“So, since you’re the only one I’m going to be putting my dick inside, you never have to worry.” He gives me another kiss. A ding from his phone ruins the moment as he pulls back to answer it.
I stand there staring at him, completely shell-shocked.
He brings the phone to his ear and glances at me. “Get dressed.” Turning, he walks away. In my closet, I reach for the pale pink dress Brance bought for me recently. It’s short and tight. I turn around and look in the mirror: sexy but still classy. Lana would approve. I slip on some pink ballet flats that wrap around my ankles and return to the bathroom to do my hair and makeup. Dabbing on my French vanilla perfume, I’m so engrossed in my thoughts, it takes a second to notice Reed is gripping the doorframe, silently watching me. The sight makes me ache as I look at his biceps bulging beneath his tight T-shirt along with the tease of his happy trail on display.
Frowning, I bite my lip and try to concentrate on fixing myself. My hair is wild, my lips are puffy, and my cheeks are flushed. Either that or they have razor burn from his five-o’clock shadow.
“I hate your hair.” He sounds bored.
Lifting an eyebrow, I say, “Really?” I turn toward him. “That’s not what I heard. I did this for you. You know how I live to make you happy.” I smile sweetly at him.
His eyes narrow. “Dye your hair back, Tess.” He drops his hands and walks back into my bedroom, leaving me alone. I open my mouth, ready to tell him to fuck off but decide against it. What’s the point? I hate being a blonde anyway. The maintenance is ridiculous.
Quickly I apply my makeup, and since I’m in pink, I try to go natural. I do darken my eyes. The smoky look always works.
I take one more glance at myself.
Reed will think I look hot. Suddenly I remember my birth control pill. Shit, I must get better about taking it. Obviously, Reed is not going to use protection. I can’t keep forgetting it. Especially since I’m the one who doesn’t want kids. Popping it into my mouth, I go to find Reed.
REED
As I hang up with Dr. Miller, Brance walks straight past me as if I’m not there. Fucking drama queen! I smile. Brance has balls. I’ve missed him.
He stands at his refrigerator staring at the contents.
“So, Tess making you get your dick checked out, huh?” Obviously, he heard me on the phone.
“Yep, it helps to have money. Dr. Miller is sending someone here to draw my blood. I should have the results by the end of the day. Do you mind letting your guys know not to kill him?”
He snorts but presses the intercom alerting Alejandro.
“I’m doing this for Tess.” He eyes me. Going back to the refrigerator, he takes out the orange juice and shuts the door, shaking his head. “I can’t have you hurting her, Reed.”
“Brance, I’m going to tell you this one time. I love her and we’re back together. The rest is none of your business. She adores you and you’re her best friend. That makes us stuck with each other.”
He slams the container down and little drops of orange juice hit us.
“Fuck off, Reed. If I were against you, I wouldn’t have allowed you in here this morning.” Pulling a hand through his hair, he goes on. “And you know what? It is my business since I’m the one who has to pick her up and put her back together after you destroy her.”
“I’m not here to argue with you. I appreciate that you took care of my girl. But I can take it from here.” Absently my eyes travel around the kitchen. Brance has stainless steel cabinets. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before and wonder how they’d look in our penthouse-to-be.
“I’m not going anywhere until you have redeemed yourself.” He pours the OJ into a tumbler and takes a huge swig.
My head snaps back to him. “I think you are forgetting she is the one who has been gone for three years! She’s the one who wouldn’t come back. What did you expect me to do?”
He rolls his eyes. “Right, it’s Tess’s fault that you fucked anything that moved.”
I grate my teeth, then check for Tess. The last thing I need is for her to hear this conversation.
“It’s done… over. I can’t change the past. All I can concentrate on is the future. I have a headache and you are making me want to punch something.”
He snorts. “Tell me something new. She loves you, Reed. You sure you’re ready to be what she needs?”
“Judge me all you want.” I scrub my hand over my face. “I love her. Always have. You have been in her life for three years. I have been there forever.”
