Relentless Pursuit

by Lulu Pratt

  “I guess you’re right.” I do feel completely worn down. Eric tried to postpone his trip to New York, but some sort of emergency popped up and no one else was there to pick up the pieces. “I can’t thank you enough for coming over with him gone.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Thank me later. Go take a bath.”

  “I’d hug you, but I’m worried my smell will offend you.”

  “It’s the thought that counts.” Lily winks at me. “Now go away. I’ve got some popcorn and terrible TV to catch up on. Pax keeps deleting Nights of Our Lives from the DVR and I am seriously behind.”

  “All right, all right.” I concede. Popcorn and TV sound fun. Feeling like an adult again sounds wonderful. But so does hot water, and the desire to be clean wins.

  I let out a low whistle when I open the bedroom door. It was a holy terror mess this morning, but the bed is now made and the laundry is all put away. A candle is burning on a bedside table, my favorite lavender, and all the exhaustion I carry in my shoulders melts away. That Lily, I don’t deserve her.

  I step on something soft and look down. Rose petals lead me into the bathroom where a hot bubble bath waits. Tears of gratitude prick my eyes. The rose petals are maybe a bit much, but she knew how tired I was and this is the best gift I could have asked for.

  Off come the sweatpants and the shirt covered in spit up. I slide into the hot water and feel immediate ease. I always found the answer to life in the water, but Beau made baths next to impossible. This is the rare treat that I really need.

  She must have tossed a bath bomb in here, too, because everything feels silky and smells amazing. My eyes grow heavier the longer I sit, and soon I’m no longer in the bath tub, but on a balcony, dancing with Eric. Almost like the days I fantasized about him across a mediation table, except this time we’re tender and seductive, instead of domineering and cruel.

  The moon is bright and the sky is perfectly clear. Frank Sinatra croons overhead and our bodies meld as we sway to the music. Having a baby seriously dampened our levels of intimacy, but being this close to him, dancing, is just as sexy as our times together naked.

  “I’ve missed you.” Dream Eric whispers in my hair. His fingers rake across the exposed skin on my back. Dream Me still wears the sexy evening gowns. “The days were too long without you.”

  “I missed you too.” Dream Me whispers back against his lips. I can feel his breath fuse with mine and the soft kiss of his eyelashes against my forehead. “The bed isn’t the same without you.”

  “It won’t be empty anymore.” Dream Eric promises.

  He kisses me softly, teasing my lips with his. I press him for more, but he only laughs quietly and leaves a tiny bite on my upper lip.

  “What do you want?” He asks.

  “You.”

  Eric finally obliges, crushing my mouth with his. He’s dominating and powerful, but then slows down and kisses me tenderly. He tells me he loves me with his touch, lets me know how deeply he missed me with his tongue. Every kiss stirs the dormant places within my body awake, like I’ve been renewed. Shivers trip down my spine.

  The weight of his hands against my head is so real I could cry. I know this is a dream, these kisses and these soft touches, but I miss him with my entire being. I just want him here.

  “Kate.” Dream Eric whispers against me. “Kate, wake up.”

  “I am awake.” Dream Me whispers back.

  “Open your eyes.”

  I slowly open my eyes. The water is still warm and soft against my skin, something sweet tickles my nose, and there is something in front of me that I can’t quite make out.

  “Surprise.” A familiar voice says softly. He pulls back and Eric grins brightly at me. “Enjoying the bath?”

  “You’re home!” I squeal and wrap my arms around his neck without thinking twice about getting his clothes wet. This is better than the bath. “I thought you weren’t coming home until tomorrow.”

  “Finished early, told them all to fuck off because I needed my wife and my son. They’re sending over a few documents for me to review tonight, but I’m otherwise all yours for the next week.”

  “This is incredible.”

  “Not as incredible as you in this bath. Lie back, my love. I’m going to bathe you.”

  “Bathe me?” I ask, a little coy. I run a finger down his arm because I can’t not touch him. He’s been gone for days and I’ve missed him so fiercely. “That sounds scandalous.”

