The Trade

by Quinn, Meghan

  “Same,” she gasps in my mouth with my last thrust. “Faster. Please faster.”

  I prop one hand on the mattress for leverage, the other hand falls to her hip where my thumb spans across her hipbone, and I thrust. Faster.

  The bed rocks.

  The headboard slams into the wall.

  She cries out.

  I groan.

  We’re fucking loud, we’re greedy, we’re in the moment, and nothing could stop me from the impending orgasm that climbs up my spine like a shockwave.

  “There. I’m fucking there,” I say just as her pussy starts convulsing around me, milking me, squeezing so fucking tight that I nearly go blind with pleasure.

  “Oh fuck, Cory,” she yells, her legs clamping around me. There are tears in her voice as she cries out.

  A burning sensation coils as my balls tighten, my cock swells, and I come on a roar that rips through my chest and echoes against the walls. I come so hard that I thrust us up against the headboard, our bodies folding to accommodate the pound of my hips as I collapse forward and onto Natalie. Her pussy continues to clench as I feel the remnants of my orgasm spill into the condom.

  Mother. Fuck.

  Chest heaving, our bodies begging for air, we both lie there, trying to float back from absolute euphoria.

  When I said it never felt like that before, has never been that amazing, I was not fucking kidding. It’s never been that good, and I know it’s not just because Natalie has one hell of a pussy. It’s because I’m in love with her. I feel it all the way to the marrow of my bones. I’m in love with her, and nothing is going to change that.

  Nothing.

  Finally catching my breath, I lift up a few inches to look her in the eyes, and that’s when I see satisfaction written across her face. Smile wide, eyes lazy, totally content. And I was the one who fucking did that.

  “You okay?” I ask, kissing her cheeks, then her eyes, then her nose.

  “Perfect,” she mumbles dreamily. She’s not wrong. Fuck, she’s perfect.

  “Give me a second,” I say, pulling out of her slowly and cleaning up. When I return, she’s curled up on my pillow, facing away from me. I slip in behind her and wrap my arm around her stomach, eliminating all space between us. “You sure you’re okay? I was kind of rough.”

  “I’m perfect, Cory.” She brings my hand to her mouth and presses her lips against my knuckles. “But you exhausted me. Can I sleep over?”

  “You don’t even have to fucking ask,” I say. “I want you here, Natalie.”

  She doesn’t say anything to that, which to me speaks more. She knows I want her here. She snuggles in closer and I lie there, eyes wide, my mind whirling with what we just did. This girl has changed my life. This connection—this completion—is what I’ve seen in Carson and Milly. And now I have it. Her. Now I have beautiful Natalie.

  The road ahead isn’t going to be easy, but I will not derail her trust in me. Her willingness to shelve her fear and give us this chance. To believe I will hold her heart and not mistreat it. I’m going to be the better man. The best man.

  The man she deserves.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  NATALIE

  “Good morning,” Cory says as his hand rubs against my back. The smell of freshly brewed coffee pulls my eyes open as well as the feel of Cory’s wide hands spanning my spine.

  I peek my eyes open and can’t quite comprehend the luck I’m feeling, as the first thing I see is a shirtless, wet Cory sitting by my side. He’s wearing sweats, and he’s clearly fresh from the shower.

  Sadly, I say, “You took a shower without me.” I reach up and touch his wet hair.

  “I thought you would be sore this morning. I didn’t want to push you any further. And I didn’t think I could control myself if you were naked in the shower with me.”

  “Such a gentleman,” I tease on a lazy yawn and sit up. The comforter slides down my chest, exposing my breasts. Cory’s eyes immediately fall to my torso and they darken, brows sharpening as he takes me in.