“So? You think because you two were having tea parties together that gives you a get-out-of-jail-free card?”
“You know I love her.”
We stare at each other in a silent battle. He raises his glass. “Great! Because you two don’t do casual.”
He doesn’t trust me. But I don’t give a shit. As long as I have Tess, I’m willing to put up with a disapproving Brance.
“She’s moving in with me starting today!” I blurt.
“Well, I guess that’s not moving fast.” Brance leans toward me, elbows on the counter. “I don’t care that your family is a bunch of billionaires. I come from drug money. I will have your penis cut off and shoved down your throat if you hurt her again.” He lifts the last of the juice to his mouth.
I can’t help but smirk because if Brance is sick enough to think it, he’d probably do it.
“Fair enough, man.” Grabbing a banana, I start to peel it.
“Did you even ask her? Or did you tell her she was moving in with you?”
“Does it matter?” Glaring at him, I pop a piece in my mouth.
“Does what matter?” Tess walks into the kitchen.
My pulse leaps. Fuck, she does things to me. My eyes follow her as she drops her bag on one of the stainless steel barstools. I want to grab her, pull up her pink dress, and thrust myself deep inside her. But I refrain. Brance probably wouldn’t appreciate it.
The intercom beeps, interrupting my thoughts and alerting us that the guy Dr. Miller sent is on his way up.
Tess walks up to Brance, checking his head with her hand for a temperature I guess.
Jealousy punctures me, and for a moment, it takes my breath. I want her touching me, not Brance.
I reach for her. “So, Kitten, this guy is going to draw my blood and whatever else needs to be done. I will have the results by the end of the day.”
“What… already?” Her big blue eyes open wide. She turns and cuddles in my arms. Christ, she feels good. Her vanilla scent wraps around me like an invisible force field.
“Will this make you happy? Relieve your mind?” I pull a piece of hair off her face.
“Of course.” Her voice is raspy.
“Then I want it done.” Rubbing the back of her neck, I pull her closer to kiss her temple.
Brance interrupts us with his empty glass clanking as he puts it in the sink.
“I love this dress on you. Turn around.” He spins his finger. Tess laughs.
Reluctantly I let her go. She twirls and catwalks around the kitchen. Her pretty pink dress accents her thin body and fantastic tits.
“Work it, baby.” He grabs her as she passes and twirls.
“What do you think, Reed? It’s okay to admit that I’m a master at dressing her.”
He winks at me. Then he dips her, they both laugh, and my heart aches. It’s been so long since I heard her laugh. I forgot how good it makes me feel.
“My personal Barbie doll.” His brown eyes are full of mischief.
A cough causes all three of us to turn. The guy that Dr. Miller has sent is standing in blue scrubs in the doorway, a tall guard with a beard standing behind him.
Brance chuckles. “And on that note, Tess and I will leave you to it.”
“Actually, it’s important that Tess stays”—I pull her to my side—“in case you have questions.”
Knowingly, she narrows her eyes at me. “You’re just scared of needles,” she whispers. It’s the first tim
e I’ve seen her face genuinely soften since we had sex.
“That too.” My lips twitch. “I need you to hold my hand.”
“Christ, you two, I think I’m going to be sick again. Although knowing that Reed Saddington is afraid of needles makes my day,” Brance calls over his shoulder as he leaves.
I turn to the guy in scrubs. Shit, he looks nervous. I smile, trying to calm the guy. I mean he is going to be putting a needle in my arm.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Tess’s manners break the awkward moment.
“No… No, I’m fine. He glances around Brance’s ridiculous fortress. The white walls make me nervous. I can only imagine what this guy is thinking.
“So, where do you want me?” I want this done. I hate needles. When we were kids, my mom always had to bring Tess whenever I got a shot; otherwise, I caused a scene.
“Uh, well, wherever is comfortable. I need to draw blood. When was the last time you ate or drank anything?”
“I had coffee and a banana.”
