Lib Novel Page 99
His breath was shaky. “I feel like I can’t stop.”
“Don’t,” I panted.
He lowered his mouth to my neck, sucking at the tender flesh there. My nipples stiffened, yearning to feel his mouth on them, yearning for the way his scruff scratched against my skin. Yearning to know what he’d feel like inside me. My arousal was becoming downright painful, the need to come excruciatingly intense.
“I can feel how fucking wet you are through my pants. You’re gonna make me explode right under you.”
He was right—I was drenched.
The sound of a turning key registered just before the door burst open. I practically flew off of Tristan before landing on the other side of the couch.
Ronan stumbled in and announced, “The fucking toilet at the bar was out of order. I had to run home! Don’t know what the fuck Atticus put in those ribs!”
My heart pounded in my chest. Tristan placed a pillow over his erection, shutting his eyes in frustration as he lay his head back on the couch.
I didn’t know whether I wanted to thank Ronan or kill him for what he’d interrupted.
CHAPTER 34
TRISTAN
A week later, Ronan and Atticus had left Shady Hills for L.A. to get back to their lives. I still had a little time before promoting the new album and other band obligations that would require me to join them. I’d renewed the lease for this house for another month and was putting off leaving Shady Hills. I couldn’t figure out if I wasn’t ready to leave Jacob or Emily—or both.
I’d arranged things so Emily and I hadn’t been alone again since the night of the barbecue. She’d left that evening soon after Ronan had come home from the bar. I’d taken the interruption as a sign that I needed to slow my roll when it came to her. So, we’d met at some of the remaining places she wanted to take me, but we hadn’t gone back to my place again. While Emily seemed open to exploring things with me again, I held out. Deep down, I knew I was fighting a losing battle because I’d done nothing but fall harder for her with each passing day. But I hadn’t yet figured out how I’d handle the guilt of betraying Jacob, or the worry of not being what she ultimately needed.
Today was the first time in a while I had no plans to see Emily at all. I’d planned to start packing my stuff so that when I felt ready to get back to L.A., I’d be in good shape. But my day was interrupted by a phone call from Carol Mahoney.
“Hey, Carol. What’s up?”
“Hi, Tristan. I’m calling because I found something I think you might be interested in.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Well, I’m embarrassed to say this, but I hadn’t cleaned under Jacob’s bed since he passed away. Today was the first time. I found another journal and peeked inside at the dates. He was writing in this one just before the accident. I figured you’d want to read it.”
Holy shit. My heart came alive. This was a gift.
“Wow. Yeah, I’d love to come by and get it, if you don’t mind.”
“Absolutely. I’ve just put some coffee on and made a fresh cherry pie, if you’d like to stay a bit.”
“That would be awesome. See you soon.”
***
After I got to the Mahoney’s, I sat with Carol in the kitchen, eating pie and drinking coffee as she told me stories about Jacob’s childhood. Rick was at work, so it was just the two of us.
Once I left Shady Hills, I knew I’d have to come back here to see them periodically. There were too many things I’d yet to learn, and I appreciated having Carol and Rick as a connection to Jacob.
“Did you read the journal you found?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “No. I haven’t been able to read any of them. Like I said, it’s always felt like an invasion of Jacob’s privacy. I know that sounds silly since he’s not here anymore, but once he turned eighteen, I stopped butting into his business. Or maybe that’s just an excuse because it would be too painful to read.”
“I hear you.” I took my plate to the sink. “Do you mind if I hang out in his room for a while and read it? I feel close to him in there.”
“Of course not. Take your time. Our home is your home.”
“I really appreciate your hospitality and kindness through all this. I can’t imagine if Jacob had parents who didn’t support my wanting to learn about him. I’m very grateful to you.”