  “Shit, Natalie.” He reaches out and rubs his thumb over my skin. Oh, it’s a little sensitive. I glance down to see my chest is fire red, there are bruises spotted all over my breasts, and it looks like I was physically attacked last night. “Fuck, I’m so sorry.” His eyes flit back and forth, taking in the beard burn, the hickeys, everywhere he sucked and bit me last night. He runs a hand through his head, worried and regretful. “What can I do? Do you need ice? Shit, some kind of ointment?” He rubs his hand over his jaw, eyes still trained on chest. “I’m so fucking selfish, I didn’t—”

  I press two fingers to his lips, stopping him from babbling. His eyes widen as he watches me slip out from under the covers and straddle his lap. I cup his cheeks and press a light kiss across his lips before taking his hands in mine and bringing them to the marks on my breasts.

  Looking him in the eyes, I say, “I’m obsessed with these. I love knowing that when I walk out of this apartment, just below the fabric of my shirt, you’re with me, you claimed me, that no other man matters besides the one who marked up my body the night before.”

  He leans back, taking in the little bruises, his thumbs rubbing over them cautiously. “You like this?”

  “So much. If anyone is being selfish, it’s me, begging and asking you to mark me last night. I want to be able to look down and see you there. I like knowing I’m yours . . . because I am, right, Cory? I’m yours?”

  “You are so fucking mine,” he says, gripping the back of my head with his wide palm and bringing my forehead to his. “I wasn’t expecting last night to happen, but hell, I’m relieved it did. I needed last night more than I think you know.”

  “I did too,” I say, shifting on his lap and feeling him harden beneath me. “I’m just sad I never got to take you in my mouth.”

  He lightly chuckles. “There’s always time for that.”

  “Like now,” I say, slipping from his grasp and dropping to my knees between his legs.

  “Natalie, beautiful, you don’t have to . . .”

  His words fade away when I take him out of his sweats, marveling at his length and how hard he already is. Last night, when he started to enter me, I wasn’t sure I could relax enough to enjoy it, but with his whispered encouragement and the way he rubbed my clit, I could, and oh my God, with every inch he entered I felt myself spasm around him. It was decadent, the most intoxicating feeling, especially when combined with the intense expression on his face and the way his corded muscles bunched and contracted in his chest and neck. He was holding back so he didn’t hurt me. Hottest thing I have ever seen.

  Although, kneeling in front of Cory, the look of wonder in his eyes as I take his length in my hands, this is rivaling the images of last night. Looking up at him, this strong, powerful man, seeing him crumble from a mere touch, it blooms a sense of empowerment deep within me, propelling me forward to drag my hand down his length to the root of his cock where I grip him tightly.

  “Shit, Natalie.” He sucks in a sharp breath.

  There is no way I’ll be able to take him all the way in my mouth, but I can try my best to pleasure him. I drop my mouth to the crown and swirl my tongue around the edge. His hands fall to the sheets where he grips them tightly and leans back slightly, his abs contracting with every pass of my tongue. It’s addicting watching him slowly lose his restraint. His face is so expressive.

  Opening wide, I take him into my mouth and suck on the tip, pulling a long, guttural groan from Cory. His hand falls to my face where he stares down at me and slowly rubs his thumb over my cheek as if I’m the most precious thing in his life. That’s when I open even wider and take him in as far as I can. Breathing through my nose, I angle so he touches the back of my throat while I swallow. He groans and cups my face even harder. So, I do it again, only to pull back out and lick my way up the underside of his cock where I pump him with my hand, squeezing hard.

  On a harsh exhale, he says, “Fucking hell.”

  I bring
my other hand to his balls where I lightly roll them in my palm. Suck his crown, pump him hard. Roll, suck, pump. Roll, suck, pump.

  Take him all the way in my mouth . . . swallow.

  “Mother of God,” he shouts, his hips thrusting forward, dipping deeper into my mouth. “Fuck, sorry, Natalie . . . oh, God, that feels incredible.” He stills, his chest heaves, his quads tense beneath me. He’s close, so I pump even harder and bring my mouth to the tip where I suck him hard, in and out of my mouth. He tenses more, and then I feel his cock swell against my tongue.

  He grunts.

  He stills.

  “Natalie, I’m going to come.”

  It’s a warning I thrive on, because it’s sheer desperation. I am causing that. Me . . . He can’t hold back any longer. The wave of pleasure is about to blanket him and he’s giving me a warning. I take hold of him and pump faster, suck harder, the grunts falling from the back of his throat spurring me on.

