He laughed, his lip lifting upward. “What guy?”
“The guy.” I gestured to him, from top to bottom. “You’re understanding. You’re considerate. You’re strong. You’re a fucking badass, too. You’re that guy.”
He pretended to groan, still grinning. “The annoying guy.”
I smirked. “Hell yes. The annoying guy because he’s so perfect. That guy.”
Laughing softly again, he leaned forward and rested his forehead on mine. Then he whispered, taking both my hands in his and holding them between us. He whispered to me then, “Don’t you know?”
“Know what?”
“I have to be that guy.” A cocky smirk came over him. “What other type of guy could handle you?”
“Oh.” I grinned and pretended to punch him in the chest. “Now you’re the smart-ass guy, huh?”
“I’ve always been the smart-ass guy,” he softened his tone and pressed his lips to mine, achingly tender. “But I’m the other guy too, the guy that loves you back.”
There it was.
We hadn’t talked about it, not really.
“That’s not fair,” I said.
“What’s not?” He lifted his head and leaned back an inch.
“That. What I said whenever I said it.”
He chuckled. “You said it quite a few times and you said it first when you woke up in the ambulance.”
“I was in an ambulance?”
He nodded. “You were. I was with you.”
“And Bryce?”
“He was, too.”
Oh . . . my chest tightened. “I wish I hadn’t said it.”
A frown flickered over his face.
“Not because I don’t mean it. I wished I hadn’t said it then, when he was there and when I can’t remember it.” Okay. Cue my girly moment. Three. Two. One . . . “I wanted to say it when all of this was dealt with. I wanted to hear it back from you. And, I know it’s really dumb of me, but I wanted to say it so I could see your face. You know, the face someone makes right after they hear those words.” I shrugged, feeling an uncomfortable lump forming in my throat. “It would’ve been the first time we said it to each other. You know?”
He let out a ragged laugh, and pressed his forehead against mine again. He was breathing hard. “Yeah. I know. I know.”
Then we heard the door’s buzzer.
The best timing in the world.
Mena’s voice called through the door, “Guys? Sheldon? It’s me.”
I couldn’t hold the disappointment in and must’ve made a sound because as I started toward the door, Corrigan grabbed my arm and swung me back to the wall. He caught my face in his hands before I could ask what he was doing and he pressed me back. His hips were against mine. His stomach rubbed against mine and his lips came down on mine.
Holy— He kissed in a rough manner. Possessive. Hot. Primal. And it took only one second before my body went up in flames.
Mena knocked on the door again, but the sound was distant.
Only Corrigan. His lips opened over mine, taking me over, and I answered his command back. He wanted me. I felt his need and, my god, my body wasn’t holding anything back. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. I had no control over my body. Since that night, since he held himself back from me, I’d been starving for him. He was here. He was giving himself to me and—the phone was ringing.
Loud thuds came next from the door.
Mena shouted from the other side, “SHELDON! CORRIGAN! ARE YOU GUYS OKAY?” She paused for a moment, taking a breath and she yelled once more, “DO YOU NEED ME TO CALL THE POLICE? I WILL!”
Corrigan ripped his lips from mine, stalked to the door, opened it, and barked out, “One fucking second while I say goodbye to my girlfriend!”
Girlfriend.
Mena’s eyes blinked, and her mouth opened an inch. “Oh—”
He had called me his girlfriend.
Then he slammed the door in her face and came right back to me. My eyes ate him up. His hair was tussled, his eyes fierce, and he had a scowl on his face.
He was gorgeous.
Then he was in front of me, and he wasted no time. His lips found mine, and he lifted me up against the wall. Stepping between my legs, he continued to kiss me, taking control and I loved it, and him. I arched my back off the wall, kissing him back as hard, as hungrily, as demanding as he was and I knew—this was the right man.
I had chosen right.
He swept a hand up my back, resting against my skin, and I drew in a gasping breath. Tingles shot through me, all the way to my toes, and he paused, lessening his hold on me. My legs wrapped around his waist, and I took over the kiss.
We weren’t done.
Mena could wait.
*
Mena did wait. We continued and lost track of time. When Corrigan finally called a stop, we were both half in our clothes and half out. Panting, he gave me a rakish smile and ran a hand through his hair. “Shit.”
Shit, indeed. I laughed hoarsely, shaking my head. “Well. If I didn’t have stitches down my side, I know what we’d be doing all day today.”
“Yeah.” His gaze was raking me up and down as I buttoned my shorts and straightened my top, pulling my bra straps back over my shoulders. “There’s more we can do tonight.”
Tonight. That felt right, too.
“What?”
I looked up. “What?”
“You sighed.”
My eyes widened. “I did?”
He nodded, a fondness settling over his features. “You okay?”
“I am.” And I was. I meant it. Corrigan narrowed his eyes, studying me again, but he saw that I did mean it and he nodded. “Okay then.” Moving forward, he pressed his lips to my forehead, that same loving gesture like always, and he whispered, “I love you, Sheldon.” A second kiss. “I’ll see you later.”
Feeling off balance from all the love and niceness, I swatted his ass as he turned for the door. He glanced back, and I gave him the middle finger. He frowned. “What’s that for?”
I lifted a shoulder up, dropping my hand at the same time. “Just . . . doing my normal thing. We’re being too nice to each other. It makes me uncomfortable.”
Before he opened the door, he flashed me a grin. “In that case, have fun today, bitch.”
