I stared at the ceiling.
A young guy, who introduced himself as Turnip, had arrived a couple hours ago to pick up Manic’s truck. I had kind of thought Manic would come tonight, and the disappointment had been sharp.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I hadn’t wanted to leave today.
Everything that had happened, the way I’d sent him away…Part of that had been for the reasons I’d told him, but needing space to work through everything hadn’t been the only reason.
I’d told him about my past, about my PTSD, and then I’d pushed him away. I’d given him the opportunity to escape me and my messy life. I’d offered him an out, and he hadn’t taken it, had he?
No, he’d texted me every day, held me every night without demanding anything from me in return, taking the scraps I’d given him while I got my head straight.
I sat up as my phone chimed, knowing who it would be from before I had a chance to look at it.
Manic: Night, baby. You need me, you know where I am, waiting for you. I’ll always be waiting, cupcake, no matter how long it takes.
I blinked down at his message.
Isn’t being together, however long that is, worth the risk?
His words flew through my mind. God, it was. It was so worth the risk. I shoved the covers back and flew out of bed.
I didn’t bother changing out of my pj’s. I shoved my feet in my boots, pulled on my jacket, grabbed my keys, and ran out the door. The chill night air instantly hit me, and I breathed it in as I climbed into my car. My head was clear, and my heart was sure. I needed to be with Manic. I needed that, him, more than anything else.
The sky was cloudless and full of stars, the moon huge, and I knew when I walked into his room, I’d see him lying there, bathed in moonlight. Waiting for me. Like he said. Like he had been for the last month.
I shook with anticipation, excited as I got out of my car and rushed to the front door. I shoved my hand in my jacket pocket—
“Goddammit.” The keys weren’t there.
Knocking on the door was an option. He was injured and I wanted to go to him. He’d been chasing me for so long while I ran. It was my turn to show him how I felt, to tell him, because this was different, this wasn’t just me wordlessly climbing into his bed and taking the comfort he offered, not this time.
Then I spotted the living room window, it was slightly ajar. Yes. I would not let something as stupid as forgetting his keys ruin this moment.
Rushing to the backyard, I found a crate and jogged back to the window. Sliding my hand along the gap, I pulled the window open as quietly as I could.
Climbing up, I wedged myself through—and tumbled to the floor, knocking over the small table under it with a crash.
Manic stormed in.
The light came on, and I squinted up at him. “Uh…hey.”
“What the fuck are you doing on the floor?” He rushed over.
He was in only his boxer briefs, and despite the bruises and scrapes, this time, I had no trouble appreciating the sight of his body. This time, I allowed myself to take in every gorgeous inch. I should be telling him why I was there, that I was sorry for pushing him away, that I wanted to give it another shot, but all I could think about was kissing him.
He lifted me off the floor with strong hands and planted me on my feet. Then he stared down at me, brows low. “Where’s your key?”
“I forgot it.” I pressed my hands to his chest.
He sucked in a breath. “Why didn’t you knock?” he rumbled.
I licked my lips. “Because I needed to be the one to come to you.”
He searched my gaze. “Yeah? Why’s that, cupcake?”
I slid my hands up his chest and curled them around his neck as I lifted to my toes. “So I could kiss you,” I said instead of all the other things I needed to say.
His eyes widened for a split second, then he leaned in, helping me out. His lips met mine, and he groaned, but he didn’t kiss me back, not really, not how he usually kissed me.
No, he held his mouth to mine, his breath huffing in and out of his nose, waiting for me to show him what I wanted. Being soft with me like only Levi could be, always taking care of me, always giving me what I needed.
Fire ignited inside my belly, heating and curling low, and I angled my head and opened my mouth under his, deepening the kiss. His hands dropped to my hips, and when I swiped my tongue into his mouth, he groaned again, but deeper, rougher.
“I need you,” I said against his lips.
“You’ve got me, Addison. Always.”
His hands curled around me, and I jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist, clinging to him. “Please,” I rasped against his lips.
“Tell me what you need, baby?”
Emotion welled in my chest, making me tremble. “I n-need you inside me.”
His hand went to the back of my head, and he lightly fisted my hair and tilted my head back, staring into my eyes, the moonlight making his deep brown eyes glitter. “You want me to fuck you, cupcake?”
“No,” I whispered and stared deep into his eyes. “I want you to make love to me, like you did at the Pythons’s clubhouse.”
His throat worked. “You felt it?”
“Yeah, I felt it.”
Manic made his grizzly bear growl and strode across the living room with me still in his arms, then down the hall to his bedroom, his mouth on mine, and this time he was in charge of the kiss.
He lay me on the bed, and I could feel him tremble.
“You sure you’re ready to take it there, baby?”
“Yes, it’s all I want. You’re all I want, Levi.” I was close to sobbing, I needed him so badly.
And he didn’t miss it. He could see it, hear it in my voice. “It’s all right, baby, I’ve got you, remember?”
I nodded, biting my trembling lip as he tugged off my boots, dropping them on the floor, then opened my coat and helped me out of it. His gaze sliced down my body, moving over my pj’s, teal shorts, and a tank. “You in too much of a hurry to get changed?”
