Just an Illusion, Side A: Side A

by D. Kelly

  When he pulls away and releases me, I spin around and take in the rest of the room. Roses in vases are strategically placed on each dresser and nightstand just out of reach from the flickering flame of the candles. Chilled champagne and two fresh flutes are next to the bed, and a single red rose lies atop one of the pillows. There’s nothing he hasn’t thought of.

  Noah pops the champagne and pours us each a glass. Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before. Not ever. When he passes me my glass, he raises his in a toast.

  “To love. May we be blessed with it deeply, every single day of our lives,” he toasts.

  When his glass clinks against mine, I echo his sentiments, “To love.” As I take a sip of the bubbly deliciousness, I can’t take my eyes off of him. He places his glass on the dresser, and I follow suit, allowing him to pull me into his arms.

  “I love you, Amelia,” Noah whispers against my lips.

  “I love you, too, Noah.” I softly caress his cheek with my hand. His mouth lowers to mine in slow motion, the taste of champagne still lingering on his lips. His tongue sweetly parts my lips, and I whimper at the sensation. No one has ever made love to me before, and so far, Noah is knocking it out of the park before we’ve even really started.

  His hand glides from my hips up toward my breasts. I lean into him, enjoying every touch. My hands roam his back, softly caressing his broad shoulders and feeling the flex of his muscles each time he moves. When his mouth leaves mine and drops to my throat, to my neck, and finally to the sweet spot on my ear, I call out his name, “Noah.”

  “Say it again, Mel,” he whispers as he pushes his hardness against me. I’d call his name out forever if it comes with that response each time.

  “Noah, please … I can’t take anymore anticipation.”

  He chuckles lightly against my skin and leads me to the bed. I’m not waiting any longer. As we walk, I begin ridding him of his clothes, starting with his jacket that falls to the floor.

  “Oops,” I murmur as my fingers begin working on his tie while he pulls the halter over my head and unzips the back of my dress. As it falls to the floor, Noah groans when he takes in my black lace bra and matching thong. Of course, I’m still wearing my heels.

  “I wish I knew how to paint because this moment deserves to be captured for all time. Your photo could hang in museums for centuries to come.”

  There’s a rush of heat to my cheeks, and I’m surely blushing from head to toe. Awkwardly, I try and shake his words off with a joke. “You know I’m a sure thing, right?” He’s not having anything to do with my jokes. Instead, he pulls me to him and brushes his lips against mine.

  “I’m not kidding, Mel. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper softly while trying to get his clothes off. While I work on the buttons of his shirt, he draws a trail against my skin with his fingertips. His touch is so light, goose bumps spread across my skin. He stops touching me when I pull each arm out of his shirt. I’m fascinated as I watch him finish what I started. First, he toes off his shoes and then unbuckles his belt. When he drops his pants, I suck in a much-needed breath. His erection is straining against his Calvin Klein boxers, but when my eyes drop down to his socks, I can’t help but chuckle.

  “What, the black socks aren’t sexy?” he asks with a grin.

  “You look like the dink,” I reply honestly.

  “The dink?” he asks, confused.

  “Please tell me you’ve seen Stealing Home with Mark Harmon and Jodie Foster. It’s only the best movie of all time.”

  “No, I haven’t, and it’s a baseball movie?” he questions, and I nod. “I’m usually all over baseball movies.”

  “It’s old. It came out in 1988, the year after I was born. I used to watch it at least four times a year with my mom. Anyway, we’ll watch it and you’ll understand. Until then, take off the socks.”

  “Just the socks?” he asks as he reaches down to peel them off. Once he has them off and looks back up at me, I pull him toward the bed.

  “For now. Heels on or off?” I ask as he checks me out again from head to toe.

  He gestures for me to sit on the bed and kneels down, removing them one at a time. “Off. But someday soon, I want them wrapped around my head while you’re screaming my name.”

  Holy shit.

