“How do you think you’ll like it?” My mouth hovers above hers as I thrust harder, hitting that spot that leaves her breathless. “When I take you, do you want me to do it slowly? Do you want me to be gentle? Sweet?” I press my lips to the corner of her mouth as she pants. “Or do you want me to fuck you hard? Rough? Do you want me to show you how badly I want you? How I’ve wanted you for fucking ages? How I’ve dreamt about it every fucking night?”
My gaze coasts her face, all the soft edges I love, and when I follow the line of her arms up to her wrists above her head, I find her hands reaching for me.
“Garrett,” she whimpers, trembling when I release her throat and lace my fingers through hers, watching as she teeters along the edge.
“Don’t worry. We can take our time, do it all. I have no plans of letting you walk out that door once I have you.”
I pull the toy from between her legs before driving it back inside her, and when her toes curl and her back arches, I take her mouth with mine, swallowing my name as she screams it.
With a swift tug of the tie, I free her from the headboard and flip her over, jerking her hips off the bed, her perfect, round ass in the air.
“I’m so fucking far from done with you, sunshine.”
I’ve had this body wrapped around mine too many times to count. Watched her thick lashes rest against her cheekbones, her chest rise and fall steadily as she sleeps. I’ve felt the way her hold on me tightens when I shift, and I’ve smiled at the frown that pulls at the corners of her mouth when she’s dreaming, the way it quirks upward when I brush the pad of my thumb across the swell of her bottom lip, stroke a finger down the side of her face, or touch my lips to her forehead.
And still, I have no idea what it’s like to fall asleep with her in my arms. To sleep soundly with her legs tangled with mine. To wake in the morning with her warm body still tucked into mine and see the way the sunshine makes her face glow as it bathes her from the window.
I’m tired of not knowing what it’s like. I don’t want to dream about it anymore; I want to live it.
I turn the TV off and tuck the remote away. Jennie stirs, lashes fluttering, blue eyes peering up at me. Heat rushes to her cheeks when she finds me watching her.
“What are you looking at?”
I brush her hair off her forehead, tucking it behind her ear. “You.”
“Why?”
Why? Why the fuck not? She’s beautiful, my best friend. She makes me smile when she’s not even doing a damn thing, and she lives rent-free in my head twenty-four seven. Who had any right making her this magnificent?
When I look at her, a thousand emotions swirl inside me, and it’s hard to choose just one to focus on. I wish I could put it into words, but I don’t know how.
But there’s one thing I can do.
I cup her face, coaxing her gaze back to mine. She’s nervous, more nervous than me. But I don’t want her to be nervous; I want her to be sure.
“Stay,” I whisper. “Right here, with me. Please, Jennie. Stay with me.”
Her wide eyes move cautiously between mine. That fear begins to dissipate, leaving me with a devastating smile that shatters her face, ignites a fire inside my chest, and warms me from the inside out.
“Okay,” Jennie says. “I’ll stay.”
CHAPTER 29
DID I JUST MAKE A FRIEND?
JENNIE
“No hair gel,” I murmur, rifling through the drawer. “Seriously? It looks that good all on its own? Un-fucking-believable.”
It’s surprisingly tidy in here for a bachelor’s bathroom. I’d be impressed, except I can’t find what I’m looking for, so annoyance is winning by a landslide.
So far, his vanity has yielded an unholy amount of Q-tips, those flossing sticks instead of the thread, which immediately ups Garrett a few notches, and an array of hair trimmers. They’re all different, but I can’t fathom why he needs so many. I shouldn’t complain; whatever he’s doing with his facial hair is working for me. I quite enjoy the way it tickles between my thighs.
I examine a bottle of cologne before spritzing it on my T-shirt. It’s technically Garrett’s, so it already smells like him, but a little more won’t hurt.
“Oooh.” I pull the cotton to my nose, inhaling. He smells like heaven always, fresh like citrus from his shower, but the cologne adds an earthy smell, the kind that has me picturing him out in the woods in a plaid flannel, wielding an axe. “So good.”
“Snooping?”
Yelping, I slam the drawer shut, turning to find Garrett in the doorway. He’s naked, which is distracting. Lieutenant Johnson is super rock hard and massive, waving hello, which is extremely fucking distracting.
“Snooping? No. Me? No.” My arm flails in the direction of the countertop, where his things are spread, and I accidentally swipe his cologne clear off it. It’s in a pretty glass bottle, and I can’t pronounce the name, so I likely can’t afford to replace it if it smashes at our feet.
Probably why I fling myself forward, arms outstretched.
Garrett simply holds out his hand and catches the bottle, cradling it into his chest, and I go crashing into him.
“Are you all right?” He’s not asking if I’m physically intact and pain-free. He’s questioning my sanity, and his tone indicates he finds it humorous.
“I was looking for a toothbrush.” I bury the words against his collarbone. “I can’t kiss you with morning breath. That’s disgusting.”
His blue-green eyes are hazy, heavy with sleep as he stares down at me. If his sleep was anything like mine, it was glorious. I haven’t slept so deep in ages as I did with Garrett’s warm body locked around mine all night, his hand splayed over my stomach, face buried in my neck. He’s really the biggest snuggle bear ever, and I think I might be too.
He releases me and moves to the counter, tucking his cologne away and producing a small woven basket. Inside is a packaged pink toothbrush, hair ties, deodorant, lip balm, makeup remover wipes, and a small box of tampons.
A knot clenches in my stomach like an angry fist. My attempt to tamp down the surge of jealousy moving through me is unsuccessful. I swallow and plant a forced smile on my lips. “You keep feminine products here for the girls you have over?”
Two lines appear between his eyebrows when they quirk. Garrett leans over me, pulling out his toothpaste and depositing it in my hand.
“No.” He hooks his thumb under my chin and lifts my mouth to his, kissing me deeply. “I keep feminine products here for you.” He claps a hand to my ass before sauntering back into the bedroom, unbelievable hockey butt swinging back and forth as he goes.
“Ugh,” he groans, snagging his sweatpants from the floor. He peeks over his shoulder, teasing smile playing at his lips. “Your morning breath is gross.”
Dancing has been my life for as long as I’ve known, but when I lost my dad, it became my savior. It was the only way I could get lost, step outside of my life, my nightmares, and rise above it, even if only for as long as the song lasts. It doesn’t matter where I am or who I’m with; I close my eyes and the music takes me wherever I want to be.
Two hands wrap around my waist before I’m in the air, wind fluttering at my face as Simon spins the both of us. When my feet touch the ground, I dash across the stage, the lyrics to my favorite song chasing at my heels. My body soars as I leap through the air as James Arthur sings about two people falling in love the way stars fall from the sky, and Garrett’s face floods my mind. I’m caught off guard by the vision, and a shiver of apprehension rockets through me at the meaning behind it.
I’ve never been in love. I thought I was, and when Kevin broke my heart, I thought love was the reason it hurt so much. But over the years, I’ve realized that’s not what it was. I was just a girl, someone who longed for acceptance, intimacy, and I latched onto what he gave me. It wasn’t love; it was a lesson learned.
What I have with Garrett feels…different. Unique and fleeting, something you don’t let go of. But I’m only one-half of a whole; I can’t control when someone else wants to let go. Quite frankly, walking into something with that logic is frightening.