"You'll come quickly, Lilly." His breath whispers over my flesh. "If you come, I'll want to bury my cock inside of you."
"I want that," I whisper. I do want it. As much as I know that I should have asked him to take me home, I couldn’t resist when he'd fallen to his knees and kissed me in the other room. I was the one who pulled at his clothes to free his beautiful, strong body. I held his thick cock in my hands before he carried me to his bed and slowly stripped off my clothes.
"I want this to last all night." His tongue races over my inner thigh. "I want to lick this beautiful cunt for hours."
My hand drops to his hair. "I want to come."
He growls as I direct his mouth to the left. "You're so ready for me."
I cry out the moment his soft wet tongue touches my clit. I push my back into bed, arching my hips up towards him. He slides his hands under my ass, tilting my pussy so he can devour it easily and slowly.
"Yes," I hiss out between clenched teeth. I've been taken like this by men before but they've never been as skilled as Clive. "Right there."
He hones in on my clit, pulling it between his lips with the gentlest touch. He moans into me causing an extra wave of sensation to overtake me. I feel the rush of a climax barreling down on me.
"I'm going to come," I gasp into the air.
He pulls back slightly, his tongue expertly lapping at my folds. "You're so good. Christ, you taste so good."
I race to the edge, my hands pulling frantically on his hair trying to gain distance from him. I'm so sensitive and raw. I can't take the extra pressure of his tongue on me. "Please, oh, please."
"I'm not done," he purrs into my wetness. "I want to eat you for hours. I need this."
I push my head back into the pillow giving in to the overwhelming desire that he's pulling from me. I know I'll come hard again the second I feel his finger at my entrance. I scream his name as he slowly pushes two fingers into me. My breath stalls when I feel him touch a spot deep within me that pulls an uncontrollable need from within. I writhe beneath him, nothing existing in the moment but my desperate need to feel the pleasure he's giving to me.
I close my eyes as I finally feel my breathing level.
"Lilly." His moist lips are on my cheek now, his strong arms wrapped around me. "Sleep. Sleep here with me."
My voice is barely audible as I feel the softness of a blanket being draped over me. "I'll sleep," I whisper without opening my eyes. "I'll sleep."
***
"Can you have dinner with me again tonight?" His eyes race over my body as I step from the shower stall into the cool air.
I'd left him in the bed. I needed the comfort and time that a warm shower offered when I woke up in Clive's arms. I remember coming over and over again last night while he licked and tasted me. I fell asleep pressed against his chest and woke up in the exact same position. "You want to have dinner with me tonight?"
"Did you get water in your pretty little ears?" He reaches for another towel to dry my hair, pulling it softly across my ear. "I want you to have dinner with me tonight."
It's Friday and like every other night of the week my social calendar is empty. "I'm free tonight."
"Are you free tomorrow night?"
I look down to where he's now kneeling, drying my legs carefully. "You want to have dinner tomorrow instead of tonight?"
He flashes me a vibrant grin. "I want to have dinner with you every night for the next year. I'm going to ask you every day."
I smile down at him, soaking in the image of such a strong, brilliant man taking care of my most basic needs. "I'd like to have dinner today and tomorrow."
"What's your favorite kind of food?" He's on his feet now, adjusting the waistband of the pajama bottoms he must have put on before he came to find me in the shower.
"I like Thai food."
"I can't cook Thai food."
"I like Indian food too."
"I'll need a cook." He brushes his lips over my forehead. "Tell me what your favorite flower is."
"Why?" I look up into his eyes.
"I want to send you flowers one day and I'd prefer if they're the flowers you like most." He runs his hand over my hair. "I can brush your hair for you if you want me to."
I take a step back, my trembling hands reaching for the counter. "I can brush my hair."
"Lilly?" His hands leap to my cheeks. "What is it?"
He can't know. No one knows. "It's nothing."
He swallows hard. "It's your mother, isn't it? She brushed your hair for you?"
I nod, knowing that if I try to verbalize any response that it will come out wrapped in a sob.
"Come here." He wraps his strong arms around me, pulling me into his body. "You don't have to be so strong. I can be strong for you."
I rest my head against his chest as I listen to his words and the strength of his heart beating within his chest.
Chapter 18
"You didn't tell me when I hired you that you tamed Clive Parker." Alec is leaning against the door to my office. "He's got great taste in flowers. I'll give him that."
I smile as my eyes flit over the beautiful bouquet of white lilies Clive had sent for me. The card delivered with them had brought an even broader grin to my face.
THEY'RE NOT AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU. CLIVE XX
"Is it a problem that I'm dating him?" I ask just as the question floats into my mind. I hadn't thought about it because Alec and his assistant had both made it clear to me that they didn't care what I did on my off time. I'm sure neither of them would have imagined that I'd be dating one of their competitors.
"I can think of a dozen other guys who are better for you." He tips his chin towards me with a sly smile. "You're a sweet girl, Lilly. Just be careful."
