by G. K. Brady
“I’m sure.” She kissed a trail along his strong jaw to his ear.
“Christ almighty, you make me fucking crazy, Lily. I want you so bad.” Unadulterated desperation and longing reverberated in his voice, and Lily’s spirit surged. Boldness bloomed.
“Tell me how I make you crazy, Gage,” she whispered back, nibbling his earlobe while her hand worked his silky shaft.
He wrapped his long fingers around her throat and nuzzled her cheek, panting against her skin. “You’re all I think about. Being buried so deep inside you I don’t know where I end and you begin.”
She opened her legs to accommodate him, and he repositioned himself until he nudged her entrance. Her hands moved to his back. “Vanilla sex, Professor?”
A strangled sound came from him. She thought it was a laugh. “Vanilla, strawberry, pecan praline. You name the flavor. I aim to please.” His hands back in her hair, eyes locked on hers, he inched inside her. His breath stuttered. “You feel incredible.”
While her body adjusted to his girth, taking him in bit by bit, a series of moans rolled from him. He feathered kisses over her cheek, her jaw, and laid his mouth alongside her ear. “Watching you get off was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Jesus, I want to make you come all over me again and again.”
Now it was her turn to pull in a sharp breath. She didn’t have much experience with dirty talk, but between that and the sensation of him sinking deeper inside her, without latex between them, she stood on the brink of another climax. He flexed his hips and thrust deeper, gaining headway within her walls, ripping a throaty moan from her chest.
“That’s it, beautiful girl. Moan for me. Fuck, I love the sexy sounds you make.”
He withdrew partway and drove in harder, burying himself to the hilt. A sound that was part-moan, part-wail escaped her. He began to move, his rhythm deep and slow. She stroked his back and dug her fingers into his ass, urging him to go faster.
Another chuckle. “Not yet. I plan to make this last a while.” He paused. “In fact, I think it’s time to change flavors.”
Before she could react, he withdrew and flipped her on her stomach. He wedged a pillow under her hips, and he was back inside her. His hand slid to her front, and his fingers expertly circled and teased while his hips began moving in time, making her groan and writhe and see stars exploding in her head.
The slow, steady tempo brought him deeper inside her. Pleasure so intense it was almost painful coursed through her bloodstream like a river of fire, drenching her in sensations she’d never felt before.
He kept up the unhurried, steady strokes, driving her out of her mind. But it was his words that pushed her higher into the stratosphere.
“I want to fuck you into next week, Lily. I want to fuck you till you can’t walk without thinking of me buried inside you.”
The power was all his. She’d relinquished it, a spellbound captive of his words, his lips, his fingers, his glorious cock. This quiet, unassuming man strummed her body like a damn guitar, plucking and coaxing at will. She longed to explode, implode, disintegrate around him.
He shifted behind her, flattening his palm against her belly to hold her in place while his hips picked up speed. His free hand cupped her breast, pinching her nipple. He dropped his head to the base of her neck, sank his teeth into her flesh, and sucked her skin hard.
Shy he was not.
Mind splintering into a million fragments, she babbled incoherently as she was lifted into soul-bending euphoria. Her unstoppable moans transformed into hoarse shouts that seemed to spur him on, and he slammed into her over and over.
As he rode her harder and harder, the pillow flattened, and her knees slid out. He collapsed on top of her and stopped mid-stroke. Chest heaving, he pulled out. An icy ache rushed into the hollow he no longer filled.
She glanced at him over her shoulder. “What are you doing?” she gasped.
Grabbing her ankles, he turned her over. Cold air raced over her, puckering her skin, turning her nipples to hard peaks. He stretched out above her, bracing his weight on his forearms, bracketing her. Panting hard, he peered down at her, his burnished eyes on the wild side. Wet and steely, his cock prodded her. “What do you want me to do, Lily?”
She tugged on his shoulders to pull him to her, but he didn’t budge.
