by Lisa Simmons
"I just can't help myself when I'm around you. It's like I have to be touching you or I feel... cold."
She brightened slightly, a soft smile pulling at her lips. "I know what you mean."
"You do?" I asked hopefully.
"Yeah," she said, nodding slowly. "It's like I'm on fire when I'm with you."
Relief flooded through me so strong it nearly knocked the breath from my lungs. We had discussed this before, of course- the fact that we both felt the inescapable pull towards each other, but to know she felt it to the extent that I did was incredible. It was like we both had the lingering burn inside of us, only to be ignited by each other.
"Then, I suppose a small part of me acted like that because I wanted him to know that you're with me," I continued. I hoped she was okay with me claiming her as mine. "And that he can't have you ever again."
She was quiet for a while and seemed to be very lost in her head, her eyes dropping from mine as she thought and I got the sense there was something more to this that was bothering her. There was something to her expression that worried me, but at the moment, something else was worrying me more.
"You are with me, aren't you?" I asked, suddenly very afraid she didn't want that anymore.
"Yes," she said almost instantly, her eyes finding mine once more. A smile stretched across my lips, the momentary feeling of doubt erasing.
"Good, 'cause I know I fuck around a lot and it might seem like I'm really... physical but... it's so much more than that now. I'm trying really hard to give you what you deserve," I told her, unsure of where this sudden vulnerable emotion was coming from. It wasn't like me to start the talking on this subject, but I could already feel the vast expanse of feelings I felt for her about to burst open as I tried to reign them back in.
"I still don't know why you think I deserve so much," she whispered, her eyes darting to my chest as she doubted herself. My hand rose to tuck a finger under her chin and lift it once more.
"You're crazy, Abby," I said quietly. "You deserve the world."
Her eyes stared intently into mine, the serious tone of this conversation making her observe me closely.
"You've already done such a good job, Reece," she answered, addressing my attempts. I shook my head slowly.
"I know that isn't true," I said, raising my eyebrow to stop her from interrupting when she opened her mouth. "But I will, if you'll let me."
This conversation was very quickly becoming very serious, and it kind of surprised me. I had had no intention of talking about this until the words had started falling from my mouth, and now it was too late to stop them.
"You're the only one I want to be with. The only one I've ever wanted to be with," I told her. She looked a bit shocked as she absorbed my words. I was quiet as I waited for her to respond. I tried to maintain my even breathing.
"You mean that?" she asked breathlessly. I couldn't tear my gaze from her as she watched me with wide eyes. I nodded slowly, my lips sucking into my mouth before I slowly released them.
"Absolutely. I already knew I wanted it but after tonight and just being with you like you really were mine... I don't know. I don't think I could ever go back to not having you that way, Abby."
Again she didn't speak as my words made their way into her brain. She looked almost scared as I spoke, which made me wonder if I'd said something wrong. Fear started to flair up inside me, terrified I was scaring her off.
"Do you get what I mean?" I asked gently, my hand raising to brush my fingers along her jaw. She swallowed and nodded.
"I feel the exact same way, Reece," she finally said, ridding my body of the fear that had started to creep up. "It just felt... right."
I smiled again, this sudden roller coaster I was on hitting just about every emotion imaginable. Happiness so strong flooded through me I could hardly sit still.
She felt what I felt- the way it felt right for me to cling to her hand all night, the easy way we fell into our own little world no matter where we were, the comfortable yet burning tension that seemed to constantly linger between us, everything. She had, very quickly, taken over my entire mind and body, no matter if we were in the privacy of my bedroom or in a crowded bar with eyes watching us all around.
"This is crazy," she whispered, a gasp of a laugh slipping past her lips as she watched me. She wore a soft smile as if she couldn't quite understand how we had gotten to this point but was happy with it nonetheless.
"I know," I agreed. I was very familiar with the awe that erupted when I thought of what had happened to us. We had gone from absolute strangers who had slept together after not even an hour of meeting to... this. It was so hard for me to put into words what we were, because I'd never done anything like this before. Whatever it was, there was already a desperate need between us- a trust and a reliance that had appeared despite all the challenges we had been through already.
Even when I wasn't with her, she was all I thought about. She had invaded my every thought, whether it be of something we'd done together, something that reminded me of her, or something I wanted to do with her. It didn't matter if I had just seen her or if it had been days, there was a constant longing I felt to be with her. While I felt like a bit of a pathetic sap, I didn't care. Abigail was what was important to me, and I wasn't going to let my pride get in the way of it.
I realized we had both been quiet for some time now, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. There never were awkward silences with us anymore- only comfortable pockets of time where neither of us spoke as we let our touches fill the void. Now was one of those moments as my eyes took in the tiny details of her face without even realizing.
Again, I was struck by how incredibly beautiful she was. I had never seen such perfect skin as hers, her natural flush making her face glow whenever she smiled, laughed, or even looked at me. Right now, after she was still coming down from her high, she was practically glowing like a beacon of all things good in the world. Her lips were soft and pink as they curved into a gentle smile, her expression easy as I observed her.
