Page 28 of Run the Play (Nashville Rampage #2)

Chapter Fifteen

L andry

I’ve barely tasted her lips, and I’m all in. The physical attraction is there, but what I’m feeling for this woman goes beyond that. I know she needs time. She wants me, but he shattered her faith in men. I can be patient as long as I get to call her mine.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” I ask before I can think better of it.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for that,” she confesses.

“I don’t expect anything from you, Rowan. Your time—that’s it.”

“Okay.” She nods slowly as if she’s still trying to come to terms with what she’s decided.

“You want to finish the movie?” I ask.

“We haven’t been watching.” She chuckles.

“Good point. Come on, let’s go to bed.” I lower the leg of the recliner, and she stands, holding her hand out for me. I take it, willing to follow this woman anywhere. Standing, I turn off the screen and lead her upstairs to my room. “I’ll get you something to sleep in,” I tell her.

“Thank you.” Her voice is soft, almost hesitant.

Rummaging through my clothes, I find a well-worn Rampage T-shirt, and some boxer shorts that I’m sure will fall off her petite frame.

“Bathroom’s through there.” I point to the door that leads to the en suite bathroom.

She nods and disappears behind the door.

I hear the lock click and suck in a deep breath.

I’m in deep.

I need to tell someone.

Grabbing my phone, I pull up my group text with just the guys.

Me: I’m sunk.

Reid: Is that code for something?

Baker: Your phone works underwater?

Foster: I’m too tired to speak, Landry. Spell it out for us.

Knox: Welcome to the club, brother.

Reid: Wait? Beckett knows, and we don’t?

Me: I just told you.

Me: Thanks. Scary shit, my man.

Knox: Worth it.

Baker: Dumb it down for me. I’m sleep-deprived.

Foster: I’m with Daddy Sin.

Me: I’m falling in love with Rowan.

Me: Hell, I might already be there.

Reid: Oh!

Baker: She’s great.

Foster: Hold on to her.

Knox: Enjoy the fall.

Me: She’s got scars. That fucker hurt her.

Knox: Be patient with her. Be there. That’s all you can do.

Foster: Whatever it takes. If you love her, you do whatever it takes.

Reid: Whoa. Vaughn’s pulling out the life lessons.

Foster: Fuck off, Montgomery.

Reid: I’m just saying…

Baker: I have no advice. I’m a single dad who is co-parenting with his baby momma and her long-time on-again, off-again boyfriend. I don’t feel qualified to offer anything other than I’m happy for you.

Me: You’re a damn good dad, Sinclair. Camden is going to grow up knowing that, seeing a man love his kid with everything he has.

Baker: Thanks, Reynolds.

Reid: Wait. Does Rowan know?

Me: Yep.

Reid: Damn, so this is more than just a maybe thing.

Me: More like a forever thing…

Knox: Wait until I tell my wife.

Me: Let me tell her.

Baker: I’m going back to bed.

Foster: Me too.

Reid: Two down. We’re falling fast, boys.

Me: Worth it.

Closing out of the message, I plug my phone in to charge on the nightstand just as the bathroom door opens. Rowan stands in the doorway. Her long blonde hair falls down her back, and from the looks of it, she’s in nothing but my T-shirt.

“Where should I put my things?”

My breath hitches in my lungs. She’s really here.

“Wherever you want,” I tell her. She can have the keys to my house and change it all as long as she stays with me.

“The chair?” I offer when neither one of us makes a move.

I nod toward the corner of the room, where a single chair that never gets used is positioned.

She places her things down and turns to face me. I let my eyes rake over her, and my cock hardens. “You’re beautiful,” I rasp.

She blushes and tilts her head to the floor.

Fuck Brown for what he did to her. “I’m going to change.

I want you here, in my bed with me, but if you’re not comfortable with that, I can take you to a guest room after I’m done.

” I give her time to decide as I grab some pajama bottoms, which I never sleep in, and slip into the bathroom, closing the door behind me to get ready for bed.

Ten minutes later, I open the door to find her sitting at the foot of the bed. “I didn’t know what side was yours.”

“I don’t have a side. I’ve never spent the night with someone in my bed.”

Her eyes widen as if she’s surprised. “I’ll take the side closest to the door.”

“Okay.”

She stands and goes to what will now forever be her side of the bed and slides beneath the covers. She pulls them up to her chin. All I can see is her face, and I can’t stop my smile because she’s fucking sexy and adorable all at the same time.

“Comfy?”

“Yes.” She nods.

