by Jenna Jacob
When the doorknob turned and she entered his room, Noble clenched his jaw and fought the urge to bolt out of bed, drag his mother’s cock-softening nightgown off her body, and press Ivy up against the wall before driving balls deep inside her snug, slick pussy.
“Patience, cowboy,” Ivy drawled as if reading his mind. “Your parents are right down the hall. I’m not sure we should…you know.”
“I’ll stick a sock in your mouth if I have to in order to keep you quiet. But trust me, darlin’, we are going to…you know,” he growled.
“A sock? Really?”
“I’d use a clean one,” he assured with a lurid grin. “Take that god-awful nightgown off and get your sexy ass over here, woman. I’ve been waiting an eternity to feel your hot body against mine again.”
A pink blush sped from her chest all the way to her cheeks as Ivy tugged the ugly garment off and tossed it to the floor.
With a satisfied sigh, Noble drank in the sight of her lush body.
Her nipples were a darker shade of cranberry and her breasts were fuller, heavier than they’d been before. Skimming his eyes down her naked flesh, he paused and studied the gentle swell along her stomach. My child is growing healthy and strong inside her. His heart sputtered and a lump of emotion lodged in his throat. Swallowing tightly, Noble threw back the covers and spread his arms open. “Come here, sweetheart…let me love you.”
Ivy’s mouth dropped open slightly and a look of shock sailed over her eyes.
It was then that Noble realized what he’d said… Love? Well, hell.
He, too, was surprised the four-letter word had slipped off his tongue. He’d never said the L word around any other woman, but Noble was quickly learning that his feelings for Ivy were far different from anything he’d felt before.
If she’d let him, he’d love her…now, tomorrow, and for all eternity.
“You can make love to me, Noble,” Ivy whispered, failing to mask the quiver in her voice.
“I can, but I want more,” he replied without fear of digging himself into a grave.
“We already talked about this,” she said and sighed heavily.
“Yes. You talked and I listened.” He sat up and patted the edge of the bed. She reluctantly made her way across the room and eased onto the mattress beside him. “Now it’s my turn to talk while you listen.”
“Okay.”
He was ready to erase the pensive expression marring her pretty face, starting now.
“When I was eighteen, I made a vow that I’d never get married. I’d convinced myself that love didn’t last, and that binding yourself to another person until the end of time was the biggest mistake anyone could ever make.” He smiled when she gave him a halfhearted nod. “But I always told myself that if I ever found a woman who filled my life with light, happiness, and challenged me, I’d reconsider my pledge. And if she’d let me, I’d love her with every inch of my heart. Respect and honor her needs and her dreams. I wouldn’t take advantage of her, but would treasure the fact that she wanted to share her mind, body, and soul, the same way I’d share mine with her.”
“I used to believe in that fairy tale, too,” she whispered.
“It doesn’t have to be a fairy tale, darlin’.” He sent her a soft smile and traced the tip of his finger over her cheek. “Tell me something…when you left Las Vegas, did you ever think of me?”
Ivy issued a tiny scoff. “Do you want the truth?”
“Yes. I don’t lie, and I don’t ever want to be lied to.”
“I thought about you every day and every night. You even haunted my dreams.”
A slow smile tugged the edges of his mouth. “Same here, and it drove me absolutely crazy. Not to ruin the moment I hope we’re gonna be sharing soon, but when I came back home, I could have had a dozen women. I didn’t, because the one woman I wanted was you.”
Ivy shook her head. “One day you’ll wake up and want those other women again.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because monogamy is unrealistic. I mean, the chance of finding one person who’ll fulfill all your needs is like winning the lottery a hundred times in a row. It’ll never happen because no one person can satisfy another, not fully.”
“Probably not. But what if you find someone who meets most of your needs? Do you slam the door in their face because they can’t meet them all? And what parts are you responsible for filling?”
With a slight scowl, she pondered his words for several long seconds. “I don’t know. I’ve never had anyone want to meet my needs. I’m not sure what I’d do.”
