheek, doing that little tongue thing she likes so much. She turns and nuzzles into me.
So, I hug her.
Her arms fold in front of her chest as I press her into me, the coaster with our contract crushed between us.
And I just hold her.
A woman who needs to be held so damn badly. And I’m the lucky one who gets to do it.
She fits her face right over the indent at the base of my throat and presses a soft kiss there.
“Goodnight, Theo.”
She doesn’t say anything else, and as much as I want to get into her head and sort through all the thoughts running rampant in there, I’m happy with a hug and a goodnight.
“Goodnight, Winter.”
Her lips tip up as she turns away, avoiding my gaze. Like our interaction makes her bashful. Like we’re two giddy teenagers saying goodnight after a first date.
Being loved is uncomfortable for her. God, I want to change that, but she’ll be the one to tell me when the time is right. I have it in my head that after spending her life behaving in a way that suits everyone around her, she might need a minute to figure out what suitsher.
She walks away, and I resist the urge to follow her. Her sneakered feet pad quietly down my walkway, across the front sidewalk, and up her own walkway. I step onto the porch so she can’t see me watching.
Her eyes stay on her toes as she approaches her house. But she doesn’t go inside.
She takes a seat on the front step and lifts the coaster, staring at it. Her fingers trace over it, much like they trailed over my face moments ago.
Her features are soft, and she looks younger in this moment. Her eyes aren’t pinched, her lips aren’t in a pout. This is how she looks when she’s with Vivi.
Happy.
After a couple of minutes, she rises and steps into her house. Warm light spills onto the porch for a moment, and the inaudible murmurs of her and Summer talking filter into the night. Through the front window, I see them hug.
Three hugs in one night. Not bad.
I walk into my house with a goofy smile on my face. My mom catches it from where she’s sitting on the couch with an episode ofGrey’s Anatomyqueued up and ready to go.
“You do know you’re in love with that girl, don’t you?”
I flop down beside her and sling an arm over her shoulder, ready to get lost in the very best medical drama while sitting beside one of my favorite women in the world.
“Yeah, Mom. I know.”
25
Winter
Theo:What if I stayed here as my home base?
