She smiled as she flattened her palm on his chest. “No, you’re not butchering anything. I’m the one speaking in circles.” She cocked her head to one side. “Let me ask you this. Am I equally as attractive to you in leggings and a sports bra as this dress and heels and mystery lingerie?”
He cringed. “This is a trick question.”
She giggled. “No. Be honest.”
He slowly shook his head. “Well, no… You look fucking hot tonight. Not going to lie. I’m sure I didn’t hide my feelings about this dress. But that doesn’t mean I think you should wear clothes you aren’t comfortable in to please me. I’m a sure thing. I fell hard for you way before I saw you in this dress.”
“See, the thing is I kinda liked this new me. I liked dressing up and fixing my hair. And I loved how you looked at me all evening. It made me feel feminine and sexy as hell.”
His smile spread. “So, what is the problem here?”
She laughed again. “Yeah, I’ve made no sense.”
He lowered his lips to hers, kissed her senseless, and then trailed a path to her ear again, which got to her every time. “I love you.”
She thawed at those words and tipped her head to the side to give him better access to her neck.
When he kissed a path down to her cleavage, her nipples stiffened. She so badly wanted him to look at her with that smoldering intensity when he saw her bra and panty set. She had no idea why it made her nervous. Of course he was going to think she was sexy. He always did.
He backed her up, gradually leading her toward the bedroom. When they arrived, his hand went to the zipper at the back of her neck. He lowered it slowly until the bodice fell loose. When he took a step back, he slid his hands under the dress at her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
She shivered as his gaze hit her chest and then trailed lower to the tiny black lace thong that matched the barely existent excuse for a bra. All her concerns melted away when he danced his fingers across the upper swell of her chest and murmured, “Jesus.”
Her arousal shot through the roof at that one word.
He cupped her heavy breasts and pressed them together, making her cleavage even more pronounced. His thumbs trailed along the edge of lace, dipping under to flick over her nipples.
She rose onto her tiptoes, moaning at the contact. Her heels brought her closer to his chest. She was still significantly shorter than him, but she liked this vantage point better.
His hands trailed down her back to cup her bare cheeks, and then he moaned. “Thong…” When he reached lower to dip his fingers between her legs, a soft noise escaped her lips.
She was wet. So horny. She felt worshipped in this black lace and heels. Feminine. Sexier than she’d ever let herself feel. Because she trusted Dade to treat her with respect while at the same time driving her crazy with his obvious appreciation. He didn’t make her feel like an object. He made her feel like a woman. Equal but sexy.
“This is so hot,” he whispered as if he read her mind. “I’m so hard.”
“Maybe take off some of your clothes too?” She went to work on the buttons on his shirt, her fingers shaking as she slid them each through the holes.
He kissed her everywhere while she worked, making it difficult to concentrate. Chest. Neck. Ear. Cheek. Lips.
When she slid the shirt off his shoulders, he let her go long enough to drop it, and then he went for his pants, unbuttoning them and then lowering the zipper. He kicked off his shoes while he worked and then stepped back to remove the rest of his clothes. The entire time his gaze was on her body.
She felt slightly awkward but only because she wasn’t used to this kind of attention. Of course, he had worshipped her before every time they had sex, but she liked the fact that he found her black lace arousing.
When he was finally naked, he grabbed her waist and lifted her onto the bed. He straddled her and lowered his face to her chest, suckling a nipple through the lace.
She arched, pressing her legs together as she grabbed his waist. “Dade…”
He switched to the other breast, the tip abrading against the lace as he flicked his tongue over it. And then he slid down her body, kissing her belly as he went. He nudged her thighs apart with his knee and then settled his torso between her legs, spreading them wide.
She held his shoulders as his lips eased the thin lace edge of the thong. The moment she had put the dainty thing on earlier, she’d gotten horny. Now it was paying off.
His teeth grazed her bare skin as he dipped his face lower, pressed her thighs wider, and finally sucked her clit into his mouth, lace and all. It was so sensual. Naughty. When his tongue dipped under the thin lace to touch her skin directly, she dug her fingers into his shoulders and moaned. She was so close. She’d been tormenting herself all evening in this lingerie, turned on by how he looked at her, and now she was going to come before he took it off.
When she squirmed, he held her hips down and thrust his tongue inside her.
“Oh, God…”
His nose rubbed her clit through the lace, and she came, pulsing waves of need that shook her entire body.
He continued to taste her until she finally relaxed marginally against the mattress. He was smiling as he climbed up her body, nuzzled her breasts, and then kissed her gently on the lips. “Sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
She felt a ridiculous grin that seemed to reach her ears as it spread. And then she had a wicked thought. She shoved at his much larger frame, flipping him onto his back next to her. Although realistically he had to “let” her manipulate him like that. She may have been strong, but he was much larger and far stronger than her by now.
He tucked his hands under his head and smiled. His erection bobbed against his belly.