“Have you ever let your walls down and opened your heart up enough to let any of them try?”
A flutter of guilt danced across her face before she banked it. “You missed your calling, cowboy. You should have been a shrink.”
“No. The only psyche I want to dissect is yours, darlin’…every nook and cranny.” He cupped her cheek. “Sawyer’s divorce was the reason I turned against marriage. What turned you against it?”
“I’m a gullible cheater magnet,” she announced, as if the title held great esteem.
But the accompanying sadness in her eyes told him she’d earned the label with a shitload of disappointment and heartache. A part of him wanted to kick the shit out of every asshole who’d ever hurt her and forced her to lock herself off from the possibility of love. Because for the first time in his life, Noble wanted to give his love to a woman…this woman.
But would he be enough for her?
“If I could guarantee you eternal love, I’d do it in a New York minute. Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball to see into the future. Like I said before, I don’t lie. I also don’t make promises I can’t keep. But I will promise you this—if you’ll knock down your walls and let me in, I’ll do everything in my power to love you and our child the way you deserve…with all my heart.”
Ivy gaped at him as tears shimmered.
“Y-you…love me?” she stammered in disbelief.
“I think so. I mean…dammit, I’ve never been in love before. I have no idea what it feels like, but I know this…what I feel for you isn’t normal.”
She pinched her lips together, biting back a snicker.
“Fuck!” He exhaled heavily and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “What I’m trying to say isn’t coming out right at all.”
Ivy cupped his cheek and brushed a silky kiss across his lips. “I know what you’re trying to say. I do. And I don’t lie or make promises I can’t keep, either. So, how about this… How about we take it a day at a time for a bit? Learn about each other then figure out where we want to go from there. Will that work?”
“No more walls?” he asked, arching his brows.
She shook her head. “No other women?”
“Hell no,” he growled. “You’re the only one I want, sweetheart.”
She gazed into his eyes and threaded her fingers through his hair. Prickles of lightning zipped along his scalp as a chill skipped down his spine.
Ivy leaned in close to his ear. “Make love to me, Noble.”
His whole body began to shake. He was blindsided by a wild, savage animal buried deep inside him, and the beast was snarling and screaming for him to slam her succulent body to the bed, mount her unmercifully, and mark her with his seed.
Good Christ! Where did that come from?
Shoving the ravenous monster down deep, Noble focused on going slow…showing her the tenderness she deserved.
He gently cupped her cheeks before slowly easing her back onto the mattress. As he inhaled her intoxicating scent, he trailed kisses from her lips to her jawline, then down the column of her neck, gently laving and nipping his way south.
Every touch and taste of her silky, soft flesh sent an electrical charge racing through his system as the missing pieces of his soul aligned and snapped into place.
For the first time in his life, Noble felt whole.
Greedily feeding on Ivy’s flesh, he laved his way to her berr
y-hard nipples. She nearly levitated from the bed when he flicked his tongue over her dark, stony peaks. Pregnancy had obviously made them hypersensitive, and he took full advantage of that discovery. Toying with and teasing the tender tips, he reveled in each desperate mewl and moan escaping her writhing body.
She was an uninhibited delight who never failed to amaze him.
They had no need for words. Each touch, each caress and kiss spoke the language blooming from their hearts.
Noble loved her, of that he was now sure.
And even if Ivy wasn’t ready or willing to admit it, she loved him right back.
When she gripped his weeping cock, he bit back a howl and grunted. As she slid her soft hand up and down his throbbing length, Noble thrust his hips, driving into her palm with each spine-bending stroke.
Like the ocean tide, they gorged, filling their hunger and demand in a sensual ebb and flow.
Ivy stroked him harder, unfurling ribbons of ecstasy to sail and tangle inside him.
Try as he might, Noble wasn’t going to last much longer.
It had been far too long since he’d had…her.
