Page 22 of Confused AF
I instantly pushed to my feet and held my hand out to him. “Let’s go.”
nine
~ Otto ~
“Areyousureyou’reokay?” Vaden asked when we entered our suite at the hotel. “You’ve barely said a word since we left the convention center.”
It had been a long day filled with a lot of ups and downs—mostly downs—and everything had happened so quickly I still hadn’t had time to process it. My current mood, however, had little to do with the expo or Kassidy Bassiago.
When Vaden had told me to think about our relationship, he had probably meant for longer than a day. I knew he wanted me to take the time to examine my feelings before making such an important choice, and I respected his concerns. After all, my decision didn’t only affect my future, but his as well.
While I admitted to getting caught up in the moment back in that conference room, I had still been fully aware of my actions. The mating pull had been intense, making me a little bolder than I might have been otherwise, but I had never felt compelled.
I didn’t need time to know my own heart. I just needed him, and the day’s events had only solidified that certainty.
Through all the drama, Vaden had remained my one constant. When the entire beauty world had pointed a finger at me, he had stood firm and pointed it right back. His faith in me hadn’t wavered, not once, and his unflinching belief had seen me through to the end.
No one had ever looked at me the way Vaden did, and more importantly, no one had everseenme like him. He made me better, stronger, and he gave me the courage and support to go after the things I wanted.
And what I wanted more than anything was him.
“Otto?” He paused inside the common area to set my makeup cases down on the desk before turning to face me. “What’s going on? Are you worried about Kassidy?”
“No.” I stood in the middle of the room, my arms dangling awkwardly at my sides. “In fact, I’d be happy to never think about her again.”
“Chloe?”
I hated that I’d made him worry, but I couldn’t help but smile at his exasperated tone. “No, not Chloe.”
“Something’s clearly on your mind.” He crossed the distance to stand in front of me, taking my hands in his so I could stop worrying about what the hell to do with them. “Talk to me.”
“I could tell you, but I don’t think you want to hear it.”
And the thought of opening myself up to that kind of rejection after barely surviving an attempted assassination on my career made my stomach cramp.
His gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowing at the corners. “Tell me anyway.”
“So, I thought about what you said,” I told him, keeping my words purposely vague as I tested the waters.
His fingers flexed around mine, but his expression gave away nothing. “And?”
Recognizing that single word as a cautious invitation, I took a deep breath and released it slowly through my lips. “And nothing has changed. I still feel exactly the same way I did last night.”
Vaden nodded, acknowledging that he’d heard me, but he didn’t rush to fill the silence. He just stood there, holding the line, waiting for me to make the choice to cross it or back away.
I stepped forward.
“I don’t care if it’s too fast or too crazy. I love you, Vaden.” It felt good to finally say it. Scary, but good. “That’s my decision. I chooseyou.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Then he palmed the back of my neck and crushed our mouths together, his lips firm and unyielding. “I love you, too, Otto. I think I have from the first moment I saw you.”
The confession crashed over me, warming me, filling me with relief. “This is what I want. You. Us.” I pushed up on my toes to claim his lips again. “I’m ready.”
Our bodies collided, our mouths meeting in a tangle of lips and tongues, the heat of the kiss burning away the last remnants of doubt.
My heart pounded hard and fast against my ribs, my entire body vibrating from the force. A thrill of anticipation raced along my spine, and my muscles coiled tight as need flooded my veins.
We continued to eat at each other as we moved toward the bedroom, hands groping blindly to remove the barriers that separated us. Leaving a trail of discarded shoes and torn fabric in our wake, we stumbled through the door and tumbled onto the bed.
