I Want It That Way - Aguirre Ann - Страница 58

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“This is day one,” I said. “I still love you, even if you’re stubborn.”

As he gaped, I went back upstairs. A muffled curse drifted up to my ears as he shut his door. I am an irresistible force. Sunday morning, I went shopping and bought a present for Sam, a big box of crayons, along with a dinosaur coloring book. I wrapped them up and knocked on Ty’s door just before noon. Despite the weekend off, he didn’t look any more rested than he had on Friday.

“What?” he demanded, running a hand through his hair.

“This is for Sam. I know you’ll be picking him up later.”

His expression softened slightly. “Thanks. He misses you. I mean, I know you see him in school, but I still hear about your soup and your stories and—”

“I love you,” I cut in. “And I love him. There’s no reason for us to live like this. You’ve cut yourself off from life, not to protect Sam, but because you don’t think you deserve to be happy. You punish yourself because you misunderstood Diana, and you hurt her.”

“Stop,” he said roughly.

“I won’t. I never will. Every day I will be at your door, reminding you that I’m here, and I’m not leaving.”

With that, I turned, but he grabbed my arm and spun me around. A thunderous frown built between his brows, but it broke against my smile. With a sigh that was almost a moan, he put his forehead against mine, his breath soft on my cheeks.

“Don’t let me wreck you,” he whispered. “I’ve tried so hard to stay away and yet here you are. What do I have to do, flee the country?”

“I’d come after you. The timing might not be ideal, but you are. We are. And deep down, you feel it, too.”

“God, yes.” His sigh of surrender tingled against my mouth.

Then we were kissing, hard and delving, with his hands roving my body like he’d die if he didn’t touch me. Ty backed me into his apartment and kicked the door shut behind us. Thank God for his parents and for weekends off. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed every inch of it, heated, wild with need.

“Tell me,” I ordered.

He knew. “I love you. Oh, God, I love you so much. And I hate how I am without you.”

The beauty of this moment? His admission didn’t mean he’d lost, but rather, that we both won. “Me, too. I wasn’t lying when I said I’m happiest with you.”

“Your parents will hate me,” he predicted. But he didn’t seem overly concerned as he kissed my collarbone, sending a hot shiver through me.

“That’s not true. I’ve already told them all about you. My mother advised me to pester you every single day—she’s a fan of winning by attrition.”

“Seriously? She... They know about Sam, too?” Apparently, I’d managed to surprise him.

I nodded. “They’re looking forward to meeting both of you.”

“Mmm. I can’t think about that right now. I will later, I promise. But right now—”

“You have a little while before you need to pick Sam up, and before then, you want to fuck me until I can’t walk straight.”

“We,” he corrected softly. “We’re picking up Sam later. No more lines, Nadia. If you’re ready, then so am I. Otherwise, though, you’re spot-on.”

He took my smile for assent and carried me to his bedroom. We got naked in record time, and to Ty’s credit, he tried so hard to be slow and tender. But neither of us could wait. I rubbed against him like a cat, reveling in the heat of his skin. Then I ran my hands lower.

His breath hissed through parted lips. “Yes, like that. God, you’ll kill me.”

Ty moved with my hands, giving up on more extensive foreplay, but for me, this had the same effect. I was desperate to touch him, taste everywhere. My teeth grazed his neck as I skated my fingers down his hip. He pushed against me, and I rocked back.

“Mmm. Please,” I whispered.

In five minutes, he was in me, gasping and shivering, and I couldn’t stop stroking him. His mouth took mine, again, again, matching the tempo of his thrusts. It was messy and delicious when we came, a fierce and wrenching pleasure that had me digging my hands into his back. I bit him on the ear and he almost pounded me through the mattress, groaning with the force of the orgasm. Afterward, once he disposed of the condom and came back to bed, I curled onto my side and reached for him. Ty put his arms around me as if I might disappear.

But I wouldn’t, not ever.

“That was incredible,” he mumbled.

“Agreed.”

“There hasn’t been anyone else. One day, this winter, I saw you across the parking lot. You were with your roommate.”

“I remember.”

“I just saw you, and I was hard as a rock. You waved to Sam and got on that asshole’s bike, and I wanted you so bad I couldn’t breathe.” This was his version of a Nadia journal, and he was offering a glimpse of his soul, just as I had with mine.

“At my lowest, I listened to your phone messages, again and again. I saved every one you ever left me.”

“I listened to your footsteps overhead, and just about every night, I pretended you were coming down, that you’d be in my bed when I turned over.”

After that, we had no choice but to make love again. This time, it was dreamy and sweet, sitting up, arms around each other’s backs. It was almost two when we took quick showers, and then I went upstairs to put on a decent outfit. To meet Ty’s parents, I didn’t want to look as if I’d been rolling around in bed with their son all afternoon. Even if it was true. Once I tamed my hair and put on some makeup, I ran downstairs to meet him.

His smile when he saw me melted my heart; it likely always would. “Ready? I called my parents to let them know you’re coming. Are you okay staying for lunch?”

“Sure. We can take Sam out next Sunday.” I dared him to argue.

“When the weather’s this nice, he likes the park.”

“Then I’ll pack a picnic lunch.”

Ty’s eyes went liquid; there was no other way to describe it. In fact, the naked love and longing was almost too much for me to bear, a sweetness that would strangle me. But I breathed through it and followed him out to his car. I was nervous on the ride to his parents’ place, mostly because we were fledgling-new, and this was akin to throwing down the gauntlet.

I shouldn’t have worried.

When Sam saw me, he ran over to give me a hug, just like he did in school, but this time, I knelt to return it, closing my eyes against the rush of love. It’s not just Ty. Sam’s mine, too. I might not have any legal claim on him, but I adored this kid.

I whispered in his ear, “Which dinosaur could jump higher than a house?”

Sam thought about it, then said, “I dunno.”

“All of them, silly. Houses can’t jump.”

His giggle washed through me like sunlight as Sam squeezed me around the neck. “I missed you, Nadia.”

Ty’s folks were great, five to ten years older than mine, and absolutely doting grandparents. Pleasure just about unraveled me when he introduced me as his girlfriend. His mom and dad seemed delighted to meet me.

After lunch, she pulled me aside to whisper, “I’m so glad he’s smiling again. I’ve been so worried about him since—”

“Diana.”

“He told you about her?”

I nodded. Then she just hugged me so hard. I took that to mean I had her support. It also should be noted that Mrs. Tyler did not have hobbit feet.

As for Sam, after lunch he asked why I was there on a Sunday. We were in the backyard, where his grandparents had set up a play set, and Ty was pushing him on the swings. Each time Sam soared up, he kicked his feet like he could touch the sky. I knew that feeling; I got it every time his dad glanced in my direction. Other people might not understand this move, but happiness mattered more to me than coloring between the lines.

“Nadia’s going to be around a lot more,” Ty said to Sam.

“How come?”

He seemed to weigh his answer and then said, “Because I love her.”

That, apparently, was not a revelation to Sam. “Oh. Me, too.”

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