by Tara Wyatt
She squeezed his hand back, warmth shining out at him from her gaze. “We’ll figure it all out. Together. But you have to be open with me, okay? You can’t just push me away when you’re scared. You have to let me in.”
He nodded, swallowing. “I know. And that’s going to be hard for me. It’s this defensive instinct I’ve spent the past thirty-six years honing.”
She smiled at him, and it was so full of warmth and care that he wanted to bask in it. “I understand. We’ll cross those bridges as we come to them.”
“Yeah?” he asked, exhaling. He’d held onto his hope, bottling it up in his chest and was finally ready to let some of it out into the open.
“Yeah. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this before, but you’re worth taking a chance on,” she said, her thumb skimming over his knuckles.
He closed his eyes and then pushed up out of his seat, circling around their table to where she sat. Before she could say anything, he cupped her face and kissed her, pouring everything he was feeling into it. The gratitude for her forgiveness and understanding, the relief that she hadn’t rejected him, the sheer joy that she still wanted him after everything.
He pulled away after a few seconds, his hands lingering on her face. “I don’t deserve you.”
Her lips twisted in a smile. “Yes, you do.”
The waiter returned with another course, so he sat back down, even though he would’ve rather stayed closer to her. As the courses continued to arrive—crab, barrel fish, more salmon and tuna, even sea urchin and eel—the conversation flowed as they talked about their families, gaming, and lots of other small things. As they talked, he kept marveling at the fact that he hadn’t clued in that Fresh Princess was Willa. Now that she was here, sitting with him, telling him a funny story about something that had happened to her in college, it was so blatantly obvious. Who else could it have been?
Once they’d finished their desserts—a silky smooth custard and some fruit—she sat back, sipping her sake. “Did you see the latest update I sent out on Blind Date?” she asked, her foot sliding against his leg under the table. He shifted in his seat, moving his leg so she had easier access to it. God, any part of him she wanted, anything she wanted to do him, he was hers.
He shook his head as her foot rubbed against his calf. “No, not yet.”
“Initial reports show that the compatibility rankings are very accurate. The team ran the stats again and the margin of error was only two percentage points.”
He frowned, heat surging through his veins as her foot reached his knee. “So you’re telling me we might only be 96% compatible? Hmm. Maybe we should call the whole thing off.”
She laughed, her eyes sparkling at him, her smile wide and genuine. “Maxwell Prescott! Was that a joke?”
“An attempt at one, yes.”
She grinned at him. “I didn’t know you had it in you.” Her foot slid up his thigh, inch by inch, closer to where he was half hard for her. Slipping his hands under the table, he caught her leg, wrapping his hands around her calf and massaging. Her eyes fluttered closed and she tipped her head back. When he skated his hands higher, his fingertips grazing the back of her thigh, she squirmed in her seat, letting out a shuddery sigh.
“Can we get the bill, please?” she asked him.
He grinned at her and she squirmed a little more. “Why? Somewhere else you’d rather be?”
She sat up, taking her leg back. “Yes. In your bed, with you inside me.”
He practically vaulted out of his seat, tracking down their waiter. When he’d paid their bill, he found Willa standing beside their table, her purse slung over her shoulder.
“How much do I owe you for dinner?” she asked, slipping her hand in his as they walked toward the exit. That small, casual gesture felt so good. So right. Like her hand was exactly where it belonged, safely tucked in his.
He shook his head. “My treat.”
When they stepped out onto the sidewalk, she arched up onto her toes and gripped his shoulder, pulling him down for a peck on the cheek. “Thank you. The food was amazing.”
Unable to help himself, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, slow and sweet as the city moved around them.
13
Max tapped his keycard against the panel for the private elevator that went to his penthouse, the beep echoing in the concrete parking garage. Everything around them was quiet, the sounds of the city a dull murmur of traffic and sirens beyond the garage door. The elevator doors slid open and Max led Willa inside, her hand in his. Ever since they’d left the restaurant, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from touching her. Her fingers woven through his, his hand on her knee as he drove, his arm around her waist as they walked. He needed to touch her like he needed air. He felt like he’d been suffocating for years and now he could finally breathe.
