by Raine, Alice
‘Cool it, stud. No sex for six weeks, remember?’
Boy, did I. I knew she was only teasing me, but there was no way I’d have been attempting to initiate sex after today’s events, regardless of the doctor’s orders. Seeing Rebecca bleeding like that had been the singular most terrifying experience of my life, and I fully intended to treat her like she was made of glass for the foreseeable future. I’d wrap her in bubble wrap for the remainder of the pregnancy if she’d let me. Unfortunately, I knew only too well that my feisty woman would be having none of that.
‘Don’t wiggle then, you little temptress.’ Predictably she wriggled again, just because she could, and we both shared a chuckle as I carefully pulled her closer. God, it felt so good to have her in my arms once more.
‘After everything that has happened today, this is exactly what I need,’ Rebecca whispered, giving my hand a squeeze.
It was exactly what I needed, too. ‘I love you so much, Rebecca,’ I blurted, unable to hold the words in for a second longer. Instead of the usual emotional response they got, Rebecca giggled in my arms, which surprised me.
‘You beat me to it, Nicholas, because I was just about to say the very same thing,’ she murmured softly, the humour leaving her voice as she pulled in a deep breath. ‘I love you, too. You’ve been incredible today, thank you. I wouldn’t have got through it all without you being so calm.’
She was right, I had been remarkably calm today, which had surprised the hell out of me, too. As we lay there quietly I felt her relax in my arms as she began to drift towards sleep, and I finally let a few much-needed tears escape as I cradled Rebecca close and appreciated just how bloody lucky we were.
Chapter Twenty One – Nathan
Stepping out of the joint therapy room forty minutes later, I stretched after my massage. I looked down at Stella and saw her drowsy expression and flushed cheeks. ‘Did you enjoy that?’
She almost looked boneless as she leaned against a wall and nodded languidly at me. ‘Oh my God, yes. That massage was in-cred-i-ble. Out of this world good. I feel so relaxed.’
My massage had also been executed proficiently, but I had barely been able to unwind, because I’d been constantly aware that just three feet away from me there had been another male with his hands on Stella. The fact that she had obviously enjoyed it made me relax slightly, and I drew in a deep breath, hoping it had distracted her mind away from today’s events.
My therapist handed us some samples of the lavender oil to take away with us, then picked up two towels with a smile. ‘The manager mentioned that you requested access to the sauna and Jacuzzi as well. I’m afraid with no staff on duty I can’t let you into the Jacuzzi for safety reasons, but the saunas run on 15-minute cycles, so the manager told us that if we set one up for you before we go he would come and shut everything down fully afterwards.’
Nodding, I accepted my towel. ‘ That would be fine, thank you.’
‘The doors to the spa are only accessible with staff key cards at this time of night, so you’ll be on your own. Just shut the doors behind you when you leave.’ After pressing several buttons on a console to activate the sauna he bid us goodnight and we were left alone. Finally. Both of those guys had been far too handsome, and way too hands-on for my liking.
‘I can’t believe they left us to have the run of this place!’ Stella exclaimed excitedly.
Cocking an eyebrow, I shrugged. ‘It’s only for 15 minutes or so. Besides, they have my credit card details upstairs; I’m sure that’s enough of a reassurance for them.’
The sauna soon heated up, and knowing that we only had 15 minutes, we quickly shed our towels and entered. The scent of warm pine and lavender immediately enveloped us and as I closed the door I turned to see Stella standing with her eyes closed, inhaling the fragrant air with a small smile.
The sound of the door closing seemed to wake her from her trance, because she turned and caught me red-handed in running my gaze down her underwear-clad body. She was wearing a pale blue lace bra and matching blue French knickers and looked hot enough to rival the temperature of the air around us.
From her shocked look, I don’t think she’d been expecting to see lust on my face, not after everything that had happened today, but fuck it. I might be struggling slightly to absorb everything that had gone on, but I knew one thing that would distract me.
