Chasing His Forever (Sweet Somethings Book 1)

by Rory Reynolds

  “Sorry, sweetheart. I thought you heard me.” Torin reaches up and tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear. I shiver when those warm fingers lightly trail down my neck. His eyes lock on my lips, and I wonder if he’s about to kiss me.

  Kiss me. Please, oh please. Kiss me.

  He shakes his head then bends down to pick up the clothes he caused me to drop. I cringe when I remember exactly what I was packing when he startled me. He gives me a heated look as he slowly hands me the pile of satin and lace.

  “Th-thank you,” I say through my embarrassment.

  “Anything for you, beautiful.”

  Wait… did he say beautiful? Surely not.

  I’m completely distracted and have no idea what I pack from that point on. The only thing I can seem to focus on is how his fingers felt on my skin and the look in his eyes as he zeroed in on my lips.

  Torin grabs the two duffels we packed, insisting that I let him help. He’s such a gentleman. I swear he would’ve carried Mr. Grey too if the cat wouldn’t have stuck his paw out of the holes to swat at him. He’s definitely showing one of his many shades right now, and it’s not sweet cuddle bug.

  “Do you have someone to stay with?” he asks as he walks me toward the small parking lot to my car. I rarely drive since work is only a few blocks away, and I like walking.

  “Oh yeah, I definitely have somewhere to stay.” I feel a little bad for evading the question—just a tiny white lie since I’m not staying with someone… but definitely somewhere.

  He tosses my bags into the backseat, and I gently set Mr. Grey’s carrier in the front. “Thanks for everything, Torin.”

  Once again, he tucks my hair behind my ear. This time, I know he for sure touches my neck on purpose. If I thought the look on his face was heated before, it’s downright hungry now. He slowly leans closer and closer, giving me a chance to pull away.

  As if.

  Kissing Torin Henley is on my top five do-it-before-I-die bucket list. Yeah, that might be slightly pathetic, but it’s Torin. I’ve had a crush since he helped clean up my skinned knee after taking a spill on my brand-new pink bike. I was six, and he was ten… my six-year-old heart instantly fell in love with the boy who had just moved in next door. Now my twenty-five-year-old heart is thumping erratically in my chest at the very thought that he’s about to kiss me.

  And then it happens, his lips press to mine. My whole body erupts in flames, even more devastating than the ones that could’ve burned down my building. His lips are softer than I thought they would be. I know I should be kissing him back, but I’m too busy standing here in stunned silence that he’s actually kissing me.

  Panic rushes through me when he starts to pull away. I realize he probably thinks I didn’t actually want the kiss. If anyone asks me later, I’m going to claim stress-induced insanity because what I do next is completely out of character. Before he can pull away, I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer so I can deepen the kiss.

  I have no real idea what I’m doing. All I can hope is that my ineptitude isn’t noticed, and if it is, he will just think it’s due to my excitement, not my inexperience. I’ve kissed exactly zero men in my life. It’s not that I swore off sex or anything like that. I’m not a virgin because I’m saving myself for marriage. It just happens that I haven’t met anyone worth investing in. Prue has tried setting me up dozens of times, but not I never took her up on it because I just wasn’t interested.

  Now I realize why none of those guys held any appeal. Torin. It’s always been Torin. No one can measure up to him. I didn’t realize until now that he is my gold standard.

  He groans into my mouth as our tongues dance together. The slick slide has my nipples hardening to tight peaks, and my panties are wetter than they’ve ever been. When we break apart, we’re both breathing heavily.

  “Wow.”

  He gives me a cocky smile, the sweet half-smile nowhere to be seen. I can’t lie; I love this smile too. Especially since I cause it. “Wow, is right.”

  My face heats in a blush. I can’t believe I said that out loud. A total face-palm moment if there ever were one.

  “Thank you... I mean… not for the kiss. But the kiss was… yeah.” I wave my hands between us.

  “Wow?” Torin asks with a chuckle.