Her eyes were what killed me though. Yes, they were a light blue color to be envied by all and were framed by dark, substantial lashes, but that wasn't what I loved about them. It was the way she looked at me through those eyes that really resonated through my body. It seemed like I could feel it in my very soul sometimes when she looked at me. She could emote the tiniest of emotions through them, some of the time without her even knowing, which was what allowed me to read her so easily. Every little hint of happiness, amusement, lust, jealousy, anger, hurt, and even love could easily be depicted in her eyes, and it was something I had come to love about her.
I was certain I had never seen such an astonishingly beautiful person in my entire life.
"What?" she asked gently, clearly noticing my careful observation.
"You're so beautiful, Abby," I said quietly, eyes locking on hers that I loved so much. She sucked in a breath like she always did when I said something like that. The gentle flush that would creep across her face at any sort of compliment soon followed, just as I had expected. I smiled as I saw the subtle changes in her features and couldn't stop myself from leaning down to kiss her perfect lips.
She accepted my kiss, her lips molding against my own as I kissed her lightly. There was hardly any pressure in it, but the emotions we had been discussing flowed freely between our lips as mine closed around her lower one. The familiar buzzing I always felt when I kissed her fell over me, and I found it difficult to stop myself from progressing things once more.
She was like a drug to me- every little hit I got only made me crave more until eventually she pulled me under completely. I was the worst kind of addict- one who knew they had a problem but did nothing to stop it. I would take every possible bit of her I could get until I couldn't take any more.
Her lips pushed against mine one last time before I pulled back a few inches. She sighed happily as her fingers twirled lightly at the back of m
y head.
"God, I like you so much, Reece," she said quietly. Her blue eyes were locked, once again, on my own. She held her breath quietly as if afraid I wouldn't return the feeling. How she thought that was possible was beyond me, because I had just confessed so much to her that I felt like I was bleeding emotion.
"You have no idea how much I like you," I said.
My heart thudded in my chest as I fought the urge to tell her exactly how much I liked her. The idea had been haunting me for a few days now, and I felt silly for thinking it, but I knew it was true. She had wormed her way into my heart, her presence there felt constantly in my every move. I had never felt it before, but I knew what it was. It was something I'd never felt, something I'd never wanted, and something I'd never imagined I would feel, but it was there, burning in my heart and searing through my veins with increasingly high urgency with every passing second.
I bit my lip to hold in the words I wanted to say but was too scared to admit- too scared to admit to her, too scared to admit to myself, and certainly too scared to say out loud. The pounding of my heart and the thudding pulse in my veins now was confirmation of my thoughts as they bounced around in my skull, mocking me for being too afraid to admit.
I loved her.
"So don't you worry, you'll be my redemption."
Chapter 38
A loud clang jolted me from my sleep, the metallic sound followed almost immediately by a loud curse that escaped before he managed to stifle it. A quieter series of clanging and swearing followed, and I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion. It took me a second to realize where exactly I was, the happy blur of everything that had happened last night still managing to cling to it's occluding grip on my brain.
The white comforter was tucked tightly around me in the empty bed, the fabric of his sheets soft on my bare body. I was tucked in so snugly that it was almost hard to move, the tightness of the sheet and duvet around me unnatural. I giggled quietly, suspecting Reece had tucked me after climbing out of bed so I wouldn't notice his absence as quickly. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in his blinds, but it couldn't have been that early because it was still a soft pinky-yellow. Yet another loud clash drew me from the cocoon I had been trapped in, heat escaping the moment I broke the tight confines.
I clutched the sheet to my body as I searched the ground for my clothes before giving up and digging a pair of Reece's shorts and a t-shirt from his dresser. I didn't want to bother with my jeans anyway.
I opened the door quietly, hoping to get a clue of what the hell he was doing out here before making myself known. Almost instantly, the acrid scent of something burning stung at my nostrils and my face pinched up in distaste as it tried to ward of the smell. I couldn't help the suspicious grin that pulled at my lips as I suspected what he was doing.
My feet padded noiselessly down the hallway, the floor boards cool beneath my toes. The putrid scent only grew stronger as I got closer to the kitchen and my suspicions were confirmed. I poked my head around the corner slowly and saw him standing in just a pair of boxers with his back to me. His hands were placed on his slim hips as he frowned at the ground and muttered a few curse words.
On the floor was probably every pot or pan he owned, the cupboard they had apparently fallen out of wide open while something indecipherable burned to a crisp on the stovetop. I put my fingers over my mouth to stifle my giggling. I could tell by the hunch in his back and the way his muscles flexed that he was annoyed, but I couldn't help but find him adorable as he tried and failed to cook breakfast.
As quietly as I could, I crept into the kitchen. His body tensed but instantly relaxed when I slid my hands around the small of his back before wrapping around his torso. My lips pressed into the soft skin covering his shoulder blade as his hands covered mine automatically.
"Morning," I said, trying not to sound as giddy as I felt. I didn't want him to think I was laughing at him.
"Good morning," he said. I could practically hear the pout in his voice.
