With Gil but leaving now. On my way to see u.
Relief flooded through me. He was coming here. I’d told him that I needed him, and he was coming to me.
Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I called morosely.
He walked in, then immediately kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed with me. He enveloped me in his arms, and pulled me close.
I started to cry again.
“It’s okay,” he soothed. He stroked my hair softly. “It’s okay. Whatever it is, it’s going to be okay.”
He kissed my forehead, then my eyelashes, then my nose and then, finally, his lips were on mine. It was like an explosion. I’d forgotten how amazing it was to kiss him, how my body got set on fire as soon as he touched me. The kiss was familiar and gentle and comforting. I forgot about everything that had happened and just let myself get lost in him.
He pulled back and traced a finger over my chin. The way he was looking at me sent a shiver through my body. “God, I missed you,” he breathed.
“You just saw me this morning.”
“That was too long.” He ran his fingertips lightly over my arms and kissed my nose again. “So are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
“I had a bad day,” I said. “I failed a test. I got yelled at by Carter.”
“Carter?” His body stiffened. “The research assistant guy? He yelled at you?”
He went to sit up, like he was going to get out of bed and go find Carter.
“No, no,” I pulled him back down. “It wasn’t his fault. And besides, he didn’t really yell at me. It was more like a scolding.”
“I don’t want anyone scolding you.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I said. “Please.”
“It is a big deal. No one should be talking to you like that.” His eyes burned as he gazed at me. He was looking at me like I was special and like he needed to protect me from anyone who didn’t realize it. No one had ever looked at me like that before, and the emotion that welled up inside of me was indescribable. I pushed my body into his, wanting to just forget about everything that had happened today and lose myself in his touch, his lips, his kiss, his body.
I ran my hands up under the front of his shirt, feeling the taut muscles of his stomach, the hardness of his chest. His body was so beautiful it took my breath away.
We kissed and kissed and kissed and kissed until I was so turned on I felt like I was going to lose my mind. Everything about him was sexy. The way his fingers tangled in my hair while he kissed me, the way he’d pull back every few minutes to just look at me or whisper my name, the way my skin burst into flames wherever he touched me.
He wasn’t trying to take what we were doing any further, but I wanted him to. I needed him to. I needed to get lost in what we were doing, to forget about everything except for us. I pushed my hips against his, feeling his hardness against me.
Then I rolled over until I was on top, straddling him. He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me down to his mouth, kissing me hard, his tongue and lips dancing with mine. His hands slid up under the front of my shirt, and his fingers slid my bra down over my breasts. I moaned and tilted my head back. He sat up then, and pulled me toward him, his mouth tracing a searing trail down over my neck.
“I want you,” I whispered into his ear. “I want you so bad.” I pulled my shirt off and tossed it to the ground, then kissed him again. It was like my mouth couldn’t stand to be away from his, couldn’t stand not to be connected to him. If he wouldn’t let me in emotionally, then at least I could connect to him this way, physically. There was an ache pulsing between my legs, and I pushed myself up against him. I could feel how hard he was and I started to grind against him.
His fingers moved over my breasts, teasing my nipples, then moved down over my stomach until they reached my jeans. He unbuttoned them slowly, then traced his finger over the top of my panties, dipping his finger down just inside the waistband. His touch was setting me on fire.
My mind raced and whirled, not able to think of anything except how badly I needed him. I reached out and grabbed the top of his pants, my fingers fumbling with his belt as I tried to undo it.
He grabbed my wrists and turned me over, though, so that he was on top of me.
He held me there for a moment, my arms above my head, his eyes locked on mine. The air was charged with electricity and anticipation. I felt so close to being pushed over the edge that it was almost unbearable.
I tried to kiss him, but he was holding me so tightly that I couldn’t move.
“Please,” I begged. “Don’t tease me.”
His arms flexed as he held me down and I could see the want burning in his eyes.
My breath caught as I took in his long eyelashes, the strong line of his jaw, the broadness and strength of his shoulders.