Straightening my spine, I meet Jeremy’s gaze full on, “Is there something you need to say?”
Jeremy doesn’t miss a beat, “I was just telling David that he needed to be careful.”
“Careful? Around me? What do you think I’m going to do to him?” I can’t decide if this conversation is making me mad, or if it just hurts my feelings that this person who doesn’t even know me would judge me this way.
“Honestly? I don’t know what you’re going to do to him. I just don’t want my friend to get hurt.” Jeremy looks extremely uncomfortable. I guess talking about me behind my back is easier than voicing his opinions to my face.
“Okay, let me make sure I have this right.” Holding up one hand, I tick his points off on each finger, “First, you don’t know what I’m going to do to him, you just know that I’m going to do something. Second, I’m just like Amy. Third, I’m going to run from him when things get hard. Fourth, I have some serious issues. And, last but not least, I’m going to fuck him over, but he won’t see it coming.” Raising an eyebrow, I turn to David and ask, “Did I get all that correct?”
From the way David is looking at me, I don’t know if he’s pissed, or he wants to throw me down on his desk and have his way with me. I’m voting for the latter. He looks at Jeremy, “Well, does she?”
Pushing his glasses further up his nose, Jeremy blows out a breath, “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
Walking over to him, I poke him in the chest and he jerks in surprise before rubbing the spot I touched, “Shit you have a pointy finger.”
“Look, you asshole, I don’t know who you think you are, but you don’t know me at all. Shame on you for even acting like you do. I don’t know what your problem is, or why you’ve never liked me, but I’m nothing like that girl. I’m sure that from what you know about me, running does seem to be my M.O., but I love David. I would never treat him the way Amy did.” I’m so pissed off that I don’t notice how quiet the room has gotten at first. Then, I realize what I just admitted. Shit! I just blurted out the fact that I’m in love with David. I can practically feel the color leave my face, and I start to sway.
Jeremy grabs my elbow to steady me, and gives me a concerned look. “Um, are you okay?”
Damn, damn, double damn. Yeah, that’s about all I can think right now. “I’m…I’m…fine.” I manage to say before jerking my elbow out of his reach and backing towards the door. “I, uh, I really need to just go.” I stutter, and turning around I reach for the door. I’ve got to get out of here, I can’t believe I’m such an idiot!
Before I can even turn the handle, David’s hand covers mine, and he’s pressed against my back. “Where are you going?”
Shaking my head in an attempt to clear it, I whisper, “I don’t know.”
“Are you just going to prove him right? If you leave now, you’re going to show him that the second things get hard, you’re gone.” David murmurs next to my ear, and I stiffen. Shit! He’s absolutely right. Damn it. This is the last place I want to be right now, especially after what I said. It’s too soon. We’ve only known each other a few months, we’ve barely even started. Have I completely ruined it?
I’m so busy working myself up, that I fail to notice David’s turned me around to face him until he cups my cheek with his palm. I try to jerk away, but his other arm is around my back, keeping me in place.
“Careful darlin',” David says in a low voice, “You probably want to stick around for this.”
I shake my head frantically, afraid to say anything to this man that I just confessed to loving.
Bending his knees slightly so that he’s eye level with me, David studies me. “Hey, baby, I need you to listen to me. Just listen. Can you do that?”
I can only nod dumbly, gazing back at his too handsome face. David straightens before turning back to Jeremy, “Can you give us a minute Jer?” I don’t catch what Jeremy says, but he obviously agrees because David leads me away from the door, walking backwards towards his desk. When Jeremy closes the door behind him, the room is so quiet that it sounds like a gunshot and I jump. One side of David’s lip curls up like he’s trying not to smile, but he manages to control it.
Leaning against the desk, he pulls me into him, one arm around my waist while the other cups my cheek again. “Are you ready to listen to what I have to say?”
“Yes,” It’s hard to speak around the huge lump in my throat, but I’m trying to be strong. This conversation terrifies me. I know David cares about me, but I know that the last thing he expected when I walked into his office was a declaration of love. I’m such a fool.
