She smiled. “You’re drunk.”
“Hardly. Trust me, Faith. I know exactly what I’m saying.”
Her face paled. “Then… you–”
“Shh… don’t say anything, I need to get this off my chest. That night at the Mexican place. It meant so much to me. I told you things I’ve never talked about… and I didn’t understand why. Now I do. I love you, Faith. I have for some time. You’ve haunted my dreams since the day you interviewed me. You told me tonight that another man had confessed his love for you. I know I didn’t take it well. It’s because… because… I wish it were me you wanted.”
“Oh my God.”
I kissed her forehead, unable and unwilling to let her go. “Choose me, Faith. I’ve been waiting for you for so long. Can’t you feel this,” I waved my hand between us, “this connection? I told myself to put you from my mind, told myself I needed to focus on gymnastics, but when it comes down to it, I can’t deny how I feel now that you’re here. And that kiss… you feel it, too. If you didn’t, you’d be home asleep right now.”
Faith stared at me, her mouth hanging open. It would have been comical if I wasn’t so serious. Without warning, she launched herself at me. I twisted to catch her and suddenly we were all over each other. Her fingers tangled in my hair and scratched at my scalp while my hand plunged under her shirt to rub her breasts. She wrapped her leg around my waist and ground herself against me.
I broke away again. “Shit. Faith… are you sure?” My eyes searched hers. I could tell that she meant it, knew that she wanted me, but I worried that she may be just lost in the moment. She nodded, and my heart went into overdrive. I was desperate to hear her say the words. “Say it.”
She licked her lips. “Xander, I’ve been denying how I feel. I’ve been with Jacob for so long, for all the wrong reasons. It had become a habit. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind, either.” She rubbed her hand along the stubble on my cheek, and I leaned into her touch. “I was afraid to hope that you would want me. Now I’m afraid I might be dreaming. Make love to me. Make me yours.”
“Mine…” I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to my bedroom, thankful that my back had healed so well. She was curvy but light in my arms. I barged through the open door and laid her on my bed, then stepped back to admire her. Much as my body urged me to claim her, to lose myself in her, I wanted to savor this.
She sat up and started to remove her shirt, but I stopped her. “Let me undress you. I want to do it.”
“Did you mean it when you said you’ve been dreaming about me?”
I smiled as I removed her strappy sandal and lifted her foot up, kneading the arches. Ducking down, I licked her Achilles’ tendon, thrilling at the sound of her sharply inhaled breath. “Yes. I’ve been dreaming of you for months. Ever since you interviewed me.” I reached for her other shoe.
“What did you dream?”
“I’ll show you tonight.” A grin stretched across my face, full of promise.
Her eyebrows lifted. “You’ve been having sex dreams about me?”
I paused. “Not every time, but yes.” I sucked on her other ankle, kissed her foot. “Do you still believe in fate?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Me, too.” I rose up on my knees to unbutton her jeans and pulled down the zipper.
“Wait.” I froze, worried that she was having second thoughts. “You said you’ve been dreaming of me since the interview?”
“Yes.”
“That was over a year ago.”
“Believe me, I know.”
“But what about your ex? She was more recent.”
“Are we seriously going to do this now? I thought you wanted me to make love to you.”
“Please. I need to know.”
I swallowed. She may not like this answer. I shouldn’t have mentioned the dreams. Now she thought I was an obsessed weirdo.
“Faith… I dreamed of you while I was with Lily. I never told her. I didn’t even understand why. It wasn’t every night. It wasn’t even every week, but often enough… and always you. No one else.”
“Did you know I would be at the League that day? Was everything… planned?”
“No. God, no. Listen, John had been trying to get me to come down and meet a girl that had been hanging around, but I had no idea he meant you. Trust me, I was beyond shocked. I’d assumed I’d never see you again. Also, to be honest, I haven’t been with anyone since Lily, and I had no plans to. I really was just there that day because I was bored. Meeting you again was completely by chance. Getting involved with Lily was the kiss of death for my gymnastics career. I may never recover, but I’m going to try.”
