“Come on,” he said gruffly, “I want to be in bed with you.”
She nodded eagerly. Even from the limited experience she had, she knew when you put her and Dax and a bed together, only good things would come from that.
With one hand he shut off the water as his other arm snaked around her lower back and picked her up. Her legs wrapped around him and she held on tight as he stalked out of the bathroom then across the bedroom to the bed. She saw that they’d left a trail of water in their wake. He hadn’t even taken the time to dry them off, they were still dripping from the shower.
He laid her down on the bed and his eyes hungrily scanned the entire length of her body. She loved when he looked at her like that. The animal lust that was displayed in his eyes when he looked at her naked body, the way she felt it in every cell, like the sheer force and power of his life changed the energy between them.
At first it had made her feel like she couldn’t possibly be what he saw, but after he reassured her and continued to prove it not just with words but with actions, she’d stopped worrying that she wouldn’t live up to his expectations and just allowed herself to enjoy his attention.
“Fuck, I can’t believe you’re real. You’re like a real-life fantasy.” His voice low as he rumbled, “My dream girl come to life.”
She felt her core tighten at his words, but especially at his tone. “Your wet dream girl,” she teased, loving that they could be playful even in intimate moments.
He shook his head as he smiled and when his eyes continued studying her it morphed into the bad-boy grin that she wanted to burn into her memory. A predatory gleam sparked in his golden eyes as he moved over her in a swift, fluid movement. Legs and arms intertwined as they kissed and touched in desperate need to get closer to each other.
She was floating in the euphoria of their bodies rubbing together and was surprised when he rolled her onto her side, and shifted so he was behind her. His arm encircled her waist and tugged her so she was snuggled against him. A small amount of confusion bloomed. Was he…finished? Did he just want to spoon now? That made no sense.
But then she realized that wasn’t at all what he had in mind. He slid his hand down between her legs and rubbed her pleasure nub. With his other hand, he pinched her nipples, moving his fingers back and forth from one to the other. Each time the sensation became too intense, each time her nipple became too sensitive and tightly engorged, when it was just on the brink of painful in its pleasure—he instinctively knew and would immediately move to the other one and begin the Festival of Sensations all over again, building up to that breaking point of pleasure and then moving back. He was a master.
Finally, he lifted her leg and draped it over his own thigh. Then she felt the pressure of his head at her opening. With gentle strength he slowly eased into her while still intimately massaging the hood of her sex. Within a few pumps he found a steady rhythm that had her climbing towards release, he slid his hand back up to her nipples so that he could still caress both of her erogenous zones as he made love to her ever so slowly, ever so gently.
“God, baby,” he choked out, the words taking on an extra intensity because his mouth was right next to her ear. “You’re always tight, but in this position, you’re even tighter. It’s insane. I can feel your body pulsing, milking me.”
Even though his movements as he thrust into her were slower and more deliberate than they had been in any other position, it was somehow more intense. Maybe it was because the pace made her pay attention to every tiny nuance of sensation, or maybe it was because, as he had pointed out, she was so much tighter in that position. But, either way, every movement of him inside her, every tiny friction of his throbbing member against her inner walls, felt like a starburst of sensation spreading out from her core to all the cells in her body.
She felt her orgasm building to the point of no return. It was a more intense sensation than she had felt before. Her brain tingled, knowing that this time was going to be different. It was familiar enough that she could recognize exactly what it was, but it was also entirely new in a way that she couldn’t quite describe.
“Don’t stop,” she whimpered. “I’m gonna come…oh, please don’t…I’m going to…so hard…don’t….”
She knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t help it. The ecstasy had driven her almost completely out of her mind.
“Come. Now,” he commanded roughly.
So…she did, his words putting her right over the edge. She slammed her face into the comforter. Her hands flew up and she grabbed the pillow, the comforter anything that her fists could grasp. Anything to hold onto to keep her anchored, because she felt like she was spinning right out, flying into outer space.
He continued whispering in her ear, “That’s right, baby. Come for me. That’s good.”
She heard his voice in her ear, but she couldn’t even process the words. She’d remember them later and translate them with her non-orgasming brain. Right now, all there was was a primal, visceral sensation.
He grunted as his body tensed and he drove into her deeper than he ever had before.
“Yes!” she cried out. It was the only word that her brain could form as they shook and shuttered and crested the peak together.
She lost all sense of time, of places, of anything else in her life. Everything that was going on, everything that she was—her singing career, leaked songs, phony pictures, her fake ex-boyfriend, her family, Dax’s family—everything flew out the window as their orgasms crashed through them together. All that was left was her body and Dax’s body, his arms around her holding her close—that’s all that existed. And that was fine, because that was all that she wanted.
After their orgasms quieted, they both collapsed onto the bed, in that same position, snuggled together, their hearts beating in one rhythm. She settled her head back against Dax’s shoulder. He buried his face in her wet hair. He was still inside her, and she loved it. It felt sweet, and it felt right, somehow. She was glad he hadn’t pulled out. She wasn’t ready yet to feel him leave her.
