by Marie James
I lick across her lips, and I feel them quiver.
“Let me in,” I plead. I’m asking for so much more than just access to her mouth, to her body.
She whimpers softly but opens her mouth slightly. The rush of air through my nose is loud in the quiet room when she finally grants me permission to slip my tongue inside to tangle with hers.
Her small hand finds my hip then runs up my back. The delicate touch almost tickles until I roll my hips against her core. She grips me then, her short fingernails digging into my flesh. I relish the feel of her need as it escapes out of the tips of her hand.
I shift my weight to roll us over, and I settle between the space she’s made between her thighs. I can feel the damp heat of her center against my body as her panties provide no form of a barrier for her desire.
Resting most of my upper body weight on my forearms, I cup her face with both of my hands. I kiss her mouth slowly as my thumbs wipe away her tears. If I’m the one who shattered her heart, then it’s my responsibility to piece it back together. That’s exactly my plan tonight. Making love to her, showing her with my body how much I care for her is the one thing I have in my arsenal that I’ve never shared with another woman.
I’m all about making a woman come, giving her exactly what she needs at that moment to let go and dive off the cliff, be it fast and hard or soft and slow. Yet, I’ve never allowed my heart to even factor into the equation. Tonight is a first for me, and I hope she’ll understand what I say with my body that I’m not able to say with my words.
She finally relents as my tongue sweeps inside of her mouth, tangling her tongue with mine. When I pull away slightly, her head lifts off of the pillow and maintains our contact. The tremble that wracked her body earlier now finds its way into mine. My whole body seems to shake as she gives into me.
I kiss both of her weeping eyes before slowly lifting her tank top up and finding her peaked nipple with my mouth. She arches her back slightly, pressing harder against my tongue. I hear a frustrated whimper as I release her pebbled flesh and slowly lick and kiss down her stomach.
My tongue traces the six-inch scar on her lower belly, loving her even more knowing Griffin made his entry into the world from that very spot. My hands find the thin lace of her panties. She lifts her hips marginally so I can slide them down her thighs. She moans as the scruff of my beard teases her delicate skin.
I thought the smell of her shampoo and the light fragrance of her skin was the most incredible scent in the world, but it doesn’t even compare to the scent of her pussy. I run my nose up her thigh and let my lips drift over her center. Her hips buck suddenly at the action, looking for more.
I chuckle lightly and spread her legs out and up, holding each of them in my hands, tilting her hips to the perfect angle.
“So beautiful,” I praise looking at the soft, pink flesh.
I tease her entrance with the very tip of my tongue, and she fights against my hold on her legs. I nip at her inner thigh in warning, and she stops trying to control the situation immediately.
“Please,” she begs with a muffled groan.
I peek up to see her forearm resting against her mouth. I want to tug her arm away so I can hear every sound that my actions force from her mouth, but I know she’s doing it so we won’t wake the baby.
I trace and outline every inch of flesh at the apex of her thighs, flicking a stiff tongue against her clit. Releasing one of her thighs, I run my fingers over her entrance and slowly slip two of them inside. Her body quakes and throbs at my intrusion. I can tell she’s so close by the way her sounds have changed, the increase in temperature around my fingers, and the light layer of sweat that’s on her skin. Giving her one final hard suck on her clit, I pull my mouth and my fingers away.
I slide back up her body while tugging my pajama pants down my thighs. I kick them off and shove them further away into the tangled sheets at the foot of the bed. I lift her tank top over her head and toss it to the side. I don’t want a stitch of clothing on our bodies when I take her; give myself to her.
I lean down to kiss her, and she feverishly raises her head to meet my mouth halfway. With an expert shift of my hips, my cock lines itself up at her core. I squeeze my eyes closed as I sink slowly inside of her, joining myself with a woman bare for only the second time in my life.
Hot, heavenly bliss wraps its way around me, engulfing me in pleasure I’d never thought I’d feel again. I feel her strong legs encircle my waist and pull me tighter against her. I keep my hips static as I kiss her mouth, enjoying just the feeling of being buried so deep inside of her.
It isn’t until she grips my ass in her small hand that I’m reminded that there’s more to do than just kiss her senseless. I grind myself harder against her before slowly drawing myself back and sliding back in.
“Jesus,” I pant against her mouth.
I feel her lips turn up in a smile, and I’m grateful her tears have stopped. I’ll do anything in my power to never see dampness cloud her beautiful dark eyes ever again.
I watch her face as my hips keep their slow but steady rhythm. Words I’ve never spoken to a woman before are on the tip of my tongue, but she seems unable to handle me looking at her so passionately, and she tilts her lips up to mine, offering her mouth for another kiss.
Her moans and whimpers become erratic, as does the pumping of my hips. I cover her cries with my mouth as she orgasms around me. The tight clenching and pulsing muscles of her core force my balls to tighten against my body. The first wave of my orgasm almost causes me to crumple on top of her. I catch myself just in time and stroke my cock slowly in and out as her orgasm continues to milk mine.
I kiss her softly as my breathing refuses to regulate as quickly as it normally does. My heart is pounding in my chest; my pulse echoing around in my head more than it ever has. This, physically, wasn’t the most aerobic sex I’ve ever had, but my body easily recognizes it as the best.
