I sat back in the chair and watched as she slid off my desk then reached over and slipped on her track pants. Looking at her now, it wasn’t painful like it had been for years. Now, it was … freedom. For today—tomorrow. For-fuckin-ever.
She climbed onto my lap, her knees on either side of me, arms linked around my neck. I put my hands under her ass and held her. I could already tell she was going to be sassy. Georgie had this sparkle in her eyes that was like the brightest fuckin’ star in the sky. Then she’d get this little pull at the corners of her lips; it was subtle now and I liked it better. Sometimes, I’d watch her and it was exaggerated, and I thought it had looked forced. Now … now, she looked at ease, even after putting her through the patience game of sexual denial. Nearly destroyed me and I’d be having blue balls for the rest of the afternoon.
I’d take it. Anything to see her like that, wet with her legs parted and quivering. Chest rising and falling as she waited for me to give her what her body was begging for.
Her fingers curled into my hair at the back of my neck. “Cupcake status has changed. You’re the fucking cake and the icing with those little red things on top.”
I chuckled. “Cherries.” I didn’t know where she got comparing men to desserts from, but it was Georgie and I thought it was adorable. Fuck, I said adorable. Shit.
“And the red ants … I take that back.”
My brows rose. “Red ants?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I thought you were really uptight and could use some red ants up your ass. Well, you are uptight, just a different uptight.”
I laughed throwing my head back and my chest rumbling with a deep, rough sound. Georgie was staring at me with wide eyes and open mouth. “You say anything else about me?”
“Sure, but the judgement it still out.”
I tightened my hands on her ass and squeezed. She yelped and I grinned.
“Fine. I may have said I thought you were a boring missionary-position kind of guy.”
I’d never laughed so hard in my life because that was the furthest from the truth and had been one of the many reasons I’d kept clear of Georgie. I was demanding, controlling and most of the time I liked it hard and rough. I wondered if that was part of the reason Connor never wanted me with Georgie.
A wave of pain hit me as I thought of my friend who was no longer the carefree, smiling guy I’d once known. Then I pulled her close and kissed her forehead. Jesus, I’d wanted to do that for so long. I didn’t realize how badly until right at this moment. She’d always been mine, but now I owned her and no other was getting a piece of her. Kai, I’d have to deal with—fast.
“I need to see Robbie again, Deck.”
I stiffened. “No.”
“You can’t take that away from me.” She pulled back a little and her hand stroked down my arm over my ink, her finger tracing the images.
“Georgie.” I got up, taking her with me and setting her on her feet before walking away. “No.”
“Deck—”
I stormed back toward her and grabbed her by the shoulders. I knew my fingers were bruising, but I was so pissed off even thinking about Georgie getting close to that bastard. Getting close to anything as tainted as what I was going to do to that sick bastard.
“Out of the question. Not up for discussion. I know you think you need to, but the answer is no. I don’t want you anywhere near that piece of shit.”
Her voice was soft as she stood in front of me, meeting my eyes and not once wavering under my intensity. “I need this.”
I abruptly let her go and walked away then kicked out at the small glass coffee table. The vase in the center teetered for a second and then toppled over. “You’re already on shaky fuckin’ ground, Georgie. Might want to curb the wants and needs.”
She placed her hands on her hips and glared. “My ground has been shaking for years; I’m used to it. You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do.”
“Damn right, I can.”
“Why are so you angry over this?”
I strode to the door. I didn’t know why. Her mentioning going near Robbie had made it so real. The fear she’d lived in. The pain. Then her need to purge. Jesus, I hadn’t protected her at all. And I knew that was the reason I was so angry. “Whatever shit you have with Kai has ended. Ideas about going near the bastard who hurt you—ended. And this is the end of the discussion.”
She got red in the face and if I wasn’t so mad, I’d think it was adorable. Shit, it still was adorable. There I go again with adorable. What the fuck was happening to me? “I’m not the girl you think I am, Deck.”
And that right there pissed me the fuck off. Because no matter what lies she spun, she is the girl I knew. The weak, drinking, insensitive girl was never Georgie. It was why I’d always been able to resist her. I didn’t like that girl.
“Yeah, you are. You’re everything I knew you were but were fuckin’ hiding from me.” I kept my voice real quiet and controlled.
She stormed toward me and for a second, I thought she was going to slap me—or at least try to. But I saw the fire in her eyes and it wasn’t just anger, it was heat.
Georgie leapt on me and wrapped her legs around my waist and then her lips were up against mine. It was the fuckin’ hottest thing ever. I had no choice but to grab her under the ass or she’d slip from my arms and I sure as hell wasn’t letting her go.