Waiting for Him (Waiting Series Book 3) (17 page)

      “Hi.” She whispers, her voice a little husky from sleep.

      “Hey, Shell. Do you want me to take you home or do you want to stay here?” Her eyes have drifted shut once again.

      “Here.” She softly mumbles and if I hadn’t seen her lips move, I might think I’d imagined it. I slide on arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees and rise from the couch with her in my arms. I carry her into my bedroom as if she’s light as a feather and she practically is. She feels so tiny in my arms...she feels perfect. I pull the comforter back and lay her down as gently as possible on my pillow. I slip off her shoes and she stirs as I place them on the floor.

      “Sweatshirt off.” She says and holds her arms over her head. I smile down at her.
Could she be any fucking cuter?
I pull her sweatshirt up and carefully lift it over her nose and face, before folding it up and placing it on top of my dresser.

      “Pants.” She whispers and raises her hips.
What the hell?
I grip the waistband on both sides and slowly drag her pants down her long supple thighs. God, please give me strength; I think as my cock goes instantly hard. I clench my teeth together and try not to look at the perfection in front of me, but that’s like asking a starving man to not look at a bountiful meal laid out in front of him.

      Once I remove her pants from her legs she instantly begins trying to toe off her socks. She’s not very successful at it so I take mercy and remove them for her. I quickly cover her with the sheet and comforter to lessen my temptation. As I lean down and kiss her on top of her head, she whispers “stay.”
Fuck.
There’s nothing I want more than to hold her in my arms all night long, but I’m not made of steel. I trace the curve of her eyebrow with my index finger and tell her I’ll be on the couch if she needs me. Her eyes open slightly and she frowns.

      “Please stay.” I exhale noisily in resignation. I can’t refuse her no matter how much I know I should.

      “Okay, Shell,” I whisper, hoping this isn’t a mistake.

      After my teeth are brushed and I’ve stripped down to my boxers and tee shirt, I climb in my king size bed.
I can’t believe I’m in the same bed as Shelby Tyler.
I’ve dreamt about this moment so many times and obviously I imagined it going much different than tonight will, but it doesn’t take away from how truly amazing this is. I roll over on my side and take in the perfection of her profile as the reality of this moment sinks in.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Shelby

      Sunday mornings are the only time I can wake up on my own schedule. On every other day of the week, Liam wakes me with his cries of hunger and I jump out of bed. Knowing that I can stay here cocooned in this wonderful plain of existence, not quite asleep, yet not really fully cognizant, has me snuggling into the warm comfort of this bed. It’s still dark outside and I smile to myself knowing that I have hours left to sleep. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so cozy in my life and I never want this feeling to end. I want to stay in my bed forever. It’s only as a large male forearm wraps around my waist and tugs me back into the solid length of his body that I remember I’m not in my own bed. He’s holding me so tightly I can feel every single inch of him and I mean every single inch. What the fuck is he packing in those boxers? It feels like a can of raid against my ass. I knew he’d have a big dick, but this feels scary big.
Damn.
I know I said I would never cross the best friend’s older brother line, but this might be too much temptation for this sex-starved girl to resist and although I’ve never been a fan of the saying...never say never...in this moment, I can certainly appreciate the wisdom of those words.

      I wiggle my ass back into him, trying to gauge if it can possibly be as large as it feels pressed between my cheeks. Jake’s answering groan is husky and needy in my ear. It sends shivers of desire pulsing through my core and I can feel how wet I already am for him.

      “You’re killing me Shell. I’m trying to behave here, but if you keep wiggling that tight little ass of yours all over me, I can’t be held responsible for what I do.”

      “I’m trying to behave, but you feel fucking fantastic and I haven’t had sex in almost ten months. That’s a lot of temptation to resist.” I answer as I rub my ass against his hard cock.

“Mmm.” I moan. “I can’t sleep in your bed with you ever again now that I know what I’m missing out on.” I hear him exhale a breath and groan.

