Page 95
Story: Mended Hearts
“It was implied.”
“Was it? I missed that.”
“The kids are with Emma.”
“Hence, the quiet house.”
“Then why are they staying over if you didn’t intend to use our freedom to its fullest?”
“I did, Trouble.”
She blinked, her throat working in a way that was going to cause me problems sooner rather than later. This towel wasthin.
“Hence the tacos?”
“Why? Do you not want?—”
“Unless you want a pink outline of my hand on your ass, you willnotfinish that sentence.”
She straightened. Pupils blown wide. “What if that’s exactly what I want?”
“Then you’re going to have to wait.”
“This is what you meant by ‘maybe’ earlier? You knew you were going to wind me up like a top and let me spin out all by myself.”
Grinning, I closed the distance. Her hands landed on my chest, but her scowl remained.
“You’re not being punished, Leighton.”
“My lady blue balls beg to differ. You’re the one who went all caveman in the pantry. I didn’t ask you to turn me on and leave me hanging. Is this a milk and the cow for free thing?”
“That’s not quite how that saying?—”
“Explain yourself, Hart.”
I cupped her face and kissed her hard enough to shut her up. Her fists curled against my chest. She didn’t push me away, but when she pulled back, there was something in her eyes that hit like a punch to the sternum.
“Do you not want me? Why go to all that effort if?—”
“Leighton,” I warned, noses brushing.
“Don’t ‘Leighton’ me. Make it make sense, Oliver. If you feel half of what I do, there’s no way you’d go to all that effort just to…oh.”
Her voice faltered as I grabbed her hand and guided it to the problem she was very much responsible for—still hard, still pulsing. Her eyes flew to mine.
“I’ve already gotten off with your name on my fucking lips tonight. I want you, baby. More than you know.”
“Then why, prey tell, are we torturing ourselves?”
“Because I fucked up, Leighton. I made you feel like a cheap hookup, when you’ve been my world for the better part of a year.” Her mouth parted, and I traced her bottom lip with my thumb. “I’ve been in love with you since long before I knew how good you taste. And it hasnothingto do with how badly I want to ravage your body.”
I brushed my lips over hers, savoring her, torturing myself. Her palm still pressed against my growing erection as I whispered, “For months, I’ve looked for ways to pull you closer. Irritate you. Befriend you. Take whatever scraps I could get—because any part of you was better than nothing. You deserve a man who worships at your feet without asking for anything back. Who makes you feel like the only woman in the world. And I’m telling you right now, I have no intentions of standing by and watching someone else be that man.”
“You… youlove me?” Her voice was small, eyes wide and glassy. But her hands were roaming over my chest again, so I held on to hope.
“I was a goner the moment you showed up in my life. Watching you with my kids. Watching you pull Mattie from the water and hold her like she was your own—I was fucking gone.”
Her fingers traced slow patterns through my chest hair, eyes down. When the silence dragged too long, I leaned in.
“Was it? I missed that.”
“The kids are with Emma.”
“Hence, the quiet house.”
“Then why are they staying over if you didn’t intend to use our freedom to its fullest?”
“I did, Trouble.”
She blinked, her throat working in a way that was going to cause me problems sooner rather than later. This towel wasthin.
“Hence the tacos?”
“Why? Do you not want?—”
“Unless you want a pink outline of my hand on your ass, you willnotfinish that sentence.”
She straightened. Pupils blown wide. “What if that’s exactly what I want?”
“Then you’re going to have to wait.”
“This is what you meant by ‘maybe’ earlier? You knew you were going to wind me up like a top and let me spin out all by myself.”
Grinning, I closed the distance. Her hands landed on my chest, but her scowl remained.
“You’re not being punished, Leighton.”
“My lady blue balls beg to differ. You’re the one who went all caveman in the pantry. I didn’t ask you to turn me on and leave me hanging. Is this a milk and the cow for free thing?”
“That’s not quite how that saying?—”
“Explain yourself, Hart.”
I cupped her face and kissed her hard enough to shut her up. Her fists curled against my chest. She didn’t push me away, but when she pulled back, there was something in her eyes that hit like a punch to the sternum.
“Do you not want me? Why go to all that effort if?—”
“Leighton,” I warned, noses brushing.
“Don’t ‘Leighton’ me. Make it make sense, Oliver. If you feel half of what I do, there’s no way you’d go to all that effort just to…oh.”
Her voice faltered as I grabbed her hand and guided it to the problem she was very much responsible for—still hard, still pulsing. Her eyes flew to mine.
“I’ve already gotten off with your name on my fucking lips tonight. I want you, baby. More than you know.”
“Then why, prey tell, are we torturing ourselves?”
“Because I fucked up, Leighton. I made you feel like a cheap hookup, when you’ve been my world for the better part of a year.” Her mouth parted, and I traced her bottom lip with my thumb. “I’ve been in love with you since long before I knew how good you taste. And it hasnothingto do with how badly I want to ravage your body.”
I brushed my lips over hers, savoring her, torturing myself. Her palm still pressed against my growing erection as I whispered, “For months, I’ve looked for ways to pull you closer. Irritate you. Befriend you. Take whatever scraps I could get—because any part of you was better than nothing. You deserve a man who worships at your feet without asking for anything back. Who makes you feel like the only woman in the world. And I’m telling you right now, I have no intentions of standing by and watching someone else be that man.”
“You… youlove me?” Her voice was small, eyes wide and glassy. But her hands were roaming over my chest again, so I held on to hope.
“I was a goner the moment you showed up in my life. Watching you with my kids. Watching you pull Mattie from the water and hold her like she was your own—I was fucking gone.”
Her fingers traced slow patterns through my chest hair, eyes down. When the silence dragged too long, I leaned in.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193