by Ali Parker
"Whatever you want. I'm all yours." He tugged my panties over my hips and chucked them behind him before dragging his eyes up to mine. "Take your bra off. I wanna touch every part of you, taste every inch."
I groaned again and worked on my bra before tossing it aside and lying back.
His strong hands roamed over my body, squeezing and tugging, gripping and scratching as he moved onto his knees near the bottom of the bed. "I've wanted to do this more than I care to ever admit.”
"Then do it. Do anything you want."
"I wanna do whatever you want tonight." He ran his tongue up the center of me, lapping a few times as the world melted around me. He was the only man I'd ever wanted between my legs. To have him there again stirred up too many emotions.
"Fuck me," I whispered and lifted my legs as he worked me far better than anyone I'd been with before. I couldn't help but glance down at him to see if he was enjoying himself. The soft grunts leaving him combined with the expression of ecstasy on his face as he licked and sucked at my skin drove a spike of carnality through my center.
"So close," I whispered and arched my hips.
"Here baby. Come for me." He pressed two fingers deep inside of me and sucked my clit into his mouth as his tongue rolled over it faster and faster.
I screamed his name as I came up off the bed and gripped the sheets. He wouldn't stop, and the orgasm turned into two as I shook beneath him.
"Please. Caden. Stop." I moved up on the bed, breaking the seal of his mouth on my skin.
"I want more." He stood up and licked at his lips. "You taste so fucking good. I knew you would."
"No more." I rolled onto my side and panted as I tried to move past how hard it was to keep from crying during the event. As much as I wanted him, I was scared like hell to let myself love him again - truly, unabashed love. The kind that didn't need to hide for protection, but could scream from the rooftops.
He tugged off his slacks and looked around. "Shit. I don't have a condom."
"I'll just suck then." I moved up to my hands and knees and crawled toward him.
"Fuck no. I wanna feel you wrapped around me, Olivia. I need to, baby. Let me go get some." He gripped my shoulder and pulled me up to press his chest against mine as he stood at the edge of the bed. "Just wait five minutes and I'll be back."
"No. I want you now." I licked at his mouth and slid my hands into his briefs. His ass was perfect, squeezable to the point of me wanting to put my teeth on it just to leave a few marks.
"I'll be careful. I'll pull out." He leaned down and kissed me roughly a few times.
"I trust you." And I did. No one else in my life would have been given the opportunity. But I trusted him completely, though it was almost unmerited.
"You sure?" He tugged at his underwear and moved back, pulling them off and standing back up with worry on his face.
"My purse." I got up and stopped in front of him, taking him in. The thick muscles of his stomach and chest were only more accentuated as if the gym had become a second home. He had the type of body I would find myself worshiping if I wasn't careful.
I slid my hand down his shaft, gripping him tightly and pressing my chest against his as I licked at his mouth. "This has gotten a lot fucking bigger."
"Wait until you see what it can do." He gripped the back of my head and kissed me hard as I stroked him again.
Excitement raced through me at how good it was going to feel to lose myself on top of him, beneath him, bent over for him.
"So hot," I whispered and glanced down again.
He gripped my chin. "Get the condom. Now."
Chapter 23
Caden
I turned to watch her walk out of the bedroom and let out the breath I'd been holding. A wave of emotion rolled over me, and I moved to the bed to sit down before my legs gave out. I'd been looking for her for six fucking years. Ever since the night I lost her I'd been looking. Trying to find her in the arms of another woman or in the number of dollars that got deposited in my bank account, but none of that mattered. Nothing did but her.
"I found one."
I glanced up and gave her a weak smile. "Awesome."
"Hey. What's wrong?" Her smile slid from her pretty face as she moved toward me. "Talk to me."
"Nothing." I reached up and touched her neck before standing up and pulling her tightly against me. "I don't want just tonight, Olivia. I can't imagine losing you again. I know it's ridiculous, but I feel like I'm going to."