His eyes remained fixed on hers. “Tell me what you want, Lily.”
She exhaled a frustrated growl.
He dropped his head to her breast, drawing it into his mouth, rolling her nipple between his teeth before he bit down lightly.
“Don’t be shy. Tell me what you want me to do to you,” he murmured.
Licking, sucking, devouring, there was nothing gentle about his mouth’s assault, and it made her want to climb him, to impale herself on him. God, so much!
He blew on her wet nipple, stiffening it until it throbbed. “Talk to me, Lily.” He moved to her other breast, subjecting it to the same treatment.
Her voice came out strained, small, and reedy. “I want you to fuck me.”
“Tell me again. Louder this time. Make me believe you. Use that beautiful voice of yours.” His body still a hard plank suspended above her, his head bobbed as he clamped down and gave her nipple a hard flick of his tongue. His rigid cock prodded her stomach.
“Gage,” she gasped, “I want to feel you inside me, filling me. I want you to fuck me hard.”
Raising his head, he looked deep into her eyes with blazing heat. He grabbed her hips and tossed her legs over his shoulders, his cock poised at her entrance.
He drove into her slowly at first, stroking deeper, deeper, over and over, his breathing growing labored, his guttural grunts pitching louder as he picked up speed. He squeezed his eyes shut as pleasure played over his chiseled features and built in intensity, as though he were ready to detonate inside. Captured in his grip, helpless to match his rocketing thrusts, she held on while he pounded relentlessly.
And, God help her, she loved it!
This time when she crashed into the abyss, he followed, hissing her name and praising God, Christ, and all the saints as he went.
Chapter 20
What’s Passed Isn’t Past
Gage came to, realizing he had not, in fact, died. Lily lay beside him, her wild hair strewn over the comforter, her eyes on the ceiling, her creamy breasts rising and falling as she caught her breath. Her face, throat, and chest were flushed a beautiful shade of deep pink. A wave of satisfaction washed over him knowing he was the reason she looked that way.
Apparently, he’d rolled off of her, though he couldn’t remember doing it. Couldn’t remember a whole lot of anything except the bombs bursting in air and the in-fucking-credible feeling of being inside her.
Shit. Had he gone too far? What the hell had gotten into him?
Lily. Getting into her had gotten into him.
He glanced over at her, a little worried about the expression he’d find. Her bright blue eyes were on him. Breaking into a soft smile, she ran the back of her hand along his beard. Okay. She’s smiling. That’s a good thing. He covered her hand with his, pulled it to his mouth, and kissed it. Unbidden, I love you popped into his head. Whoa! A little soon. Oh yeah. He’d need to keep that to himself.
“Hi, beautiful,” he rasped instead.
“Hi, yourself.” She raised up on an elbow, facing him, giving him a full view of her forever curves—a view he could get used to seeing every day.
He wrapped one of her curls around his finger. “That was … that was …”
She arched an eyebrow.
“Not vanilla,” he laughed.
“And not July,” she countered.
He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but when she draped her arm and leg over him and snuggled against his chest, he took it as a good sign. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, nuzzling her hair.
“What kind of shampoo do you use?” His voice came out thick and fuzzy.
“It
’s something with almonds. I just started using it. Why?”
He brushed her hair back, dropped a kiss on it, and inhaled. “It smells really good.”
She wiggled in a little closer, and a smile curved his lips. He could get used to this too. “Cold?” he asked.
“Just the parts of me that are exposed,” she murmured.
He grasped the comforter and dragged it over her, then settled into the mattress with a deep, contented sigh as he held her.
A little while later, he startled, only to find the comforter completely covering him and Lily gone. His heart bottomed out. How long had he been asleep? It was still daytime, though the light was thinning. Hobbes stared at him with curiosity from a foot away. Not the female he wanted to wake up to.
Water was running in the bathroom, and he sank back in relief. A moment later, Lily emerged, panties on, tugging her sweater around her hips. Her eyes widened. “Did I wake you up?”
