Forbidden With Me: A With Me In Seattle Universe Novel

by Leigh Lennon

  He doesn’t say anything else. It’s then that I know they can’t be saved. They’re already dead.

  His body is hard and I’m pressed against his chest. It’s the home I’ve always known I’d have in him. When he turns to my room, a big part of me wants him to bypass where I’m sleeping and take me right to his.

  Why does this man have to be so fucking honorable? It drives me nuts, yet this is him. I can’t be alone tonight. The day has seen so many emotions from me, and it’s hard to believe what’s occurred in twenty-four hours. A family murdered to copycat my own family’s horrific massacre, being swept off the campus with Greenlyn yesterday, waking up with the snoring Wells near me on a big chair, in the Montgomery living room, my standoff with his bitch ex-fiancée, the kiss to undo every other kiss in my life, the pictures of Annie lying lifeless in my childhood home, the comfort of Wells, when I had come undone at the memories, remembering the journal, yet I’m still at peace in his arms.

  He lowers his body, depositing me gently on the bed, and as he backs away, I reach for his hand to stop him. “Please don’t leave me alone tonight.” His eyes shoot to me, heat flashing in them.

  “Mal, we can’t…”

  “Wells.” It’s a plea, but I can’t seem to give it much effort. I’m instantly tired and can barely keep my eyes open. “Not like that. I’m safe with you. Please keep me safe.” The world around me goes silent, and the second I close my eyes, I’m out.

  Pillows are propped in the middle of the bed, a light snore encompassing the room. The door is closed to the hallway, but a brightness illuminates it, from the closet, sitting on the opposite side of the room.

  I lean up on my elbows, pushing the fluffy pillows down in order to look in awe at the sharp and beautiful features of the only man who will ever own my heart. With the sparse of light, I can still make out his darker blonde hair, his nose, just a little bit crooked from a wrestling injury. Yeah, I stalked him, too, when he wouldn’t return my letters. He must have felt bad, not remembering a Franz Enderlin, who apparently went to school with him. Of course, Franz was me, and not a real person, as I tried to get as much information about this man as I could. If he wouldn’t return my letters, he wouldn’t approve my friend request.

  I, on the other hand, kept my Facebook open and not private for the reason that I hope he, too, stalked me—though it was under MJ Strick and only Jules knew this. I had hoped she leaked it to my police angel.

  His body and his face, all the way down to the lips any girl would die for, and the birthmark at the hairline of his neck are all perfect parts of him I love and adore.

  “I can sense you’re staring at me, Mal.”

  Ah, that three-letter nickname no one ever called me because it was too confusing with my aunt Mally leaves me almost light-headed. But I recover quickly.

  “How do you know I’m staring?” He pops one eye open, and he’s caught me. I don’t have the sense to look away, but then again, maybe I want to own it.

  “I can see you, sweetheart.”

  “Well,” I begin, and I resist to touch him, “maybe you’re just too irresistible not to stare at.”

  He rubs his eyes and settles them back on me when he’s done. “You’re good for a man’s ego. You know this, right?”

  I move the barrier between us. “I’m good for a lot of things when it comes to you, Wells Shanahan.”

  I think I have the pillows out of his reach when he grabs both from me, rearranging them back as our barrier. I ignore this, but continue my intense stare. “You stayed. I wasn’t sure you would.”

  He has a light blanket over him. He didn’t get under the covers, but it leads me to wonder what he has on under this thin shield of fabric. “You were crying, so I crawled onto this bed and fell asleep like a baby.”

  “Because this is where you needed to be,” I explain, but I go straight onto the next topic I need to tackle. “So, are you going to tell me what else you found in my old house?” I didn’t want to know, but I needed to.

  He pulls both hands from under the covers and uses them as a protective safeguard—where I can’t read his emotions. “Sweetheart.” His words are mumbled a little, but I can still understand him with his hands partially covering his lips. “I’m not sure I should tell you.”

  “No, you probably shouldn’t, but….”

