shoulders as she rides out her release, and it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
Once her body relaxes against me, I bring my fingers to my mouth and taste them.
“Mmm…so fucking delicious.” I smirk, licking my lips. “I’ve missed that.”
Gemma’s head snaps to mine as her green eyes widen in horror. For a moment, I think she sees something behind me, but then I notice panic and realization in them.
“Oh, shit. Oh my God. Shit, shit, shit,” she mutters as she fights to push off me and lowers her skirt when she stands. She grabs her shirt off the floor and pulls it on, her breathing rapid and harsh.
I’m so thrown off by her reaction that I’m not sure what to do besides wait for her to toss me out or explain. “Gemma…” I say gently, trying to adjust my hard-on so I can stand.
Her hand covers her mouth as she stares at me in shock, shaking her head before speaking. “I-I’m so sorry…I can’t, we can’t…I wasn’t thinking clearly. That shouldn’t have happened.”
Well, that’s like a nice cold bucket of ice water to the face. Though I can’t say I regret it. Fuck Robert and his perfect fiancé façade. If he loved her the way he claims, he’d be here right now instead of me. He would’ve dropped everything to make sure his woman was safe.
“Gemma, please stop freaking out…” I finally get to my feet, and she steps away, putting space between us.
“You have to go. Please, go.” She walks over to her kitchen island. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have let it go that far.”
“You asked me to kiss you…” I remind her.
“I know, and I shouldn’t have.”
“I wasn’t complaining.”
She swallows hard and licks her lips, the ones I just kissed. Gemma is having a complete meltdown, and all I want to do is pull her into my arms and comfort her, but I don’t. I keep my feet planted.
“What just happened was wrong, Tyler.”
I want to ask her why it felt so right then. But instead, I shrug, not buying her words. I see through them. While she wants to do the right thing, even she knows deep inside that being with him is wrong. All the red flags are proof. How can she not see what we have, could have, would be the real thing?
“Well, I call bullshit.”
“What?”
“I said, I call bullshit. You knew exactly what you were doing when you asked me to kiss you. You think you love him, but you still have feelings for me.”
“Tyler, please. Don’t.”
Gemma’s nearly in tears, and I hate upsetting her. I know the love and desire we had all those years ago is still there just by the way her body reacted to my touch. It’s frustrating to see her lie to herself and pretend the spark isn’t there. The past twenty minutes was all the proof I needed.
“Make sure to stir the chili,” I say, scooping my shirt off the floor.
“Wait, what?” She nearly stutters over her words, and I point at the pot behind her.
“The chili. It’ll be ready soon. Stir it so the seasonings mix and don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.”
I yank my shirt over my head and grab my keys. “Make sure to lock up behind me.”
Then I pull open the door, briefly waiting to see if Gemma says something, and when she doesn’t, I shake my head and leave.
When I leave, I look up and down the street, seeing if I notice anything suspicious or the SUV she described, but I don’t. Fucking lucky too because I’m in a shitty mood. I would’ve had no problem pulling those assholes out of the car and giving them a piece of my mind with my fists. I’m halfway to the condo when the sky opens up and unleashes on me.
Fucking great.
I’m drenched by the time I make it inside, and Everleigh gasps when I enter.
“God, what happened to you?”
I glare at her as I kick off my shoes, then go to the bathroom. Immediately, I strip out of my wet clothes and hop in the shower. My heart pounds and races with adrenaline. The need to punch someone or something weighs heavily on me, but I grip my cock and punish myself instead.
Gemma isn’t mine.
I don’t deserve her.
Even twelve years ago, I knew I didn’t, but I still had her. I’ve fucked up a lot in my life, but giving her up is my biggest regret. Tasting her again and knowing