Page 30 of Before We Were Us

“Help yourself.” Taylor motions toward the cups and as he steps up to the pot. Taylor looks back at me widening her eyes. “Wow!” she mouths.

I can’t argue. I pin my lip with my teeth to keep from laughing. Scanning over his strong back I notice the claw marks and my eyes widen before I look to the floor. I know Taylor saw my reaction when she spoke.

“Hey, Jensen.” I lift my gaze to meet Taylor and see the mischievous look on her face. “Do you have a cat?”

No! She did not! I will kill her!

His brows furrow as he turns around and lifts his cup to his lips.

“Taylor,” I offer in warning and she lifts her hands in the air in surrender.

“I’m just saying.” She points to his back and he looks back over his shoulder trying to see what she’s pointing at. “Declawing might help.”

She walks down the hall like she didn’t just out me and leave me in an awkward situation.

His bare feet shuffle along the tile floor until he is standing before me. I lift my gaze to meet his. “Don’t even think about cutting those nails.” Jensen grins, leaning in to press a soft kiss to my lips. “I love my battle scars, confirms that you love the way I feel inside you as much as I love the feeling of you wrapped around me.”

My cheeks heat.

“I’m going to be tied up with interviews and interrogations for the next few days.” He remains close, his coffee now on the counter behind me and his hands on each side, caging me in. “I’m not sure what that’s going to mean as far as free time.”

“I get it.”

Stepping closer, he cups the side of my face, forcing me to see him and only him.

“Last night was incredible,” he confesses. “Knocked me on my ass, sweetheart, right on my ass.”

His powerful shoulders flex. “Don’t want you to think for a minute that what we shared doesn’t have me wanting to skip out on all the shit I have waiting for me at the station.”

“I’ve got a lot of things at work to get through this week too.” I don’t want him to think I need some kind of reassurance that he didn’t just show up at my place in the middle of the night to get laid.

He is watching me and I can’t quite gauge what he’s thinking. A tormented look is in his eyes, and he watches rescanning over my face, still holding me close.

“Babe, I don’t think you get what I’m saying.” Again he skims over my lips with his, sending chills across my back and down my arms. “I don’t want to leave.” He holds my stare. “I don’t know where the hell you came from, Brynn, but you’ve got me all tied up.”

I smile, unable to stop myself.

How can I not find joy in his confession? He’s a strong confident man, a powerful force, one that has everyone turning their heads when he enters a room.

“Yeah,” he adds. “I thought you’d like that confession.” His mouth covers mine and all thoughts escape me as he once again kisses me until my entire body feels like it’s floating through the clouds.

nineteen

. . .

Jensen

“What about dinner?” Brynn asks as I back her up to the wall. We are only a few doors down from the Italian restaurant I’d made the reservation for. It’s been three days of nothing more than quick phone calls or texts. Three long days of wanting to feel her and see her gorgeous eyes looking up at me.

“Just give me this,” I say before I press my lips to hers. The sweetness of her mouth invites me in as she drags her tongue along mine.

She may not say it, but I can sense by the way her body is responding to mine she needs this too.

“Stay with me tonight,” I say between kisses. “It’s nothing special, it's small and nowhere near as homey as your place. But no one is there to hear us, so we can be as loud and dirty as we want to be.” I feel her smile against my lips. “I can do all the things I want to do to you and you can scream my name.”

“What if I want to hear you scream my name?”

It’s my turn to smile. “I am confident that it can be arranged.”

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