Page 14 of Hold Me Closer

"I know. Your security people practically had to beat them off with sticks to get them to leave me alone when I got here." She rolls her eyes, huffing adorably. "Did you really have to tell them that we're dating, Teo? They're never going to leave us alone now."

"Yeah, they will. As soon as they find something more interesting to do.

Come on." I link our fingers together, pulling her toward the front door.

"I talked to my publicist this morning. She said they'll probably dig into our pasts.

Once they realize there's nothing interesting to find, they'll go away. "

Nadia tenses beside me as we step over the threshold into the house. She doesn't say anything, but I can tell by the look on her face that she's worried. Really fucking worried.

"Hey." I push the door closed, spinning her around to face me. "I already asked her to make sure nothing about the accident gets printed, butterfly. I'm not going to let them dig it up, all right?"

She hesitates for a moment and then nods. For a split second, she looks…haunted, as if there's something she isn't saying. Something burns in her hazel eyes, dulling them. But then she blinks, smiling up at me. The only thing left in those eyes is trust.

Fuck. It's been so long since I saw that.

"Are you going to kiss me now?" she asks.

"Hell yeah," I groan, dragging her into my arms. One hand cups the back of her head. The other cradles her close. Her tits press against my chest, her soft little body snuggled up against mine.

Her lashes flutter, her lips parting on a sigh.

I groan again, brushing my mouth against hers. I want to fucking devour her. But not this time. Not yet. I kiss her softly instead, my lips barely ghosting across hers.

She whimpers my name, going pliant in my arms.

"I've spent the last six years dreaming about kissing you, butterfly," I murmur. "The sweet little sounds you make. The way you press up against me. The way you match every damn move I make…" I flick my tongue against the seam of her lips. "You ruined me for anyone else."

"You r-ruined me too."

"Good," I breathe, pulling her bottom lip into my mouth to suck on it.

She whimpers my name, clinging to my shoulders.

"I'm glad you waited for me, Nadia. I want all your firsts.

I want to be the only one you ever think about.

" Am I an asshole for that? Probably. But she'll have all of mine, too.

She's the only one I've ever wanted. I'm a jealous prick when it comes to her. I always have been.

Even when we were kids, I fucking hated when she paid even the least amount of attention to any guy who wasn't me. I wanted all her time and all of her attention. Apparently, shit hasn't changed since then because I want it just as badly now.

"Teo, please," she whimpers. "Please, kiss me."

I growl, giving in. I lick into her mouth, claiming it as my own. My hand threads through her hair, breaking the band holding it up on top of her head. Long tresses spill down, her peaches scent swirling around us.

Fucking hell. I've missed that smell.

She clings to me, kissing me back like she can't stop herself. Like she's needed this as badly as I have. And Christ, I don't want to stop. I want to lift her into my arms, strip her bare, and feast on her.

"Stop me, butterfly," I whisper.

"No." Her fingers pluck at my shirt as if in a silent demand for me to remove it. "Please, don't stop, Teo."

How am I supposed to resist her?

I sweep her up into my arms, my mouth still fused to hers, and head for the stairs. She wraps herself around me, her legs locked around my waist. We both groan as the heat of her pussy comes down against the hard ridge of my cock.

I grip her ass, holding her right there so every damn step has me grinding against her needy little clit.

Her head lolls back, soft cries echoing around us.

"Does that feel good, baby?" I nip her throat, marveling at how goddamn beautiful she looks right now. "Are you going to soak your panties before we even make it up the stairs?"

"Yes," she gasps. "Oh my god, Teo. Please…"

"Please, what, butterfly? Tell me what you need."

"You!" she sobs, her pupils blown wide.

I nip her throat again, using my hands on her ass to press her more firmly against my cock. "You have me, Nadia." I rake my teeth up the side of her throat. "I'm right here, baby."

She shatters with a soft cry as my foot hits the top steps. I rock her against me as I stride down the hall, crooning praises as I nip and kiss her throat. My dick is so fucking hard I can't think straight.

