Holding Mia (Rockers' Legacy Book 1)

“Thanks,” I tossed at her over my shoulder, already sprinting for my friend’s SUV.

Just as I was running up to the entrance to Mia’s dorm, a group of girls came out, and I took advantage of the open door to sneak inside. Taking the stairs so the woman at the front desk wouldn’t see me, I raced up the steps to her floor.

The hall was empty, unlike on my last visit, and I knocked on Mia’s door. “Mia, open up.” There was no answer, so I tried the handle. It was locked, but there was nothing to picking it, making me grit my teeth at how simple it would be for anyone to break in to her room.

With the lock taken care of, I opened the door, only to find her room empty. Hoping she was just caught in traffic or her friend had talked her into stopping for dinner, I dropped down onto her bed to wait.

Grabbing her pillow, I lifted it to my face, inhaling her sweet scent. That calmed some of the ache in my chest but not all of it. I fell back across the mattress, my feet hanging off the end of the bed, and held her pillow to my chest, wishing it were her.

I missed waking up beside her every morning. I missed hearing her laugh, even when I wasn’t the one producing it. I missed how messy she was and how I was constantly picking up her clothes off the floor of our bedroom. Fuck, I even missed the way she whined and complained when things weren’t going her way.

I missed her.

Having her scent all around me, lying where she’d slept every night that week, had my eyes feeling heavy. I hadn’t been blowing smoke earlier about not sleeping or eating. I couldn’t stomach food the entire week, and sleep was elusive. All I did was lie in our bed every night, wishing she were beside me, and cursing myself for having been so stupid I’d lost the girl who’d owned a part of my soul from the first time I’d set eyes on her in the flesh.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, someone was putting their keys in the lock. I blinked open my eyes just as the door opened and Mia walked in. A glance at the digital clock on her nightstand told me it was 10:34 a.m.

“Barrick?” she muttered in disbelief as she stared at me on her bed.

“Where the fuck have you been all night?” I rasped out, sitting up and stretching to get the kinks out of my muscles.

She shrugged, tossing her bag on the other bed and walking toward the closet. “I stayed with Jordan at his hotel.”

That had me on my feet and caging her in against the closet door. “You slept with Jordan last night?” I growled once I’d turned her to face me.

She rolled her green eyes at me. “No, idiot. I slept there, not with Jordan. There were two beds.”

My relief did nothing to stop the jealousy from eating me up inside, but I pushed that away so I could talk to her about the night before. “Don’t fucking run away from me like that again. Thorn was just messing around. He’s bad about pulling pranks on people, and he knows he can get away with it too because we’re not supposed to fight outside the cage.”

“So, there weren’t a variety of flavors of pussy waiting for you?” she sassed, and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to kiss her.

“No. And it wouldn’t have mattered if there were. The only pussy I want is yours.” Grasping her hips in both my hands, I lifted her until my hard-as-stone cock was pressing right into her center. She was still in that killer dress from the night before, and all that protected her pussy like this was a thin layer of panties.

Mia dug her nails into my shoulders, wrapping her legs around my waist. “Did…Did you sleep here all night?”

“Told you I wasn’t sleeping well. Your scent is all over your pillows and covers. I passed out and only just now woke up.”

Her eyes softened, and I felt her fingers stroking the back of my neck. “You must have been exhausted.”

“It’s exhausting being without you,” I told her honestly, touching my lips to her forehead. She shivered, and I fought a triumphant smile. I could kiss her a million times on the mouth, yet she would still react more to a forehead kiss than one on her succulent lips.

“I-I haven’t slept well lately, either,” she confessed in a sad, quiet voice, breaking my heart.

“I’m so sorry, baby. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would. I hate myself for hurting you. Please…” I begged, my voice choked with emotion. “Please, firecracker. Can we start over?”

“I don’t want to start over,” she said, and my heart stopped. Tears burned the backs of my eyes, and I couldn’t blink them away fast enough before they began to fall.

“Baby—”

“But I do want to move forward. I…” She exhaled heavily. “I think I can forgive you. At least, I want to. Because I’m tired of crying myself to sleep every night. I miss you so much, Barrick.” Cupping my jaw in each hand, she wiped away my tears with her thumbs. “I love you.”

Hearing those three words I’d been aching for sent me over the edge. A sob left me, and I fell to my knees with her still in my arms. She squealed but held on tight. Not that I would have dropped her. Even when my legs couldn’t support me, I would make sure she was safe.

“Barrick?” she breathed. “Are you okay?”

I shook my head, trying to regain some semblance of control, but I was shaking too hard even to come close. “I’m s-sorry,” I sobbed, burying my face in her neck and taking us completely down to the floor.

As her back touched the carpet, she unwound her legs from around me, but she kept them spread so that I could settle between them. When my hard-on pressed into her core, we both groaned.