“Y-yes.” My voice broke as his hot fingers gripped the sides of my shorts and he slid them off. I was still in my tank and panties, and he rested his hand on my belly, dragging the shorts the rest of the way off. My legs parted for him instantly, and I moaned as his wide, hot palm covered me, cupping me over the soft fabric of my underwear.
“So wet, Addison. This pussy knows who owns it, doesn’t it? Fucking weeps for me every fucking time.” I couldn’t speak, only managing a needy sound as he hooked the scrap between my thighs and dragged it to the side. “So pretty.” Then he leaned in and lapped at me, and I spread my thighs wider, wanting more. I didn’t have to ask. As soon as I did it, he was back, dragging his tongue through my folds.
I cried out and dropped a hand to his head, thrusting my fingers in his hair. “Yes.”
His wide shoulders kept me spread for him as he licked and sucked and kissed me the way he knew I loved until I was rolling my hips and begging for more. He slid a thick finger deep inside me, and I cried out again, rocking against it.
He added a second with another growl. “That’s it, cupcake, work yourself on my fingers. You’ve been too long without me inside you. I need to make you come like this first, stretch you a little before I fill you up.”
I was lost to pleasure, crying out and moaning, riding his fingers and chasing the orgasm building inside me. He worked me faster, deeper, and I broke, coming for him. While I was still crying out, he pulled his fingers free and covered me with his mouth, lapping at my opening and sucking on my clit until I collapsed in a heap on the mattress.
Manic kissed his way up my belly, taking my tank with it, and making a sound like someone who had just finished their favorite dessert. He dragged my tank over my head and caught a nipple in his mouth, sucking it firmly. I felt the tug low in my gut and squirmed against him. He pressed the hard length of his cock against me and rocked as he caught my mouth in a deep kiss.
“Missed you, baby,” he said against my lips. “Even with you right here beside me, I fucking missed you so badly.”
My heart squeezed in my chest. “I missed you too, so much.”
He lifted his hips and one big hand hooked the front of my panties, dragging them off as I shoved his boxer briefs down and took hold of his impossibly hard, thick cock. I stroked him, and he hissed, thrusting into my hold.
Grabbing my knee, he opened me wider as I pressed the head of his cock to my opening.
“You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, Addie. All I’ll ever need. No matter what, no matter where you are in here,” he said and brushed the side of my temple, “I’m not going anywhere. Whatever you need from me, I’ll always give it to you. There’s nothing you could do or say that could ever scare me away, understand?”
His words were a heated wave rolling through me, pooling in my chest, and a sob broke from me. “I know. I know that now, I think I always knew it, but I was too scared to believe it.”
“You believe it now, cupcake?”
“Yes,” I said as a tear streaked down my cheek. “When I’m with you, what we do together, the man you are…you make me feel so safe, Levi, so special and cared for.”
He cupped my face. “That’s because I fucking love you, Addison,” he said, then slid inside me.
I whimpered and wrapped myself around him, pressing my mouth to his ear as he slid out and thrust back into me. “I love you too.”
Then he gave me what I asked for, what we both needed. He made love to me, slow and deep. His intense gaze moving over mine, his kisses all-consuming, building us both to a fever pitch.
Finally, he increased the pace, his breath growing choppier, his big body trembling harder as it moved on top of me. We strained against each other. I wanted to go over with him, but there was no holding back.
I arched against him and cried out. Manic cupped the side of my face and pressed his mouth to mine, tasting my pleasure, then groaned, shaking as he came with me.
We clung tighter to each other as his thrusts grew languid and his kisses softened.
Silence filled the room apart from our panted breaths.
I lifted my hand to his bearded jaw, and he looked down at me, his gaze moving over my face as if I was all his dreams come to life. I never thought I would be that for someone. I’d never allowed myself to hope.
Manic was all my fantasies come to life.
Manic
I stared into her beautiful eyes, and Addie brushed her thumb over my lower lip.
“I don’t ever want to lose you,” she whispered as tears welled in her eyes.
“And you never will,” I said, hoping like fuck she believed it. Because I was never letting her go again.
“I just…I got so scared and I-I wanted to run away.”
I didn’t know how to help her. No matter how badly I wanted to, I didn’t know how to fix the part of her that caused her pain, I couldn’t. It wasn’t that simple. But I would be right here to give her whatever she needed, whenever she needed it. “You’re everything, Addie. I need you to let that sink in, and fucking believe it. Anything you need, you got it. Fucking anything. And if you ever want to run away again, you can do that too. But just know that I’ll be running away with you.”
Her throat worked. “You’d do that?”
I cupped her gorgeous face. “In a heartbeat.” I pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “We can work through this, okay? Just don’t shut me out.”
“I won’t, I promise.” A tear streaked down her face. “I love you so much, but I won’t lie, being with you scares the hell out of me. I want this, though. I want you more than anything.”
My heart sat in my throat. “That’s all that matters.”
She smiled softly, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. “I’m so glad you chased me around Rocktown until I finally relented.”
The tight band around my chest eased, and I chuckled. “Not as glad as I am.” I grinned. “Kidnapping you was the best decision I ever made.”
A sweet laugh bubbled from her, and my girl held me tight, because I was her anchor, and I always would be. Then she kissed me.
I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her back. She was that for me as well, and no matter what came next, I’d be there to hold her steady.