He narrowed his gaze as he lifted his head. “Smart mouth?” He lifted a brow.
She shrugged, egging him on further. This game they played was hot as hell. It happened with more and more frequency. She would sass him, and he would get so aroused that he took her to new heights, often introducing her to something new that melted her into submission.
It wasn’t hard. She found she loved the way he made her feel. Even when he tormented her and held her in a state of desire without letting her come.
She had no idea how other people practiced D/s, but she wasn’t complaining about their arrangement. She had never expected to find herself so permanently on fire for another human being.
When he suddenly spun her around so that her back was to his front, she gasped. What was he up to?
He swatted her bottom playfully. “Bathroom. Lights on. Stand in the center of the room.”
She padded toward the door without question, curious about his plan. After flipping on the lights, she headed for the middle of the tile and turned around. Xavier was right behind her, his eyes dilated with lust. He had already removed his shirt and shoes and was lowering the zipper on his jeans.
He circled her after he finished undressing, his gaze penetrating her skin to bring goose bumps to the surface. Without touching her, he made her so horny she almost moaned. As usual.
“Spread your legs, hon.”
She stepped out to the sides a few inches, swallowing around the noise threatening to escape her lips. It wasn’t that he forbade her to make sounds. He loved it when she did so, but it also drove him to speed things up, and she relished the foreplay too much to tempt him.
After circling her body two times, he stepped back to the door and shut it.
She inhaled sharply when she realized she could see her entire naked body in the long, wide mirror on the back of the door.
Xavier rounded to her back and pressed against her. “Keep your arms at your sides, Ava.” His voice was deep, the tone she’d come to recognize he always had when he was aroused. When he used it with her, her arousal spiked from knowing how she affected him. It was cyclical since he affected her in the same way.
Unable to stop herself, she moaned when he reached around her body and flattened a palm on her belly. His other hand cupped her breast. “Watch yourself in the mirror. I want you to see the lust the same way I do every time I take you.”
She licked her lips, staring at the incredibly erotic scene in front of her, unable to believe the sex-crazed woman was her. “Xavier…”
“No words, hon. Just watch.” He lowered his hand slowly toward her sex and slid his fingers between her legs to part her lower lips and then stroke through the slit. “So wet for me. I’m just getting started, and my girl is so wet already.”
Her knees threatened to buckle at his words.
He had to bend forward a bit to get his hand between her legs at his height, but that only caused his arm to drag across her nipple.
When he flicked a finger over her clit, she rose onto her tiptoes with a soft squeal. She flattened her hands on his thighs at her sides to give her something to grip.
The palm on her breast squeezed the tender flesh almost too hard, while also just the right amount to make her squirm. Instead of pinching her nipple as she expected, he teased the areola without making direct contact.
She gritted her teeth around the need for more. Anything.
His other hand dipped back between her lips to draw out more of her wetness. When he lifted his fingers to circle her nipple with her arousal, she gasped. The pink tip grew erect at the contact and the chill of wetness.
After dipping his fingers back through her folds a second time, he lifted them to her lips. He traced the seam with her moisture. “Taste yourself, Ava. Suck my fingers into your mouth.”
A tight knot formed in her belly as he spoke, and she nearly came undone when she sucked two fingers between her lips to lick them clean. Her flavor was sweeter than expected.
“Keep your eyes on the mirror. Watch yourself while I make you come.”
His fingers popped free and trailed back down her body to return to the space between her legs. He pinched her clit without warning.
She nearly jumped as she screamed out sharply.
“So sexy. Hon, you have no idea. Watch.”
Her vision was cloudy, but she forced herself to keep her gaze on the mirror. The wanton woman was unrecognizable and hot as hell.
With one hand still gripping her clit, the other circled her breast more firmly and held her steady. “You like a little pain, don’t you, Ava?”
She couldn’t move. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
His lips landed on her ear, and he breathed into her. “It makes you so hot when I pinch your clit or your nipple a bit too hard.”
She let her head fall back against his chest as he released her clit but still held it between two fingers, stroking back and forth until she felt the swelling.
“Look at how your little bud comes out and grows when you’re aroused.”
She swallowed. So erotic. She was so close. “Xavier… I need to come.”
“I know, hon. I’m getting there. Just watch.”
She couldn’t take her eyes off the sexual image in front of her anyway. It seemed as if she were watching porn, the two characters recognizable to her, although there was no way they were her and Xavier.
Suddenly he flattened his palm on her clit and pressed forward to thrust two fingers into her channel. “Now. Come for me now, Ava.”
As if she were a puppet, she did exactly as he said, shattering around both his fingers and his palm as he commanded. The pressure against her clit made her squirm as the waves of pleasure washed through her. She curled her fingers into Xavier’s thigh, undoubtedly marking him with her nails.
As she came down from heaven, he eased his touch until he was stroking her gently, kisses landing on her shoulder. “Need to be inside you.”
“Please. God, Xavier. Now.” Her voice rose as her body pleaded for his thickness inside her. He could make her soar with his fingers every time, but there was nothing like having him deep inside her, buried to the hilt.
