Again: A Second Chance Romance

by Nikki Chase

  “But that means you didn’t even commit a crime,” Piper says, her eyes widening in shock.

  “I wasn’t exactly innocent, princess. I did take drugs, and sometimes I had them in my car. I just happened to be clean—or thought I was clean—at that time when they caught me. Ironic, huh?”

  “That’s horrible.”

  I didn’t expect to tell Piper this story, but something about her makes me want to disclose things about myself. I’m never this open with anyone else. With other girls in the past, I used to say just as much as it took to get them into bed.

  “It’s not, really. I always thought it was normal, what she did,” I say. “Everybody lies to cover their ass. I don’t really blame her. I could see myself doing the same thing in her situation.”

  “But you didn’t, Rafe. That’s the important thing. You lie, but it’s not malicious. I mean, you lied, but it wasn’t malicious.”

  “That’s right, I don’t lie anymore. Thanks for changing that into the past tense,” I say, chuckling. I shrug. “I don’t know, princess. Most people lie. I still lie in business negotiations—well, I guess it’s more like presenting the facts in a creative way, rather than outright lying. But you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah.” She takes a paper napkin and wipes her pink, luscious lips. “I still think that’s different, Rafe. You have a good heart. That makes all the difference.”

  “Thanks. That’s very kind of you to say.” I get up to move the dirty dishes to the sink. I’ll deal with them tomorrow. For now, with Piper here, I have better things to do.

  “Let me take care of those. You cooked, so it’s only fair that I do the dishes,” Piper says as she sidles up next to me.

  Our arms touch as she tries to push me away from the sink. Although we’ve spent a lot of time together lately, we haven’t had much physical contact, aside from a chaste kiss at the end of every night.

  I want to give her all the time and space that she needs. She was a virgin not too long ago, so she’s probably not used to a guy being all over her.

  I just want to make her feel comfortable, even though just looking at her sexy curves makes me want to throw her in bed and have my way with her.

  “What kind of a host would I be if I let my guest do the dishes? Just leave them in the sink for now,” I say, ignoring the rush of blood going into my cock. Jesus, I’m like a horny teenager when she’s around.

  She stops pushing, but when I turn to look at her, she’s just standing there all doe-eyed and irresistible. I can see the want in her eyes, and I know this is the moment.

  She’s ready for more.

  I raise my hand to her cheek, and she tilts her head into it, maintaining eye contact with me, making it clear she wants me.

  I don’t need any more convincing.

  I slide my hand to the back of her skull. She looks so small and delicate when she’s looking up at me like that. It makes me want to protect her and claim her at the same time. There’s no danger I need to shield her from right now, but I can do the other thing.

  When our lips touch, I can almost immediately tell this is different from the way we’ve been kissing whenever I’ve driven her home over the past week. This time, she’s not holding back. There’s nothing chaste about this kiss.

  Well, if my princess wants to get down and dirty, I’m definitely not going to object.

  I crush her lips with a bruising force, ravaging her with my lips, my tongue, my teeth. She gets more and more worked up. Her breathing gets heavier and she clutches my arms, pulling me, showing me she wants me even closer than I already am.

  I glance behind us to check that there’s empty space on the stone counter. I grab her by the waist and lift her up so she’s sitting on top of it. She gasps in surprise, but she makes no protest. If anything, the lust in her eyes just grows stronger.

  We both know we want this now. There’s no backing out.

  As we continue kissing like there’s no tomorrow, Piper puts her hands on my chest, her graceful little fingers deftly undoing my buttons one by one.

  I reach around her and pull the zipper of her dress down her back, then quickly unhook her bra. Her dress pools around her waist. She shrugs off the bra, while I yank off my button-down shirt.

  “Rafe…” Piper sighs as I move down to kiss her neck, then suck her nipples, one by one, into my mouth. My cock jumps in my pants when I hear my name slide out from between her lips, her voice dripping with obvious want. I’ve been fantasizing about licking and nibbling on these nipples for a long time, and now I actually get to do it for real.