Prying Ivy’s hand from his shaft, he moved in between her slender legs and gazed at the patch of saturated curls shimmering with her heady, earthy dew. His mouth watered. His cock strained.
“I’ve been waiting a thousand lifetimes to taste you again, gorgeous.”
Ivy purred as she slid a hand to her clit.
Purposely tormenting them both, she slowly rubbed the distended nub and whimpered softly.
“Tease yourself for me, baby…show me how you’d get off all those nights you spent thinking about me.” His voice was thick and rusty.
An impish grin curled her lips as she dipped a slender finger into her dripping core.
When she drew her hand away, Noble captured her wrist and drew her finger to his mouth. He groaned as her warm, spicy nectar slid over his taste buds. Memories of the magic they’d made that one incredible night exploded in his brain.
“I’ve changed my mind,” he growled, parting her swollen pink lips and lunging his mouth over her sex.
Ivy gasped and sank her fingers into his scalp as Noble laved her pebbled clit and lapped her silky juices. Panting, she bore down and came all over his face before he’d even had the chance to slide his fingers into her blistering tunnel. Drinking down the deluge spilling from inside her, Noble circled her sensitized clit with this tongue as Ivy gasped for breath.
When she looked down at him with those glassy pale blue eyes, Noble lost the rest of the pieces of his heart to her.
Mine!
“Again, gorgeous,” he cooed. “You know we’re just getting warmed up.”
“Oh, god,” she whimpered. “I’m glad I didn’t die in the bakery. I’d much rather you kill me with orgasms like that.”
He chuckled. “I’m not going to let you die, darlin’, but I’ll make damn sure you sleep hard tonight by the time we’re through.”
“Mmm,” she purred. “I’m glad it’s not time to sleep yet.”
“Not nearly as glad as I am,” he murmured, caressing the insides of her thighs with his cheeks.
Ivy jolted and started to giggle quietly.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Your whiskers…they tickle.”
“I’ve got something else that will tickle…tickle your fancy, sweetheart.”
She stopped laughing and gazed down at him with a hungry expression. “Oh, I remember…remember all the fancy things you did to me that night.”
“Hey, you could have it every night. All you have to say is…yes.”
“One day at a time, remember?”
“No pressure or anything, darlin’. I was just making you another promise.”
“Damn,” she murmured under her breath.
Noble wasn’t opposed to playing dirty. He’d win her over one earth-shattering orgasm at a time. Starting right now.
Feathering his lips and tongue up her thighs, he nudged her clit with his nose. The little gasp she sucked in along with the quivery clasp of her pussy made his pulse quicken.
Absolutely stunning.
His cock was screaming for relief by the time he’d brought her to climax two more times. Noble was all but drowning not only on the sweet cream flowing from her but on the sounds of her muffled keening cries. He couldn’t wait to take her someplace private, so he could hear her scream his name again as she shattered.
Moving up her glistening body, Noble licked the coating of her pleasure from his fingers and hovered over her. Love and pride swarmed him as he stared at Ivy, sated and panting. Her eyes were smoky and unfocused. A pink blush glowed over her milky flesh, and her hair spilled over his pillow like a halo of gold.
“Christ, you’re gorgeous,” he murmured as he lowered, supporting his weight on his elbows.
Dipping his head, he claimed her mouth urgently while he aligned his straining crest between her slick, sweltering folds. Inching in slowly, he issued a low groan as her liquid heat engulfed him.
Ivy wantonly thrust her hips upward, impaling herself on him.
Her silky, hot tunnel fluttered, pressing spine-sizzling kisses along his shaft.
Noble’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. His balls churned. She was testing his control to the nth degree and he had to fight like hell to keep from spilling inside her too soon.
Mom’s ugly nightgown. Mom’s ugly nightgown.
Mentally repeating the mantra, Noble glided in and out of Ivy’s tight core with slow, exacting strokes until the threat of embarrassing himself like an inept virgin passed.
Their tongues tangled, swirling and gliding, dancing in passion and need.
