Page 35 of I Choose You (Wilder #2)

Claire

“Can I ask you something?” I took a bite of my apple pie. I shouldn’t even go down this road. It wasn’t any of my business, but I had to know what happened with that girl from his mirror.

His gaze met mine, and he groaned. I had a feeling he knew where I was going with this, but if he told me that he didn’t want to talk about it, I would leave it alone. We’d slept together once, but we weren’t in a relationship. He didn’t owe me any of his history.

“Go ahead, ask away.”

“What’s the story with her? The ex,” I clarified.

“How did I know that you were going to ask that.” He got up from the couch and took his plate with him.

A moment later, he was back with another piece of pie and the can of whipped cream.

He added a dollop to his plate and held the can out for me, his brows raised in a silent question.

I held my plate out to him, and he squirted a generous helping over my pie.

“We dated for a long while, then we broke up.”

I rolled my eyes. Okay, he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

I got it. I added it to my list of reasons we shouldn’t start something between us.

It was probably better that way. I was starting to forget the rest of my reasons, even though they made sense to me at the time.

Being around Reid, especially when he was flirty or half-naked, made it harder to remember why they were so important.

But knowing Reid wasn’t over his ex yet, that was a valid reason to give him space.

“I can see your wheels turning in that pretty little head of yours. It isn’t a big deal. Don’t overthink it.”

“You said you almost got married. It sounds like a big deal. But if you aren’t ready to talk about it, that’s fine.”

He sighed. “Kayleigh and I were together for seven years, from our senior year of high school until last summer.”

“Wait. Kayleigh? She doesn’t work at Flour Power, does she?”

“Yup. That’s her.” He nodded.

I thought the girl in that photo looked a little familiar, but it had been taken some years ago, and she had grown up since then.

She was so pretty and nice. She must have known the coffees I ordered every morning were for Reid and his crew.

I had told her that I was in town for the library renovation.

And Reid knew I got the coffees from Flour Power.

For some reason, I felt like I was left out of a secret, and I didn’t like it.

Neither of them had any reason to tell me that they knew each other, had a long, intimate history with each other. So why did it bother me so much?

“I should have seen some of the flags that we weren’t on the same page about us.

When I was looking for houses a couple of years ago, I wanted her input.

Wanted to make the decision together, thinking it was going to be our house.

But she was never interested in going to the open houses with me.

When I bought this house, I thought she would move in with me, but she said that her parents didn’t want her to move in together until we were married.

” Reid put his empty plate on the floor next to him and rested against the back of the couch.

I scooted over to him to put my plate on top of his, leaning over him to reach it.

He ran his fingers through my hair, and I rested my head on his lap, meeting his eyes.

“Is this okay?” I asked.

His fingers continued to stroke my hair away from my face. “Absolutely. I’d rather do this than talk,” he smirked.

“Keep talking. I want to hear the whole story,” I laughed softly.

“Ugh, fine.” He settled in, his hand never stopping its caress.

“Last summer, I decided I was going to propose. Like I said, we had been together for seven years. We were twenty-four years old and in love, so I thought. What was I waiting for? So I bought a ring, had this whole night planned. And when I asked her to marry me, she broke up with me. Told me she didn’t want to do this anymore. The end.”

My heart broke for him. Reid was such an amazing man, protective and caring. How could she let him go? I sat up and put my hand on his arm.

“Reid, I’m so sorry. That’s awful.”

“Don’t do that. I’m not looking for pity or sympathy.

I only told you the story because you asked.

And I wanted you to know.” He turned to face me, his gaze burning as he tenderly tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.

“I’m not hung up on her. I don’t go to sleep at night thinking she’s the one that got away.

I wasn’t good for a while after we broke up, but my heart is all mended now.

Don’t think for one second that I’m using you to get over Kayleigh. That’s not what this is. ”

His sincerity was evident. I studied his face as his deep brown eyes blazed, his soft, full lips parted. I was leaning into him. I hadn’t meant to, but he pulled me to him like a magnet. His hand gripped the back of my head, and the next thing I knew, my mouth crashed into his.

I may have started it, but he took control of the kiss, tilting my head to just where he wanted it.

