Something lit his expression—possession, maybe?—and he growled, caught her mouth, and drove inside of her with one hot, hard, long stroke. Unable to bite it back, she screamed into his mouth, and he muffled her cries, pressing even closer to her. He palmed her ass, lifted her a little higher, and slammed into her again.
Her nails scraped over his shoulders, seeking skin to dig into, but he still wore his suit jacket. And for some reason, that made what they were doing even hotter.
Every nerve inside of her bunched in her stomach, tightening more and more with each thrust, and it was only a matter of seconds until she lost it.
And the amazing thing was…
He was just as out of control as she was. He was open, and wild, and raw, and he was hers. He broke the kiss off, his breathing ragged. “Jesus, Lauren. Your pussy is so tight and wet and I can’t…fuck.”
Shaking his head, he caught her mouth again, his movements more frantic. She was right there with him, straining to grasp that orgasm only he could give her. “Steven,” she cried out, stars bursting in front of her eyes as her orgasm took over her.
Groaning, he thrust into her three more times, and he came, too.
He collapsed, trapping her in between his hard body and the brick wall. After a few ragged breaths, he pulled back enough to look her in the eyes, cupped her cheek, and kissed her forehead. “Shit. That was—real. And you mean more to me than you’ll ever fully comprehend. More than I ever thought possible.”
Her lids drifted shut. This was what she had been waiting for her whole life. The thing—no, the man—she waited for. And she wasn’t scared anymore. The truth was, she wasn’t even sure why she’d been scared in the first place.
And she was ready to tell him how she felt about him.
No more secrets. No more fear.
“Steven, I—”
“Lauren?” Holt called out, knocking on the door of her bakery. “Are you here? Are you okay? I saw your car out front.”
Steven stiffened and whispered, “Shit. Why is he here, looking for you?”
“I…” Her heart skipped a beat. “I’m not sure.”
“Get rid of him. I’ll wait back here. I don’t want him to see me and want to hang out. I want you to myself tonight.” He dropped a big kiss on her lips and helped her to her feet. “I don’t want to share you with anyone.”
“The feeling is mutual.” Lauren pulled her shorts up. “I’m back here, tossing a garbage bag in the dumpster. Give me a second.”
After hastily dressing, she smoothed her hair and walked around the corner with shaky legs. Steven smacked her butt as she walked by him, grinning happily.
Holt took one look at her and crossed his arms. “You okay?”
Okay. Yeah. She’d roll with that.
Letting out a big yawn, she nodded and covered her mouth. “I am. But I’m about to head home for some rest, so—”
“Is Steven still staying with you?”
She nodded. “Yeah. But I’m really tired and—”
“Okay, I’ll be quick. I just stopped by on my way home to thank you for taking care of him. For coming up with a reason—whatever it was—to get him to stay with you. It probably wasn’t easy for you to lie to him like that.”
Shaking her head, she held a hand up, horror holding her still and mute. In all this happiness and love, she’d forgotten about the one thing that could ruin it all: her lie. But it was all about to come rushing back. Holt was saying all these things, and Steven was behind her, and he was going to ruin everything. “Holt, stop. I didn’t—”
“Don’t be modest. He cares about you a lot more than he’d ever admit. It’s why you needed to be the one to babysit him.” Holt grasped her shoulder and squeezed. “If you hadn’t lied and come up with a reason to get him to stay, I think—”
“Please shut up!” This was it. This was the moment where it was all going to fall apart. She couldn’t stop Holt from speaking. He wasn’t listening to her. “I didn’t—”
“Yeah, you did. And I think your little lie saved…his…life.” The last word finished on a whisper, and Holt paled.
Without looking, she knew why he looked like he saw a ghost.
Steven. Watching them. Listening. Learning. Hearing it all.
Holt shifted on his feet. “Steven…hey, buddy. I, uh, didn’t see you there.”
“Steven.” She fisted her hands and faced him. His expression was icy and closed off. “We can explain.”
Steven ignored her and addressed Holt. “Can you, now?”
His voice…God, his voice. It sounded dead. Unemotional.