  “Uhm, yeah, that…”

  “You’re adorable when you’re nervous, beautiful.”

  There’s that word again: beautiful. He thinks I’m beautiful.

  “Thanks, I guess…”

  He throws his head back in a throaty laugh. “You’re welcome for all of it. Especially the kiss. Though I think maybe I should be thanking you.”

  The very idea that he thinks he should be thanking me for a kiss when I’m so clearly out of my depth and nowhere near his level has me feeling off-kilter. I suddenly feel uncomfortable and awkward. “I should probably go…”

  I’m thrown off balance when he puts his hand on my lower back and leads me to the driver’s side door. My body sparks to life at the intimate touch. My heart flutters when he opens said door for me. Total gentleman. He leans in and presses a gentle kiss to my lips. Once again, I nearly lose my mind and throw myself at him, but he pulls away too quick. I pout.

  “No need to pout. This isn’t our last kiss. If I have it my way, there will be many more of those in the future.”

  I climb in the car and stare shamelessly at his butt as he walks off whistling.

  “What the fuck, Lani!” Prue slams into the store and slaps her hand on the counter in front of me. “I had to hear it from Mrs. Sampson at the diner that your building fucking burnt down last night!”

  I shake my head rolling my eyes. “It’s not that dramatic. It was only one apartment and a whole lot of smoke damage. Barely a fire, really.”

  Her shoulders fall, all the steam leaving her sails. “Sorry… you know I just worry.”

  I wrap her up in a big hug. “I know, honey. I love that you worry. Everything really is okay.”

  Ever since her dad died a couple years ago, she’s been extra protective of anyone she loves. Not that I can blame her. He went to the city to speak to his lawyer about his will, and on the way back to his car, he was killed in a mugging. Ironic that he went to get his affairs in order and died the very same day.

  “So, where are you staying?”

  I knew this was going to come up. Of course, my bestie would want to know. “Oh, I’m just staying here.” I shrug. “It’ll only be a couple days.”

  “What?! That’s ridiculous! You’re going to stay with me.”

  “You know I can’t do that. Cujo would eat Mr. Grey… or try to.”

  Prue crosses her arms. “Her name is Lollipop.”

  I snort. “Yeah, she’s not one bit sweet, no matter what you call her.”

  “She’s just loud.”

  She isn’t wrong. Cujo is a sweet… to people. Cats? Not so much. Which is why there is no way Mr. Grey and I could ever stay with her.

  “So why don’t you stay with Ana?”

  “You know she’s allergic to cats. And before you even suggest it, you know exactly why I can’t stay with Margo. She has her hands full with her granny. I don’t mind staying here. It’s not like I don’t spend most of the time here anyway.”

  She lets out a gusty breath. “I know. I won’t put up a fight, but if it’s any longer than a few days, we’re going to talk again.”

  I roll my eyes. “Yes, mommy.”

  Prue’s beeper goes off. “Duty calls. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “I will. Now go save the world from all the clogged pipes.”

  She laughs, flipping me off as she leaves.

  4

  Torin

  It’s been three days since I saw Lani. I can’t get the image of her standing barefoot in the chilly dawn morning, holding her cat with tears streaming down her face out of my head. Every time I think of it, my heart hurts. She’s so sweet and innocent. She doesn’t deserve something like that. She shouldn
’t ever have a reason to cry.

  I want to wrap her up in my arms and keep her safe. To make sure she knows how precious and loved she is. That kiss we shared has replayed on repeat over and over in my mind. It was only a small taste of what I want from her, and more than I ever thought I would have. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but the moment was perfect, and there wasn’t any denying myself. She lit up like the Fourth of July and returned my kiss with fervor.

  It’s the first sign she’s ever given me that says she sees me as more than just the guy that grew up next door. We’ve been friendly, but never friends. I’ve always been here, though. Waiting. I’d wait forever if I had to.

  The bells ding as I open the door to Sweet Reads. Lani’s cat jumps up on the counter, hissing and swatting the air between us. Definitely going to have to work on getting on his good side. Espeically if I want to make his mistress fall in love with me as deeply as I’m in love with her.

