When You're Mine (MINE #3)(29)

Alone.

When Barrett had called earlier tonight, I didn’t find it odd in the slightest, until he started asking me where I was and who I was with. After I told him, the tone of his voice immediately changed, sending red flags waving all over the place. He ended the call before I could ask him what his deal was. I should have talked to Holden about all of this. Here I am berating Tabitha for keeping a secret from me when I’d been harboring one of my own.

I had to make this right.

Light flickered through the living room. The muted TV only served to illuminate Holden sleeping on the couch. Tears stung my eyes. I decided to let him sleep and wait to talk to him in the morning.

I reached for the remote lying next to him, but he caught my wrist. “I’m sorry,” He pulled me down to lay next to him. Facing one another, I tried to burrow my face in his neck, but Holden lifted my chin and found my eyes. I licked my lips and swallowed my pride. “I was wrong. I should have told you and I’m so sorry, baby.”

Holden cupped my face and placed his lips against mine. He didn’t move at first, just held my mouth captive, inhaling softly through his nose. The tears began to fall. His touch, his lips connected with mine… it was all I would ever need. I could go without food. I could go without water. I could not live without this man next to me.

“I love you,” he whispered, drinking slow, soft kisses from my mouth. “I don’t want anyone to steal you away from me.”

“Holden…”

“I don’t wanna lose you.”

“You won’t. You’ll never lose me because you’re mine, forever, remember? If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I won’t talk to him anymore. I just need to know we’re ok.”

He exhaled a relieved sigh before his lips covered mine once more. This kiss was familiar, yet it wasn’t. It was possessive and passionate, but held a sliver of uncertainty that had been placed there by me. I kissed him back with the same vigor, telling him with my mouth and my body that I was his.

Always.





If you love somebody, let them go,

for if they return they were always yours.

And if they don’t, they never were.

~ Khalil Gibran





My head was pounding, but it wasn’t one of my normal headaches. The left over alcohol and the zap of adrenaline had my temples throbbing, but it was an ache I could tolerate.

He’s here.

Even after I’d abandoned him in a hotel room, in a bed where he made sweet love to me, and told me things I never thought I would hear, Barrett was here. He didn’t speak a word during the fifteen minute drive from the bar to my house, and it didn’t occur to me that he hadn’t asked for directions until we pulled into my driveway. When I raised a brow in question, he simply replied. “I’ve been going crazy looking for you. There isn’t much I don’t know about you right now.” My heart went into overdrive. There were things he still didn’t know. But as far as where I’d moved, and what I’d been doing the last several weeks, he clearly knew everything.

Once inside, I flipped on a few lights and offered him something to drink. He didn’t answer. Just stood in my living room looking around? taking it all in. “You f*ck that guy?”

I took a step back, his words slapping me across the face. “There’s been no one since you.”

He looked down at the floor then back at me. “Kiss him?”

I shook my head, swallowing back the tears. “Never.”

Before I could blink, I was pinned between him and the refrigerator with my arms above my head. Barrett’s hips dipped then rolled into me as he buried his face in my neck. “I’m so angry with you right now. I poured my heart out, and you f*cking left.” Heat raced through my body, a whimper of regret leaking from my lips. His mouth seared the skin of my neck, and I shivered under his scraping bite. “You hurt me.”

Pulling his head back, his tear filled eyes met mine. “I’m so sorry.”

Shaking his head, he tightened his fingers around my wrists. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Hot tears rolled down my face as Barrett released my hands, bringing his palms to cup my wet cheeks. “I was afraid.”

With the pads of his thumbs, he wiped the tears from beneath my eyes, holding my gaze. Funny, Mason had done that very same thing earlier, but it didn’t have near the same comforting effect. Barrett’s lips fell to mine, his hands moving to the back of my neck as he took back what had belonged to him all along. His powerful kiss stripped away any remaining doubt I had about whether this man loved me or not. He’d spoken those precious words our last night together. And to be honest, I had only hoped he didn’t mean it when deep down, I knew he did. I just never thought he loved me this much. I never thought he would come here.

I never thought…

“I need you,” he said against my lips. “I need you now.”

Driven by pure uninhibited love and desire, we tore at each other’s clothes, removing layer after layer of anything between us… until there was nothing.

Until there was everything.

Standing naked in my kitchen, he took my mouth once more, cradling the back of my head and angling my mouth to fit his. Strong hands fell to my ass, guiding me to wrap my legs around his waist. Banding one arm around my middle, he used his free hand to center himself, lowering me slowly onto his thick, hard cock.