He released her, one hand on her hip to steady her. “Don’t move,” he whispered.
It was hard to keep from swaying in her post-orgasmic state, but he was only gone long enough to remove his jeans. Seconds later he spun her around, grabbed her hips, and lifted her into the air. “Wrap your legs around me, hon.”
As she followed his instructions, he thrust into her.
She gasped at the intrusion, once again awed by his thickness.
He held her ass with one hand, the other spread on her lower back. He took three steps forward and flattened her to the mirror she’d been using to watch him finger her. When he lifted her off his erection, her body sliding up the mirror, she grabbed his shoulders and held on.
“Can’t… Wait… Any… Longer…” He punctuated each word with a thrust that drove her to the edge in seconds. Faster and faster he moved in and out of her until she stiffened her thighs and let her eyes flutter shut.
Each time he was fully seated, her clit rubbed against the base of his cock until she was right at the edge again. “Gonna come, babe,” she whispered.
He growled low and deep. “Do it.” He settled her down, his length deep inside her and screamed out his own release at the same time she tipped over with him. The orgasm she experienced around his cock was completely different from the one she had around his fingers. Deeper. Pulsing. Insistent. Heavenly.
She couldn’t catch her breath as he leaned into her, pressing her back against the now slick mirror.
“God, I love you,” he murmured. He lifted her off the mirror and carried her to the bedroom, his length still buried inside her. When he lowered her onto the bed, he slipped free.
She groaned around the loss and reached for him.
He fell against her side, propping himself on one elbow and staring down at her
face. Cupping her cheek with his free hand, he planted a gentle kiss on her lips. “It’s true, you know.”
“What is?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Xavier. Missed you this week.” She ran her fingers through his hair and left her hand cupping the back of his head. “It’s not enough.”
“What?” He scrunched up his forehead. “The sex? I thought it was phenomenal. But if you want to do it again, I can—”
She giggled. “Not the sex. The time. Two hours here. Two hours the next week.” She bit her lip. What was she saying? This was her doing. She’d demanded they have this arrangement. Suddenly it all seemed so stupid. She missed him like crazy. She loved him so much it hurt. What was she trying to prove? Maybe she’d already proven it. Time and again.
His face grew serious, and he stroked her cheek with one finger. His eyes glanced back and forth between hers. His lips parted, but he didn’t speak.
She understood his hesitation. After all, what was she suggesting? He’d be nervous to comment on her insanity.
“Maybe I was wrong,” she admitted.
“I wouldn’t say that. You had legitimate reasons for needing your space. I’m sure in your shoes I would’ve done the same thing at twenty-two. I respect your decision to go to work, find yourself, give me time to sort my shit.”
She nodded.
He swallowed. Seconds ticked by. “Are we done with this charade then?” He winced.
She didn’t blame him. “I hate my job,” she blurted. A sob escaped unbidden. Until that second, she hadn’t fully realized how stressed and unhappy she was. She lowered her hand to Xavier’s shoulder and squeezed. “Hate it.” She laughed now through the tears. “I’ve never been so bored in my life. Damn medical journals. It’s not what I had in mind when I went to school. And I miss you. And I have this book in my head. And I miss you. And…” She realized she was rambling and speaking in jerky phrases.
He smiled slowly and lowered his face closer to hers. “At the risk of pissing you off, take a leap. Quit the job. You’ve proven you can act like a responsible adult. You can work fifty hours a week and make ends meet. But you don’t need to. Let me shoulder some of the load for a while.
“I know that book is lurking in your sharp brain waiting to get out. Move in with me. Write your masterpiece. Slow down.” He lowered his voice. “Be mine, Ava.”
She hadn’t seen this coming. She didn’t plan it or think about it. It just happened. It all seemed so simple. “Yes.”
Xavier bolted to sitting, a silly grin on his face. “Did you say yes?”
She smiled back, hauling herself up next to him. “I think I did.” She glanced around. “This house is too big for one guy. It needs a woman’s touch.”
His face flushed. Xavier Monreal was flustered. The silly grin turned into pure happiness. He grabbed her by the arms and tugged her against him. “I swear you won’t regret it. I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you never doubt me. I love you so much.”
Epilogue
Six months later…
“Hon, we need to go. We’re going to be late.” Xavier chuckled to himself as he waited at the bottom of the stairs for Ava to make an appearance.
“I’m coming. I’m coming.” Her voice faded in and out as he imagined her darting around their bedroom, grabbing her shoes or jewelry or a specific purse or something.
They weren’t really going to be late. He’d told her five when they were supposed to be at Zia and Brett’s house at six. But ever since she’d started writing in earnest, it was often hard to drag her away from the computer. She lost track of time when she was writing, her fingers clicking across the keyboard in a rapid staccato, sometimes in the middle of the night.
After she got her first contract two months ago, it seemed like she had a whole new level of energy to write the next book. It would be a while before the first one came out, but his woman was already buried deep in the second book.
He loved the passion in her. He loved everything about her.
Finally she showed up at the top of the steps and ran down them so fast he feared she might fall. “Sorry.” She held her sandals in her hands and hopped on one foot when she reached the bottom to slide the strappy flat onto her foot. “I got carried away.”
