After Math(34)
He looks into my eyes. “Maybe I need something worth fighting for.”
I stand on my tiptoes and press a soft kiss on his mouth.
His arms wrap around my back and pull me to him as he kisses me with desperation. “I need you, Scarlett.”
My heart soars, dragging the weight of Tucker’s pain with it. “I’m here.”
His hands are everywhere. He’s tugging my shirt up, then stops. “Not here. Will you come home with me?”
I nod. “Yes.”
He kisses me again then grabs my hand and opens the door, pulling me into the hallway. He heads for the back door and into the parking lot. A soft rain falls, hitting my bare arms and sending a shiver up my back. Tucker wraps his arm around me. “Did you have a coat?”
“No.” But I realize I’m leaving without telling Caroline or Tina that I left.
Tucker stops next to his car and opens the door. I look at him before I get in. Be smart, Scarlett a little voice says in my head. But how is this wrong? How can it be wrong to feel this close to someone?
He’s in the car before I have time to muddle through my thoughts. Tucker reaches for me, his lips on mine, his tongue exploring my mouth with impatience. His hand slides up my leg and under my skirt, resting on my upper thigh. With a groan, he pulls back and starts the car, driving out of the parking lot.
“I need to tell Caroline I left.”
Tucker turns to me.
“I don’t have my phone.”
He shifts in his seat, pulls his phone out of his pocket and hands it to me.
I look at the screen, trying to decide whether to text her or call. Texting is the chicken-shit way out, and she won’t recognize the number, but if I call her, she’s liable to give me a lecture, if she even hears her phone. I need to suck it up and call her. I sigh with resignation and tap in her number.
She doesn’t answer and the call goes to voice mail. Talk about luck. “Caroline. I left the club, but I’m fine. I got a ride. Stay and have fun. I’ll see you later.” When I hang up I feel a mixture of guilt for not being honest and relief I didn’t have to argue with her.
Tucker shoots me a look. “You didn’t tell her that you left with me.”
“She doesn’t understand.”
He nods, and I wonder what he’s thinking. “She’s a good friend.”
“Yes.”
I look out the window and realize we’re not going to my apartment. “Where are we going?”
“Home.”
“But my—”
“My home.”
The significance of what he says sinks in. “Oh.”
“I don’t want this to be a one-time thing, Scarlett. I want to try to make this work.”
Hope flutters in my chest.
He stops at a red light and reaches for my neck, pulling my mouth to his. “You’re worth fighting for.”
Tucker kisses me, and I lose track of where we are until a car honks. He drops his hand from my face and grins before driving through the intersection. His apartment is close, and he parks in the half-empty parking lot. He’s out of the car in seconds, moving to my side and opening the door. His mouth is on mine for a brief moment, the promise of more to come, then he wraps an arm around my back and leads me to the entrance.
Tucker’s apartment complex is nicer than mine. A door leads to a hallway with indoor entrances to the apartments. We go up two flights of stairs to the top floor, and he stops partway down the hall, unlocking the door and ushering me inside.
His hands tug at my shirt before the door is closed. He pulls the shirt over my head and presses my back against the door, his pain-filled eyes searching mine. “I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you, Scarlett. That scares the shit out of me. Everyone I love always leaves.” His voice breaks. “I’m scared I’m going to lose you.”
I reach for his face. “I’m here, Tucker. I’m where I want to be. With you.”
He kisses me again then leads me down the hall to a closed door. When he opens it, I’m surprised to see a tidy, organized bedroom. His bed is made. His books are stacked on a dresser.
I don’t have time to give it much thought because he’s pulling off the rest of our clothes while kissing me. The only thing I’m aware of is Tucker. His hands and his mouth make my body feel things I never thought were possible.
He lowers me to the bed, and I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. With him.
“Scarlett, you’re so beautiful. Inside and out.” His lips trail along my jaw and down my neck.
My hands reach for his chest, and they slide across his muscles to his shoulders.
“I love it when you touch me,” he says. His dark, passion-filled eyes look up to mine. “Every time you touch me, I know you’re not a dream. You’re really here.”