Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Penn

“Oh my God, is there anything you don’t do?” Mitchell groaned as he made his way through his second bowl of pasta.

I shrugged, twisting the noodles around my fork. “Well, there are a couple things...” I said nonchalantly.

I was still nervous because as the night drew on, we were getting closer and closer to my big plan.

Would I chicken out?

Would I get up close and personal with Mitchell’s cock and run the other way?

Or would I be able to stomach it in my mouth?

What if I was terrible at sucking dick?

Worse?

What if I couldn’t take it?

“I really appreciate your helping out with the campaign and all,” I said, shifting the conversation to one that wasn’t going to give me a heart attack.

I took a bite of my pasta, finishing my plate.

Mitchell got up and brought his dish to the sink, and I followed suit.

“I’m glad to do it, you know. It’s definitely something different for me. Usually, I’m stuck photographing weddings and engagements, and corporate events. This is a nice change, something I can add to my portfolio,” he said.

I nodded for him to follow me to the living room. Our house wasn’t huge by any means, but before my mom had the shop, my dad had blown out the original wall separating the kitchen and living room and turned it into an open concept, which helped in those days because mom was always baking up a storm. A few card tables and TV trays in conjunction with the counters was basically her operating bakery.

“You don’t like shooting weddings or engagements?” I asked as we took a seat on the couch. Mitchell settled in easily as I reached for the remote, fully intending to actually watch a movie while our food settled and then we could make dessert.

I’d planned for something simple; a peach crisp, topped with some vanilla bean ice cream.

But we wouldn’t get that far.

“I don’t dislike it, but...” Mitchell sighed, looking away from me. His voice softened. “A lot of the time I can just focus on the job, but sometimes... sometimes it just hits different, you know?”

I did know.

My heart sank as I watched his jaw tense, his body sinking into my couch.

I knew exactly what it felt like sometimes to watch two people, so in love, celebrate their bright future together when you were single.

When all you wanted was someone who would look at you the way they looked at each other.

I reached for him, pulling him toward me to settle my arm around him, like he had with me.

Looking into his eyes, I was overwhelmed with emotion and fantasy, with love and anxiety.

“I know exactly what you mean, Mitch,” I said, hoping he could understand.

How could I make him understand what I barely comprehended myself?

“Penn...”

I leaned in, capturing his lips with mine.

Mitchell melted against me, a deep satisfying groan leaving his throat.

I slid my hands down the expanse of his chest, feeling the solidness through the fabric of his banana print silk shirt. The image of him shirtless before me replayed in my brain and I slid my hand beneath the hem of his shirt. I trailed my fingers over his warm skin, against the waistband of his jeans.

His hand found mine as he gently pushed me away.

“Penn...” he whispered my name, and I couldn’t deny I liked the way it sounded.

I took his bottom lip into my mouth as I grabbed his hip, pulling him closer, my cock straining against my jeans once more.

Fuck dessert.

Mitchell is all I want.

Mitchell’s body loosened as I leaned forward, backing him up against the armrest, settling my body between his legs, his hardness pressing against me causing an influx of heat to my entire body.

Mitchell pushed me away, breaking our kiss. “Penn, hold on.”

Panic and anxiety flooded me.

Had I done something wrong?

Had he changed his mind about me?

About us?

I looked up at him, his lips still swollen from kissing me, his dark eyes glassy eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, realizing that perhaps this wasn’t about me.

I sat up straighter, reaching for his hand. I hated to see anything but excitement and mischief in those eyes.

“I just... You don’t need to do this, you know,” he said, swallowing hard. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to because of...”

I shook my head.

This again.

“When are you going to realize that I want this? I want you ,” I said.

The sigh of relief that left him was indescribable.

I slid my fingers in between his, squeezing as I continued. “I get that you’re trying to give me space to figure things out, and I appreciate that more than you know. But you...”

I swallowed nervously as the words made their way out of my throat. “You feel right. This... feels right. Doesn’t it?” I asked, afraid of his answer.

Because, with one word, Mitchell DeVille could bring it all to a halt.

And that terrified me more than anything else. Because I didn’t want my time with him to end when this job did.

He’d wedged himself into my heart and my life, and I didn’t want to go back to the way things were before I met him.

When I was just existing. Without knowing who I was.

Without knowing him.

Without knowing what right felt like .

And when the words left me, they were the truest ones I’d ever said.

“When it’s right, it’s right. No matter who it is.”