He watches my silent freak out, and I feel too exposed. The way he’s holding me makes it impossible for me to even wrap my arms around myself.
Finally, just when I think I’m going to crawl out of my skin, he starts to speak. “Lyric, I know that you’re scared, but baby, you have absolutely no reason to be. If you’d given me half a second to process what you just said, I’d have told you that I feel the same way.”
My eyes well with tears at what he’s saying. He hasn’t said the actual words, but if that wasn’t a confession of love, I don’t know what is. When I just stare, wide-eyed at him, he smiles at me softly. Then, he brings me impossibly closer to him, murmuring against my lips, “I love you, darlin'. More than you could possibly imagine.”
The tears begin to fall, I can’t stop them, and I don’t want to. These are the best kind of tears, happy ones. When I moved to Nashville, falling in love wasn’t in the plan, but it just might be the best thing that ever happened to me. David brings his lips to mine, and instinct takes over. I could kiss this man for hours. His mouth, his tongue, his taste, it’s all become home to me.
David takes his hand from my cheek, wrapping it around the back of my neck and tangling his fingers into my long hair. Our tongues tangle together, and his hand tightens on my side, holding me almost painfully tight. There’s not even an inch of space between our bodies, but I’m still trying to get closer. Knowing that I love him, and he freaking loves me too, I don’t even know how to describe the feeling it gives me.
He releases my mouth, and I wrap my arms around his neck, laying my head on his shoulder. There are still tears streaming down my face as he brings both of his arms around me to hug me tightly. David presses his lips to the back of my head and murmurs nonsense words against my hair as he rubs his hand up and down my back soothingly. It doesn’t take long for me to relax into him, my tears finally slowing, then stopping completely. Once I’m no longer in need of comfort, I quickly become aware of another need I have.
David just told me he loves me! Just me, even when I’m neurotic, self-conscious, and self-destructive. He gets me in a way no one else ever has, not even Aria or Anna. He understands exactly what I need, when I need it, and he gives it to me. Finding someone like him is an absolute miracle, and I don’t ever want to let him go.
Pulling away from him slightly, I look into his now frowning face and have to grin. “David?”
“Yeah darlin'?” His voice in unsure, and I know it’s because I pushed him away from me. That’s when I realize that he’s just as out of his depth as I am right now.
Suddenly feeling shy, I bite my lip and look away. David’s arms are still wrapped loosely around me, but he moves one so that he can move my gaze back to his. He looks at me quizzically before saying, “Lyric, you can ask me anything. You know that right?”
Nodding, I take a deep breath, “I…just…never mind.” Why is it so hard to ask him this? By now, we’ve had sex enough times that I should be comfortable initiating it with him. It’s been more amazing with him each time, but David’s just told me he loves me and I want to be as close to him as possible.
When he continues to just stare into my eyes, saying nothing, although by the way the corner of his mouth has turned up, I’m almost certain he knows what I’m trying to say. He just wants me to be the one to say it. I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm my nerves before blurti
ng out, “Will you make love to me?” Once the words are out, I’m mortified, but when David says nothing, I look up at him finally. His eyes are blazing gold, and the desire I see in them makes my heart speed up.
“Oh darlin', we’ve been doing that for a while now,” he replies with a salacious grin. It feels like I blush all the way to my toes, and he chuckles before cupping both of my cheeks in his gentle hands. He lifts my face closer to his as he brings his mouth down to mine. Just before our lips meet, he whispers, “I’ll never get enough of you.” At his words, I melt.
***
As his lips devour mine, David turns me so that I’m leaning against the desk instead of him, and his hands quickly start caressing my body. When his lips break apart from mine and he moves them towards my neck, I have a brief moment of lucidity. “David, the door. Is it locked?” I’m practically panting, the thought that anyone could come in and catch us both terrifies and arouses me.
David growls against my neck, “I’m pretty sure Jeremy locked it.”
