20. Crossland

CHAPTER 20

Crossland

I’d spotted Aspen across the crowded club. Some primal instinct had me standing up and leaving my group of friends despite Ethan being mid-sentence.

I cut through the crowd of people, my eyes only on her and the asshole who kept getting in her way every time she tried to move around him.

“There you are,” I said the minute I reached her.

Said it like I’d been looking for her all night.

All my life really.

I let my eyes rake over her, her beauty damn near sending me to my knees, but my attention snagged on the purple under her eyes, like she hadn’t been sleeping well.

I turned to the man who was still standing in her way. “Can I help you with something?”

The guy looked from me to Aspen and back again, then quickly shook his head and turned on his heels, disappearing into the crowd. Clearly seeing the claim I silently laid on Aspen, even though I didn’t really have one to lay.

“Cross?” she asked, sounding partially surprised and partially relieved.

I swallowed hard. “I’ll take a yes and five minutes,” I said, offering her my hand.

She immediately took it, and relief barreled down my spine at the move.

She glanced behind her, and I followed her line of sight until she made connection with Jesse. They had a silent conversation, one where she assured him she was okay with me, and then nodded at me.

I tugged her through the crowd, each step making my heart ratchet up another notch until I pulled her into my office and locked the door behind us.

“So you own this club too?”

“It seems you love to pop up at the clubs I own,” I said, smirking at her. The energy between us was palpable, and we were easily falling into the same roles we’d played for the last three months.

“I have good taste,” she said.

I didn’t let go of her hand, and she didn’t try to tug it away.

She seemed as drawn to me as I was to her, her body practically flush with mine as I moved to the leather couch pushed up against the wall, the floor-to-ceiling glass one-way, allowing us to see the crowd below.

“Why haven’t you returned my calls?” I asked, unable to stop my hand from grazing down her bare arm.

She gasped at my touch, leaning into me like she just couldn’t help it.

“I didn’t know what to say,” she admitted, her eyes meeting mine as they danced between my mouth and back again.

I pulled her closer, relishing the way my lungs opened with her in my arms. “What were you saying to that guy before I came over?” I asked, our lips a breath away from each other.

“No,” she said. “I was telling him no.”

“And why would you do that, kitten?” I traced the line of her jaw with my fingertip.

“Because I’m not interested.”

A bit of pride rumbled through me, and I smirked down at her, at the way she was leaning against me, her hands splayed on my chest.

“It looks like you’re interested in me,” I challenged.

“I never said I wasn’t interested in you,” she said.

She shifted against me, and I almost groaned the contact.

“It seems like I’m not the only one,” she said.

“I think you missed me,” I said, blood throbbing hot through my veins.

“Of course, I missed you, Cross,” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“But missing you doesn’t erase everything that happened.”

“I’m here,” I said. “Let’s talk.”

Her eyes flared wide. “Is that what you want to do right now?”

She shifted against me again, drawing me even closer, her lips are breath away from mine.

And I crumbled underneath the look she planted me with.

The one that was needy and hungry. The one that I’d seen so many times before. The one that we both shared, mirrored in our need for each other.

“Why don’t you tell me what you want, and I’ll make that happen,” I said.

Something churned in those eyes of hers, something deep and emotional and open. I half expected her to pull away from me and launch into all the reasons that we couldn’t work as a couple, but instead of pulling away, she got closer, crushing her mouth against mine.

I completely snapped, all instincts turning carnal as I took control of the kiss, reading her cues as my hands slid down her body. She needed our bodies to do the talking? Then I’d make sure there were no mixed signals.

I licked into her mouth, the kiss claiming and intense as I pushed her backward until she hit the desk. Her fingers were frantic as she pushed off my jacket, then my dress shirt. I pulled off her top, our moves hurried as we shed our clothes.

“Aren’t you going to ask about the view, kitten?” I asked against her mouth.

“I don’t care,” she said, breathless as she sucked my bottom lip into her mouth.

I growled, laughing darkly. “It’s one-way glass,” I explained anyway, not wanting her to think I’d fuck her where the entire club could see. I bent slightly, gripping her hips and propping her up on the desk, spreading her thighs to step between them.

“Cross,” she moaned my name, and it sounded like fucking heaven to my ears. “I need you."

"Yeah, you fucking do," I said, doing my best not to crumble at those words. Her body absolutely needed me right now. Her heart? That was still to be decided.

I dragged my hard cock through her slick pussy, watching her shiver at the tease.

“Slow or hard?” I asked, wanting her to be in control.

“Hard,” she answered instantly, spreading her thighs wider, hooking her ankles around my back.

I squeezed her hips, dragging her to the edge of the desk, lining my cock up with her entrance, holding her there as I savored the taste of her kiss.

“Cross.” She wiggled her hips, needy as she tried to get me inside her.

“I missed you,” I groaned against her mouth. “I missed you so fucking much.”

She kissed me harder, whimpering as we punished each other with anticipation.

“I need you,” she said again. “Cross, I need you so badly.”

I flicked my tongue in her mouth, curling it against the roof the way I knew she liked while I slid home inside her.

She gasped, throwing her head back at the connection.

I pulled out and did it again.

And again.

I gripped her hips, holding onto her as I pounded into her, each stroke harder and faster than the next.

“God,” she moaned, her nails digging into my back. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” Her words matched the pace I fucked her with, and I pulled back enough to look down between us at where we crashed together.

“Fucking perfect,” I growled, watching as I speared my cock into her pussy over and over again. “You see that?” I groaned, watching her look between us. “See how good you take me? See what you do to me?” I slowed down, dragging out the pleasure building between us both before speeding up again.

“Cross,” she sighed my name. “I’m⁠—”

I instantly pulled out, not wanting this moment to be over so soon, wanting to edge her, to make it so intense for her she’d never forget it.

Aspen whimpered as I moved back, tugging her off the desk before spinning her and bending her over it.

“So damn beautiful,” I said, smoothing my hand over her back as I lined myself up with her again.

I thrust into her from behind, reaching around her hip and dipping my hand between her thighs.

“Ohmigod,” she groaned as I rubbed her clit while pumping into her. “Cross, that feels so good.”

Primal pride swarmed my chest, and I pumped into her harder, faster, working her back up until she was breathless, until she gripped the desk and pushed back into me every time I sank into her.

My muscles clenched as she drenched my cock, her walls fluttering around me as her pleasure rippled along her body.

“Cross,” she moaned as she came, clenching around me so good I lost myself and came with her.

I draped myself over her back, breathing heavily as we crashed down.

But I so wasn’t fucking done yet.

Gently, I pulled out, turning her around to face me. Her eyes were wide and lust-hazed, but hope shaped her features as I pulled her toward the couch.

“We’re just getting started,” I said through ragged breaths.