CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Crosby
Except for the scattered lights inside Sabrina’s dorm, I stood in darkness. “Tighter,” I said.
“Seriously?” Xavier asked from behind the tree where he knotted the ropes that bound me to it.
“Yup.”
He complied, pulling them even tighter. “So, you want me to go up there or text her?”
“Text her. That way you don’t come down together.”
“Got it,” he said.
“You just about done?” I asked, craning my neck to see.
“I think so. You can’t move, right?”
I could barely wiggle my arms that were pinned to my sides. Luckily, my Henley protected them from the unforgiving fibers of the rope. Learned that one the hard way. “Nope.”
“Okay.” He stepped around the tree and stood in front of me. “You sure about this?”
“Nope. But I’m here.”
“Yes, you are,” he chuckled, pulling my phone from my pocket and texting Sabrina. “Okay. It’s sent. Now let’s hope she comes down.” He tucked my phone back in my pocket. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
“You want me to stay in case things go wrong?”
I shook my head. “I’ll be fine.”
He sent me one last smile before turning and hurrying down the path to his dorm.
I watched the front door of Sabrina’s dorm, anxious to see her yet nervous for her reaction. The cool air gave me the bolt of energy I needed for the impending conversation.
Minutes passed.
No one came or went.
Finally, the front door swung open and Sabrina stepped outside in a T-shirt and jeans. The sight of her hurt my heart. She squinted into the darkness, assessing everything from the cars parked in front of her dorm to the people heading home to their dorms from their six o’clock classes.
I stood silently, waiting for her to see me. She didn’t.
“Hey,” I called.
Her head whipped around, but still she didn’t notice me.
“Over here.”
She spun in the opposite direction, searching the darkness until she finally spotted me. She froze, staring wide-eyed at me tied to the big tree in front of her dorm. “Are you okay?” she called.
I smiled, which clearly alleviated any concern she might’ve had that I got myself tied to a tree for a second time. “You gonna help me or what?”
Her movements were slow, her steps almost strategic in their poise. “I’m having a strange case of déjà vu.”
“Tell me about it.”
“What did you do?” she asked, finally stepping in front of me and assessing the ropes.
“What did you do?”
She shrugged, though she had to realize the magnitude of what she’d done for me.
“I don’t even know how to thank you.”
“So, you tied yourself to a tree?” she asked.
“I wanted us to start over. Thought it was a good place to start.”
Her eyes dropped to the ground, and she remained silent for a long time, so long I wondered if she’d leave me there. Her eyes finally lifted to mine. “I’m so sorry.”
“You’re sorry? For what?”
“For avoiding you. For getting mad about you not putting up a fight. For not trusting that you knew what you were doing.”
“There was a video,” I admitted.
“I know.”
“You know?”
She nodded solemnly.
“I’m so damn sorry you were brought into my mess.”
Anger flashed in her eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I hate Jeremy for what he did to you. What he did to us.”
“I thought I could stop him from sharing it so you never even had to know about it. I thought I could handle it alone.”
A sad smile graced her lips. “You did handle it alone. Now you’ve got me.”
Her honesty nearly did me in. “Do I?”
She crossed her arms and laid on the sass. “Well, do you plan on making it to the pros or are you gonna let some other psychopath get in your way?”
I stifled a smile. “You saying you only want me if I’m gonna be rich some day?”
She smirked. “It certainly doesn’t hurt.” She circled the tree to see the situation I’d put myself in. “These are some big knots,” she called from behind the tree. “Who’d you piss off to get yourself in this situation?”
“This girl who meant a lot to me.”
“She meant a lot? She doesn’t anymore?”
“No. She means everything,” I admitted.
She was quiet for a moment, and I would’ve given anything to see her reaction to my words. “You should be naked,” she finally said. “Seems only right.”
I laughed. “I’m hoping that happens after you untie me.”
“Is that right?”
“Uh, huh.”
She stepped around the tree until she stood in front of me, our toes nearly touching. She pressed her hands to my chest and dropped her forehead to mine, her familiar scent seeping into my pores for the first time in weeks. The warmth of her body and the gentleness of her touch felt like home. “This is the most messed up thing a guy has ever done for me.”
“Protecting you from a sex tape or tying himself to a tree?”
She laughed, and I relished in the sound of it.
“I missed you so damn much,” I said.
She lifted her warm hands to my cheeks. Had my arms not been bound to my sides, I would’ve wrapped them around her and never let her go again. She leaned forward and kissed me. Her lips were a self-propelled force to be reckoned with and I didn’t mind one damn bit she was in charge. She kissed me like she meant it. Like she missed the taste of me. Like she’d forgiven me.
She eventually pulled away and enlisted the help of some people passing by to untie me. The second I could touch her, I lifted her off her feet and carried her over my shoulder toward her room. She didn’t fight it. She just laughed. We passed plenty of people on our way upstairs. They all smiled or laughed, but none of them understood how right it felt to have her forgiveness or to have her back in my arms.
And for the first time in a long time, I knew everything was gonna be okay.
Sabrina
Inside my room, Crosby slammed the door shut and placed me up against it. His lips crashed down on mine, his tongue diving inside my mouth, holding me prisoner. This wasn’t a kiss of forgiveness, this was him wanting to own every part of me, and me allowing him to do it right there and then.
His hands burrowed into my hair and he pulled back to look at me, all breathless and turned on. “You will never avoid me again.”
I nodded, locked in on the intensity in his eyes.
He leaned forward and buried his lips in my neck, nipping at my skin with his teeth, harder than ever before. “You will never again see me put up with anyone’s shit.”
My head dropped back against the door and I closed my eyes, loving his commanding tone of voice and the assurance of his words.
He trailed open-mouthed kisses over my collarbone. “You will know that whatever I’m doing has a reason and I’m nobody’s bitch.” His deep voice rumbled against my chest, spreading everywhere. “And you will never, ever, let another guy fuck you the way I’m about to.”
Tremors charged through my body, and the anticipation of what he’d do to me sent a wave of lightheadedness over me.
He pulled back so we saw nothing but each other. “Now I’ve got one question for you.”
“What?” I breathed.
“Will you let me love you?”
I froze, my wide eyes still locked on his.
“Are you gonna let me do that?” he asked, the sudden vulnerability in his eyes all encompassing.
With my body on the verge of imploding if he didn’t bring me to my bed, I nodded.
His smile would’ve brought me to my knees had he not been holding onto me. He leaned in and kissed me, stealing my breath away. Then, he carried me to my bed and tossed me down like I weighed nothing at all.
I scooted back, yanking off my T-shirt and leaning back on my elbows. He pulled off his Henley and crawled on top of me, lowering me onto my back. He dropped his head and placed open-mouthed kisses over my chest. My desperation for his touch intensified with every breath. But Crosby was taking his time. Taunting me. Driving me mad.
“I appreciate the fact that you’re taking your time with me,” I said. “But right now is not the time.”
He lifted his head with a smirk on his face. “Is that so?”
I nodded.
He reached behind my back and unsnapped my bra, tugging it off my arms and tossing it behind him. He dipped his head and sucked my nipple into his mouth. I gasped and my head dropped back against the pillow and my hands grasped onto his arms, desperately missing the feel of them around me.
For the remainder of the night, Crosby ravaged my body, exacting the punishment I deserved for abandoning him and doubting he knew what he was doing. For not realizing he was only trying to protect me and my future. For not seeing he was exactly who I needed from day one.
I swore to myself, from that night forward, I would never underestimate him ever again.