by Amelia Shea
“I love this,” she said, peering up at him through her lashes.
He’d had it done nine years ago, a few days after Cia was born. Marco stilled referred to it as his masterpiece. She moved forward, sliding her hand down to his stomach and pressing her lips against his heart and Cia’s tattoo. He threaded his hand through her hair. It was too much. Her mouth on his body, her sweet words, those fucking eyes… He had to have her before he exploded. He curled his hand over her shoulder, down to her waist. He gripped the hem of her shirt.
Then the air in the room shifted.
Her hand immediately grasped his wrists, halting him. He was willing to follow her lead. He sensed her hesitation wasn’t from her lack of desire. It was something else. It was personal. She proved him right with her words.
“I wanna keep it on,” she whispered and bowed her head. Saint was willing to take things at her pace without question. Except this. He wouldn’t allow her to hide from him. He wanted her. All of her.
“Bailey.”
She refused to look at him. He cupped her jaw, forcing her to glance up. The uncertainty and shame struck him to his core, and he bit back the fury that some asshole had done this to her. His thumb slid over her cheek, then grazed her lips.
“Please.” It was a plea. He’d give her anything. Except this. He leaned closer, bending over, leaving only an inch separating them.
“No, sweetheart, that’s not gonna work for me.” He kissed her temple, hovering over her body. She reached around his back and his skin electrified under her touch.
“Saint.”
He propped his elbows on the mattress. “I want all of you. I wanna touch all of you. I don’t want anything between us.”
“It’s not pretty.” Her voice was so low, had he not been so close, he might not have heard her.
He pressed his lips against hers for a soft kiss. “You’re beautiful, all of you.” He kissed her neck, and she shivered before wrapping her arms around his bare shoulders. There was a hesitation in her touch, and it gripped his heart into a strangling hold.
“You’re safe with me, Bailey,” he whispered.
She snuggled into the crook of his neck, and her breath heated over his skin. “I feel it, Saint.”
Slowly, the sharp ache of his heart eased. He pulled her up and holding her against his body. He caressed her jaw, and his lips grazed over hers before plummeting his tongue past her lips and receiving the sweetest moan.
He gripped the hem of her shirt and raised it above her head. Before she could further protest, he latched onto her lips. His hand skirted around her back, unclasping her bra. The strap fell down her shoulders, and he tore away the garment that separated them.
He pressed her down to the mattress and skimming his fingers over her stomach, making his way to palm her breast. He groaned in sync with her moan against his mouth. Her tongue lashed against his, curling around his tongue. He squeezed her breast and flicked his thumb over her nipple as he ground his cock against her pussy. They had too many clothes separating them. Bailey must have felt the same because she frantically ripped at his jean snap, yanking it open. He wasn’t even aware she’d gotten his zipper down until her warm hand pressed against his pelvic bone and slipped into his pants, grasping his dick.
His hips shot forward against her hand, and he tore his lips away and groaned. “Fuck, Bailey.”
“Take them off, Saint, I need you inside me.” Her words had him dropping his mouth to her neck, grazing his teeth over her collar bone, and pinching her nipple until she gasped. He had visions of her coming on his tongue and screeching in pleasure, shouting out his name. That had been shot to shit when he realized his desperate need to be inside her. He sprung back off the mattress. He tore his jeans and underwear off. When he glanced up, her heated gaze only amplified his need for her. He leaned forward and gripped the hem of her pants, pulling them down her legs and tossing them onto the floor. Her eyes widened, and she reached for his cock. Fuck.
“Saint,” she panted.
His need and desire were outweighing his common sense. He needed to wrap up. He had always carried condoms in his wallet since the age of seventeen. He wasn’t sure if Bailey had them handy in her nightstand and didn’t bother to ask. He pulled away, leaning over the bed and feeling for his wallet. It barely came out of his back pocket when he pulled out the square foiled packaging. He tore it open with his teeth as her hands grazed over his stomach. He stared down, focusing on her eyes. From his peripheral vision, he caught the marred skin. Her arm and upper left chest had taken the brunt of the attack. A small patch on her thigh and small scars across her stomach were lighter than the rest.
He sheathed himself and fell forward as she tightened her arms around his back. No guidance was necessary. His cock lined up with her pussy, and he slowly jerked his hips forward, spreading her lips and plummeting into her core. She was so wet for him that his cock glided in effortlessly, and they moaned in unison.
Her body trembled under his, and he gazed, finding her eyes closed and her lips parted. It was too much to resist. He pressed his mouth against hers and rocked into her body, fully seating himself into her pussy. Her hands trailed around his ribs and digging into his back.
“You feel so good.”
His mouth brushed against her neck and trailed up to her ear, “No, sweetheart. You feel so good.” He groaned as he shifted his weight. “I want to stay inside you for fucking ever.” He rarely cursed unless the situation called for it. This called for it. The walls of her core tightened in a strangling grip, which forced him to pull out slightly before thrusting inside her again.
