Page 35 of Connected By Stars
“What? It’s true. I told him all about us, and he knows where I stand.”
“And I know where he stands. He’s doing theI’ll be the considerate friend she can lean on and trust, hoping she will change her mind one day.” Bell has no idea the effect she has on guys. They all want to be herfriend,hoping she will change her mind one day because being in her presence is better than not having her at all.
“I don’t think so. I really think he’s okay with just being my friend.”
“I don’t think anyone would be okay with just being your friend.” I reach out and tuck a strand of hair that blew in her face from the light breeze. I notice the hoodie she’s wearing. “Hey, is that my hoodie? I had one just like it in high school and looked for it for days.”
Giggling, she shoves her hands in the pocket. “I may have stolen it from you back in high school.”
“May have?” I arch my eyebrows at her, and she giggles harder.
“Okay, okay. I wanted to sleep in your hoodie, so I stole it.”
“Why did you want to sleep in it?”
“It...” She looks down at her lap. “It smelled like you. I felt safe when wearing it. I know it sounds dumb. I was young.”
I lift her chin with my finger so she’s looking at me. “It’s not dumb. It looks way better on you than it ever did on me. Just so you know, I would have given it to you if you would have asked me for it. I’m glad you have it, though. You look really sexy in my clothes.” I grab her waist and bring her over to me so she’s straddling my lap. She puts her hands in my hair, and I close myeyes briefly before opening them. I push her hair back off her shoulders and run my hand down her neck. I grin when I see the makeup couldn’t cover it.
“I know what you’re grinning at, Maverick Alexander. I can’t believe you did that right before I saw Logan.” She gives me a stern look that I find adorable, and it only makes me laugh.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You marked me on purpose so he would see it. I had to hide it with my hair all night long.”
“Do you have any idea how hard that makes me? Having you walk around with a mark that I gave you with my mouth, knowing how good it made you feel when I sucked on your beautiful skin?”
She takes a sharp inhale and moves slightly against me, causing me to instantly swell with need. “I plan on getting you back one day for that, just so you know.”
“Baby, you can mark me anytime you want.” I stare into her eyes and lose myself in them. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” I breathe.
I run my thumb over her bottom lip before lightly kissing the corner. I kiss the other side before it becomes too much, and I have to really taste her. I press my lips to hers and go deeper, seeking out her tongue and exploring every inch of her mouth. I run my hands under her hoodie, grazing her skin. I moan when I skim her back and find her braless.
She starts to move on my lap, and I nearly come undone at what she makes me feel. I know I need to stop, but my body overrules my mind. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than to be deep inside her right now, making her scream my name. I hear her moan as she rocks against me. I seek out the tiny part of my brain that’s saying I can’t do this and break away before it goes any further.
“We need to stop,” I pant.
“Please, Maverick. I want you.”
“I want you so fucking bad too. I’m about to explode with just you sitting on my lap, but I want to do better this time. I always go straight to sex. I skip all the little stuff, so there’s no attachment. I want to enjoy the little things with you first. The making out, the holding hands, the pillow talk, the cuddles, I’ve never done any of that with anyone, but I want that with you,” I say softly.
“You know we can still do all of that stuff after sex, too, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” I laugh softly. “And trust me, it’s taking everything in me not to have sex with you right now, but I also have to think about Noah.”
Groaning, she gets off me and sits next to me. She looks as sexually frustrated as I feel.
“Just hear me out, ok? I want to do this right. It wouldn’t feel right to me to have sex with you or see any of your lady parts before the wedding.”
“Are you serious right now? Lady parts?”
“I know it sounds stupid, but I’m going to be helping Noah a lot these last few weeks getting ready for the wedding. I can’t look him in the eye, knowing I’ve had sex with his sister or seen her naked in any way. It would feel like a betrayal seeing him and knowing I’ve been with his sister that way and not telling him.”
“So kissing is fine?”
“I wasn’t even going to do that, but I have a hard time controlling myself around you. My plan was to stay away from you for the next few weeks until after the wedding, but I wasn’t strong enough. But yes, kissing is fine. I can live with that secret for a little bit.”
She bites her bottom lip while she thinks about it. I stifle a moan as I reach out and release her bottom lipwith my finger. “Do you have to torture me, though? This is hard enough without you looking at me like that.”
