by Jaye Ripley
Without warning, she raises her hand and brings it down hard on her own ass. Her cheek jiggles from the impact of her spank.
“Fuck me.” I can’t take my eyes off her as her skin flushes a light pink.
“That’s right. Fuck. Me. Hunter,” she demands. “I can take it.”
Her hands return to the tile in front of her. Water runs down her body. She is a sultry siren, begging to be filled by me. My heart threatens to beat out of my chest. My dick threatens to leave me if I don’t bury myself deep inside.
I grip her slick hair and pull. With a gasp, her head bends back with a little force. Unable to resist fully, I lick my way up her neck to her ear.
“Is this what you want? Me to dominate you?”
She licks her lips. “Yes.”
“And to fuck you hard from behind?”
She nods.
“Why?”
Her eyes pop open in surprise. “You don’t want me?”
I take her hand in mine and place it on my throbbing erection. “Does that feel like I don’t want you, sweetheart?”
She rubs up and down my length. “Then why won’t you fuck me? You started it.” She can’t hide her frustration.
I reach around her and turn off the water. Shifting the shower curtain out of the way, I grab a towel off the rack and wrap it around her.
“You’re right. I did. But this isn’t the way it’s going to go tonight.”
Mel takes the towel from me and quickly wipes it over her body. She rubs her hair and throws the towel at me. “Then I better be going.” She steps out of the shower and gathers her things.
“Mel, stay.” I adopt the same tone of control I did the first night.
Her body tenses, but she doesn’t move. She swears under her breath. But she doesn’t leave. I dry myself off with the same towel and hang it up as I step out.
“Turn around.”
“Fuck you,” she says, her voice wary.
“Melody, turn around.”
She shuffles until her body faces me. I cradle her face with my hand and wait. She refuses to look at me. If she won’t take care of things, then I hope she trusts that I will.
“It’s time that you and I stop running.”
That gets her attention. She tilts her head at me, giving me her attention. “I’m not running.” Defiance flashes deep in her eyes.
“I didn’t say just you. I said you and me. We should stop running. It’s time we stop bullshitting ourselves.”
She hugs her wet clothes closer to her. “Are you saying that we’re bullshit?”
“God, woman. Stop twisting things to fit your needs and listen to me.” I run my hand through my hair, spraying water in its wake. “I have to stop running circles around you, afraid to get too close for fear that anything might send you running as far away from me as possible. We have to stop avoiding the truth.”
She backs away from me, shaking her head. “The truth is that you’re leaving, and—” Her voice catches.
With one slow step forward, I reach out and take her wet clothes from her, letting them drop on the bathroom floor. “And what, Mel?” I brush a wet strand of hair from her face.
She closes her eyes. “It’s too fast. Things like this don’t last. And—” She stops herself again.
My fingers run down her cheek and grip her jaw lightly, tilting her up. Her breath blows hot on my face, my lips barely an inch away from hers. “And what?” I breathe.
She swallows. “It’s too fast, and I’m falling.”
For me. She doesn’t have to finish the sentence to know its end. She’s falling for me. My heart soars, and happiness swells inside of me.
“Then let me catch you.”
22
Mel
Hunter scoops me up in his arms and walks me to the edge of his bed. The soft glow of multiple candles casts shadows around the room. Romantic as hell, and exactly what I was trying to avoid.
My plan that I had concocted while working was to have the best hard sex of my life with him and call it quits. Better to end on a high note than after my heart’s been broken in a million pieces.
But the man has known since Day One exactly how to get to me. What to say to me. How to make me listen. How to make my feet stop even when I’m dying for them to run. And how to make me come in so many ways, I’ve lost count. Does it matter that Day One happened a little over a week ago?
He lays me down on the sheets. My hands grope his arms and tug, wanting him on top of me. Wanting him inside me. When we’re melded together, making each other crazy, all doubts and worries fade.
“Not this time, Mel. You wanted me to take charge. So give in, and let me take care of you.”
He picks up his phone and taps a few times. Music flows out of a speaker near his bed. He turns his full attention on me. His eyes sweep over my entire body as he stands over me. Discomfort rises until I see the sly grin on his face. He knows. He always knows.
Shaking off my insecurity, I stretch out on the bed into a sexy pose. At least I hope it resembles something close to sexy.
“See something you like?”
The bed dips as he lowers himself over me. He hovers on top of me, his muscles tense and bulging. My eyes take in the view. Beads of moisture from after the shower cling to his body, and the candlelight makes his skin glisten. Every peak and valley of his body’s contour stands out. His cock that does such fantastic things to me presses into my stomach. Okay, I can’t see it, but I can sure as hell feel it.
I follow my hand as it glides up his bicep, my fingers tracing the engaged muscles. His stubble bristles as I rub and cup his face. My thumb slides over his lips, which part at my touch. I don’t look into his eyes until the last second.
He kisses my thumb and leans close enough to kiss me. “Not just like.”
Butterflies erupt in my stomach. My old issues rear their ugly heads, and tug at me to leave. But my heart. Oh, my heart. It wants him to say the word that’s been knocking around inside it. The word I don’t want to think about. I don’t say that word. Not to anyone. Especially not to a guy. Could I say it to Hunter? Do I want to?