She was completely spent, completely entranced by what they had just experienced together. When she’d woke up earlier to find Dax wasn’t beside her, she got a glimpse of what it would be like when she returned home next week and the empty feeling had sent her into the bathroom, to try to erase it. She wanted to float away in what they’d just had and not think about the fact that she was scheduled to go home in a few days or that she was going to be calling her grandfather later today, or the fact that her songs had leaked, or any of the real life issues she knew she was going to be facing. She just wanted to stay in this fantasy bubble for as long as she could. And yet, as hard as she tried there was one small, niggling question that was in the back of her mind, something that she didn’t quite know how to ask—but also couldn’t seem to get out of her head.
But, because it was Dax, she felt completely safe doing anything and saying anything. So, she decided that the best course of action would be to just ask.
“Dax,” she whispered.
“Yes, baby?” he answered.
“Is it always like this?” She asked, her voice trembling and a little vulnerable. “I mean, I’m feeling like this is some special, magical thing we’ve got going—like it’s universe shaking—but is it just…you know…regular old sex? Is it like this every time?”
He laughed and she rushed to explain. “I know, that was probably a stupid question—”
“No, no,” he assured her. “I wasn’t laughing because it was a stupid question. I was laughing at the idea that ‘regular old sex’ could ever be like what we have together. No, baby. No. To answer your question—it’s nothing like this.
“I mean, it can be good. Don’t get me wrong. Sex is fun and it feels good. But this is different. What we have is…it’s different. I’ve never been with someone that I’ve felt the things I feel with you. It’s…magic.”
She smiled and snuggled her head back down onto his shoulder as a yawn claimed
her. “I thought so,” she said as her mind cleared and she drifted off into a satisfied sleep.
Chapter 22
Ginny couldn’t believe that she was moments away from meeting her grandfather. She awoke this morning to a text from Grandpa J telling her that Don was back from his camping trip and awaiting her call. Yesterday, she’d asked Grandpa J if he would mind telling Don about her. He’d agreed without hesitation.
Dax had woken up about an hour after she’d received the message to find her staring down at the text. He’d asked her what was wrong. She’d told him it was nothing. That everything was fine. She hadn’t told anyone about what she was doing except Grandpa J. Not even her mom.
It was clear from the look in his eyes that he knew whatever was going on, it was definitely not nothing. And she could sense he was unhappy that she was keeping things from him. He asked again, and when her response remained the same he nodded, ran his fingers through his hair, then scrubbed them over his face. It was obvious that he was frustrated.
She fully expected him to call her on it, to push the subject further, to demand she tell him what was going on. The only people that she had to compare someone to in this situation was her mom and Shane. Either of them would have demanded answers for her odd behavior.
But instead of pushing he just sat up in bed, pulled her onto his lap and held her. He ran his fingers through her hair and rubbed her back. He told her that it must be so stressful having such a high-profile career, and that he was so impressed with the aptitude and grace in which she handled it all. He also said that he understood it was probably hard for her to trust people, and she was right to be wary, but if she ever needed to talk about anything, he’d be there to listen. He’d always be there for her.
It wasn’t lost on her that he was doing exactly what Grandpa J had described as love. He hadn’t let the fact that she was being difficult affect how he treated her. He hadn’t even addressed that he knew she wasn’t being truthful about nothing going on. He’d held her, complimented her and offered his unconditional support.
If she’d had a chance of getting out of this unscathed, it was demolished in that moment, because she knew that he was the one. He was the one that she wanted to “work” with for the rest of her life, and that sadly wasn’t in the cards for them.
But it at least showed her that he deserved the truth. So she swallowed hard and told him everything she knew about her dad. The picture. Chase’s Facebook post. Interviewing Grandpa J and learning about her real grandfather.
He’d sat quietly listening to her as she rambled on and when she finally showed him the text he’d just looked at her and asked a simple question. “Do you want to call him?”
She nodded.
“So what are you waiting for?” He grinned. “Call him.”
So she did. Instead of listing all the things she was scared of and all the reasons she was hesitating to contact him, she pushed the number Grandpa J had given her and put the phone to her ear. When he answered he’d sounded exactly how she’d expected him to sound, how she’d always imagined a “grandpa” would sound. He had a very deep voice.
And the thing she loved the most was that he didn’t waste any time with small talk. He said he wanted to meet her face to face as soon as he could. He tried to insist on him driving to her, but when she explained that she was actually very excited to see the dog rescue, he’d given in. He’d said he was still worried about her driving the backwoods roads though and he would happily go pick her up. She said that Dax would be driving her and he’d conceded once again.
After a quick shower, she, Dax and Capone had been out the door with coffee in hand in less than an hour. The entire ride up she’d been quiet, which was just her default mode whenever she was stressed. Dax seemed to understand.
He’d asked if she’d wanted to talk. She’d said no. He’d told her to pick whatever station she wanted on the radio if she wanted music. And then he’d let her just be quiet.
