Grabbing her leg, he hooked it over his elbow, spreading her open wide, and fixed his gaze between their joined bodies to watch as he plunged deep. The erotic sight of her cream coating his dick was too much. Diving over the edge, Ransom shouted his release as his balls drew up tight and he came hard, spilling inside her with such force that it’d be a wonder if he didn’t tear right through the condom.
When the last drop of cum was spilled, Ransom collapsed, drained. His body stripped of every ounce of energy, he lay there with his face buried in the crook of Dani’s neck, her soft, flowery scent fresh in his nose as he tried to calm his racing heart.
The feel of her hands lightly stroking his back was incredible. Nurturing, as he’d come to see her. Of all the women he’d ever met, ever spent any time inside of—including Joe— Dani topped them all.
“Ransom, you’re crushing me,” she said, her voice strained.
Cursing, he gathered what little strength he had left and propped himself on his forearms, reluctant to leave the sublime cradle of her curvy little body. Words he’d never intended to utter flirted the edge of his tongue as he peered down at the woman who’d given him the most precious part of her. While he maintained that he was undeserving, it wasn’t something he could give back, nor would if he could.
Dani’s trust and faith in him was shockingly, extraordinarily overwhelming. And it was his undoing.
“You’re mine now, Dani. You’re the only woman I’ve ever allowed in my home, in this bed, and after tonight, you’re the last one I want in here.” He lifted her hand, flattening her palm over his heart. “I may not be any good for you, but you’re damn well perfect for me.”
Tears flooded her eyes, raising his concern.
“Are you okay? Was I too rough?”
He moved to leave her comforting embrace, but her arms cinched tight around his back, forcing him to stay. Shaking her head, she struggled to get a handle on her emotions, all the while Ransom worried that he’d done or said something wrong.
Had he taken her too hard? Had she changed her mind? Did she hate the idea of belonging to him? He didn’t know what he would do if he spilled his heart out only to have her run crying from his bed.
Because even though he promised her, no matter what, that they would remain friends, he wasn’t sure he could uphold his end of the deal. He knew once he’d had a taste of her, it would never be enough, and now he was facing the possibility that it was enough for her.
Taking a shuddering breath, Dani swiped a rogue tear from her cheek. “You w-were perfect. Everything was p-perfect. Better than I e-ever im-mag-ined,” she hiccupped.
Smoothing his thumbs across her reddened cheeks, Ransom snuggled up against her, uncertainty edging his voice. “Then what’s wrong, baby? Why are you upset?”
“I-I’m not,” she said, a bubble of laughter mixing with her hiccups. “I’m hap-py.”
“Okay…Then why are you crying?”
She rolled her eyes, as if he was completely obtuse for not understanding what she was trying to say. “I never thought…that you would want m-me.”
“Of course I want you.” Still lodged inside of her, he rocked his hips, his slowly thickening cock evidence of just how much that was true. “I think this speaks for itself, don’t you?”
“Your penis doesn’t count,” she argued with a huff. “Those things operate on pure instinct. But you…I had hoped, but I never thought…You really want me? For keeps?”
So that’s what she was all emotional about? “Yeah,” Ransom said, chuckling. “I want you, Dani. For keeps.” Then he moved inside her, demonstrating just how much he meant it.
***
DANI WOKE UP TO the feel of Ransom’s lips on the back of her neck. His soft touch tickled, making her giggle as she squirmed in his arms.
“What are you doing?”
Curling his arm between her breasts, his fingers took hold of her chin and tilted her head back to accept his kiss. “Good morning.”
“Mmm, morning already?” Dani asked with a sigh. Stretching her limbs, she felt the delicious stretch of sore muscles and smiled. Ransom had made love to her several times throughout the night. She’d no sooner fall asleep, happy and sated, when she’d feel him reach for her again, then slip into the cradle of her body.
He couldn’t seem to get enough of her, and she was glad for it. No one had ever made her feel so desirable and she could easily see spending every night of forever repeating the act. He was so good to her, too good.