“Breathe, Melody. I’ve got you.”
A finger stroking my cheek breaks me out of my mini panic mode. He studies my face, and his gaze penetrates me. He sees me as I am, and I know he senses the darker parts of me despite my efforts to hide them. Yet he’s still here. And yes, he does have me. Every part of me knows that even if I break, he has me.
He still hasn’t lowered himself onto me or kissed me yet. It would take nothing for me to pull him down on top, but he wants me to let him be in control. I’m not sure how long I can resist wrapping myself around him or how long it will take before he gives in to what our bodies want.
“You planning on blindfolding me tonight?”
His abs flex against me with his chuckle. “Are you planning on running?”
“No.” The quick response gives my heart hope. “Is that why you did it that first night?”
He drops his lower body on top of me, but props himself up with his arms so we can talk. “No. But it was an added bonus that you couldn’t see where to go.”
“True. So no blindfold tonight?”
His nose skims my face, yet he doesn’t kiss me. The intimacy of the act affects me more than when we go at each other with passion. And yet, the heat and desire burn white hot.
“You trust me, right?” He lifts himself up so he can look at me.
My heart’s wide open. The answer comes as quickly as the other. “Yes.”
His breath catches for a second before he grins. “Good. Then I want you to be able to see everything tonight.” He lowers his body on top of mine and kisses me.
More butterflies flood my stomach. But now, they flutter through my entire body, sending it on edge. It doesn’t matter where his hands touch me, how he kisses me, or how wet he makes me. Those are minor details compared to the rush of emotions that consume me. I’m falling hard and fast, and instead of it h
urting, it feels fucking fantastic. Darkness doesn’t swallow me. Instead, I’m surrounded by the warm glow of light and Hunter.
Tears pool, and I shut my eyes. I don’t cry. And I seriously don’t cry in front of others.
His finger brushes the wet trail from my cheek. “I know, baby, I know. You’re just catching up to me.”
He completely consumes me. His touch ignites wherever he strokes. His lips cover me, travel across my body, and return to feast on my mouth. My body responds to each caress. Breath catches. Nipples harden. Desire pools.
I am his instrument, and he plays me perfectly. We writhe against each other, our bodies sticky with sweat. Lust turns into desperation. Want him. Need him. Now.
I beg, opening my legs wide. He sucks a nipple into his mouth. I plead, grinding my core against him. He pinches my other hardened peak, sending sparks into my belly and down. My nails dig into his back and ass, urging him to enter me.
He shifts and moves his hand in between us. His fingers find my soaked folds. He pushes one, then two fingers inside of me, and my body bows against his.
“You’re not ready.”
“Need you.”
I grip his heavy cock in my hand and stroke it, pulling it toward me. He moves his hand and lets me use him to spread my juices around. We both pant with desire. My hips gyrate, and I grind against his dick until the tip dips inside.
He groans. “Mel, stop. Condom.”
One more grind, and he penetrates further.
“Shit. We can’t.”
“I’m on the pill,” I exhale.
He pulls out, panting hard. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “Yes. I’m clean.”
“Me too.”
We need to stop talking. I cradle his face and pull him into my lips. After a slow kiss, I say, “Just you and me.”
A groan comes from the back of his throat. He lifts my leg, and I wrap it over his hip, spreading me wide. He guides himself to my pussy, coating his dick with arousal. He pauses at my opening and checks with me one more time. With a surge of his hips, he buries himself inside me.
The sound from my mouth can’t be human. He fills every aching part of me. We both still as our bodies adjust to the incredible sensation. My muscles contract against him, stretching and drawing him in.
“Fuck, Mel. Don’t move or this will be over too soon. Give me a second.”
He strains to gain control, his eyes squeezing shut.
I shift my body, and he pushes in further. “Hunter, you need to move,” I plead.
He growls and pulls out to the tip. He leaves behind an empty ache. With a grunt, he thrusts, driving into my body. The friction and heat from his cock kindles a small wave of fire inside.
“You feel so amazing. I don’t know how long I can last.” He circles his hips, and drives deeper in slow pulses.
“Don’t hold back,” I urge. I wrap both of my legs around his lower back. “Please.”
My begging does the trick. He loses himself with wild abandon. Our bodies, slick with sweat, smack against each other as he bucks into me. My hands grab his ass and pull him into me with each slam. The fever of release breaks out over my entire body, my muscles quivering around him.
“Not yet.” He slows his pace.
A groan expresses my frustration. He enters me with slow deliberation.
“Look at me.”
My hooded eyes try to focus on him, but each jolt of my body makes it harder and harder to hold them open.
He drives with purpose, pounding into me in faster beats. “Right here. Stay with me.”
He holds my gaze as he fucks me hard. But my body’s not alone in reaching a climax. His eyes convey things that my heart already recognizes. Emotions swell like my pending orgasm, waiting to break. I say his name with awe as he builds me up and brings me to an unfamiliar crest.
“Now, beautiful.”
