“Um.” She looks down the corridor. “I guess that’s your bedroom?”
I grin. She knows me too well. “Yes, it is.”
Her face flushes. “This is beautiful and overwhelming, and I don’t know what to say,” she whispers. She’s still holding my hand, and I take that as a very good sign.
“Good.” I pull her to me. “Don’t say anything.”
I kiss her. Her mouth is warm and welcoming as she parts her lips to welcome my exploring tongue. Her soft breasts press against my hard chest, and I know she can feel my hard-on straining against my suit. My hands drop to her beautiful ass, pulling her harder against it. She writhes against me, a low moan gathering in her throat. With that sound, all my plans of a quiet evening of drinks and conversation fly out the window. I want this woman, and I need her, and there’s not a chance I can wait another moment. I break off the kiss. The hungry look in her eyes tells me the same story. I take her hand and lead her out of the dining room.
“Dinner can wait,” I tell her. We’ll skip the goddamn hors d’oeuvres.
I’d rather have her taste on my lips. This is going to be a night to remember, for both of us.
As we reach the corridor, she hesitates, her eyes downcast. I want her to have no reservations, not a single one, so even though I can hardly breath for longing, I stop. She looks up at me, and I can’t stop myself from touching her face, her hair. But I need her to be sure. “Tell me what you are thinking.” My voice is hoarse with longing. “I want this to be perfect, but if this is not what you want…”
She blushes again and stammers. “It’s not that. I want that.” Her little throat swallows prettily, but her eyes still smolder with desire.
I have never wanted anyone as badly as I want her right now. If there’s any chance at all of having her sprawled on my bed screaming my name, I need to make that happen. I take a deep breath, willing myself to be patient. “But?”
“I’m just worried about the rose petals staining your pretty white carpet if I walk on them. I’ll ruin everything.”
I burst into laughter, a combination of amusement and relief. She’s unbelievable. “I’ll replace the damn carpet if I have to.” I pick her up like she’s my pretty bride and carry her to my door. Her hands come around my neck as I maneuver the door open. I carry her over the threshold and to the bed, candles flickering all around us. It’s even more perfect than I had hoped for. I kneel at the foot of the bed and gently place her onto it.
“Knox.” The flames of the candles are reflected in her eyes. It looks magical. She is magical.
“Yes? Tell me what you want.”
“I want this. I want you. I need you.”
I’m reluctant to let her go even long enough to close the bedroom door shut, but when I turn back, she’s still there, looking luscious sprawled on my bed, the flickering light bathing her in golden shades.
“That’s not a bad start,” I tell her. Then I pull her to her feet, smiling at the confusion in her face. “But we have plenty of time. When I told you that first night that you would beg for more, I meant it. Tell me again how much you want me.” I want to be sure.
She laughs, a bit startled, and then tiptoes up to whisper in my ear. “I want you to make love to me, Knox Lockwood. I want you to take me slow and fast and soft and hard, and then I want you to start all over again.”
It’s a miracle I don’t come right there on the spot, just at the feel of her soft breath on my ear. Slow and soft might well be the ultimate challenge, but luckily, I have all night.
I pull his suit jacket off his shoulders as he stands before me. His eyes flash in the candlelight. My mouth is dry. I take a deep breath. This is it. This is finally it. I want nothing so much as I want him inside me, right now. I start undoing the buttons of his shirt one by one, my fingers trembling. His tanned and muscled chest comes into view, and it takes my breath away.
His hands glide across my shoulders and then my hair, stroking softly. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” he whispers.
I tug at his shirt until he lets go of me so that it can fall to the floor. Then he pulls me against his hard chest, wrapping his bare arms around him. I bury my face against his chest and then kiss his nipples, feeling them pebble under my lips. I’m amazed at how in control I feel, how brazen. I want to taste every inch of him.
His lips find mine, and our kiss quickly becomes forceful. I can’t get enough of him, and I know he feels the same way.
