The Last Thing She Wants (Chestnut Hills #1)

19

ellie

This was stupid.

This was beyond stupid.

Standing in front of my floor-length mirror, I tediously examined myself in the black lace two-piece I braved buying from Honey tears that now brimmed my lower lash line at the sting of another rejection. In a haze of fury, I drove straight home, bounding into the empty elevator and punching the third-floor button.

“Hold the door,” a voice shouted from the atrium entrance.

In that moment, there was nothing in the world I wanted less than another soul in the elevator with me. I jammed the button assigned to shut the doors, and a hand stopped them just inches short of sealing shut.

Correction to my last statement. There was nothing in the world I wanted less than Theo in the elevator with me. And yet, that was exactly what was happening.

Theo rushed in, arms toting bags weighed down by what I assumed was the weeks’ grocery haul. I blinked away the hot tears of frustration and refused to acknowledge him, despite feeling his searing gaze on the side of my face.

“Ellie?” he asked tentatively. “Is everything alright?”

In a losing battle, a tear trickled down my cheek and he grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to face him .

“Ellie, tell me what happened? Who upset you?” I witnessed an unmistakable display of fury on his face, and it was impossible to ignore the sheer intensity of his anger. That, combined with his tender touch, caused me to lose control of the seal on my lips.

“I was supposed to have a date with this guy. I didn’t even want to, really. Daisy stole my phone and sent a message and that kind of set everything in motion.”

The pace of my words picked up with each passing second.

“Then she took me to Honey the ones who scheduled hook-ups while their significant other was in the next room; the ones who kissed me, flirted with me, and now attempted to command me.

Not today.

In a fury that had never quite left since being dismissed by Graham, I swung open the door. The gust of air caught the flap of my coat and exposed my leg, straight up to the lace G-string, just for a brief second before falling flat again. Yet, that brief glimpse was enough to light a flame in Theo, a flame that I suspected he’d been working hard to keep under control.

I watched as his eyes glazed over in temptation.

“In case I haven’t made it clear enough, Ellie, I want you. I choose you and I would choose you every day if your stubborn ass would let me.” His gaze seared into me, and I felt the heat creep under my skin and radiate to my toes. “I have been doing my damndest to respect your wishes. If what you want for now is friendship, I can do that. But make no mistake, I have every intention of being more when you’re ready.”

There was a sense of stillness in the air, but as time passed, his rapid breaths gradually overtook the quietness. He reached out, pinching and rolling a curl between his thumb and forefinger. His gaze locked on my mouth, and he moved his thumb to tug on my lower lip, smearing my pink lip gloss. A deep groan loosened in the back of his throat as he watched.

I let go of a breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding.

Bringing his face in, he put his mouth against my ear and whispered, “Ellie, my gorgeous girl, open your coat for me.”

In a stupor, my body involuntarily answered to him, and I untied the knot at my waist. Hooking his finger in the lapel, he tugged the material only an inch to the side. It was enough to expose the top of my breast, threatening to spill out of the see-through bustier.

I restrained myself from calling out when he dropped his hand, wanting to demand he come back. He shut the door as I stood in silence, concealing us in my apartment. The bulge in his pants slowly became pronounced, begging to be released, but his eyes conveyed he was on a mission.

“Take the coat off, Ellie.”

Complying, the coat slid down my shoulders, slowly cascading down, ending in a black puddle at my feet.

He circled me, soaking in my image from head to toe.

“You’re an angel, gorgeous girl. I want nothing more than to spread you out on the counter and devour you inch by inch. I want to worship you as faithfully as you deserve to be worshiped.”

My heartbeat flooded my ears, and I swore this had to be a fever dream.

“I can see you want that too,” he smirked while taking a step back and putting his hand in his pockets. “Not yet though, not until you are as sure as me about us being together. For now, Ellie, sweetheart, sit on the couch, please.”

Wetness pooled between my thighs. Although I had reservations about the G-string’s ability to conceal my arousal, I followed through with the request. The heat in Theo’s gaze flipped a switch in me. My insecurities were suddenly muted, and I wanted this. I wanted him. But he made no move to connect. Instead, he sat in front of me on the coffee table.