  “Be there in just a second!” Lani calls from the back.

  Instead of waiting with the cat, I decide to meet her in the back—no reason for her to have to stop what she’s doing when it’s just me. I come to an abrupt stop when I see the bare length of her back just before she pulls her shirt on. My pants are noticeably tighter at the sight.

  She turns and jumps back a step with a little cry. “You startled me. You must be half-cat or something. I should put a bell on you.”

  I laugh. “Whatever makes you happy, beautiful.”

  She leans down and slips on her shoes then gives me a curious look. “What are you doing here? Do you need a book?”

  I shake my head. “Just wanted to check on you.”

  “Oh…” she says with a blush. I fucking love when Lani blushes. It’s adorable and sexy as fuck. “I’m fine. You don’t have to check on me.”

  “I don’t have to… I want to.”

  She turns to grab her phone from her desk, and I notice the duffle bag I helped back open on the floor beside it… I take in the rest of the office and realize she’s been living here.

  “Are you sleeping here?” I bark, unable to hold in my anger at my girl sleeping on a way too small couch in her office.

  “I… well.” She chews on her lip, weighing her words carefully. “Yes?”

  “You said you were staying with one of your friends,” I accuse.

  Lani shakes her head. “No, I said I had somewhere to stay. Not that I would be staying with someone.”

  I growl at her words. “You can’t stay here like this. It’s going to be at least two more weeks until Phizer has that hellhole up to code.”

  “Hey! That place isn’t a hellhole, it’s my home.” Her lower lip sticks out in a pout, and she looks genuinely hurt by my words. My heart clenches in my chest. I never want to be the cause of pain for her, no matter how small. Without thinking, I pull her into my arms, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

  “I’m sorry, beautiful. That’s not what I meant.”

  She sinks into my arms. I hug her closer, breathing in her sweet scent and reveling in her curves. She feels like heaven in my arms. I never want to let her go. Lani sighs into the crook of my neck, her warm breath tickling over my skin. My cock is instantly hard. I try to put a little distance between us, not wanting to scare her off with how strongly she affects me, but then she wiggles against my hardness, and I lose all sense of control.

  I lower my lips to hers and kiss her like my life depends on it. Like she’s the very breath in my lungs… the reason my heart beats in my chest. My entire reason for living. Lani lights on fire at the touch of my lips to hers. Gone is my sweet girl’s shyness. She opens to me and slicks her tongue along mine, teasing mine to deepen our kiss. I would be an idiot not to give her what she wants.

  I kiss her deeply, passionately. Giving her every bit of my desire. She rubs herself against my cock, kissing me back with just as much passion. I pull away from her lips, leaving her panting for more, and I’d be loath to disappoint her. I trail kisses up and down the delicate column of her neck. Her head falls back giving me access to more of her sweet skin.

  Her hands weave through my hair, holding me to her. I nip and suck giving her exactly what she’s asking for. I tell myself to slow down, but my hands have a mind of their own, running up and down her body—one stopping on the sweet curve of her ass, the other just below her breast.

  Fuck she feels amazing.

  Before we can go any further, the bells above the front door ring saying she has a customer. We break apart, both of us breathing heavily.

  “Hello, Lani…”

  “Crap, it’s Margo.” Lani quickly straightens her hair and shirt, but nothing is going to erase her kiss swollen lips, and the pink marks my stubble left on her neck. My cock throbs in my pants at the sight of my mark on her.

  “Be there in a sec, Margo!” she yells before looking up at me. “I… uhm…”

  I press a soft kiss below her ear. “This isn’t over. I’ll just wait here.”

  Her eyes dilate at the possibilities. While I do want to continue devouring her body, we have more pressing things to discuss. Like the fact that I refuse to leave here with her living in her damn office when I have a perfectly good bed for her to sleep in… I shake that thought from my head and correct myself. I have a perfectly good spare bedroom for her to stay in. I won’t do anything to rush Lani. I want her to know that I’m in this for the long haul, not just an easy lay.