“That’s fine. So, I need a urine sample, and I’ll draw your blood. Dr. Miller will get the results and call you in a couple hours.” He smiles reassuringly. I fight the urge to laugh because this is so stupid but I guess necessary.
“Wow, that is so quick.” Tess caresses my arm as she holds my hand.
“This is my girlfriend Tess.”
“Hi.” The guy is flustered. He barely looks at her as he writes something on the plastic cup he wants me to pee in.
“And you are?”
“Um, yeah… I’m Steve. Sorry.” He looks around like he’s sure someone is going to come around the corner and gun him down. Can’t say I blame him. If our positions were reversed, I would probably hesitate to give my name too.
“My girlfriend has some questions for you. Tess, fire away.”
She smiles at him, obviously trying to put him at ease too.
“So, if he is clean, that means I have nothing to worry about?” Her new attitude is different. I love it.
Steve clears his throat. “Well, yeah, if all the tests are negative, you should be fine. If you’re worried about it, he can get retested in six months.”
Holding up my hand, I say, “We’re fine. Let’s do this. I’m hungry.”
He gets prepared, and Tess watches as he ties the band around my bicep. “You have great veins. Makes my job easy.” A nervous laugh escapes him.
I look at Tess who’s biting her lip as she looks at me. I’ll give Steve credit—he knows what he’s doing, and I barely feel the needle prick. Tess moves closer. I lean into her as she runs her hand through my hair.
Steve clears his throat again. I wonder if it’s a nervous tick
“So… that’s done. Now take this, urinate in it, and I will be out of your way. Unless you have any more questions?”
“No, thank you. You’ve been great.” Tess smiles at him.
He blinks, clears his throat, and looks at his feet for a moment. I can’t help but chuckle.
“Steve?” His eyes pop over to me.
“The cup?”
“Oh, geez… I’m sorry. Here.” He shoves it at me.
“Thanks.” Making my way down the hall, I pee quickly and send him on his way.
I turn to Tess. “Pack some stuff. We can come back for the rest in a couple days.”
Surprisingly she doesn’t fight me. She walks to her room and returns with a bag. Brance is leaning against the wall as we leave.
“Call me, Pretty Girl.”
“Love you.”
I roll my eyes as they do their hug thing.
“Christ, you two, enough. I’m not taking her to China. We’ll be at the Saint Regis,” I say, grabbing her hand and bag.
“Reed,” she says with a hiss, “I swear to God, you can’t boss me around like that. I’m not Lexi!”
“Don’t.” The blood pumps in my head. She needs to let this shit go. So I take it out on the poor elevator button.
She doesn’t speak, but her energy says it all. We glare at each other in the elevator as it glides down to the concrete hole Brance calls his garage. I wait as she slowly sinks into the seat of my Ferrari.
I’m exhausted. The last three years have caught up with me at last.
My fingers grip the steering wheel. “I want to show you the apartment. How hungry are you?”
“I’m fine, but you’re not. We should stop and eat.” She’s right. Food would help immensely.
I reach for her hand, bringing it to my lips. Neither of us speaks and we let the fact that we’re together sink in.
“The apartment has nothing but white walls. I thought maybe you and Brance might enjoy decorating it.”
Her eyes light up and she dazzles me with a smile that almost makes me grab my tattoo it hurts so bad.
“I’d like that.”
“Good. I want our place to be everything you dreamed about for us.”
She swallows and holds my hand as we listen to the Clash.
I park the car in the garage of our new penthouse. Turning off the ignition, I don’t budge. My mind is moving faster than my mouth. I want Tess to love this place. This is our beginning and it’s important she knows it.
She looks at me as she grabs her purse. “You okay?”
Unbuckling my seat belt, I turn. “I bought this apartment for you.”
She blinks at me.
“It’s true. I was going to rent, and the realtor brought me here. As soon as I walked in, I knew.”
She frowns. “But you didn’t know I was back or anything.”
