Page 53 of Walk on the Wilde Side
"Shit, is his name really Gargon? Actually, yeah, that fits. That guy wasn't born. He was hatched in some radioactive facility for giant creatures, and man, he really took me out. One minute I was looking at you, thinking I was going to be carrying you off into the sunset and the next, I was out."
"He got you good." I moved closer. "How would you have carried me? I'm trying to get an image. Would I wrap my arms around your neck?" I circled my arms in the air to give a visual. "And then your arm would sweep under my legs, and I would dangle and kick my feet giddily? Or would you have dropped me over your shoulder? Also, kind of fun in a much less dramatic way but also not an entirely unsexy way."
Zander gazes at me, a crooked hint of a smile on his face. "Well, considering that my right arm was hanging off the end of my body, swinging back and forth uselessly like a donkey's tail, I'd probably have gone with the shoulder drop." I squeal as he lunges for me. He lifts me and drops me over his left shoulder.
My head is hanging down and getting a very nice, unobstructed view of his ass as he carries me down the hallway. "You know, this isn't as sexy as I pictured. The blood is rushing to my head, and doesn't a donkey's tail have a purpose, like flicking off flies?" I squeal again as he tugs me down from his shoulder. Our bodies slide past each other as he controls my descent to the floor.
The comical moment is over, and a serious hush falls over us. "We've both been idiots," I say. "All these years, I stood by and watched you with other girls, and I told myself Zander Wilde would never fall in love with a dweeb like me. I was too quiet, too boring, too serious."
"And bookish. Don't forget the whole nerdy bookworm thing," he adds.
"Butthead."
"That I am. And I'm an idiot because any time I was with you, no matter who else was with us or in the room, I only ever had eyes for you. You were always way too good for me, Nevvie. You still are."
"I don't know. I think my Miss Polly Perfect reputation has been shattered by the fact that I was hanging with gun runners."
Zander shakes his head. "When I get my hands on that fucking Hoffman …"
"You'll let the police handle him. It's over. He was a big mistake, and I don't want to be reminded of it, so never bring him up again."
He gazes down at me with a look that doesn't hold much promise for my request.
"Let's put away these silly mythical people we've come up with for each other and just be Zander and Nevvie, two people who have pretty much been through everything together. I can predict when something is going to make you laugh or make you sad or angry. I know you, Zander, and I've never found anything that I considered not good enough. I've been in love with you since I knew what love was. In fact, I can still remember that day. You came to middle school in a thin T-shirt in the middle of winter. There was frost on the school windows, and your lips were lightly blue. I asked you if you wanted me to go to the lost and found and find you a coat or sweatshirt. You wouldn't look at me. You were too proud. You shook your head and said 'I'm fine, Nevvie.' That was it. My heart just curled up into a tiny, whimpering ball, and it told me, I'm not going to unfurl until you admit you love Zander Wilde."
Zander circles his arms around me and pulls me against his rock-hard body. "Is it unfurling right now?"
"Yep. That's what's happening, Mr. Wilde. Don't you dare disappoint me."
He lowers his mouth to mine. His warm breath caresses my bottom lip. "I have no intention of ever disappointing you, Nevvie, cuz I've been waiting for you forever." His mouth comes down over mine.
twenty-five
Zander
My hands sweep under Nev's shirt, and I have it up and off in seconds. The bra and my own shirt are right behind it. I'm mentally telling myself to slow down, but it's having the same effect as trying to slow down a runaway train with a stop sign and whistle. It's hard for me to believe it's real. I've dreamt obsessively about being with Nev. To have her standing naked in my bedroom is far too incredible to believe.
Like with everything, she senses my hesitance and presses her hands against my chest. "Be gentle with me," she whispers.
I nod, not entirely sure I can deliver on that promise. "I will," the words croak out of my throat. I'm so fucking hard it's as if my erection has choked me.
A sexy smile tilts her mouth. "Just kidding, Mr. Gullible. I don't want gentle. I want you. I want Zander Wilde but not Zander Wilde with other women. I don't want the same. I want more. I want way more."
My mouth slams down over hers, and my tongue trails along her teeth and tongue as my hands fumble with her jeans. Normally, I'd have a pair of jeans around a slim pair of ankles in seconds, but this isn't any pair of jeans. Theses jeans are wrapped around Nev's sweet form. Just having her in front of me throws off my concentration.
She giggles against my mouth as I finally get the jeans unbuttoned. I pause to pull them down. Her panties come with them, which is helpful since my clumsy big hands would probably just disintegrate the flimsy silk if I had to deal with them.
I kiss her once more, then step back to look at her. "This is fucking surreal," I say.
She covers herself. "Shit, do you mean that in a good way?"
"I mean I can't believe Nevada Mason is standing naked in my room." I reach forward and take hold of her hands, holding them out to her sides so my gaze can stroke the entire length of her. I groan with need. "Never wanted anyone so badly in my life, Nevvie."
Her hazel eyes look pale green in the dim light coming through the blinds. "I'm yours, Zander. I've always been yours."
I lift her up, and she squeals as I drop her over my shoulder. "Still not romantic enough?" I ask.
"It's a little caveman-ish, and I definitely feel more vulnerable being stark naked, but it works."