He pulled my bottom lip into his mouth and nipped softly.

I moaned and parted my lips, inviting his tongue to join mine.

He explored my mouth, his fingers tangling in my hair as he held me to him.

I needed to get closer somehow. I shifted myself over him, my legs straddling him on either side.

Reid’s erection pressed against my core in the most delightful way.

His hands moved from my head to my stomach, touching my skin under my sweatshirt. My hips moved of their own accord, seeking friction between our bodies.

Shoot. This wasn’t supposed to happen. There were reasons. I couldn’t think of them right now, but there were definitely reasons why this shouldn’t happen again.

I slowed the kiss, eventually pulling back enough to break the contact between our lips. “We shouldn’t. I’m sorry, I got carried away,” I told him, my forehead resting against his while I caught my breath. I started to move off him, and he gripped my hips, stilling me.

“I could make you forget your reasons.” He kissed my neck.

It was an effort to gather my thoughts when he had his mouth on my skin, but I managed it. “But they will still be there in the morning light.”

Reid groaned and pulled his hands from my body. The cold seeped in where his hands had been. I moved off him and gathered our plates from the floor. From the corner of my eye, I saw Reid adjust himself while I cleaned up our dessert.

“Thanks for, um, dinner.”

Reid laughed loudly, the low sound resonating between my legs. I had to get out of here before I did something foolish again.

“Next time, I’m getting Downtown Diner to go,” he said.

He walked me to the door and helped me into my shoes and coat.

“Drive safe, love.”

“I will. Have a good night.”

He waited at the door until I was in my car. I had the strongest urge to walk back up to his house, maybe finish what we started on his couch. But I didn’t. I would go home and take care of my needs myself.

* * *

“Have a good night,” I called to Richie, Dale, and Shawn as they packed up to leave for the day.

Every night this week, the guys had ended their workday before me.

Andrew was still assigning me tasks for other projects, and it was hard to stay ahead of the work that I had to do on the Delano Library.

The crew would take off, leaving Reid and me alone together.

Despite it being late January in New England, the weather had taken a sharp turn after the cold snap passed.

Temperatures were in the low fifties, so Reid had pivoted back to the stained-glass window installation while they had the opportunity.

It was labor-intensive work due to the size and scale of the panes, so their days tended to be shortened, but they were scheduled to work tomorrow to help make up the time.

Reid watched his guys from the corner of his eye until they were out the door. As soon as it shut, he stalked over to me and grabbed my face in his hands.

That was another thing that happened every night this week.

Reid’s mouth fused to mine, and I had to bite back a whimper.

We texted every day last weekend, and when we were alone on Monday after everyone else left, we ended up kissing again.

I told myself it was just a kiss. Harmless, really.

Even I couldn’t believe my own lies anymore.

Reid’s strong hands moved down my throat, down my chest, and squeezed my breasts.

“You look beautiful today,” he said, kissing along my jaw. “Did you wear this skirt just to fuck with me?”

With the warmer temperatures, I had slipped into a flowy midi-skirt and a long-sleeve bodysuit.

“Maybe I just really like the way it looked with my work boots,” I teased.

“It looks sexy as hell, although you should have worn your tall-ass fuck-me boots from Christmas.”

“I thought I wasn’t allowed to wear any other shoes but work boots, remember.” I was breathing quickly, my heart rate through the roof as Reid continued to feel me up, his kisses trailing along my collarbone.

“I would make an exception for those boots,” he growled.

My legs fell open, the sound of his voice making my core tingle with need.

Reid’s hands moved up my skirt, stopping on my thighs. His thumbs moved lightly across my sensitive skin. “Are you wet for me, love?”

My head fell back, and I nodded. Reid’s fingers dug into my thighs, his face now inches from mine. “Can I touch you?”

“Yes,” I breathed. He kissed me hard as his hands snaked their way up my legs, his fingers sliding beneath my bodysuit and panties. He swiped through my slit, and I moaned into his mouth.

“You’re so fucking perfect. I love how wet you get for me.”