He rolled to his side and faced her. “No. How long was I out?”
She sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress barely dipping, and began pulling on her leggings. “Maybe fifteen minutes? You looked so peaceful, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”
An alarm went off inside him. “Are you leaving?
Planting one hand behind him, she leaned over and kissed him, long and sweet. “No, I was planning on raiding your fridge to see what I could find for us to eat, and I didn’t think I should be traipsing around your house half-naked with all those open windows.”
He wound an arm around her, his cheeks stretched into a stupid grin. “I can’t see my closest neighbor from here. Feel free to take off your clothes and traipse at will.”
Lips quirking, she smoothed his hair off his forehead, making it impossible for him to wipe the smile from his face.
“It’s a little chilly in the kitchen,” she said, “so I’ll just leave them on for now. Besides, it might be fun having you take them off me later.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and his cock danced to life.
He slipped his hand under her sweater and pulled her down to him. “How about right now?” As his fingers traveled up her back, he realized she wore nothing under the sweater, and his dancing cock became a full-on boner. His hand slid down her back, around her ribcage, until he palmed her breast. It filled his hand perfectly. Her nipple beaded as soon as his fingers brushed it, and he found himself lifting the sweater, angling his mouth closer to her skin.
A giggle bubbled out of her. “I could use a little food before the next workout, Professor. I’m guessing you could too?”
Eyes on her, he flicked his tongue out and licked. She pulled in a quick breath, then faked a stern look. “Are you going to help me in your kitchen or not?”
“I will as long as you keep giving me a reason to keep up my strength.”
“Keeping up your strength is good—among other things you should keep up.”
“Goldilocks, you have a one-track mind.” And I love it.
With a wink, she pulled away, rearranged her sweater, and stood. “Right now that one-track is all about food.”
“I’ll be right down,” he said. As soon as I get something else down. He watched as her ass swayed out the door, then rolled onto his back with a happy groan and a plan to keep her there formulating in his head.
Minutes later, he got up, threw on a pair of sweatpants, and jogged downstairs to the kitchen. The sight of Lily on tiptoe, peering into one of his cabinets, brought him to a halt. Yeah, another sight he could get used to. She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled.
“Going through my stuff again?” he teased.
Her cheeks instantly pinked. “I was looking for measuring cups.”
“Ah.” He walked toward a different cabinet, opened it, and slid out a rolling shelf. “They should all be there.” Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the counter and watched her sort through varying glass and plastic bowls and cups. “So, speaking of going through my stuff …”
She froze and fastened wide eyes on him.
He fought a smile. “You were right about the, ah, condoms in the nightstand.” An old three-pack he’d totally spaced, but what interested him more was what he found beside it.
“Well,” she paused and cleared her throat, “when I didn’t find any tissues in the drawer, I …”
“You naturally checked the cabinet.”
A slow nod.
“Did you find anything else in there?” he asked.
She reared back, placed her hand on her hip, and struck a sassy pose that had him wanting to carry her cute ass right back to bed. “You must know I did if you’re asking.”
With a low chuckle, he reached for her and drew her between his legs, lacing his hands at the small of her back. “You saw the picture.”
Her index finger traced a lazy circle on his bare chest, and her gaze followed it. “I saw the picture. But I don’t need to know about it.”
“You don’t need to know, but I want to tell you anyway.” He lifted her chin with a knuckle. “You okay with that?”
“I’m okay with that,” she whispered. The look in her eyes told him differently.
“Jessica is a girl Sarah and I grew up with. Our moms were best friends, and they took care of each other’s kids. Consequently, we kids all had a second mom. Well, I actually had three, considering Grandma, and sometimes four, if you count Sarah.”
Lily rewarded him with a half-smile. “Poor guy.”