Her body.
Or more precisely, losing myself in Stella’s soft, warm skin then burying myself inside her.
Tomorrow, I would sit down and sort through the myriad of fucked-up-ness that had occurred today, but right now I was turning to my tried and tested coping strategy – sex.
With Rebecca and Kenny in the hospital, it almost felt wrong to have the deep heat of desire coursing through my veins, but then again, perhaps that was exactly why I was feeling this way. We’d all survived. Stella, Will, and I were all OK, and I was so bloody grateful for that fact and feeling decidedly appreciative of how lucky we were.
In a fucked-up way, it had been quite a life-affirming day, and really, what better way to end it than reconnecting physically with a nice hard fuck?
I reached out and looped a fingertip under the shoulder strap of her bra, giving it a light ping before crossing my arms over my chest. ‘Take it off,’ I murmured, my voice low and gravelly from the lust affecting my system.
Even though there was a clear sign beside her stating that swimsuits must be worn at all times, my girl obeyed the demand immediately and I grinned at her and flashed a wink.
As she removed her bra and knickers, I quickly stepped out of my boxers, folded them, and placed them on one of the pine benches. I would usually watch her strip teases avidly, but we only had 15 minutes, so there was no time to waste.
Once I was naked, I crossed my arms again, enjoying the sensation of the hot air around my erect cock. I watched in slack-jawed appreciation as Stella went one step further and adopted her ready position for me; hands linked, and eyes averted.
A groan rose up my tight throat at the sight before me and my dick lurched in excitement. ‘You are so fucking sexy, Stella.’
She was perfect. My perfect.
I very rarely asked her to lower her gaze any more, but as I watched her I grinned smugly, realising why her eyes were lowered. Her gaze was directly aimed at my lower half, and from the looks of it, she was pointedly staring at my erection.
‘God, you really are magnificent … Sir.’ The final word seemed to be added as an afterthought, almost as if she had meant to think the sentence in her head and had realised that she’d accidentally said it out loud. Not that I was going to complain; she could compliment me on my “magnificent” tackle any day of the week.
‘Eyes up, sweetheart,’ I said softly, drawing her stare up to meet my gaze. Swallowing hard, I decided to get something off my chest that had been weighing really fucking hard all afternoon. ‘I don’t like admitting weakness, Stella, you know that, but … but I was so fucking scared today when I saw that gun pointed at you and Will.’
I hadn’t even felt fear like that as a kid when my father had been beating me until I bled. ‘I’ve never been so terrified in my life.’ After my quiet declaration, I closed my eyes and did a calming countdown, going from five to zero and feeling the warm, scented air around us relax me again.
‘I need to be inside you,’ I murmured. ‘ I need to feel us, and to know we’re really OK.’
Opening my eyes again, I saw the complete understanding on Stella’s face. Without saying anything further she stepped into my open arms and tilted her head back to offer her lips to me.
I was many things, but a gentle lover was not something that would often spring to mind when I thought about my character traits. Tonight, though, that was exactly what I tried to be. I wanted Stella to feel how much I loved her, and how much she meant to me, and just how bloody glad I was that we’d all made it out alive today.
I did my best attempt at treasuring her, keeping my touches lighter than usua
l, so they were mere caresses, and exploring our connection by touching and cherishing every single part of her as my fingertips trailed across her skin.
My kiss was as gentle as I could manage, still deep, but tasting, and exploring, coaxing her to melt against me, which she soon did, so I shifted us both to the slatted wooden benches that lined the sauna.
After laying down towels to soften the wood for her, I kissed Stella again. This time, I guided her to lie backwards as I followed her down and blanketed her with my hard nakedness. My cock felt scorching hot as it pressed against her warm skin, and a hiss escaped my lips as I rubbed it against her belly, my hips moving of their own accord, desperate for the contact.
