Chapter 29: Chapter 29

AVERY

My mouth goes dry.

This woman is stunning. She’s got a movie star’s smile and a face that looks like it was sculpted by a goddess. And her eyes are the bluest I’ve ever seen. They’re radiant, almost angelic, like two polished sapphires.

The relief I felt after talking to Olive completely extinguishes. I want to run. I want to hide. I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole so I don’t have to face her or Reed again.

~This was a mistake. I should have never agreed to come here~.

I lift my dress and hurry out of the bathroom. Without breaking my stride, I pull out my phone and text Olive.

Avery

I’m heading home.

My heels echo against the floor as I walk faster, my heart pounding in my chest. And then I hear a familiar voice.

“Avery, what’s wrong?” he calls from the top of the stairs.

“No, not now. Just leave me alone, Reed.”

There’s genuine concern in his voice and worry in his eyes, but I turn away, wrapping my arms around myself because all I want to do is run to him. I hear his footsteps as he quickly crosses the floor to gently take my arm.

“Did something happen?” His eyes search mine, demanding answers. “Are you crying?”

“No!” I snap. “It’s nothing.”

“Something’s wrong,” he insists, pulling me to the side. “Tell me.”

I don’t say anything, staring at the ground and unable to meet his eyes.

“Do you want me to take you home?” he asks.

I nod, not trusting my voice.

“Okay, but can you do something for me first?”

“What?” I ask, willing to do whatever he wants so I can go home and end this terrible night.

“Kiss me.”

My heart leaps as I look up, my body shaking. “Wh-what?”

“Kiss me,” he repeats.

“Why?”

“There’s kissing on a date, right?” he asks. “Consider it a lesson in learning how much PDA is appropriate at an event like this so I don’t get carried away in public.”

I’m curious to see if the girl from the restroom is lurking behind me. I attempt to look, but Reed stops me, his hand firmly cradling my face as he leans in, his words a whisper against my neck as they send shivers down my spine.

“Just a kiss.”

His touch sends tiny sparks of electricity dancing beneath my skin, my mind scrambling as it tries to remember how to form words. I nod instead.

He gently tilts my head back, forcing me to meet his eyes, now dark and filled with a tantalizing promise. His gaze drops to my lips, and he stares for a moment before claiming my mouth with his.

I freeze. My body tenses as my heart skips a beat.

~It’s not for me. She’s behind me watching, right? Is he trying to use me to make her jealous?~

“Stay with me, Avery,” he mutters as he pulls back, reading the hesitation on my face.

A low growl rumbles from his throat, and my world shatters. Fireworks explode in my vision as he kisses me again and my eyes flutter close.

His mouth opens, encouraging me to do the same as his hot tongue slips past my lips, making my core tighten. I try to suppress my building pleasure, but I can’t. Each sensation is too intense.

A moan escapes me, spurring him on. His hands move to my hips, pulling me tight against him. Another sound, raw and hungry, slips out of him, so I let myself go a little more, tangling my fingers in his soft hair as his tongue plunges into my mouth again.

Every inch of me is aflame with need as he ravages my mouth, delving deeper each time as his tongue battles against mine. It steals my breath, squeezing the air from my lungs. Another moan of pleasure escapes me as my head spins like I’m drowning in the deepest sea.

I pull away, breathless, my hand on his chest, my cheeks flushed.

“Wait.”

He blinks, trying to clear the lust from his eyes, but when he opens them again, they’re still intense and dark.

“Fuck, Avery. What I would’ve done for a taste of that years ago.” He trails his hands up my arms, each touch sending a tingling sensation through me.

I may be dazed and confused right now, but I heard what he said. I didn’t imagine it. Struck dumb, my tongue darts out to moisten my swollen lip as his heavy gaze holds me in place.

“That wasn’t a good idea,” he mutters as he steps forward, invading my personal space again and pushing me against the wall.

A gasp escapes me as I feel the rough brick brush my skin. But he just grins, running his nose along my jaw.

“I’ve waited so long…and one taste just isn’t enough,” he groans.

~He can’t possibly mean what he’s saying. Men often say things they don’t mean in heated moments like this, right? It was just a slip of the tongue. Oh my…~

He pins my wrists above my head before leaning in to kiss me again, his mouth and tongue working in perfect harmony. The growing hardness of his erection presses against me, right where I’m already throbbing.

A wave of pleasure cuts through me, and wetness seeps into my underwear. But Reed swallows my little whimpers and moans, smirking against my lips as he presses himself into me, letting me feel…all of him. He holds his body against mine as if he knows it’s torturing me, and he wants to see me squirm.

“I can’t stop myself,” he murmurs, each kiss hungrier than the one before.

My knees give out after another thrust of his tongue, but he catches me and holds me tighter.

“I want you right here,” he growls, shaking me to my core. “I want to lift your pretty legs and wrap them around my waist so I can fuck you until you can’t stand.”

He grinds against me as if he might just do it too. The thought of it happening is enough to make me gasp, desperate to satisfy the heavy ache in my core as my stomach churns with desire.

“Yes. Please,” I beg.

He grins and struggles as he tries desperately to pull himself back from the brink. He stares at my red, swollen lips as his eyes return to their usual radiant gold color.

“Not like this,” he whispers, searching my face.

He takes a deep breath and slowly steps back to let me regain my composure. My legs finally stop shaking as he offers his arm to me like the perfect gentleman.

~What did he say?~ I think, my brain still feeling fuzzy. ~Not like this? Like what then?~

That’s when I look around and notice there’s not another person in sight.