Obsession (24 page)

“Meet me tonight.”

I wiped my eyes.
“L
et me
go
…”

His head was low, trying to meet my
gaze. “Not until you say yes. I won’t leave you like
this.”

I was breaking in front of him, sick
of fighting feelings I secretly wanted.

Both of his hands found the top of the
car, caging me in completely. There was no hiding now as his nose
brushed mine.

“
Please.
Let me take it away.”

My eyes were heavy as soft pants began
leaving my lips. Could his touch rid me of the silent hell I’d been
living the past seven years? The heat was there between us,
radiating like the sun on this hot summer day. He licked his lips,
pressing down gently to meet mine for the first time.

Wildfire spread throughout my body as
I met his mouth, and my muscles went limp from his soft suck on my
bottom lip. My arms were still crossed, attempting to protect my
heart from this man who was tearing down my walls one thick brick
at a time. His kiss became more intense when I let out a soft
groan. Arms were suddenly around me, pulling me to his broad chest
that I’d yearned to touch so many times. I was caged and not in
control, a position I’d been terrified to be in my entire romantic
life because of my dark past. I sighed his name in between kisses,
unsure of what I wanted.

He paused long enough to make a plea.
“Come home with me.” His mouth found mine quickly, his tongue
darting confidently, dancing eagerly with mine. I loved every
second of his kiss, feeling the need and passion with every dip of
his tongue.

“Now?” I breathed, bringing my mouth
back to lock with his.

He grunted, pressing his
hips into mine. “Yes, I need you,
now
. I can’t wait any
longer.”

My arms unlocked from my chest, making
their way to Mitch’s pecs, my hands slowly moving upwards to cradle
his face while we kissed. I wanted him just as badly, but still
needed to keep my responsibility.

“We both have to work. I’ve got a
meeting with a client at 2.”

His lips left my mouth to find my jaw,
the fresh scruff on his face felt amazing as it rubbed against my
sensitive skin. “That’s in three hours,” he said between kisses.
“Plenty of time.”

It was enough time, but I wanted a
clear head this weekend for Becca’s wedding, and the unsettling
nerves in my stomach told me going home with Mitch would put me in
a fog the rest of the day, or possibly my entire life.

“I have to finish packing, and prep
for my meeting,” I sighed, enjoying his lips now working their way
down my neck. The sensation of his tongue running along my neck was
an elixir for all the times it had been touched
destructively.

“I’ll help you,” he coaxed.

I let out a soft giggle, gently
pulling his face back to mine. “I can’t.”

His lip quirked, then he kissed me
chastely. “I’m worried you’re going to get in that car and think of
every excuse possible why this was a mistake.”

I bit my lip, buying time
to think of how I’d respond to his statement. He was right. My mind
would automatically go to why I couldn’t be with him. But his words
stuck in my head,
let me take it
away.

I wanted to try.

“We have to focus on Tyler and Becca’s
wedding this weekend, then we’ll figure this out.”

His head tipped so it was resting on
mine. “Promise?”

I nodded, grabbing the back of his
neck as I went in for one last kiss, letting him know I was
serious. I was still confused, but my body couldn’t deny him
anymore.

***

Images of my simple make-out session
with Mitch kept replaying in my mind the rest of the day. My
meeting was boring, packing was cursory, and dinner with Nathan and
Kobiashi was mere routine. Nathan nudged me a few times, making
sure I was paying attention. If only he knew that while we were
enjoying appetizers, I was imagining what his younger brother
looked like with his shirt off. And then, as we ate dessert, what
he looked like without pants.

“
What
’
s got that shit-eating grin on
your face?
”
Nathan asked as we walked through the airport security. I
shrugged, feigning acknowledgement for my mood. I
wasn
’
t going to admit his little
brother had caused butterflies to form in my stomach.

“
If I didn
’
t know any better,
I
’
d say you were in
love.
”

“
No way,
”
I
said quickly, laughing slightly. Love was something I
wasn
’
t sure I believed in
anymore.

“
Whatever you say. Do you have the wedding
itinerary?
”
Nathan was the only male in the universe who would worry
about a wedding itinerary.

“
Of course, I made it last
weekend. Tyler should have forwarded it to you.”

Nathan grumbled under his breath. “He
didn’t. That man only cares about one thing. Well, maybe two
things.”

We both laughed. “Typical
man.”

Chapter Seventeen

Clanking of glasses filled the air,
signaling for Becca and Tyler to kiss for the umpteenth time. They
were shockingly good sports about the interactions, and seemed to
be the happiest I’d ever seen them. The wedding activities were a
blur, moving from nails to hair, rehearsals and preparations for
the ceremony. It happened so fast, and I was thankful for the buzz
I was supporting from the ride to pictures and the
reception.

My interactions with Mitch were
sparse. He’d texted me throughout Thursday and Friday with his
stupid pick-up lines and flirty comments. My responses were slim,
but only because we’d been so busy. I’d been by Becca’s side
constantly, wanting to make today the fairy tale she
deserved.

“Thank you so much for the speech,”
Becca sniffed as she squeezed my hand. We were sitting at the head
table, relaxing from the fine dining. “You’re the best friend a
girl could ever have.” She was being sappy.

“You’d do the same for me,” I
whispered softly.

“In a heartbeat,” she assured, nodding
her head rapidly. Then, in normal bride tradition, she took off,
mingling with her guests.

Mitch was sitting at the end of the
table. I could feel his presence as I sipped what was left of my
champagne. He was moving toward me now, his confidence radiating
with each step. He looked handsome in his suit, and a touch
awkward. I could tell he wasn’t used to wearing one. It was
humbling to see.

