AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He pressed his lips to her shoulder in a tender kiss. “We have complete control. And yes, part of that control is trusting the other not to be a dick.”
She smiled. “You have all the answers, and that’s as terrifying as it is reassuring.”
He rested his head on the pillow and gently guided her head beside his, so they were nose to nose. “So take a chance on me. Stay overnight. Take my cuddling skills for a test drive, and call them whatever you’d like. Let me hold you and show you that you’re safe with me. And if I turn into a dick, you can go back to your solo life of phone calls and text messages.”
She sighed and whispered, “Still scary.”
He held her tighter. “I know. You can leave, but I’m asking you to trust me.”
“I do trust you,” she answered without hesitation, which meant more to him than spending the night together.
“Good, babe, because you can. Close your eyes and get some rest. In the morning you can worry about being scared. Or maybe you’ll realize I’m still right here.”
Chapter Nineteen
“HE FUMBLED! GOD! Sometimes I wonder what goes through their heads.” Tiffany slammed her pen down on the coffee table and pushed to her feet. It was Sunday afternoon and they had the football game on while Dylan refaced his cabinets and Tiffany looked over contracts.
She paced, hands on hips, looking utterly adorable in a Jets jersey and hat, and a pair of jeans that she called her Sunday football jeans. She hadn’t woken up scared, but she had been slightly uncomfortable, and she’d scurried off within minutes of waking up. Dylan didn’t chase her. He’d already learned that she needed time to process these new emotions that had consumed them both.Baby steps. Although last night felt like a huge leap.
He screwed in the cabinet face and chuckled, loving this side of her he hadn’t yet seen. She’d returned this morning a little after nine o’clock with her laptop, fresh bagels, and two to-go cups of coffee. He would have liked to go with her to get breakfast, but he chalked her solo trip up to her need for control, and he was just glad she was no longer fighting spending time together.
“How is it possible that you just got even sexier?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Ranting like a maniacal fan issosexy.”
“What? I’ve never met a woman who enjoys, and gets hot under the collar, about football.”
“You’ve never met a woman who grew up with everything in her life revolving around the sport. We tossed biscuits and rated the spin over dinner.”
“You did not.” He secured the lower hinge to the base cabinet.
“Yes, we did. Most girls played with dolls. I learned how to punt and rush.” She sauntered into the kitchen and eyed the cabinets. “How many times have you refinished your kitchen?”
“This is the third time in the seven years I’ve lived here.” This time he’d gone with distressed green cabinets, accented with mahogany, which blended well with his earth-toned countertops.
“Wow.” She pushed herself up to a seat on the counter beside where he was working. “How do you choose what to do?”
He set the screwdriver down and moved between her legs, nudging them open wider with his hips. “I go with my gut. I’m glad I have the scrapbook you made me to keep pictures of the renovations from now on. I wish I could show you what it used to look like. When I moved in, the cabinets and countertops were white, which felt sterile, so I went dark. Cherry cabinets with stainless-steel appliances. Then a couple years later that felt too dark, so I went with the counter your fine ass is sitting on.”
He clutched her hips with both hands. “I do love your ass.”
“You seemed to have an affinity for my ass last night.” Her cheeks pinked up, and he knew she was thinking about when he’d licked every blessed inch of her body, including her sexy bottom.
“Oh, it didn’t end last night, sweet Summers.” He lowered his mouth to hers, taking her in a long, hot kiss. “I’m going to enjoy that ass every night of the week.”
“Assumptive, aren’t you?” She pressed her hands to his chest, keeping his next kiss at bay. “I’m sorry I took off this morning. I should have stuck around to help you clean. That must have been a nightmare to get all that paint off the walls and floors.”
“The nightmare was not fucking you again this morning.” He fisted his hand in her hair, tugging her head back. “Taking you so hard you were too sore to leave my bed.” He sealed his mouth over her neck, and her body electrified.
“You’re…Oh God, that’s hot.”
He sank his teeth into her flesh and she sucked in a sharp breath. He laved his tongue over the sting.
“You’re not upset?”
“Don’t leave my bed again without letting me get you off. Got it?” He didn’t give her time to respond. “You’re here now. I know you need time to wrap your head around us, and while you are…” He lifted her legs around his waist and gazed heatedly into her eyes. “Still scared?”
In answer, she took his hand and set it over her racing heart.