She let her gaze roam up and down his frame, taking in the tight abs, the hard pecs, his tanned smooth skin everywhere. And then she lowered her gaze to his erection and wiggled down his body so that she could lick a line from the base to the tip.
He groaned. “You can’t do that if you want me to last.”
“Highly overrated,” she whispered against his thickness before she sucked him into her mouth. She actually would prefer to suck him off first, and then they could start all over at a more leisurely pace, because she fully intended to have him slide in and out of her for as long as possible during round two.
“Blair…” The sound of her name on his lips heightened her arousal. Reverent. Gravelly.
She sucked him deeper as his hands landed on her head and then threaded in her hair.
“Gonna come,” he murmured.
She sucked in her cheeks, adding to the pressure as she took him to the back of her throat.
On a shudder, he came, pulsing ribbons that she swallowed until he was completely spent. Finally, she eased off him. The second he popped free, he pulled her up his body and settled her on his chest. “If sexy thongs and bras are going to cause you to do that often, we should maybe buy fifty sets and stay in the cabin.”
She flushed, pushing herself up so that she straddled his chest. Her sex was wet against his pecs, the lace soaked from a combination of her come and his mouth. She reached for the front clasp on her bra, but he stopped her. “Leave it.”
Her breasts felt constricted and heavy, swollen from arousal. But the thought of leaving them confined made her hot all over again at the same time. “Okay. But you’re going to have to let me lose the thong because I need you inside me as soon as possible.”
He shook his head. “Gonna pull it to the side and make love to you with the edge of lace grazing me.”
She shuddered, making him smile. And then the breath whooshed from her lungs as she was flipped onto her back again. His mouth was on hers, hot, hungry, desperate. He grabbed her hands and pulled them over her head, the pressure making her arousal rush back to consume her. She bucked her hips against him and wrapped her ankles around his back.
He rested his weight over her, holding her still, further trapping her against the m
attress. She loved the dominance. She loved giving herself to him like this. She loved the way he made her feel like she was sexy and desirable and feminine.
She loved that he was stronger than her and she didn’t have to be the one in charge of everything. So many sensations bombarded her at once. The way he made love to her mouth and teased her nipples with his chest, and rubbed her sex against his erection.
The kiss lasted forever, and then he shifted her wrists to one hand and reached between their bodies with the other. He tugged her thong to one side and thrust into her so suddenly, she gasped.
Full. Tight. Wet. So good.
When he slid back out and then thrust in again on a grunt, she moaned into his mouth. They were so connected. So together. In sync. In love…
She fought the demon that crept into her mind, not wanting to get overly emotional and ruin this moment. Tears threatened even while they were making love. Please, God, let me keep this man. Do not take him away from me.
Never in her life had she been this connected to another human being. So in tune. So happy. She bit back the emotion and focused on the nerve endings currently being stroked over and over, her arousal rising with every slide of him inside her.
Suddenly, she was on the edge, right there. She was so focused on the sensations that she stopped kissing him. Her mouth fell open and her eyes rolled back. And then she was coming, gripping him with the pulse of her channel.
As soon as her body released itself, he was right behind her, his forehead against hers, his mouth millimeters away, a groan vibrating through her.
When he was spent, he remained buried inside her, panting, smiling. He looked so peaceful and happy. She wanted to capture that look and remember it for the rest of her life. For several long seconds he forgot his problems and pure joy surrounded him.
He sighed as he blinked his eyes open to look down at her. “Was I too rough?”
She furrowed her brow. “What? Of course not. That was perfect. Amazing. I loved it.”
He slid out of her and eased onto his side next to her, one leg still trapping her to the bed, his hand releasing hers to cup her face. His next words were breathy and unexpected. “I’m taking you back to that store to by ten sets of lingerie tomorrow.”
She giggled. “You think that’s practical? I mean, it’s not the sort of thing women wear hiking or working out. I’m still badass on the outside. Most of the time.”
He kissed her reverently, staring down at her. “Baby, you have no idea what other women wear under their hiking clothes. Maybe you aren’t the only one who likes lace and silk. If it makes you feel sexy, you should wear it. I’ll spend my days wondering what you have on under your jeans while I follow you around like a puppy.”
“Mmm. I might like that plan. If I keep that look of awe and wonder in your eyes, it will be worth it.”
“See? What time does the store open?”
Chapter 20
Three weeks later…
* * *
The sun was just peeking in the window of the cottage when Blair opened her eyes to find Dade propped on an elbow, staring down at her. The sound of the ocean waves combined with the smell of salt in the air usually soothed her, but not this morning.
They had left the window that faced the beach open from the moment they’d arrived a week ago. Neither of them cared about the humidity or the salt. They simply enjoyed the feel of fresh air and sounds of nature after weeks of being cooped up and cold all the time.
Dade brushed a lock of hair from her face and then danced his fingers down to trace the edge of the negligee she wore. His expression was serious. “I love you so much it hurts.”