  “I live for scandal,” he says, cheeky.

  Using a soft washcloth, Eric slowly washes every inch of me, starting with my feet, and massages my exhausted body along the way. It’s a heavenly, delicious feeling and I could almost fall asleep as he moves up my legs.

  It’s only when he hovers over my center, still tightly wound from dancing with him in my dreams, that I feel awake. I try to slide closer to him so he can touch me, but he moves up my stomach and around the swells of my breasts. I never knew being bathed could be so erotic.

  “Sit up.” He says softly and moves behind me. My body is at war between relaxation and arousal. “You’re so beautiful, Kate. This amazing body that carried our son inside, and now cradles him on the outside? Stunning.”

  “It’s smushy and tired.” I murmur, eyes closed and lost in the nearness of him.

  “It’s perfect.” He places a single kiss on the back of my neck that promises to ruin me. “Come, my lady.”

  He offers his hand and helps me out of the tub. I’m wrapped in my favorite robe and carried to bed, Eric never turning his attention from me for a second. He lays me down gently, robe open, and presses hot kisses against my skin: my mouth, my collar bone, the valley between my breasts.

  I watch his dark head slowly work down my body. He drags his teeth against my hips and sets my heart aflame. The closer his mouth gets to my center, though, the more panic I feel.

  “Steady, my love,” he murmurs against my hip. “It will be okay.”

  “Things have changed.” I whisper. “Your son was a beast, remember?”

  He runs a finger over my swollen pussy lips and I can’t suppress the moan. He repeats it again and my legs fall open, granting him the access my anxiety wants to deny. He gently opens me up and runs two more fingers against my exposed wetness.

  “It’s just as beautiful and delicious as ever.” He says, his voice husky and deep. Eric’s voice drops when he’s turned on, and it, in turn, arouses me all the more. “There is nothing wrong with you, Kate. You have everything, everything, I could ever want.”

  The flat of his tongue engulfs my tender flesh and my chest seizes, my vision blurs. Every fear I have melts away in an instant. I no longer fight him, but leave myself exposed and ripe for his pleasure.

  “That’s my good girl,” his voice rumbles against my clit and it steals my breath.

  His mouth finds all the spots I thought disappeared. Every place his teeth would make me moan, or the places where a flick of his tongue would send heat flooding through me, are as vibrant as ever.

  Eric’s hair tickles the inside of my thighs as his mouth makes love to me. He kisses and sucks, licks and nibbles. He treats me like a piece of fruit grown just for him. Every touch is sweeter than the last.

  I try to watch him. I love to see his eyes burn through me while he licks and fucks me, but the pressure mounts and floods through me. It’s been so long since he’s touched me this way that my body is unable to handle the intensity.

  “Eric.” I breathe between moans. I don’t know what I need to say to him, I just want to know he’s here, that he’s real.

  He slides his hands underneath me and pulls me in closer to him. There is no escaping the pressure of his tongue. He destroys me and rebuilds me with every kiss and every flick of his tongue. I close my eyes and lose myself to the sound of him grunting softly.

  A memory flickers through my mind, a view of him stroking himself when he licked me during our first time together. I remember how sexy it was to see him so worked up over the act of
pleasuring me.

  I pry my eyes open and see him lying on his side, one hand under me, but the other now gripping his cock as he licks me. It is all I need to lose myself totally to the surging electric current in my veins.

  My body shakes and shivers under him as my mind goes blissfully blank. He presses harder against me, licking up every bit of juice my body releases through the orgasm. It’s sharp and powerful, my first real, earth-shattering one after giving birth, and it is everything I ever wanted.

  I collapse against the pillow, breathless. His tongue travels across my swollen lips once more and causes my entire body to shiver. I reach for him, still magnificently erect in his hand.

  “This was for you.” He grunts, voice tight and straining. “My pleasure is secondary.”

  “I want this for you.”

  I roll over and down the bed before he can protest. I take his length in my mouth all at once, the head hitting the back of my throat. Eric’s groans become more prominent. He works his base while I suck on his head, savoring the feel of him again in my mouth.

