Trust in Me

Shortcake pressed her palms to my chest. “I want you for real.”

“Good to know.” I slanted my lips over hers. “Because, if not, this would get a whole lot awkward.”

She laughed, but the sound was lost when I pressed my mouth to hers. The contact felt right, as necessary as breathing. The kiss was soft and slow, but as she slid her hands into my hair, I deepened the kiss, giving her what she quietly asked for. My lips slid over hers, back and forth, nudging and pushing, and then coaxing them open with my tongue.

Her moan set a fire to my blood and she tasted like juice and something far sweeter. My hands dropped to her hips and I hauled her against me, lifting her up. Surprise shuttled through me as her legs wrapped around my waist. I pressed her back against the wall, fitting our bodies together.

Kissing her was all that I’d pla

I groaned as she tilted her hips, pressing against me in that wonderful artless way of hers. Her fingers tightened in my hair as she held my mouth to hers. I was so hard and swollen and the scrap of clothing covering her between her thighs wasn’t enough of a barrier. I wanted nothing more than to take her right here, against the wall, and I doubted she’d protest, but it wasn’t right.

With effort, I lifted my mouth. “I need to go.”

Her hands slid back down to my cheeks. “You’re leaving now?”

“I’m not a saint, sweetheart.” My voice was deep, rough with desire. “So if I don’t leave now, I won’t be leaving for some time.”

She shuddered, and my body tightened. “What if I don’t want you to leave?”

“Fuck.” I gripped her thighs, briefly squeezing my eyes closed. “You’re making this very hard to be the good guy you said I was last night.”

Her lips grazed my cheek. “I’m not drunk.”

Laughing softly, I pressed my forehead to hers. “Yeah, I can see that and while the idea of taking you right now, against the wall, is enough to make me lose control, I want you to know that I’m serious. You’re not a hookup. You’re not a friend with benefits. You’re more than that to me.”

Her eyes drifted shut as her chest rose against mine. “Well, that was . . . really sort of perfect.”

“I’m really sort of perfect,” I teased, untangling her legs and setting her on her feet. “Everyone else knows that. You’re just a little slow on the uptake.”

She laughed, warming her eyes. “What are you going to do?”

“Take a cold shower.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep.”

Another laugh bubbled up from her. “You coming back over?”

“Always.” I kissed her tenderly, pouring what I felt into the quick, all too brief kiss.

“Okay.” Her smile spread across her face and it was the most divine thing I’d ever seen. “I’ll wait for you.”

Twenty-Two

“You’re not coming over tonight, are you?” Jase asked, his voice barely audible over the thumping music.

Slipping my feet into my shoes, I held my cell between my cheek and shoulder. “Nah. I’m taking Avery out to di

“No explanation needed. I don’t blame you.” He sounded bored, not with me, but with the whole scene. There was a pause. “Your girl doesn’t seem like the type who’s into the party scene.”

I got hung up on the phrase “your girl” and the rush of pride it sent through me for what was probably a second too long. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Jase chuckled softly. “She’s turned you into a changed man, hasn’t she?”

I smiled as I grabbed my keys. Jase might be right. Since I’d met Avery in August, a lot of my habits had changed, even more so during the weeks following fight night. “Something like that.”

“Well, have fun. Don’t impregnate her.”

A laugh burst from me. “Jase, man, come on . . .”

He chuckled again. “I’m kidding.”

Rolling my eyes, I said my good-byes and headed over to Avery’s.

We had a quick di

“It’s a terrarium,” I corrected her when she called his habitat an aquarium. “And he has a rocking terrarium. Got him a new one for his birthday.”

“You know when his birthday is?” She gri

“Yep. July twenty-sixth.” Speaking of such . . . “When is your birthday?”

“Uh, you have a while until you have to worry about that.” She crossed her ankles. “When’s yours?”

“June fifteenth.” I would not be deterred. “When is yours, Avery?”

She sighed. “It was January second.”

“I missed your birthday?” My brows rose as I leaned forward.

“It’s not a big deal.” She shrugged. “I went to the Smithsonian and then I got sick, so it’s probably a good thing you weren’t around.”

Went to the Smithsonian . . . ? It struck me then and I felt like an ass. “Aw, man, that’s why you said you wanted to go there on the second. You were alone? Shit. I feel so —”

“Don’t,” she said, raising her hand. “You don’t need to feel terrible. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. I would’ve taken her if she had let me, but it still didn’t set well in my chest. “Well, there’s always next year.”

Her lips split into a wide smile that caused my heart to stutter. Needing a moment to myself before I did something incredibly stupid like get all vagina-emotional, I scooped up Raphael and took him back home, promising to come right back. I pla

The look on her face was part anticipation, part uncertainty, and the driving force behind it was an i

It was worth it though. The last thing I wanted to do was rush her, but right now . . .

Avery wetted her lower lip as I pulled my sweater off, draping it along the back of her couch. Her gaze dipped to the width of skin exposed between my shirt and jeans and a flush spread across her cheeks.

Yeah, Shortcake looked like she wanted to be rushed.

I sat on the couch while she remained by the hall, fiddling with the edge of her sweater dress in the soft glow of the TV. When she had pulled off her tights earlier, after returning from di

“You going to come over here or stare at me the rest of the evening?” I asked, gri

My grin faded as she put her knees on either side of my thighs and sat in my lap. My body’s response was ridiculously immediate. I hardened as I curled my fingers around her hips. “Hey there, sweetheart.”