Wave after wave of unending pleasure washes over me. My heart throbs as hard. It can’t be this good. It’s never been this good. It’s only because of him. He’s ruined me, torn me down, only to build me back up into this phoenix that burns. That burns just for him.
He lifts his head from my chest where he collapsed. He moves a strand of soaked hair from my face.
“Mine,” he whispers.
“Yours,” I agree.
* * *
Soft music plays. The familiar tune invades my sleep and nudges me awake. My brain fights to recognize the song. It feels important.
The bed shifts, and a warm cloth on my skin wakes me up. Hunter wipes my thighs and between my legs with a warm, wet washcloth. He’s screwed me every which way, had his head between my legs, and fingered me to multiple climaxes. But the simple act of cleaning me goes down as the most intimate act of all.
“Hey,” I mutter. “How long have I been out?”
“About 20 minutes.” He finishes and disappears into the bathroom.
Damn. I passed out. That’s new. The song plays into the darkened room now that many of the candles are out. My brain registers the voices singing, and I sit up. “Wait. Is that us?”
He walks back in. “Yeah. Mac emailed the demo to me.” He joins me on the bed.
I nuzzle into him and listen to our voices blending in harmony. It sounds different than the video, more professional.
“Do I really sound like that?”
He kisses the top of my head. “Yes. You have an amazing talent.”
His compliment tugs on my heart. “No one has ever told me that.”
“What, not even your own parents? Didn’t they know you could sing?”
My body tenses at the mention of them. “No. My…the woman who gave birth to me usually told me to stop making so much noise.”
Hunter hugs me tighter. “Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you. You don’t have to say anything right now.”
I shrug and concentrate on the song. As it reaches its end, my body relaxes again.
“Can we hear it again?”
He chuckles. After he messes with his phone for a second, the song plays a little louder. On the second listen, the lyrics wrap themselves around me. By the third repeat, my body wraps around him. The song plays over and over into the night.
23
Hunter
The light-filled room wakes me from a deep, restful sleep. No doubt it’s only been a couple of hours since we’d stopped fucking each other. No, not fucking. Making love. My girl finally gets what’s happening between us. Instead of backing away from us, she embraced our connection and rode the wave. And me. My hand reaches out to find her and pull her close. Cold sheets wrinkle under my fingers. I sit up in an empty bed.
“Fucking hell. Mel!”
The door to the bathroom swings open. Mel pops her head out. “What?”
My heart rate drops by a thousand beats. She hasn’t run away and called things off. She’s here. The hope I’ve held at bay for days bursts through its cage and fills me up.
“Shit, I must’ve been out cold. I didn’t notice you got up.” My casual tone attempts to cover up my freak out.
“Yeah, right.” She opens the door wide so I can see the mess of stuff she’s laid out on the floor. “And you didn’t just lose your shit thinking I’d run for the hills, right?”
Damn. Busted.
“Well, if I had my way, I’d wake up next to you for as many mornings as possible.” Like, forever if you’d let me.
She gives me a sideways glance. “Uh-huh. Well, you can spoon me some other time. I promised Bee I’d help her with her car this morning.”
Standing up, I walk to the doorway. “I can help with that.”
Her eyes travel down my torso and land on my cock, amazingly erect after our night of sexing each other in bed. She licks her lips subconsciously before she continues fixing her hair.
“Yeah, well, we strong women like to rescue ourselves. We’re quite capable of calling for Triple A. I got her message this morning. I have to go pick her up. Then I promised her some food afterwa
rd.”
So much for morning sex. “Do you have to leave right now?”
She smirks as she applies mascara. “Down, boy. Plenty of time for more happy fun time a little later. Today’s my day off, remember?”
With the recording yesterday afternoon to our incredible night, her schedule slipped my mind. We’ve been looking forward to a full day together for days.
“And you have to go? Thought we were going to go down to the beach, walk the boardwalk, go to the movies, or stay in bed for the rest of the day?”
Watching her apply her dark lipstick stirs my cock from its semi-rigid state. She pouts as the color goes on, and rubs her lips together more than once until she’s satisfied. As far as I’m concerned, she needs no makeup to be beautiful, but that dark stain on her lips accentuates one of my favorite parts on her.
“You wouldn’t abandon one of the guys if they needed your help.”
“True.”
Finished, she throws her lipstick in a small bag, and gathers her things up, stuffing them in the bag she brought with her last night. She could leave her stuff here, but I better not offer that. Even though we connected last night, her tendencies to be present with me in the most intimate moment and changing her mind later makes me skittish.
“Besides,” she zips up her bag, “For some reason, I haven’t seen a whole lot of Bee for the last week or so. She said to me, and I quote, ‘Mel, tell Mr. Sexy Singer he can service himself for a few hours while I catch up with my bestie.’ I wouldn’t mess with her when she takes the tone that she did.”
A genuine laugh escapes me. I step into the room and walk up behind her. “Then you better not keep her waiting. Go have fun with your friend and come back as soon as you can.”
My cock presses into her ass. We look at each other in the mirror. She strokes my ego every time her eyes explore my body up and down, as if I’m her next meal.
“You know, there’s one thing you can do for me right now,” she says. Her smile crooks at the corner.