“You’ll do it,” Faith whispered. She leaned forward and kissed my bare chest. “I want to kiss you here,” she said, her hand traveling to my stomach. I stilled and closed my eyes. Her fingers were oh-so-close to brushing against my cock, but she stopped short. I hummed low in my throat and pushed her back onto the bed.
“My turn to explore first. No more talking. I mean it.” I eased her jeans down over her hips, exposing her lacy black panties. Lifting her ass up, I pulled both off and dropped them on the floor. I kissed my way up her legs, around the backs of her knees, and bit the inside of her thighs, breathing in the scent of her needy pussy.
“Christ, Faith, you smell incredible. I can’t wait to taste you.”
She rose her hips toward me. “Then don’t.”
I dipped a finger inside, then withdrew and popped it in my mouth. I moaned my appreciation. “Mmm … delicious.”
I climbed up her body and hovered over her, tracing her full lower lip with my finger. “Taste.”
Faith opened her mouth, and I nudged my finger inside. Her lips closed around me. Her tongue swirled around my finger, stroking me. My cocked throbbed in response, her talented tongue driving me wild.
“Fuck… what you do to me, Faith.” With a mischievous gleam in her eyes, she bared her teeth, clamping down. I groaned and gently tugged my finger free.
I grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head, exposing her matching black lace bra.
I climbed back on top of her and kissed her, dry humping her through the barrier of fabric that still separated us. She grinned and reached between us, her hand tunneling under my waistband and gripping my shaft. “Oh shit,” I whispered as she squeezed me.
“You like that?”
“I think it’s obvious.”
“Show me.”
“Soon enough.” I squirmed away, desperately trying to hold onto my self-control. I wanted nothing more than to strip myself bare and let her do as she wished to me, but first it was my turn. I kissed down her chin and neck, down to her breasts. I pulled each one free of her bra, pushing the cups down so they lifted each breast up.
“Your tits are gorgeous. You know that, right?” I massaged one, her flesh more than filling my hand, as I bent to lavish attention on the other. My tongue swirled around, much the same way she did with my finger. I flicked her nipple, then sucked hard, scraping my teeth around the edges of her areola. After a few minutes, I switched breasts, offering the same attention to the other.
Faith moaned and arched her back, trying to encourage me to suck harder. She clearly loved having her tits played with. I pinched and rolled her other nipple between my fingers, tugging on them. I’d bet Faith would love some clamps. Maybe I’d get her some later.
Faith squirmed and cried out, lost in a sea of sensation. Her hips pumped, desperate for friction. I slowly eased my hand down and palmed her, applying a small amount of pressure on her clit but not moving. Not yet.
Quickly, I switched breasts again and bit down, drawing her flesh into my mouth.
“Oh my God, Xander, I’m so close, so close… oh please. Please. Xand–” Her cry became garbled as she became lost in her climax. Shifting my hand, I rubbed her clit with my thumb, extending her orgasm and driving her wild. I couldn’t keep this tortu
re up for much longer. I needed her, needed my own relief.
“I love it when you scream my name. Do it again.” Darting back between her legs, I licked her pussy lips, which were still swollen from her desire. I rubbed her clit with my thumb in small circles, matching the pace I’d set with my tongue.
“Oh please…”
“Please what? Tell me what you want.”
“No… Xander, I need you.”
“You’ll have me soon enough. I can’t wait to slide myself inside you, to feel your hot, wet cunt squeezing me, milking my dick.” I closed my mouth over her clit, sucking hard. She cried out. Pressing my advantage, I thrust two fingers inside, finger fucking her. In perfect rhythm, I flicked my tongue to the side. She jerked, whimpering. I repeated the gesture again and again. Her legs tightened around my head and I knew I was on the right track.
“Ahh… that’s so good. Don’t stop.” She bucked as my fingers found just the right spot inside. I had her right where I wanted her. I closed my lips on her skin and sucked, never missing a beat, even as she screamed again, her legs locking around my head and her back arching as she ground herself against my face. Her tight pussy became even tighter as she pulsed around my fingers. I kept up my relentless torture until her climax ended, then licked the juices from her cunt, savoring her flavor.