      “Tell me about it. You asked me to take your pants off of you last night. Talk about showing restraint. Especially when I caught a glimpse of your tiny, lacy panties.” My breathing is starting to pick up speed and the tingles in my core are demanding to be satisfied. I slowly slip my hand into my panties, hoping that he won’t be aware of what I’m doing, at least not until I’ve already found my release. I can’t even be embarrassed, my need for an orgasm is that powerful. I slide my finger back and find myself drenched just like I knew I would. I rub some of that wetness on my clit, making gentle circles. It feels so good, I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out, but I have a feeling that my rapid breathing is going to clue him in.

      “Are you touching yourself right now?” He asks in a gravelly voice near my ear. I arch my back and nod my head, gasping out a yes.

“Fuck.” He groans and tears the covers off of us.

“If you’re going to touch yourself in front of me, I’m sure as hell going to watch and I’m going to get off at the same time.”

      Holy fuck. He’s going to jerk off in front of me.
There’s just something so hot about seeing a big strong guy stroking himself that really does it for me. Whenever I watch porn, it’s always males masturbating. I love everything about it.

      “Get naked.” He orders and I slip my panties down my thighs and then kick them off my feet.

“Take it all off, Shell.” He says as he pulls his tee over his head. He stands up and drops his boxers to the floor before climbing back up to kneel beside me. I lift my shirt over my head and unclasp my bra before casting them both haphazardly to the floor.

      We both take a minute to let our eyes roam over each other in all our naked glory. Hot damn, his cock is fucking phenomenal. It’s, at least, nine inches of smooth, thick perfection that’s pointing straight up his stomach, the tip just below his belly button. It’s definitely the most attractive cock I’ve ever seen. I giggle at this thought.

      “What the hell are you laughing at?” He growls out which only makes me laugh more. He looks a little annoyed with me.

      “I’m sorry, I was just thinking that your cock is the most attractive one I’ve ever seen and it struck me as funny.” His eyes are positively feral now.

      “Say cock again, please. It sounds so fucking sexy coming out of your mouth.” I lick my lips to toy with him a little first.

      “Cock,” I say slowly dragging out the word. His head drops back as he clenches his length in his fist and then begins sliding his hand up and down. Watching him has me all worked up. My fingers move to my clit, seeking out the fastest release I can find. He licks his palm for moisture before he continues to stroke from base to tip and back again. His eyes are locked on me as I touch myself and I find the rough way he’s handling himself to be so sexy. It makes me wonder if he fucks with the same abandon. I want to touch him so badly and before I realize what I’m doing my free hand is cupping his balls and caressing them. Jake groans my name as he releases in long powerful bursts from his stomach all the way to the top of his chest. He wipes himself clean with some tissues on his nightstand as he struggles to catch his breath. When he turns to face me and I see his expression, I have the urge to flee. The hunger I see is reminiscent of a wolf stalking his prey.

      “I’m going to give you a hand now.” He says as he lays beside me, his head propped up on his fist. He sensually slides two of his fingers inside me and I moan as he starts to wiggle them around just right.

“You keep circling your clit and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Oh God, his fingers are playing me perfectly...not too hard and not too soft.
I’m already on edge from watching him and he knows just where to press to make me explode in the best orgasm of my life. I shake and shudder wildly, lost in the wave of pleasure that’s consumed me. Lips are suddenly pressed to mine and soft teasing kisses are being placed on my mouth. My hands slide up the warm sinewy length of Jake’s naked back as he leans his torso over me. He props himself up with one arm and with his free hand he traces the contours of my face, starting at the curve of my forehead and skating slowly down along the softly angled edge of my jaw.

      “You’re amazing. Watching you come,” he pauses for a moment. “That was hands down the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

      Oh God.
I start to internally freak out a bit.
I can’t believe I touched myself in front of Jake. How embarrassing.
I cover my face with both of my hands...I can’t bear to look at him or for me to see me. I need to get out of here as soon as possible, or I’m going to end up having a panic attack.

      I take my hands off of my face and use them to push against his chest.

      “Get up please.” He looks at me, confusion apparent in his expression, as he moves away, giving me some space. I sit up and turn my back to him as I reach down and grab my shirt off of the floor, not even bothering to put on my bra. I pull my panties over my feet and stand to pull them the rest of the way up.
Great
...my yoga pants are across the room on his dresser. The distance from his bed to them might as well be a mile long. I couldn’t feel more self-conscious in only my panties and a tee shirt that doesn’t even cover my bum as I quickly make my way over there. I pull my yoga pants on as fast as possible and slip my hoodie over my head without any care for my hair. At this point, I just want to get the hell out of here.

