Page 41 of Blissful Hook

"Guess it's my lucky day," I mumble under my breath and push it open, placing my foot on the first step. I try not to gag when the dirty carpet squishes under my feet. I'm out of breath when I reach his door three floors later.

My fist hits the door three times before I take a step back and shove my hands in the pocket of my hoodie. I hear footsteps thump from in the apartment. The intimidating sound syncs perfectly with the thumping rhythm of my heart. I hear him curse under his breath before I hear the chain lock slide. The door is pulled open quickly and my mouth dries when I come face to face with the guy in front of me. All coherent thoughts dissipate as fast as the air from my lungs.

"What?" he grumbles.

"Hi." My voice raises awkwardly in some sort of embarrassing squeak as I stand awkwardly in the doorway. Tyler looks down at me, wearing nothing but a loose towel and an intimidating scowl.

"Do you need something?" he asks. His scowl twists up into a smirk when he notices where my attention has fallen. My eyes find the scattered water droplets that hang from his naked skin. The perfectly spaced indents that form his impressive six-pack yank the breath from my lungs. I itch to reach out and touch him, to feel the heat beneath my fingertips, to snake my hand beneath that freaking towel.

"Want me to just drop the damn thing?"

"What?" I nearly choke on a cough.

"Do you want me to drop the towel? It seems to be obstructing your view."

My eyes pop open quickly before I collect my composure and narrow them into slits. "Can I come in or not?"

Tyler moves aside, opening his arm as a silent invitation. I straighten my back and walk past him. A sharp breeze scrapes along the living room floor and nips at my thin sock-covered toes as I walk cautiously around the random clothing items strewn around. The patio door is slid open, exposing the bland cement balcony that looks onto the empty streets. Not much of a view if you ask me.

"Are you here to embarrass me again?" Tyler asks from behind me. His voice is so void of all emotion that I find myself flinching.

I turn around with a sigh and fold my arms across my chest.. He's no longer in only a towel. Now his chiselled chest is covered by a plain white t-shirt while a pair of grey sweats hang on his hips.

"Can we sit and talk or do you want us to fight instead?"

He rolls his eyes and walks past me to sit down on the couch. With a deep breath, I nod my head and follow, sitting on the cushion beside him.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you," I mumble and stare at the dark hair that covers his jaw while he keeps his gaze locked in front of him. I watch as he swallows harshly, throat bobbing before he runs his fingers through his onyx hair.

"I should have said something. I wanted to say something."

"Don't worry about it. I actually don't even know why I said anything. I wasn't thinking." He shrugs and finally brings his brown eyes to mine. The lack of any feeling in those dark chocolate orbs is like a stab to my chest. I know he doesn't mean that. This is what Tyler does, he's just trying to push me away.

"Don't try it, Ty. You're not fooling me."

"Then you're dumber than I thought."

I drop my eyes to the button on the couch cushion laying beside my thigh, half pulled from its stitches. His words hurt, regardless if they're true or not.

"Stop it. You know you can't push me away."

He keeps staring at the wall and leans his elbows on the loose pants that cover his thighs. He doesn't say anything as I continue to watch him. I can feel my anger rising while my patience drops.

"Just look at me. What good does fighting this do? Clearly you care about me in one way or another. So stop being a damn pussy and admit it already!" I shout, fed up.

"Are you really calling me a pussy? After what happened?"

"If it hadn't taken you so long to finally admit you have feelings for me then maybe I wouldn't have been so damn shocked!"

"I never said I had feelings for you.” He’s retreating now, looking out towards the window.

"Fine. Then I'll leave. Is that what you want? Because I'm not going to keep doing this. If you don't want me, then I'll leave. Simple as that."

My words seem to spark a reaction from inside him because he whips his head to the side and lets out a string of curses before smashing out mouths together. Our groans intertwine as I throw my leg over his thighs and sit in his lap, straddling him. I grab his hair in a tight fist and pull him as close to me as possible, terrified that if I don’t, he’ll push me away. He takes me by surprise when he grabs my cheeks in his palms and deepens the kiss, keeping me in place.

I release his hair and take the opportunity to run my hands over his hard body, not stopping until the soft material of his shirt is bunched between my fingers. He unlatches his lips from mine for a brief second so he can tug the shirt over his head and throw it across the room before moulding our mouths together again.

His skin is hot under my touch, addicting almost as I continue to feel him with abandon. He's rough, yet somehow gentle as he places his hands on my hips, pushing the material of my sweater up until I feel his fingers sending shocks through my bones.

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