She swallowed back emotion and reached for his hand, covering it with her own. “I love you too.” She held his gaze for a while. “We don’t have to do this, you know. There are no rules. We can wait another week or two or a month or forever.”
He shook his head. “Nope. We agreed on today. It’s time to find out once and for all.”
They had drawn his blood for the first time three weeks ago, the baseline. However, the following week, when they ran the test, they didn’t look at the results. By mutual agreement, they decided to ignore the results for three weeks.
Some days she would sit for hours staring at the waves, worrying about what they would find. She kept reminding herself that Dade didn’t have any discernible symptoms to indicate the transplant didn’t work. It was impossible to know how long it would take for him to start feeling poorly however. There simply wasn’t anyone to compare it to.
Even though he had started to feel lethargic and had gotten several headaches before he received the cure for AP12, he claimed he had felt fine since they left her cabin. They were under so much stress, she wouldn’t be surprised if he felt tired anyway. It wouldn’t necessarily mean anything.
It was possible the experimental autologous stem cell transplant was buying him time, slowing down the process. However, even if that were the case, they would be seeing a drop in both white and red blood cells with each test. At least a subtle drop.
She watched his face closely, knowing how huge this was. For both of them. “You want to go for a walk on the beach first? Maybe grab some breakfast at that little coffee shop?” Was she stalling for his benefit or hers?
He shook his head. “Let’s just do it.”
“Okay.” She wormed her arm around him and pulled him down for a kiss, holding him tight. “No matter what, I love you.”
“I know.” He buried his face in her hair. When he pulled back, he cleared his throat. “I need to tell you something.”
She frowned.
“When I signed those papers for the executor that day, there were two documents.”
She nodded, vaguely remembering that fact.
“One was to claim my inheritance. The other was my own will. It leaves everything to you in the event something happens to me.”
She gasped. “Dade… Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
A tear fell from her eye. She choked up with emotion.
“Baby, don’t cry.” He wiped the tear with his thumb and cupped her face. One side of his mouth lifted in that half grin before he added, “Who else was I going to leave the money to? I mean, I don’t have other friends.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t try to make light of this.”
He kissed her nose and then sobered. “I want you to be able to do whatever you want with your life. You’ve left your job and your friends for me. You’ve been isolated for two months because of me. I know you’re running out of time. Soon you’ll need to let Temple know if you’re returning or resigning.
“No matter what happens, I want you to have options. You can go back to your job if you want, or you can start a new career, or if you’re frugal enough you can live off the money for a very long time.”
“Stop talking like I’ll be making that decision alone. I won’t be.”
He blew out a breath. “Yeah, well, I wanted you to know. No matter what the outcome, I’ll support your choices.”
She smirked. “You think I’ve been pining away for my job, waiting for the opportunity to let you know I intended to go back to the bunker next month and take up where I left off?”
“No. I’m just telling you that you have options.”
“I don’t have options, you big dork.” She lifted her head and kissed his nose. When she let her head fall back to the pillow, she licked her lips and faced him again. “There’s something I need to tell you too.”
His eyes widened and he held her waist tighter.
She didn’t make him wait. “Ryan gave me an envelope with instructions when we left the cabin that day. I think he meant for those instructions to begin today.”
“What did it say?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t open it yet. I couldn’t do it without you, and there was no way I could keep a secret from you either.”
He grinned. “You kept the existence of the envelope a secret
.”
“Well, there’s that. But I mean the contents. I have no idea what he said.”
“Let’s open it after.”
She nodded agreement, and then she rolled away from him. “Let’s do this so you’ll stop being all melancholy.”
He rolled the other direction and headed for the bathroom. When he came out, she was at the table in their cottage with the ominous case open. She pointed at the chair as if she were playing nurse.
He shook his head as he approached. “I can’t take you seriously when you’re wearing those flimsy nighties.” He pulled her in close and ran his hand up her back over the silky pink material. The fact that it was pink was the icing on the cake.
His badass bodyguard had a deep feminine streak that made his body jump to attention every time he saw her wearing another one of her purchases. And it happened often because it turned out she loved the look he nailed her with when she wore them, and they often spent hours in the cottage wearing very little clothing.
She lifted the syringe and held it out. “You want me to do it?”
He could do it himself, but he’d taught her how the second week. Somehow, it was weird drawing his own blood. “Yes.” He sat on the chair she’d pulled out and prayed to God he would be spending the rest of the day celebrating with his mouth all over that negligée.
He tried not to get his hopes up, but it was hard. Half the time when he watched her moving around their space or lounging on the beach or reading or attempting to cook or sleeping or making love, he couldn’t imagine that God would take this away from him. The other half the time he was scared out of his mind with worry about what would happen to her if he left her.
She didn’t say a word as she carefully drew his blood and then handed him the syringe.
He took the vial from her and set up the test station, putting several drops of blood on the scanner and then closing the lid. They would need to wait two minutes for the results. The machine kept a log of each scan. All they had to do was look back at the reports and compare them.
Reviving Dade Page 18