My hands were so familiar with her body by now, but today, after the fear of death had loomed over us all, I was appreciating just how lucky I was and felt like I was exploring her for the first time again. Stella seemed to be sharing the same mind-set, because she was greedily running her fingers across the bumps and ridges of my abs, trailing through my happy trail, gripping at my biceps, and circling my tight nipples until I cursed. It seemed like she couldn’t get enough of me, either.
I’m not sure I’d ever worshipped her so thoroughly, which was quite a statement, seeing as I prided myself on knowing every single sweet spot on her body. I wanted to be the best and most attentive lover she had ever had, and I thought I’d always done that. But tonight – tonight everything felt brand-new and priceless. It was like our first time all over again.
Stella began to writhe around below me, the small noises she made driving me insane with lust, so I shifted and slid a hand between her legs, smiling smugly when I felt just how wet she was for me. Imagining all the things I’d like to do to her delicious pussy, I sighed, irritatingly aware of our time constraints.
‘I’d love to taste you right now, and spend an age with my face buried between your thighs, but I’m aware of the time and I don’t really fancy the manager getting an eyeful of you spread naked before him.’ With the way I felt about her, I knew I’d probably burst a blood vessel from stress if another man saw my girl naked.
Moving so I was sitting upright on the bench and leaning back against the wall, I then helped Stella up to straddle me, her knees falling on either side of my thighs and cushioned by the thick towels.
With a happy sigh, my girl lowered herself down, using one hand between us to position the thick head of my cock with her opening and gripping my shoulder for balance with the other. God, she felt so good.
I placed my hands on her hips, but didn’t grip, even though I was desperate to exert my usual control and pull her down onto me hard and fast. This was about cherishing, I had to keep reminding myself of that, but it felt important somehow. Instead, I busied my needy hands by massaging her skin, making goose pimples of desire flood the parts I touched.
Stella stared me in the eyes as she edged the first inch of me inside her damp entrance, and I watched with pleasure as her eyes became heavy-lidded and she bit down on her lower lip, struggling for control. I must have had a similar expression my face, because the urge to jerk upwards was almost overpowering.
I loved that she was just as affected by this as I was. It reassured me that no matter how fucked up I was, I still had Stella. She got me like no one ever had. If I believed in pansy shit like soul mates, then I’d say that perhaps she was mine.
The slide of her channel taking another inch of me caused her to gasp as I felt her muscles stretching around me, a sensation so fucking amazing that I let out a strangled moan. It seemed to vibrate right through me to where we were joined.
Bracing herself on my shoulders, Stella began to let her legs relax. She edged them sideways so she dropped down the rest of my length in one go, causing us both to inhale sharply then bark out curses, mine being the loudest.
‘Fuck, Stella!’ Finally, I gave in and gripped her tighter, feeling like I might break the skin at her hips as I threw my head back from the pleasure shooting through my cock.
‘Yes. Tighter,’ she murmured, and I knew that the slight tinge of pain from my increased grip was welcomed by my girl. She liked a dash of pain with her sex; it heightened her arousal. Her lusty response to it always heightened mine as well, so it was a win-win situation, really.
Biting on her lower lip, Stella circled herself down and ground even deeper onto my throbbing cock. It felt fucking amazing, but even with the overwhelming sensations I couldn’t drag my gaze away from where she was biting on her lip. The tender flesh was already reddening, and that irritated the fuck out of me.
‘Lip, Stella.’ My ground-out words were enough, because she immediately freed it, looking chastised.
‘Sorry, Sir, blame it on the heat of the moment?’ I could only assume she wasn’t just referring to the heat in the sauna around us, because this was some seriously hot sex happening right now.
Nodding my acceptance of her excuse, I leaned forwards and captured her lip in between my own, gently sucking and soothing it with my tongue before pressing inside her mouth and kissing her hard and deep.
Stella started to shift, as if she were about to up the pace, but once again the emotions of today came rushing up on me. I held her still, tugging her firmly down so my throbbing shaft was buried deep inside her, feeling like it was going to burn us both from the inside out.