  His cock swells even more just before he lets out a loud moan and comes, his head flying forward, his hands connecting to my shoulders as if I just sucked his spine out of him as he folds forward in disbelief. As he catches his breath, I stand, my knees aching from the hardwood floor, and I gingerly push him back on the bed and straddle his lap.

  I’m turned on from watching him come, from seeing how easily I can take down such a dynamic man. I roll over his lap and press my clit against his still-hard erection.

  Opening his eyes, his hands falling to my thighs, he watches me as I ride the ridge of his cock, rubbing his slick length along my equally slick center. My hands fall to his chest as I can already feel my body start to tighten, especially between my legs. This is not going to take long at all.

  “Natalie, beautiful, let me fuck you with my tongue.”

  I shake my head before he can lift me off him. “No, I want you like this. I’m so close.” I open my eyes to look at him and catch fascination in his eyes as he watches me ride him, feels me clench around him, takes the way my fingers turn into metal rods, digging into him, marking him myself.

  “That’s it. Ride me, Natalie.”

  I love the way he feels beneath me, like an unbreakable stone.

  I love the way he holds on to me, as if he needs me to be connected to him.

  And I love the way he makes me feel, like I’m whole again.

  Beautiful.

  Precious.

  Wanted.

  “Right there, right there,” I say, moving my hips faster as my core starts to contract. A burning sensation runs through my veins, pools and build, and throbs until it bursts into white-hot pleasure, searing my pulse and thrashing my mind with lust.

  I pump so hard on his cock that he grunts with me, and just as I moan out loud, his voice couples with me. He’s shifting me up and down while I contract. Then he grunts, and I feel his come on his stomach when my hand falls to his abs for support.

  My God.

  Sex can be like this?

  All-encompassing. Sensational. Addictive. Wonderful.

  I finally understand why Monica and Freddie are at it like rabbits.

  Breath caught in my throat, my lungs sucking for air, I stare at him in disbelief. “Did you just come again?”

  “Fucking . . . hell,” he breathes out, draping a beefy arm over his eyes. “Fuck, Natalie, you officially ruined me. Absolutely ruined me.”

  I run the tip of my finger over his stomach, amazed. “I just made you come again.”

  “You did.” He nods, surprised himself. “I . . . fuck . . . I can’t feel my legs.”

  Laughing, I lean forward, remove his arm, and press my lips to his. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my neck.

  “I need a shower,” I say.

  “So do I since you made me come on my stomach like a fucking teenager.”

  “Take one with me?” I kiss his cheek, his jaw, his neck.

  He grips my ass and says, “Yes, just give me a goddamn second to collect myself.”

  I giggle into his neck. I am so happy.

  Really freaking happy.

  Even a year ago, when I was still with Ansel, I wouldn’t say I was this happy. I was going through the motions with him, never stopping to appreciate what we had. But it feels different with Cory. He appreciates me, and I appreciate him. We have an open line of communication, and I can honestly say this man has made me feel beautiful again. Wanted. Needed.

  Without a doubt, I love him.

  And that’s terrifying.

  I never thought I’d fall in love again, especially after experiencing such heartbreaking betrayal and rejection. Nor did I think it would be this fast, but my heart wants what it wants.

  And right now, it’s beating unswervingly for Cory Potter.

  * * *

  Cory: My place tonight?

  Natalie: Six?

  Cory: Yeah. Dress sexy.

  Natalie: Are we going out or staying in?

  Cory: Since we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day early, I don’t want to share you with anyone. Unless you want to go out, I can change the plans.

  Natalie: Your place is perfect. Can I wear a dress though? I got a red one I really want to wear for the occasion.

  Cory: I require you wear that dress.

  Natalie: Also got matching lingerie. It’s really freaking hot. Monica helped me pick it out. Her mouth was hanging open when I walked out in it.

  Cory: Fuck. Why did you say that? Now all I’m going to want is to see you in it.