"What are you doing?" I asked casually. He wove his fingers between mine as they covered his stomach. His skin felt so comfortably warm to me and I was a little disappointed I had missed waking up to it.
"Nothing," he grumbled, nudging a pot with his toe. I smiled again and rested my forehead against his skin as I tried to reign it in.
"It looks like you were trying to make breakfast," I observed after I'd gathered myself. He sighed heavily before turning around in my arms, keeping them looped around his waist as his elbows rested on my shoulders lazily. He seemed even taller than usual since we were both bare footed. Something about him not wearing a shirt made him seem even lankier than usual.
"I was," he admitted. "But obviously it's not my strong suit."
I smiled up at him, trying not to look too amused. "That's really sweet."
"Pshh," he grumbled, frowning at the idea of him being 'sweet.' My grin widened again at his resistance to acknowledge him doing something nice. My fingers pushed lightly against the skin of his lower back, massaging in small circles.
"It's the thought that counts," I offered as I glanced at the charred mess of what had once been food in the pan next to us. He scoffed lightly before finally giving me a small self-deprecating grin.
"Glad you see it that way because you probably would have died if you'd tried to eat that," he said, crinkling up his nose at the smell. I giggled and leaned up on my toes to press my lips lightly into his. He lingered there for a few seconds before pulling back.
"Help me," he requested before giving me a wide-eyed, exaggerated frown. He looked like a puppy. An adorable, irresistible, charming puppy.
I laughed softly before nodding. "Alright, but only because you're so cute," I told him before unlinking my arms to start picking up the scattered pots from the floor.
He huffed indignantly. "I'm not cute."
"Are too."
"No way," he argued, shaking his head in distaste.
"You're adorable actually, but if you wanna pretend like you're not then we can," I said, glancing at him and grinning widely. I gasped when my body was suddenly yanked upward from where I had been crouching down before I was pushed against the counter. His hips slid between my legs as he held me against it, his hands gripping tightly to my thighs as his breath washed over my face.
"You think this is cute?" he said deeply, his lips inches from mine as he lightly ground his hips against me. I stifled the moan that threatened to spill from my lips at the first touch he gave me.
"No," I breathed, unable to tear my eyes from his suddenly burning green gaze.
"What was that?" he urged, cocking his eyebrow as he watched me closely and pushed his hips into mine again.
"You're not cute," I gasped, my body unable to handle the sudden and drastic turn of events.
"What am I?" he asked, his tone dripping with the darkness that he usually reserved for late at night or when we were stripped naked in bed.
"You're fucking hot, is what you are," I groaned. This really wasn't fair, because somehow I knew this wouldn't lead to anything. He was going to get me all turned on and leave me hanging to prove his point.
He smirked, satisfied with my answer. "There you go, baby."
His lips closed the gap between ours before they folded around my own. He parted them quickly to let his tongue swipe into my mouth before pulling back and leaving me gasping just as I had suspected he would.
His body was gone from mine as quickly as it had pressed into me, the counter behind me the only thing holding me up as I watched him bend to pick up the mess he'd made. The muscles in his back flexed smoothly with even the tiniest of movements, and I quickly found myself mesmerized by the way he moved so fluidly. His boxers were riding dangerously low when he stood up, the deep v of muscle that disappeared into them practically taunting me.
"Thought you were gonna help?" he questioned playfully, clearly in a much better mood now that he'd gotten to me. It was my t
urn to pout now as I ducked to pick up the rest of the pans off the floor and put them back in the cupboard after him.
"You're really mean when you do that," I grumbled.
"Do what?" he asked innocently.
"You know exactly what you do to me, you jerk," I grouched jokingly. He shrugged, the tight muscles of his chest and shoulders flexing gently as he did so before relaxing once more. The tattoos on his skin were once again on full display, and I had the sudden urge to know the story behind every single one of them. I made a mental note to ask him about them later.
"Maybe I just like to touch you, Abby," he said, his tone once again ringing with innocence that was completely inappropriate.
"Hmmph, maybe I'll do it to you once and see how you like it," I muttered, not at all as unhappy as I was pretending to be. I actually loved when he touched me out of nowhere. I loved the way he had almost complete control over my body, the way he could get the exact reaction he wanted with the slightest of touches from him. Most of all, I loved that he knew he could do it to me, and that he knew I secretly loved it.
"Be my guest, Abby. Like I'm going to stop you," he said with a smug grin.
"Yeah I bet you won't," I muttered with a grin. I moved to the stove and stared down at what was a complete mystery.
"Um, what were you trying to make?" I asked, trying to sound merely curious rather than amused at his horrific failure. I could feel him glaring at me as I turned to face him slowly, a wide, innocent grin on my face.
"It was a pancake," he said grouchily.
"Ah, yes, that's what I thought," I backtracked, acting as though I had known it the whole time. He saw right through me.
"Not another word, you, or that'll be your breakfast," he threatened playfully.
"I'd rather starve," I shot back, grinning even wider as he finally let out a laugh and took the pan from me before tossing it in the sink. I rolled my eyes and followed him, turning on the faucet to fill the pan and adding soap for it to soak.