by Gia Riley
I wrap my arms around her from behind and kiss her temple, loving that she still smells like coconut. “I’m pushing thirty, baby. I had to grow up eventually.”
“Even if you’re a rock star?”
“Even then, but I think you should take the full tour, see the bedrooms and all that.”
She turns around in my arms, her face happier than I’ve ever seen it on the computer screen. “You don’t have to sell it to me, Lane. I’m a sure thing.”
“God, I hope you never say those to words to anyone else but me,” I tell her before I hoist her up and over my shoulder, smacking her ass as I hurry down the hallway. It’s never felt this good to be home before.
Even though she’s dangling upside down, she still says, “Can we skip the kissing and all that shit?”
I toss her in the middle of the bed where her long dark hair fans out around her, making her look like the most exotic creature I’ve ever seen. She’s always been beautiful, but today she’s fucking gorgeous. “You’re such a romantic.”
“I don’t need romance, Lane. Right now, I just need you.”
Hovering over her, I tell her, “Then I suggest you get naked.”
“I’m pretty sure my panties just melted right off.”
“Always a smartass.”
“Yes! Touch my ass, too.”
Lane’s pulling his shirt over his head, and while he’s looking at me like he wants to devour me, all I can focus on is the three-inch scar on his chest. I noticed it when we first met, but online, it’s nothing more than a small, slightly blurry spot. Now that his tan has faded and I’m up close, I’m reminded of the way I felt the first time I saw it. And my chest still aches for him.
“Hey,” he whispers when I get caught staring at it. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”
I reach out to touch it while a million scenarios run through my head about the knife that put it there. As much as I want the full story right here and now, I can tell he’s not going to give it to me tonight. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, but don’t get hung up on the little things.”
“It doesn’t seem little.”
“If it were anything you needed to worry about, I’d tell you. I don’t want my past to get in the way tonight or any other night. Okay?”
The last thing I want is to ruin this moment with him. We’ve been apart for so long, talking night after night about what we wanted to do to each other as soon as we had the chance. So far, I’m blowing it. Determined not to mess this up more than I have, I tell him, “Yeah, okay,” as convincingly as I can.
Still, he hesitates. “But?”
“It makes me sad, but if I’m being honest, it also makes me feel safe.”
“How does it make you feel safe?”
“Because, Lane, you’re not an ‘in your face’ kind of guy—at least not from what I’ve seen from you so far. So if you were hurt, you must have been trying to protect someone you really cared about. Maybe even loved.”
I think I might have assumed right when he looks away from me, his eyes zoned in on the wall next to the closet door. “I’ll always protect you, Noelle. Even when you don’t want me to.”
I run my hands up his bare back, his skin still warm from having me in his arms. “I always feel protected,” I tell him. “Even when we’re apart.”
Maybe it’ll stay like this, the two of us in this perfect little bubble where nothing can touch us, and maybe it won’t. No matter what these next two weeks bring, they’ll still mean everything to me.
“I don’t want to be apart anymore. This right now is the way it’s supposed to be.”
“That’s why I came early, so I could see your last show and have some extra time with you.”
He rests his forehead against mine, his hand tangled in the hair at the nape of my neck. “You could have all the time in the world, Noelle. I’d give you every minute.”
I don’t doubt him for a single second. He would give me all his seconds and every one of his minutes if I needed him to. “Lane, this thing we have, it’s not going anywhere. So for today, will you just be with me and leave the hard stuff for tomorrow?”
“Yeah, baby. You’ve got me.”
“If I have you, why are you getting up?”
He glances over his shoulder, shaking his head as he walks into the bathroom. “Give me five minutes.”
I’m convinced he has some urgent business to take care of, but when the water in the shower turns on, I squeeze my eyes shut and curl my hands into fists. He’s really going to make me wait for him while he takes a damn shower—without me.
His five minutes are more like ten, and by the time he walks back into the bedroom I’m worried the mood has passed. That is until I open my eyes and take one look at him completely naked save for the water droplets still clinging to his chest and a white towel wrapped around his waist. One small tug is all it would take to send it to the floor.
Propped up on my elbows, I ask him, “Why did you shower without me? I didn’t even get you dirty yet.”
He rounds the end of the bed, slowly making his way to my side. When he gets there, my arms give out and I fall onto my back, nestled in a cloud of pillows. He leans closer, whispering, “Why do you still have your clothes on?”
“Because I’m still waiting for you to take them off.”
Not having to tell him twice, he stands in front of me, each muscle and ripple on his body begging to be touched. My eyes zone in on his biceps and how I can’t wait to latch on and dig my nails into them. “I know I haven’t touched you in six months, but I swear you’ve gotten bigger. The computer really doesn’t do you justice.”
Lane smirks as he glances at his cock. “That’s all you, baby.”
I roll my eyes, smacking his hands away from my shirt. “I meant your arms.”
“What’s wrong with my dick?”
“I wouldn’t know, because you’re taking forever to get my dress off. But like I always say, if you want something done right, you do it yourself.”
He watches as I stand up and slide the straps off my shoulders. Once the thin lace material is over my chest, it falls to the floor, pooling around my ankles. I step out of it, expecting him to take what he wants . . . only he doesn’t move to touch me. “Do you need glasses or something?”