I take the warning with a grain of salt. I know that almost everyone who has crossed paths with Clive views him as cold and heartless. I was part of that camp too before I realized that much of the aggression he presents to the world is a façade to cover the pain he's experienced over the death of his sister and the fall-out from that. The man who slept with me tucked in his bed last night has lived with loss for too long. I know that I can help him move forward just as he can help me.
"I'm working on that new shopping app we discussed last week. Do you want an update on that?"
"Don't tell anyone I'm about to say this…" His voice trails off as he takes a large step into my office, closing the door behind him. "You've come up with more ideas in the few weeks that you've been here than I've come up with in the past five years."
I laugh aloud at the confession. "I won't tell anyone."
"The week after next we're doing a media blitz day." He gestures toward the calendar hanging on the wall behind me. "We present a lot of new stuff that we'll be rolling out in time for the holidays."
I'm well aware of what he's talking about. Even though I've been happily serving coffee for the past few years, I've read every tech journal that is available. I've watched countless videos online whenever one of the major tech companies had an announcement. I know all about the importance of presenting what you have to offer to potential consumers before the competition does. "Are you thinking of launching one of the apps then?"
"I was thinking of launching the shopping one," he begins before taking a seat at one of the chairs near my desk. "I was wondering if you wanted the platform to present one of your personal apps."
I lean my elbows on my desk for support. "Are you asking me if I want to launch one of my own apps at your press event?"
"That's exactly what I'm asking you."
"Why would you do that?" I ask before I realize how ungrateful the question sounds. "I mean, it's such a generous offer."
"You are the future of programming, Lilly." He tilts his head to the side. "Everyone here agrees with me. If I can help you bring more attention to what you're developing personally, it brings more attention to the company as a whole. It's a win-win."
I scratch my neck, trying to decide my next mo
ve. "I do have an app that is very near completion. It's not something I'm going to market for profit. It's more a personal passion of mine."
"If you want, you can present it at our event."
"I always imagined I'd launch it quietly," I say aloud. "I just never imagined having a platform like that at my disposal."
"Get the shopping app ready to go and then use whatever resources you need here to get your own app set for launch." He nods towards my computer. "Take a day or two to give it serious thought. If you're comfortable with doing it, you can personally present both during our media day."
"I'll think about it."
"Good." He stands and walks back towards my office door. "Corteck always waits to plan their day until we've scheduled ours. They'll present on Thursday and we'll do Friday."
I just smile knowing that his intention is to look out for me. "Thank you for the opportunity, Alec."
"Thank you for falling from the heavens into our tech division, Lil." He opens the door to step through. "You're our saving grace."
Chapter 19
"I don't think I can do it, Clive. Please."
"Sometimes, when I think about fucking this beautiful body." He positions himself above me. His bicep bulging as he balances the weight of his entire body on one hand. "I almost come on the spot."
I moan just as I feel the tip of his sheathed cock glide over my core. "I've already come so much. Everything is aching."
"You're swollen." He licks his lips as he stares down at me. "I love the taste of you. I would have eaten you again if you didn't push me away."
I had to out of sheer and desperate need. He'd pushed me onto my stomach after sliding my panties down. His thumb had pressed into my clit while he licked my pussy from behind. I'd come hard and fast before he started at me again. Now, the most sensitive parts of me are pulsing with an aching need. "I'm already so tender."
"That means you'll come harder when I fuck you." He pushes the lush head of his erection between my wet folds. "You're so wet for me. You're ripe and ready."
I moan at the words. He's right. I am ready. I've been ready since I arrived at his condo more than an hour ago. He'd kissed me gently and softly while I sat in his lap in the other room. I'd wanted to take him into my mouth but he wanted me more. He'd insisted on giving me pleasure. Now it's his turn to take pleasure from me. "I want it."
He pushes more of his cock into me and I let out a small, uncontrollable moan. The sensations are too much to hold everything in. I can't stop what I feel when he's taking me this way. He's larger than anyone I've ever been with and the gentle pull of pain that always comes when he's inside of me only deepens what I feel.
"Lilly." My name leaves his lips in a rush as he rams himself into me in one swift and fluid motion. "Christ, yes."
I try to reach for his hips, wanting to slow the rhythm. I don’t want to come again already. I want it to last. I want to savor the gentle roll of his hips as he adjusts to how tight I am. I need to feel him pulsing inside of me. I have to hear the primal sounds he makes when he nears his own release.
"Clive." His name falls from my lips in a purr. "Fuck me."
His body stops as his hands dart to mine reaching to pull them over my head. "Say it, Lilly. Just fucking say it."
"Fuck me," I push it out slowly. "Fuck me hard."
"Jesus. That fucking sounds so sweet." He grinds his hips into me, pushing my entire body into the mattress with every thrust. "I'm so hard. I'm going to come so fucking hard."
I clench around him as I feel my own climax bearing down on me. I struggle against his hands, wanting him to let me go so I can claw at him. I need to feel him. "Let me touch you."
He lets go of my right hand and I grab onto his shoulder, grazing my nails across the hard flesh. He growls deeply, his cock pounding into me. "It's never been this good."
I race into an intense orgasm, my sex clenching around him. I call out his name, not caring that I can hear all the desperate desire I feel for him within it.