My cock throbbed, aching for her, pre-come already beading at the tip. I couldn’t hold off any longer. I tugged open the drawer in my bedside table, thankful that I still had the box of condoms I had bought so many months back. Dropping my pants, I ripped the package open and rolled it on while she watched me. She licked her lips, her breath coming fast.
I climbed back on top of her, balancing on my forearms, lining myself up. I kissed her, pressing my tongue past her lips, loving the fact she could taste herself on my tongue. Her eyes closed, and I missed seeing her glowing emerald eyes, beautiful like a precious gemstone, gazing up at me.
“Faith… open your eyes. I want to see you. Are you ready for me?”
Her eyelids fluttered open, out of focus. “Mmm…”
I grinned. “I hope ‘mmm’ means you’re ready, because I refuse to wait another second.” In one swift move, I impaled her, my aching cock sliding deep inside. I pressed my forehead against hers, needing a moment. At this rate, I would blow my load in under a minute, and that wouldn’t do. She deserved so much better. I wanted this to last. I held perfectly still, focusing on breathing and relaxing my overexcited body.
“You okay?” she whispered, squirming beneath me.
“Yes. Don’t move. Shh…” I kissed her chastely on the forehead and mouth, holding still. “Feels so good. I want to savor the moment, that’s all.” Soon I had myself under control again, and slowly I began to move.
Her eyelids slid closed again as she offered her mouth up to me.
“Open.”
I kissed her, picking up the rhythm slightly, losing myself in her. Nothing else mattered besides our little bubble. The entire world could have gone up in flames and I wouldn’t have cared, so long as we were safe and together… right here, right now. “I want to hear you. Talk dirty to me. Tell me what you want.”
“I love how your big cock feels inside me, filling me to the brim. I want you to fuck me… hard. Fast.” Her voice, low and urgent, spurred me on. Unable to resist, I increased the pace and depth of my strokes, driving myself into her, pushing us both closer and closer to ecstasy. I angled my hips to hit a different spot inside her, making sure to grind my pelvis against hers to stimulate her sensitive clit.
“You are mine,” I bit out.
“Yes. Yours.”
“This pussy is mine. Mine! Say it, Faith!”
“I’m all yours. This pussy is yours.”
Now I was the one to close my eyes against the onslaught of emotion welling up. “Mine… yes. Come, Faith. Come for me.”
Without another word, she let go. I gritted my teeth, trying to ride out the exquisite feeling of her pussy clenching all around me. It was in vain. The delicious pressure built in my balls, and as she started to slow, I pumped hard into her twice more, my load forcing its way up my shaft and inside her. I roared, unable to stay silent.
As I held myself up with my arms, trying to catch my breath, I felt something inside my soul shift. I stared deep into Faith’s eyes and realized I couldn’t imagine ever being without her. The world made sense… Everything before seemed chaotic and confusing, and thinking about a future without her was inconceivable. I really did want her to be mine, and couldn’t understand how I’d survived this long without her. I realized with startling clarity that I trusted her. I trusted her when I had been convinced I’d never trust a woman again. That was why I told her all that shit about my past, about Mandy. I’d trusted her even then.
I kissed her gently and rolled to the side, overcome. That was the best and most intense sex I’d ever had. Always before, sex had been about scratching an itch, and sometimes about passion. With Faith, the passion was definitely there, but it was fueled by love, by a connection.
I glanced at the glowing digital clock on the bedside table. Nearly five in the morning already. I pulled her up to my pillows and tugged the blanket over us. “Sleep now, baby.” I kissed her on the forehead. “Goodnight.”
Chapter Twelve
My phone rang. I tried to reach for it, but a weight held my left arm down, preventing me from moving. Distantly, I heard the chime of the doorbell downstairs. I leaned my head forward and found the top of Faith’s head. Smiling, I kissed her, completely relaxed. The ringing continued.
Shit! Sam!
I squirmed free and grabbed my phone. “Phoenix.”
“Where the fuck are you?”
“Good to hear from you, too, Sam.”
“Don’t give me that. It’s ten-fifteen. I’ve been trying to reach you for twenty minutes. Your car is here, where are you?”