"No. Hush." She pushed at my chest, causing me to drop back down to the bed. She moved to her knees and slipped in between my legs. "No worries for tonight. Just me and you. I want you. Please."
"I need a promise that this isn't just tonight. I can't do that." I touched the side of her face as she opened the condom and slid it over my dick. "I'm not that guy."
"I know you're not." She moved into my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck as I pulled her up farther and pressed kisses to her breasts, taking my time to suck softly on each little pert nipple as she pressed down on me. "Love me."
"I do, baby. I do." I wrapped my arms around her and gripped the back of her shoulders and pulled, forcing her to take all of me. "Fuck. So tight."
"All yours." She leaned down and consumed my mouth as she began to rock her hips, massaging me with her sexy little body.
I moved my hands down to grip her ass tightly and tried not to remember the last time she let me deep inside of her. What a fucking nightmare that had been. Now was different. We were grown up and she wasn't a scared little girl anymore. I wasn't so sure if I'd changed much, but more than anything in the world I wanted to give her what I wanted her to have all those years ago. Pleasure.
"Hell yeah you are." I stood up and turned before pressing her to the bed and moving us up toward the pillows. I pressed back into her and lifted up to my arms so I could get a clear view of how good she looked below me. "You always have been."
She moaned and tightened her grip on my upper arms as she lifted her hips off the bed and worked me good from underneath me.
"Work me any way you need to." I moved to lay down on top of her and gripped her knees, pulling her legs up to open her up fully for me. I buried my face in the side of her neck and lost myself in the scent of our sex, in the sound of her coming over, and over, and over again.
We made love three times that night, and I couldn't help but worry a little about not having a condom for the last two. Somewhere during the madness to have each other again, neither of us cared much about the consequences. If I had my way, she'd have already had several of my babies.
I brushed my hand down her side as she slept with her back pressed to my chest. A peace I couldn't remember feeling held me awake and unwilling to miss a moment of her beside me. Just in case it was a ruse and she was soon to leave me again. I wanted to treasure every last minute she gave me.
Pulling her closer, I snuggled in tightly against her back and slid my hand around to cup her breast as sleep started to pull me under.
"I love you more than anything in this world, Olivia Desmant. Be mine? Forever, baby. Please." I kissed the back of her shoulder a few times and slipped into the darkness, finally giving up the fight to stay awake.
***
I sat up in a cold sweat to find her gone.
"No." I patted the bed beside me as my heart hammered in my chest. My nightmares had replayed the horror of my senior year as if I'd just lived it. "Olivia?"
I got out of the bed and grabbed my slacks from the pile of clothes on the floor. There was no reason to panic, and yet I couldn't stop myself.
"Stop. Shit. You dumb-ass psycho." I walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face before staring at my complexion in the mirror. "She isn't your world. She can be a part of it, but you can't go back to worshiping her. It's not healthy."
I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes. I couldn't hear anyone moving around in the hotel room, which caused my heart to race all over again.
After clearing my throat and wiping my face, I walked into the living room area and stretched. "Olivia?"
Nothing.
I moved into the extra bedroom to find the sheets messy. Had she left me when I fell asleep and come into the extra room? Why? I didn't snore. At least, I didn't think I did. Why would she leave?
"Baby?" I turned around and walked back into the kitchen to find a note on the table. Ice water ran through my veins, and I realized how fucked up it was that I was letting this affect me so much. Maybe I needed to run far from her. Something inside me felt the need to obsess over her.
I flipped the paper over and let out a soft sigh. She went for a jog.
"That's it. You need help. Fuck." I walked back to the bedroom and grabbed my phone, calling Jake. He answered on the second ring.
"Hey brother."
"Hey man. You still up for getting together?"
"Hell yeah. Where are you? At your momma's place?" The sound of laughter filled up the phone.
"Naw. At the hotel. Who's laughing?"
"Mom and Kari. They're looking at my baby pictures. Come save me."
