Page 10 of Dare to Need

“That sounds about right for New York. Lucas, Samuel, and I roomed with a few other guys when I went to Parsons. It’s cramped, but when you live in New York the only thing you use your apartment for is sleep. There’s always something going down and based on what I read about Deborah, I think you will be pretty busy with her schedule.” His hazel eyes grew brighter as he said, “But hopefully nottoobusy.”

I blushed under the heat of his gaze just as Stella brought a carafe to our table to fill our coffee mugs.

“I still can’t believe that Lucas took off three months from the hospital so he could go with Drema to Europe.”

It was hard to believe that my best friend and I found love in the same place. What Garth was for me, Lucas was for Drema. She had come so far out of her shell that she was like a full-bodied rose compared to the tiny bud she had been when I first met her. He brought out the best in her and from what she told me, she seemed to bring the joy that Lucas so desperately needed in his life.

I was happy for them, but I would miss her a lot this summer. We hadn’t spent more than a few days apart prior to them leaving before graduation.

Garth took a sip of his coffee, the steam rolling over the lip of the mug. “I’d like to do that for you one day.”

My head tilted to the side. “Do what?”

“Whisk you away somewhere you’ve always wanted to go—just the two of us.”

My heart thudded against my chest as his eyes darkened. “You’re already taking me away this summer.”

His raspy chuckle sent chills down my spine. “I’d hardly say that spending the summer on the coast so we can see your parents is the same thing as adventuring through Europe. But, I am glad that we will get this time with them before you start your internship in the fall. I know you miss them now and we’re only forty-five minutes away.”

He was right. From the first year of college, being on my own had been difficult. I was one of the lucky ones. I had parents who loved me more than they loved themselves and it was hard being away from them. My stomach did a somersault thinking about moving to New York, knowing that I would only see them a few times a year.

And that was one of the many reasons I loved Garth Walker. He knew what I needed before I did. When he surprised me a month before graduation by wrapping up the invoice for our vacation home on the coast by my parents, I’d sobbed. It was the perfect and most thoughtful gift. In fact,allof his gifts had been perfect.

Though, the thought of traipsing through Europe, drinking wine, and eating delicious food sounded hard to pass up. Maybe one day we would be able to make some time for that.

“That’s a valid point. But now I know how to surpriseyouwhen I start selling some of my photography.” I shot him a wink before sneaking a glance at my phone to check the time. “We should probably head back to your place so I can take my car back to my apartment and pack before we leave.”

As Garth wrapped his arm around me while we headed toward the double glass doors, I was blissfully unaware of the events that would soon unfold, leaving me stranded and more lost than I’d ever been before.

ChapterFour

Strong arms wrapped around my waist as I tossed the last makeup item from Garth’s bathroom vanity into my bag. We were already late getting on the road and his antics weren’t helping me get ready any faster.

But as he pulled me flush against him and I felt his hard body, all desire to finish packing flew out of my mind.

I met his heated gaze in the mirror. Hungry desire radiated off him in waves as he found his way under the hem of my lacy tank-top. I sucked in a breath as his hands skated up my stomach, moving further up until he palmed my breasts. My desire budded with the peak of my nipples against his touch.

I tilted my neck, giving him access to the sensitive skin along it. Dipping his head low, he planted soft kisses from my shoulder up to the edge of my jaw.

It was a dance we’d started hundreds of times since that first night I gave myself over to him. And it was a dance I would crave for, for the rest of my life.

He spun me around to face him, his hands interlocking at the small of my back and pressing me further into him so that I could feel how ready he was. A whimper escaped my lips as he ground himself against my pelvis—just out of reach of my throbbing clit. And he knew that. He knew what teasing me would lead to.

Our breaths grew faster and faster as he reached down to the curve of my ass and cupped both cheeks before lifting me up to where I could wrap my legs around his waist. His lips crashed against mine with an intensity that knocked the breath from my lungs. I opened up for him, our tongues tenderly swirling together as he started walking us through the loft, to his bed where he laid me down.

“If I knew packing would be this much fun, I would have started last night,” I said with a smirk.

“Haven’t you learned by now that everything is fun with me, doll face?” With an arched brow, he dipped low between my legs where his tongue met my entrance with tantalizing strokes.

A heady breath escaped from my lips as I dug my fingers into the plush comforter, twisting it in my fists. Garth’s tongue swirled and suckled along my sensitive folds until I was nearing the edge. Everything was fast with him. The way I fell in love and the overwhelming feelings that took over when he worshipped my body. Just as I was about to topple over, he pulled away, leaving me whimpering at the loss of contact.

In one smooth move, Garth wrapped his arms under my knees and pulled me toward the edge of the bed. I bit my lip as I gazed up at him while he took his time unbuttoning his shirt. Desperate to feel him against me, I tried to lean up so I could just rip his damn shirt off, but he pushed me back down with a feral grin on his face.

“There’s no reason to rush now. We’re already going to be late.”

With those words, my core clenched and my clit throbbed because I knew exactly what I was in for when Garth wanted to take his time with me.

The sound of his zipper being pulled down mixed with our heavy breaths had me reaching down to rub my fingertips along my hot pulsing skin.

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