  I can hear the girls talking quietly up front and decide to use my time wisely by packing up her things. I’ve got her duffle bags packed up when her cat comes into the room, giving me a suspicious look.

  “Don’t look at me like that, cat,” I grumble. Fuck, when did I start talking to cats? “I’m taking your mommy to my house.” I open his carrier and wave in its direction. “You can come home with us or stay here. Your choice.”

  With a low meow and a haughty look, he walks to his carrier and climbs in. I close the door, and the little asshole takes a swipe at me with his claws.

  “Sorry about that,” Lani says, walking in the room with a white box with Sprinkled With Sugar printed in pink and black swirls. “Margo brought me breakfast.”

  She looks around the office, noticing her bags packed. “Why’s all my stuff packed?”

  “Because, sweetheart, you’re coming home with me. I can’t let you live in your office when I have a perfectly good bed you can sleep in.”

  Her eyes widen, and her pink tongue pokes out to lick her lower lip. I’m instantly hard again at the sight. Jesus, I’m like a damn teenager around her. Next I’ll be having wet dreams about her.

  “I have a spare bedroom.” I elaborate. From the look of disappointment on her face, she wouldn’t be completely against being in my bed. I could kick myself for suggesting that she sleep anywhere than beside me.

  “Oh… I don’t want to put you out like that. I’m fine here. Really.”

  I shake my head. “Nonsense. You won’t be putting me out. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want you there. Besides, I stay at the firehouse more often than at home.”

  Another look of disappointment covers her face before she schools her expression. “If you’re sure?”

  “Absolutely. It’ll be my pleasure.”

  Lani gives me a shy smile. “Okay. Thank you, Torin.”

  I pull her in for a gentle kiss. “You never have to thank me for taking care of you, beautiful.” I step away before I get carried away again. I pick up her bags and her cat carrier. “I’ll take your things home that way you’ll be all set when you close up shop.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I can bring them.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I like doing things for you, so you need to get used to it.”

  Lani smiles one of her sweet, shy smiles. The kind that wraps around my heart and squeezes. “Okay. I’ll be there around six.”

  I drop a kiss to her forehead on my way out. “See you soon, sweetheart.”

  5

  Lani
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  I’ve been staying at Torin’s for almost a week. I love it. I feel more at home here with him than I have ever felt in my own little apartment. Heck, even Mr. Grey is happier. Torin built him window shelves so he can lay and watch the birds and squirrels. My cat, who doesn’t warm up to anyone easily, absolutely loves Torin. I can definitely understand that because I’m pretty in love with him myself.

  The only thing I would change is the fact that he’s hardly ever here. I feel like a jerk for being jealous of his job because he’s basically a hero, but every time he leaves, I miss him before the door has closed behind him. Not to mention how much I worry about him. His job is dangerous. Anything could happen to him at any time, and it drives me crazy with anxiety.

  “Honey, I’m home,” Torin’s singsongs cutting through the silence of the house. My heart does a little flip-flop in my chest. I love it when he says that even though I know he’s just teasing me. It still makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

  I can imagine how it would feel if it were real. He would come home from a long shift at the fire station and walk into the kitchen, where I’m fixing our dinner with a happy smile on his face. He’d look at me like I’m the only thing he ever wants to see again. He’d wrap me up in his arms and kiss me senseless. We’d get so wrapped up in each other that our dinner would burn.

  “Mm… What smells good?” Torin asks, shaking me out of my daydream.

  “Oh, just meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy.”

  “Considering most of my meals consist of sandwiches at the fire station and whatever I can toss on the grill while I’m home, this is fine dining.”

  My cheeks heat in a blush. “It’ll be done in around ten minutes.”

  He gives me one of those sexy half-smiles. As always, my core clenches, and I wish that he’d kiss me again like he did at the bookstore. It’s been so long I’ve almost convinced myself that it didn’t even really happen. “Okay, beautiful.”