Ain't No Sunshine

Chapter Nine

Nate

Corydoesn’tanswerwhen I first knock on the door. In fact, it takes a solid five minutes of knocking before I hear movement. If I wasn’t one hundred percent certain she was home, I’d have given up already.

She opens the door in her silk pajamas and a robe. Her hair is a mess, her cheeks are flushed from sleep, and her eyes are slightly red. My heart jumps at the sight of her.

“God. You’re beautiful.” I say, because it’s exactly what I’m thinking. She’s the most beautiful person I know, inside and out, and I hurt her.

Her eyelashes flicker a little as a slight blush appears, but the sadness doesn’t leave her face. “It’s almost midnight, Nate. Can we talk later? In the morning, maybe?”

“Absolutely not,” I say, shocking us both with my sternness. She raises an eyebrow as though she’s about to protest, so I pick her up and move her out of the doorway, before stepping inside.

“Nate…”

“No!” I snap. I need to calm the fuck down. I take a deep breath before continuing in a much softer tone. “We are fixing this, right now, because today sucked. I love football. I love hanging with the boys after a good win. I love it all. But today sucked. All I wanted to do was come to you.”

“Why didn’t you?” Cory asks, her voice holding its own austerity.

“It’s actually not that easy to sneak away after a win. Just ask Dylan. He looked miserable for some reason, but he stayed.”

Some annoyance melts from Cory’s face, quickly replaced with concern. And while it stings that it takes mentioning someone else to soften her, I still love the part of her that cares so much.

“What happened to Dylan?” she asks quietly. Like she knows that’s not the key issue right now.

“I wish I knew.” I shrug. “But don’t worry; I sent him the best person to help.”

Cory eyes me in question.

“Summer.” I wink and watch as a beautiful smile spreads across Cory’s face. Thank God.

I take advantage of her better mood and bring the subject back to us, praying that I don’t lose her again. “I’m so sorry, Cory. I can’t stand you being upset with me.”

“I have a good reason.”

“I know you do. It’s fucked up. But I’m sorting it out.”

She pulls her lips into her mouth as though she wants to say something but is holding back. I draw my eyes to the movement, and I have to bite my own lips to stop myself from kissing her.

Cory’s eyes drop to my mouth, and I can see the want in them. My heart beats a little faster. We’re not over. She’s still in this with me. I’m about to speak when Cory jumps in before me.

“It’s infuriating, Nate. I only recently found out you were still friends with your ex, and now she’s here, hanging out with your parents and telling them you’re together. I don’t want to be a part of this bullshit situation. Ugh! There shouldn’t even be a situation. This is insane. I can’t deal with this right now. I’m going back to bed. You can see yourself out.”

I leap forward and grab her hand, pulling her back into me. Her body crashes into mine, and before she protests, I slam my lips into hers in a desperate kiss. I will not lose this girl, not now that I finally have her.

Cory’s still at first, but when I curl my fingers under her jaw and raise it to deepen the kiss, she moans into my mouth, surrendering to me. Fuck, yes!

I grip her legs, lifting her until she wraps them around my waist. As soon as she’s secured, I walk her backwards and push her against the wall, grinding into her. I know this solves nothing, but I need her close. Need to feel a connection with her. Need to know she still feels the same.

She moans again when our tongues clash, and it’s almost my undoing. Almost.

“You should be leaving,” Cory pants between kisses as she grips my hair, pulling me closer, completely contradicting her words.

With one hand holding her up, I curl the other around her wrist and raise it above her head. The movement causes her chest to rise closer to my face. Begging me to taste her.

She whimpers when I break the kiss, but it quickly turns into a cry of pleasure when I bite down on her nipple. “Still want me to go?” I tease.

Her head falls back against the wall as she moves her hips against me, seeking friction. I grind up into her and take her silence as the answer to my question, securing her in my arms and moving us to the couch.