He pecked her lips once more before rolling away, and Dani instantly missed him. “Go get cleaned up while I get started on breakfast.”
“You cook?”
Stepping into a pair of gray sweatpants, he shot her a devastating smile. “I clean too.” With a parting wink, he left the room.
Add too good to be true to the list. Dani laid back and stared at the ceiling and reviewed the previous night. Every touch, every caress, every impassioned word whispered between them came back to her with stunning clarity. She had really done it. She’d given herself to Ransom and, even better, he’d claimed her as his afterward.
She had never expected such an outcome, but she was over the moon because of it. So much so that she could hardly contain the giddy pleasure ricocheting around her insides, screaming to break free. So she unleashed her glee in the form of flailing arms and legs, throwing her head back and forth as she beat her limbs against the mattress and squealed with delight.
She couldn’t wait to tell Ashlyn how she’d spent her night!
“If you wanted to break the bed in some more, you should have called me. I’m game for another romp or two to get the blood flowing.”
“Ransom!” Dani shot upright, a furious blush burning up her throat and across her cheeks. She was probably red as a tomato, and Ransom’s glorious smile confirmed it. “I thought you were making breakfast.”
“I was, but then I heard what sounded like a herd of elephants in here and came to rescue you.”
“Oh!” Poo on him for making fun of her anyway. Grasping a pillow, she lobbed it at his head, withholding a smile at his smooth, throaty laughter. “I’m going to grab a shower.”
“Need someone to wash your back?” His brows waggled suggestively.
“Apparently, I just survived an elephant attack. That’s more than enough adrenaline for one day, don’t you think?”
“Just to be safe, I think I should at least stand watch.” Breaking away from the door, he prowled toward her with a feline grace that got her all hot and bothered.
That back scrubbing was sounding mighty fine all of a sudden. “Well,” she said, melting into his arms and allowing him to back her up into the bathroom, “I can’t argue with that logic. But I think it would be safer if you stayed close by.”
His eyes twinkled with mischief as he stepped into the tiled shower with her and cranked the water on. “Baby, I plan to be so far up in you, you’ll need the Jaws of Life to make me leave.”
She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not, but if it meant feeling him move inside her again, it was a game she was more than eager to play.
Hitching her leg up around his hip, she reached down and boldly took him in her hand, then guided him to her entrance.
“Tell me again that I’m yours.”
Driving up into her, Ransom lifted her off her feet and pressed her back to the cold tile wall. “You’re mine, Daniella.”
“Again.”
“Mine. Every sexy inch of you belongs to me.” His thumb found her clit and plucked the tight bundle of nerves as he pounded inside her. “Now tell me who you belong to.”
“Oh, God, you! Ransom, I’m yours!” she shouted as she splintered apart.
“Fuck yeah, you are.” His orgasm followed on the heels of hers. At the last possible second, he jerked free of her warmth and took himself in hand, jerking his hard length and spurting hot jets of cum all over her stomach and thighs, bellowing his release so loud it echoed through the room.
The hiss o
f the shower filled the space, drowning out the noise of their thundering hearts as they held onto one another, struggling to control their breathing and the realization that there was no turning back now. One night of passion had invariably led to an unknown, intertwined future that neither of them had planned for, nor knew what to do with.
It left Dani in that strange in-between state of bliss and uncertainty, wondering when, if ever, Ransom would decide to break her heart.
ELEVEN
“WHO CAN TELL ME something about Jan Van Eyck and Peter Bruegel?” Ransom prompted his class. It was his last for the day and he was looking forward to getting home. When he’d dropped Dani off at her apartment, which was thankfully not located on campus, he’d promised to return later so they could have a night of dinner and Netflix. Nothing so simple had ever sounded so appealing. She was that down-to-earth kind of girl who didn’t feed on glitz and glamor but…well, movies in and dinner with her lover.
Lover. He liked the sound of that. His thoughts got tangled around memories of her lush body writhing beneath his as he made love to her repeatedly throughout the night and well into the morning, until they both ended up being late to work.