He tugs at my blouse and then reaches to the neckline with both hands. “I’m sorry,” he whispers as he pulls hard, the buttons pinging in every direction as he rips it open.
“You totally aren’t,” I whisper back.
His hands move to my breasts, freeing them from my bra. My nipples harden under his touch, and I arch my back, desperate for more. For everything.
I can’t stand to go slow, and it is clear he feels the same way.
He pulls off my skirt and gives the black lace fabric of my panties only a momentary glance before he pulls them off, too, leaving me naked in front of him. The room is warm, but my skin prickles as his eyes rake over me as if he is touching every part of me. He groans and reaches to his own pants, undoing the button and tugging down the zipper. My eyes must be huge as I watch him pull down his pants and underwear, his cock finally free from restraint. I have time for just a moment of fear as I take in the size and girth, and then his lips are on mine, his hands stroking my hair and the back of my neck until I arch against him again, everything but the scent of his body against mine forgotten. He pushes me back against the bed as his mouth drops down to my neck and shoulders and then finally to my breast, licking one nipple as his fingers pinch the other.
“Don’t make me beg again,” I moan.
He lies against me, his hard cock pressing against my thigh, and I buck my hips towards him, unable to show even the slightest restraint. He licks his way down my stomach, and I realize he’s going to lick me there, taste me, eat me. I gasp at the thought, a new wave of heat and wetness running through me before he’s even reached there.
He groans in response and presses my thighs apart. I have no time for the embarrassment I was sure I’d feel as he looks at my pussy and then dips down to taste me.
I lose all control, crying out loud as he presses harder and then circles my clit with his tongue. I’m coming, peaked at the slightest touch from him, my hips arched up off the bed as wave after wave pulses through my body. His hands are under my hips, holding me close to his face, a gentle lick causing me to cry out all over again, over and over until finally my body untenses and he lets me go, resting his head against my thigh.
“So fucking beautiful,” he says. “I can’t stop tasting you.”
And then his tongue is sliding along my pussy again, slowly this time, exploring every inch of me. I feel a new wave of lust coming over me. I can’t possibly, not again, not that quickly. But when he flicks his tongue against my sensitive clit, I feel myself arching my back, pressing my pussy into his face. I want this, I want more, I want everything. He takes his time, his hands stroking my sides and my hips while he presses his lips and tongue against me. The pressure builds as he strokes his tongue up and down, barely flicking my clit each time until I can’t stand it anymore.
“Please, Knox.”
I can feel his smile as he licks me harder, faster. He clutches my hips, holding me to his mouth as I start to buck against him. Within seconds, I’m on the edge again, white hot passion filling me as my clit throbs under his tongue. My breath comes out in ragged gasps, and I am shaking all over as he pushes me over the edge. I’m only vaguely aware that I’m crying out his name as he sucks my clit into his mouth, his strong arms holding me to him.
We sit like that with his face still between my legs for what seems like forever. And yet, still I’m dizzy with the after effects of the most amazing orgasm of my life as he slides up my body.
I run my hands along his firm back, the heat rising in me once m
ore at the feeling of his cock pressed against my leg. His lips come down on mine, his tongue pushing me to open my mouth to his, to open myself to him. I ease my mouth and my legs apart, embarrassed at how soaking wet with desire I must be. He reaches to stroke me again, circling my clit and then pressing a finger deep inside of me. I rock against him, inviting him to press into me deeper, harder. He circles my clit and then presses two fingers into me.
“Yes,” I whisper. Yes, I want this, yes, I’m ready. But he doesn’t need me to say it; he can feel it. I move against him, pulling his fingers deeper into me. He pulls them away with a groan, and I feel his thick cock now, finally. He slides the head along my slick lips, and he groans again, kissing me harder. I half expect him to slam into me, to fuck me hard, to claim me. But he doesn’t. He pauses, lifting his head to watch my face and then begins to press his cock into me so slowly, I can barely stand it. I lift my hips to meet his. I reach for his hips, pushing them towards mine. I want him inside of me. Now.
