30. Duh. It’s Five In The Morning.
THIRTY
DUH. IT'S FIVE IN THE MORNING.
Garrett
I'm a miserable piece of shit. I throw myself onto the couch, wearing stained sweatpants and a holey t-shirt. It's 8 p.m. on a Thursday night, and I'd rather sit at home than go out. The guys invited me to some new club in town, but I wasn't feeling it. In fact, I haven't been feeling it since my fight with Dessa. I've been numb. I hate that she's mad at me. I hate she won't talk to me. I was only trying to do the right thing. She deserved to know, and apparently, I'm the asshole for telling her.
For the past month, I've given her space, except for the New Year's message I sent. I wanted her to know I was still thinking about her. Dessa needs time to figure things out on her own. That's the way she's always been. Growing up, you could give her the answer and she'd still work it out herself. I don't want to push her, but fuck, not talking to her is killing me.
My phone buzzes on the coffee table, and I ignore it. I'm sure it's one of the guys trying to convince me to go out tonight. If it's important, they'll leave a message. The ringing stops for a second, then starts up again. This time I glance at the screen, and Dessa's name flashes at the top. I lean forward and scramble to pick it up, hitting the talk button as I press it to my ear. "I'm so glad you called."
"Garrett," she whimpers, followed by a sniffle.
"Dessa. What's wrong?" I jackknife off the couch. "Are you hurt?"
"No." She sucks in a sharp breath. "But I need your h-help." Her voice cracks at the end.
"What do you need?"
A heavy sigh sounds through the speaker. "This sounds so stupid."
"What is it?" My concern skyrockets with every second she's not telling me what's wrong.
"Your brother invited me to Chicago to meet Isabella Rossi. Everything was going good till he tried to kiss me." She sniffles. "I pushed him away and then he kicked me out. I have nowhere to go. I don't know where to go."
Fucking Tony. Rage courses through my veins. I can't believe he would do this. I pace back and forth in my living room. "Where are you right now?"
"I'm sitting in the lobby of the LaBelle Hotel. I-I don't know what to do, Garrett." She sniffles again.
"I know exactly where that's at." I race into the office where my computer is. I pull up the website for a hotel nearby. I'll book her a room for the night and figure out the flight situation later. "Are you able to request an Uber?"
"Yeah."
"I'm booking you a room at the Four Seasons. It's five blocks away." I put the phone on speaker while I book the room online.
"I can't ask you to do that."
"You're not asking. I'm just doing it. Call an Uber to take you there. They have your name and will take care of you."
"I don't know what I would do without you."
"I'll do anything for you. Call me when you check in."
"Okay. Garrett?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"Anytime, Tates."
The call disconnects. Fuck. I wish I could be there right now, hold her in my arms, and tell her everything will be okay. It kills me I'm halfway across the country. Fuck it. I search for the next available direct flight to Chicago. There's a redeye leaving in three hours for two grand. Right now, I don't give a shit about the money. Dessa's alone, and I need to be with her. I charge the flight to my credit card, throw some clothes in a backpack, and race out of my condo to the parking garage.
After two hours of sitting in traffic and getting through security at the airport, I'm finally sitting on the plane. Dessa called me after she got checked in and to her room. At least I know she's safe. My leg bounces wanting to get to her. I can't believe Tony did this. He's an even bigger piece of shit than I thought. I'm fighting the urge to track him down in Chicago, rip out his jugular, and tell him what kind of asshole he really is. But he's not worth it. Dessa needs me more, and I won't disappoint her.
The plane finally lands in Chicago at four in the morning—Chicago time. My eyes are bloodshot from no sleep, not for the lack of trying, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw Tony and thought of how much I wanted to give him another black eye. Once the plane's stopped at the gate, I request an Uber, so there will be one waiting as soon as I'm outside the airport. Luckily, it's early in the morning and traffic isn't horrible, but it's still not ideal when I need to get to Dessa. When I arrive at the hotel, I'm out of the car before it comes to a complete stop. I'll be sure to leave the driver a generous tip.
At the front desk, I strum my fingers on the counter, willing the receptionist to work a little faster on getting me a key card. After what feels like hours but is only minutes, she slides the card to me. I race across the lobby to the elevators, and once inside, I jamb my thumb against the button for the fifteenth floor. My foot taps against the elevator floor as I watch the number rise. I pray no one else needs an elevator. I've been waiting long enough to get to Dessa, and I don't want to wait a second longer. Before the elevator doors fully open, I jog out and down the corridor. Once I reach the door, I pull out the key card and pause. Maybe I shouldn't just barge into the room since she has no idea I'm here. The last thing I want to do is terrify her. I tuck the card into my back pocket and knock instead. It's silent as I wait. After several seconds pass, I knock again. I hear the deadbolt click and the door opens a crack.
"Garrett? What are you do?—"
Her hair is in a disheveled ponytail. Her eyes are still hooded from sleep, and she's never looked more beautiful. I push through the door, clasp her cheeks in my hands, and press my lips to hers. She gasps in surprise, then her hands wrap around my waist, holding me close to her. I break away and rest my forehead against hers.
"I didn't want you to be alone."
"You flew all the way from Seattle to come here? Did you get any sleep? "
I brush my thumb over her cheek. "I needed to know you were safe."
