Page 46 of Dare to Need

When my lips met hers, she whimpered as she opened up for me. I slid my hand back, fisting the nape of her delicate neck. The tender roll of her tongue against mine sent a shock of wanting straight to my length that grew thicker as she started to grind her hips against mine.

“I wanted to tell you…” I said between hasty kisses. “That last night was fucking incredible.”

She bit down hard on my bottom lip, letting it go with a resoundingpop. “I didn’t realize you were such an exhibitionist,” she growled against my lips.

A hearty chuckle made its way up my chest. “I could say the same thing about you, my little vixen.”

Her dazzling honey-brown eyes met mine. “I want to do it again.”

She yipped as I smacked her bare ass, my palm stinging from the contact. “I think I can arrange that.”

We spent the rest of the day and early evening tangled in the white linen sheets, devouring one another with such carnal need, I wondered if we’d ever come up for air.

The ceiling fan rotated around and around, mimicking the circles I drew lazily on Eva’s stomach. We eventually found a stopping point with bruised lips and sore bodies, but it felt damn good to have her back in my arms again. Both of us were willing to work on our faults for one another, despite everything we put each other through this past week.

She was my person. The sunshine that lit up the darkness and I was finally coming to terms with the changes I needed to make within myself to better our relationship.

“Mmmm,” she murmured as she wiggled her butt against me. “That feels good.”

She squealed when I nipped her earlobe, pressing her further against me. Just as I was about to plant another kiss along her exposed neck, a loud knock sounded at the door.

“That’s strange,” I said as I crawled out of the bed and threw on some shorts.

“Did you order room service?” I asked Eva over my shoulder.

“Mm-mm.” She shook her head with a bright smile plastered across her face as she reached for the tank-top and shorts I peeled off of her earlier.Strange.

But as I opened the door to reveal the person behind it, I knew exactly why she was smiling.

“Surprise!” Lucas and Drema exclaimed, both their arms open wide.

“Holy shit! What the hell are you two doing here?” I pulled them both into a quick hug before ushering them into our room.

Eva jumped off the bed and bounded over to me. She planted a swift kiss on my cheek before she said, “It was so hard keeping it a secret all day, but after I talked to Drema last night, they decided they wanted to be here for us.”

Lucas dropped his and Drema’s bags on the floor by the breakfast table before turning back to us. “I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner, brother. I didn’t realize you were in such a bad way over everything.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I honestly didn’t know just how bad it was until yesterday. I appreciate you two coming all the way here. Wait…Drema, aren’t you supposed to be doing an internship right now?”

Fiery red curls poked out in all directions, giving her the look of a wild siren held captive on land. Her water-blue eyes met mine with a wink. “You and Eva needed us. Italy will still be there when I’m ready to go back. There’s no other place we need to be right now,” she asserted over Eva’s shoulder as they held each other in a tight hug.

When Eva turned around to look at me, I felt a huge break in the wall I’d built around my heart. The pieces started to fall away and I knew change was coming. This woman, this incredibly selfless and kind woman, knew what I needed before I knew myself. I beat myself up for letting shame and guilt prevent me from opening up to her when the truth was that the safest place my heart could reside was in her small delicate hands.

ChapterNineteen

EVA

Drema and I strolled through Central Park, arm in arm, with Garth and Lucas a few paces ahead of us.

I squeezed my arm around her, pulling us closer together as I dropped my head to her shoulder. “I still can’t believe you came here for us.”

“I have no doubt you would have done the same thing if it were me or Lucas who was in trouble.” She patted the top of my hand before nodding her chin toward Garth. “How is he?”

Standing tall again, I heaved a sigh. “Better? I think. He came back to our room this morning and everything felt…I don’t know…different? He told me he talked to his father and that helped him gain some insight and when we talked it sounded like he had a new perspective. I have to admit I was starting to worry that we’d both fucked things up so badly that it would be hard to come back to one another. To find some normalcy.”

Our pace slowed a little, giving us more space between the guys. I lowered my voice as I said, “I know we talked about me taking a step back and not being as pushy right now. But I can’t stand the thought of him losing out on Studio 628. It’s been his dream to show his art there since he was nineteen, Drema. I don’t know if him pulling his pieces will burn the bridge he made or if he will even have the time to pursue art at all now that he’s taken over the Walker Corporation. But I can’t imagine his life without art. ”

There was an unspoken worry I carried, hitting me deep in my soul. Wondering if Garth would be the same person I fell in love with if he wasn’t an artist. Creating was such a central part of who he was as a person…it overwhelmed me to think of who he might turn into taking over the role of his father in a multi-billion dollar company.

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