I chuckled. "Yeah right. Good luck with that."
"When are we getting together?"
"Tonight sound good?" I let out a tight sigh.
"Absolutely." He paused. "So... is she with you?"
"Yeah. I found out that Luke was cheating on her, so I told her last night."
"Awww, damn," Jake growled softly. "Kari's ex did that shit, and you know mine did too."
"I remember all too well about yours." I ran my fingers through my hair. "We made love last night."
"Really? That's awesome, Caden." He paused as I tried to catch my breath. "Why doesn't it sound like this is a good thing?"
"This girl destroyed me all those years ago, and she could do so much more damage now." I rubbed my chest and fell back on the bed. "What if she slept with me because she needed a rebound from Luke?"
"We're both talking about Olivia Desmant, right? The sweetest girl both of us have ever known, or is this some other girl that we've moved on to."
"She's not that girl anymore, bro. She's a woman now, and much like I've tried to create a whole new life, she had too. I'm just... I don't know. I'm being a vulnerable-ass girl this morning."
"You always have been when it comes to her." Jake laughed. "Did she tell you that she loved you?"
"Kinda. I think so. Fuck, I don't know." I pressed my palm to my forehead and tried to remember. "I want her to be my wife. I wanna ask her now, this weekend."
"Ask her." He made it sound so simple.
"Right. Anyway, we talked through all that shit from high school. I'm pretty sure she didn't start all that shit. She thought I started it." I snorted. "Who would do that to us?"
"Um, the cheerleading squad and the football team. You were king and queen of homecoming court, Caden. Don't be a dumb-ass, bro. A sensitive guy over the girl of your dreams, yeah, sure, but not this. You guys were too good together. I could name fifty people that would have loved to pry you apart."
"Yeah, you're right." I sat up at the sound of the front door closing. "I don't know what to do, man. I don't wanna fuck this up."
"Cool. Then don't. Just be you, bro. That's who she's in love with. The old you. The one I call friend."
Chapter 24
Olivia
I needed a jog after the long night we'd had together. Never in a million years had I imagined someone capable of taking me to such a high place, and yet Caden had done it too many times to count. My body ached for more of him, but I wasn't about to bring up sex again. He'd seen me for the whore half the school believed me to be. Just because we'd cleared up the fact that it wasn't our fault that everything went to shit, I still couldn't shake the stigma around him. I wasn't sure I would ever be able to.
"Caden?" I walked into the kitchen and poured me a glass of water.
"You back?" He walked out into the living room as I turned. His black slacks were low on his hips, leaving his upper body on display for me. My body tightened, and I stifled a growl.
"Yeah. Just needed to clear my head." I drank deeply of the water as he moved to stand in front of me. "No touching me. I'm gross."
"Matter of opinion." He slid his hands over my sides and down to cup my butt before leaning toward me. "How are you? You still reeling over the shit with Luke?"
"No. I'm good there. He's an asshole, and I was tired of placating myself to think that I could live without love." I reached up and brushed his hair back before pressing my lips to his. "Are we seeing Jake and his wife tonight?"
"They aren't married yet." He kissed me one more time, stealing my breath with the delicious press of his body against mine. "Come take a shower with me. Let me wash you off."
"That'll only lead to more sex. We were kinda taking our chances last night as it was." I laughed and moved out from in front of him. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted something more between us than a friendship, but I needed to take it slow. My young adult life was a fucking mess thanks to all the shit between us in the past.
"I don't mind. Having a baby with you would be a fine by me. I feel like I’m running late on life’s plans as it is."
His words stopped me. He was hurting. But why?
I glanced over my shoulder. "I don't mind either, but it would be nice to ease into this relationship, wouldn't it?"
"I'll do what you want to do, but I'd rather dive head first and pray like hell it’s everything we know it could be. I'm a romantic, remember?" He shrugged and pursed his lips.
"And by far the sexiest, most loving man I've ever known." I turned and walked back to him to pull him into a tight hug.