I trail my nose up her jawline, breathing in harsh pants. I can feel her heart pounding in a forceful beat against my chest as well.
Tracing her lips with my thumb, I look into her eyes.
“You’re so fucking beautiful. I can’t imagine a more perfect mother for my child.”
She tries to turn her face away from my admission, but I hold her steady with my other hand.
The tears I never wanted to see again somehow manage to sneak down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry for everything I’ve put you through,” she says with a broken sob.
“No, Darlin’,” I say. “You coming here was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me.”
I see her eyes dart toward Griffin’s crib, and she looks back up to me with so much pain in her eyes, my heart begins to break for hers.
“No one will ever take our son from us, Misty. I’ll die before I ever let that happen.” She nods her head as much as she can in my grip.
I gently pull myself from her body and shift my weight so I’m lying at her side. I don’t waste a word worrying about not using protection with her. She’s mine whether she accepts it or not. Another baby would just give me one more person on this earth to love, and I’m finding quickly that once I opened my heart, there’s plenty of room for more.
I pull her against my chest and wrap both of my arms around her back.
“You’re staying?” she asks softly.
“Armageddon couldn’t force me out of this bed,” I say and kiss the top of her head.
Chapter 33
I wake with a start and have to wonder if Armageddon did strike while I was asleep because my arms reach out and find an empty mattress. I don’t have long to worry about Shadow once again leaving me alone in bed because I can hear Griffin cooing from his crib.
I turn over and smile as my eyes land on Shadow’s back as he’s bent over changing the baby’s diaper.
“You sure are stinky for something so small,” I hear him whisper to our son.
I watch in the dim light as S
hadow redresses him and tosses the dirty diaper into the Diaper Genie. He catches me watching him when he turns back to the bed with Griffin in his arms. Shadow smiles softly, whereas Griffin sees me and begins to throw a fit.
Shadow brought him in and put him in his crib without me nursing him earlier. Clearly, he’s feeling the loss of the missed feeding right now. I sit up in bed with my back against the headboard and situate a pillow over my lap. Reaching out my arms, I take Griffin from Shadow.
I raise him to my breast as Shadow climbs back into the bed. He has me lean up slightly so he can get partially between me and the headboard. He pulls me back against his warm chest, and I let my eyes drift closed. One of his arms is wrapped around my back and resting on the curve of my hip, and I can feel his other one gently stroking Griffin’s head.
I not only hear, but can feel the rumble of approval as it reverberates through his chest. I open my eyes and peer over my shoulder at him, following his line of sight down to our son.
“We really made an incredibly handsome boy,” he says softly. His warm breath tickles my shoulder and suddenly makes me hope Griffin feeds quickly and goes back to sleep. I want to get lost in him again before he changes his mind and leaves.
“He’s beautiful,” I agree with him.
“That part he gets from his mother,” he says with a gentle kiss to my bare shoulder.
I sigh contently. “His daddy isn’t too hard on the eyes either.”
I reach down and trace the curve of Griffin’s nose as his eyes flutter closed.
“What happened there?” Shadow asks gently clasping my forearm and turning it so the small incision on my inner bicep is more visible.
I'm surprised he noticed the quarter-inch scar in such dim light.
“Birth control,” I answer.
I feel him stiffen against my back.
He didn’t use a condom earlier, but I figured he was lost too much in the moment, and I knew we were covered.
“When did you get it?”
“At my doctor’s appointment, months ago.”
“The one you didn’t want me to take you to?” His voice is low, and I can’t get a read on his tone right now.
I nod my answer.
“No more condoms then.”
It’s my turn to stiffen at his words. If I understand them correctly, he’s voicing his desire to have sex with me more. I don’t know how this honestly makes me feel because I don’t know what his intentions are other than sex. I want to ask him, but conversations about such serious matters never turn out well at three in the morning.
“And I’m not lying this time,” I throw out there. “So you don’t have to worry about earlier either.”
I climb off the bed, suddenly feeling the need to distance myself from him. I place Griffin in his crib, and without a word, close myself into the bathroom.
I take in my rumpled hair and too bright eyes in the mirror. Unable to look at myself any longer, I grip the edge of the counter and hang my head. I’ve never been so damn confused in my life. I know we need to talk about all this shit. We need to figure out exactly what this is because I need to be able to manage my expectations accordingly. I’m terrified to ask him, though, knowing that what he’ll say will not be something I’ll want to hear.
I turn off the light and make my way back to the bed. Having plunged myself into darkness after the bright light of the bathroom, I’m forced to feel my way around the room until I reach the bed.
I squeal too loudly when Shadow’s hand reaches out and tugs me down on the mattress. His body covers mine instantly.
“I don’t give a fuck about the damn birth control, Misty,” he says gruffly.
I look up, at what I assume is his face, even though I can only make out the outline in the darkness. I feel his body shift, and the heat from his erection slides over my center.
“I’m going to fuck you bare whether you’re on it or not.”
His lips crash against mine as his cock thrusts deep inside of me.
***
The sound of Griffin jabbering slowly pulls me from sleep. I smile when I shift my weight and feel the delicious soreness in my body.