  He pushes himself up against the headboard, bringing his light blanket with him. He has a shirt on, but through it, I can see the rippling biceps pushing against the sleeves.

  “Fuck, Mal, I can’t stand to see anything else hurt you. Do you know how much I need to protect you?”

  “I know, but I’m not a kid anymore, old man.” He lightly smacks my arm as I’m still lying on my side with my head angled in order to see all of him.

  “Okay, buckle in, because what I’m about to tell you is all sides of fucked up.”

  I ready myself and roll over, sitting across from him, crisscross apple sauce. I look at his face, the words dripping from his mouth, from the writing on the wall, to the forensic team's assessment of there being too much blood for anyone to survive it.

  My stomach roils, and I bolt from my kindergarten stance so quick and run toward the bathroom. Thankfully, I make it to the bowl. I’ve shut the door and was able to lock it. I need two minutes, to myself, in the peace of a now dirty toilet. I push from the floor, looking at my reflection. “Mal, honey, I just need to know you’re okay.”

  “Yeah.” It’s all he gets, but as I splash cold water on my face and brush my teeth, I see something I’m tired of being and have been for the past eleven years. I’m no longer a scared kid and refuse to act like one.

  Chapter 19

  Wells

  There’s an instant shift in her expression, and I can’t read it, yet in a second, she looks as if she’s grown before my eyes. With my hand, I bring her back to her bed.

  “What’s going on in the glint of your eyes, Mal?” Fuck, if she wasn’t beautiful before, she’s knock-down gorgeous now.

  “I’m tired of him winning and controlling my life.” She reaches over the pillows that are back between us, grabbing at my fingers. “I know you think we are all sorts of wrong together, but don’t you understand, you’re the one good thing in my life, the only part I know he can’t take away. You’re the one person who makes sense to me.”

  I throw the pillows that have been between us to the floor. Her beautiful face is in front of me, begging me to love her. But I love this woman down to every fiber. Her lower lip trembles as they part at the same time. My fingers become clammy, and I swallow hard when her eyes lock on my mine, softening, silently beckoning me to close the space between us.

  I push off from the mattress onto my knees, leaning forward to pull her body flush to mine. Both of us are kneeling, and her nose touches mine.

  “I’m not doing this back and forth with you, Wells. I want you, but I don’t want to be a mistake in the morning.”

  “You’re trouble, you know this, right?” I ask as I often do, with my hand stopping on her head, raking my fingers through her dark hair.

  “I’m the best kind of trouble you’ll ever find in your life.”

  Fuck common sense, fuck my overly moral compass. We’re both consenting adults, and when my lips reach hers, she pulls back.

  “Tell me I won’t be a mistake in the morning,” she commands.

  I pull some loose tendrils falling in her face from her eyes. “You can never be a mistake because you’re the only thing in my life that makes sense.”

  Her face lights up while her hands loop around my shoulders to pull me closer to her tiny body. “I’ve loved you since I was nine.”

  I know I’ve loved her for a while. “I’ve loved you since you showed up on my doorstep, demanding answers. You’re such a fierce woman. And I don’t want to ever imagine a life without you.”

  My hands twirl her hair as I slowly bring our heads together. It’s not our first kiss, but unlike yesterday, I know it won’t be our la
st kiss either. My lips part, and at that moment, I’m met with a blast of her flavor—sweet, seductive, and addictive. We brush our lips against one another, her softness reaching my more calloused ones. But it continues as the freshness and the delicacy of it is profound, for what I want to build—with her.

  When her tongue fully fuses with my own, my gentleman down under urges to find release. And it’s wrong to sleep with her the first night, right? But I’ve imagined this as much as I’ve been fighting it, too.

  Her hands rub down my arms, onto my ass, an exploration of sorts that causes every bit of my body to become alert. I’m enjoying the motions of her soft curves when her hand snakes around between us, palming the thin fabric against her hand and my cock.

