Vince.
They’d only ever known him as The Suit.
A MONTH LATER, MICHELLE was having a very good evening.
Jill, Lucas, and Brent had come over, and the six of them were hanging out and playing a party game that Steve always suggested when they had a big enough group.
The game was silly, but everyone enjoyed it, and Michelle kind of loved that Steve was so openly into playing games.
He never tried to be cool or lofty or above having innocent fun.
He was always real. Always himself.
And she loved him.
She’d started her fall semester of her coursework, and she’d had to take out more in student loans to cover the tuition since her parents weren’t going to pay for a degree they didn’t think would lead to a lucrative job.
They were disappointed in her, but she knew they loved her, so she hoped that pretty soon they’d get over it.
She was fine with their not paying for her graduate degree. But she also wanted them to be proud of her.
Maybe when they realized how happy she was now, they’d change their minds.
If not, she was doing this anyway.
She didn’t love every single thing about her education coursework, but she was more excited about teaching than ever. With the coursework she already had counting toward some of the content area, she’d be able to finish the degree by the end of next summer.
Then she could finally be a teacher.
Sometimes she looked at her life in awe, amazed that it was actually happening this way, amazed she’d been brave enough to make the changes she’d needed to make.
Not just with her career. With Steve too.
Things were better now with Steve than she’d ever dreamed they could be.
She did kind of want to share a room with him again, but they were supposed to be taking it slow. Steve seemed set on the slow pace, and she wasn’t going to rush things after she’d been the one to slow them down initially.
When the game broke up, Chloe got up to help Michelle clean up some of the bottles that were scattered around the room.
“That was fun,” Michelle said, looking at her friend’s gorgeous skin and eyes.
Chloe made a face.
“What’s the matter?” Michelle asked, speaking very softly because the others were just in the living area.
“Do you know why Brent doesn’t like me?”
“What? Of course he likes you. He seems to like everyone. He hangs around here all the time.”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t seem to like me. He never talks to me. At all. He hardly ever looks at me. He seems like a nice enough guy, so I don’t know why he would act that way with me. Do you know if I’ve done something?”
Frowning, Michelle glanced over toward the others, and she happened to see Brent looking in their direction from where he sat on the couch.
Except he wasn’t looking in their direction. He was looking at Chloe.
And Michelle suddenly understood.
She knew exactly why Brent didn’t talk to Chloe. He’d told Michelle not so long ago that he was terrible with women, that when he was interested in one he couldn’t say a word to her.
Michelle felt a bubbling excitement, a kind of giddiness, that really wasn’t warranted after just a glimmer of an idea.
But still...
Chloe’s dark eyes were focused on Michelle’s face. “Do you know why? I mean, I know he’s a big lumberjack without very many social skills, but I don’t know what I might have done to offend him. I don’t like people not liking me. People are supposed to like me.”
“Everyone likes you.”
“Not him.”
Michelle opened her mouth to tell her but then stopped herself. It didn’t seem quite fair to tell Chloe Brent’s secret.
It wasn’t likely that Chloe would ever be interested in Brent romantically. He was so far out of her normal taste in men that it was almost hilarious. So telling her of his interest would only make things awkward, and she didn’t want to do that to Brent.
So she just said, “I don’t know. I still think you might be imagining it.”
“I’m not imagining it. I’ll have to work on it.” Chloe squared her shoulders with a determined look, and Michelle couldn’t help but laugh.
Poor Brent.
He had no idea what he was in for.
If Chloe set her mind to something, she couldn’t be stopped.
Michelle was still giggling over that and pulling the filled bag out of the garbage can when strong arms wrapped around her from behind.
“Hey!” she objected. “I’m trying to empty the garbage.”
“I’ll do that,” Steve said, turning her around in his arms. “Later.”
“Okay.”
He kissed her in a series of light, sweet presses of his lips. Then he murmured, “Brent asked again about the room.”
She stiffened, suddenly excited. She’d thought Steve would never bring the topic up. “Did he?”
“Yeah.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I wasn’t going to tell him anything before I talked to you.” His blue eyes lingered on her face, fond, observant, possessive. “There’s no pressure here. None at all. I’m happier than I can ever remember being before. I’m happy just as we are. But I do like the idea of moving into that room with you—whenever you’re ready.”
Michelle shivered in excitement and beamed up at him. “I’m ready now.”
He froze, his hands on her waist. “You are?”
“Yes. I’m ready now. I want to live with you again. All the way.”
He groaned and pulled her into a hug. “I want that too, kitten.”
“Then let’s do it. Move in with me, Steve.”
“I will. I’ll do it tonight.”