As soon as the doors slid closed, he pulled her against him and kissed her. She curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, holding him close as her tongue slid against his, sending lust and need crashing through his veins. His hands circled her waist and then dipped lower, cupping her ass and pressing her against him. She made the sexiest purring sound in the back of her throat and wriggled against him as they kissed, his dick almost impossibly hard. Aching for her. Needing her in a way he’d never needed anyone.
“God, you’re so hard,” she rasped, wriggling against him again, making him clench his jaw in restraint. “I like you in elevators.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Because you turn me on so fucking much, Willa. I don’t think you have any idea how sexy you are.”
She pulled back a little, her cheeks pink. “You think I’m sexy?” She shook her head. “No one’s ever called me sexy before. Cute, adorable, even pretty, but…not hot. Not sexy.”
He made a low growling sound and picked her up as the elevator doors opened soundlessly onto his penthouse. “I think you’re the sexiest woman on the goddamned planet, angel.” He kissed her again, holding her against him, her legs wound around his waist. The kiss started sweet and slow but soon morphed into something hotter and much more urgent.
She wound her arms around his neck, her fingers playing in his hair as he started making his way to his bedroom. Her eyes went soft and the corner of her mouth quirked up.
“Angel. No one’s ever called me that before.”
A surge of possessiveness rocked him, making him tighten his grip on her and walk faster. She bent her head, kissing and nipping along his neck, sending a tingling shiver down his spine.
“I think you’re sexy, too, Max. You’re so unbelievably sexy.” She nibbled on his earlobe, sending a current shooting straight to his already aching balls. His mind jumped back to that night two months ago, when he’d carried her down this same hallway just like this, her small body wound around his, but this, here, now, it wasn’t the same. This time, she was his. This time, he got to keep her. This time, they could have the morning he’d wanted to give her last time.
He stepped into his dark bedroom and set Willa down, savoring the slide of her body against his as he lowered her to the floor.
“Turn around,” he whispered, and she did. Slower than he would’ve thought he was capable of, he lowered the zipper of her dress, watching as she shrugged out of it and it pooled at her feet. She wasn’t wearing a bra, only a pair of black lace panties. He groaned at the sight of her bare back and tugged her against him, her ass snug against his throbbing cock. Skimming his hands up over her ribs, he cupped her small breasts, relearning the feel of them, the hard tips of her nipples begging for attention. Kissing a path across her neck and shoulders, he stroked the backs of his fingers over her breasts and then cupped them again, massaging them slowly. From the way her breathing changed and how she moved her hips against him, he could tell she liked it. He loved uncovering what turned her on, what made her wet, what made her come. Making her feel good made him feel worthy of her. As though if he gave her enough orgasms, she might forget that he’d hurt her. That he wasn
’t quite whole.
“Your breasts are so sensitive,” he said, still massaging. Then, he dragged the palm of his hand back and forth over her nipples. She gasped and then moaned, so he did it again, and again. Her entire body was rigid against him, her breathing labored.
“Mmmhmm,” she murmured.
“Can you come like this?” he asked, then rolled her nipples gently between his fingers. Her back arched sharply, like she’d just been shocked. Rolling was good, he noted. He tried a light pinch and she shuddered, her head moving back and forth.
“With you, maybe,” she panted out. “Please don’t stop.”
“I’m not going anywhere, angel,” he said, adding a bit more pressure and rolling her nipples again. She whimpered and squirmed against him, her thighs rubbing together. Wanting to build her up more, he backed off, returning to massaging her breasts, rubbing his palms over her nipples. He did it again and again, rolling and pinching, twisting and even tugging on her nipples before retreating, kissing her neck and shoulders, scraping his teeth over her earlobes. Her arms and legs were shaking and she couldn’t seem to hold her hips still.
“Suck me, please. I’m on fire and I need your mouth.”