  Our kiss moves from gentle to frantic as she pushes me back, and I move my feet around to where we are horizontal with one another. Our kiss is never broken, but what started as innocent turns to unbridled passion as our mewls spur the other one on. I rotate my body to the side, where we are both lying on our sides on the bed as her hand continues to palm my erection.

  My hand travels down to the hem of her tank top and back up as I cup her tits that are more than a handful, twisting her nipples. The whimpers continue as her hand stops for a moment, only to work her way into my pajama pants. I pull back, and our gazes instantly meet.

  “Mal, sweetheart, I won’t regret this, but I don’t think…” The problem is I don’t want to think. I only want to feel and feel her right now.

  She puts her index finger to my lips with a smile on her face. “I love you. I want you. What is there to think about?”

  I don’t fight it, and when her fingers touch my aching dick, I’m lost for what a good argument could be. Wrapping them around my cock, she strokes up and down in lazy yet methodical strokes, and I whip my head back, closing my eyes at the sensation of her touch. It’s all I thought it could be yet more.

  “You can’t keep doing this to me,” I warn her, yet it doesn’t stop me from my exploration. Moving her tank top up past her breasts, I suck at one nipple as her strokes on my cock pick up. “I don’t want to come like this,” I admit, and every little tiny reason for the two of us to be apart means nothing right now.

  I pull away for a brief second, standing from the bed, when her eyes turn away from me. I know she’s thinking that I’m leaving her, but she could not be more wrong. Moving around to where she is, and closer to the door, I pull her toward me, scooping her in my arms. Reaching for the door, I open it, to walk with her across the hallway and into my own room, my own bed. If I’m going to show her tonight how much I love her, I’m going to do it right. And I really don’t want to give Stewart any ammunition to use against me tomorrow because the walls of the guest room and the office are thin as fuck.

  “What are we doing?” she asks but doesn’t give me a chance to answer. “I thought you were leaving me in bed.”

  I kiss the bridge of her nose, then kick my bedroom door open. I walk the four steps to my bed, leaning down, placing her gently onto her back, moving the hairs from her beautiful face. “I know you did, and I’m sorry. But if I’m going to have you, I’m going to do it right.”

  I rotate my body around, making it back to the door to close it quietly, then lock it behind me. I stalk to her, and she giggles. I want our first night to be special, but we have to be who we are to one another on a daily basis. I’m easygoing, and she giggles way too much, and it’s always music to my ears. Joy on her lips after the shit she’s been through means I know I’m the one who has put it there.

  She’s kneeling on the edge of my bed, waiting for me when I move my head to hers, ready to continue my assault on her, and this is what I do. As much as I’d denied it, I can’t help but see our future together. And I want it all with her—the large family and the sleepless nights when she brings my babies into this world.

  “Fuck, Malia, I want you so much—I’m so tired of denying my need for you.”

  “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere, so come claim me.” She moves over to the top of the bed where she rests her head against the pillows, then pats the open area next to hers.

  Whipping my T-shirt off, I crawl into bed, about ready to claim the girl who has always been mine.

  Chapter 20

  Malia

  His eyes are over mine, and his fingers travel down over my collarbone reaching my breasts. “The second you want to stop, we will. You deserve perfection, and I’m the one who will give it to you.”

  He stops, momentarily reaching over to an end table on one side of his bed to pull out a foiled package. “A part of me thinks we should wait,” he begins.

  “And the other part?” I ask, pointing at the erection attempting to poke out of his pajama pants.

  “This other part says fuck it because I’ve denied you for too long.”

  He drops the condom onto the pillow next to my head when he lowers his mouth to mine. His kiss isn’t hurried. It’s small little pecks as he sucks on my lip, as his flavors mingle with my own.

  His finger dips to my folds, underneath my yoga pants and my underwear. “Fuck.” It’s the first word escaping his mouth when he plunges into my wetness. “Oh, you’re ready for me, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve been ready for you my entire life,” I admit when I buck my hips, and his finger is closer to my entrance.

  “Oh, you’re a bossy little one and impatient,” he starts, his finger rubbing circles around my clit.

