Back to December (Ward Sisters Book 1)

by Lucy Gage

  He got up abruptly and jerked open the side table drawer. She knew what was in there now, knew he was getting ready to show her what he could really do. He tore open a condom and despite the fact that she'd watched him put one on that morning, knowing there wasn't anything to stop them now made it all the more exciting as he rolled it down his length.

  When he reclaimed his place between her thighs, she could barely contain herself, the anticipation was so palpable. She spread her legs, waiting for him to push inside. He hesitated, looked in her eyes, a question: Are you sure?

  In answer, she kissed him full on the mouth, tongue plunging between his lips as her arms embraced his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist and she brought him closer. In response, he pulled out of her grasp and kissed his way down her body.

  Rob's mouth paid ample attention to her breasts again – she was beginning to get the impression that he liked them – and his hand found its way between her legs as she arched her back, eliciting a whimper from Emily. When he realized how wet she was already, he groaned and foreplay was over.

  He pushed inside, slowly spreading her, somehow knowing that she would need him to take his time. Because if she thought he was big before, she realized that it wasn't an illusion or lack of memory about her ex – Rob was bigger, no question.

  It was bordering on painful, would have been very uncomfortable if he wasn't taking his time. She gasped as he entered her and moaned as he made his way down until he found the end and applied just a little pressure.

  “Oh, God. That feels good.”

  “You don't have to call me God,” he joked, “Rob is just fine.”

  “Ha-ha! Stop making me laugh. This isn't funny. It's far from...oh...funny. Do that again,” she breathed as he rotated his hips.

  Rob kissed her sensually, slowly tasted her lips. His tongue danced with hers, matching the rhythm of his hips. Emily anchored her legs around him, pulled him harder to her center, moaned her pleasure. She wrapped her arms around him, caressed his back with her fingers, trailed them down to his tight butt. She could feel the muscles flexing in his back, in his butt, in his arms. He began to move in and out, knowing she was sufficiently stretched and lubricated. Each stroke ended with pressure that elicited a happy groan.

  She felt the tensing, knew she was getting close, could hardly squeeze him, he was so big. And then before she could even think what else to do, it overtook her.

  “Oh! Oh, Rob! Oh, my God!”

  The orgasm slammed into her, wave after wave of sexual release. She could barely contain the man between her thighs. And he was still going, slow and steady. She thought she would die. He was still sliding in and out, still pressing into her, still rotating his hips and grinding more pleasure out of her. It was so soon after her orgasm, so unusual to have someone inside her moving at this point, that she had no idea what to expect. When the next wave came, she wasn't prepared.

  “Oh, please, please don't stop!”

  It sent him over the edge.

  Rob picked up speed and then, seconds later, she felt him pulsing inside her as he breathed her name. His pace slowed and he pressed inside her as he shuddered and groaned. He collapsed on top of her for a moment, then pushed up on his forearms and slipped them under her for a hug. Nuzzling her hair, Rob gave Em a gentle kiss then pulled out slowly and rolled onto his back, trying to catch his breath.

  She was having a hard time catching her own. Not to mention that she felt like a bowl full of Jell-O.

  They lay there for a few minutes. Em had no idea what to say. Her brain was fuzzy and what little it could form for thoughts seemed like a jumbled, disjointed mess. The only word that made sense was, “Wow,” which she pushed out of her mouth with a ragged breath.

  Rob spoke. “Yeah, I don't think 'wow' does it justice.”

  She laughed. “No, but my brain isn't working.”

  “So you're having that problem, too?”

  “Mmm. Yes. I'm going to be honest – that wasn't sex.”

  She looked at him.

  He smiled. “Funny, but that wasn't my experience.”

  She shook her head. “No, I mean, that was way more than sex. That was...intense. If that's what sex is always like for you, then I've been doing it with the wrong person for a long, long time.”

  He laughed. “I see. Well, it's not usually like that for me, either. I've never made anyone come twice before.”