  I move my hand up her thigh, admiring how smooth and shapely her legs are. I’m rock hard by the time I reach the top and, judging from how wet her panties are, she wants me just as much. This knowledge makes me want to plunge balls deep inside her right this moment.

  I’m not going to draw this out. I’ve been waiting long enough.

  I slide the soaked crotch of her panties to the side and find her literally dripping for me. The black lace panties tell me she had probably decided to let me take her tonight since she was getting dressed at home.

  It’s unfair how women can decide ahead of time when we men get lucky, but I’m not going to complain. There’s nothing hotter than knowing she picked out her clothes specifically to turn me on.

  “You’re wet, princess. Your panties are drenched,” I say, watching her face get contorted by pleasure as I play with her pussy. Her jaw slackens, her mouth opens, her eyes close… “You look so fucking sexy when you’re like this.”

  Piper tries to bury her face in the crook of my neck, but I lean back and continue to watch her squirm. That expression is going to slay me.

  I dip my finger inside her. She’s so tight, but my finger goes in smoothly because she’s already so wet for me. I press my thumb against her clit, and she moans.

  “You like that, princess?”

  Piper nods.

  “I can make it better. Imagine having my cock inside you, sliding in and out of you.” My words are meant to titillate her, slowly arouse her, but the way her muscles clench around my finger makes me want to take her now.

  Ah, fuck it.

  I pull my finger out. As Piper opens her eyes to see why, I lick her wetness from my finger. “You taste amazing, princess, and I’d eat you out, but I can’t wait anymore. Can you see how hard you’re making me?”

  Piper glances down to see the big bulge in my pants, and a small smile spreads across her pretty face. She reaches down, undoing my belt buckle and the fly of my pants. I stay still and give her my full attention.

  I love this. I love watching her get bolder and bolder, changing from the timid virgin who didn’t know what she wanted into a sexual goddess who takes what she wants.

  As my pants fall down to the floor, Piper wraps her hand around my cock and squeezes hard, making me groan. She smiles a naughty little smile. She slides her little fist up and down. It feels unbelievably good, and I wish I could take it slow, but it’s just not possible now, not with how aroused I am already. My cock throbs almost painfully, demanding release.

  I grab Piper’s wrist and put it behind her. She leans back, planting both palms against the counter. I use my free hand to line up my cock against her opening. She slides further toward the edge of the counter, spreading her legs wide, inviting me in.

  Fuck, can this get any hotter?

  “I’m going to fuck you senseless, princess.”

  “Promise?” Piper asks, licking her lips sensuously and letting out a lustful sigh.

  “Of course.” I smirk, loving her confidence. She’s obviously getting comfortable with her sexual side.

  I push inside her, feeling her muscles stretch to let me in. I stare as my cock spears into her. This is the first cock that has ever been in that pussy, and I’m going to make sure it’s also the last one. I’m claiming Piper as mine, and I’m not going to let her walk away. She’s never getting away from me ever again.

  I shift my gaze to her
face. She’s panting, her face flushed red and her nipples hard. I dip my head down to take another quick lick. She arches her back, pushing her soft, perky tits forward.

  “Fuck, princess, I can’t hold back anymore,” I say as I take my mouth off her nipple and grab her ass with both hands.

  “I never asked you to hold back,” she teases.

  “I’m going to fuck you hard,” I promise.

  I drive all the way inside her and pull her close until I’m buried all the way to the hilt. Piper gasps, her eyelids fluttering close as her mouth gapes open. I grind into her, savoring how warm and wet and tight it is inside her pussy.

  “You feel so good,” she moans.

  As I pull back, Piper’s slick arousal covers my shaft, letting it slide smoothly in and out of her. I’d love to take it slow, but not tonight. I want her too much. I want her urgently, desperately.

  I start to plunge into her again and again, going deep inside her. She moans and puts her hand on my ass, pulling me closer, urging me on.