  He’s already done most of the work, so every suck and lick against his cock makes him jump and twitch. I gently press against the space behind his balls and take all of him again. Like magic, Eric grunts and moans through an orgasm that shoots down my throat. I drink him in until he, too, collapses against the bed.

  He pulls me back to the pillows and covers us in blankets. We snuggle together, naked, for what feels like the first time in months. It’s my favorite feeling in the entire world. Nothing can touch us here.

  “I missed you.” I breathe softly.

  “I missed you, Kate,” he murmurs against my neck. “Sleep, my love. Sleep.”

  We lay entwined under a heavy duvet, our son sleeping a room away, and naked bodies reacquainted with one another. There is nothing on this earth I could ask for that would be more perfect than this.

  Virgin 157

  No dates, no love. All sex.

  I agreed to Warren’s rules.

  Just one look at him makes my panties wet.

  He promises to make my virgin body quake.

  One kiss and my core is on fire.

  His touch is like a drug.

  But there are rules.

  Rules that neither of us want to play by.

  *** A steamy STANDALONE contemporary romance novella with a smoking hot hero. No cliffhanger, no cheating and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.***

  Chapter 1

  “Quit hogging the mirror, you look perfect.” I’m so focused on my false lashes I don’t even notice Evelyn exiting the bathroom stall behind me.

  “How do you wear these things every day?” I ask while blinking awkwardly.

  “Ya know, Christy, not everyone looks like a runway model. Some of us need a little assistance,” she teases before leading the way out of the overly decorated restroom.

  I have no idea why Evelyn feels the need to constantly remark about my looks. Sometimes I think she does it just to annoy me. She knows I hate being gawked at, or asked if I model. I’ve been reminded that I’m pretty since I was a child, it was old news by high school. Besides, Evelyn is equally as attractive, even if we are complete opposites. She’s short and curvy, while I’m tall and thin. Dark curly hair accentuates her hazel eyes perfectly, while my blonde waves make my blue eyes appear even brighter. I learned that lesson the hard way after dyeing my hair my freshman year of college. I remember my mom telling me, ‘Well, we know God didn’t make a mistake when he made you blonde.’

  I smile to myself thinking of my mother, it’s been years since she passed away. Luckily my memories of her now bring more smiles than the agony they once carried.

  “Watch it! Lady with a baby!” I hear from behind me before slamming into Evelyn after being pushed forward.

  “What the fuck?!” Evelyn hisses as she turns around.

  “Sorry, some asshole pushed me,” I explain while looking around to catch his face, but it’s too late, all I can see is his dark brown hair. He must be quite tall. He seems to tower a head above everyone in the crowd surrounding the restrooms. Evelyn’s inching her way through the cluster of women in evening gowns as if we’re on a crowded dance floor.

  “You should’ve decked him,” she teases before turning to continue maneuvering through the sea of people.

  There’s a strange scent in the air, a smoky smell of rosewood. Looking around, I only see women and doubt any of them are the source. I can’t say I like the smell, but it definitely intrigues me, it’s not a typical cologne scent. The aroma lingers until we’ve made our way back to the common area of the charity event I’ve let my best friend drag me to.

  “Mark said there would be some real players here,” Evelyn squeals with excitement while rubbing her hands together. I’ve never met a girl so into her career. As a financial planner, she’s always on the hunt for new clients, and the way she tells it, charity events are her hunting ground because ‘the richer you are, the more money you give away.’

  “Who’s Mark?” I ask confused, setting my drink on the table between us.

  “The client who gave me these tickets,” she explains while focusing on something behind me before continuing, “There’s Julio! I need to thank him for the referral, I’ll be right back.” She says quickly before walking in the direction of the dance floor behind me. I turn to watch her slither through the crowd before hugging a short Latino man in a light gray suit.