Turning off the light, I take my side of the bed and slide beneath the covers as well. We lie in silence, and it’s killing me to have her so close, yet so far away.

“Roe?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I hold you?”

“Is that what you want?”

I turn to look at her. I can see that she’s still staring up at the ceiling, but I can’t make out her features. “Yes, but it’s not just about me. It’s what you want too.”

“I’d like that.” Her reply is so soft, I almost don’t hear it.

“Come here, baby,” I say, sliding over and opening my arms for her. She moves, meeting me halfway, and snuggles up against my chest. I wrap my arms around her and close my eyes. Now, I can go to sleep.

Silence surrounds us, but it’s the most comfortable I think I’ve ever been, lying here with her.

“Landry?”

“Hmm?” I ask, sleep already closing in.

“Never mind,” she says.

“Tell me,” I say, opening my eyes. If she wants to talk, I’m here to listen as long as she doesn’t move.

“Open communication, remember?” I need her to understand that I value that she’s her own person.

She can say how she feels and what she’s thinking, and I’ll never think less of her or look down on her.

It’s going to take some time to prove to her that Chaz was in a category all on his own.

“Right,” she says. I can feel her nod against my chest. “I was kind of hoping that maybe I could kiss you goodnight.”

Sleep? What’s sleep? I’m wide awake. “Come closer,” I tell her. I can hear the husky rasp to my voice.

She wiggles and moves next to me so that we’re face-to-face, her head no longer against my chest. I don’t hesitate to reach for her, my palm finding her cheek. “When you want to stop, you say the word, and we stop.”

“It’s just a kiss,” she says.

“It’s never just anything where you’re concerned.” Leaning in close, I brush my nose against hers. “I might get carried away, but if it’s too much, just push me away. I’ll stop.”

“What if I don’t want you to stop?”

“Fucking perfect,” I mumble as I close the distance and press my lips to hers. I start slow, just a tentative and tender press of our lips. However, my world narrows to this moment. Nothing else matters. She opens for me, and our shared breath is filled with a quiet yet unspoken promise.

I’ve got her.

My fingers lightly graze her jawline before sliding behind her neck, angling her closer. I need her closer. My desire for this woman is testing the edge of my restraint. Her lips are soft yet hesitant. I allow her to take the lead, no matter how badly I crave the opportunity to devour her.

All in good time.

The air between us is charged, and I can feel a shift. Our slow rhythm ignites into something more. Her lips press more firmly against mine, her hunger flickering to life hot enough to rival mine.

Each stroke of her tongue against mine becomes more urgent. My breath quickens as her fingers find their way to my hair, and she buries them in the strands, giving it a slight tug.

I welcome the pain.

Rolling over to my back, I bring her with me. My palms land on her ass cheeks, and I give them a squeeze. She moans into my mouth, and it’s the most erotic fucking sound I’ve ever heard in my life.

I’ve lost all hesitation as my hand slides under the T-shirt she’s wearing. My T-shirt. I allow my fingers to trail the soft skin of her spine. She shudders in my arms at the contact, but her hot, wet mouth never moves from mine.

My need to explore her intensifies, hitting an all-time high. I want to explore every inch of her silky, soft skin. Trace every part of her with my tongue.

“Landry,” she moans, and fuck, I want to listen to her say my name that way every day of forever.

Moving again, I roll us over so that I’m hovering over her. Her thighs automatically open for me, allowing me to settle where I belong. Heat coils between us, and it’s impossible to ignore.

This is no longer just a goodnight kiss. It’s a collision of need, raw emotions, and want. Lines are no longer blurred. I can clearly see the path of the future ahead of us—a shared venture of something fierce and unforgettable.

Us.

Together.

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that she’s the one. It’s fast, it’s scary, but it feels right. She’s perfect in my arms, and that’s precisely where I want her to stay.

I don’t know how long my lips are fused with hers. I get lost in her taste, in the feel of her hands roaming my body.

When I rock my hips gently, she moans. She tugs at my hair, and my cock twitches. “Is this okay?” I ask, thrusting forward again.

“More,” she breathes.

“What my lady wants, my lady gets.” I rock into her over and over again, grinding my pelvis against hers. She groans, locking her legs around my waist. I can feel the warmth of her pussy through the fabric of our clothes.

“Landry… please,” she pants.

“My name on your lips… fuck me, Rowan, I’m about to embarrass myself.” It’s true. I’m so close to coming in my boxer briefs that it’s embarrassing, but that won’t stop me. I won’t stop until she tells me to.

