Page 167 of Crazy for this Girl

She doesn’t respond, sliding from around my body until I tighten my grip, denying her request to dip out of this conversation. That jasmine perfume she’s wearing only warps me back to where she just stated—the past.

Leaning in, I remember picking up one of her perfume bottles when we were kids, wanting to know what it was. I also notice the soft plushness of her bottom lip jutting out in a pout as I press my forehead into hers.

“Decision’s yours,” I mutter. “I feel like being a broken record is the only way it’s going to sink into your head, Laynee…I’m in this for the long haul. Through all my shitty decisions, I did it to protect you. They may have been wrong, but you’ve been and always were my number one priority. I didn’t know what else to do. I was eighteen with my whole world rocked...and you were the only thing that held that trigger back.”

She pries from my skin, and our eyes meet for the briefest of seconds before my lips descend on hers without another hesitation, thought, or fuck.

My tongue licks a path along the seam of her mouth, needing immediate access, however I’m the only one putting in work here. She’s either too stunned or not wanting to take this farther to complicate our working relationship.

But, fuck, I don’t want just a boss-coworker type of rapport. I want a I can rip your clothes off whenever I want and lick your pussy kind of liaison.

Through a few more lapses of my lips and teasing her with my tongue, Laynee finally begins to move her mouth. My teeth sink into her lip, drawing downward for making me wait to have her. I feel the pads of her fingers find my hips and that’s when I lose all control of this somewhat, and meant to be, easy kiss.

Reaching up to cup the side of her face, my other hand glides down her ribs and around to the small of her back. I’m lost in this kiss, one that happened just because and not due to my needing a favor.

This is years in the making.

The only woman I’ve ever wanted to be with after dating and almost marrying another doesn’t compare to this.

Laynee is my anomaly.

She was always there, always present, always my sounding board.

Then I grew up with resentment when Dad did what he did, thinking leaving me with a company was going to make up for it all.

He gave up nothing.

And I gave up everything.

“I still dream about you, Laynee,” I whisper against her lips. “You’ve been alive in my head for so long that it’s almost too surreal that you’re here now.”

“Shut up, Cal,” she hisses back, her will to fight me breaking as she curls her fingers into the belt loops of my jeans to pull me even closer.

My hand curves back over to the side of her hip and down her thigh. “Then shut me up. Sit on my face and let me taste you since you’re denying me dinner at your place.”

I feel her small shudder when I find the waistband of her leggings, wanting to provoke a yes from her throat that I need so bad it’s fucking torture with her standing right here.

“If you don’t tell me now,” I growl out as I go back to battle with her tongue for a second. My index finger dipping underneath the fabric of her pants just to graze the naked skin there. “I’m doing it.”

The solid oak hardwood floors from inside my house allude that Jonah is coming back outside to get us. Hesitantly, I pull away from his sister, meeting her eyes the moment he comes out the door.

“This house is amazing,” Jonah praises. “When was it built and how’s the energy bills?”

No fucking clue. Really don’t fucking care.

“I’ll have to grab that information for you.”

“I’m looking for something around here to buy,” Laynee’s brother continues, obviously not privy to the sexual tension between me and his sister. “Ellie loves it up here.”

“You’re more than welcome to stay here whenever you want. Get you out of your parents’ house.”

He lets out a small laugh. “Damn…you don’t know how tempting that is, thanks.”

“I’ll bring you the spare key to have at dinner.” I gently hit Jonah on the shoulder. “We’ll see you there in about twenty minutes.”

He won’t see me because it’s obvious Laynee doesn’t want me there, but, Jonah—being so used to Laynee and I being attached at the hip—doesn’t even bother to give me a weird look as to why I just subtly kicked his ass off my porch without his sister.

He only offers me a smile and takes off next door. Meanwhile, my palm is already on Laynee’s back and guiding her inside my cabin.

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