“I love it. It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“You haven’t tasted it yet. It might be gross.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s beautiful. Thank you for creating it. Thank you for loving me in the best way possible.”
“With alcohol?”
I laugh. “No. With faith. You had faith in me—in us.”
His eyes move between mine, soft and loving. Then his mouth brushes against my lips. “I love you so much it hurts,” he whispers.
“I know exactly how you feel,” I return, my arms sliding around his shoulders, pulling him close as we kiss and touch. As his hands roam my body, I feel my past melting away from my bones, replaced with the completeness of his touch, his love.
With deliberate movements, our clothes leave our bodies as we worship each other’s skin. I run my hands over his chest, my mouth watering as my fingertips rise and fall, exploring each hard, muscular bump. I press a kiss and flick my tongue in the space between his abs and his pecs. He moans, sliding his fingers into my hair and tilting my head back, kissing me once more.
As the heat of ecstasy fills my body, I wonder why I allowed myself to fight this feeling. Everything about him is perfect—for me. He’s my perfect match.
When he starts to kiss his way toward my bust, I gasp and moan, coming completely undone as he swirls his tongue around each nipple until they’re so hard I feel as though I’ll explode, each suck shooting straight down between my legs.
“I want you, Flynn,” I gasp, my arms around him, fingers pressing into his back. There is no space between our bodies. I want to merge with him and make my home against his hard chest. This all feels so right. I wish I had never convinced myself it was wrong.
Pressed together, our urgency increases, tongues sliding, teeth clashing. His kisses leave a searing trail of fire in their downward wake, the rest of my skin chilled in comparison.
“You’re so beautiful, Ruby. I can’t get enough of your skin.” He kisses and licks lower, reaching for the bottle of vodka and cracking the lid. The cool liquid splashes against my stomach, settling in my belly button, the sweet scent filling the air. He sucks it into his mouth, then shifts his weight and kisses me, the tart flavour filling my mouth as his tongue moves with mine.
I release a pleasurable moan, licking my lips when he moves to place the bottle beside the bed. Then his mouth is near my ear, his words making my insides clench as he says, “Your pussy tastes sweeter.”
My mind swirls with need. “I want you inside me.”
As the silken feel of his body slides on top of mine, I’m overcome. Every fibre of my being is alight with desire and I rock my hips upward, telling him with my body what I want.
“There’s my greedy girl,” he whispers against my flesh. “She knows exactly what she wants.” His teeth scrape and nibble as his hand slides from my chest to my mound. I arch against him as erotic sounds escape his throat, my insides contracting at his groans.
Sliding between my legs, his fingers tease my entrance, gliding through the slickness of my arousal.
“So fucking wet. Like silk.” His fingers circle my clit.
Wanting more, I rock my hips against his hand. “Inside,” I moan, the sound extending when his fingers enter me, curling forward and working my tender insides. I’m already desperate to burst. “That’s it. Like that.”
His mouth finds mine, our sounds of pleasure mixing as he works his fingers in rhythm to my rocking, circling my swollen nub and sending a flood of glorious warmth spreading through my body.
“Oh God.” I explode, my hand clamping over his as my hips thrust back and forth uncontrollably.
“I love watching you come,” he murmurs, pulling his fingers from inside me and placing them against my mouth, tracing my lips. My tongue darts out, the sweet and subtle taste of my orgasm teasing my tastebuds.
He places his fingers in his own mouth, sucking them. “Sweet.”
The sight of it is so hot that I almost come a second time. “Inside me, Flynn.” I reach down and wrap my hand around his hard length. “I want that big cock of yours between my legs.”
A guttural moan comes from deep in his chest and fills my tingling body with an urgency more intense than before. Making quick work of applying the condom, he grabs my legs, parting them so his tip is poised at my entrance. Then he pushes in.
“Ohhh.” My body relaxes, stretching around him until he’s filled all the vacant space.
