Page 82 of There's No Us Without You
With nowhere to go, she glances up at me through her dark lashes. “What... what would you do?” she whispers, before licking her lips.
What I wouldn’t give to see her skin marked by my palm.
In a slow, steady manner, I take a lock of her dark hair and rub it between my index finger and thumb. “First,” I say, taking another step forward so that our bodies are almost touching, “I’d put you over my knee and spank that fine arse until it’s painted a pretty shade of pink. Then I’d put you on your knees. Get the picture?”
Eden swallows hard, her breasts pressing to my chest each time she sucks in a shallow breath. “You’d... spank me?”
“I would,” I say, rubbing a thumb over her bottom lip. “And my guess is you’d like it.”
“How... how do you know I’d like it?” Her voice is all breathy, and sexy as hell.
I tilt my head and drop my eyes to her lower half. “Tell me you aren’t soaking those panties of yours right now.”
Gasping, Eden attempts to hide her body’s reaction by squeezing her thighs together. “What? I—no.”
This is a far cry from the woman taking control earlier this evening. Now she wants to pretend she doesn’t want my dominance.
Closing my eyes for a quick second, I breathe her in. “You are right about one thing, Eden,” I say, my breath fanning her face. “I am the one you should stay away from.” It takes all my effort to step away when all I want to do is throw her over my shoulder and march her up to my bedroom.
Eden opens her mouth, presumably to say something, but closes it again when all that comes out is a slight whimper.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” I say before heading into the kitchen and leaving Eden pressed against the wall, body quivering.
Moments later, the sound of her quickening footsteps on the tiles, followed by silence, tells me she disappeared up the stairs. I press my sweaty palms into the granite and hang my head, letting my shoulders relax.
Being around her is fucking torture. And now that Emerson is back, everything can return to the way it was before I knew what it felt like to have her in my arms.
Or grinding against me.
TWENTY-THREE
Emerson
I followTyler out the front door, the warm, humid air sticking to my skin. This is the first opportunity I’ve had all night to get him alone, so I’m taking it.
Tyler steps up to his car and runs a hand through his hair. “Thanks for dinner, man. You’re a lucky sonofabitch.” One corner of his mouth lifts up. “She’s a good girl.”
I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans as I stare at the ground, nodding. “Yeah, she’s something.”
Between Will and Eden, they’re everything I need to hold onto right now, which is why I’m out here with Tyler, potentially about to ruin my career. This is my last chance to get me through the next few weeks.
Then I’m done.
I promise.
Tyler pats my shoulder, pulling my attention from the ground. “Everything alright?”
Fuck. How do I do this? I’m just going to come out and say it.
“Listen, man,” I say, before clearing my throat. “I need your help.”
My heart is jumping around inside my chest, and my mouth is so damn dry. I’ve never felt so vulnerable, so desperate in all my life.
“My help?” Tyler rubs his chin as he frowns. “What’s going on?”
“I just need something... you know, until after finals.”
Drawing back, Tyler narrows his eyes. “What do you mean by something?”