“Just keep touching me.” My hips rocked against his hand, seeking friction. He pushed his finger into me. I gasped at the feel of him stroking my inner walls. I was out of control, falling through a haze of pleasure. Reid pushed a second finger into me, and I hissed, “Yes.”

Reid dropped to his knees between my legs. He kissed a path up my thigh, his head disappearing up my skirt. He licked my skin, close to where I needed him but not quite there.

“Yes, Reid. God, yes.”

He growled, pumping into me harder.

“You’re going to need to beg for it, Claire. Show me how much you want this.”

Good God, he had me already on the precipice. But I wanted his tongue on me. I needed it.

“Please, Reid. Fuck, please.”

The noise he made was feral. He unsnapped my bodysuit and gripped my panties, roughly pulling them down my legs.

They tangled in my work boots, and Reid left them there.

With my ankles tied together by my panties and my knees spread wide, Reid disappeared under my skirt again, his warm mouth on my center, lapping me up .

He speared me with his tongue, fucking me with his mouth.

He dragged up my slit, flicking the tight bundle of nerves, making me gasp.

I could barely breathe. I squirmed in my chair, seeking him out and rocking with his rhythm.

He was relentless in his assault, alternating between sucking and licking, never letting up.

A coiling sensation was building within me.

Oh God, I was so close. “Yes. Reid. God, yes,” I cried. My orgasm ripped through me, my muscles tightening as my arousal flooded out of me. Reid licked me clean, working through my spasms of pleasure until I came down from the clouds.

“You taste so fucking good,” he said, bringing his mouth to mine in a kiss. I could taste myself on his lips. It was oddly sexy. “You done trying to pretend this isn’t going to happen?”

I laughed softly, “I don’t know what you do me, but I can’t seem to stay away.”

“Because you shouldn’t.”

“Reid,” I said softly. “This is still only temporary. We can’t be catching feelings. I don’t want to hurt you. And I don’t want to get hurt.”

“Don’t worry about me, love. What do you want?”

I rubbed my palm up the bulge in his jeans. “You.”

Reid pulled me from my chair and spun me against the wall.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, my panties draped from one ankle now.

His hands were on my butt, and his erection pressed into my core.

We made out like that, Reid thrusting against me.

He was doing things to my body that I couldn’t comprehend.

A make-out session had never been so erotic.

He trailed kisses across my jaw and down my throat.

I reached for the waistband of his jeans, unbuttoning them and lowering the zipper.

Reid adjusted his hold on me so he could drop his jeans enough to free his cock. “Condom, wallet,” he said. I reached into his back pocket for his wallet, squeezing his butt too. He pulsed into me and growled. “Faster, Claire.”

His control was slipping. He hiked my skirt up to my waist and dragged his swollen cock through my folds. A bead of precum glistened on his head. I swiped my thumb through it and licked it off my finger.

“Claire, you’re killing me.”

I tore the condom open and rolled it over him.

He didn’t waste any time lining us up. He thrust into me in a powerful surge, his cock finding a home inside of me.

The room grew hazy around me; all I could focus on was the feel of Reid pumping into me.

The lewd sounds we made as we sought to pleasure each other.

Reid was so deep the pressure and stretch of him was tortuously perfect. The tension started growing in the base of my spine. I rocked my hips harder, faster, as Reid’s thrusts started to become more erratic.

“Oh, yes. I’m coming. Don’t stop.”

Reid growled. The feel of my back scraping against the wall as he pounded into me was only making me hotter. I came apart, cries of ecstasy on my lips. Reid followed me over the edge, his hard body tensing as he unleashed inside of me.

“Fuck. You are amazing,” he said to me, caging me in with his hands on either side of me, pressing me into the wall. I brought my hands to his face and kissed him chastely.

“That was… wow,” I breathed. My heart was still beating wildly, but I was starting to come back down to earth. “Let’s get out of here though. I kind of need to clean up properly. ”

We decided to go back to my place so I could shower and change. We didn’t talk about him coming home with me; it was just something I think we both knew was going to happen.

My shower turned into our shower and one more orgasm. We cuddled in my bed, and before I knew it, I fell asleep to Reid gently stroking my stomach, his face buried in my hair.