Smiling, he shakes his head. “No, I’m waiting for you to do it yourself.”
Leave it to him to try to be cute when all I want to do is screw him. “Lane, if you don’t touch me in the next thirty seconds, I’m going to have to take matters in my own hands. And I’m tired of rocking my own world.”
With hooded eyes, he reaches for my hand and tugs on it until I’m standing in front of him, my chest level with his lips. His tongue darts out, taking a swipe at my nipple. “As much as I’d like to see that show in person, I’m done waiting, Noelle.”
Lifting me, he spins around until I’m flat on the bed. After a quick check with his fingers, he discovers how ready I am for him. I may talk a big game, but when it comes to submitting to Lane, there’s nothing I want to do more.
I expect him to tease me some more, but he catches me off guard when he pushes inside me, making me groan from the sensations. “Maybe I was wrong,” I tell him.
“About what?”
“Maybe that’s gotten bigger, too.”
“Never question it.”
“Never, but as amazing as this feels, I brought condoms.”
He drops his head, sighing when he has to pull back out. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay. They’re in my suitcase.”
“I probably still have some in the drawer.” He reaches for the handle, but I grab his arm with both hands, stopping him.
“I don’t want to know why there are condoms in there, considering I’ve never been here before, but I’m willing to forget about that as long as we use mine.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Please, it’s important.”
“Fine,�
�� he says with a huff as he climbs off me and finds my suitcase in the corner. After unzipping the bag, I hear him laugh. “Three boxes? Hell yeah.”
I pull the pillow over my head, frustrated that these crazy New Yorkers don’t value their protection the way I do. “Is it really that many?” I ask through a pile of cotton and feathers.
Lane pulls the pillow off my head, no doubt wondering what I’m doing. “Do you have some kind of bet going?”
“How’d you know?”
“Because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have wanted me to use yours so bad. You’d have given me one of mine and we’d be halfway done by now.”
“Then it’s a good thing I like to savor the moment. You put one of those suckers on as many times as you’d like throughout the sexing, okay?”
“I’ll tell Lark the truth.”
“You will not. Turns out Easton can’t even use that many.”
He’s on me in two seconds, laughing against my lips. “I forgot how crazy you are, but I haven’t forgotten how much I’ve missed this body.” He kisses his way around my nipples and down the center of my stomach.
I lift my hips, greedily seeking more. “Lane, don’t make me beg.”
His kisses inch lower and lower until he’s so close to my clit I can feel the warmth of his breath. It’s been so long since we’ve been together like this, that for the briefest of seconds, some of my nerves return, but Lane reads me like he always does, putting both hands on my hips to keep me from getting away from him.
“What did you do?” he says with half a laugh.
“I’m sorry. I’ll stay still.”
“No, seriously. What’d you do down here?”
I lift my head, wondering what he’s talking about. That’s when I remember he hasn’t seen my latest creation. “I vajazzled.”
“Is that like Zumba?”
Keeping a straight face is impossible, even though he’s completely serious. “No, dummy. It’s when you trick out your vagina with some crystals. I made lips right above where I want yours.”
“Why in the world would you do that?”
I shrug, a little bummed he doesn’t like it the way I thought he would. “I wanted to make it special for you. It’s been awhile.”
Lane kisses his way back up my body. When he gets to my lips, he kisses me hard, biting the bottom one and tugging on it. When he lets go, he says, “Look at me, baby.”
I look at him, and instead of him making fun of me like I’m expecting, he kisses the tip of my nose and cups my jaw tenderly. “Don’t think for a second I don’t want you right now, because it’s taking all my willpower to tap the brakes, but you don’t have to do anything special for me to appreciate it. I promise.”
“Okay. I can take it off if it bugs you. I’m not about to get shortchanged tonight.”
“As long as there aren’t any other surprises I should know about, I’m good.”
“Just fuck me, Lane. I’m think I’m done being patient.”
“I was going to fuck you hard, but now I think we need to go slower—much slower.”
“I want it hard, Lane,” I tell him as he slinks back down my body. “Don’t jip me.”
He blows lightly against my stomach, making me clench fistfuls of the sheets. Without warning, he dives into me, his tongue dipping in and out, around and around, until he’s sucking so hard on my clit my back arches off the bed. “What’s in your mouth?”
He raises his head, a devilish smirk on his face when he shows me a wad of gum between his teeth. “Cinnamon gum. Why? Something bothering you?”
“I don’t know what’s happening!”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“Holy shit, no. Do all of that again.”
He laughs, but doesn’t argue. Like he knew I’d love it all along, he pops two pieces of fresh gum in his mouth, letting a little of the juice drip onto me. It warms me from the inside out, everything between my legs now tingling the way warm, spicy alcohol would course through my veins if I were drinking.
“Stay still, baby.”
“I can’t.” I need more of his mouth, but I want him inside me, too. So I do the only thing I can to make it more intense—I pull him up by his shoulders, covering his mouth with mine just as I raise my hips to find his cock. The tip brushes against me, teasing me with each little twitch and movement he makes. When I can’t take another second, my nails dig into his arms and he finally sets me free, pushing inside me. “Lane, please. Whatever you did to me, I need you to finish it.”