And he’d do it again if it meant never having to take his hands off her.
She was…incredible. Sensational. He couldn’t get enough.
“They were Netherlandish artists during the 15th and 16th centuries, respectively,” one of his students answered, jerking Ransom back to the present.
As inconspicuously as possible, he shifted his hardened cock from behind the privacy of the lectern. “Correct. What else?”
“They both painted in Renaissance style,” the same young man answered.
“Thank you, Brian. That is also correct, but let’s be more specific. Who else besides Brian can tell me what part of the Renaissance these artists depicted.”
The answer wasn’t forthcoming, so Ransom handpicked a quiet girl who liked to hide in the back row and busy herself with video games on her phone. “Miss Powell, would you like to answer the question?”
Her coal-lined eyes lifted from behind a fringe of dyed black bangs and seemed to burn a hole right through him. He stared her down, unintimidated. “Early and Late Renaissance. Respectively,” she bit out, as if being forced to answer the question was really putting a cramp in her day.
Holding onto the sides of the lectern, Ransom leveled her with a polite smile. Kill ‘em with kindness. Although she was more likely to flat out kill him, judging by that murderous glare. “Good, Miss Powell. But let’s go a step further. Can you tell me which time frame those can be attributed to?”
Huffing, her fingers flew across the keys on her phone while she spit out her answer. “Eyck was Early, and Breugel Late.”
Stunned that she had actually been paying attention to the course work, Ransom turned to the Power Point presentation on the overhead and continued on with his lecture. “I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Arnolfini Portrait…”
***
RANSOM WAS IN GOOD spirits by the time class let out. He had been pleasantly surprised to find his students so knowledgeable about the day’s topic, proving they had been following the course syllabus. He was also pleased to find them—even Miss Powell, however far removed she appeared to be—invested in his presentation. He hadn’t slept a wink the night before, too wired in between lovemaking sessions to close his eyes. So he’d spent some time working, inspired by some unknown force for the first time in what felt like ages.
Oh, who was he kidding? He knew that Dani was the force behind it all. She’d gotten under his skin, reviving him with her easy nature and loving attitude. She’d breathed life back into his sorry existence.
His phone buzzed in his back pocket, and he reached to retrieve it. Speaking of the little minx. Grinning, he swiped his finger across the screen and held the phone to his ear. “Hey, pretty lady. I was just thinking about you.”
“Good things I hope,” she said with a smile in her voice.
“Very good things.”
Her breath caught, and Ransom’s grin turned into a full-blown smile. It felt good to know that he could get to her like that.
“Last night was…”
“Amazing?” he provided.
“Yes.” The word hissed through her teeth, as if she were remembering every single second just as clearly as he was. “I know I called for something…Oh, I totally forgot you were in class today. I’m not interrupting, am I?”
“I just dismissed them,” he assured her. “What did you need?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to let you know that I’m headed home and I was thinking of just ordering a pizza or something. It’s been a long day and I’m not really in the mood to cook.”
“Whatever you want, babe. I’m good with pizza.”
“Are you sure? I feel bad for not cooking.”
“So do it next time. Tonight, we’ll take it easy, do pizza and a movie, and I’ll even rub your feet for you.”
“Mmm, that sounds heavenly.”
“The way I do it, it is. And if you need anything else rubbed,” he said, a dark, sultry edge to his voice, “I’ll take care of that too.”
She hummed thoughtfully. “You’re a dangerous man. I can hardly concentrate on the road with your sexy voice in my ear.”
“You’re driving?” Ransom asked sharply, his mood shifting on a dime.
“Relax, I’m on Bluetooth. But with the way you’ve got me all worked up with these…salacious promises of yours, I should let you go before I launch into a spontaneous orgasm and drive off the road.”
As much as he enjoyed the thought of her coming from his voice alone, he didn’t like the rest of that mental picture at all. “Hang up, and I’ll meet you at your place.”
“When will you be leaving?”