“Oh God, Saint.” She panted. Her nails dug into his back. He wasn’t going to last. He wanted her too much. His elbows collapsed on the mattress caging her in, and he dropped his mouth to her breast. Her beaded nipples were just inches from his lips. He tongued her nipple, and her chest arched giving him just what he needed to envelop her nipple between his lips. He drew strong pulls, and her hips swiveled setting his cock fully inside her. He wanted to take his time, but he was losing control. He drove deep, pounding through her walls while sucking her breast between his lips. He grazed his teeth lightly, getting the response he wanted.
“Ahhhh…” Her nails scraped into his back with a sharp, biting pain, but he concentrated solely on her harboring breath. She was close. His only desire was to make her come. He pulled out to the crown of his cock before gliding back into her with steady strokes. The bed knocked against the wall in rhythmic thumps, and he continued to tease her nipple until switching to her neglected breast. It seemed to charge her more, and she arched her back and moaned his name.
“Saint.”
His name on her lips was too much. This woman was going to own him.
Her walls tightened around his dick. She gripped his back, and her entire body trembled against his before screaming out. It was exactly what he wanted to hear. He’d been so close to his own orgasm. He drove deep and steady inside her and thrust once, twice and… fuck. He came hard and long, his cock twitching until he was completely empty and spent.
He hesitated giving into his drained body. When Bailey wrapped her arms around his back, he released his weight and dropped his head to her neck. He’d spend the rest of his life reliving this moment.
****
Oh. My. God.
His weight drew down against her body. He must have outweighed her by at least one hundred pounds. She didn’t care. If this is how it all ends, I’m fine with it. She curled her arms over his tight, tense back.
It was almost surreal. She had thought about the first time she’d have a sexual encounter after the incident for years. Immediately after it happened, being intimate with anyone was the furthest thought from her mind. Her main focus at the time was getting better and healing, not just her body, her whole self. The incident took as much of a heavy toll on her mind as it did on her body. As time passed, she always looked forward to the future thinking one day she’d meet someone. She never
took any steps to make it happen. Now, look at me.
I can’t believe he’s in my bed, on top of me, after the most explosive, exciting sex I’ve ever had in my life. His breath heated over her neck. His heartbeat began to steady while hers remained erratic.
“Are you gonna leave, or should I set the alarm?” She held her breath watching his eyes shift to down to her. She didn’t want to come off as eager and expectant. I really want him to stay. He furrowed his brows and shifted on his side, propping himself on his elbow.
“Thought I explained myself, sweetheart. Once you let me in your bed,” he leaned closer and whispered, “I’m not leaving.” His lips grazed over her jaw, and she moved closer, wrapping her hands around his neck.
His lips pressed against her, and she melted into the soft mattress. His tongue glided against hers sending shivers over her skin. She couldn’t be sure how long they kissed, minutes or hours, all she knew was when she finally succumbed to sleep, she was tucked against Saint’s chest.
It was the same position she woke up in hours later when the alarm sounded. She stirred, burrowing her face into his side. He was warm and welcoming. It had been forever since she’d slept with another person. The intimate contact was something she missed, only realizing it now. When his arms tugged her waist, she crawled over his body, feeling his length against her bare pussy.
“Mornin’.” His voice was gravelly and so damn sexy.
She jutted forward and, in the process, rubbed against his cock. He growled and cupped her jaw, lifting to take her in for a kiss. It wasn’t as passionate and desperate as last night, yet somehow just as gratifying. His lips grazed against hers before dropping his head back on the pillow with the corner of his lips curling into a half-smile. She rested her palm over his chest and dropped her chin to lay over her knuckles, staring up at him.
Saint had been extremely open with her last night from the scars to the kiss. She wondered if his honesty would ring true now.
His finger traced over her forehead, down her temple, gliding over her cheek to her lips.
“All you have to do is ask, sweetheart.”
She smiled. “Are you a mind reader?”
“I’m a Bailey reader. You have an expressive face.” He chuckled.
“Why did you wait? With me?”
He drew in a breath. “Like I said last night, I was done the first time I set eyes on you.” He paused. “Didn’t have my life together back then. Wasn’t living here, had my shops I spent the majority of my time at, and the other with Cia. Wasn’t fair to make you wait around when I couldn’t be here.”
Damn. It was not the answer she expected.
“I would have waited, Saint.” It was her own admission, which had her cheeks heating.
His finger tightened against her waist. When he pulled her forward, her face curled into his neck for a hug. She would have waited. He wouldn’t allow it. God, he was almost too good to be true. They lay in silence for a while.
He kissed her head and whispered, “I have to get going.”
She tightened her hold on him, not wanting him to leave. He returned the gesture. She held on a second longer before rising up. He’d been honest in telling her he had to leave. She just didn’t want their date to end.
“You have a busy weekend?” he asked.
She did. She needed to set up the agenda for the meeting on Monday. There were a bunch of permit requests, mainly from club members. She had a few which were done and waiting to be delivered. The idea of seeing the members had her stomach roll in an uneasy twist. She eyed him carefully, and a thought clicked.