Capone was on her lap, which was doing wonders for her anxiety, but not so much for her nervous nausea. He must have got into some people food before they’d left because he’d been passing some serious gas the entire trip. As bad as it smelled, it served as much-needed comic relief when she’d started getting too much in her head. It was like he had a sixth sense when she needed to laugh and he’d let one go. She and Dax would crack up and gag as they rolled the windows down even though it was freezing.
Dax slowed down and put his blinker on and she turned to him and asked, “Are we here?”
It was a ridiculous question since she could clearly see on the map lit up on the navigation screen that they were there. But it had just come out.
“Yep, it’s just down this road.”
As they drove slowly down the dirt road that was framed with snow on each side, he glanced over at her and said, “He’s going to love you.”
“Thanks, but we’ll see.” She appreciated Dax saying so but she wasn’t convinced.
It wasn’t that she thought he would hate her, it was just that she’d wanted to know her family for so long that she was scared to get her hopes up and then be disappointed. She’d built this reunion up in her head to mythical proportions. And not just since she’d found the picture. Her daydreams about her family had started when she was a little girl and The Princess Diaries didn’t help. She’d gone through a few years where she was convinced she was a princess and one day a limo would show up and whisk her away to her royal family.
That dream had never come true, but another one was about to. She was going to meet the first male that actually shared her blood. When they pulled up in front of a cabin-style house that was set far back off the road, the door opened and out walked a man that she instantly recognized from the light-Facebook stalking she’d done after she had learned her grandpa’s full name. Donald Gregory Williams Sr. stepped out and he looked exactly like his profile picture. He had white hair that he wore in a short, clean cut and a beard that’s length was somewhere between Santa Claus and ZZ Top. He was tall and still in very good shape. He looked like the Brawny man in his seventies. He wore a flannel shirt, blue jeans and boots.
Ginny hadn’t been sure about how she’d feel when this moment finally came. She’d imagined it so many times and in so many ways but nothing could have prepared her for the reality.
As soon as Dax lifted Capone from her lap, Ginny popped out of the SUV like she was spring loaded and ran up the porch with tears falling down her face and she was met with grandpa’s open arms. He wrapped them around her and she held on tight for so long. It was like she was afraid that when the hug ended, he’d be gone.
She wasn’t sure how long they’d stayed like that, crying as they held each other on the porch, but when she finally did let go she was happy to find he didn’t disappear. He pulled her in once more for a briefer embrace before introducing himself to Dax and Capone and inviting them in for hot chocolate before they took a tour of his rescue facility.
As Ginny walked into the homey cabin she felt one more piece of herself click into place. She realized part of that was thanks to Dax. He gave her the courage and the strength to trust her instincts. To take action and not second-guess herself. To finally be her own person.
She wasn’t sure if she could ever express to him what he’d done for her in the short period of time that they’d spent together, or if he’d ever fully appreciate the gift he’d imparted. But she knew then that no matter what happened in the future, Dax had given her something that was better than any diamond, he’d given her herself.
“Well, you sure were thirsty, weren’t ya, Capone?” Her grandfather bent down and petted the bulldog’s head, starting at his left ear, doing two circles on the crown of his head, and then going to his right and then repeating. She immediately recognized it as the same pattern that she petted his head in.
And she knew that this was better than her girlhood dreams of being part of a royal family. In that moment she knew there was no king that would m
ake a better grandfather than Don and no knight that would make a better suitor than Dax. Her reality was better than her fantasies.
* * *
“Arf!” Capone barked up at him as they waited in the SUV.
“She’ll be here in a minute.”
Dax wanted to give Ginny time to say goodbye to her grandfather in private. They were on the porch and he couldn’t hear what they were saying but he could see the emotion on their faces. Tears were falling down their cheeks.
The entire visit had been more emotional than he had expected. He could only speak for himself, and Capone, but from the moment Ginny threw herself into Don’s arms, he knew he knew he was in trouble. Don had started sobbing as he held the granddaughter he never knew he had from the son that was long gone. After witnessing that reunion they were both goners. He started tearing up and Capone sat whine-crying in the seat next to him before they’d even gotten out of the car.
It hadn’t got much better from there. All day he’d been fighting back emotion as he witnessed Ginny and her grandfather try to fit twenty-two lost years into one day. Their instant connection and love for each other was obvious.
He’d known that Ginny had been worried about what her grandfather would think of her, if he would love and accept her, but there’d never been a single doubt in Dax’s mind. Who wouldn’t love Ginny? She was everything that was good in this world wrapped up in a petite package of sassy intelligence and a heart bigger than the sky.
What had surprised him though, was how similar the two were. How many times they said the same thing at the same time. How many mannerisms they had in common. Before today if someone would have told him that a burly, seventy-something mountain man and a petite, soft spoken country singer would gesture the same, he’d have thought they were crazy. But they did.
All He Feels - Dax & Ginny (Crossroads Book 11) Page 21