“You feel amazing,” he gasps, gliding in and out with forceful perfection. He leans back, his tip hitting against my G-spot, heating my skin all over. My fingers curl, gripping his forearms as my hips rise with each thrust.
My throat goes dry from each gasp and I clench him, gripping his dick as another orgasm racks through me.
“Holy mother of—” He shudders inside me, my thighs wrapped around his middle as our eyes meet, sharing our ecstasy.
My hands slide over his chest, his skin damp with sweat, and I smile. “That was amazing.”
He grins. “I told you we should have been fucking all along.”
“Looks like you were right.” I look around the room, catching my breath. “So how many rooms again?”
“Seven bedrooms, but if we’re going to include living areas, more like ten.”
I sit up and suck gently on his lower lip. “And bathrooms, and cupboards.... I plan to keep you very busy.”
“That’s handy because I was planning on simply keeping you.”
“And never letting go?”
He kisses me deeply. “I promise.”
36
WE DON’T COME up for air for the next few days. Ignoring the world, we feast on each other, our starved souls taking their nourishment from the connection of our bodies. Each touch, each taste; it brings us closer together and seals us as two halves of the same whole. I never knew being with someone could feel like this.
I’m flying.
We also keep our promise to each other and watch the second season of Outlander—well, we see most of it. Hands keep wandering and our clothes keep leaving our bodies. It’s the craziest thing, really.
To say I’m on cloud nine is an understatement. This man makes me feel alive. Everything those dark and devilish eyes of his promised is exactly what I have. I can’t stop smiling and hope to god that this lasts.
I need Flynn to be my forever.
Standing in his kitchen with nothing but one of his shirts on, I lift the neck to my nose and inhale his scent. I still can’t describe it, but the smell of him is everything.
“Are you sniffing my clothes?” he asks, a grin on his face as he pulls eggs from the fridge and vegetables from the crisper.
“Mmm-hmm,” I respond, keeping the fabric over my nose. “You smell so good.”
He laughs, placing items on a wooden cutting board before sliding a large knife from a black and silver block. It makes that ‘shink’ sound the swords make in movies. “You smell pretty amazing yourself.”
“That’s because I smell like you at the moment.”
“And I you.” He licks his lips, his eyes glinting as they rake down my body, reminding me that it wasn’t that long ago that I was sitting on this benchtop and he was between my legs, feasting on my pussy until I screamed out his name and pulled at his hair.
“I suppose you do.” I smile, releasing the neck of the shirt, the fabric brushing against the tops of my thighs as it settles back in place.
Turning around, I lift one of the bottles of Ruby vodka out of the box and study the label, biting at my lip as my fingers trace the lettering of the great romantic gesture. I can’t quite wrap my head around the effort that must have gone into producing something so beautiful so quickly. Flynn must have moved mountains to achieve this. Suddenly all of those emails and errands he ran make sense. He was doing this.
“I’m not sure cranberry vodka goes well with omelette’s. But we can give it a go if you like,” Flynn jokes.
“I don’t
think I’ve articulated precisely how flattered I am by you creating this. It’s...” I shake my head, unsure of the right words to say. “It’s more than I could ever dream... .” I press my lips together and put my hand on my heart. There just aren’t enough ways to say how amazing such a gesture is.
“It was your idea, really. I just made it happen,” he says, his voice soft as he glances my way. “But I wouldn’t do it for just anyone. Only the one.”
“I like hearing you say that.” My voice comes out in a whisper.
“It’s the truth.”
Slipping the bottle back into the box, I turn and lean against the bench, playing with the hem of the T-shirt as I wonder if I should say what comes out of my mouth next. “What would you have done, you know, if—”
“You hadn’t ran at me and leapt into my arms?” he interrupts.
Grinning, I jump up so I’m sitting on the bench beside the box of alcohol. “What would you have done with all this? Would it go in the back of a closet somewhere, never to see the light of day?”
