reached the door, I paused and looked at him over my shoulder. He’d pushed the hood back and turned his hat around, so the bill was at the back of his head. He looked alarmingly young suddenly, and I had a moment where I wondered if I was about to make the second biggest mistake of my life where this man was concerned.
“You didn’t agree with me when I said this is a one-night stand.” I sounded flustered to my own ears. “Hey. Put me down!”
I yelped as he picked me up. Instinctively I wrapped an arm around his neck as he scooped me up with an arm under my knees and the other around my waist. “I didn’t agree because I don’t agree. You think one time between us will be enough, but I’ve had you on my mind for ten years. I’m doing my best not to lie to you, so I’m not going to say something just because it’s what you want to hear. You can tell me to go or you can ask me to stay, knowing things are definitely going to get more complicated between the two of us. You should know me well enough by now to know I’m the kind of guy who purposely chases disaster.” His eyebrows arched upward, and a slight grin tugged at his lips. “Should I stay, or should I go?”
Just like last time, but this time stone-cold sober, I knew I wanted him to stick around. I quietly muttered, “You should stay.”
I would figure out the ramifications of not only letting him in, but refusing to let him go, later on. For now, I just wanted to feel.
I’d been numb for so long, I couldn’t wait for all my nerve endings and sensitive spots to light up with life and passion once again. I wanted to remember what it was like to feel alive.
It was a really weird time to think that my father would be proud of me, but he would. I chuckled at the thought as Salinger strode confidently into my bedroom. I saw his gaze skim over the mostly white and cream-colored décor. I waited for him to make a snide comment about the uninteresting surroundings, but he didn’t. His attention didn’t flicker from me for a single second, even when he dropped me lightly on the bed.
I watched as he shifted to pull the hoodie off, the baseball hat going with it in a tangle of fabric. His golden hair was standing up in places and pressed down close to his head in others. It was a cute mess, sort of like the rest of him. All he had on under the sweatshirt was a black tank top that showed a lot more than it covered. More skin. More muscle. More ink. More Salinger. My lips tingled, and my fingertips twitched as he stepped to the edge of the bed and caught my ankle to tug me closer to him.
I’d put on a thin, short pair of cotton shorts and a stretchy cami when I got ready for bed earlier. There was plenty of time to put on something more appropriate while he was driving across town, but I hadn’t. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I acknowledged that more than talking was going to happen when I invited him over in the middle of the night. I not only expected it, I anticipated it.
Salinger leaned down and put his hands on the mattress next to my hips. His gaze locked on mine as he lowered his head down until he was eye-level with me. Between one breath and the next, he kissed me like his life depended on it. He always kissed me like he was afraid I would disappear if he gave me a moment to breathe. It was intense and quickly became overwhelming.
He did exactly what he told me he was going to… he kissed me.
He kissed my lips until they felt swollen and sore.
He kissed the tip of my nose in a gesture so sweet it choked me up.
He kissed his way down my neck and across my collarbone.
He moved the strap of my top out of his way and placed wet, openmouthed kisses on my breasts until he reached the pointed, eager peak of my nipple. Once he pulled the tight, pink bud into the heat of his mouth, I could barely keep my eyes open. Sensation swamped me. I was warm everywhere. My nerves felt like they