she snaps.
“You gonna send an anonymous noise complaint later just to get some attention?”
“Get! Out!” she screams.
“We’re gonna take a look around a bit more. For your safety, of course,” one says.
“I’m done,” Tobias says, and I scramble to ensure he stays put.
Straddling him was not the intention, but it seems to do the trick.
He expels a breath in a slow, steady hiss as his fingers flex on my hips, as if he’s trying to decide whether to toss me off him or keep me in place.
“This can’t happen,” he groans.
“It’s not like we have a choice,” I say, gripping his shoulders—his freaking hard, strong shoulders—to brace myself above him.
“She needs my help,” he says, squeezing my hips tighter.
“No, Tobias, she needs you to stay right where you are.”
Needy, so needy, I scold myself.
“It’s not a good idea. This can’t happen.”
“What if it’s the only chance for it to happen?”
His pause makes me realize what I said and how it, too, could have dual meaning. Honestly, I need them to have dual meanings.
To save face, I quickly add, “What if you open that door, and it causes more problems than she already seems to have?”
His breath seems to be closer and, in the darkness, so close to him, all other senses heightened, those feelings from just a touch soar.
“Making that move would make things harder, without a doubt.”
I find myself pinching a lock of his hair between my fingers and rubbing them together, enjoying the silky softness of it as I ponder his words and wonder if he’s talking about me or Gabrielle. But right now, I desperately want it to be me.
“And what about you?”
“What about me?” His words are heavier, breathier, deeper.
“What do you really want, Tobias?”
He shifts, and I drop, and then I freaking moan at the feel of his hardness against the thin material of my panties. It immediately makes my stomach flip and my head spin.
“I want her to be happy. I want her to have a great life. I want her to never look at me and think I did her wrong.”
I lean my forehead against his chest and can literally feel his heart rate accelerate, and his breaths grow harder.
I inhale his scent—clean, manly, earth, so fucking sexy.
“Truth,” he groans, gripping my hips, and only then do I realize I’ve been rocking against him.
How embarrassing. How fucking embarrassing.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“Yeah, me, too.” He runs his hand up my back, causing it to arch and my hips to rock. His chest rumbles in a silent, not so happy laugh as he moves his hand to the back of my neck and pulls my head against his chest. “Me, too.”
I swear I feel his lips against the top of my head, but then I think it may be my wayward desires making my life, the one that seemed to only really getting to the good parts, kind of suck.
Thoughts swarm like angry bees inside my head, and holding them inside stings. It stings like nothing ever has, and nothing else ever will.
“Tobias, I—”
“Please don’t make this any harder on yourself than it already is.”
Guess I was wrong … Ouch.
I pull my head off his chest and force myself to recoil slowly, very slowly.
Sitting to the side of him in the dark, embarrassed and angry at myself, his hushed voice still inside my head saying, Tiny T, the first nickname from a boy that wasn’t mean, makes me happy and sad all at the same time.
I hear a door slam and cringe at the thought of how the embarrassment I’ve been able to keep hidden in this darkened closet will soon be brought to life.
“Where are you?” Gabby whisper-hisses.
I jump up and blindly reach for the door handle but get his hand instead. I pull it back quickly.
“Don’t be like that,” he whispers as he opens the door.
I hurry out and feel him tug on the back of my dress.
I glare back at him.
“Your skirt was folded up.”
I huff, “Great, just freaking great.”
I hurry in the direction of Gabrielle’s voice and, when I see her, I immediately stop.
“Go. Now.” Her voice does not mirror her demeanor.
“Gabrielle, chill.”
“Go.” Her voice breaks. “Now.”
“Jesus,” I sigh exaggeratedly as I walk to her. “I hated you hours ago, and now, here I am, ready to fight with your bitchy ass.”
“Just leave me alone.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“Just leave!” she cries.
“Only if you go with me. If not, my very angry father is going to show up with my Hello Kitty sleeping bag