AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grab her wrist before she can reach the table, still out of earshot of everyone else. “Lucy, please. Can we go somewhere and talk? Bree can drive my truck home and I can ride with you, or better yet, I’ll drive you.”
She stares at me disbelieving. “Tate, I’m capable of driving myself. I had one drink. And I feel nothing.” Her eyes are flaming now.
“I’m not saying you’re intoxicated but you had a mixed drink with whiskey. I’ve only had one swig of my beer. Don’t fight me on this.”
“I didn’t drive anyway. My car is at Ivie’s. Rhett dropped me off, figuring I’d ride back with Bree. You can do what you want. I’ll find a ride,” she says before taking another step.
I block her path so she has no choice but to face me. “Bree rode with me but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind catching a ride with Dean and his buddy.”
“I don’t know why you think we need to talk, Tate.” She holds me captive with her stare.
I cut her off before she can say anything else. “Because you stayed one night and that was about a week ago, but I’ve missed you damn it. Because I care about you, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with these feelings.”
I keep my eyes focused on hers, pleading with her to understand. She doesn’t back down, she pins me with her emerald eyes, “Tell Bree we’re leaving so she doesn’t wonder what happened to us.” She grabs her jacket from the table and turns to wait on me.
I tell Bree I’m taking Lucy and she all but tells me she’ll kill me if I hurt her. After my tongue lashing, I take Lucy’s hand and wave to Dean.
We pull up at my house and sit in silence. Something we’re good at. He finally gets out and rounds the truck to open my door. We walk to the house and enter the living room. “What exactly do you want to talk about? I don’t understand. You made it crystal clear we won’t ever be anything more than friends. I accept it. So what?”
Tate doesn’t sit and neither do I. He closes the short distance between us. His masculine scent takes over my senses, but I try not to let it deter me from standing firm. He gently cups my cheek with one hand. I resist the urge to close my eyes and melt into him.
“You shouldn’t be on my mind—but you are. I should stay away from you, but I just can’t seem to. I don’t know how. You make me want to break all the rules I set for myself and change everything. I’ve never had someone hold me captive like you do and it’s tearing me apart, firecracker.”
“Then break the rules. Why do you have them anyway?” I ask desperately.
“I don’t know how to love. I don’t know how to trust. My mom, she…” he trails off, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
“I’m no good to you if I don’t know how to do those things. I should stay far away from you. I’m not good for you at all, Lucy. You deserve so much more than me and my fucked-up heart,” he rasps, barely containing his emotion.
“I don’t care. Tonight, I just need you to love me. Can you do that? Can you pretend for one night?” I plead with him, not recognizing myself. I don’t beg and this man has me begging for something I’m out of my mind for wanting. I’m a woman who commits—and Tate has already unknowingly knocked down the walls I carefully constructed around my own heart.
He swallows before leaning in to kiss my lips. “Lucy, you shouldn’t ask me that. You have no idea how much I want to love you—in every way. But if I give in to you tonight, you’ll hate me in the morning.”
“No, I won’t. I’m a big girl. I understand what you’re telling me. I just need you right now…tonight.”
With that he groans a little and slides his hands down to my ass, squeezing before lifting me up so I can wrap my legs around his waist as he takes me to my bedroom. He lays me down and takes off my shoes. “Are you sure about this? Please stop me now if you’re not.”
“I’m sure,” I promise him, but in my heart, I wonder if I am.
He takes off his jacket and shoes and lifts his shirt over his head, revealing his perfectly toned abs and muscled arms. He then returns to me and lifts my shirt and removes my pants, leaving me in my lacy bra and panties—both leave nothing to the imagination. He’s hungrily taking in every inch of me like a starved man. He reaches behind me to release the hooks on my bra, allowing my breasts to spill out.
He leans over me and whispers in my ear, “You’re beautiful, like I knew you would be. I’m going to make you feel good, love.” Then he lowers himself to my breasts and caresses one while taking the other in his mouth, pulling a moan from my lips. He switches to the other one and gives it the same attention. I’m aching for more when suddenly he trails wet, gentle kisses down my stomach before taking my panties with his teeth, pulling them down my legs. He gets on his knees and presses tender kisses up my legs until he finds my center. He doesn’t stop his intimate kisses and licks until I find my first release and even then, it’s not enough, I’m still craving more of him.
He stands with hooded eyes and unbuckles his belt, followed by unbuttoning his jeans and letting them drop to the floor. He’s holding a foil pack in his hand I recognize as a condom. He asks one more time, “Love, are you absolutely sure about this?”
“Yes, Tate, please,” I say with nothing but desire pulsing through my veins.
He removes his boxer briefs and rolls the condom down his impressive length. He climbs on top of me and positions himself at my center. He barely pushes the tip in, making me gasp at the intrusion. He’s thick. “Don’t worry baby, I won’t hurt you. You’re safe with me.” He pushes in a little further and I continue to take him slowly until he’s fully seated. He looks in my eyes without moving.
I’m falling for this man.Right here, right now in this moment, I realize this tipped the scale between me getting hurt and not getting hurt. I push those feelings aside as he starts to move gently, knowing I’ll get to love him tonight, but in the morning light, I’ll have to make myself let him go. Turns out, logically I knew exactly what I was doing. Emotionally…I set off a ticking time bomb and the explosion will leave bits and pieces of my already fragile heart.
I move with him, matching his thrusts with my own. Tonight, I’ll love this man with all I have and pretend he could love me too, even if I know he can’t.
I feel the pressure building between my legs and find my release again, contracting around his length as he pulses inside me with his own release. He kisses my lips so gently; I feel tears trickle down my face and I know I’m in trouble. Where has Tate been all my life and why can’t he love me?
When he finally pulls out, breaking our connection, he gets up and dashes to my bathroom quickly, giving me a few seconds to compose myself. He reappears with a warm washcloth and cleans me up. He’s still gloriously naked and has already disposed of the condom.
Once we’re both cleaned up, he stops at the foot of my bed, helping me fix the sheets. “Lucy, can I stay with you tonight?”