“Pretty sure?” I ask, pulling away from him.
“Fuck,” he says in a low voice before leaving me to check. When he turns to walk back to me, he has a sheepish look on his face. “Well, it’s locked now at least” he tells me when he’s standing in front of me once more.
I roll my eyes, “Good thing you checked then, huh?”
The corner of his mouth lifts, showing off his dimple, as he says, “I love your smart mouth.”
His small smile widens, turning lascivious as he grips the hem of my shirt before pulling it over my head. Then, he inhales sharply when he sees my new emerald green bra, quickly sliding his hand up my back to unclasp it. He steps back, staring at my bare upper body which causes my nipples to tighten almost painfully under his scrutiny. I love the way he looks at me. His look says that I’m the most attractive thing he’s ever seen, that he wants me more than he’s ever wanted anyone else. It gives me a confidence that no one else ever has.
Keeping my eyes on his, I move my hands to the side of my flat front black pants to unzip the hidden zipper before peeling my pants down my thighs. He watches the movement with his bottom lip caught between his teeth. I step out of my shoes, and hook my thumbs in my matching emerald green panties when he says gruffly, “Don’t.”
Letting go of my panties, I look at him questioningly. He wants me to leave my panties on? Why? Before I can say anything, his body is flush against his again and he places his index finger on my lips, “Turn around darlin'. Hands on the desk.” I don’t even have to think about it, I comply immediately.
Putting an arm around my waist, he pulls my body so that my behind is sticking out and I’m forced to lean over to keep my hands in place. Then, he leans over me. “Don’t move,” he whispers in my ear. “No matter what.”
Goosebumps break out all over my body. I really like forceful David. He’s always a little alpha male, but he’s never been like this. It’s like us actually saying the words “I love you” has freed him to be who he really is.
He straightens, and I have no idea where he is. I’m facing the wall in his office, and he’s somewhere behind me. He’s no longer touching me, and the not knowing is making my heart race and my breathing pick up. I can hear what I think is him removing his clothes, and I close my eyes. I’m wound so tightly that when I feel his hands on my hips, I jump. David chuckles, and then he runs his finger up the center of my panties. I know they have to be soaking wet, but I’m so far beyond the point where I could be embarrassed that I don’t even care. I shiver lightly as he tugs my panties down, tapping each leg to indicate that I should lift it and he removes them.
I’m now completely bare, bent over his desk, unable to see his face or anything he’s doing behind me. After my pants are off, he runs a hand up each leg, gently massaging the muscles in my calves, then my thighs. I’m so thoroughly relaxed that I jolt forwards when one of his fingers slides inside me. David pulls me back into position, sliding first one than two fingers inside me, causing me to moan much more loudly than I probably should. It doesn’t take much for my hips to start moving back into his fingers, and I can hear his breathing become heavier. He suddenly removes his fingers from me, and I whimper, but then his mouth replaces his fingers and I have to grip the desk in order to stay upright.
“Oh David,” I moan breathily when his tongue mimics the movements his fingers were making only moments ago. Then, he alternates between thrusting his tongue inside me, and circling my sensitive clit each time I get close to an orgasm, keeping me constantly on the edge. “Please, David. I need you inside me,” I beg, unable to take any more of his teasing.
David laughs lightly, but it’s not a warm laugh. It sounds positively evil, and I shudder. I tense, but then feel his hand caress the small of my back as he leans over, telling me, “Oh darlin', I love it when you beg for me.”
I exhale a shaky breath, but my next inhale is cut off when the palm of his hand smacks down on my ass. I jump and even though he doesn’t smack me hard, it stings, but then it becomes a pleasurable pain. I’ve never been spanked before, and I can’t quite decide if I like it. Before I can make a decision, he smacks my other cheek before slamming into me. I let out a small scream, he feels even bigger in this position, and he isn’t being gentle at all. He grips my hips in both hands, pulling me into him as he slams into me again and again. He thrusts inside me only a couple of times before I explode around him. I’m almost afraid I’m going to black out from the strength of it. In fact, my vision actually dims around the edges as I struggle for breath.