He turned her around and led her to the bed, where he sat down on the edge and tugged her between his legs, his arms around her waist, palms splayed across her bare back. When he glanced up at her, his dick jumped in his pants. Her eyes were dark and bright, her cheeks pink, her lips parted, her skin flushed. She looked so incredibly gorgeous in her arousal that he almost couldn’t process it. And she was his. Fucking hell. It felt like a small miracle that she was here, after the way he’d treated her. Holding her eyes, he leaned forward and took her nipple into his mouth, sucking gently. She moaned, her back arching as she wove her fingers into his hair.
“More,” she begged, her voice thin and breathy. “I need more.”
He turned his attention to her other breast, swirling his tongue over and around her nipple, flicking at it, teasing it. He moved a hand to her breast, rolling and tugging at her nipple. Her shaking intensified, and he scraped his teeth over her nipple. She screamed, her fingers tight in his hair, so he did it again, twisting the other one in time with his scraping bites.
“Oh, fuck,” she moaned. “I’m gonna…I think…don’t stop.”
He flicked her nipple while biting the other one and she broke, collapsing against him with a moaning sob, her entire body trembling. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, slow and gentle, swallowing her soft moans. After a few moments, her shaking started to subside. When she pulled back from their kiss, her cheeks were pink, her neck and chest gorgeously flushed.
“Wow,” she whispered, inhaling a shaky breath. “I’ve never come like that before.”
The corner of his mouth pulled up in a smile. “It’s so sexy how responsive you are.”
She bit her lip and started working the buttons of his shirt free. “And what about you, Max? Are you responsive?” She slipped a few more buttons free, her fingers working until his shirt was entirely open. With her bottom lip caught between her teeth, she tugged his shirt out of his pants and then set to work on his belt. Lust pounded through his veins as he watched Willa undress him.
“Stand up,” she whispered, so he did. As if he was going to do anything else except exactly what she told him. Holding his gaze, she slipped out of her panties, sank to her knees and unzipped the front of his pants. With her fingers curled in the waistband, she slid his pants down and he stepped out of them, leaving him in nothing but his boxer briefs.
She moaned softly and stroked his cock through the fabric, then cupped his balls. He hissed out a breath and then couldn’t do anything but watch as she leaned forward and nuzzled her face against him, her lips dragging over his cock. The heat of her breath through the fabric made him clench his jaw and ball his fists, it was so fucking good and yet not nearly enough. If he had his way, he’d pull his cock out and feed it to her right this second, but she clearly needed to tease and explore, and he wanted to give her that. Whatever she wanted was hers, as far as he was concerned.
Looking up at him, she kissed up and down the length of him, rubbing her lips over him. Heat coiled tight in his stomach and he clenched and unclenched his fists, fighting for control. Fighting to give her this.
“What do you need?” she asked, rubbing her palm over him, a deliberately teasing touch.
“Your mouth,” he rasped out, his voice like sandpaper, gritty and rough. “I need to see your lips wrapped around me, angel.”
She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his boxer briefs and pulled them down, his impossibly hard cock springing free. Holding his gaze, she kissed away the drop of pre-cum gathered at the tip, closing her eyes and moaning at the taste of him.
“Get on the bed,” she said, rising to her feet. He pulled her against him and kissed her, taking her with him as he moved back onto the bed, the frame creaking slightly. Still kissing her, he moved them up the bed, not stopping until his head hit the pillow, Willa’s body stretched out on top of him. She broke the kiss, trailing her lips over his jaw, his neck, his throat. “I’ve thought about doing this so many times,” she whispered and then slowly started kissing her way down his body, biting lightly at his nipples, swirling her tongue around his belly button, kissing his abs one by one. Once she was on her knees between his legs, she wrapped her fingers around his cock, stroking slowly, and all he could do was watch. It was as though he were pinned in place by the weight of his lust. His need.
His love for her.
