Always There

Chapter Seventy-One

I whimper again before lifting my arms over my head, standing up from the bed for Bryce. He doesn't waste a second before he's peeling my dress up and off my body, then dropping it onto the floor next to his shirt.

He immediately tackles me back onto the bed. The weight of his huge body above mine is almost suffocating, but in the very best way possible, as he nips at my chest hungrily.

I moan, shamelessly. His mouth feels so good on my body and I just missed this so much.

I want his mouth somewhere else, somewhere lower, somewhere that's aching for him so badly it's painful.

I reach down for Bryce's belt, unbuckling it and pulling it free from the loops of his pants. The belt ends up on the floor immediately, and then, I unbutton and unzip his pants before desperately trying to yank them down.

When I'm unsuccessful, Bryce pulls his pants off for me. Once again, they find their way to the floor, and before my brain is able to comprehend what's happening, the black boxer briefs that Bryce had just been wearing only a moment ago are on the floor as well.

I can't help myself: I look right down at what's just been revealed to me and I gasp, suddenly blind with need.

"Can I touch you? Pretty please? I need to touch you," I beg, reaching out to touch him before he even has the chance to answer.

Bryce looks down at my hand with a strangled groan. "Fuck. Yes."

Bryce reaches to take my heels off of my feet for me before he begins rocking his hips, using my hand for his own pleasure. I look up at him in wonder until he catches me staring, groans, and guides his mouth to mine for a brief, searing kiss.

Bryce suddenly pulls my hand away from him before he lifts me up by the waist, laying me down so that my head is resting on one of the many pillows on his ginormous bed. I stare up at him with wide eyes, blinking a few times, as though I'm scared that this is all a dream and I'm simply going to wake up alone in my bed at Juilliard any moment now.

"I'm real, baby girl. I'm real and I'm here with you, right now. You aren't dreaming," Bryce murmurs against my ear, as though he can read my mind.

My hands find his shoulders and I gasp as his mouth seeks out my neck. His lips press against the left side of my throat before he begins to suck gently on my skin, hard enough to leave a mark.

I don't stop him.

I reach down to try and tug my underwear down my legs. I need Bryce now, in the most intimate way possible, in a way that I'll only ever want Bryce.

Before I get far, Bryce's fingers curl around my wrists and he holds my hands in place where they're hovering just above my hips.

He pulls his face away from my neck and his eyes meet mine. A shiver runs down my spine at the pure and utter desire shining in his eyes.

"Not yet. We need to talk first before we do something stupid. I want to be inside of you so fucking badly, but we've got to have a serious conversation first," Bryce says lowly, his eyes boring into mine.

I blink at him, watching as he takes a seat next to me on the bed. I feel frustration begin to creep up on me, not necessarily frustration at Bryce but rather at the fact that I could've been experiencing these feelings every night for the past two months, but instead, I fall asleep alone at night.

I sit up slightly too, crossing my arms against my chest subconsciously, to hide myself from Bryce. All I'm wearing now is jewelry and a tiny pair of black underwear that can barely even be considered underwear, but it's the only pair I could wear underneath my dress that wouldn't show lines.