Page 60 of Wait For You
Hours later, the adrenaline had dissipated from my system. Before we left to come home, I’d had a moment with Rich’s mother. I wouldn’t say that I would ever feel totally comfortable with her, but I trusted her in a way I didn’t think was possible. When it mattered, when it really really mattered, she had done the right thing.
Barb had also apologized to me. When she walked away, I realized she was going home to a man who probably treated her like Rich treated me, and it broke my heart. There was only so much I could do. The police chief had put his hand on my shoulder when I’d reflexively moved to follow her as if I could fix it.
“She knows her options. Maybe you staying in touch with her and seeing what happened with her son and grandson will help her take the steps she needs to,” he said gently.
I hated that I felt peace for the first time in years. Honestly, since the very first time Rich had yelled at me.
I took an unsteady breath and let it out. I had tried to talk some with Eric, but when we got home, he just wanted to play a video game and relax. I knew there would be more to process later, but he had a therapist, he had me, and he had Adam. We would process when the time was right.
I looked up at Adam. My hips rested against the kitchen counter with Adam’s hands curled around the edge.
“Let’s go to bed,” I said.
His smile was slow, and my belly spun in flips.
With his hand warm around mine, I led him into the bedroom. In the year and a half I had been here, this tiny apartment had felt so cozy and safe. Yet, finally tonight, the thread of tension pulled taut inside as a result of Rich’s mere presence in our world had snapped free. With Adam here, the degree of safety and comfort I felt was beyond anything I could’ve imagined.
A moment later, the door closed with a soft click behind us. Adam was right behind me, his hand still holding mine. The burgeoning need for him felt like a fire kindling inside, the flames rising higher and higher between us.
“Tell me something, Tessa.”
“Anything,” I whispered.
He paused, considering his words. “I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you. These past few weeks have been really difficult. I’ll still wait until you’re ready, but how do you feel about us now?”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Adam
I meant what I said. I would wait until Tessa was ready for a commitment. But the emotions I felt for her ran deep. I wanted a life together.
She didn’t even blink. I barely took another breath before she replied, “I love you. You don’t have to wait. I want us. I want this life with you. We’ll figure out the details. I’m never going to let Rich get in the way of us again.”
She closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking as she took a breath. She released my hand and placed her palm over my heart when she stepped closer. “I need you. Now.”
She leaned up as I dipped my head. Our lips met in a fierce, devouring kiss. We broke apart only because of the desperate need for oxygen.
Her palm slid down my chest in a bold stroke over my swelling arousal. I meant to take control of the moment, but Tessa snatched it right out of my hands. There was a wildness to her, an intensity I hadn’t experienced before. Beyond being apart for too many weeks, the unsettling events of tonight were streaks of lightning in a dark sky, illuminating everything at this moment.
She yanked at the buttons on my fly, swiftly kneeling. At the last second, with her palm curled around my swollen length, her eyes angled up to mine. “Is this okay?”
As if it were anything but. “Please,” I rasped.
I felt the kiss of her lips before she drew me into her mouth with deep suction. I breathed deep, clinging to my control as my fingers laced into her hair. My release was already threatening. Maybe another time I would’ve just let it go, but I needed to be joined with her completely. I needed to find my pleasure with hers.
“Tessa,” I bit out.
She drew back, releasing me with a soft pop. “I need you,” I nearly growled.
It was a tumble and a fumble as we yanked at each other across the short distance from the door to her bed. We left a trail of clothes behind us. I crawled onto the bed and pulled her on top of me, savoring her silky soft skin, her warmth, and the lush give of her curves.
With one arm around her waist, I pressed a palm into the mattress, levering myself up and back until I was partially seated against the pillows. “Right here, sweetheart,” I murmured.
Straddling me, she shimmied up and over me. I gripped her on one hip and palmed her cheek with my other hand. I surged up just as she sank down, sheathing me in her slick channel.
She let out something between a sigh and a whimper. I nudged a little deeper. “Look at me, sweetheart.”
Her lashes lifted, and I was ensnared in her dark gaze. There was a fusion of desire, fierce, raw lust, and a deep, abiding love that spun through all of this moment. It cinched the threads holding us together tighter and tighter.