  I’ve always admired Evelyn’s ability to be a businesswoman in such a male-dominated industry like finance. I’m mesmerized as I watch her interact with Julio from across the room. He’s laughing at one of her jokes when I feel it. There’s a weird vibe, like someone is watching me, and then the rosewood scent is back. Turning to my drink, the smell grows stronger, its source directly in front of me.

  “It’s you,” I whisper absentmindedly, a bit excited to find the culprit of the alluring aroma. He smirks, and I can tell being bashful isn’t one of his usual traits, it doesn’t fit him well. He drips confidence in his tailored suit. I’ve become accustomed to spotting wealth after working at a private school for four years, and this man has all the indicators. He’s absolutely gorgeous, but in the way that only comes with great grooming. His skin looks so smooth I want to reach out and touch him, his nails are perfectly manicured and his watch is the epitome of subtle luxury.

  “Yeah… I’m sorry about that,” he smiles, revealing a perfect set of pearly whites.

  “About what?” I ask, wondering if he has me confused with someone else.

  “The bathroom,” he motions to the restroom before continuing, “You know, ‘lady with a baby’,” he mocks himself.

  “Oh, yeah,” I smile while reaching for my drink. I got so caught up in his smell, I’ve completely forgot he’s an asshole.

  “Don’t drink that,” he reaches for my wrist, his touch causing me to catch my breath.

  “Are you against drinking?” I look into his dark brown eyes. He releases his hold on my wrist, but I am not resisting his touch. His gaze is so captivating I can’t hold it for long. Instead, I choose to focus on his lips, which I’m sure is a bad idea when I begin biting my bottom lip in response. He is too attractive.

  “You must not know me,” he jokes. Pushing my hair behind my ear, I feel myself blush. “You had your back to that drink while you were eyeing someone on the dance floor. You should never drink anything that’s been out of your sight,” he warns me before grabbing my wrist again and leading me away from the table.

  “Where are we going?” I ask as if it matters. I am following that scent wherever it takes me. There’s just something about him. I want to know more, see more and smell more.

  “To get you a drink,” he yells over his shoulder as he pulls me to the bar.

  I quickly glance around, trying to spot Evelyn. I don’t see a glimpse of her, or her flashy red dress, before he pulls away his hand and I instantly miss the connection.

  “What do you do?” He asks as
we settle along the bar, preparing to compete for a bartender’s attention. Rolling my eyes, I’m sure where his inquiry is headed. “Oh, you don’t like that question?” He smirks, amused by my annoyance.

  “What do you think I do?” I quip, preparing myself for his cliché compliment about how I look like a model.

  “Are you a teacher?” He furrows his eyebrows as if he’s solving a puzzle on Wheel of Fortune.

  “I do work at a school,” I admit, a bit embarrassed by my presumption.

  “I knew it! There’s something so innocent about you,” he says casually before throwing his hand in the air. To my surprise, both bartenders immediately look his way, one even stopping what he was doing before walking to us with a huge grin plastered across his face.

  “Macallan 30 for me, top shelf cosmo for the lady,” he orders before I can even request my regular Jack and coke. Gosh, he’s bossy.

  Chapter 2

  “I look like I drink cosmos?” I ask with a skeptical eyebrow as he hands me my pink drink.

  “You look like you deserve the best. And you’re gorgeous, so a pretty drink seemed fitting,” he shoots back quickly and I know I’m in trouble. He’s handsome, bossy and witty.

  “I guess I just have to take the compliment,” I shrug before taking a sip. Although I would’ve never ordered a cosmopolitan for myself, I can’t deny how much better it tastes than a harsh Jack and coke.

  “What’s your name?” He asks after a long pause.

  “What’s with the hesitation?” I wonder aloud. He looks to be studying me and it makes me a little uneasy.

  “I feel like I know you, but I know that I don’t. It’s hard to explain, but you have one of those familiar faces. I guess I was wondering what your name is and figured I could just ask,” he smirks at his explanation as if he’s aware of just how strange he sounds, although he doesn’t seem uncomfortable about the realization at all.

  “Well, what does it look like my name would be?” I lift my head, turning from side to side to display myself like a mannequin.