Taking a pan from a hook above the stove, he turns on the heat and adds some butter. “I’d do exactly what I’m going to do with it now. Put it on shelves—it launches in November as a limited edition flavour for the holidays.”
“Even though things didn’t work out?”
“Just because I agreed to walk away, doesn’t mean I would have stopped loving you. I still had a couple of grand gestures up my sleeve before I gave up all hope.”
“Such as?”
Pouring his egg mixture into the pan, he reduces the heat and turns to face me, picking up a tea towel to wipe his hands. My eyes move over his muscular torso, pausing at the waist of the pyjama bottoms that ride low on his hips. He looks as delicious as the food smells. “There are two things, both designed to keep me in your life without me physically being there. That way, I would keep my word by staying away, but you’d know that I was there when you realised how in love with me you were.” His mouth pulls up in one corner, a sheepish grin. “But, if the holidays passed and the vodka didn’t do that trick, that would be the end of it. I’d back off completely—lick my wounds and all that.”
“You put a lot of thought into all of this.”
“It’s kind of what I do—I analyse every possible outcome and plan for it. I think that’s why I am where I am in business and why I’m good at parkour.” He shrugs. “I guess I was hoping that doggedness would transfer to my private life. I’ve never wanted to be with someone as much as I wanted you before, it was important for me to get it right.”
“So, you slammed into me and then you knew.”
“No. It wasn’t right away. It was after, seeing the fight in your eyes when I brought you that phone. I don’t know, your spirit—it slayed me.”
I smile at the use of the descriptive term I used for his dimples and the way he looks at me turns my insides to jelly. “What if I’m not worth all that effort?”
He steps closer, his hands on the bench either side of me as he drops his forehead down to touch mine. “You are,” he whispers.
My hands lift and rest on his broad shoulders, my thumbs moving against the skin on his neck. I hear his words; they cause an anxious feeling to tighten the pit of my stomach. I want to shake my head and argue that he’s wrong. I’m not worth everything he’s done to win me. But then the little voices join together to steer me right. Trust him. You are worth it.
“I’ll love you forever for this,” I whisper, pressing my lips against his, kissing him softly.
“That was the plan,” he replies. Then he kisses my forehead and returns to the omelette before it’s ruined. Just as he turns away, I jump on his back and hang on like a koala. He chuckles then continues without falter, flipping the omelette then plating it all with me on his back.
“So what was the first part of this plan?” I ask when he walked us to the table and turned so I can slide into my chair.
He grins. “You’ll actually find out after breakfast. We need to go back to your apartment for it.”
I eye him with suspicion. “What have you done?”
He grins. “You’ll see.”
When we arrive at my apartment, I take a look around and nothing is different. “I don’t get it,” I say, trying to work out what he’s done to keep himself in my life. Then the buzzer sounds on the intercom. Glancing at him, I answer, pressing the button to ask who’s there.
“It’s me,” Brad says. “I have something that’s yours.” He pauses. “And it’s really ugly.”
Hitting the buzzer to let him into the building. I turn to Flynn with a frown etched on my face. “It’s really ugly? What the hell does he have?”
Flynn’s thumb is against his teeth as he sits on my couch smiling but silent.
“What have you done?”
He shrugs, looking incredibly please with himself.
Brad knocks on the door. “It’s still me.” When I open the door, he holds up a cat carrier. “Flynn had this delivered to us because he knows you don’t like answering the door to unfamiliar people. Since it turned up, I’m assuming you two still aren’t together?”
I let him inside. “We are. I thought you realised that on Saturday after the whole Tony thing.”
“You are? That’s great. Then why do I have this ugly cat?”
“It was too late to cancel,” Flynn calls out from the lounge room.
“He’s here?”
I nod. Then we both move into the living area where Brad puts the cat carrier on the dining table. It meows.
“You got me a cat? That was your plan?” Keeping my distance, I kneel down to try and see it without being close enough for my allergies to act up. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful. But I don’t get it. You know I'm allergic.”
