Distraction (47 page)

When she didn
'
t respond, I walked away. I couldn't stand being close to her
without touching her. Goddammit. If heaven had a taste, it’d taste like her.
Her soft lips scorched me, and the way her skin heated under my touch caused my
heart to explode.  Her heart raced beneath my hand, but still she refused to
answer me.

I grabbed my keys and headed toward the door. She made her
decision. The sting hurt like hell, but maybe I could move on. I had to. Reaching
for the knob, my chest felt hollow, my legs numb and weak, until I heard her
whisper. "I
'
m scared."

Sputtering cries broke through the air. I remained with my
hand on the knob. Lowering my head, I rested my forehead against the door.
Fuck. I didn
'
t want her to cry. No, I deserved more. We deserved more. I
wouldn
'
t let her off the hook, not until she confessed how she truly
felt.

"I
'
m sorry, but that isn
'
t good enough." I raised my
head and opened the door, trying like hell to keep my hand from shaking.

"Please, don
't leave me.
" I stepped
out the door. "Tristan, wait." I heard the desperation in her voice.
I relented and turned around. Her eyes were vibrant and green, her nose and
cheeks red and blotchy.

"What do you want?" I cleared my throat. My own
emotions had damn near reached their breaking point. She opened her mouth, and
then snapped her lips closed. "What are you so afraid of?" She looked
ready to fall apart and it took every bit of strength I had to keep from
rushing to her, pulling her against my chest, and holding her. Kissing her.
Loving her.

"I
'
m afraid of falling. I
'
m afraid you won
'
t be there to
catch me, and I
'
ll be left broken and hurt."

She just ripped my heart out of my chest. Did she really
think I
'
d let her fall? I blamed her dad for leaving her all those
years ago. I closed the door, but didn
'
t step closer. Not yet.

"Do you want to be with me?" I held my breath and
waited. She slowly nodded. I didn
'
t need
any more; she'd done enough for me.

I was in front of her in an instant. Cupping her face in my
hands, I crouched down until our eyes were level. "If you fall, I
'
ll catch you.
Always."

Her breath rushed out, and I took her mouth hostage. Her lips
tasted even better than I remembered. Sweet, but salty from tears. I needed to
be closer. I needed to be inside of her. Now.

Moving my hands from her face, I picked her up and moved us
toward my bedroom. Elle
'
s legs locked around my waist, her hands weaving in my hair.

Once we reached my room, I walked us back to my bed and
gently lowered her down. Hovering over her, I backed away. As much as I wanted
to be inside her, I wanted to brand everything about this moment in my mind,
forever.

"Why did you stop?" Elle scrunched her brows
together and puckered her lips.

I couldn't resist and leaned in. I had to taste her. Her
hands grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me to her, but I backed away
again.

"I
'
ve waited way too fucking long to be with you." Softly,
I stroked the side of her face with my finger. "To touch you this way."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. "
Baby, don'
t cry."

She smiled up at me.

"I
'
m happy, Tristan.
" She bit her lower lip. "I
'
m still scared,
though."

I watched her carefully, fear clear to see in her expressive
green eyes.

"I
'
ve loved you since we were kids. I loved you then, now, and I
will love you when you're big and pregnant with our fifth son."

Her plump lips turned up in a delicious grin. "Don
'
t you think we
'
re moving a bit
fast?"

Fast? Fuck no.

"This has been the slowest relationship in the history
of relationships."

"Tristan, we just started...um, dating, or whatever this
is."

Those kissable lips
turned down in a sexy-as-hell frown. God, she was adorable. I
slowly lowered my body over hers. My gaze traveled from her face to her parted
lips. Her breathing increased along with the throbbing pressure inside my
jeans.

"We
'
ve been dating since we were kids. This," I traced my
tongue over her bottom lip and a moan escaped, "is more than dating. This
is me finally getting to love you the way I
'
ve wanted to
love you for as long as I can remember."

She placed her hands on my chest and pushed me back. I
thought I
'
d said too much, until I noticed the determined look in her
gaze.

"Then you better get to showing me." She scraped
her bottom lip with her teeth. Fuck, she was going to be the end of me. “I
’
m about to
explode from wanting you, and I
'
m really hoping the rumors are true."

Stunned, I raised up but straddled her. She giggled. What the
fuck?

"What rumors?" She scooted up my bed and into a
sitting position, opposite of how I wanted her, which was under me.

"How fantastic you are to be with."

I flinched, not wanting her to think about me with other
women.

"
Elle
, no woman will ever compare to you. You
'
re the person who's
held my heart."

Her expression softened. "I know."

The distance needed to be shortened. Moving closer, I grabbed
her thighs, jerked her down and kissed her, passionately.

Elle

Warmth pooled in my stomach with every kiss and caress. Tristan's
hands slid under my shirt, inching the fabric up, his tongue following. He
backed away long enough to lift my shirt over my head. At this rate, I'd
explode before we got to the good part. I decided he needed help and lifted up
to unlatch my bra. He stopped me.

"Nope, not yet."

My eyes widened, and I pushed myself up on my elbows.