  His words drench my panties even more than they already are. Noah Weston has a sexy fucking mouth. I only nod my agreement because there’s no comeback to that, and from the predatory look he’s giving me, the conversation is over anyway. I scoot up on the bed and move the rose from the pillow. After taking a long inhale, I place it delicately on the side table, careful to avoid the candle. Noah sits up on his knees and lifts my foot into his hands. He massages my arch and the rest of my foot, then switches to the other one.

  “Noah, that feels amazing.” My eyes practically roll into my skull from the pleasure. When he releases my foot, he begins to deeply knead my calves. With a loud sigh, I allow myself to enjoy the pleasure he’s giving me. As he reaches my thighs, his hands are replaced with his mouth, his lips searing their imprint onto my skin. With every single kiss and swipe of his tongue, a tingling sensation encompasses me from head to toe. I’m on cloud nine and we’re barely getting started.

  As he spreads my legs and kisses my pussy through my panties, I begin to whimper. I can barely keep still beneath him as he sears a trail of kisses from my abdomen to my breasts. He shows attention to both breasts, catching my nipples with his teeth through the fabric of my bra and tracing the edges of the lace with his tongue. At least he’s close enough now so I can get some friction by rubbing myself against him. I wrap my arms around him and massage his back, his biceps. God, he has nice arms. When he reaches my neck, my body arches off the bed, closer to him. He chuckles softly, but firmly pushes me back down. He wants me at his mercy.

  I want to be at his mercy.

  When we’re finally eye to eye, he reaches his hand up and caresses my face tenderly, never once breaking eye contact with me. His striking green eyes move closer and closer to my hazel ones as he peppers kisses across my forehead, over my cheeks, down the bridge of my nose, and finally to my mouth.

  Anticipation.

  I’m so worked up, I cry into his mouth as soon as he parts my lips with his tongue. His kiss is slow, calculated. When I wrap my arms around his neck, he pulls back, taking me with him. Reaching around and popping my bra open, he slides it from my arms without once breaking our kiss. I’m pretty sure Noah Weston is a sex god.

  After he pulls away, he drops his head down to my breasts. My hands instinctually drop down to his head, where I can glide my fingers through his hair. He’s cupping both of my breasts, one in each hand, kneading and massaging them, caressing them as his body moves against mine. Then he’s dropping his lips to them, rotating his mouth between the two, sucking, licking, and biting. With each bite, I cry out and tug his hair. He’s creating an incredible balance between pleasure and pain, and I want more of him. I need more of him.

  He releases one of my breasts and slides his hand down into my panties.

  “Fuck, baby, you’re drenched for me.” The fire in his eyes as he slides a finger inside of me ignites my fire even more. I buck into his hand and cry out his name.

  “Noah, please …” My whimpering fuels his passion even further as he slides a second finger inside of me and sucks harder on my throbbing nipple. His eyes meet mine again as he flicks his thumb against my clit.

  “Noah! I’m going to come!”

  He increases the pressure of his thumb and the pace of his fingers. “I know, Mel, and I can’t wait.” He drops his mouth back down to mine as his fingers work their exceptional magic. When he adds a third finger inside of me, my walls clench and spasm as I’m taken over by one of the strongest orgasms I’ve ever had. He keeps his mouth against mine, catching every last cry, and when my orgasm subsides and I’ve finished arching my body
against his, he pulls back.

  Noah’s predatory gaze moves down my body. His hands make their own path down along my curves, finally hooking on to my panties. Seductively, he slides them off and tosses them to the floor. His tongue takes a journey across his lips in anticipation as he spreads my legs and nestles his head between them. When his tongue swipes against my sensitive flesh, my body arches off the bed. It’s been so long and his mouth feels too damn good. He takes his hand and places it against my abdomen, holding me in place as he licks and sucks, bringing me to the brink yet again.

  “Noah!” I scream, unable to hold back a second orgasm. His tongue darts into my channel as my walls convulse around him. His hand still presses me in place but it doesn’t stop me from writhing in pleasure. When he finally comes up for air, he looks damn proud of himself. Swiping his thumb over his bottom lip, Noah crawls atop my body. When he reaches my mouth, he rubs his thumb against my lip—coating it with my essence—and lowers his mouth to mine. I never used to be a fan of this move, but tasting myself on Noah’s lips is a complete turn on.

