Promise Me (19 page)

Tyler finally speaks up after emptying his glass of wine. "I'm gonna start cleaning up here. I'll be right back, okay?"

"I'll help," I say as he's already pushing out of his chair to stand up.

I go to get up but he immediately tells me to please stay put and that he'll take care of it. While he's gone the memories from that night and everything he just told me fall into place like pieces of a puzzle, and any hesitation or trace of anxiety from earlier today are vanquished from my mind. He returns a few minutes later and I blow out the candle on our table before he can reach me. The darkness that instantly surrounds us causes him to stop walking, so I stand up and go towards his silhouette instead, reaching him in a couple quick strides.

"Thank you for telling me all of that," I say placing my palm on his cheek. "I know that couldn't have been easy for you."

He turns his face so that his lips can press a kiss into my palm that I feel
everywhere
. "Are you ready to go?" He asks with a smile in his voice that is unmistakable.

This time, I don't bother to check in with the sisterhood or doubt myself for even a tenth of a second before answering him with that same one little word that I know will change my life forever.

"Yes."

We reach Tyler's apartment twenty minutes later and every part of my body is firing on all cylinders. It didn't help that the drive over he spent either caressing my knee or occasionally grabbing my hand to link it in his, sometimes bringing the back of my hand to his lips to place a soft kiss there. He's been slowly killing me, and it's been a good death… but my body can't take much more of it. When I would look over at him, he would just flash me a sexy grin that would almost make me blush on sight at what could be playing behind those chocolate eyes of his.

He opens the door for me and I walk towards the living room while he says something about getting us a drink. Before I sit down I ask him where the bathroom is so I can freshen up. Walking down the hallway, I poke my head in the first room on my left and see that it's a guest bedroom and sometimes office, directly across is the bathroom. Further down the hall is another opened door, which I assume would be his bedroom.

I close the door behind me and begin to rummage through my purse for the necessary items: lip gloss, mascara, and hair brush. I do all three in record time and wash my hands. I give myself a good once over before I walk out thinking that the last thing I want him wondering is why I'm taking so long in the bathroom. When I open the door to the hallway, I can hear him moving around the living room and kitchen area as I let my curiosity get the better of me and dart down the hall to take a peek at his bedroom.

Opposite me is yet another set of floor to ceiling windows like the ones in his living room, that are partially covered with long flowing drapes and let in just a enough light for me to see. Walking a bit further into his room, I look to my right to see a partially exposed brick wall that has a flat screen TV mounted above a dresser. Across from it is a large platform bed that has a few pillows and a dark goose down comforter thrown on top of it and nightstands on each side. Well, he's a minimalist, a very neat one at that, as not a single thing is out of place.

I turn to leave when something above his bed catches my eye. I take a couple of slow steps until I'm standing at the foot of his bed trying to get a better look at it in the near darkness. Luckily, a car drives by on the street below, illuminating the shadows on the wall with the halogen lights long enough for me to make it out. A gasp escapes my throat when I can clearly make out that it's a framed print of my favorite painting, "
Blue Nude
" by Pablo Picasso. The very same one I had a postcard of and kept in my locker all throughout high school. I'm frozen in place staring wide eyed with the realization that Tyler has this here of all places.

"I use to see it when I would pass by you whenever you were at your locker," he says breaking me out of my wonderment.

I turn my head slowly from where his voice is coming from to find him leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his jean pockets. I can't bring myself to say anything just yet, so I turn my head back to stare at it while I hear him start walking towards me. He comes to stand directly behind me as I try to negotiate the thoughts currently swirling in my head.

"It's my favorite," is all I'm able to finally say.

"I never knew the name of it until I found it a couple of years ago and had it framed. It reminded me of you," he says simply as if what he just said didn't have so much weight behind it.

The things he is making me feel make me want to cry. That he would do something like this just because it reminded him of me is more than thoughtful and romantic. I can't pin point the feeling since it's something I've never felt before. Whatever it is, I'm positive I don't ever want it to go away.

My heart is racing when I turn around to face him, knowing that I've never wanted something or someone in my life as much as I do right now. His face is partially obscured in the darkness as I look up at him and take my hands to place them lightly on his stomach. I inch them up his chest and his arms sweep around my back to pull me closer to him. He slides one hand up my back to the nape of my neck as he angles his head down and brings his lips to mine.

He takes his time licking and teasing my mouth until I feel almost desperate. My hands make their way to hem of his shirt and pull it up until we have to break the kiss so that he yanks it over his head and throws it aside. He grabs my hips and pushes me directly against him while my hands lightly trail the hot skin of his chest. I place a soft kiss in the center and his hand on the back of my neck tightens as my mouth lingers there a moment, savoring the taste of him. His hand delves further into my hair and he gently pulls my head back then looks into my eyes with pure desire.

"Are you sure?" He asks while intently scanning my face for any trace of hesitation or doubt.

I drag my hands up his neck until my fingers can weave themselves into his luscious hair, "I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

A wicked grin crosses his face when he pulls my head back a little more to kiss my throat and walks forward until the backs of my knees hit the bed. He takes his hand out of my hair and cradles one side of my face as his mouth makes its way up my jaw line to reach my lips again. I open my mouth to him and he smoothly snakes a hand up the back of my blouse. Just the feel of his fingers on my bare skin is an accelerant and I break away from his mouth long enough to take my blouse off for him.

