Page 41 of Off Limits

“You should be going to bed, baby girl. It’s late.” It’s like he can read my mind.

“I know. I just, I don’t want to say goodbye.” That’s always the most painful part. The moment silence fills my ear.

“I don’t either, but you’ll be here in a few days.”

“It can’t come soon enough.”

“No, it certainly can’t. Go to sleep, my beautiful girl.” How does one not swoon over such sweet words? He’s always saying something that makes me want to hug him, kiss him, adore him.

“Okay. Good night, baby. Happy early birthday. I’ll call you after my class tomorrow. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Dream of me.”

“I always do.” Pressing the end button is always the hardest part. I hate cutting the connection.

Climbing into bed, I’m worn down. This long-distance thing is for the birds. The shirt I’d made Lochlyn let me keep before he left from my birthday visit barely smells like him anymore. Even still, I slide the collar up over my nose as I close my eyes, hoping what little smell is left will trigger wonderful dreams.

Chapter 9

IgettoLochlyn’sat four on Friday. Chelsea kept me longer than I wanted, but I’m happy I’ve eaten and gotten a coffee before hitting the road. The drive isn’t as bad as I was anticipating, never really having done this far of a drive by myself before.

For some reason, I’m jittery as I stand in front of Lochlyn’s door. I’m not really sure what to expect. It also could be the matching bra and panty set I have on under my clothes.

Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door. It flies open within seconds as Lochlyn’s beaming face appears on the other side. He grabs me by the belt loops and pulls me into the apartment, my body crashing into his as my bag falls to the floor. His mouth is colliding with mine before I’m even across the threshold.

His hand slips up to cup my cheek as he pulls away. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

“So, this is the place. Nothing too exciting.” I take in his apartment. It’s a large rectangular room. The right half appears to be the living room with a dark brown sofa and loveseat, a huge flat screen TV hangs on one wall, two tall bookcases stand on the opposite one. To the left is the kitchen, which has an eat-at bar, granite counters, and stainless-steel appliances. There’s a hallway straight across from the front door, down which I can see three doorknobs. There are hardwood floors as far as I can see. It’s a much nicer apartment than I’d expect for college students, but I know Lochlyn’s parents paid for it.

“Where’s Weston?” Lochlyn’s told me a lot about his roommate turned friend Weston, but I notice we’re alone as I take off my coat.

“Oh, he, uh, graciously gave us the apartment for the weekend. His birthday present to me.”

“Why would he do that?” I know exactly why, but part of me wants to hear Lochlyn say it. Or more so, I want him to show me.

He leans in and starts kissing my neck. “Well, because there are things I want to do to you that he knows would be a little awkward if he was still hanging around.” His mouth is still against my neck as he speaks. He peppers gentle kisses across my shoulder, pushing my collar to the side, running his hands down my arms. My head tilts back, and a tiny moan escapes as his hands settle on my hips, thumbs rubbing against the bone as his mouth works up my neck.

When his mouth finds mine again, there’s an urgency behind it. His hand wraps around the base of my skull, fingers tangling in my hair, pulling the slightest bit as he tips my head back. As my mouth parts for his, our tongues collide, and as the kiss intensifies, his free hand slips under the hem of my shirt.

I tilt back to look at him, but he pulls me against him, mouth latching just under my jaw and kissing down my neck. A moan is my only response.

“You really don’t want to do anything for your birthday?” It all comes out breathless.

“Oh, I definitely do,” he says against my neck. Then his eyes meet mine. “You.”

His mouth crashes to mine again, his fingers still in my hair. My chest is pressed so firmly against his, there’s pressure in my breasts. His tight grip makes it so I can feel his muscles cord. I wouldn’t be able to move if I wanted to.

It’s a new sort of urgency, borderline aggressive, but I like it. It just shows me how much he wants me.

His hands slide to under my thighs as he pulls me up, and I loop my legs around him, his mouth shifting to my throat.

“You’re feisty today,” I say as his fingers dig into my thighs.

“I’ve really fucking missed you.”

Once we’re in his room, he sets me down in front of the bed. His hands move the hem of my shirt when I stop him, grabbing his wrists. Our faces are so close, his warm breath puffs against my cheek with his heavy exhale.

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