Page 43 of Come A Little Closer

Most of the time. But the truth was that I had a long way to go.

I was learning, things like how to flip the switches in the breaker box if the power tripped and that one was expected to go shopping before a fancy party, but I didn’t even know how many other things I had left to learn that most people seemed to find obvious.

In that sense, I was a baby, and surely, someone sophisticated and who had it all together the way he did wouldn’t want someone so pathetic. Yet, as he kissed me and brought me closer to him, I felt his heart slamming against my palm. I also felt his cock wake up as it started bulging against my lower stomach.

In response, my nipples hardened and my core grew needy all over again. I didn’t think I would ever be able to find out that Niall was getting turned on and not get turned on myself. His desire was a definite catalyst for my own. I wanted him all the time anyway, but knowing that I had such a real and visceral effect on a guy like him definitely got my juices flowing.

Moaning into his mouth, I pressed myself as close to him as I could get, winding my arms around his shoulders but needing to know something before this carried on. “Are you sure?”

He froze against me, regrettably pulling away to look into my eyes. He didn’t let go of me, though. At least that made me think he wasn’t going to chase me out his house just yet.

Those blue eyes were dark with lust, his pupils so dilated that there was barely any iris left, but I also saw warmth there. A fierce determination sparked in them too, and it matched the tone of his voice when he spoke again.

“I’ll say this as many times as it takes for you to not only hear me, but to truly believe that it’s true. Tallulah Pruette, I admire you. I’m in awe of you and while I know you think that what you just told me should’ve made me not want you anymore, that’s the complete opposite of how I’m feeling.”

“What do you mean?” I whispered.

He tightened his grip on me, his eyes blazing now as they looked into mine. “I mean that I want you more than ever, and that’s saying something. You are so much stronger than I knew, and if anyone doesn’t deserve the other, it’s me that doesn’t deserve you. You’re resilient, and independent, and free-spirited, and assertive, and I adore you. The fact that you can still see the world the way you do after everything they put you through astounds me. I’d have been a drooling heap in a padded room somewhere if my family had broken me down the way yours tried to do to you, but you rose above. You fought back, and here you are. How can you possibly not see how fucking incredible that makes you?”

My cheeks grew hot as I stared back at him. “You don’t have to⁠—”

He shook his head and then stood up, suddenly releasing me to wrap his arms around my thighs and hauling me over his shoulder. I squealed in surprise. “Where are we going?”

“Back upstairs,” he grunted. “To finish what we started last night.”

“What?”

I felt him shrug as he strode out of the kitchen with me like I weighed nothing. “I thought it was better to take things slow because I knew you were hiding something from me and I didn’t want you to regret it in the morning.”

I blinked hard, curling my fingers around his hips so I wouldn’t fall flat on my face. “I wasn’t going to regret it in the morning.”

“Yeah, you were. You already regretted it this morning. You tried to run away from me, Tallulah.”

As he said it, I realized it was true. I closed my eyes, only opening them again when I felt him starting to ascend the stairs. “That still doesn’t really explain why you’ve changed your mind.”

“You’re not hiding anything from me anymore,” he said, matter of fact. “You also seem to need some convincing of just how unbelievably attracted I am to you, and frankly, you’re wearing my shirt. I’m done taking it slow and I’m going to show you just how deeply in awe I am of you. As many times as it takes for you to agree to give me a chance.”

“What?”

“I want a chance to be with you,” he repeated in a strong, confident voice that left no room for doubt. “Since you tried to run from me ten minutes ago, you obviously need more convincing than I gave you last night, so I’m going to give you more.”

He didn’t stop walking until we reached his bedroom. When we got there, he set me down on my feet right in front of his bed and then tugged at the strings of his apron, tossing the thing away when it was loose.

As I stared up at him, he wrapped a hand around the nape of my neck and brought his mouth to mine, kissing me until I was dizzy and my knees were going weak. When he finally broke the kiss, he smirked and sank down to his knees, those blue eyes burning into mine.

“I adore you, Tallulah Pruette,” he said without a lick of self-consciousness or shyness holding him back. “You are the only woman I’ve ever met who’s made me question myself. You’ve made me reflect, and dig, and want to open up.”

My lips parted, but no sound came out. He nodded at me anyway, like he knew I’d been about to ask if he truly meant that. “You have no idea how much I think about you. How often I wonder what you would’ve done in a particular situation or how completely stunned I am by the ideas you just seem to come up with like they’re the most obvious things in the world.”

As he said it, he turned his head to my left thigh and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to my skin. “You also don’t seem to have any idea how badly I’ve wanted you just like this since I met you. When I tell you that I want you, it’s not just that I want to fuck you. I do want that too, to be honest, but it’s so much more than that. I need you, Tallulah. I know I’m probably at risk of scaring you off with all this again, but I need you to believe me.”

I stared into his eyes, completely sure that every word out of his mouth was true. “How could I not believe you?”

Stroking my fingers into his hair, I gently nudged him up, winding my arms around his neck once he was standing flush against me. “I admire you too, you know. I admire your heart and your passion, and how much you do for your community and even for low-level employees like me.”

He smirked as he walked us backward to his bed. “Tell me more.”

“I absolutely love how you’ve made it your mission to protect and preserve, and I know how many other women⁠—”