  “Please, please, Wells.” My whimpers accompany my wishes as he pushes the pad of his thumb around my clit, rubbing the inside of my cunt with his index finger.

  “Oh, yeah, Wells, I need this. I need you.” His mouth falls on my nipples, sucking on each one as he moves from one to the other as his fingers are still in me.

  “Are you sure?” he asks one last time.

  “Yeah, Wells, it will always be you.” He leans over, grabbing his condom, and I want to stop him. If he’s been careful, we don’t need it, but this will lead to questions I don’t want to answer right now.

  He sheaths his manhood with it, and it’s the first time I gaze upon it for this long. Not that I’ve seen many up close and personal, but his is beautiful, a thick vein pulsing on one side of his cock, both long and thick and erect as a steel beam. I’m giddy with anticipation but nervous I won’t be able to please a man with as much experience as he has to have. Certainly much more than I do.

  He’s hovering over me. “Lord help me, Mal. Once I have my fill of you, I’m never letting you go.”

  “And believe me, I won’t be going anywhere. You were my savior once, and now, you’re my everything.”

  His cock pushes inside me, but it’s slow, careful, as though he’s soaking up every second of our first time together. He pushes a little farther, and I don’t focus on the pain, the motherfucking pain, and only that I’ve wanted this for so long.

  My eyes are closed, and I take a deep breath as he pushes a little farther inside me, only to stop. “Fuck, Mal.” His words have my eyelids whipping open quickly, his body stiffening and his eyes bulging in a deep and angry stare.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” He still has not moved, and I can’t look his direction.

  “Please, Wells,” I beg.

  He drops a kiss on the bridge of my nose. “I love that you saved yourself for me, but I would have been…”

  “You’re the only person I want to make love to.” His eyes soften when he begins to push inside me. He’s slow, but I can sense every part of his growing cock against the tightness of my cunt.

  “Fuck, you feel so fuckin’ good, Mal. Fuck, sweetheart, if I didn’t already want you, this is the best gift you could have ever given me in this world. You for the first time.”

  The barrier that had hurt slowly gives way to the pleasure within me. His thrusts pick up, and all I can feel is him as he worships my body.

  His eyes never leave mine, and my gaze stays on him. There’s no other place I want to be, or nobody I want to
be with.

  “I love you, sweetheart. I really love you.”

  I knew this. I guess I’d second-guessed myself for so long that I didn’t think it was possible, but when he carried me inside the Montgomery house ten days ago, it had been the way he held me close to him, worshiping my body as he does in the here and now.

  “Faster, I can take more of you,” I encourage. “I’m okay.”

  His speed and thrusts continue when my pussy begins to orgasm with Wells inside me.

  “I’m close, sweetheart,” he says as I find release in him, and fuck, he’s the sweetest. My moans fill his room, and in one last thrust, he finds his own release.

  I lie in his arms, his fingers lightly stroking my hair as my fingers dance across his six-pack.

  “Why did you wait?” he asks, and I knew we would discuss this eventually.

  “No one was you.” It’s the truth. Sure, I had boyfriends, but my trust had been shattered, and putting faith in anyone but myself wasn’t something I could do. But with Wells, he’s a whole other situation.

  “Moving forward, you can’t keep these kind of secrets, Mal. I wish you would have told me.”

  There’s a truth to his statement, and I want to address it. “I didn’t want it to be the last straw. I finally had you willing to admit this, and as squeamish as you’ve been, you didn’t need another reason to pull away.” I take a quick breath because I have more to say. “I trust you, Wells. With my body, my mind, and soul. I’ve always trusted you, and I knew you’d treat me with the utmost respect, but I promise, moving on, I won’t keep the big things from you.”

  I can’t see him because my head is buried in the crook of his neck. A soft kiss gets placed on the top of my head. “That’s all I want, sweetheart.” His hand holding me close to his body rubs down my arm. “I can’t believe this is our reality, and, hell, it’s a great reality, too.”