With a shaky breath I swallow past the lump in my throat, but my tears don’t get the memo that no more are needed. “We can l-leave in the m-morning…” my lower lip begins to quiver again “…go an-anywhere you w-want to go.”
“Darby! Who did this to you?” The last time I saw this look on Trick’s face, he had a gun pointed at my attacker.
I shake my head and sniffle. “I s-said something I-I shouldn’t have.”
“Who?” he seethes.
“My father.”
He releases me and starts to walk past me.
“Trick!” I grab his arm. “Don’t … let it go. Please, I need you.”
He stops, his bicep steel in my hand.
“I need you.”
When he turns back to me, I place my hands flat on his chest. His heart pounds against the rise and fall of each angry breath. Looking down, I slide my hands to the button of his pants.
“No.” He grabs my hands.
Closing my eyes, the tears spill over. I open them and look up. “If you say no … it will hurt worse than anything he said or did to me.”
His brow furrows. I don’t mean to cause him pain, I just need him to take mine away. I need to feel physically and emotionally loved more than I ever have before.
He releases my hands and shrugs off his shirt. His hand cups the back of my head while his lips press to my cheek. The tip of his tongue grazes my skin, dissolving my tears. He consumes my pain with his touch, one tiny drop at a time.
Scooping me up in his strong arms, he carries me to the bed and sets me on the edge. A final shaky breath ricochets through my body. He undresses me with love. Every touch, every look takes away a little more pain.
Then he finishes undressing himself and lets me just look at him. It’s not arrogant, or cocky—no lip twitch. He’s giving me what I need. I need to take all of him in—let him flow into all the cracks and crevices of my heart, replacing all the missing pieces. His love stitches me up … holds me together.
Kneeling on the floor, he wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head on my legs. “My BFF texted me today. She’s getting married. OMG, like … WTF can you believe that? Heart Emoji, kiss Emoji, smiley Emoji, ring Emoji, thumbs up Emoji, and applause Emoji.”
A laughing sob escapes from my chest. More tears, but now they’re tears of joy and love … my God, so much love. I run my fingers through his hair and he lifts his head giving me a breathtaking smile. My palms press to his stubbly face. “Your BFF sounds like the luckiest woman in the entire world.”
His gaze slips and he nods. “God, I hope so.”
I scoot back on the bed. “Come.”
He smirks, and we both know I can use his command, but the control will always be his. “You first.” He presses his hands to my inner thighs, spreading me open. When the heat of his mouth and the brush of his stubble find my sensitive flesh, I moan, letting my heavy eyelids drift shut.
“Trick …” With one hand fisting the sheet and my other clenching his hair, I let him take me to that other world—a world where light and darkness collide, emotions vanish, and all that’s left is the most incredible out of body experience.
After I melt into a pool of bliss in the middle of his bed, he still doesn’t take … he continues to give. His hands glide over every curve with such patience it feels like he’s sculpting me. Lips breathe love over my skin, eliciting a chilling shiver as I arch my back into his touch. His hands slide up, drawing mine above my head. Our fingers intertwine; I cry out as his tongue teases my sensitive nipple.
“Darby …” he whispers over my skin while sinking into me, filling every last physical and emotional void.
Our hands clench together like they’re holding on to something greater than this moment. He rocks into me; hovering over my face, we just stare until … the world makes sense again.
*
The eight-hundred milligrams of Ibuprofen I took before going to bed numbed the pain and allowed me to collapse into a coma-like state. I don’t think I moved an inch the entire night. I wake feeling rested, but my face is sore again.
“Trick?” my croaky morning voice calls out.
He walks around the corner in black boxer briefs, rubbing a towel through his wet hair. “Good morning.” He smiles and leans down, pressing a feathery kiss to my swollen lip. “You were out.”
I nod. “Yeah, I must have been exhausted.”
He sits on the edge of the bed with one leg propped up. His gaze focuses across the room at my suitcase. “I scheduled us flights this morning.” He looks at me. “Are you sure about this?”