He wraps his arms around me, pressing me closer before dropping a kiss on the top of my head. “Have you made any decisions?”
I huff out a breath and mumble, “I called him.”
“Really?” Beck pulls away. “What happened?”
“It went straight to voicemail.”
“Oh.” He draws me to him again before tucking me beneath his chin. I hate to admit how perfectly we fit together.
“Dad texted five minutes later. He said he was in the middle of a business dinner and would call in the morning.”
“Un-fucking-believable,” Beck mutters.
Anger floods through me before pooling in my voice. “I was so tempted to text back and ask how dinner with his whore was.”
“Shit, Mia…” he whispers against my hair before squeezing me tighter.
A fresh wave of tears sting my eyes. “Can you imagine the look on his face if I had done that?”
“I’m so sorry, baby. I wish I had hustled you out of there before you caught sight of them.”
I burrow my face against Beck before inhaling a big breath of him. The woodsy scent of his cologne settles something deep inside me. “You have nothing to be sorry about. He does.”
A humorless chuckle falls from my lips when I remember sitting down to dinner at Marco’s. “I’d thought you had changed your mind about us going out. All of the sudden, you were acting weird and trying to drag me from the table.”
He presses his lips against the top of my head. “Nothing could be further from the truth. I’d been looking forward to dinner since I asked you out. I’m sorry our night got ruined.”
“Yeah,” I say softly, lifting my head from his chest. “Me, too.” Maybe I haven’t wanted to admit it to myself, but I’d been looking forward to this date. Probably more than I should have. I’m trying to be cautious and smart and take things slow, but Beck is making that difficult to do.
He lowers his face until his lips can graze mine. The moment we make contact, all the noise rioting in my brain goes silent. Beck angles his head as his mouth roves gently over mine. When my lips part, his tongue slips inside to dance with my own.
My palms glide over his chest until they’re able to lock around his neck and pull him closer. Somehow this kiss mutes all the pain vibrating deep inside me and for that, I’m grateful. I don’t want to think anymore.
I just want to feel.
And this feels amazing.
I pull away enough to whisper, “Stay the night with me?”
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes.” After everything that’s happened tonight, it’s what I need.
“Then I’ll stay.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Beck
Before Mia can untangle herself from me, I scoop her into my arms. She squeaks in surprise as I carry her to the bathroom before depositing her onto the long stretch of marble countertop. Silently she watches as I close the plug on the white porcelain tub and run the water.
Once it’s at the right temperature, I swing around to face her. “A bath will help you relax.”
She bites her lip. “Are you going to join me?”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “This is for you.”
When the tub is almost filled and steam is rising from it, I position myself between her legs. I gather up the material of her pink tank top and carefully pull it over her head before dropping it to the floor. She sits before me in tiny white shorts with pink hearts stamped across them.
I reach out and cup the soft weight of her breasts, squeezing the fullness. Her nipples pebble against my palms before I release them and trail my fingers down her ribcage until I reach the elastic band of her shorts. I hook my thumbs beneath the material before dragging them down to reveal even more sun-kissed flesh. She lifts her backside so I can slide the thin cotton over her hips and down her thighs. The shorts get added to the small pile on the floor.
Fuck…She makes such a pretty picture sitting naked in front of the mirror. This girl doesn’t understand the power she holds over me. She could have had me on my knees years ago.
I lean forward, kissing one breast before nipping at the hardened tip. Then I give the same treatment to the other. The whimper that falls from her lips has my cock stiffening with need. I have to remind myself that what I’m doing isn’t for me, it’s for her.
I lick a hot trail down the middle of her ribcage to her bellybutton before sinking lower. My hands slide to her inner thighs, opening them gently until my mouth can settle on her pussy. When I swipe my tongue over her opening, Mia groans and arches her back. My hands slide from her thighs over her hips until I can cradle her backside with my palms. I bury my face against her heat, laving her sweetness with my tongue.