Page 85 of Arouse Me

“Careful, little one. Watch your tone.”

Joshua’s warning dripped with such a patronizing tone I balled my hands into fists. So infuriated, I wished he was in the room so I could punch him…hard.

“Fuck my tone and fuck you. Don’t bother coming to New York. I’ll call Sanna. Dylan can pick me up and escort me back to Phoenix. With all the shit I’ve got to deal with, the last thing I need is some son of a bitch trying to mind fuck me. Goodbye.”

I disconnected the call, covered my face with the pillow, and screamed long and hard.

Chapter Ten

Disembarking the plane at LaGuardia, my heart ached. Sanna and her Masters would be waiting for me. After I’d calmed down from my furious explosion with Joshua, I called Dylan and asked for their help. I should have felt a spark of excitement at seeing my sister and feeling her loving arms around me again, but I didn’t. The only arms I wanted wrapped around me, comforting and protecting me, were Joshua’s. But he wouldn’t be there. No, I’d let my pride and temper fuck that up royally.

Tears stung my eyes, and I swallowed the lump of sadness burning my throat as I walked up the ramp and into the crowded terminal. Scanning the faces of strangers, I couldn’t find Sanna, Dylan, or Nick.

Maybe their flight was late.

Trudging toward the digital display of arrivals and departures, I searched for their flight and frowned. They’d landed thirty-five minutes ahead of me.

“They’re not coming to meet you, little one. I am.”

Joshua’s calm, deep voice blanketed me from behind. I spun around, my belongings sagging to the floor. A muffled cry of relief and remorse vibrated over my lips as I stepped into his open arms. Holding him tightly, I tried not to cry as I breathed in his familiar scent and absorbed the strength of his warm body. Thank goodness he was a tenacious, hard-headed man.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I clung to him in a desperate hug.

I knew I’d pay a high price for my behavior over the phone, but trailing my fingers through his soft hair and being enveloped in his warm embrace was worth any punishment he wanted to give.

“I’ve got you, girl. I know you’re scared, but everything’s going to be okay,” Joshua murmured as he held me tight.

“I’m so sorry I acted like such a bitch to you.”

“We’ll talk about that after we get Davis and your house sorted out.”

“But…” I shook my head. “I need to apologize to you. I shouldn’t have lashed out like that.”

Joshua inched back, cupped my cheeks, and smirked. “I said we’ll discuss it later. We have to catch our flight, but first, I need this.”

Slanting his lips over mine, Joshua drowned me in a blistering kiss suffused with so much passion I grew dizzy. Wrapped in his strong, warm arms, contentment settled through me.

“There, I’m much better now,” Joshua smiled.

He bent and lifted my computer bag from the floor and slung it over his shoulder, then handed me my purse. When he wrapped a possessive arm around my waist, my head swam in the clouds as we hurried to our departure gate.

After take-off, Joshua raised the armrest, unbuckled my seat belt, and stretched out in first class. He pulled a blanket from the seat pouch in front of him, and draped it around me before pulling me across his lap. Nestled against his sturdy chest, I wrapped my arms around him and issued a sigh of contentment.

“You’re exhausted. Sleep, little one,” he instructed with a soft kiss to my forehead.

“I am. Thank you,” I replied with a weary smile.

Snuggled tight against his hard chest, I closed my eyes. Joshua provided me with the medicine I so desperately needed: compassion, strength, and understanding. I focused on his soft, even breaths as the tempo lulled me to sleep.

The feel of his long fingers threading through my hair rousted me from the darkness.

“Wake up, my sleeping beauty. We’re getting ready to land.”

“Mmm,” I purred. “I don’t want to. I want to stay wrapped in your arms forever.”

He issued a low chuckle. “That can be arranged, little one.”

Peeking up at him from beneath my lashes, the sincerity of his statement reflected in his eyes. It was both heartwarming and crushing. In a perfect world, we’d be in Chicago, tangled in the sheets until this manic connection binding us died. But in the real world, the stirring fantasy could never exist. Mentally adhering bandages to the bleeding wounds impaling my heart, I sat up as we prepared to land and steeled myself to face the ugliness Davis Walker had left in his wake.

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