“Slowly,” he whispers. He takes my hands in his and holds them against the bed. Pinned beneath him like this only makes me want him more.
His hard smooth cock is rocking against my entrance. I squirm against him. I’m ready, more than ready. “Please?”
He squeezes my hands, presses into me a fraction further and then stops. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to take me now.”
“Beg for it,” he grinds out. His breathing is ragged, and another wave of lust washes over me, knowing he wants me as badly as I want him.
I will do whatever he wants, as long as he doesn’t stop. “Please, Knox. Please, take me. Please—”
His mouth crashes against mine, his tongue pushing in. I kiss him as hard as I can, no tenderness or gentleness left in me. The pressure inside me is building, and there’s only one way to get release.
As I arch my back, he rocks against me again, breaking off the kiss to stare into my eyes. I’m breathing hard. A soft mewling sound escapes me. I need him inside of me.
He presses harder this time, his thick cock finally starting to fill me. There’s a twinge of pain and then it is gone, and all I feel is liquid desire. I rock against him, bucking my hips to try to make him take me deeper, harder.
His breaths are sounding ragged, too, which turns me on even more. I want him as desperate for this as I am.
He groans. “When you do that—”
I cut him off. “Please fuck me.”
That wicked grin covers his face. “I thought you’d never ask.” And this time he lunges into me, his pelvis knocking my still sensitive clit as his thick cock fills me up. He pauses just for a moment, looking deep into my eyes. I buck my hips up towards him. He can’t stop now.
I can’t help but cry out as he thrusts against me, moving hard and fast to match the rhythm of my bucking hips. I’m panting and cursing as his sweaty body pounds into me.
The world goes black as a third climax overwhelms me, and all I can do is cry out his name as my pussy clenches his cock. He grabs me, pulling me to his chest as he pumps into me again, growling my name as he fills me with his hot seed.
My body is on fire as the orgasm crashes over me for multiple waves until finally he and I are both spent. I’m gasping, my throat hoarse from screaming his name. He takes a deep breath and then dips down to kiss my lips, my face, my throat. His body is still against me now, both of us covered in slick sweat. I’m sated and sleepy, but as my eyes flicker close, he pulls out from inside me. I whimper at the loss.
“Crystal,” he whispers.
“Mmmhmmm?” I shiver as he pulls his sweaty body away from mine, not wanting this to end.
“Dinner? The chef is waiting.”
“Oh no!” I bounce up, bumping straight into his big body still perched above me.
He grins, brushing my hair out of my face. “That was one hell of an hors d’oeuvre,” he says. “But I think we need some real food in order to build our strength up for dessert.”
“Wow, we can do that again?”
“You betcha,” he laughs. “Crystal, we have plenty of time. We have all night.” His eyes smolder with fresh desire, and I feel him stiffening against my thigh again. “And then we have tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. We have the rest of our lives, if we want more.”
“I like the sound of that,” I whisper, stroking his hard shoulders and back. He traps my mouth in another kiss, and the world falls away from me just the same as it did the first time.
This is going to be a long night, and I intend to enjoy every minute of it. After that? Who knows. I’m not letting anything stand in the way of having him tonight, not this time.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve stopped by Lido’s Loco and so, when I arrive for my lunch with Knox and Maddy, Maddy’s eyes just about pop out of her head.
“Oh my God. Oh. My. God. Look at your stomach! You are pregnant! You are totally pregnant. I mean, I know you told me, but oh my God, it is really, really true and I can totally tell just by looking at you.”
I haven’t seen Maddy for six weeks, and in that time, I’ve really started to show, even though I’m only five months.
“What’s it feel like? Does it feel like there’s something growing inside of you? Have you seen Alien? Oh my God, don’t watch Alien, it’ll freak you out. I’m freaked out. Can I touch your stomach?”