  She laughed too. “Yeah, that was a first for me. In case you didn't realize it by my reaction.” She rolled to her side and faced him, head on her hand. “Has it ever been like that for you before? I wasn't kidding I've never had sex that good.”

  He sat up carefully, reached for the tissue box and got rid of the condom. “I won't say I haven't had great sex before, because that would be a lie, but nothing that quite compares with what we just did.”

  “And here I was, thinking my sex life was pretty decent all that time. Boy, was I wrong.”

  Rob lay next to her and mirrored her position. He brushed the hair from her face and kissed her gently. “I guess there's something to say for chemistry, then. Did you not have good chemistry with Josh?”

  “I thought so, but apparently not. Don't get me wrong, it was never bad. It just wasn't...that. I never felt like an incoherent pile of goo afterward. And it took a while for us to get it right so that I came most of the time. I think you're the one with skills, my friend. I lay there and let you do whatever you wanted to me.”

  He ran his fingers through her hair, down her shoulder and her arm, to her hip and back. “Next time, we'll reverse roles.”

  Next time. Oh, yes. This didn't have to be a one-time thing. “I like that idea, there being a next time.”

  “There can be as many next times as you want. I'm not going anywhere. You had me before you gave me the best sex of my life, Emily. Hell, you had me before I even kissed you the first time. I was excited to just hold your hand. I'd be a fool to walk away from you now.”

  She grinned at him.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Are you trying to tell me something?”

  “Like that I want you to be mine? To only do that with me and no one else? Yes.”

  “You know I just broke up with someone.”

  “I know that.”

  “And that, usually, the first person you date after a breakup is a rebound person.”

  “I hope to be the exception to that rule.” He rolled to his back, pulling her with him to cuddle. “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

  “Does it have to have a label?”

  “I don't need a label, but that's what they'll say.”

  Right, it wouldn't be a private decision.

  He played with her hair. It felt so nice there in his arms, so right. “Is that what you want? For me to be more than just a girl you have great sex with?”

  He turned his head so he could look at her better. “Yes. I can't explain it, but yes. I want it more than anything I've ever wanted in my life. The question is, do you want that? Anything you have with me, as I'm sure you've figured out pretty quickly, will be far from simple or easy. What's between you and me might be like that, but there is a whole other layer of crap that comes along with any association with me.”

  “Is that why you haven't had a girlfriend in three years?” He looked at her funny. “It's been pointed out to me several times in the past twenty-four hours. Your brother should be happy. He said you needed to get laid.”

  Rob laughed and rolled his eyes. “He would say that. It's not the only reason I haven't dated the past three years, but you're right. I can't do casual, Emily. I've tried. There's just too much baggage involved for casual to work well for me or the other person. For you, I'd do casual if it was what you wanted because I like you too much to just give you up completely. But I'd rather it was more than that.”

  “You'd do that for me?” He nodded. She touched his cheek, gave him a small smile. As she stared into his eyes, he looked at her like she was the most b
eautiful girl in the world and her heart did a flip. No. No, no, no. She could not possibly be in love with him already. This was just infatuation.

  Her face had betrayed her again, she could tell by his expression. He looked...pleased.

  “I don't want to push you,” he said.

  “You're not. I don't know why it doesn't sound insane, but, yes. I'll...I'll be your girlfriend. Why doesn't that sound like a high school thing to say?”

  “I don't know, but I'm glad you said it. You know this means that you won't be able to escape having a bodyguard, right? That Liam or someone else will be around all the time? Even once you go home? I mean, if you still want to see me then.”

  She sighed. “I know. I don't mind Liam. I just feel bad that he's stuck with me all day while I'm at work.”

  “Believe me, it's a perk of the job for him. You're one of the most normal people he's ever guarded. He's usually stuck with divas.”

  “He only guards your girlfriends?”

  “No. Actually, he's never guarded a girlfriend before. I've mostly dated people in the entertainment business who have their own security. Liam is usually stuck with Rick's clients who want security but don't want to know they have it. A lot of them are spoiled and obnoxious. And they're not always women, either.”