Another car drives by below us, bringing a flash of light as his hands come back to my neck to bring my lips to his. They slide down my collarbone until he trails his fingertips across the edges of the lace covering my breasts. He teases me for an excruciating few seconds then pulls down the cups of my bra. He tears his mouth away from my mine to suck smoothly on one nipple while his free hand manipulates the other, making my back arch in response and a low rumble to escape his throat. I undo the bra clasp on my back then slide the straps down my arms and he pulls back to look at my naked torso with a heat that sets my skin on fire without him even touching me.

When his eyes reach mine again, my hands are undoing the buttons on his jeans. Before I reach the final one, he grabs hold of both my wrists and brings his lips to my ear. In a raspy voice that causes my body to tremble like a leaf he says, "Not yet, baby. Lie down on the bed."

I obediently kick my shoes off and drag my body up the bed to lie down while he removes his pants to reveal snug black boxer briefs. My body is humming in anticipation when he places one knee on the bed and leans down to place a tender kiss on my stomach. He undoes the top button of my jeans and zipper then stands at the foot of the bed again to peel them off my legs, leaving me only in my panties.

Tyler crawls back up my body slowly, kissing me everywhere, until I'm almost squirming underneath him. When he reaches my lips, he kisses me hungrily as my legs wrap around him to feel him press against me and I moan into his mouth at the feeling. My hands run up his strong arms and into his hair to keep his mouth on mine while his body moves against me in a sensual rhythm. I'm thinking about how badly I want to tear his boxer briefs off of him when he rolls off of me and moves to my side, propping up on one elbow. His hand runs down my chest and stops just above my panty line, where he traces the edges of the fabric with one finger. His hooded eyes looking like if he could eat me alive he would and it still wouldn't be enough for him.

I bring my hand up to brush some of his hair away from his brow, but he captures it and kisses my wrist gingerly before putting it above my head. He runs his fingers down my other arm until he grabs it by the wrist and pins it above my head as well. He kisses me just below my ear and applies slightly more pressure on his hold of my wrists.

"Don't move."

I lick my lips and nod in answer to his demand since I have no capacity to speak right now. He nips and sucks on my bottom lip and starts to make his way back down to my breasts. He takes his time laving and massaging them in his hands and with his mouth then slithers further down my body. He stops just above the apex at my thighs to place a kiss over the thin lace when I feel his fingers hook into the sides of my panties. Sliding them off of me, my eyes squeeze shut at the realization that I am completely bare to him for the first time.

I open them when I feel his body weight leave the bed to find him standing at the foot of it, taking me in with a ravenous filled gaze.

"You're so beautiful... perfect," he says while gently wrapping his hands around my ankles. I feel a blush creep onto my face as his lips curl up in a devilish grin and I almost pant out loud at the sight. His hands tug lightly on my ankles, dragging me until both my legs from the knees down hang limply off the foot of the bed. His eyes never leave mine when he bends his body over mine and takes a nipple into his mouth again. I clench my legs together as my body responds with an ache that I need him so desperately to fulfill. I feel his hand go to softly nudge my legs apart while he looks in my eyes and I can see the passion I feel mirrored in them.

"Open your legs for me, baby."

I hesitate and I know he can tell I'm nervous. I don't want to stop but I feel so unsure of myself and what to do, having had only two lovers before him. Not to mention the last time I had sex was almost four years ago. Even though I'm sure it's just like riding a bicycle, I'm not sure if riding with no hands is really the way to go after so much time since the last bicycle ride. I wish I wasn't as self-conscious as I am about it. Especially when I finally have the man that I've wanted for so long right next to me. Why can't I just relax and let him touch me?

"I'm not going to hurt you, Sabrina. Trust me."

I try to avert his penetrating gaze but he pulls my chin back to look at him.

"Did someone hurt you?" He struggles to ask as his jaw clenches.

"Nothing like that. It's just...," I sigh and cover my face with my hands, "I'm not that experienced with this kind of stuff. I'm not a virgin but I might as well be and now I can't believe I actually just said that out loud to you."

"Look at me," he says softly.

I unlock the fingers covering my face to look at him between them to find a sweet smile on his face that makes my heart skip a beat.

He exhales sharply before he says, "You have no idea how happy I am that you said that because for a second there, I thought I was going to have to kill whoever it was that had hurt you."

A shaky giggle escapes me when he takes my hands away from my face and starts to kiss me again, quickly making me forget about the nerves I had a minute ago. He drags his mouth across my cheek to my ear.

"I told you last night that I've waited a long time for you and I'll keep waiting if that's what you want."

I feel like the air has left my lungs and I can't articulate myself. Instead, I take a deep breath and try to remember to breathe when I take his hand to place it on top of my heart. Keeping my hand on top of his, I guide it slowly down my body until they are both just below my navel. I hear and feel his low groan against my neck and it spurs me on to slowly open my legs and move his hand further to where I want him to touch me.

I let go of him when his fingers begin to stroke me slowly. He lifts his head as I turn mine to kiss him with all I have and my body is already throbbing for release. Wrenching himself away from my mouth to stand at the foot of the bed, he drops to his knees before me. His hands skim my thighs until reaching my hips where he grips into my skin and drags me further down to the edge of the bed. Just the feel of his warm breath hovering over me makes my back bow off the mattress and then he finally places his mouth there to taste me. His hands go up my arms and down again to catch my fingers in his while his skillful tongue brings me to the brink quickly.