  Natalie: Play your cards right and you will.

  Cory: I’ll do anything you ask of me.

  Natalie: Can’t hear that enough. Can I ask you something though?

  Cory: Shoot.

  Natalie: Are you okay? I know you told me not to look, but the article from today was hard not to see.

  Cory: Fine, beautiful. Nothing to worry about.

  Natalie: They treat you so badly. I can’t stand to see people talk about you like that when it’s not even close to the truth. They said instead of training, you’re partying all night long.

  Cory: It’s nothing you need to worry about. I can handle it but thank you for caring for me.

  Natalie: I care a lot about you.

  Cory: Right back at you. Don’t worry, I have it all under control.

  Natalie: Okay. See you at six.

  Cory: See you at six, beautiful.

  * * *

  “Seriously, with the sex eyes,” I say when Cory walks over to me with a glass of wine and hands it to me. Ever since I arrived at his apartment with an overnight bag and shucked my coat, he’s been eye-fucking me, and not subtly either.

  Hand on the small of my back, he slips in next to me and places light kisses along my jaw. “You can’t be mad at me for taking my girl in every chance I get.”

  “You act like we’re not going to see each other for years.”

  “Baseball season feels like years.” He moves his lips down my neck to my exposed shoulder.

  “You are gone until April for spring training but then you’re back here, in Chicago, with me. My schedule is super flexible, and I can be your booty call whenever you want it.”

  He chuckles and whispers, “You’re more than my booty call and you know that.”

  “Yeah, tell me more about what I am to you, it’s our Valentine’s, after all.”

  “You’re a pain in my ass.”

  “What?” I pull away, feigning shock. “How so?”

  His brow raises and his beautiful eyes shine back at me with humor. Even though we’re in his apartment for our date tonight, we both chose to dress up. He’s wearing gray, flat-front dress pants and a navy-blue button-up, making his eyes shine brighter. But he’s barefoot and it’s so freaking sexy. I’m in a red, form-fitting dress that cuts low on my cleavage and something I’d probably never wear in public with how short it is, but it works great for a night at Cory’s apartment.

  Although, all through dinner, I kept pulling on the hem because it felt like it was going to roll up and
over my waist the entire time.

  “How are you a pain in my ass? Because you’re holding out on me. All I’ve wanted to do since you got here is rip that dress off to see what you’re hiding underneath and you won’t let me.”

  “Umm, do you not remember how you wouldn’t even let me see your penis until a few days ago? Pretty sure you having to wait until later tonight to strip me down isn’t going to kill you.”

  “Not true. Now I know what your pussy feels like. I leave tomorrow, I want that pussy as much as I can get tonight.”

  Oh God, the way he says pussy, pronouncing it with such a deep voice, it sends a thrill of excitement through my bones.

  Taking his hand in mine, I take him to the balcony of his apartment and open the door. The cool breeze startles me, but Cory turns on his outdoor heaters making it bearable quickly. He drapes a warm blanket over my shoulders and then captures my body with his, pinning me against the rail, my back to his front, as we overlook Lake Michigan.

  “You know I want you more than anything,” I say, leaning my head against his shoulder. “But this is something I’m going to remember when you’re in Florida. This moment, feeling your entire body protecting me, keeping me warm and sheltered as your lips casually press against different parts of my skin. I love your dick, but this right here, this also feels so much like heaven, because I like everything about you.”

  “I like everything about you too,” he says. “I just wish you would have let me get you something for Valentine’s Day. I feel like a bad boyfriend with nothing to give you.”

  Turning in his embrace, I set my wineglass down and grip his shirt. “I told you, you’re my gift. That’s all I need, nothing else.” I smile. “That and a ticket to spring training.”

  “You can have as many tickets as you want as long as that means I get to see you.”

  “Tell me when and where, I’ll be there.” I reach up on my toes and press a kiss to his jaw, unable to reach his lips without a little help from him bending. He lowers and offers his lips. I thread my fingers around the back of his neck and slide my mouth over his but only briefly before pulling away. I want to enjoy him a little longer before I strip down for him.