ass and lifted them away. “Guess we’re eating then.”
Pushing the disappointment away, I walked her up the stairs to my apartment. It was risky, the chance that the privacy would lead me astray, but we had her backpack to put away. Last thing I wanted was to give her any reason to leave, so making sure she understood that the night came with no expectations was my prime objective.
“You need anything before we leave?” I asked, tossing the bag on the floor of Leighton’s old room. He’d left most of his bedroom furniture since Presley’s place was kitted out. So other than needing to throw some sheets on the bare mattress, it was ready for a sleep over.
Her eyes floated over the room, looking around before turning back to me. “You were serious.” It wasn’t a question, more an affirmation that I’d taken her by surprise.
“I don’t make a habit of saying things I don’t mean.” I gently brushed the hair from her face. “So yeah, I was serious.”
I wanted to kiss her, her lips so close that all I had to do was reach down and take them. And without the worry about who was around to see, I was free to show her exactly how much I wanted her to stay the night.
My mouth hovered, brushing against hers lightly as I teased us both. Her breath came out in fast pants, her hand wrapping around the base of my T-shirt as she pulled me closer. “I’ll spend the night, but only if I get to stay in your room.” Her voice raw, unwavering as she told me what she wanted. “What do you think of that?”
Think?
She was giving me entirely too much credit if she thought I could function let alone think after that, my brain taking a vacation as my mouth closed the distance. I was trying my fucking hardest to be good, but denying her what she wanted wasn’t an option either. “Just my room or in my bed?” I asked, wanting to clarify because there was a big difference.
“Your bed, Justin,” she mumbled against my mouth, pushing me against the wall.
I loved her strength, her lean toned body pressing against mine and knowing I didn’t have to worry about breaking her. “Yeah? I can take you there right now if that’s what you want.”
So much for being good.
It was overrated anyway.
Plus, North had never answered me on how long he’d waited before he’d had sex with Quinn, so for all I knew I was holding off unnecessarily.
My hands were all over her, tracing her curves over her clothes and imagining what she’d feel like naked. I wanted to know, to feel her against my body as I continued to kiss her with nothing between us.
“Tessa,” I breathed, unable to stop kissing her as my mouth moved down her neck. I needed more leverage, spinning her around so it was her back against the wall with my body caging her in. “Baby, I’m so fucking hard right now and thinking straight isn’t an option for me. So if you want this to stop you’re going to have to tell me.”
I wanted her.
Wanted her in so many ways I couldn’t even decide where to start, but I needed to hear her say it was what she wanted too.
Her hand reached down between us, pressing the heel of her palm against the straining fly of my jeans. “No stopping, and this time I want more than just your hand.”
Tessa
IF THERE HAD been some ambiguity as to whether Justin wanted to sleep with me, there wasn’t anymore. And thank God for that, because for all my earlier protests about not wanting to be another woman in Tibbs’ highlight reel, I really wanted him, too.
He was crazy hot, his body and mouth knowing exactly how to make me feel good. If it turned out to be a one-time thing, I still didn’t think I’d regret it, feeling more turned on and ready to explode than I had in an entire year. Maybe I’d been doing it all wrong, and long-term serious relationships were overrated? In any case, I wasn’t going to overthink what would probably be the best sex I was ever going to have with a guy who, for all his cockiness, was still really sweet.
By some miracle we’d navigated our way to his room, stripping and kissing the entire way, and leaving a trail of discarded clothes in our wake. Not once did he stop touching me, blindly