The force of his thrusts never falters, and when I clench around him a second time, David’s breath hisses out as he murmurs, “Fuck yes darlin'.” He pushes deep one final time before releasing into me. When he pulls out, he collapses into the chair closest to him, pulling me with him so that I wind up on his lap.
David runs his hand through my hair, gently tucking it behind my ears. I smile shyly up at him, but my smile drops when I see the concerned way he’s looking at me. “Are you okay, darlin'? I don’t know what came over me just now.”
Ah, he’s worried I’m going to be upset with him. I feel my cheeks heat as I shake my head, “I’m more than okay! In fact, I don’t think I could be more okay right now.”
“Good,” he says, pulling me closer. I snuggle into him, my head on his shoulder and one hand on his chest. We stay like this for a while, both too comfortable to move while his free hand travels up and down first my back, then my arm. I doze until David finally pushes me into a standing position to help me get dressed. Then, he sends me out to get us food before we spend the remainder of the afternoon in his office, him doing things for the bar and me working on this week’s review.
It’s been almost a week since I caught SarahBeth and Jeremy in the bathroom and told David I’m in love with him, things have gotten extremely tense. SarahBeth and I are studiously ignoring and avoiding each other, although Jeremy and I still don’t talk unless we have to. Not that that part is any different. I know David is wondering what’s up with me and his sister, I’ve caught him looking at us curiously when we’re in the same room because we talk around instead of to each other.
When I got home from David’s that weekend, the only thing I wanted to do was talk to Anna about everything. She doesn’t pull any punches, and I needed honest advice.
“So let me get this straight,” she begins, settling further into the couch like she knows she’s going to be here for a while. “You walked into the bathroom, caught SB sucking face with her brother’s best friend, and you didn’t go right out and tell him? Why the hell not?”
“I wasn’t sure what to say!” I start. This conversation is already not going the way I thought it was going to. I was hoping she would immediately take my side, and tell me I was right not to say anything. Doesn’t look like it’s going to go that way.
Anna looks at me skeptically, “It’s not that hard L. You walk out of the bathroom and say, hey, honey, I saw your sister a
nd your bestie going at it in the bathroom. Just thought you should know!”
I have to roll my eyes at the idea that David would ever refer to Jeremy as his “bestie”. If I wasn’t so stressed out, the idea would probably make me laugh. As it is, it’s only mildly amusing. “Ah, but Anna, you don’t know what happened the next morning when I finally talked to SarahBeth.”
Anna points an accusing finger at me, “That’s another thing! What the hell Lyr? Why didn’t you interrupt them and ask what the hell they were thinking?”
Throwing my hands up beside my head I yell, “I don’t know Anna! I was in shock!”
“Okay, I’ll give you that one,” Anna nods, “but still, you should have told him right away.”
“Yeah, well, I probably would have, except the next morning, SarahBeth threatened to tell David that she hated me if I told him what I saw. I don’t want to lose him Anna.” I know that I sound defeated, but honestly, I feel defeated. There’s no way for this to end well. Not for any of us.
That last sentence pushes Anna over the edge. “She said WHAT?! That little bitch. I’m going to kill her!” Her voice gets louder on each word, and by the time she stops talking, I’m cringing from the noise level.
She tries to walk past me, but I grab her arm, “Where are you going?”
“I told you, I’m going to kill that little girl,” she all but growls, jerking her arm out of my grasp and heading for her room. Having no choice but to follow her, I take off after her.
“Anna, wait!” I call, but she ignores me. By the time I make it to her room she’s worked herself into a completely pissed off state. Stepping into the doorway, I block her way out of the room.
“Move out of the way Lyric. If you’re not going to stand up for yourself, I’m damn sure going to do it for you.” Anna’s practically vibrating with rage, and I worry a little that she’s not being dramatic when she says she’s going to kill SarahBeth.
Save Me From Myself (Nashville Nights) Page 20