air fell from Chloe’s lips as her eyes fluttered open.
He was captivated by the raw emotions staring back at him. “Talk to me, baby.”
Her cheeks were flushed, her lips pink from their kisses. She held up her index finger as she said, “I need a second to catch my breath.”
He touched his lips to hers, loving that she was just as lost in them as he was.
“Wow,” she said just above a whisper. “My feet are usually planted firmly on the ground, and this is the third or fourth time your kisses have sent me up to the clouds.”
“Is that the bone you have to pick with me?”
“Uh-huh,” she said softly.
“Well, babe, that sounds like a compliment to me. So feel free to pick at my bone all night long.”
A nearly silent laugh bubbled out of her lips. “You make it hard to be serious.”
“You make me hard, and to me that is serious.”
“Justin,” she said with a hint of embarrassment. Her brows slanted, and she said, “I have to get something off my chest.”
“I can help with that. Is there a tie in the back of this coconut bra?”
“God. What have I done?” she teased.
“Opened a door that you have no chance of closing. Go ahead, sweet cheeks. Tell me what’s got that pretty brow of yours furrowed.” He pressed a kiss to the tension lines between her brows, and she sighed dreamily.
“This might sound weird,” she said softly but confidently. “So please remember that my background is a little weird. When you kissed me at the door tonight in front of all of my friends, I got so swept up in us, everything else disappeared. And when we’re close, my heart races and I get butterflies in my stomach. I’ve never felt this way before, and it’s incredible to finally allow myself to feel all the things with you that I’ve been trying to ignore. But it’s like a drug. I want more of us. And that makes me wonder if all these feelings are what my mother is always chasing. That fleeting rush of adrenaline and desire. I’ve lived my whole life doing everything I can to keep from turning into her, and it’s a little scary to suddenly hoist my lust-for-Justin flag up the flagpole and let it fly free for everyone to see.”
“God, baby, you’re so fucking real. I dig that about you. But if you’re asking me not to kiss you in public—”
“No, that’s not it. I just don’t want to be her, you know? I got completely caught up in our kiss earlier, and I had a house full of friends. And I wanted that kiss, Justin. I wanted that kiss more than anything else, which is why I got so lost in it. But I don’t want to be someone who puts a man ahead of her friends.”
“It was one kiss, Chloe. And yeah, it was a damn good one, but, babe, you’re not your mother. From what you told me, she chases men and leaves everyone else behind. You could never be that type of woman, and I’m not just spouting shit to make you feel better.” He moved a lock of hair from her cheek and said, “What did you say to me after our kiss?”
She rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. “I can’t remember. My head was in the clouds.”
He laughed softly. “You reminded me that you’d forbidden me from crashing the meeting. The man-chaser you told me about would never have done that.” He gazed deeply into her eyes, wanting her to hear every word he said. “Your mother obviously needs a man to fill some void inside her, to make her feel whole because she can’t seem to do that for herself. You are nothing like that. You said it yourself, Chloe. You’ve spent your life trying not to become her. You’re strong. You’ve created your own life, with your own friends, and you don’t need a damn thing from any man, including me. Everyone who knows you will tell you that you’re too caring to ever allow anyone to hurt someone you care about, especially yourself. Just look at Serena. Look at your friends. Drake told me how you gave him hell when Serena was a teenager and he broke her heart.”
“He got my wrath that night. I can’t believe he told you about it.”
“He also said that when they got together as adults, you made no bones about what you’d do to