She giggled. “You can wait for tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to wait until tomorrow. I want to do it right now. I’ll start moving my stuff.” He started to move toward the hall, but then he turned back and pulled her into another hug. “I love you, kitten.”
“I love you too.”
“We can do it this time.”
“I know we can.”
“I’m not going to let you go again.”
“Me either.”
“Okay.” He loosened his arms at last, his face brimming with excitement. “I’m going to start moving my stuff right now.”
She laughed and grabbed for his hand. “At least let’s tell Brent first. He’ll be thrilled.”
Steve gave an exaggerated groan, but he didn’t let go of her hand. “Fine. We’ll tell Brent he can move in tomorrow.”
Epilogue
TWO MONTHS LATER, MICHELLE opened the shower curtain and gave a little jerk when she saw Steve was standing in front of the sink and shaving.
“I didn’t even hear you come in,” she said, grabbing a towel and blotting the moisture off her skin before she stepped out of the shower.
“I’m sneaky that way.”
She laughed softly and wrapped her wet hair up with the towel. “Good thing I wasn’t doing anything except washing my hair in the shower this morning.”
Steve was clearly focusing on the motion of his razor, but he slanted her a quick, flirtatious look. “What else would you have been doing in there?”
“You never know.”
She gave him a little squeeze as she walked out of the bathroom and into their bedroom. She picked out a pretty bra and panty set in a dark red, put it on, and then went back into the bathroom to work on her makeup.
Steve had already gotten into the shower, but he’d left the door to the bedroom open the way she had so the mirror over the vanity wouldn’t get steamed up.
His showers were always quicker than hers were, so she was finishing up her mascara when he turned off the water.
“Are you nervous about today?” he asked from behind the shower curtain.
She had a big presentation in one of her classes today—the first big pro
ject of the new semester—and she’d been preparing for it for two weeks.
“Not really.” She smiled at him when he opened the curtain and met her eyes. He was dripping with water. “To tell you the truth, I’m excited. It feels like I’ve been waiting to do this my whole life.”
His face softened, and he stepped out onto the bath mat. She saw what he was about to do before he did, so she held out a hand to stop him from pulling her into a hug. “I’m all dry and clean,” she said with a giggle, as he pretended to reach for her again with a teasing look in his eyes. “Don’t you dare get me wet.”
“I thought you liked it when I got you wet.” He was drying himself off now, and he twitched his eyebrows at her.
“Not that kind of wet.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of wet do you like me to get you?”
Ridiculously, despite the fact that she’d been preparing for a busy day and there was nothing but laughter on Steve’s face, her body clenched a little at his words. “None of your business.”
“Isn’t it? Getting you wet is definitely my business, and it’s one of my favorite things in the world.”
He was still teasing, but he meant what he said. She could see it on his face.
Her heart gave a clench the way her body had a moment before.
“That got you, didn’t it?” he asked, stepping closer to her, completely naked. Tall and solid and not perfectly sculpted and adorable and hers.
“I’ll admit it. It was kind of sweet. But that doesn’t mean I want to get wet right now.”
“I’m dry now.” His expression had changed, heated up. He was definitely thinking now about getting her wet in a way that didn’t involve water.
And she was thinking about it too.
“I can’t be late for class,” she said. “The professor always makes a point of calling out people who are late. And I’m giving the second presentation.”
“Who said you’ll be late?”
“You’re looking right now like you’re going to make me late.” Her cheeks were flushed as she glanced down and saw that he was starting to get turned on, just like she was.
“Only if you want me to.”
She was breathless and excited and knew exactly what she was doing when she reached over for a hand towel, twisted it loosely, and then swatted him with it.
He grabbed it out of her hand before she could do it again. His eyes were very hot now. “Did you just swat me with that thing?” he asked thickly.
“Yes.”
“You know what’s going to happen now, don’t you?”
“What happens?” She was playing along, but her voice would have been raspy even if she hadn’t been playing.
“You know what happens when you misbehave like that.”
Her whole body clamped down hard over the growing pressure between her legs, and then she squealed when he reached out for her.
She ran into the bedroom, knowing he would chase her, but she didn’t make it more than a few steps before he caught her, grabbed her, and then hauled her onto the bed.
She was half giggling, half squealing as they had a teasing little wrestling match. One that ended with Steve sitting on the bed and her draped over his lap, her bottom poised in exactly the right position.
She was still wearing only her bra and panties, and Steve was wearing nothing at all. Her skin was flushed all the way down to her belly, and she shuddered in excitement as he rubbed her butt slowly, sensually.
“How long has it been,” Steve murmured, still teasing her with soft little strokes instead of giving her what she really wanted.
