Page 24 of Ache
I pay the check and lead Everly away. I hail a cab and verbally toss my address to the driver. We aren't very far but nowhere near close enough to walk. The driver speeds through the streets of Manhattan, but the only thing I can concentrate on is the woman sitting beside me. Confined in the back seat, there’s no excuse not to touch her. No excuse not to pull her close and take advantage of the small space. I want to kiss her. The urge has a life of its own. I’ve been fantasizing about those plump, pouty lips for days, and I’m finally ready to make my dreams a reality.
I inhale her spicy-sweet scent as I touch her reverently. I want her to feel how much I want her. How much I respect her. How tender I can be.
“Alec,” she sighs as I run the tip of my nose up her neck. God, that sound. My name spilling from her mouth, it causes an uproar inside me. I want to hear it again and again, all fucking night long. While I pin her down, while she rides me, while I take her from behind. I cup her cheek with one hand and trap her face an inch away from mine. We both breathe heavily from the anticipation of what’s to come. I move my mouth fractionally closer to hers, and her lips part. She wants me. Wants this. But just before I close the distance, she places her palm on my chest.
“Alec?”
I pause all movement. I thought she wanted this. I read the signs.
Everly searches for something in my eyes. “What is it?”
“Can I ask you something?” She doesn't move. She doesn't pull away or push me away. She keeps us close.
“Anything.”
She swallows anxiously. “Who do you see when you look at me?”
I know the answer immediately. I know exactly who I see when I look at Everly.
“I see someone” — I caress my thumb across her cheek — “who is so much more than whom she portrays herself to be.” And it’s the God’s honest truth. Her exterior might be mild-mannered, but there is a passionate wind blowing beneath the surface.
Her eyes become glassy as she gazes at me. It’s only for a short moment, but it is a profound one. Any space left between us evaporates as Everly crushes her mouth to mine. The kiss escalates in an instant, becoming everything I’d imagined it would be. Hot, needy, hungry, thrilling. A glorification of lust and a facilitation of emotion.
I fuse our lips, darting and rolling my tongue until neither of us can breathe. I feel like the Hulk growing in the small backseat of the taxi cab. I need to get out. I need to expand. My hormones are raging, and the only antidote that can sate the animalistic creature is Everly’s body.
The elevator ride up to my apartment is virtually a blur as my entire concentration is consumed by the spellbinding brunette allowing me to run my hands all over her body.
The entryway is dark as I push open the door and we stumble into the apartment. I’ll give Ever the two-cent tour of the place tomorrow. Right now, all she needs to worry about is where the bedroom is.
With our lips molded together, I walk her into the shadowy room, the skyscape of Manhattan glittering through the picture windows.
As much as I want to rip her clothes off and throw her on the bed, I equally as much want to take my time exploring her curves. Exploring all her secret places and sensitive spots.
I’m a man tearing in two. My wants clashing like Titans.
Pumping the brakes, I put some separation between us. Just enough to keep Everly in my grasp but also enough to admire the woman standing before me.
Her cheeks are pink, her eyes are dilated, and there is a small, sheepish smile playing on her lips. God, she’s beautiful, and I don’t even think she realizes. I didn’t realize, and I’ll be the first to admit I was a fucking asshole for it.
But not anymore. I know what I have now. What I refuse to let go of.
I sit on the edge of my bed and stare up at the gift the universe has offered me. Running my hands gradually along Everly’s curves, she places her palms on my neck. A pivotal moment passes between us. It feels like a day of reckoning. I am going to show Everly how much I want her. How my misjudgment and indiscretions of the past are no longer.
“I have been thinking about you all goddamn day.” I tighten my grip on her hips.
“Good, because I’ve been thinking about you, too.” Her voice is faint and so fucking alluring.
“Oh, yeah? What were you thinking about?”
“This. Right here, right now. If we were ever going to get to this point.”
“Did you have doubts?”
“Maybe a few,” she confesses.
“I know I’m not always the most tolerable person. Or the nicest, or warmest, but being with you, I feel different.” I drop my head and stare into the blackness of her dress. “You make me want to be different.” It’s my turn to confess. For as long as I can remember, work has been my main priority. To strive professionally and reach an elevated level of success, and up until now, I have excelled. But Everly has made me realize there is so much more to life than just work, or money, or status. There’s intimacy and companionship and affection. My job has always been my first love, but now there’s room for another, and she’s standing right in front of me.
I feel Everly’s sweet touch on my cheek. “You make me want to be different, too.” I lift my head to gaze up at her face. “I have avoidedlifefor so long, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to be alone or hide. I want . . .more.”She struggles to find the right word.
