“Yeah.” Her nails dug into her palms. “But who says he was a mistake?”
“Did he call you ‘baby’?”
She blinked. “Well, yes. But so did you.”
“When I wanted to fuck you and forget you, I did. That’s what he wanted. I haven’t called you baby since I realized who you were. Since I realized…”
She cocked her head. “Since you realized what?”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s no good for you.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s a mistake. Maybe I don’t want—”
His fingers drifted over her butt, feather-light and almost nonexistent. “Was he me?”
“N-No.” She bit down on her lower lip. “But—”
He pressed her against the wall, his leg slipping in between hers. “Then he was a big fucking mistake.”
Chapter Ten
Holt rolled his knee against her core, grinning when she moaned and clutched at his shoulders. Her sharp nails dug into his skin, and he loved every fucking second of it. Seeing her with that asshole on the dance floor, grinning and smiling and having fun, had sent him over the edge.
Especially since the punk obviously thought he was going to be going home with her. He wasn’t. Little fucker.
Seeing her flirting and dancing had only driven home the point he’d had in his head earlier: If she was going to be with a dickhead, why couldn’t it be him?
He could be her dickhead.
At least he’d try to do his best not to hurt her.
“I missed you, Lyd.” It had been only a couple of days since he’d walked away from her, but it had felt like a fucking lifetime. “Did you miss me?”
She made one of those sexy little sounds in the back of her throat. “What are you doing? I thought you wanted to be friends?”
“Friends do this,” he muttered, nipping on her ear.
“Not mine.” She stiffened and shoved at his shoulders. “What’s going on, Holt?”
“I can’t stand it. Seeing you with another guy, any other guy, isn’t acceptable. I can’t do it, can’t just be your friend. I take it back.”
Her fingers tightened on him. Not pushing, but not pulling him closer, either. “You can’t just—”
“Yeah, I can.” He leaned into her, trapping her against the wall. “And I am.”
She bit down on her lip. “So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want to bring you home and fuck you until you stop thinking about other guys. I want to claim you. Own you. Make you come more times than ever before.” He bit down on her shoulder at the same time he cupped her breasts, squeezing them. “And I won’t leave before finishing this time.”
“Just for tonight?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he admitted honestly. “All I know is we’re not finished yet. I can feel it all the way to my bones. Can’t you?”
She nodded. “I can.”
“Good.” He ran his thumbs over her nipples. They were hard and aching for his touch. “Then let’s keep doing what we’re doing until we don’t have that feeling anymore. Until we’re finished.”
“What about Steven?” she asked breathlessly.
Holt hesitated, still not entirely okay with that part of their situation. “He doesn’t need to know. Do you need him to know?”
She shook her head. He didn’t see it, but he felt it. “God, no.”
His chest tightened. He didn’t want to tell Steven, but she really didn’t want to. And it made him wonder why. “Good.”
“But are you sure? I don’t want you to start, and then leave before we…you know. Finish.”
He dropped his head into her neck. He’d sooner cut off his left leg than leave her naked and wanting in bed again. “I’m not leaving like that again, Lyd.”
“Are you sure?” She nudged him. “Because if you get me all hot and bothered again, then take off…I’ll legit kill you.”
He snort-laughed. “I’m sure. But make no mistake: I’m done fighting this attraction between us because I’m not good enough to try anymore. Done trying to be the good guy by keeping my hands off of you. But that doesn’t make me better. It makes me worse. You should say no. You should turn me away.”
She stood there silently, and he held his breath. Half of him wanted her to say no, and the other half of him wanted her to say yes. One half was louder than the other. “I already told you earlier. If you’ll knock, I’ll let you in.”
He dropped his forehead on hers. “Well, I’m knocking.”
“Then come in. I’m waiting for you.”