I can’t get a word in, but I don’t mind, I’m laughing too hard to say anything, anyway. I put her hand on my stomach.
“Oh my God. Will it kick me? Is it a boy or a girl?”
“I told them not to tell me.”
“How can you do that? I don’t understand how you do that. I always read the last page of a book first, I have to know if there’s a happy ending.” She gives me a more serious look. “Is there? Are you happy? Is life with Knox everything you thought it would be? Are the cats okay in the new place?”
“The cats might have made their displeasure known by shredding Knox’s favorite silk tie. I figure we’re even now.” We both laugh at that. Maddy put up with all my complaints while we were dating, while we were both trying to work out how to best fit in with the other. He’s got the best of intentions, but he’s also really used to everyone doing what he says. That’s why I stayed working at the restaurant for so long; I wanted to keep some sense of independence. But I gave in and quit when we got married.
“It’s fantastic,” I tell her honestly. “I feel guilty; it’s so perfect. He’s working a lot less now. He’s got a great team of three people; they come over every morning for a breakfast meeting. So he’s in constant contact and still in control, but not everything is hitting his desk. He’s even thinking of taking up a hobby now that we moved into the new house!”
We’ve got a beautiful little house on the Waterfront, near the Mission. I volunteer at Mrs. Scaravelli’s animal shelter three days a week, which has been great. It gives me my own focus, but also Mrs. Scaravelli’s been tutoring me in the social expectations and what kind of society events I do and don’t need to attend. She’s become a real friend.
Maddy claps happily. “I miss you, though. I can’t believe it’s been six weeks and you got all fat.”
I hit her arm. “I’m sorry it’s been so long. Only because we were traveling and then moving,” I promise her. “Come over on Friday after work? I know our place isn’t as upmarket as The Bright Spot, and I can’t drink.” I instinctively put my hand to my stomach, and she nods. “But I figure we could get some rom-coms and a big bowl of popcorn and totally act as stupid as we used to.”
“It’s a date! We can wear old PJs and everything!” Maddy grins and then turns when someone at table 7 waves for her attention. Knox is pulling up outside. I take table 2 so that we’re near the kitchen. The menu hasn’t changed since 2003, so I don’t even know why I’m looking at it.
The room goes a bit quiet as Knox walks in, and I can’t help remembering that day he walked in with a drunken Jazzmene. She’s dating some guy
from Ecuador and has long since forgiven Knox for failing to fall for her. I wouldn’t say we are best friends, but she’s fun to hang out with at the social events that Knox drags me to. I don’t think she knows I still have her dress, though. I don’t think I’m going to tell her.
Knox slides into the booth next to me, bumping me over with his hip. “Hey,” I laugh and scoot over, though it’s stupid to be sitting next to each other at a table for four. Knox makes me do stupid things a lot.
“Hey, beautiful pregnant wife,” he says, kissing me, even though we only just saw each other an hour ago. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” I say, and it’s true. We spent our vacation on the tropical island of Bonaire, and I’m afraid I’ve become much too used to him being at my side every minute of the day. “How’s the office?”
“Busy, but they’re fine. It’s amazing how much people can get done if you aren’t looking over their shoulder every minute.” Knox still seems a bit surprised at how well everything is going with him taking a step back. I’m thrilled, of course. But sometimes I worry he’ll get bored.
“I bought a band saw,” he says.
“A what?”
“I was looking at furniture for the nursery, and I just couldn’t find anything quite right. So I’m thinking we can make the garage into a workshop, and I can get some woodworkers in to teach me.”
“You’re training to become a carpenter?” I realize my worries are me being stupid again. There’s no way this man is ever going to get bored.
“Well, a very specialized one,” he says. He puts his hand on my stomach, and my heart flutters at his touch, like it always does. “But I’d like to keep making nursery furniture for a while, if that’s okay with you.”
“Hey, let’s make it through this pregnancy first!” He’s crazy, but I love him. He’s thrown himself as thoroughly into creating our family as he ever did into the business.
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