  I know I’m hitting her sweet spot when her muscles grab onto my cock like they’re not letting go. I maintain the same angle and watch as she goes from aroused to flustered. She leans toward me, grabbing my arm with one hand, while her other hand is on my ass.

  My balls are heavy and boiling with come. I continue to fuck her deep as I reach down and massage her clit. Her breaths turn into gasping hitches. She throws her head back and thrusts her hips forward. I know she’s close. I am, too.

  She cries out and her fingers dig into my ass and arm when she comes. Her pussy shudders around me, milking my cock for all it’s worth, until finally I reach my peak and explode deep inside her, filling her up.

  “You’re mine,” I growl in her ear.

  “Yes, Rafe,” she sighs.

  “I’m never letting you go again.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I kiss her with force, taking full possession of her body with my cock still inside her. As our tongues twist together, I know I can’t be with anybody else but her now. Nobody else would bring me this kind of satisfaction, the kind that sates not just my body, but also soul.

  “I love you, princess.” I break the kiss, pulling back just enough so I can speak.

  “I love you, too,” she says without missing a beat.

  She smiles when she sees the surprise on my face, and I know she means it.

  My girl tells no lies.

  Epilogue

  Piper—One Year Later

  Raphael looks amazing naked. I mean, he looks great with clothes on, too. But now, looking at his big, hard, muscular body in all its glory… Honestly, it makes me want him to fuck me again, even though we've just had yet another round.

  I’ve never known life to be so happy.

  I let out a big, contented sigh, letting the heat of the water seep through my skin and into my flesh. “I’m glad we decided to visit Paris again. This was a good decision.”

  “I told you we were going to make use of this bathtub. I got Marie to prepare the flower petals and everything.” Raphael opens his eyes as he leans back on the other end of the oversized bathtub, bubbles and rose petals floating between us. He shoots me a smile before he sits up and pours me another glass of champagne.

  “Are you trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?”

  “Maybe,” he says with a smirk. “It doesn't look like I need to, though, seeing as you’re already naked.”

  I laugh. “Hey, what a woman wears—or doesn't wear—shouldn't be taken as indication of her availability for sex.”

  “Did you hear that from your gender studies class?” Raphael grimaces. “Either way, that doesn't really apply here because you’ve asked me to fuck you more times than I can count.”

  “Hey, a woman's sexual history is also not indicative of—”

  Suddenly Raphael's fingers are on my nipple, rolling and pulling it until it's hard as a diamond. I gasp, unable to finish my sentence.

  “What about this nipple? Or that sexy-as-fuck gasp? What do they indicate?” He stares at me with a smirk, knowing he has won this round.

  “That I want you,” I admit.

  He chuckles, obviously satisfied with my answer. “I think I'm done here. I’ll wait for you outside, princess.”

  “You’re not going to rinse off in the shower?” I ask.

  “I told you, that's not a thing that everyone does,” he says as he stands up and gets out of the bathtub. Damn, my boyfriend has the perfect body. Those broad shoulders and chest, that rounded ass, those strong arms...

  Still, I protest, “But you're not clean.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not any dirtier than I was when I went in.” He’s already drying himself off with the towel that Marie has neatly laid out on the heated towel rack, and I know he's not going to do it.

  At least he's honest about it.

  Raphael has kept his word. He always tells me the truth now, even if he knows it's going to start an argument.

  As I move to the shower enclosure and turn the tap, I close my eyes. It feels like heaven when the water washes off the soap suds on my body.

  I don't know how Raphael can stand just walking out of the bathtub like that without rinsing himself. It always makes me feel cleaner, but I’m willing to let little things slide because he's so amazing in many other ways.

  I think back to my relationship with Mark, and how different I was with him, how impatient and sensitive. I guess I just didn't know how a good relationship was supposed to feel. I’m glad he cheated on me, all things considered.