Leaning his elbows on his knees, he clasped his hands together. The angles of his face seemed sharper somehow, more demanding of my attention and more deserving of my compliance.

“Lean back and open your legs for me.”

Doing as he said, I rested my back against the couch and parted my knees. The string covering my lower half was now taunt against my folds. Theo let out a gruff sound and rubbed a hand down his face.

“Fuck, Ellie. You are incredible. My gorgeous girl.”

I could feel my cheeks heat, not at the vulnerable position I was in. No, I somehow felt comfortable there under his gaze. I warmed at the genuine compliment. There wasn’t a single trace of anything but true authenticity.

The wetness at the center of my thighs was now tenfold. I drew my legs together to rub away the tension.

“Ah-ah,” Theo gently pulled my knees back apart. “I want you to show me.”

I paused a second, trying to determine if I had heard him right. Did he want me to touch myself in front of him?

He licked his lips in anticipation. “Take your time, baby. I have all day.”

The moment I heard that word, baby , all the defenses I had built up were instantly destroyed. Timidly, I guided my hand down my core, settling over the fabric atop my sensitive nub. At the first shock of friction, I let out a soft moan, surprising myself.

In response, Theo let out his own groan and shifted off the coffee table onto his knees. I arched my back at the sight of him kneeling before me.

“Is this how you touch yourself at night?” He placed a gentle kiss on the inside of my thigh. “Tell me, Ellie, what do you think of when you’re all alone, playing with that sweet clit of yours?”

Oh god, was this real? I had no idea Theo spoke like this. He effectively tarnished any good-boy image I thought of him, forever. Catching the sides of my lace bottoms, he tugged down, fully removing them and exposing my sex between my thighs. Dipping my middle finger between my slick folds, I gathered wetness and continued rubbing. Theo drew in his bottom lip and continued peppering kisses up my inner thighs.

“Good girl, Ellie,” he praised, “just like that.” He grazed his scruff against my hypersensitive flesh, sending shivers up my spine.

“Oh god, Theo.”

He hummed, his mouth inches away from where I wanted him most. “I like that sound of that.” He breathed heavily now and hot air caressed my swollen, sensitive peak. “You are so beautiful, Ellie. I could watch this all day. Watching you writhe under my breath, smelling the sweet scent of you on your fingers.”

“Theo, I’m going to…”

“Tell me, baby.” He looked straight up at me, our eyes locking. “I want to hear you say it. ”

“I’m—I’m going to come. Oh god, I’m going to come.” I let myself unravel in front of him in the most intimate manner as he watched intensely. Shocks rocked through my body, trailing off into sporadic pulses. A light sheen of sweat coasted my chest which now rose and fell heavily.

Silently, his eyes never leaving me, he brought my hand to his lips and sucked on my middle finger. Swirling his tongue around the tip and releasing it with a pop, he licked his lips and placed my hand back down gently.

He leaned in and whispered, even though it was only the two of us. “You taste even better than I imagined.”

Huh? My head reeled from the mind-blowing orgasm, and now the new information that he had imagined what I tasted like sent my mind into a spiral. Standing, the hitch in his pants became prominent, and he cursed while adjusting himself without success.

Walking back towards the door, he looked back at me just before reaching for the doorknob. I sat bewildered, collapsed against the couch, unable to move.

“See you Monday.” He offered one of his deceptively innocent smiles and was gone with a thud of the door.

Uh, what the fuck just happened?

Never in my life had I laid myself out so vulnerably in front of someone. Not even Shane, despite being together for four years. Replaying the events tempted me to reach down and bring myself to pleasure again, but I resisted.

Gathering my wits about me, I stood and retreated to my room to change into a pair of sweatpants. Stopping in front of the full-length mirror I last criticized myself in front of, I now took in my flush cheeks, the push of the bustier against my breasts, and the curve of my hips. Theo’s declarations replayed in my head .

“ …you are incredible, my gorgeous girl. ”

Surely, Theo wasn’t a man to say such things without meaning them. Not to mention his confession, “ I choose you and I would choose you every day if your stubborn ass would let me.”

Was that true? Was I stubborn and standing in my own way of what I’ve wanted for so long?