  He reaches across to the bedside table and grabs a condom. “Are you on the pill?”

  I wish I was because Noah Weston is the first and only man I’ve ever considered letting go in bareback. “I’m allergic to birth control.”

  He looks at me quizzically as he removes his boxers. “I didn’t know that was a thing.”

  “Unfortunately, I’m one of the small percentage of the population affected.”

  “That sucks,” he says as he works the condom on.

  “You’re telling me,” I reply with a laugh. This is such a random conversation we really should have had before, but somehow, even now, in the middle of the most romantic night of my life, I still feel comfortable talking about this with him.

  Noah’s naked body in front of mine pulls me from my thoughts. My eyes peruse him for the first time from head to toe, and my libido lights up again. His body is incredible, not like I didn’t realize it before, but he’s seriously perfect. Leaning forward, I place my hands against his chest, allowing myself to explore his body. His abs are taut under my palms. He hisses as my fingers follow along his happy trail. I divert them momentarily to trace a path along his perfectly cut V. My pulse quickens as my hand lands at the base of his cock, which is sheathed and ready for me.

  Noah leans forward just a little bit and cups the back of my head with his hand. Gently, he guides me back to the bed while exploring my mouth with his tongue. Kissing him never gets old. While he kisses me, his hands explore the curves of my body, and I return the favor. The flickering candlelight makes the setting beyond perfect as the shadows of our bodies do a sensual dance across the room with the stars. He pulls a whisper away and brushes his thumb across my cheek.

  “Thank you,” he says softly.

  “For what?”

  “Giving me you,” he answers, kissing me again. As our kiss intensifies, he presses his cock against my entrance, teasing me, bringing me to the brink once again.

  “Noah,” I gasp as I pull my mouth from his. “I want you.” With my words, he slides in further.

  “You’ve got me,” he replies, finally pushing all the way inside. He stills, pausing a moment to relish the feeling. “Jesus, Mel.”

  Spurred on by his words, my legs wrap around his waist and I pull him to me, bringing him as deep as he can possibly go. He groans, and I begin moving against him. Slowly, he begins moving himself. He raises one hand above my head and laces his fingers through mine. Our bodies move in a beautiful synchronicity; I can’t believe we waited this long to have this. But Noah was right, if anticipation built up to this, it was beyond worth it.

  My orgasm is building, and from the corded muscles flexing in his neck, I’m assuming his is as well. Noah is deep inside of me both physically and emotionally. Our lovemaking is beautiful.

  “Noah, oh God, Noah … Yes!” I cry out as my walls clench around him, my body riding out wave after wave of pleasure. And when I’m at the tail end of coming down, his orgasm shatters through us both, bringing me right back to an unbelievable high.

  “Amelia.”

  My name falls from his lips as he collapses against me and wraps me into his arms. Our sweat-slicked bodies and pounding hearts become one. Neither of us speak, but I can’t help running my fingers through Noah’s hair. I’ve found my soul mate, of this I have no doubt.

  He finally rolls us onto our sides and removes the condom, tying it and tossing it to the floor. “What are you thinking?” he asks as he brushes my hair from my face.

  “No one has ever done that to me, Noah. No one has ever made love to me, not like that. It was amazing.”

  A sweet smile creeps across his face. “I have a confession.”

  With a raised brow, I let him know to continue. I’m pretty sure it’s the only part of my body I can move right now. “I’ve never made love to anyone before. Not like that.”

  His words send my heart aflutter, and the shy look on his face confirms his confession is true. “Hmm, guess we were saving the good stuff for each other. Noah?”

  “Yes, Mel?”

  “In case you were wondering, since you asked before, you’ve definitely proven you can back up your talk.”

  “Is this your way of telling me I’m the best you’ve ever had?” I bite into my lower lip and nod. He smiles triumphantly and lays back, pulling me into the crook of his arm. “I already knew that.”

  “Then why did you get all macho man about it?”

  “Well, maybe I didn’t know it then, but I know it now. I figured if this was hands down the best sexual experience of my life, it had to be yours, too.”