He sniffed the air and smiled. "You need a shower, woman. You smell like sex and candy."
"I thought you liked both." I leaned in and kissed him a few times as his strong arms locked around me.
"I love them." He brushed his nose by mine. "You didn't sleep much last night. How about breakfast and a nap?"
"Shower, then breakfast, and then yes, a nap would be good." I kissed him again and moved out of his arms. "You coming?"
"No, you go wash up and I'll get breakfast up here." He popped my butt and growled as I shrugged and walked off.
Could I do this new life with him? Could I not?
"Where are you staying tonight?" I called over my shoulder.
"At my mom's house. You staying with your mom or you want to sleep over with me?"
"I don't know. Let me think about it." I closed the door behind me and stripped as I tried to think through the best plan of action for the evening. I wanted to see my mom, but I knew without a doubt that she wouldn't want to see Caden. I had a lot of explaining to do, and to be honest, I had no clue what I would tell her. We weren't together. Not yet at least.
After a quick shower, I walked out to find a plate of fruit and muffins with a note that Caden was running out to get the Parkmounts to sign the final papers that Annie had faxed to the hotel lobby.
"Annie." I shook my head, sickened by how sweet the bitch had seemed, and all the while, she was screwing my boyfriend. Did she not have one of her own? People were disgusting.
I grabbed my phone and sat down at the kitchen table before dialing Luke.
"Hey, baby. There you are. I was going to call to see if-"
"Stop. Just shut up and listen to me clearly. I know about you and Annie, and you can take your job and your fucked up offer for a relationship and shove it up the crack of your ass. I hope your dick falls off. No! I hope some piranha of a bitch bites it off."
"Olivia. Wait a minute, now. Nothing is going on with me and Annie. I have you, baby, why would-"
"No, you don't. We're done, so honestly, enjoy yourself. Knock yourself out." I hung up and laid the phone down as tears burned my eyes. I wasn't sad about losing Luke as much as I was sickened over being taken a fool. It had been a constant story in my life. One asshole after the next.
I reached out and picked up
the note from Caden and took a deep breath. "Who are you? Are you the guy I think you are, or another asshole?"
After getting myself to calm down, I hate half the plate of fruit and a muffin and walked back to his bedroom. It would have been more couth to sleep in my clean sheets, but I wanted the smell of him all around me. It was a comfort I couldn't explain.
I crawled up into the bed and drifted off to sleep with the thoughts of what our children might look like. I was jumping ahead, but I couldn't help it. We'd been waiting far too long to find each other, and we had. Nothing could take that away, right?
***
"Baby. Time to get up." Caden was leaning over the top of me as I woke up from my nap.
"What? Where are we?" I sat up and moved to the edge of the bed as I pushed my hair from my face.
"We're in Houston. We need to get going if we're going to see Jake and Kari." He helped me up and pulled me into a hug. "God, you're so damn cute when you sleep. Did you know that?"
"Stop." I laughed and brushed my hands up his chest and up to his handsome face. His five o'clock shadow only made him more attractive. "We need to check out?"
"Yeah, but I paid for another night for us so we didn’t have to rush today." He leaned down and kissed me a few times. "Let's go see Jake, and then we can figure out the rest later."
"Sounds good." I kissed him once more and moved away to walk toward my bedroom. "I really didn't bring anything too summery. I wish I had-"
"I got you something. Go check it out. Don't wear it if you don't like it."
"What?" I glanced over my shoulder. “You got me something to wear?"
"Yeah, it's just one of those dresses you like." He shrugged, breaking my heart with how good of a man he was.
"How do you know what I like? You sneaking through my closet?" I laughed and walked back to my room, trying hard not to sprint. The soft cotton dress hanging up in my room was blue and yellow, simple, but beautiful.
"You like it?" He moved up behind me and pulled me into his arms. "It just looks like you to me. Beautiful and innocent."