“You’re so sexy when you beg.”
I’d beg for days right now if it made this ache go away. We’ve had our share of cyber fun, but nothing will ever compare to the way he feels inside me. Nothing even comes close to the euphoria of when he completely consumes me.
My nails may have already drawn blood but I still bite his shoulder, wishing I could feel the way I do right now every single day of my life. “I knew I missed you, Lane, but I don’t think I realized how much until you stuck your dick in me.”
He’s breathing hard on top of me, but he slows long enough to look into my eyes and tell me, “You’re a hopeless romantic with a very dirty mouth.”
“I can’t help it. My mouth doesn’t always listen to my brain.”
He kisses my temple and then my lips, leaving behind a path of tiny kisses. “I don’t want you to apologize, Noelle. You’re my favorite combination—a sexy, fuckin’ hot smartass.”
Even though my crotch is still doing the Mexican hat dance to a Mariachi band, I never want this moment to end. It’s one that’ll stay with me for the rest of my life. Not because I’m about to have an earth-shattering orgasm with the hottest rocker on the planet, but because of who I’m having it with.
I’ve waited and waited for tonight, and finally, I’m secure—I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. All I can do now is hold on tight and absorb each thrust of his hips and each kiss that leaves a chilled mark on my skin once his mouth is gone.
“I’m trying to hold back.”
“Why?”
“Being inside you is so much better than I remember, and I don’t want to hurt you.”
A bead of sweat falls from Lane’s brow and trickles down the side of his face. I follow it all the way to his chin, where it breaks away from his skin and lands on my stomach. His chest glistens and all I can do is hold on to his strong arms, taking each thrust deeper than the last.
With more conviction than I knew I possessed, I tell him, “We’ve been waiting for this, Lane. All those nights you told me how bad you wanted to kiss and touch me, now’s your chance.”
“I feel like I can’t get close enough, baby. No matter how many times I kiss you, or how long I’m inside you, I still want more.”
“Then get lost in me because right now, I’m so lost in you.”
My words must get to him more than anything I’ve ever said, because he crashes his lips against mine so hard our teeth scrape. He puts all his weight on me, wraps his arms around my back and flips us over, never once breaking our connection.
With me on top, he pushes my hair over my shoulders and away from my chest so he can see the full picture. “Ride me, Noelle.”
I do what I’m told, but not before I grab his hand and nudge it between my legs. He finds my aching clit, rubbing small circles around and around until I’m positive I’m about to shatter on top of him. “Don’t stop, Lane. Please, don’t stop.”
He pinches my clit between his fingers, giving me just enough pressure to make my hips buck against his. From the second I clench around him, his eyes close and he lets out the sexiest growl I’ve ever heard. It makes me grip him even harder until I’m draped over his chest, trying to catch my breath and remember how to speak.
I only let myself get lost in the sensations for a few more seconds before I sit back up and make sure he gets exactly what he needs from me. Although he’s slowed down, I’m not ready for him to stop yet. “Harder, Lane.”
He gives me what I
ask for, and a few seconds later I feel him twitch before he holds onto me, thrusting twice more before letting go.
I absorb every aftershock he sends through me, convinced it’s never been this good with anyone else because my body was waiting for Lane.
“Goddamn, woman,” Lane finally says with his arm slung over his forehead, his chest still rising and falling faster than usual. I start to slide off him, but he grabs my hips and keeps me where I am. “Give me a minute.”
My hips ache from straddling him, but not enough to go against his wishes. I let him soak up the moment, taking all he needs from me for as long as he needs it. With my head resting against his chest, just under his chin, I run my fingertips over the soft skin covering his ribs, tracing invisible patterns over and over. I don’t even realize what I’m writing until he exhales and says, “I love you, too, baby.”
In my heart, I’ve known I loved Lane for a long time, but it never felt like the right time to tell him. I didn’t want to say the words on the phone or over the Internet, where it felt generic and less personal. When I finally confessed my love to him, I wanted to do it like normal people do, face to face.
Even though I never picked out a specific moment to tell him, I realize I didn’t have to. That moment would find us when we were ready. And just like our relationship, our love is unpredictable but always there when I need it. Even though he’s said the words to me, I still ask him, “You’re sure it’s not too soon?”
He pulls out of me before gently laying me down next to him. Once I’m situated, he rolls onto his side to face me. Even though his eyes are sleepy, they’re still so full of life, making me realize how much having me here means to him. “Noelle, loving you means so much more than saying three little words.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we may not have had a lot of time together to lie in bed and talk like we are now, but we’ve had some pretty amazing conversations—ones we probably wouldn’t have tackled yet had we been in the same town, let alone the same bed.”
“That’s true.”
When I shiver the slightest bit, he pulls the sheet up far enough to cover my hips, his hand draping over my side. I’m at peace as the tips of his fingers tickle my back. “Sometimes distance forces you to see the truth a lot sooner. So, no, I don’t think it’s too soon to tell me you love me if you really mean it.”