"What do you mean? Not yet?" The same cocky grin he
used to torture me all these years rested on his lips. I lost my patience.
Ready to take control and make him understand just how frustrated he made me, I
fell back against his mattress and slid one strap over my shoulder. He sat back
on his heels, still straddling me. Grinning, I slid the other bra strap down.
His breathing increased, his eyes searched mine with heat and desire. I licked
my dried lips, watching him. He released a low rumble before jerking my arms
over my head.

"I said not yet." His mouth crashed over mine. He
unlatched my bra, and then threw it across the room. He cupped my breast with
one hand, his thumb circling my nipple. My body shivered as I arched into his
hand. I reached for the bottom of his shirt, sliding my hands up his torso and
tugged the material over his head.

His bare chest pressed firmly against mine, increasing the
fervor I felt. Tristan skated his tongue down my throat until he found my other
breast. The skillful supple flicks of his tongue over my hardened nipple drove
me insane.

Both of us were still halfway clothed. I toed my shoes until
they fell and thudded to the floor, and then gripped his pockets. He gave a low
chuckle, his warm breath prickling over my already heated skin. The tingling
feeling in my stomach rose, but he didn't stop. Sitting up, he slid the back of
his hand down my stomach to my jeans. Running his finger along the top, he
released the button and then pulled the zipper down. My heart pattered when he
stood at the end of the bed. I scanned his muscular chest, then upward to his
face, and finally to his passion-filled eyes.

My legs would have gave had I been standing. He leaned down
and slinked my jeans off. Hooking his fingers under my panties, his calloused
fingers dug into my skin as he slipped the silk material down, leaving me fully
exposed.

"God, you're beautiful." Tristan leaned over me,
nothing but complete love emanating from his warm, golden eyes.

My lips quivered.

"Tristan." I cleared my throat. "I don't want
to mess this up. I don't want to be disappointing. I haven't–"

"What?" He backed away, his intense eyes searching
mine. "You couldn't–" He closed his eyes, exhaling sharply though his
nose. "Didn't you and Green?" He didn't finish, opening his eyes.

I shook my head. "No," I whispered and looked away.

With his finger, he turned my face toward his.

"Elle, listen to me, we don't have to do this." I
quirked a brow. He grinned. "Don't get me wrong, I want to. I've dreamt
about this moment for as long as I can remember." He trailed his knuckles
across my cheek. "I just thought… I mean, after I overheard you and Alyssa
talking that night at the club."

"Stop." I held his face between my hands. "I
want to. I've wanted this as long as you have. I only told you because I didn't
want you to have expectations that I wouldn't be able to meet. So, don't stop."

Tilting my chin up, Tristan kissed me, tenderly.

"You could never disappoint me," he said, voice
silky smooth.

I threaded my fingers in his thick locks, pulling him closer
as he slid his hands down my thighs, gliding lower between my legs. I tensed,
until his mouth left mine, moving his lips in a slow, torturous descent to
where his fingers massaged the sensitive area between my legs.

The muscles in my stomach tightened. I moved my hands from
his hair and fisted the sheets. My breathing hitched and my heart pounded until
I felt a jerking spasm of pleasure.

"Tristan," I said, though the sound of his name
leaving my lips resembled more of a moaning gasp. H
e laughed
, kissing his
way back up my overly sensitive body. "Are you trying to kill me?" I
loved the feeling he brought me, but my body ached for more.

"I
'
ve waited to be with you, and I want to..." He stopped
talking to nibble my ear. "I want to enjoy every part of this beautiful…"
Kiss on the neck. "Sexy…" Another kiss, this time on my lips.
"Incredibly, fucking hot body of yours before I make love to you."

His hot breath lingered over my lips as his eyes fixed with
mine, causing my insides to flutter. It didn
'
t matter how
long it'd taken us to get to this point, because with every beat of my heart, I
could never want any other man more than I wanted him.

I held his face between my hands, pulled him close and kissed
him with abandon. I rocked my hips into him, but too quickly he pulled away.
"What?" I stared at him in confusion.

"Protection."

I nodded and fell against the bed, stomach swarming with a
mixture of excitement, fear, and nervousness. I closed my eyes and counted
backwards from one hundred to keep calm. I'd reached ninety when I felt the
mattress dip as Tristan's warm body meshed with mine. His soft lips glided over
my skin, easing my trepidation.

He guided my legs open, and I tensed, not from not wanting
him, but I didn
'
t want to mess up, a little scared from the unknown.

"
Elle
, look at me." He stopped and
peer
ed down at me.

My body relaxed. The look in his eyes changed from tense to
smoldering. He eased
inside,
and let out a quick gasp. He slowed his movements. There was
a trace of pain, but not long after, satisfaction stifled the tenderness.

I
'
d heard of people having out of body experiences before, but
this was like the opposite, being with him this way was so much more. My thighs
tightened when he went deeper, my fingers digging into his back, pressing him
closer.

"
Elle
."

I couldn't answer him. Opening my eyes, I saw the same hunger
in his that I felt.

"Don
'
t stop,
" I breathed in a raspy tone.

His lips found mine once again, but this time with more
passion. I pressed against him, lifting my hips with his. His fingers dug into
my skin as the rhythm became harder, faster. His breathing quickened. Our skin
became hot and sticky. "Tristan, I want to feel this with you." Every
part of my body burned, ached for his touch. He was my start and I wanted him
to be with me when I finished.