He turned to face her, looking about as miserable as she felt.
“I’m sorry,” he said right away. “I was a jerk. I shouldn’t have made you doubt that what you’re doing for me—what you’ve done for me—has been anything less than a goddamn miracle.”
Great. Now she felt even worse. She moved toward him. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I behaved terribly, acted like the type of woman I absolutely loathe, the kind who throws tantrums and acts like a diva because things don’t go her way. I can’t apologize enough for overreacting to what you said.”
“You didn’t overreact. I was an asshole.”
“You weren’t an asshole. I’m just doing my job, and you have a right to feel about it however you feel about it. It’s natural for you to have concerns about your career. I made it about me. Even worse, I made it about you and me. I should know better.”
He swept one of the escaped tendrils of hair behind her ear. “I think it’s okay to talk about you and me like there really is a you and me.”
Something fluttered in her belly. “Is there?”
“I think so. Don’t you?”
“I don’t know what to think sometimes. It scares me.”
“Hell, everything scares me, Alicia. The fact I might not pitch again scares me. Being in a room full of your family tonight? That was terrifying, given how I feel about my own family. You and me? That definitely scares me. That argument we had tonight was minor in comparison.”
She loved that he was being honest with her. Knowing what frightened him—that the two of them and their relationship ranked at the top of that list—helped her understand him better. It scared her, too. Her feelings for him absolutely petrified her, because they gave him the power to hurt her. “You’re right, and I handled it badly. It won’t happen again.”
His lips lifted. “Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep.”
She laughed. “Okay, I won’t. I have some hot tea made. Would you like some?”
“No. I want to kiss and make up.” He pulled her close and cupped the back of her neck, drawing her lips to his. There was power in this kiss, a desperate passion she grabbed on to like a lifeline.
Maybe it was an apology, but every time they came together, it always seemed more powerful than the time before. It could be that it was all in her mind, that her love for Garrett was growing and that’s why touching him, kissing him, and being with him felt so all consuming to her each time they were together. But there was something incredibly magical about the way he stroked her neck. Surely those goose bumps she felt weren’t her imagination.
He slid his fingers along her scalp to release the clip that held her hair up then trailed his fingers down to find the zipper of her dress.
With her zipper drawn halfway, he led her into the bedroom where he turned on the beside lamp, then stood her at the side of the bed and pulled her against him again to take her mouth in a searing kiss that left her breathless.
“I’ve been waiting all night to get you out of this dress, to see what kind of underwear you had on,” he whispered against her ear, finishing what he’d started in the living room by pulling the zipper of her dress the rest of the way down.
When she stepped out of the dress, his gaze roamed appreciatively over her black push-up bra and matching thong panties. She hadn’t expected to see him tonight, but she’d selected the underwear anyway, secretly hoping he’d be there.
“Uh . . . fucking wow,” he said. “And with those sexy high heels? Double fucking wow.”
She blushed under his heated gaze. “Thank you. You next.”
He unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off, then slipped off his shoes and pants, modeling his black boxer briefs for her.
She laughed. “Sexy.”
“Yeah, not even close. He dropped his briefs, his erection bobbing up and making her quiver in anticipation.
He teased his fingertips over the swell of her breasts. “This underwear is very hot, Alicia. Did you wear it for me, hoping you’d see me tonight?”
“Yes.”
“I like that. Thank you. Why don’t you lie on the bed and let me show you how much I appreciate you?”
She sat and started to take off her shoes, but Garrett put his hand over hers and grasped her ankles. “Oh, no, babe. These shoes have to stay on. I want you to dig them into my back and my ass when I fuck you tonight.”
Her * quivered. She laid her palms flat on the bed. “God, Garrett. You make me wet when you say things like that.”
“I like making you wet.” He gave her shoulder a gentle push, and she lay back on the bed, her legs dangling over the edge.
When Garrett lifted her legs and pressed a kiss to her calves, she shivered.