  Emily nodded her understanding. “Will he get pulled during the gala and opening?”

  “Maybe. If he does, Rick will guard us both or if he needs two guys, I'll have him guard you and he'll give me Brian or Alan. They're the other guys who usually travel with me.”

  “You've got it all figured out, huh?” she teased.

  He was still playing with her hair. “This isn't my first time at the dog and pony show. Just the first time I've dated anyone normal since I got into the business. Remember, Rachel and I were an item from the time we met. It's been impossible to meet anyone outside of the business since our engagement ended.”

  “Then I guess it's a good thing I yelled at you when you knocked me down yesterday.” She smiled.

  He kissed her and nodded. He kissed her again, his expression turning from playful to passionate, and they reversed roles this time, with Emily on top. As she came down from her bliss, he pulled her to his chest. She wiggled a little, liking the feeling of him still inside her as her pleasure subsided.

  He winced. “Don't do that. Too much.”

  She smiled and looked at him, kissed his lips sweetly. “I'm too much for you?”

  He tried not to laugh. “Stop that or else the condom is going come off inside you.”

  She looked at him in horror.

  “Just hold still.” He held it in place. “Now you can get up.”

  She collapsed back on the bed as he got rid of the condom. “Has that happened to you before?”

  “Not often. Once or twice. You figure out pretty quickly that it's going to happen and if you're fast enough, you can prevent it.”

  Emily was mortified. She wasn't on the pill and had always relied on condoms for birth control. If one got stuck inside her...she hated to think what might happen then.

  “Let's keep that from happening.”

  Rob closed the drawer to the nightstand and shut off the lights. He crawled into bed next to her and pulled the blankets over them both. He snuggled close to her, scooping her into his arms and curling himself to spoon her. She sighed.

  “Don't worry,” he said, “I won't lose a condom in you, I promise. Let's get some sleep. You've got another long day tomorrow and I don't know about you, but I'm spent.”

  She murmured her agreement.

  They were lying there for a few minutes and she had nearly drifted off to sleep, when Em heard Rob whisper, “I hope you're planning to stick around a while. You've ruined me for other women, Emily.”

  She wasn't even sure if she replied aloud, but in her head she said, “I'm not going anywhere.”

  Minneapolis, Minnesota, one day before Christmas Eve...

  Emily shook herself from the haze of sleep as dawn tried desperately to break. Strong, warm arms held her. She smiled. Rob had slept with her in his arms all night.

  She turned to look at him, what little she could see in the near dark. His face was so relaxed in sleep. Not that he seemed stressed, in general, but there was such an innocence about him in this state. When she traced his lips with her fingers, he stirred. He blinked a few times and smiled.

  “Oh, good. That wasn't a dream.”

  Em huffed a little laugh. “What did you think was a dream?”

  “All of it.” He kissed her gently. “You're really here, in my bed.”

  “Mmm. Yes,” she said as she snuggled into his warmth. “I'm a little disappointed that I didn't sleep with you the first night.”

  “Wishing we had sex sooner?” He held her tighter.

  She chuckled. “That too. If my family was going to think that anyway, I should have gotten pleasure out of the deal. But I meant I wish I had slept in your bed. You kept me warm and toasty all night.”

  Rob moved away just a little and kissed her, gentle at first. But Em couldn't help it, she had to deepen the kiss in her response. She tugged at his lips with her own, slid her tongue into his mouth. One of his hands threaded through her hair, pulling her mouth more eagerly toward his own. The other ran down her back and across her buttocks, dragged her leg over his hip. He pressed his pelvis toward her center, and she could feel it, the hardness she had so enjoyed between her legs the night before.

  Calmer heads prevailed, and before she could even ask him, he reached for the drawer and the condoms.

  She could hear the condom wrapper being torn open. In the light that bled through the edges of the curtains, she could just see him as he rolled it down his length. She sighed.