Flynn stands and opens the carrier. “That’s why I got you a Sphinx. They’re hairless.” He holds up the mewing cat, scratching it under it’s wrinkly chin. “His name is Flynn.” His grin widens as he taps the nametag around the collar.
“He looks like an old man’s scrotum,” Brad comments.
I almost cry. “I love it.” Taking the cat from Flynn’s arms, I nuzzle my face into its baby smooth skin and he purrs. “Thank you.” I hug Flynn with my free arm.
Brad scratches his head, while Flynn’s chest puffs with pride.
“I don’t get it,” Brad says.
“I’ve always wanted a pet,” I explain. “But I’m allergic.”
“So he got you the ugliest one he could find?”
“Come on, Brad. He’s cute.” Flynn laughs.
“I think he’s beautiful,” I coo, while I hold the cat up and look into his face. He has dark skin and blue eyes that look like bright jewels. “Thank you, Flynn.”
He wraps an arm around my waist and kisses me. “My pleasure.”
With his arms folded across his chest, Brad shakes his head. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.”
“It sure is.” I smile, scratching the cat behind the ears. He leans into it, his eyes slightly closed. “I think we’ll call him something else since calling him Flynn might be confusing with the man around too.”
“How about Udel.” Flynn says the word with Russian inflection. It sounds like ‘Oo-dell’. “It’s means fate.”
“Udel.” I try the name out on my tongue. “I like it. It fits us perfectly.”
“Udel it is.” Flynn scratches Udel under his chin.
Brad laughs. “You two are weirdly sweet together. I’m glad everything has seemed to work out. I’m sure everyone else will be glad too. We all like you both.”
Needing to get back home to Dakota and Riley, Brad says his goodbyes and we thank him for helping out. Before he gets to the front door, he stops and frowns. “Did you happen to pay attention to the news or listen to any phone messages over the past few days?”
I shake my head, placing the cat back in the carrier so he can’t run out the door. “My phone was here. I’ve been at Flynn’s. And we weren’t exact
ly watching the news.”
Holding his hand up to let me know the comment held too much information, he chuckles uncomfortably. “You were loved up, I get it. But, you might want to listen, or at least do a news search for Tony. It’s terrible what happened to him, but I can’t for the life of me feel bad for the guy.”
The moment he leaves, I rush to my room and grab my computer. Meanwhile, Flynn is already searching on his phone. Google brings up the article immediately; ‘Escaped Brotherhood Member Found Dead in Cell.’
My heart leaps against my ribcage. He’s dead. I scan the article, finding out that he’d escaped because he’d given up information that lead to the arrests of several high-ranking members of the Brotherhood in order to get his sentence reduced. They somehow found out and in fear for his life, he ran. The moment he was returned, they got to him. He was found beaten to death the next morning.
“He’s dead,” I gasp, staring at the screen in disbelief.
Flynn’s hands slide over my shoulders and squeeze lightly. “You OK?”
Slowly, I nod. “Yeah. I’m... relieved, I think.” A lump forms in my throat. Tony was bad. In any story, he’d be the bad guy. But there was a time when I’d thought I loved him, and even after everything he did to me, it feels strange to know he met such a terrible fate. “I guess I’m just glad it’s over. He can’t hurt anyone now.”
“And you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
Reaching up, I place my hand on his. “I’m not. You make me brave.”
Leaning down, he presses his lips to mine, kissing me deeply. It’s in that moment that my laptop announces a skype call with a melody of beeps and pops. There’s only one person it can be—Coral.
Without breaking the kiss, I reach out and hit the enter key to accept the call. I know when it connects because I hear a squeal followed by the words, “I knew it. I knew it. I knew it!”
Flynn chuckles against my lips then turns to the screen. “Hi Coral,” he says.
“Hi yourself,” she responds. “Shane!” She can’t contain her excitement, her hands blurring as she waves them in front of her. “Shane. They’re together. He did it. Flynn did it!”
A Beautiful Danger (Beautiful #7) Page 23