“I’m packing up my things now and will be heading out shortly.”
“Okay, well, see you in a few then.”
“See you.”
Ending the call, Ransom propped his hands on his hips and dropped his chin to his chest, concentrating on his breathing. In. Out. Repeat. He couldn’t believe she’d called him while driving. No matter if both her hands were on the wheel or not, she was still distracted. If she got in an accident because of him, he’d never forgive himself.
Stuffing the rest of his papers in his messenger bag and making sure his desk drawers were locked up tight, Ransom flipped off the lights on his way out the door. Just as he was locking up, he heard someone call his name.
“Ransom Scott, I’m glad I caught you.”
Looking up, Ransom saw the university’s dean heading his way, his rotund belly leading the charge. Although he wasn’t a large man by any means, his labored breathing hinted at his lack of overall good health, as were his plump, ruddy cheeks set against pale skin. Ransom met his black dots that served as eyes and gave him a friendly, welcoming smile.
“Dean Goodwin, nice to see you. Have you lost weight?” He appraised him for a moment, garnering a robust laugh.
“You flatter me, Scott, but that’s why I keep you around. You’re good for my ego.” He patted his stomach. “My fiancée has me on one of those new age diets. It’ll probably kill me, but I think I’ve lost a couple pounds at any rate. At least I’ll make a good looking corpse. Anyway, glad you noticed.”
“Good for you. Never too late to get in shape.”
“Round isn’t a shape?”
Ransom chuckled and decided it best to steer the conversation in a different direction. “So, tell me, Robert, what can I do for you?”
“Oh, yes. Yes, I wanted to speak to you about a dinner. My fiancée, as you know, is spritely and she’s planning a dinner party of sorts. I’ve been tasked with inviting all of my friends and colleagues along, and since you fill both roles…”
Ransom eased some. Ever since his relationship with Josephine, he’d been silently waiting for someone to call him out on dating one of his students. And while he liked and respected the man, and
knew the feeling was mutual, if push came to shove, he knew his job would be history. Had his relationship with Joe worked out, the job would be secondary, but they hadn’t and he wasn’t eager to lose what little he had left.
Relieved he wouldn’t have to dodge that bullet, he accepted the offer. “I’d be honored to come. When is it?”
His eyes glazed over. “Right, seems I forgot to stick around long enough to ask.” Laughing, he said, “What do you say I text you the information later tonight?”
“Sounds perfect. Well,” Ransom said, making a show of checking his watch, “I have somewhere I need to be.”
“Hot date tonight?”
He couldn’t stop from grinning. “Something like that.”
The dean clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s nice to see you in good spirits again. Whoever the lovely lady is, she’s doing you well. So, from one man in love to another, go, enjoy yourself.”
“Love?” Ransom questioned, snagging on that one words and puzzled as to why he’d say such a thing.
With an open palm, the dean circled the air around his face. “It’s in the eyes. Have a good evening, Ransom.”
Slowly, Ransom walked out to the parking lot and climbed into his car, unable to get the dean’s words out of his head. Twisting the rearview mirror toward him, he tried to see what he meant about this so-called love reflecting in his eyes, but all he saw was nothing out of the ordinary.
Annoyed that he’d allowed himself to get sucked into such nonsense, Ransom slapped the mirror back into place and scrubbed his fingers over his eyelids until starburst colored his vision.
“Ridiculous,” he muttered to himself as he drove out of there. He’d been in love before—only once, and with a woman he could never have. If he were in love now, he’d know it. There was no mistaking that heart-pounding desperation or the flood of elation whenever the prospect of seeing them arose.
Yet, as Ransom drove, that’s exactly how he felt. Every song on the radio seemed to be about Dani. And when the guy in the red Camaro cut him off, nearly sideswiping him, his rage was tempered by thoughts of Dani’s smiling face. Not to mention, the closer he got to her place, the better he felt. By the time Ransom parked the car, he was completely calm again.
Forbidden Valentine: A Forbidden Novel Page 9
