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“Shelby?” he answers on the second ring.
“I … How did you know?”
“I didn’t recognize the number. Where are you? I’ll come to you.”
I don’t want to sound forward, but I don’t want to be an emotional mess in public.
“Shelby? Are you still there?” Tony asks.
“I am. Um, could I come to you?”
“Of course,” he says. “Tell me where you are, and I’ll pick you up.”
I tell him the name of the café.
“That’s just around the corner from me. Stay put, and I’ll come to get you.”
* * *
I wait outside,and it takes everything in me not to launch myself into his arms when I see him walking toward me. I’m a mess … and Ton y… I can’t explain it, but his presence calms me and gives me peace. There’s a connection between us that I can’t put into words.
Instead, I link my hand with his. We walk a short distance until we reach a large apartment block, and I let him lead me inside. Minutes later, we’re stepping out of the elevator on the top floor and into the penthouse suite. Holy crap! It’s fucking huge.
“Coffee? Whiskey? Something else?” he asks, taking my jacket and hanging it up in the closet.
He’s standing so close I can feel his warmth. He towers over me, and I want to give myself over to him and trust that he’ll take care of me. I don’t want tea. I don’t want whiskey. I just want him.
I move toward him, wrap my arms around him, and instantly start crying. Big silent tears run down my cheeks, and his hands move up and down my back. I feel like I’m wrapped in a big blanket of security.
He tilts my chin up. “What do you want from me, Shelby? Because whatever it is, you’ve got it. From the moment I saw you at the coffee cart, I knew I would do anything to soothe your soul. If you want to talk, I’ll listen. If you need to cry and be held, I can do that, too. If you want—”
I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him.
“I want to stop thinking, just for a bit. I want you to make it all stop,” I whisper. “I want you to fuck me, Tony. Then … then I’ll figure the rest out.”
He cups my face in his hands, his dark eyes boring into mine. “Are you sure, Shelby?”
“I’m sure. Make me stop spinning, Tony.”
I kiss him harder, and he takes my bottom lip between his own and bites down gently, making my core clench with need.
“Shelby, I’m yours if that’s what you want. I promise. But I won’t fuck you because this goes much deeper than lust,” he says, waving a finger between us. “Once I’ve been inside you, I don’t think I’ll be able to let you go.”
I search his eyes for any hint of doubt and find none. He’s sure, and so am I. I don’t ever want him to let me go.
I swallow hard. “Then don’t.”
He lifts me, his hands under my ass, and I wrap my legs around his waist. I find his mouth again with mine, kissing him as if my life depends on it. Maybe it does. I need this connection more than I need oxygen.
His hands move under my shirt, and his touch sets me on fire. It’s all-encompassing. It’s desire and lust, gentleness and simplicity all mingled together in a perfect combination.
He carries me down a hallway until we reach a bedroom. I’m oblivious to my surroundings as he sets me on the bed. His hands go to the buttons on my blouse, and before I know it, he’s smoothed my clothes from my body, and I’m naked and vulnerable under his hot gaze.
“You’re beautiful,” he mutters, his eyes roaming over my soft curves.
“Tony, I need—”
My throat closes up. I don’t even know what I’m trying to say, but he doesn’t need my words. He lies beside me on the bed, tracing his fingers over my body in maddeningly featherlight touches.
