Page 120 of Make Me Yours

The room dissolves into laughter as the seriousness from our earlier conversation melts away. I lean back against the couch, wine glass in hand, and let myself soak in the warmth of good friends, good gossip, and the comforting hum of the city just beyond the windows.

Still, in the back of my mind, I can’t help but wonder what Steele is up to right now. And if he’s thinking about me too.

36

STEELE

The penthouse is quiet when I let myself in after midnight, the city lights spilling through the windows in streaks of gold and silver. Everything feels hushed in the way it always does when I’m the only one home.

Except, I’m no longer alone.

The moment I step out of the elevator, I feel her. Lilah’s presence wraps around me, weaving through the air, subtle but undeniable.

And all I want?—

No, all I fuckingneedis to find her.

Touch her.

Claim her.

What I expect is to find Lilah asleep in my bed. Naked. Sprawled across my sheets, her blonde hair a tangle against my pillow, her skin still carrying the imprint of my hands from earlier. I haven’t stopped thinking about her all damn night.

About the way she feels wrapped around me.

Tight.

Wet.

And mine.

It’s fucking nirvana.

There’s no other way to describe it.

I didn’t think it was possible to become addicted to a person.

I was wrong.

Instead of finding my sweet girl asleep in my bed, she’s cuddled up on the couch in the living room. She’s wearing one of my old Railers tees, and her legs are bare, tucked beneath her. Her hair is piled in a messy twist on top of her head, and Waffles is snuggled on a chair, sacked out.

For just a moment, I take in the sight. It’s a cozy, domestic scene that has played out in my head hundreds of times since I bought the place. She looks up at me with a smile that punches through every layer of control I thought I had left.

“Hey,” she murmurs.

“Hey, lucky charm.” I kick off my shoes, roll up the sleeves of my shirt, and close the distance between us. It’s like there’s an invisible thread that tethers me to her. I have to wonder if it will always be that way. “I didn’t think you’d still be up.”

A sleepy smile curves her lips. “Girls’ night ran late. Rina got tipsy off two glasses of wine, and we finished all the pastries Callie brought. We talked and laughed a lot. It was exactly what we all needed.”

I sink onto the couch beside her, letting the cushion dip and tilt us toward each other. Unable to help myself, my hand settles on her thigh. Her skin is warm beneath my palm. “I’m glad. You deserve it.”

She tips her head, her eyes filled with curiosity. “How was your night?”

I shrug. “Fine.”

The truth?

I spent the entire evening half-listening to Knox and River, pretending to give a damn about the game replayed on the TVs at The Rail Yard. All while counting the minutesuntil I could come home and wrap myself around this woman.