My good mood changes instantly when I realize I’m once again waking up alone in bed. I shake my head to try to get rid of the depressing thoughts that are trying to invade it. It doesn’t work. With hopeful regard, I listen for the shower in the bathroom, something telling me that Shadow hasn’t once again left me. Silence. I hear nothing other than Griffin rustling around in his crib.
Tossing the covers back, I climb out of bed and grab my cell phone from the bedside table, intent on checking the time. The sun is bright through the high windows, but I know it can’t be too late because Griffin always wakes up with the first sign of morning.
A text message from Shadow is on the screen. His message was sent just after six this morning, three hours ago.
Shadow: Beautiful, I’ve been called out on a job. I tried to wake you, but you only snuggled deeper into the blankets. Sorry for wearing you out last night. Actually, that’s a lie. I’m not sorry. Last night was the best night of my life.
Best night of his life.
I don’t even know how to interpret that. I know my heart wants to believe he means spending time with me, but my head is rejecting the idea. Shadow is a very sexual creature. It rolls off of him in waves, and any woman within eyesight is enthralled by his handsome features and bright blue eyes. I’m no exception. More than likely he’s referring to the sex. That has to be it. I take some pride in at least being the best.
“Dadadadada,” Griffin says from his crib.
I place my phone back on the bedside table and make my way over to his crib.
I reach in and pull him out. “Your Dada had to leave for work. You’re stuck with me, little guy.”
With swift effectiveness, I change his diaper and settle back on the bed to nurse him.
I wince when he bites too hard. “Listen here, little piranha,” I say pulling him from my breast. “Either you stop biting, or you’re only going to get your meals from a bottle.” He smiles up at me with innocent eyes.
I attempt to nurse him again, but can’t handle the little razor sharp teeth he’s become fond of using. “Bottle it is,” I say placing him in his crib and grabbing the diaper bag.
I’m mixing formula into a bottle of water when a knock echoes through the room.
“Come in,” I say closing the lid to the formula.
The door opens and Bri saunters in. She looks from the crib and back to my hands. “Still biting?”
I nod, shake the bottle until it’s mixed, and hand it over to Griffin. He takes it enthusiastically, not hindered in the slightest by having to drink his meal from a bottle.
“What’s up?” I ask sitting back down on the edge of the bed.
Bri picks a spot on the carpet and sits Indian style in front of me.
“Most of the guys left for a job.”
“Yeah. I hate when they leave. I’m a nervous wreck until they get back,” I say quietly.
“Dom went with them. I didn’t even think he was a part of their whole team.”
“From what Emmalyn has told me, his whole life has been the military. It doesn’t surprise me that he takes the first opportunity to get back into the action.” I see her face fall.
“He won’t even talk to me.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “You mean he won’t sleep with you?”
“Same difference,” she says looking down at her hands.
“He’ll come around,” I lie.
From what I’ve seen of Dom, he’s very standoffish. Not in a disrespecting way, but I get the vibe he just likes to be on his own.
“He doesn’t seem interested in me at all,” she complains.
“Maybe it’s because you’re Shadow’s sister. They have that whole bro code or whatever.”
She shrugs, but I can tell I’m not helping her mood.
“Maybe I should bring someone else back
here.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think that’s the best idea, Bri.”
“It could work,” she says quickly.
“It may backfire, and then you’re stuck here with some guy you don’t even know. I don’t really see Dom being the type of guy who’s going to see you with someone else and claim you as his.” I smile softly at her. “He doesn’t seem the caveman type, and I think it’s only going to hurt you more when you don’t get the response you’re looking for.”
“I know,” she says sullenly. “I can’t get Trey to leave my house in Tennessee, so I’m not going home anytime soon. I’m not looking for love or some bullshit like that. He just looks like he’d be a ton of fun in bed.”
I stay silent. What can I even say to that? I haven’t given Dominic a second glance in that way. If anything, he scares me. He’s always quiet, looking around and assessing every single facet of his surroundings. It’s unnerving.
“I can’t sleep. He’s not even at the clubhouse every day, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s doing. I’m thirty-six damn years old, and I’m worrying about some man who won’t even give me the time of day.” She sighs loudly and lays back on the carpet. Looking up at the ceiling she says, “Apparently I don’t take rejection very well.”
I can’t help but laugh.
“Speaking of not being able to sleep,” she says turning around, lying on her stomach, and propping her chin in her hands. “I wander around quite a bit when I can’t sleep. Want to talk about me seeing Shadow sneak out of here first thing this morning?”
I shake my head but can’t hide my smile. I feel much better after his text. He says he tried to wake me, and I believe him. He’s not one to lie, even if it would mean sparing someone else’s feelings. If he tried to wake me, then he didn’t sneak out before I woke up.
“Seriously?” she says.
“Nope,” I respond. “I’m not going to talk about it.”
Chapter 34
This mission couldn’t have come at a better, or worse, time. I was grateful for the call out, but I didn’t realize at the time how much I was going to miss Misty and Griffin. I mean, I’ve missed them every time I’ve been called out since they showed up at the clubhouse, but for some reason, this time is different.