“Oh, you have no idea! It was like living in a foreign country, not to mention all the lady things everywhere. Every night they seemed to reproduce. Not that I mind lady things. Well, I don’t mind your lady things. But then, they’re smaller and lacier and a hell of a lot sexier.” He felt himself tighten again. “Sorry. Where were we?”
She quirked an eyebrow. “You and Jessica?”
And now things quieted down below his waistband. “Right. Jess and I were childhood friends, and about five years ago, we, uh, decided to try dating. That picture was taken during my first all-star weekend—I was picked as a rookie sub. Jess and I were seeing each other at the time, so I brought her with me. That’s it.” He held on to Lily, and she continued tracing outlines on his skin.
A furrow appeared on her forehead. “I assume things fell apart.”
“Shortly after that weekend, as a matter of fact. I think we lasted a whopping six weeks.”
“What happened?”
He pulled in a cleansing breath. “It just wasn’t … It didn’t work. Turns out we were better friends than lovers.”
Staring into Lily’s eyes, he noticed for the first time they held gold flecks and were ringed in a deep, dark blue. Wonder if T.J. would paint them?
“Who broke it off?”
He lifted her hand from his chest and kissed her fingers before putting it back. “I did.” The small spark that had existed between him and Jess had died a quick death. At least for him, and guilt still haunted him. He’d done a piss-poor job ending it.
“But you kept the picture.”
“No, I left it in the Bay Area, and when my mom and sister came out to help me decorate this place, Mom brought it with her. She thought I wanted it, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her I didn’t after she went to the trouble. It’s been in the nightstand ever since. I never look in there, which is why I have condoms and a picture I forgot existed.”
Lily’s expression turned thoughtful. “What’s the longest relationship you’ve been in?”
Suppressing a flinch, he barked out, “Me?” Oh yeah, that didn’t give away anything.
She flashed him an impish smile. “I wasn’t asking Hobbes. Yes, Professor. You.”
“Well, that would be … a few months?”
Three rapid-fire blinks. “So Jessica’s among the longest relationships you’ve had?”
He nodded. “It’s not that I don’t want one, it’s just that—”
“You don’t chase indiscriminately.”
He craned his head and stole a kiss.
“Relationships take time and energy, and hockey’s been priority one. But it’s more than that. I guess I’ve just been disappointed. I start seeing someone, but then I find out they’re way more interested in what I do than who I am. I got tired of it, got tired of meeting the same clones over and over, so I took a break from dating. I was still on that break when I met you at the wedding.”
She nodded as if this explained everything, then rose in his arms, cradled his face, and laid a long, slow, spine-tingling kiss on him.
His heart rate was skyrocketing when she pulled away, and little breath was left in his lungs. “What was that for? I’m not complaining. I just want to know so I can keep doing whatever made you kiss me like that.”
Head canted, a dreamy smile on her face, she seemed to study him. “Checking to see if I’m a clone. Or was it a clown?”
“Neither!” You’re different from anyone I’ve ever known.
She giggled. “Well, that’s a relief.” Her expression shifted, and she suddenly looked embarrassed.
He gave her a squeeze. “What is it?”
Her eyes slid to the side, and her lashes fluttered against her smooth skin. Then she riveted her beautiful blues on him. “You’re, um …” She gave her head a little shake, and her silky coils bounced.
He traced her jaw with his fingertips. “What are you trying to say?”
A huge inhale, and then she rushed out with, “You’re the second man I’ve ever slept with.”
To say he was stunned was an understatement, and he froze in place. “Seriously?”
Cheeks pink and polished, she gave him a head bob. “Seriously. Does that make me lame?”
A “Wha—” escaped him in a half laugh, half choke. He shook his head until he could get his tongue working again. “Of course that doesn’t make you lame.”
It makes me one lucky son of a bitch.
Though she was smiling, her eyes were shiny with tears. Oh no! No, no, no! No tears. Hand cupping her head, fingers threading into her curls, he pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arm around her protectively.