  My fingers dance in circles across his chest as his heartbeat echoes in my ear. It’s so strong and steady.

  “You’re so quiet, Mel. What are you thinking now?”

  I love how he asks me this question as if he’s waiting with baited breath because he really does want to know. When a man wants to know a woman, it’s a special thing. Unfortunately, in my life, it hasn’t happened all that often. If I’m honest with myself, the last person who ever wanted to know me—all of me—was Eli. How sad is that?

  “Shh, I’m listening to your heartbeat. It’s my new favorite sound, aside from your newly-discovered signing voice.”

  His heartrate increases, thumping harder and faster against my ear. My words are affecting him, which is good because he’s affected me since the moment we met.

  “I’m a lucky son of a bitch,” he replies with a wondrous tone, and I smile against his chest. There’s no reply needed because if he was listening to my heart now, he’d notice it’s beating faster as well. We fall asleep under the stars, with me listening to his heart and his fingers dancing through my hair.

  Rude Awakenings

  I hear the ringing in my dreams. It’s a rotation of tones and it’s finally bugging me enough to wake up. The room is dark, thanks to the heavenly black-out curtains. The candles have long since flickered out, and I stumble from our bed to the bathroom. I don’t hear a thing now, so it must have been my bladder’s way of waking me up from a dead sleep. After quickly relieving myself and pulling on a robe, I walk out to the bar and grab a bottle of water.

  The remnants of the cheeseburger we shared last night after our second round of lovemaking are still sitting on the plate. I throw the cover over it and smile as I remember how we worked off our late-night snack. Noah fucked me in the best possible way: up against the floor-to-ceiling window as we looked out onto the city glowing below us.

  The phone to the room rings, and I grab it before it wakes Noah up. We had a long night, barely falling asleep when the sun was rising, and he’s got a long night ahead of him still.

  “Hello.” My voice is groggy, and I try to clear my throat.

  “Oh, Mel, thank God you picked up!” It’s Belle and she’s obviously crying.

  “Belle, what’s wrong?” This isn’t like Belle. I haven’
t heard her cry since my grandma died.

  “I’m downstairs, and I really need to see you. Can you please tell Ryan it’s okay to let me up?” She sobs again. I drop the phone and grab mine, quickly texting Ryan to do whatever needs to be done to let Belle up to my room.

  “Done. Now, talk to me until he comes to get you.”

  “No, he’s already here. I’ll be up in a minute.” She hangs up the phone, and I rush to the other bedroom to throw on some underwear and pajamas. A few minutes later, I’m waiting in the doorway for her.

  As soon as she exits the elevator, I know something is extremely wrong. Her hair is everywhere, she’s in pajamas, she’s not wearing any makeup, and she’s even wearing slippers. Ryan follows behind her, and when she pulls me into a tight hug and sobs hysterically, he sets her bag inside the door, closing it behind him with a nod to me.

  Because of Belle’s strong-willed personality and love for life, I sometimes forget how fragile she is. Not only because of her extremely petite size, but also because when she hurts, it cuts her down to the core.

  “Come on, let’s talk.”

  We walk toward the great room, and as we pass the bedroom where Noah is sleeping naked on the bed, I quickly pull the door closed. It doesn’t latch all the way, but close enough.

  “Is Veronica okay?” It’s the first thing I ask because the only thing I could imagine shattering Belle like this is if something happened to her mom.

  “She’s fine,” she says, pulling a tissue from her purse and blowing her nose.

  “Are you sick? Is something wrong?” Her normally glowing ebony skin is dull, and it concerns me. Immensely.

  “Everything is wrong. Why didn’t you answer your phone? I’ve been calling for a half hour. I thought they were going to have me arrested until I finally got hold of Ryan.”

  “We were sleeping, we … We didn’t go to sleep until pretty much sunrise. What time is it, anyway?”

  “Dammit, Mel, I’m so sorry. I forgot last night was the night. I’m over here crying while you’re positively glowing. Shit!” Belle’s obviously frustrated, at herself or the situation, I’m not sure, but at least her anger brings a little bit of a glow back to her cheeks.