She finished jumping around, and he hauled her into his embrace and kissed her soundly. “I love you.”
She narrowed her gaze. “We don’t really have to be there until six, do we?”
She knew him well. He grinned. “Maybe…”
“Why do you think they’re having this shindig tonight?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“I’m sure you have theories.” He loved listening to her female mind try to work out the possibilities.
“Well, it’s the middle of the week. Not a football game. Not a date night. Just dinner at Zia and Brett’s with Lily and Dominic. I figure either Zia’s pregnant. Or, she’s setting the stage for Lily and Dominic to make some announcement. But I’m betting on the Zia thing because I don’t think my sister would keep something like that from me.”
She spoke so fast he could hardly keep up. Shaking his head, he responded, “So complicated. Maybe they just wanted to have friends over for dinner.”
“No. Not that.” She nibbled her bottom lip in contemplation, staring at nothing past his head.
He kissed her again, taking her lip between his and sucking it into his mouth until he had her full attention.
She moaned against him, making his cock so hard he considered a quick fuck at the foot of the stairs before they left. But what he wanted to do to her would take more time than they had.
When he released her, she sighed. Good. Maybe he could keep her aroused all evening and then make use of the stairs when they returned. A glance down reminded him her skirt was short and full. Excellent. If he knew her, she was naked under it simply because she knew he liked her that way.
He reached for her thigh, thinking to wrap his hand around the back of her leg and stroke it under her skirt to confirm his suspicions, but she jumped out of the way, swatting at him. “A little mystery, babe. Stop it.”
He couldn’t stop smiling, and he stood there taking her in, reminding himself how lucky he was.
She fidgeted under his gaze, glanced away, and changed the subject. “Your dad called earlier. Did you call him back?”
Xavier fought a groan. Today was not a day he wanted to talk about his dad. “I’ll call him tomorrow.” Carlos had returned to Puerto Rico after their catastrophic blowup and hadn’t returned since. And that was fine with Xavier. Things were still stressful between them. At least Carlos hadn’t been drunk or belligerent for a while, but he still rubbed Xavier wrong.
He wouldn’t have any relationship with the man at all if it weren’t for Ava insisting. It was hard to not listen to her reasoning. She’d lost both her parents at six years old. She’d take either of them back in a heartbeat, even if it meant they were rude or insulting.
“Did you talk to your mom today?” she asked next.
“Yeah. We’re picking up Elias at ten tomorrow morning. My mom sounded tired.”
“I’m sure. He’s a handful crawling all over the place. We should really keep him more than we do.”
“We will. Now that I’m not playing for a few months, we’ll keep him more. But you get awfully distracted when you’re working,” he teased. He didn’t care. It was comical to find her in her office—back rigid, fingers moving rapidly, hair stuck in a bun, no knowledge of the real world. He needed to keep that in mind when they decided to have their own kids.
But first, he needed to convince her to marry him. And he forced himself not to take on a goofy grin and give away the real reason for the evening. Not Zia and Brett. Not Lily and Dominic. It was Ava who was in for a surprise.
“I’m sorry, babe. I need to reorganize. Set specific times to work and stop so I can help.”
He grabbed her around the waist again and let his lips linger a
fraction away from hers. “Not complaining. I love your passion. I got this. At least for a few months.” When he went back to spring training in February, then they were going to need to reevaluate things. Elias would be even more mobile by then. Xavier’s time would be limited. And hopefully Ava would be wearing his ring.
“Ready?”
“Yep. Whatever bombshell we’re about to hear, I’m ready for it.”
God, he hoped so.
Author’s Note
Thanks for taking the time to explore my new world of baseball. I hope you enjoyed this third book in the Spring Training series. If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Catching Zia and Catching Lily, here are the links:
http://amzn.to/2mjs7Kc
http://amzn.to/2lDLu3m
In addition, if you find yourself intrigued by the introduction of Club Zodiac, I’ll be releasing a spin-off series in that world in the fall of 2017!
My next release will take you in a totally different direction! After three releases in a row packed with sexy baseball players, I will be releasing a new paranormal series called Arcadian Bears. This series is a spin-off from my most popular series, Wolf Masters. The first book, Grizzly Mountain, releases April 11, 2017. Here’s a blurb:
Two grizzly shifters rarely bind themselves together in haste, but when one partner knows nothing of their species, complications mount.
Heather Simmons is excited to start a new job in Alberta, Canada, as a glaciologist. But when a minor accident leaves her trapped on a hiking trail overnight, she finds herself facing a burly mountain man and a pair of grizzly bears. From that moment forward, things could not get weirder.
Isaiah Arthur knows instinctively that Heather is his mate the moment he scents her clothing before heading up the mountain to rescue her. The sensation is confusing since she is obviously human, and converting a human to his species is strictly forbidden.
A rogue shifter takes Heather’s transition out of Isaiah’s hands, however. Isaiah is left with no choice but to take her home and find a way to inform her of her unintended fate, while fighting the intense need to make her his as soon as possible.
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