Page 74 of So Right
“We all have issues, don’t we?”
“I guess. What are yours? Just reappearing exes?”
His issues.Yeah, those. “Reappearing exes whose hearts I’ve broken, apparently.” He stretched his folded leg out and put both feet on the floor.
It was her turn to bend her knee and turn toward him, resting her elbow on the back of the couch. “You didn’t realize that?”
“Not to the level that she said this morning.” He sent her a wry glance. “She’s still hung up on me.”
“I could see that.”
He smiled at the irony in her tone. “I admit I was a bit blind to…things. It took me a while to realize she was more into the relationship than I was. Moving back here gave me the distance I needed to break things off. Shit, that sounds so cowardly.” He turned his head to look at her. “In my defense, I didn’t see it. Like I said, I was a blind asshole.”
“I don’t think you meant to be an asshole. Or to hurt her. That’s not the Luke I’ve come to know.” She stared at him a moment. “Unless you’ve been hiding who you really are, in which case I’d have to leave. I can’t do that again. I need to know who I’m with.”
That socked him right in the gut. She’d been with someone who’d had some whole other side to him. He owed her the truth. Right now.
He turned toward her again, mirroring her position, complete with his elbow on the back of the couch. “I care about you a lot, Kelsey. More than I’ve cared for anyone. That said, I’m maybe a bit more than an introvert. Some might even call me a loner. I like my space. I honestly don’t know how good I’ll be at a long-term, serious relationship. Paige was the first one I’d tried, and it didn’t go well. There’s nothing I’d hate more than hurting you.”
Her gaze was guarded. “What are you saying? Do you want to stop seeing each other?”
Hell, he was botching this. He took her hands in his. “No, definitely not. I just wanted you to know about my…issues.”
Her eyes widened briefly, and her brows arched. “Oh, right. Issues. I did ask.”
“Yes, but I was going to tell you anyway. You deserve total honesty.”
A soft smile fluttered across her mouth. “Thank you. This morning when you introduced me to Paige, you called me your girlfriend. Is that true?”
He hadn’t given it any thought when he’d said it—the word had just come out. But it fit. “For me, yes. But you can tell me otherwise.”
She shook her head. “No. I think I’d like to be your girlfriend.”
Joy bubbled in his chest, and he smiled because he couldn’tnotsmile. He leaned forward and kissed her, a light touching of their lips. “Consider it done.”
She twined her arms around his neck and opened her mouth against his, kissing him with heat and fervor. He clasped her sides and massaged her through her jacket, then brought his hands around to push it from her shoulders.
She shrugged out of it and let it drop to the floor. Without breaking the kiss, she knelt up, rising over him. Her tongue plunged down into his mouth, teasing him. Every part of him ached for her.
Her fingers delved into his hair, her nails raking his scalp. She straddled him, her knees spearing into the couch on either side of his hips. He grasped her waist and pulled her down while he arched up. They both wore jeans, and they were too damn cumbersome to allow what he sought. He wanted her hot sheath bare and ready for him.
She moaned into his mouth as she ground against him. He dug his hands into her ass, desperate for more. She ran her hands down his back and grabbed the hem of his T-shirt. Her fingers grazed his bare flesh as she drew it upward. They pulled apart long enough for her to tug it over his head and throw it over the back of the couch.
They renewed the kiss, their mouths open and hungry. She gripped his shoulders as she plundered his mouth. Then her hands skimmed over his collarbones and down his chest, her thumbs flicking his nipples as they moved south.
Desire beat through him, taking him to new heights of arousal. This was more than sex. This was a connection he’d never felt.
She tore her mouth from his and kissed along his throat, pushing him back against the couch as she descended. Her lips and tongue trailed along his flesh. Again, she stopped at his nipples, teasing them briefly before she continued toward his waistband.
Her hands made quick work of his button and zipper, undoing his jeans with effortless precision. His cock was hard and ready, so eager for her touch.
She tugged at his jeans, working them down over his hips. He came up off the couch to help her, and she soon stripped them away from his quivering body. He watched as she settled herself between his legs and inched his boxer briefs lower, slowly exposing his aching cock.
She looked up at him, her tongue darting over her lips as she gave him a wicked little grin. He snagged his fingers in her hair and moaned her name.
Without bothering to pull his underwear completely off, she put her lips on him. Her wet heat surrounded the tip and then her mouth descended as her tongue stroked his length. He tried to hold himself in check but couldn’t. He thrust up into her, and she took him to the back of her throat. He felt her swallow, and the contraction sent blood screaming to his balls. This was not going to last long.
She seemed to realize this as she eased back and used her hand to work his shaft for several strokes. He squeezed his eyes shut as pleasure cascaded through him. God, the ecstasy was almost unbearable.