I practically lunge for the bedroom, desperate to get my hands on her, skin to skin. We need to talk. There are a thousand things we still need to say. But right now, more than any of that, I need my hands on her body. Maybe then, I'll be able to breathe.

I tug her dress up her body, yanking it off over her head before I lay her out in the middle of my bed. Late afternoon sunshine floods the room, spilling across her porcelain skin. She's beautiful, her lush curves making my cock ache and throb like a motherfucker.

The scars across her abdomen and side make my stomach clench. They're old and faded now, but I still remember when they weren't. Christ, I still remember when she was bleeding all over me, dying in my arms…

"Be here with me now," she whispers as if reading my mind. She holds her hand out toward me, her eyes locked on my face. "Please, Teo."

I exhale a breath and nod, leaning down to brush my lips over the worst of the scars. She jolts beneath me, her muscles quivering. "I'm so damn sorry, butterfly." I lift my gaze to hers, my lips still against her skin. "For everything."

"Me too," she whispers back.

I rest my lips against her skin for a long moment before pulling back. I take a breath before yanking my shirt off, knowing what I'm revealing to her—the depths of my obsession, the breadth of my devotion.

She gasps, her gaze roving all over my chest as she tries to make sense of the tattoos whispering our history from every inch of available skin.

I keep them carefully covered most of the time, keep this part of myself private.

She's always been just for me—my memories, my world.

I fucking hate sharing her with anyone, but I needed her with me in a way that couldn't be undone.

"Teo," she whispers, lifting her gaze to mine. "Are those…?"

"Yeah, butterfly," I say, my throat raw. "They're you. They're us."

"How long?"

"I got the first one the day before I left for college.

" I swallow hard. She came to see me that day, to tell me to go live my life.

"I think I knew then that I'd broken us because the look in your eyes—Christ, you were so fucking sad, butterfly.

I tried to tell myself that you just needed time and that I could fix it.

But I think deep down, I knew that I'd fucking broke us. I hated myself for it."

"I broke us too," she whispers, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"As soon as Zoya drove you home, I went to the shop and got this." I point out the tattoo—a butterfly designed from her initials. "I needed you with me, even if you hated me."

"I never hated you," she sniffles. "Never, Teo.

I waited so long for you to kiss me. When you finally did, I felt like I finally had everything I wanted.

And then it all got snatched away. It felt like you were choosing football over me.

I couldn't understand what I did to make you hate me so much that you'd be so cruel.

" Her bottom lip quivers. "If you wanted to leave so badly, I didn't understand why you had to kiss me first and tell me that you loved me.

Why couldn't you just go? It would have hurt less. "

"Christ," I groan, crawling onto the bed with her.

I straddle her, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I never wanted you to feel that way, Nadia.

I was a selfish prick. I'd waited my whole fucking life to tell you how I felt.

I didn't want to leave without you knowing.

It was so goddamn selfish of me, but I needed you to know that you were it for me. Instead, I fucked it all up."

"We both did," she says, threading her fingers through my hair to brush it back from my forehead. "We were dumb kids who made dumb mistakes and said dumb things. And now, we get to do it over." She smiles, a tremulous, watery smile. "We get to do it right this time."

I brush my lips against hers, tasting the salt of her tears. "I'm not fucking up with you again, Nadia," I vow against her lips. "Not this time. Not ever again. I know what it's like to live without you. I can't do it again."

"Me either," she whimpers. "I hated it every single day, Teo."

I groan, flattening my body to hers, trying like hell to eradicate every inch of space between us as I kiss her again, deeper this time, sealing my vow and soothing her hurt. She won't ever feel it again. No matter what it takes, I'm doing shit right this time.

I owe it to her and to myself. And we owe it to the kids we were back then—the two who loved each other like crazy but just didn't understand enough about what it takes to make love work in a world like this.

Those kids were always endgame. It just took them a hell of a lot longer to get to the end than it should have taken.