Dipping her head, she swirled her tongue around him then kissed the tip again. Then, her gaze holding his, she wrapped her lips around him and took him deep into her mouth. His hand fisted in the duvet as he fought back the urge to thrust his hips up, wanting more of the exquisite wet heat of her mouth. Wanting to brand the image of Willa, her mouth full of his cock, onto his brain.
“That’s so good, angel,” he said, his voice low. “Your mouth is fucking heaven.”
She moaned around him, her hand fondling his balls. Even though this was new, it was as though she knew exactly how he liked to be touched, licked, sucked. Releasing him, she kissed up and down his length, licking and sucking. “I’ve touched myself thinking about exactly this,” she whispered, then swirled her tongue around the head of his cock. “I’ve made myself come thinking about this gorgeous cock in my mouth. Mmm.”
“Holy fuck, Willa,” he moaned, his hips jerking against the mattress. “That’s so fucking hot.”
Lowering her head, she took him back into her mouth and all he could do was stare, watching his cock slide between her lips. Fuck, it was too much. He threw his arm over his eyes, knowing if he kept watching he’d be coming all over her tongue in a matter of minutes. Maybe sooner.
His grip on the duvet tightened as she moaned around him, sucking him deeper, her lips and tongue working him until his balls were throbbing, heat pounding down his spine. Lifting his arm, allowing himself a glimpse, all of the air left his lungs at the sight of Willa’s mouth around him, her head bobbing as she sucked his cock. She supported herself with one hand on the mattress, while the other was between her legs, her fingers slowly, almost teasingly circling her clit.
Hot, pulsing heat gathered around the base of his cock and with his hands on her shoulders, he urged her up. He was dangerously close to coming and while the idea of coming in her mouth, of watching her swallow down everything he gave her, was beyond hot, it wasn’t what he wanted for tonight.
“Come here,” he said, tugging her up his body. She sat straddling him, her pussy pressed against his hard stomach, hot and wet. “You’re a little too good at that,” he admitted, then took her hand, the one that had been between her legs, and brought her fingers to his mouth. He slowly sucked and licked each one, savoring the taste of her on his tongue. His cock jerked and all he could think about was getting his mouth on her. On tasting the sweetness of her pussy again. Making her come, making her scream
his name. In that moment, he needed his tongue on her clit like he needed air.
“Get up here, angel,” he whispered. “I need to taste you.”
Her cheeks went red. “You want me to…” She trailed off, chest rising and falling rapidly.
He made a show of adjusting the pillow beneath his head. “I want you to come sit on my face.”
She whimpered but lifted herself from his stomach and started crawling her way up his body. Wrapping her fingers around the headboard, she carefully eased her knees down onto the pillow on either side of his head. He inhaled deeply, pulling her mouthwatering scent into his lungs.
He gripped her hips to help hold her steady and then licked her slowly, teasingly, parting her lips with his tongue. Deliberately avoiding her clit, wanting to build her up again. Wanting the heaven that was her pussy against his mouth for as long as possible. He kissed her and then started licking her in a slow rhythm, getting the tiniest bit closer to her clit with each sweep of his tongue over her pussy. Her thighs trembled, the sound of the headboard creaking mingling with her soft, breathy moans and sighs.
“Please,” she breathed. “I can’t take more teasing. I need—”
He cut her off by gently sucking her clit into his mouth and swirling his tongue over it.
“Yes,” she hissed, her hips moving in his grip. “Yes, Max.” She swiveled her hips, griding herself against his face, sending a fresh wave of arousal through him. There was nothing sexier than knowing she was enjoying herself. He got off on knowing that he was making her feel good.
He’d planned to draw it out longer, to build her up and tease her, but with the taste of her on his tongue, her hips writhing in his grip, he lost some of his control and ate at her with long sweeps of his tongue, kissing her deeply. Swirling his tongue over and around her swollen clit, sucking it into his mouth, working his lips over her as she rode his face and made the sexiest fucking sounds. Her whimpers and moans and shuddery sighs turned him on almost as much as the taste of her on his tongue. His cock throbbed and ached, hard as fucking concrete against his stomach.