“Upstairs. Be right down.” I disconnected. Leaving Faith to sleep, I grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and workout pants and hurried downstairs.
I threw open the door to see Sam’s angry face, his arms crossed over his chest. “What the fuck, Xander?”
“I’m sorry. I overslept.”
“Right. And why would that be, I wonder?” He pointed to Faith’s car. “You told me you were going to take this seriously, that you weren’t going to get caught up with women again.”
“I am taking this seriously. Come in. Let’s get started.”
“Where is she?”
“Asleep. Don’t worry about her.”
“For how long? Until she’s pregnant, too?”
I hit him before I realized what I’d done, my fist connecting with his cheek. Sam staggered backward, almost falling. He cupped his face, rubbing it, his pale eyes blazing with fury. He stepped into my space, a menacing scowl contorting his features.
“Don’t, Sam.”
“Or what? You’ll hit me again? Fuck this, Alexander. You’re a God damned mess. I didn’t sign on for this. I agreed to be your coach and personal trainer, but you can’t focus anymore. You weren’t even this out of control as a teenager.”
I took a deep, steadying breath, determined not to prove him right. “Come inside, Sam.”
“I think I’ll stay right here. Good chance I’ll just leave. I’m sure there’s some other out-of-control punk I can train into a star. Why am I wasting my time with a man who doesn’t want my help?”
“Get inside, asshole. I’m sorry I hit you, already. Damn it. You know Lily is a sore spot. Wouldn’t it be for you?”
We stood there, both stubbornly glaring at each other. Finally, Sam sighed and shook his head. “Damn it. I’m sorry, too.”
I flexed my hand, drawing Sam’s attention there in an instant.
“You idiot. Did you hurt your hand?”
I held it up so he could see it was uninjured. “Nope. I’m good. Let’s get started.”
Once through the double doors of my gym, I dropped to the floor and started stretching.
Sam followed, circling around me and watching my form.
I glanced at him. “You know you’re more than just my trainer.”
He grinned, then winced and rubbed his jaw. “Don’t turn into a chick on me. I already have a wife.”
“I should get one of those someday.”
“Maybe when you grow up, son.”
I chuckled. “Listen. Don’t worry about Faith. I’ll talk to her. Getting back on track is my first priority. I swear. I won’t let a repeat of what happened with Lily become a problem again.”
“Glad to hear it, hotshot. Listen, I want you to have another MRI. I’ve scheduled you an appointment on Monday.”
“Shit, I hate those things. Why?”
“Damn it. That was a mean right hook. I keep almost smiling and my face hurts. I have news.”
“I already apologized. I still think you deserved it. Hitting below the belt and all that. Why do I have to have another MRI?”
“How’s your back been?”
“My back’s been fine. I’ve been a little sore off and on, but nothing over the top. I hadn’t worked out in three months when I started PT. After that, we jumped right into strength training, so I figured the soreness is normal.”
“It is. I’d like you to start attending competitions and qualifiers again.”
I stopped stretching and stared at Sam as though he’d just started speaking German or something. “Why?”
“Show everyone you’re back in action. Show your sponsors, especially, that your injury was temporary and you want to fight to reclaim your place. Look, I’m gonna level with you. You’re so far behind after bombing at that last qualifier. Not to mention missing the event in Calgary. You have pretty much no shot at these Olympics.”
“Then why?”
“Show the world that you’re a fighter, Phoenix. Show yourself that you can do it. All of them know what happened, now show them what you’re made of. The odds of you getting enough points to make this team are virtually nonexistent, but you never know what’ll happen.”
“And the MRI?”
“The MRI is to ensure that you haven’t done any damage since you stopped PT.” Sam paused. “Look, I’m not gonna lie, when we got the results from the hospital after your injury I was sure you were done. Compression fractures almost never heal well enough to provide the kind of strength you’d need to continue… if it even heals straight at all. Against all odds, yours did. You’re still young, healthy, in fighting shape. You’ve lost nearly five months, but if you are truly determined, I think we can get you back where you need to be to at least not embarrass yourself.”
Deeper In You (The Phoenix Series Book 2) Page 7