“Yeah, could you do me a favor?”
“What do you need?”
“I have the permits for the back-lot paving for Kase’s shop. If I give them to you, will you pass them along?”
Saint eyed her suspiciously. She could understand his confusion. It would seem out of character for her to ask him to pass them along without presenting them herself. She valued her position as mayor and seldom used others to do her work. She took her position seriously. However, last week’s events, then her meltdown at Caden and Marissa’s left her feeling humiliated, vulnerable, and not wanting to come face to face with any member. Except, Saint.
“Yeah, I could do that.” He eyed her, gliding his finger over her cheekbone. “Need me to drop anything off at Macy and Chey’s place? They’ve got permits they’re waiting on too.”
So sweet.
“No, I can swing by their place tomorrow.”
“But you can’t swing across the street at the same time?”
Caught. Her lips tightened, and her cheeks flushed. Lying was never her thing, mainly because she didn’t do it well. The truth was the best option. Though she couldn’t reveal it while looking at him. She darted her gaze to his chest, staring down at his daughter’s name over his heart.
“I’m embarrassed.”
His thumb slid over her chin, and she nestled closer. “Why?”
She didn’t want to talk about it. Not with Saint. She didn’t want to be a whiny woman with him. She wanted to be sexy and beautiful. She tucked her head, but his grasp tightened, forcing her to look at him.
“You know what happened at Caden’s?”
He nodded, and she dropped her face against his chest with a low groan.
His chest shook under her face. She was still getting used to Saint’s laugh. She peeked up, and he smirked.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I j-just…” How could she word it where she didn’t come across weak? She licked her lips. “I overreacted.” Before she finished her sentence, he was shaking his head.
“No, you didn’t.” His lips grazed against her forehead. “You were hurt. You have every right to be angry and pissed off.” He lifted her chin and moved closer. “You don’t get to be embarrassed. You didn’t do anything to warrant it. You hear me?”
She heard him, though, she didn’t necessarily agree.
“I had a meltdown.”
“Not the first person to do it won’t be the last.”
She squinted her eyes. “I can’t imagine you having a meltdown.”
He smiled. “Would it make you feel better if I did?”
“Maybe.”
He snickered and she settled against his bare chest.
She could have laid in bed with him all day. At his insistence, they got up. It was selfish of her. She knew he had things to do which included finishing his work before Cia arrived later that night. She was surprised when she offered him coffee to go. He chose to stay with her. She glanced at the clock knowing for every minute he stayed, he’d be behind schedule in getting his work done.
She settled in her chair next to him and sipped her coffee.
“You around tomorrow?”
She licked her lips, and she watched as his gaze darted down to her mouth. She nodded, holding back her smile.
“We’ll stop by around two.”
“We?
“Cia and me. Want her to meet you.”
Bailey gasped. “Um… isn’t it a little soon?”
She’d never dated someone with kids. Surely there was a timeframe of waiting.
“No.”
“Isn’t there a waiting period or something?” She wiped her forehead with her shaky hand. “I mean, shouldn’t you wait to see if you still like me in a couple months?”
Saint snorted and reached out, taking her hand. He pulled her arm, and she rose from her seat, walking to him. He pushed out his seat and guided her to his lap.
“Sweetheart, I liked you last month and the month before. In my mind, for the past year, you were mine. I don’t see any reason to wait unless…” He paused searching her face. “You’re unsure about me?”
His statement was comical though she didn’t laugh. How could he even think she was unsure? Because our first date happened less than twelve hours ago. She sighed and bit her lip. This man who she had obsessed over for the past few months wanted her to meet his
daughter. Why was she stalling? She caught a small glimpse of her bare scarred arm in her view. She closed her eyes. What if Cia saw it? She’d obviously do as she’d always done and cover up. But what if by some freak chance she saw and then asked? How would she explain it? The truth was not an option, not for a nine-year-old.
He squeezed her hip, and she glanced up. His finger traced her bottom lip, and he stared down at her through hooded lids.
“I’m not unsure, Saint.” She scanned his face and drew in a breath, prepping herself to give the same amount of truth he’d given her. “I wanna be with you.” She couldn’t bring herself to divulge her insecurities, though.
He smiled. “Two o’clock?”
She nodded. Her acknowledgment was a lie as excuses filtered her mind on ways to get out of meeting his daughter.
I’m an awful person.
Chapter Ten
Saint stretched an arm over his head and cracked his neck to the sound of coffee percolating. This would be his third pot of the day. He was surviving on caffeine. He knew leaving Bailey’s bed wouldn’t be an easy task. However, he wasn’t prepared for it to be nearly impossible. She set the alarm for seven. After hitting it three times, he turned the damn thing off, not wanting to hear the reminder, he’d be leaving soon. Instead, he chose to curl up next to her warm body. He noted she fit perfectly tucked into his chest. He sighed.
