Page 110 of The Stranger
Mum: I love you, Delilah. I hope you know that.
She swipes her fingers under her eyes, so I place my hand on her leg.
“I love you too,” I tell her because I don’t know what else to say.
I open the passenger side door and help Delilah out of the car when we get back to the apartment. Once she’s on her feet, I fold her in my arms. I’m not good at situations like this. I don’t know what to say or do. I also feel partly responsible for this mess. I gave her the ammunition that led to tonight’s clusterfuck.
I was trying to help, not make things worse for her.
She’s quiet on the ride up to our floor, and once inside, she says, “I’m going to have a quick shower.”
“Do you want some company?” I ask, feeling a touch panicked.
Is she shutting me out?
She reaches for my hand, giving it a slight squeeze. “I just need a moment. I’ll come look for you in a bit.”
“Okay.”
She heads to her bedroom, so I go to mine. After shrugging out of my tuxedo jacket and removing my bowtie, I drop them both at the foot of my bed. I slip out of my shoes next and take a seat on the edge of the mattress as I bury my face in my hands. I don’t know how to make this right.
My mind is racing as I replay tonight in my head. I want things to return to how they were before the janitor’s closet. Scrap that, just after. That was one of the highlights of the evening … the other being Delilah telling me she loved me.
Deep down, I felt like she did, but hearing the actual words only confirmed those thoughts. Is she regretting saying them now?
“Jesus Christ, Prescott, get a grip,” I groan under my breath as I flop back onto the bed and stare up at the ceiling. I’m letting my mind run away with me.
This is a first for me. I’ve been in lust with women before … plenty of times, but never in love. I’m finding it hard to get a grip on the range of emotions I’ve experienced over the past few months. The highs, the lows, and all the in-betweens. I feel like I’m running a damn gauntlet.
The upside is Delilah. She is, without a doubt, the best thing to ever happen to me. It’s the first time in my life that I truly feel whole. I want this with her … that everlasting love that will carry me through a lifetime of happiness. The downside is that there’s a possibility she may not want the same things I do.
I was on top of the world an hour ago, and now I’m navigating the depths of despair. This damn knot in my gut, the one that’s laced with uncertainty, can fuck right off. I want no part of it.
Then there’s the jealousy I have to contend with. I saw the way Delilah’s ex looked at her tonight. It brought out a fierce possessiveness that I didn’t know existed. My first instinct was to knock him the hell out, but I went all caveman on him instead. Short of pounding my fists against my chest and grunting the word, “Mine,” I made sure he knew she belonged to me now.
His longing for the woman I loved was clear. I can only surmise he’s regretting letting her go. Trading Delilah in for her train wreck of a sister was a huge fucking mistake. One he’ll be kicking himself for, for a long time to come. His loss is my gain because I know her worth.
I told him as much earlier tonight when I ran into him in the men’s restroom. I even went as far as threatening to ruin him if he so much as looked at her sideways. He mumbled something under his breath as he left, but I was confident he’d gotten the message. That was until I exited a few minutes later and saw Delilah was nowhere in sight.
That’s when the panic set in, and when I found theladies’ restroom empty, and no sign of her in the function room, I rushed outside. That’s where I found her with her sister.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when I hear a throat clear softly in the distance. I jolt upright and the last thing I’m expecting is to see Delilah standing on the threshold of my bedroom looking like a damn wet dream in a skimpy, black lace ensemble.
“I’ve been extra naughty tonight.” She says it in a sultry voice I’ve never heard her use before as she curls a strand of her long hair around her finger and bats those baby blues at me. “I’m ready for that spanking now, Mr Prescott.”
“Sweet Jesus, Delilah,” I groan, leaping to my feet.
I rub my eyes to make sure I didn’t conjure up this vision, but when I reopen them and find her still standing there, nibbling on the corner of her plump bottom lip like a goddamn goddess, I’m across the room in a few long strides.
I pause when I reach the doorway, crowding her small body with my own. “You’ve been a very bad girl, Miss St. James,” I growl, using the pad of my thumb to drag down her bottom lip, freeing it from the confines of her teeth. “Are you ready for your punishment?”
When she nods her pretty head, I know I’m a goner. This woman is every fantasy rolled into one, and I want to keep her forever.
My hands reach out to tangle in her hair as I drag her luscious body closer. I tilt her head back when our chests collide, my mouth meeting hers in a bruising kiss. It’s rough, savage, and animalistic. This woman brings out my wild side that’s for sure.
By the time I draw back, I find her mouth red and swollen, but the softness in her eyes as she gazes up at melets me know we’re okay, and I’m flooded with immediate relief.
Fuck, I love this woman.