"Lilly." His lips find mine for a deep, lush kiss as his own release takes over his body.
***
"Will you have dinner with me tomorrow?"
It's the same question he asks me every day. I haven't turned him down yet but I have no choice given what I need to take care of tomorrow. "I can't tomorrow."
His head pops up from where he's been studying his laptop screen for the past thirty minutes. I'd busied myself with returning some work emails. I'm still not comfortable with the idea of having my computer in the same room as Clive. I don't believe that he'd compromise our connection in that way again, but I'm being wary. I have to be. "What are you doing tomorrow, Lilly?"
"I need to go to Long Island." I know that it's not enough of an answer to satiate his curiosity. Judging by the way he holds tightly to my hand whenever we're out on the streets of Manhattan, the territorial parts of him are on high alert. "It's some stuff about my family."
"I can go with you." His face brightens at his own suggestion. "I have that media thing, but I can get Rowan to handle it for me."
It's an offer that I couldn't have seen coming. I know how important the annual media day is to Corteck. I've read about their past projects and that day always provides the foothold they've needed to launch their products into success. Clive is the head of the company and as long as I've been following his career he hasn't missed one event. "You can't. It's too important."
"It's work." He snaps his laptop shut. "Come here and tell me what's going on tomorrow."
I pull on the hem of the t-shirt he gave me to wear as I pad across the floor to side in his lap. He yanks me effortlessly onto the chair with him, wrapping me in his bare arms.
"Tell me, Lilly." He presses his lips against my cheek. "I want to know."
If I had any doubt about how much Clive Parker cares for me, it would all be erased right here and right now in this instant. I can feel the pounding of his heart against my side and I can sense the anxiety in his voice. "You must know by now that I was living in Suffolk County when my family died."
He nods briskly. "I did read that's where the shooting happened. Did you live there all your life?"
"No," I answer with no hesitation. "I was born there but we moved around a lot."
"Was it because of work?"
"I guess," I offer shakily. "My father wasn't happy in one place so he'd find a job and we'd move and then he'd find a new job and we'd move."
"You ended up back there when you were a teenager though?" The even tone of his voice is calm.
"Yes," I say quietly. "My parents decided to move back when my grandmother got sick."
"Is she alright now?"
I haven't spoken about her to anyone since her funeral. There were only a handful of acquaintances at the church that day. My grandmother had led a very quiet life and that was reflected in her death. She had retreated into her own world after my mother and siblings died. I was a reminder of what had been taken from her. I saw that whenever I traveled back to visit her. "She died last year."
His hand races over my hip to rest on my waist. "You've had so much loss."
I nod, not wanting the conversation to stall there. "We moved back because she was ill. My parents actually bought a house less than a block from where she lived."
"So you're going back there tomorrow to tie up some loose ends that your grandmother left behind?"
"I've taken care of all of that already." I had. My grandmother had left everything she owned to charity and her lawyer handled all the details for me. All I had to do was pick out the flowers and music for her short, unemotional service.
"What is it then?" he presses.
I reach towards my neck, my fingers edging over the fabric of the t-shirt. The necklace that once hung around my neck is gone now along with the comfort it used to bring me when I touched it. "I have to do something there."
"Lilly." He cradles my chin in his hand, arching my face up towards his. "Please tell me."
I nod, hoping that the simple movement will ward off the tears. "I need to pack up their things."
His brow furrows as he tries to piece together the fragmented mess I'm throwing at him. "Things?"
I can only manage a shallow breath before I speak. "I'm selling the house. I need to clean it out."
"You own the house that your family lived in?" There's no disguising the shock in both his expression and voice. "Someone hasn't taken care of that for you?"
I pat my chest. "They were my family. I need to take care of it."
"Christ, Lilly." He cradles my cheek in his palm. "Please let me help you with that."
As much as my heart wants that more than anything, I know it's too soon. It's a burden I don't want to place on his shoulders or my own. "My friends will help me."
"Someone is going with you?"
"My friend Ben and his fiancée are going with me. They'll help." I tell him. "I need to do this with them."
"I can be there if you need me to." He brushes my hair back from my forehead. "I'm only a phone call away."
Chapter 20
"I'd like to donate almost everything," I say as I stare at the Christmas tree still standing in the corner. "If you don't think it's worth donating, we can throw it away."
The sob that escapes Kayla is audible even if she's tried to mask it by putting her hand over her mouth.
"We can do this alone, Lil." Ben wraps his arm around my shoulder. "If there's anything you want to save, you can take it and head back to the city. Kayla and I can handle the rest."
It's a kind offer but judging by the way his arm is shaking, it's a task that is overwhelming to him too. I knew that before we walked through the front door of the house that it would remind him of the day he lost his mother. The city may be different, and the home he lived in then likely doesn’t resemble this one at all, but the fact that I lost my mother here reiterates the fact that he lost his mother too.
"Ben is right," Kayla says through a very weak smile. "We can do this, Lil. I think it would be best if you didn't stay."
GONE - Part Two (The GONE Series Book 2) Page 6