      Jake stays silent, but he does begin to get dressed. I’m trying not to look at him, so I’m not sure where his mindset is at. I’m sure he’s not pleased with my erratic behavior, but maybe it will be a good reminder that we’re better off as friends and this should never happen again. I bend down and pick my lacy white bra up off the floor before shoving it in the front pouch of my hoodie. My sneakers slip on without my socks and I don’t even bother looking for them. I leave Jake’s room without a word and I’m sure he must be wondering what the fuck is going on with me, but I’m feeling so overwhelmed and I’m barely staving off a huge panic attack. I head to the kitchen, grabbing my bag from the stool I left it on earlier and run to the front door. I need to make it out of here before he can stop me. I don’t want him to witness the impending meltdown that’s about to happen.

      “Shelby, wait.” I hear him call my name as I’m undoing the bolt and thankfully, somehow, I manage to escape his condo before he can stop me. His door hasn’t even closed fully when I’m already bolting full speed down the hallway and out the main entrance. I don’t stop running until I get to my car and once I’m inside I collapse against the steering wheel, gasping for air. My lungs struggle to get the full breaths they need as I begin to sob uncontrollably.

      I hate myself for what I just did to Jake. I know I hurt him by rushing out the door and he deserves so much better from me.
He deserves so much better than me...

      My hands shake as I wipe the tears from my eyes. I can’t have us continue to spend time together when I know it’s not going to end well for him. I’ve already caused so much pain for Jeff, and Garrett too. I want to be whole again and not this fucked up mess of a person I am. Being the emotionally broken girl is so exhausting and I don’t want to be this pathetic version of myself anymore.
Why can’t I just be normal?

     
I’m not sure how I made it home safely with the amount of tears I was crying and I can barely remember driving myself at all. My head was in a total fog and even now hours later as I lie here in my bed thinking about what happened tonight I can’t keep the tears at bay. I’m not sure why I’m still crying. Maybe it’s for the eighteen-year-old girl who gave her heart to the wrong boy...or maybe it’s for the twenty-one-year-old that once again believed in happily ever after...or could it be for the twenty-four-year-old woman who finally realizes every person she loves, leaves sooner or later?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jake

     
Goddamnit.
What the fuck just happened? I shake my head in disbelief as I sink down on my couch. I never should have slept in my bed with her. I should have gone with my original plan and spent the night on the couch. What a dumbass I am.
Fuck.
I think I may have blown any chance I had of us being together. God, I hope that’s not the case. The way she ran out of here without a single word sliced through me like a knife to my gut. It seemed like she was so disgusted with what we did she couldn’t stand to be around me for a moment longer. How did we go from such an amazing moment to this? I thought we’d really made some forward progress tonight. Never in a million years did I picture it ending this way.

      Where do we go from here? How am I going to single-handedly break down the giant wall that I know she’s already putting up? Is she really worth all the effort I know it’s going to take to win her love? I don’t even have to think about the answer to that question. It’s an unequivocal yes. She’s more than worth it and I’m not going to let this setback ruin what we could have. She’s been hurt so many times and her first instinct is to run away whenever something pushes her out of her comfort zone...and tonight was definitely outside her comfort zone.

      I’m worried that she didn’t make it home safely. She was so worked up and it’s the middle of the night. I want to text her, but I doubt that she’ll reply. I throw on some jeans and a hoodie, before grabbing my keys off the table by my front door. Once I slip some sneakers on my feet, I’m out the door and in my Mustang in no time flat. Shelby doesn’t live far from me so it’s worth peace of mind for me to drive over to her apartment and make sure she’s safe. Otherwise, I’m going to think about it for the rest of the night and not get any shuteye.

      I see her car parked curbside, not far from the main entrance to her building. I look up at the brownstone and seek out the windows that coincide with her apartment. There’s a light on in her bedroom and I feel relieved to know that she made it home fine. As I drive back to my place I wrack my brain trying to come up with a game plan on how to proceed from this point on, but I can’t seem to come up with any solid ideas. Maybe some sleep will help me gain some clarity on how to get my girl because as of right now I’ve got no fucking idea.