“It didn’t matter. Or maybe it did. All I know is I walked in and I saw you everywhere. I was willing to pay whatever they were asking.”
“You’re getting awfully sentimental in your old age.”
My hand strokes hers. “Only for you. Come on—not only is the apartment fantastic, there’s a coffee house across the street. You’ll love it. Great coffee, omelets, pastries, all your favorites. And the best part about this restaurant is it’s delicious and quick.” I’m mentally calculating the minutes it will take us to order and eat, obsessing on how my body wants to mate with her. I’m like a barbarian. I want sex in every single room, on the counters and the floors.
Holding the door open, I admire her as she walks in. Tess has grown into a woman who turns heads from both genders. She has always been stunning, but now she seems to embrace it.
The coffee house has bright turquoise walls with large chalkboards dangling from chains. Their daily specials and menu are printed in neat handwriting. It’s loud and crowded. The dark wooden tables are almost all taken. Standing behind her as we wait to order, I pull her back, settling her in my arms. She fits like a glove. I rest my chin on the top of her head. As she checks out the menu my nose goes into her neck, breathing in that wonderful Tess smell.
Vanilla. I almost back away. The fierce emotions terrify me for a moment.
“What are you going to have, Kitten?”
“Coffee.”
I move closer, wanting to rub my hard cock on her ass. “Of course. Anything else, skinny?”
Her lips twitch. “Yes, how about a bacon, avocado, cheddar omelet with sourdough toast.”
“Love it. Can I copy?”
Raising a dark brow at me, she says, “Well I hope so. Otherwise, I’m losing my touch.”
“You’re definitely not losing your touch.” Taking her hand, I casually place it on my erection. She stiffens and looks around. Everyone is too preoccupied with each other or on their phones
She goes to pull away, and I tighten my hold on her wrist. “Just rub it, Tess. No one can see you.”
“Reed,” she hisses, but she starts to slowly rub and I nearly moan out loud.
I move back and lace my fingers with hers. “That was a bad idea.”
She laughs. “You’re crazy.”
My heart aches. “I love you happy. We’re going to eat and then your lessons begin.”
Rubbing her shoulders, I smile as she l
eans into me. “Really? What if I’m a bad student? Are you going to spank me?” she jabs.
I clench my teeth together. “You have got to let this Lexi thing go.”
“Trust me, I’m trying, but when you get all domineering on me it’s hard,” she whispers loudly.
Thankfully the guy ahead of us moves away and it’s our turn to order.
We find a table in the corner. Tess crosses her legs looking satisfied with herself. Clearly winning her back might take some time. She’s given me her body, but her trust might need some work. Which is okay. I’ve got nothing but time to make her trust me again. After all, if the situation were switched, I don’t know how I would act.
“I’ll get our coffee.” I walk back up to the counter.
When I return and set down our coffee mugs, Tess is staring at my vibrating phone.
“It’s Dr. Miller.”
“I see that. You could have answered.”
“I can’t handle any bad news.” She reaches for the napkin holder; it’s funky and made of a tin can.
“You know I don’t have anything.”
A ding alerts us that there’s a message on my phone. The arrival of our omelets stops me from listening. I wait for the meal to be delivered before I pick up my phone, watching her eyes follow my hands. Her cheeks turn slightly pink.
I tap my fingers on the table. “So, when I get a clean bill of health, we’re done with all the past, right, Tess? We can start building our lives together?”
She caresses the handle on her mug. “I don’t want what we used to have. I want better. You’re mine and I’m yours. But I need you to trust me.”
She looks around the coffee shop then straight into my eyes.
“If you get a clean bill of health, I’m all yours.”
I got a clean bill of health. And now I’m nervous about showing Tess the penthouse. Even though it spoke to me, that doesn’t mean she’ll love it. Fuck it, if she hates the place, we’ll find another. I hate second guessing myself. I’m like an actor needing people to tell me I’m good. But instead of a whole group of people, I only need Tess.
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