Part 24 (1/2)

It was at that moment that I became sure the talk couldn't wait any longer. Deep down, I'd always known this night was going to end in one of two ways: with me inside of her or gone from the apartment. There wasn't going to be a middle ground.

I was done.

Done pretending.

Done waiting.

Done overthinking everything.

Nina belonged to me, and this s.h.i.+t needed to be worked out tonight.

Douchebag Mike was still attempting to talk to her. Nina was in the middle of politely answering one of his questions when I placed my hand on her thigh under the table. I smiled mischievously as she flinched and tripped over her words. Moving my hand slowly upwards, I made my way to her bikini line and brushed my thumb along the seam of her underwear. She had no idea how close she was to getting finger f.u.c.ked right then and there while in the middle of talking about her molecular biology requirement. Thinking better of it, I slid my hand down the length of her thigh as I squeezed it, sending her a message loud and clear with my hand that she was mine, not his. When she looked over at me, I slid my tongue ring between my teeth, both out of frustration and because it was the one thing I did that she admitted drove her crazy.

I hit my limit. I'd waited enough. Getting up from my seat without excusing myself, I took a deep breath and walked out. Returning to the spot in the empty hallway where Tarah and I had been talking earlier, I took out my phone.

Meet me in the hallway.

My heart was beating faster with each second. I had no clue what I was going to say or do to her. All I knew was that she wouldn't be returning to that seat across from him.

My hands were in my pockets when she appeared.

”Hi,” she said.

The skin below her neck was red and a little blotchy. This situation had apparently gotten to her good, too.

”Hi.”

”What's going on?”

”That guy was looking at you like he wanted to rip your dress off with his teeth.” I'm the only one that's gonna have the privilege of doing that. ”I had to get out of there before I killed him with my bare hands.”

”Why would that bother you?”

She was f.u.c.king with me.

”You know why.”

I moved in closer to her so that she could feel my words on her face when I spoke. ”Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?”

”I figured you'd be away anyway, so I just never mentioned it.” Her admission filled me with regret. Nina clearly felt that she was playing second fiddle to something.

”I would never miss your birthday. Never. You underestimated how important you are to me, Nina.”

”I'm sorry.”

”You should have told me. Tarah called me Friday when I was already in Boston, so I decided to surprise you tonight.”

”You're sneaky.”

”You're f.u.c.king gorgeous.”

I shut my eyes, feeling my composure slipping away. I needed to get her out of here as fast as possible and get the talk over with. Birthday or not, we couldn't go on this way any longer. Seeing her tonight had changed my ability to even wait the twenty-four hours.

”Thank you. You're not so bad yourself,” she said. Then, she placed her small fingers on the bottom of my s.h.i.+rt and pulled lightly at the material, causing my d.i.c.k to harden.

I cleared my throat. ”Tarah explained to me about what's his name in there. She didn't know he was going to be here when she invited me. She told me Ryan ambushed you.”

”What if I were on a date?”

She wouldn't have wanted to hear the true answer to that question because it would have made me sound like a nut.

”I guess if he made you happy, I'd be okay with it.”

”I see.”

”That was a lie.”

”Oh.”

”I wouldn't be okay with it. f.u.c.k...I missed you.” My hand landed on her tiny waist. When I squeezed it, she closed her eyes instantly as if I'd hit a magic spot. Our first kiss wasn't going to be in this dingy hallway. Still, the need to have my mouth on her was uncontrollable, so I grabbed her hand and kissed it hard.

”I missed you, too,” she said.

”Go on a date with me.”

”What?”

”Spend the rest of your birthday with me tonight. Let's get out of here right now, go somewhere, anywhere. I just want to be alone with you. I can't say what I want...do what I want...in this hallway.”

We devised a plan to make up an excuse and leave. She just needed to use the bathroom first. So, I returned to the table and waited.

Mr. c.u.n.t was busy chatting about work with Ryan. I winked at Tarah and nodded to silently let her know that Nina and I were moving forward with her suggestion that we leave the dinner party.

My stomach was in knots as I used the time that Nina was in the bathroom to plan out the next couple of hours. We'd go to an intimate restaurant for a private dinner. I'd let her in on the secret that today was my birthday, too. We'd return to the apartment, and I would lay everything on the line tonight, hoping and praying that she accepted it.

Never more nervous about anything in my entire life, I grabbed Nina's wine and downed the rest of it. She wouldn't have time to finish it anyway, since my plan was to whisk her away the second she came out of the bathroom. I was going to leave first, call her on her cell pretending to be a family member with an emergency, and then she'd follow soon after. We might have left together, but that would have made things obvious, and Ryan really didn't need to know our business.

My phone vibrated. It was a text from Nina.

You f.u.c.ked Desiree???

I stood up, staring down at the phone as my heart nearly exploded out of my chest. My stomach churned. What was happening?

f.u.c.k.

f.u.c.k.