As if trying to reacquaint themselves with every inch of one another’s bodies, fingers kneaded, gripped, and caressed warm, supple flesh, branding every lush curve, flat plane, and taut muscle to memory.
Driving in and out of her heavenly core relentlessly now, Noble slowly lifted from her mouth. He gazed down at the gorgeous angel beneath him and lost himself in her beauty. Pleasure played across her face in ripples of delight, giving way briefly to creases of agony as she searched for the elusive bliss of release.
“Open your eyes…look at me, baby,” he panted in a commanding plea.
Her lashes fluttered open. Long seconds later, her glassy blue pools focused on him.
“Noble,” she purred.
“I-I’m…not gonna last much…longer, darlin’.”
A lethargic, sly smile tugged her lips as Ivy thrust a hand to her mound and began strumming her clit.
“Come with me,” she begged, causing his cock to grow impossibly harder.
“That’s…my…line,” he grunted before clenching his jaw.
Her eyes briefly twinkled in mischief before glassing over once again.
She parted her mouth and swiped her pink tongue over her lush bottom lip.
Memories of that ripe mouth wrapped around his cock sent demand slamming down his spine, arcing like lightning deep in his balls. The roar in his ears nearly wiped out Ivy’s breathless whimpers.
Unable to hold back the tide, Noble gripped her hips tightly. Shuttling in and out of her tightening core, he surrendered to the blistering swell cresting within.
“Come!” he growled in her ear.
A strangled cry, forcibly muffled, tore from the back of her throat.
Ivy bore down and clamped her heavenly tunnel around him.
Lights exploded behind his eyes.
His driving rhythm faltered.
Ivy arched into him, raking her nails over his back and sinking them into his flesh.
Noble’s thrust sputtered into wild, jerky motions as he slammed into her.
As he pinched his lips together, ecstasy charged through him.
His muscles turned to stone.
Lightning ricocheted through him as her pussy drew around him, milking his cock in spine-bending kisses.
Biting back a feral roar, Noble capt
ured her mouth as he showered her sucking core in long, thick, and hot ropes of seed.
Mine…forever!
Deliriously floating somewhere beyond the stars, Ivy struggled to catch her breath. Noble’s head lay nuzzled against her neck as he, too, worked to normalize the bursts of moist air billowing over her flesh.
Sizzling after shocks quivered through her, causing her tunnel to twitch and flutter involuntarily. Noble’s embedded cock jerked in mutual indulgence causing him to sporadically moan.
She was boneless and sated, and her limbs felt like sandbags. Still, she clung to his sweat-soaked body, marveling in the inconceivable magic they’d so effortlessly created once again.
Would it always be like this? she silently wondered.
No. After time the newness would wear off. Noble would become restless and bored until one day she’d wake up and he’d be gone…sharing a bed with someone else. Oh, he wouldn’t mean for it to happen. But men were creatures of habit. And Ivy was already privy to his habits.
He’d seemed to accept her offer to take things day by day. But Ivy knew she couldn’t let her guard down. Not completely at least.
Her disheartening thoughts shredded the ethereal splendor she’d been floating in, sending her tumbling back to earth with a reality-jarring thud.
She inhaled a deep breath, wondering what had sent her down such a negative path in the first place. She’d just had the most incredible, mind-blowing sex of her life…for the second time. So why had she allowed Debbie Downer to crash this extraordinary party?
Because every time you’re with Noble, he slices you open, exposing all your insecurities and vulnerabilities. Clearly, you still don’t trust him with all the pieces of you. But if you think he’ll let you keep him at arm’s length, you’d better wise up. Either you’re all the way in or out. But you’re going to have to make up your mind…and soon, the little voice in the back of her head offered sympathetically.
Ivy scowled.
Trust took courage. While she’d reclaimed the virtues McMillian had stolen from her, Ivy didn’t know if she was strong enough to risk giving Noble the power to crush her. Anxiety wormed its way through her system and she tensed.