"You could have called me."
"I needed to see you."
"I needed to see you too." She lifts her chin and kisses me. It's soft and sweet, but also filled with promise and maybe hope.
She pulls away and wraps her fingers around mine, leading me through the living room and into the bedroom. I shrug off my backpack and toss it in the corner. Spinning around, her fingers grip the hem of my shirt, tugging it up over my chest. I help her remove it and toss it near my backpack. Her fingers push at the button of my jeans until it unfastens. She hooks her thumbs under the waistband and pulls them down past my thighs.
"Dessa. What are you doing?" My voice is strained. She's been through a lot in the last twelve hours, and I doubt sex is the answer right now, but if that's what she wants, I'll give it to her. I'll give her anything.
She peers up at me, and her lips curve in the corners. "I'm getting you ready for bed. You look like you haven't slept in days."
I'm going on twenty-four hours, but I had too much adrenaline coursing through my veins to sleep. But now that I'm here and Dessa's safe, I could crash for about a week.
"And you're coming to bed with me?"
"Duh. It's five in the morning."
I step out of my jeans and hook my thumbs under my boxer briefs, tugging them down until they hit the floor. Dessa's gaze drops as the elastic slides over my semi-hard dick.
"Not now. First sleep," she murmurs.
I don't know if that was for me or more for herself. But with her staring at my dick longingly, I could pass on the sleep for at least twenty minutes. She climbs into the bed and folds the blanket over, inviting me in. So, I follow her. I would follow her anywhere. She snuggles into my chest, and I wrap my arm around her. Her sweet vanilla honey shampoo invades my senses, and I drift off to a peaceful sleep.
"It's 10 a.m. Check out is in an hour. We should get going," she mumbles against my chest. Her voice is warm and soft. Everything that is comforting in the world.
I wrap my arms around her waist, snuggling deeper against her. "That sounds like a terrible idea."
She giggles. "Just because you're a hotshot baseball player doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."
"Hmm. I'm comfortable, just like this."
"But we need to check out. And I need to figure out a flight home."
I lift the hem of her shirt and place a kiss right above her belly button. "When I came in this morning, I booked another night. How about we worry about the flight later?" My hand skates over her skin under the fabric of her shirt. My thumb brushes along the underside of her breast. "Plus, I'd rather concern myself with something else right now."
She nibbles on her bottom lip. "And what's that?"
"You."
She runs her fingers through my hair. "I can tell you're pretty comfortable. Your cock is poking my thigh." She giggles.
"What can I say? He knows what he wants. "
"Is that so?"
"It is, but the more important question is, what do you want?"
She slides out from under my arm and peels back the blanket. I roll over as she climbs between my spread legs, a smile curving her lips. She wraps her hand around the base of my dick and a deep groan rumbles in the back of my throat. Bending down, she runs her tongue along the underside of my shaft. When she reaches the head, her lips wrap around me like a lollipop. She swirls her tongue over the crown, and I suck in a sharp breath. I push her hair to the side for a better view as her hot mouth bobs up and down on my dick.
"Fuck Tates. I love watching you suck my dick. Your pretty lips wrapped around me. How much do you love it?"
She moans around my cock, causing vibration to soar directly to my balls. She keeps a steady pace, and I'm not going to last much longer. She uses her hand, trailing after her mouth, alternating the pressure between her lips and her fingers. I'm seconds away from coming down her throat, but I'm not ready yet.
"Come up here and sit on my face." She releases my dick with a pop. "Take your shirt off. I want to see your tits." She does as I say. The fabric drags over her hard nipples until they're fully exposed, begging to be pinched. Sitting up, I brush my thumb over the hard peak. She arches into my touch and moans."Come here. I'm so damn hungry for your pussy." I drop back to the mattress.
She crawls up the side of the bed till her hips are at my shoulders. She lifts a leg over me and straddles my face. I slide my hands up her silky, smooth thighs and around the curve of her ass.
"You don't need these." I grip the thin strip of elastic and tug. Both sides rip apart, and the fabric falls to my chest. I brush them away before grabbing her hips and positioning her right where I want her. Starting at the bottom, I lick up her slit with the flat of my tongue. Her body jolts when I reach her clit, so I give her another teasing lick.
"Oh. Garrett." Her fingers wrap around the fixed headboard. "Mmm."
"You like my tongue on you? Lapping at your pussy." With my fingers, I spread her open and continue licking her.
"Yes. I love your tongue on me." Her hips grind against my face in time with my licks.
I spear her entrance with the tip of my tongue, and she whimpers. I continue licking and sucking. With my thumb, I circle her clit as I lick hard, roughing my tongue over her pussy. Her moans and whimpers grow louder with each swipe. I speed up my movements, desperate for her to come and scream my name while she does it.
"Ah! Yes! Garrett. Right there." Her hips rock over my tongue. With one hand, she cups her tit before pinching her nipple.
"Come all over my tongue, Tates," I mumble against her inner thigh before wrapping my lips around her clit to finish the job I started.
"Oh! F-fuck! Garrett." Her legs tremble, and her orgasm races through her. But I don't stop. I continue to lap at her pussy until I get every last drop.