Leaning forwards, I pressed my forehead against hers and brought one hand up to slide into the hair by her temple. ‘I love you, Stella, so fucking much.’ I didn’t say those words nearly as much as she deserved, so I decided to blurt them out now while they were at the forefront of my mind.
We were both panting, our breath mingling in the tiny space between us, although I was so turned on that my breathing sounded more like I was hyperventilating. Stella was barely moving, clutching me close and seeming to want to absorb us.
Just us.
Joined together.
After several moments, she brought her hands up to cup my face. I watched her eyes closing as we shared the tender moment, but they soon opened again as I spoke.
‘You and Will … you mean everything to me.’ My voice was low, because emotional declarations like this still weren’t easy for me. In fact, it was almost so quiet that she might struggle to hear it, but I hoped that even if that were the case, then perhaps my eyes would show the depth of my feelings for her.
‘I’m so sorry you had to go through that today.’ Pressing my lips to hers again, she sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut tight, but not before one single tear slid free. ‘I love you too, Nathan. I can’t ever imagine being without you.’
‘Never …’ I wanted to say more, to tell her that would never happen, not if I had anything to say about it, but my throat closed up.
Sliding my hands across the slick skin of her neck, I clutched her to me and nodded instead, my throat still too tight to return the sentiment as I desperately struggled to hold my emotions in check. I could have lost her. Stella and Will … They both could have been gone today, in the blink of an eye. It was a thought so horrific and unbearable that goose bumps immediately rose on my skin, and I had to take a moment to compose myself before I forced my mind to focus on the positives again.
We were safe and we were together. Literally. I was buried so deep within her that we’d struggle to get much more together than this.
Finally, I felt able to speak. ‘You don’t need to imagine that, because that will never fucking happen,’ I stated with such absolute certainly that Stella gave me a little squeeze.
After my heated declaration, I decided that we’d done enough talking for now and used my grip on her hips to set Stella circling on my shaft again. Practically purring her contentment, she kissed me and followed my lead.
Pure pleasure pinged around my system, focusing in my balls as her tight channel clenched around me again and again as she moved. Stella moaned, long and low, catapulting my arousal and causing my skin to almost sizzle in every spot where we were connected.
The rh
ythm we set was slower than usual, but seemed to suit us both perfectly today. I would usually take over at this point and use rougher thrusts and movements than this, but seeing as I was set on showing Stella just what she meant to me, I didn’t. In fact, I let her completely lead the pace, giving just the occasional upward thrust when the pressure in my balls got too much.
Our gaze stayed connected the whole time, then Stella began to move with more purpose. With our faces close and our breath mixing, it was one of the most intimate experiences we’d shared for a long time, but probably what we’d both needed tonight to help calm us. I had certainly needed it, and it was working a treat because all my stresses and worries felt a million miles away, as all I could focus on was the utter contentment I felt when I had this woman in my arms.
Utter contentment mixed with red-hot lust.
This was probably the exact definition of “lovemaking”, if there was indeed one, because that was exactly what we were doing – creating a physical impression of the love that we shared and reaffirming it to each other after the stresses of the day. If it hadn’t felt so fucking good I might have been a bit embarrassed by the sappiness of that thought.
As Stella continued to move on top of me, I started to add in more upward thrusts knowing that she’d need attention on either her clit or her G-spot to help her tip over into climax.
I’m fairly sure my expression was the most open it had been in a long time, my face no doubt declaring every feeling I had for this incredible woman, even if my lips were currently silent.
Stella’s channel tightened around my cock in a sure-fire signal that she was getting near to climax. Sensing her imminent release, I began to jerk my hips upwards, grunting at the pleasure that exploded in my cock as I did so. Fuck, I was so close. Our bodies were slick against each other, but I still managed perfect hits to her clit and G-spot with every thrust, and suddenly I could feel her tipping over the edge of pleasure and falling apart in my arms.