“I’m sorry,” she rasps, her hands falling from my hair. She wiggles as if she wants out from under me. Reluctantly, I let her go. I move to sit with my back against the headboard. My chest is heaving with need for her.

“Roe, come here, baby.” I hold out my hand, and even in the darkness of the room, I can feel her hesitation. Finally, she places her hand in mine, and I guide her to sit on my lap. Her pussy is nestled over my cock, something neither of us can ignore.

With my hands on her hips, I rock her back and forth a time or two, and she gasps. “Feel that? That’s all for you. You did nothing wrong. There are no apologies needed. I want you, Rowan. Anyway that I can have you.”

“But you said—” She stops talking when I lean forward and press my lips to hers.

“I said that I was about to come in my pants. It wasn’t because I was mad at you or blaming you. I mean, it is your fault, you’re too damn sexy, but it’s not a bad thing, Rowan. If anything, it shows you how badly I crave you.” I kiss her again. “Tell me what you want. What you need.”

“I don’t know. I was never allowed to….” Her voice trails off.

I’m glad because he has no place here between us. Never again.

“Hey.” I cradle her cheeks in my hands. We’re chest to chest, my cock at home against her pussy.

Even with the thin layers of clothing between us, I can feel her.

“You and me,” I tell her. “Together. Tonight, you tell me what you want, and you get it. It’s as simple as that.

If you want to go to sleep, we’ll sleep.

If you want a release, I’ll help you get there, any way you want it. This is all you, Rowan.”

“I don’t know.”

“What feels good?” I ask, guiding her to rock her hips.

A moan to rival any porn star leaves her lips. “That’s—there,” she breathes, repeating the motion.

Sitting back against the headboard, I place my hands on her thighs. “This is your show, baby. I’m just here to be a small part of it.”

“Help me.”

Sitting back up, I grip her hips and guide her over my cock. I’m hard as steel, ready to blow. “I can feel the heat of your pussy,” I tell her. “It’s warming my cock, even through the layers of clothing between us.”

“Landry,” she says, tilting her head back.

I wish the lights were on. I wish I could see her nipples as they poke through the thin material of my T-shirt that will now, forever be thought of as hers.

I wish I could see the heat of desire in her big blue eyes.

That’s okay. We have all the time in the world for that.

Right now, tonight, I need her to take control.

To be the fierce woman I know her to be.

To claim back a piece, no matter how big or small, that he stole from her.

Lifting my hips to allow her to gain more friction backfires because I’m seriously about to lose it. It’s the sounds she’s making and the thought that she’s riding my cock, taking what she needs from me.

My Rowan.

“Keep that up, and I’m going to come,” I warn.

“I want you to,” she pants. She’s so lost in chasing her release, I don’t think she even realizes what she’s saying.

“You want to make your man come?” I ask.

“Yes. That, please, that.”

My lips find their way to her neck, and I nip and suck gently. “One condition,” I breathe against her heart, nipping at her lobe. “You come with me.”

With that, I lift my hips and hold her down while she rocks against me. “Landry!” She cries out my name, her body absorbing wave after wave of pleasure. She moans. The deep, throaty sound sends me over the edge. I grunt out my release, wrapping my arms around her and holding her to me.

We’re both breathing as if we just ran a marathon. I’m a sticky, sated mess. I might not have been able to feel her pussy milking my cock, but in a way, this was even more meaningful. She trusted me. She took what she needed, and fuck me, it’s a night I’ll never forget.

“Did you?”

I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, beautiful, I did. I need to clean up.”

“Me too,” she says, and even though I can’t make out her features, I imagine her scrunching up that cute button nose of hers.

“Shower with me or on your own?”

She hesitates, and I have my answer. “I’ll grab some clothes and take one down the hall. The towels are in the closet. Take your time.” I pull her into a kiss, one that’s filled with heat, promises of what’s to come, and affection.

I feel so much for her. I wish I had the words to tell her exactly what I’m feeling, but I’ll be damned if I scare her away because my heart needs to find its voice after the hottest sexual encounter of my life.

Another quick peck and I’m moving her from my lap and sliding out of bed. Once I’ve grabbed clean boxer briefs, I head down the hall to shower.

Fifteen minutes later, I’m back in my room as she’s coming out of the bathroom. Steam is all around her. Her hair is pulled up in a messy knot on the top of her head, and she’s wearing another one of my T-shirts.

“Time to sleep,” I tell her. I pull back the covers, and she climbs underneath, with me close behind her. This time, she automatically snuggles up to my chest, and I fall fast asleep, knowing that I’m holding my future in my arms.