  With Raphael, I’m a much better partner. I’m glad he found me, because I sure as hell had no idea how to find someone like him.

  For my birthday last month, he gave me a thick envelope. Inside, I found credit card statements in my name, with all the balances paid off.

  I hadn't even heard of those accounts. I had pushed it to the back of my mind, pretending they didn't exist because I knew I wasn't going to be able to pay them off anyway.

  There was a few thousand here and another few thousand there, with the total in the low five-figures.

  I was so surprised I couldn't speak for a while, just clasping my hand over my mouth as tears flowed down my face.

  I still can't believe he did that for me. I know it's not a lot of money to him, but I was really touched that he gave me something I needed, that he was willing to take on my problems as his own. I know he’s got my back then.

  He even helped my dad find a job and prepared a payment plan for the mortgage so he wouldn't lose the house to foreclosure again.

  I’ve been spending a lot of time with his family. They’re thoroughly convinced that we're a real couple now, even though Raphael has also admitted to them that it began as a ploy to get back into their good graces.

  He was surprised when they reacted positively to his revelation, even though I’d told him they would. A couple of months after that, Raphael finally started getting more and more responsibility at work, which he’d always wanted.

  Honestly, everything is going so well for us both, I can't imagine a thing that could make our lives even better.

  Well, maybe if I suddenly run into Jay-Z and he offers me a multi-million record deal…but that's impossible. I don't need that to be happy, though.

  Sure, Raphael's not perfect, but he's perfect for me.

  He has a sore spot for baseless accusations, which is why he got so mad when I said that he may have gotten arrested because of something other than drugs, something more sinister.

  Considering how much he has suffered over one false charge, I don't blame him. It's no different, really, from my hatred of liars.

  So really, on that night right before I moved out, there was no chance for us to emerge from the fight with our relationship intact.

  He had lied to me, and I had accused him unfairly. Yeah, no wonder it went badly.

  I’m glad we managed to get past that.

  I moved back into that sa
me apartment after we made up. Raphael had asked if I wanted to move in with him instead, but I chose to live in my own tiny apartment and pay him rent. I needed to feel like a big girl who had her shit together, after everything I’d gone through.

  I step out of the shower, dry myself off, and wrap a towel around me.

  When I open the door to the bedroom, my jaw drops open.

  The room looks like it did that first night we landed in Paris and came to this holiday house. Candles and rose petals all over the place.

  The only difference? The flowers now form a path from the bathroom door to the bed, where Raphael sits, wearing a nervous smile and his usual jeans-and-T-shirt combo.

  “What is… When did you do this?” I ask in amazement.

  When we went into the bathroom, there were no candles or rose petals. Just the fireplace crackling in the background.

  “When you were taking your unnecessary shower,” he answers with a grin. “I also had Marie make the initial preparations while we were out at the Louvre.”

  “This is nice, Rafe. It reminds me of our first trip here.” I follow the path of flowers on the floor, my wet feet stepping on petals and plush carpet.

  “Yeah, you were my fake fiancée back then.”

  I smile as the memories come flooding back.

  “And now, princess,” he says as he drops down on one knee, “I want you to be my real one. I love you and I think we make each other happy, don't we?”

  I nod dumbly, not quite believing what's happening.

  “I know you're not ready for a wedding right now, but we can have a long engagement if you need it. I just want you to know that I’m in this for good. You're the one I want to grow old with.”

  I continue nodding. It sounds like a dream, but this is real...right?

  “Is that a yes?” Raphael chuckles anxiously as he looks up at me, taking my hand in his. “Oh, hold on. I’m so excited to seal the deal, I forgot about the ring.” He takes a small item from the bed and holds it up with his hands.

  “That looks familiar,” I say.

  “It should. You used to wear it. But now I want it to mean something to both of us, instead of just a prop for a lie,” he says. “If you want a new ring, that's fine, by the way. I could get you a new one. I just thought it would be nice to use this one because of the sentimental value. Diana told me I’m being cheap, but—”