Not Even Close (A New Generation) by Elizabeth Reyes (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📗

deep breath opening the door to the shop. He was about to walk back inready to face the music, when the dimly lit parking lot brightened as anothercar drove in.

“Now what?” he muttered.

He turned back inside when he heard the door to his apartmentopen and Savannah walked out and started down the stairs. Turning back to thecar in the parking lot, he saw it was a dude in the car.

Pummeled with the urge to roar again, he failed miserably attrying not to sound too demanding. “Where you going?”

“I’m leaving.” Before he could demand to know who the fuck with, sheadded. “I called an Uber.”

Instantly panicked, he rushed to her. “Wait, wait, wait.” He mether at the bottom of the stairs, putting a hand at either of her shoulders andsearched her hurt eyes. “I’ll explain. Give me at least that much. If you stillwanna leave, I’ll take you home myself. I promise. J-just wait righthere. Please.”

She stopped where she was at, and he spun around practicallysprinting outside. Pulling out his wallet he replayed the conversation he’d hadwith Irma. She’d tried but he hadn’t let her finish, so he knew Savannahcouldn’t possibly know everything. This might still be salvageable.

“Hey man, sorry we don’t need a ride after all.” He handed him atwenty. “But take this for your time.”

The guy glanced down at the twenty and looked up at him wideeyed. “This wouldn’t even have been an eight-dollar ride, man. It—”

“Just take it.” Byron shoved it at him and rushed back to theshop.

Savannah was still standing at the bottom of the stairs wherehe’d left her. “You don’t have to explain—”

“Yes, I do.” He hurried to her but didn’t dare touch her becauseshe flinched back. “She is someone I’ve gone out with, okay? I told you.I haven’t had a girlfriend since I was fifteen, Savannah. So, it’s nothing likethat. But I won’t lie, I’ve had plenty of meaningless relationships. Allphysical, nothing else. She’s just one of them, only after today,” he addedquickly needing her to believe this. “After what we discussed, I’mcutting them all off. I just didn’t expect her to show up and get all bat-shitcrazy like that.”

She stared at him silently looking understandably unsure. “Ifyour relationship with her is meaningless, why was she so mad?”

“I don’t know,” he said feeling a tinge of guilt. “But you’re thefirst girl in forever that I’ve had any desire to get to know on adeeper level. And that’s the God’s honest truth. So, I have no idea why she’dsnap like that. I’ve never promised her anything.”

Except to tell her he’d make up for what he couldn’t finish lastnight. But he hadn’t promised, and she’d cancelled on him, damnit.

“But I will promise you this,” he added with conviction unbelievablyready to fall to his knees if need be. “She won’t be back. She’s on probation andI told her I’d call the cops if she showed up here again.”

He braced himself as she went silent for a moment. Then to hissurprise and utter relief, Savannah wrapped her arms around his neck, and hepicked her up, groaning when she wrapped her legs around him. As petite as she was,he easily carried her up the stairs, mindful to watch his step as they kisseddeeply the whole way.

As they walked in, his first instinct was to head to the bedroom,but the reminder of Irma’s naked ass being there just that morning made himhesitate. Instead, he headed back to the sofa. He sat back with her still wrappedaround him, so she straddled him as they continued to kiss. Sweet moans escapedher, and his guttural moans got deeper.

Normally if things got this hot and he already had them back athis place he knew exactly how this would be ending. But it’d been longestablished now, his instincts had been screaming it even before he’d met her. Despitehis not understanding it, there was just something so different about Savannah.Not just what she did to him but the more he got to know her, the more he knewshe was nothing like the girls he usually dated. Sure, she’d shown zeroresistance to anything physical even the first time he’d kissed her.

His thudding heart knew it was partly the unwavering voice ofreason in his head, but now her father’s words had added to it tenfold. Savannahwas without question someone he’d have to handle far more delicately when itcame to things of this nature. This wouldn’t be something he’d just jump intolike he would with any other girl.

Moving slowly even as their frantic kissing continued, Byronmaneuvered them both so that they were lying down on the sofa with her on top.Though it was a little awkward, it worked at first. Until she tried moving her legand she nearly fell off him. She gasped then giggled when he caught her intime. But after the second close call, she licked her lips smiling.

“Maybe we should go somewhere more comfortable?”

Glancing down at his hardwood floor he cursed himself for nothaving carpeted the place yet, like he kept saying he wanted to. No way couldhe suggest they move things to the floor. Even if he did go grab blankets andpillows. It’d still be too damn hard.

Once again, Irma’s words about his bed still being warm from hernaked ass assaulted him as he considered moving things to the bedroom. He wassure it’s what Vannah had been suggesting but was too timid to say it outright.Kissing her a few more times before he sat up, he thought quick.

“Come on.” He stood holding out his hand to her as his heart racedfor more than one reason.

Were they really going to go there tonight? If he felt thiscrazed about her now, there’d be no turning back once they went there. Or didshe just want somewhere more comfortable to make out? Either way, Byronwouldn’t even bother to hide the massive bulge in his pants. No way she hadn’tfelt it already. It’d been at attention the moment she’d jumped into his arms downstairs.

He slowed as they reached the linen closet just outside hisbedroom to address the other reason his heart