“You’ve done a great job ignoring me,”
Mitch pouted, taking Becca’s seat. “I thought you weren’t going to
come up with a reason for us not to try?”

Setting my glass down, I turned to
him. “This weekend was about my best friend, not you. Sorry if I’ve
been too busy to flirt.”

His brows wiggled. “God, I love when
you’re feisty.”

My eyes found the ceiling as I shook
my head, trying not to laugh at him, but my smile couldn’t be
contained. He had charm, and I was starting to fall for
it.

Mitch set his arm on the
back of my chair, leaning into me as though he was going to place a
kiss on my neck. Shivers ran down my arms in anticipation,
quivering as his nose touched the shell of my ear.
“
Save me a
dance, al
l right?”

He left before I could jokingly tell
him no.

Simple wedding reception
traditions passed by, leaving the dance floor open to the
guests.

“Come on, they’re going to play
Elton,” Nathan said slyly, pulling me to the dance
floor.

I had yet to dance with Mitch, but as
much as I wanted to touch him, I knew it was for the best.
Controlling my hands and movements might be hard at this point, and
I wasn’t ready for anyone to see the way we reacted to each other
while being so close.

“Candle in the
Wind
? Really?” I teased as Nathan spun me
then brought me back so our bodies were flush.

“Did you expect something
else?”

“Of course not.” I laughed, resting my
head on his shoulder as he held me close.

“
I’m glad you’re out of
your funk,” he said quietly against my ear. “You’re a hard one to
read, but I knew you weren’t yourself for a while. This weekend
you’ve been a shining star.”

“It must be weddings,” I
sighed dramatically. “You know I’
m a sucker for a good
romance.
”

“Right,” he said sarcastically.
Becoming serious again he added, “You’d tell me if something were
wrong, right?” I tilted my head away from him, feeling guilty for
keeping part of me distant from my best friends. “I know I’m a hard
ass most of the time, but I do care, Jamie. Even if you’re debating
screwing my little brother.”

I smacked his shoulder. “Says
who?”

“Body language. There couldn’t be more
sexual tension between the two of you.”

“Isn’t Mitch always like that?” I
teased, trying to play off that I wasn’t interested.

“Say whatever makes you feel better,
but I’m not an idiot. I stand by what I said earlier.” His eyes met
mine. “And, I’m going to repeat what I said to you before. Be
careful around him, Jay. You were right, he’s not dangerous, but
he’ll play with your heart.”

“Do I look like the kind
of girl who gets her heart broken?” My face was smug, but inside I
was tearing apart. My heart was still ripped in half, bleeding for
the ones I’
d
lost.

“I know you can take care of yourself.
It doesn’t mean I still can’t be protective.”

Grateful for his affection, I
smiled.

***

Of course, Becca would have fireworks
at her wedding. When I looked around to find her, she was gone, and
I clicked my tongue, knowing her and Tyler had used fireworks as an
escape.

“They sure went all out, didn’t they?”
Mitch came to my side, his mega-watt smile in full form. His eyes
were a touch hazy, buzzed from the alcohol.

“Wouldn’t be a Stine/Conklin wedding
without fireworks.”

Over two-thirds of the guests were
gone by now, allowing for more space on the patio. Leaning into his
side and resting my head on his shoulder happened naturally while
my body awakened to his scent. He was wearing his sexy cologne, the
woodsy smell taking over my senses. Mitch slid me in front of his
body, arms wrapping around me from behind while the fireworks flew
over the Grand River. My hands clung to his, helping him hold me. I
sighed contently, feeling safe in his arms. This felt so right, and
the visions of letters and white knuckled hands squeezing my neck
evaporated. He was taking my pain away, and I was ready to stop
fighting it.

“Come home with me,” I purred through
the crackling of the fireworks.

“Mmm...” he contemplated in sarcasm.
“I actually reserved a room.” My elbow found his stomach, causing
him to grunt and chuckle at the same time. “I imagine the bed is
big enough for the two of us, even though you didn’t save me a
dance.”

My grin was wide as I tilted my head
to look up at him. “Oh, I saved the best dance for you.” His eyes
widened fractionally, filling with lust as I licked my lips. My
bare skin was begging to be touched by his calloused
hands.

“Shall we go create our
own finale?” he suggested, his hand moving lower on my hip. All
eyes were on the fireworks, and like Becca and Tyler, now would be
the perfect opportunity to make a getaway without anyone realizing
we were leaving together.
I moved from his
embrace, taking his hand to walk through the reception hall and to
the hotel entrance. Mitch eagerly followed, barely able to keep his
hands off me while we passed by many of our co-workers.

It was all over once we reached the
elevator. Passion hit us in a rush as the doors closed. Mitch
lunged for me, pinning me to the mirrored side of the elevator. His
mouth crashed into mine, fiercely demanding me to open up for his
tongue to explore. My hands were just as crazed, reaching
underneath his suit coat, searching for the muscles I’d longed to
feel and taste.

“I’ve been thinking about
kissing you ever since we were on Kobiashi’
s lot,
” he
gasped between kisses. I moaned in agreement.

Thankfully, no one was in the hallway
while we were all over each other, finding his room. He pushed me
so my back was against the door, pressing his body flush with mine,
kissing me madly. Everything inside of us was ready to ravage each
other. Mitch fumbled in his pockets, biting my lip as he grabbed
the key and finally opened the door. My fingers were working on his
buttons as I walked backward through the threshold. Mitch tossed
the key on the floor, then slammed the door shut with his
foot.