  Now that she knew what he could do to her, the anticipation was perceptible. She got wet just thinking about it, which was an entirely new sensation. She had never gotten that excited waiting for sex. Nonetheless, Rob got her ready.

  Will I ever be able to just take him inside me without advanced preparation? she wondered.

  He kissed her neck sensually, teased her nipples with his tongue and his lips, slid his fingers inside her. And he kissed her. She loved kissing him, loved the feel of his mouth on hers as his tongue danced and sparred with her own. He could make her want him just by kissing her, and that never, ever happened with Josh. How did she think sex was good with Josh when it took so much...effort? It should be like this, the wanting so tangible that there was an element of desperation in it. Especially at this stage.

  And desperate was what she felt in that moment, that she needed him inside her. It was such a novel concept, to want sex so much. She wasn't one of those women who felt sex was something to endure. She did like it. But she never craved it before. And with Rob, she craved him, urgently needed him to push inside her.

  “Rob, I need you. Now. Please,” she breathed.

  “Are you ready?” He knew the answer.

  “Yes! Please! Now, I need you now.”

  And with that, he breached her folds and she thought she would die from the pleasure.

  “Oh, yes. Please.”

  He pushed slowly inside, letting her take him just a little faster than he did the first couple of times. Her body was learning his, remembered his. And it wanted him to move. When he got to the end, he pressed just a little.

  “Like you did last night,” she breathed.

  “You liked that, did you?” Rob whispered in Em's ear, nibbled her earlobe as he rotated his hips slightly.

  “Yes. Yes I did. I loved it. Please. Don't make me beg.”

  “You'd beg?”

  “Yes! Don't make me.”

  “I won't make you.”

  And with that, he got to work. In and out, he ground his hips into her each time he got to the end. Teasing as he kissed her neck, her lips. He pinned her arms above her head with one hand and used the other to lift her hips so that he penetrated even further. She gasped. Rob covered her mouth with his own. Emily
moaned and groaned her pleasure.

  When he pulled away from her mouth to get some air, she said, “Oh, God. You're amazing.”

  He whispered in her ear, “I told you that you don't have to call me God.”

  Em laughed. “Stop it. You're breaking my concentra...” and then she felt it, felt the orgasm rush through her. She didn't even know it was happening until it was right on top of her.

  “Oh, Rob!” she cried as it shattered her.

  He followed soon after, picked up his pace and pressed into her as he climaxed, moaned her name. She was so floored by her own bliss that she wasn't sure if she heard him say, “I love you” or if she had imagined it.

  Because it was too terrifying to contemplate, she went with auditory hallucination.

  Both of their breaths hitched as he pulled out and collapsed on the bed beside her. They were both panting.

  After a couple minutes, she said, “You are...hmmm...yeah. Okay. Never mind. My brain is still fuzzy.”

  He laughed. “Me too. We should probably avoid having sex if we have to actually be coherent within a half hour.” She laughed in return.

  Just then, she heard a muffled rendition of Tommy Tutone. “At least she's got better timing this morning,” Rob noted. He rifled through his pants for his phone.

  He tapped the screen to answer. “Hi, Jen.” He was still a little out of breath. “No. Not interrupting. Yes, she's here. Yes, in my bed. Do you really want to know that? I didn't think so. What's going on?” He listened for a minute, rubbed the heel of his hand into his eye. He was very sexy, standing there buck naked.

  “Okay, thanks. No. No, you can call Barry later. Just make sure he knows for the interviews today. I'll call Amy. Well, I have to tell her that Emily is my girlfriend, anyway. Yes. Yes. No, it's not true, but that's not going to matter, much. Right. No, she can call her family, but I'm sure they've seen it, since they saw the video before you did yesterday. No, Jen, I told you, don't do that. It's fine, Emily is fully aware now. Yesterday it caught her off guard. Okay. Yes. I'm sure. Yep. You too. Later.”