“You too, dickwad.”
“The guy.” I gestured to him, from top to bottom. “You’re understanding. You’re considerate. You’re strong. You’re a fucking badass, too. You’re that guy.”
He pretended to groan, still grinning. “The annoying guy.”
I smirked. “Hell yes. The annoying guy because he’s so perfect. That guy.”
Laughing softly again, he leaned forward and rested his forehead on mine. Then he whispered, taking both my hands in his and holding them between us. He whispered to me then, “Don’t you know?”
“Know what?”
“I have to be that guy.” A cocky smirk came over him. “What other type of guy could handle you?”
“Oh.” I grinned and pretended to punch him in the chest. “Now you’re the smart-ass guy, huh?”
“I’ve always been the smart-ass guy,” he softened his tone and pressed his lips to mine, achingly tender. “But I’m the other guy too, the guy that loves you back.”
There it was.
We hadn’t talked about it, not really.
“That’s not fair,” I said.
“What’s not?” He lifted his head and leaned back an inch.
“That. What I said whenever I said it.”
He chuckled. “You said it quite a few times and you said it first when you woke up in the ambulance.”
“I was in an ambulance?”
He nodded. “You were. I was with you.”
“And Bryce?”
“He was, too.”
Oh . . . my chest tightened. “I wish I hadn’t said it.”
A frown flickered over his face.
“Not because I don’t mean it. I wished I hadn’t said it then, when he was there and when I can’t remember it.” Okay. Cue my girly moment. Three. Two. One . . . “I wanted to say it when all of this was dealt with. I wanted to hear it back from you. And, I know it’s really dumb of me, but I wanted to say it so I could see your face. You know, the face someone makes right after they hear those words.” I shrugged, feeling an uncomfortable lump forming in my throat. “It would’ve been the first time we said it to each other. You know?”
He let out a ragged laugh, and pressed his forehead against mine again. He was breathing hard. “Yeah. I know. I know.”
Then we heard the door’s buzzer.
The best timing in the world.
Mena’s voice called through the door, “Guys? Sheldon? It’s me.”
I couldn’t hold the disappointment in and must’ve made a sound because as I started toward the door, Corrigan grabbed my arm and swung me back to the wall. He caught my face in his hands before I could ask what he was doing and he pressed me back. His hips were against mine. His stomach rubbed against mine and his lips came down on mine.
Holy— He kissed in a rough manner. Possessive. Hot. Primal. And it took only one second before my body went up in flames.
Mena knocked on the door again, but the sound was distant.
Only Corrigan. His lips opened over mine, taking me over, and I answered his command back. He wanted me. I felt his need and, my god, my body wasn’t holding anything back. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. I had no control over my body. Since that night, since he held himself back from me, I’d been starving for him. He was here. He was giving himself to me and—the phone was ringing.
Loud thuds came next from the door.
Mena shouted from the other side, “SHELDON! CORRIGAN! ARE YOU GUYS OKAY?” She paused for a moment, taking a breath and she yelled once more, “DO YOU NEED ME TO CALL THE POLICE? I WILL!”
Corrigan ripped his lips from mine, stalked to the door, opened it, and barked out, “One fucking second while I say goodbye to my girlfriend!”
Girlfriend.
Mena’s eyes blinked, and her mouth opened an inch. “Oh—”
He had called me his girlfriend.
Then he slammed the door in her face and came right back to me. My eyes ate him up. His hair was tussled, his eyes fierce, and he had a scowl on his face.
He was gorgeous.
Then he was in front of me, and he wasted no time. His lips found mine, and he lifted me up against the wall. Stepping between my legs, he continued to kiss me, taking control and I loved it, and him. I arched my back off the wall, kissing him back as hard, as hungrily, as demanding as he was and I knew—this was the right man.
I had chosen right.
He swept a hand up my back, resting against my skin, and I drew in a gasping breath. Tingles shot through me, all the way to my toes, and he paused, lessening his hold on me. My legs wrapped around his waist, and I took over the kiss.
We weren’t done.
Mena could wait.
*
Mena did wait. We continued and lost track of time. When Corrigan finally called a stop, we were both half in our clothes and half out. Panting, he gave me a rakish smile and ran a hand through his hair. “Shit.”
Shit, indeed. I laughed hoarsely, shaking my head. “Well. If I didn’t have stitches down my side, I know what we’d be doing all day today.”
“Yeah.” His gaze was raking me up and down as I buttoned my shorts and straightened my top, pulling my bra straps back over my shoulders. “There’s more we can do tonight.”
Tonight. That felt right, too.
“What?”
I looked up. “What?”
“You sighed.”
My eyes widened. “I did?”
He nodded, a fondness settling over his features. “You okay?”
“I am.” And I was. I meant it. Corrigan narrowed his eyes, studying me again, but he saw that I did mean it and he nodded. “Okay then.” Moving forward, he pressed his lips to my forehead, that same loving gesture like always, and he whispered, “I love you, Sheldon.” A second kiss. “I’ll see you later.”
Feeling off balance from all the love and niceness, I swatted his ass as he turned for the door. He glanced back, and I gave him the middle finger. He frowned. “What’s that for?”
I lifted a shoulder up, dropping my hand at the same time. “Just . . . doing my normal thing. We’re being too nice to each other. It makes me uncomfortable.”
Before he opened the door, he flashed me a grin. “In that case, have fun today, bitch.”
“You too, dickwad.”