She pressed her cheek down against the mattress and fisted her fingers in the covers. She was aching now, so aroused she was soaking her panties. And he hadn’t even done anything yet. “Sixteen days,” she whispered. They’d had sex a few times in the past two weeks but just missionary under the covers since they’d both been tired and distracted.
“Have you been needing this?”
Her breath hitched, and she shifted on his lap, so aroused she couldn’t hold herself still. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We’ve been busy. It was fine. I’ve been happy.” She was telling him the truth, and she was sure he knew it.
“But you’ve been thinking about this?”
“Yes.”
“Next time tell me if you need it.”
She gulped. His hand had grown still on her bottom now, taunting her, teasing her, promising something really good. “Okay.”
“Say it.”
“Next time I’ll tell you if I need this.”
“Good. Now ask me.”
“Will you... will you please spank me?” She wasn’t embarrassed about asking anymore. She was nothing but excited.
He gave her a firm spank.
She cried out loudly on the first smack, and she kept crying out as he did it again. And again. And again. He didn’t stretch it out the way he sometimes did. It was seven in the morning, and neither one of them really had time for a long, involved interlude. But he gave her exactly what she needed, and she kept raising her hips to meet each spank. After a while, he slid the fingers of his other hand under her panties and then inside her, pushing down on her G-spot. She came around his fingers over and over again as he continued to spank her.
She was choking on sobs of pleasure when he finally stopped, caressing her over her panties.
“Now then,” he murmured. “That was what you needed, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. God, yes.” Michelle was shuddering and gasping and limp with hot satisfaction.
“Do you need anything else?” he asked, his voice even hoarser than before.
She knew he was intensely aroused. His erection was pressing against her side. “Yes.”
“What do you need?”
“I need you to fuck me.”
“How do you want it?”
“From behind,” she admitted.
“Then take off your underwear and get on your hands and knees.”
She did as he said quickly, and she cried out loudly when he grabbed the soft, warm flesh of her ass, spreading her open so he could sink inside. He took her hard and fast, shaking the bed and banging the headboard against the wall with shameless abandon.
A tiny part of her mind recognized that her roommates could probably hear them, but Michelle didn’t even care.
Nothing mattered but this. Losing herself in Steve. And always finding herself with him again.
Both of them came hard and quickly, and then they collapsed together on top of the covers. Steve folded her in his arms, and she clung to him. Feeling deeply satisfied.
Satisfied in every way.
Her bottom burned, and she was raw and sore between the legs, and her heart was so full it was actually aching in her chest.
And it was perfect.
Steve kept giving her breathless little kisses that were so incredibly sweet. “I love you, kitten,” he murmured.
“I love you too. So much.”
“Are you going to be late for class?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t want to get dressed quite yet.”
“Sounds good to me.” He kissed her again. “How do you feel?”
“Good. Better than good. Happy.”
“I’m happy too.”
She turned her head so she could talk more easily. “I’m so happy now that I feel kind of stupid for how long I just went along with other people’s plans for my life. Years and years I did nothing, and I feel kind of stupid and weak about it now.”
“Don’t say that. No one gets to say that about you.” He tilted her chin so he could meet her eyes. “You weren’t stupid, and you weren’t weak. You were... a regular human being who wasn’t always exactly who she wanted to be. Patterns that are set from our childhood aren’t easy to break out of. Believe me. I know.”
She smiled at him. “I know you know. But you did break out of them.”
“So did you. Being strong doesn�
�t mean being exactly who you want to be with a snap of your fingers. Being strong is thinking through what you want and what’s best for you—and then thinking through what’s best for the other people in your life too. And being brave enough to find a way to work all of it out. No one else gets to decide how long it takes or what you need in order to get there. And if anyone even thinks about judging you for it, then they should take a good hard look in the mirror.” He paused with a little scowl. “And then they should shut the fuck up.”
She giggled and gave him a squeeze. “No one is judging me but me. Are you saying that I need to shut the fuck up?”
“No.” His face relaxed, and his eyes deepened. “But please don’t call yourself weak. You figured out what you needed for yourself, and then you made it happen the best you could. You’re amazing. You always were.”
She was so emotional she had to hide her face in his shoulder for a minute.
After cuddling in silence for a while, Michelle decided it was time for one more thing. One more change she wanted to make in her life. “Steve?”
“Yes, kitten.”
“I have an idea.”
“What’s that?”
She swallowed hard and said what she wanted to say, even though it was hard. “I was thinking... I wouldn’t mind if you want to... if we want to... start looking at houses.”
She felt Steve’s body tense up, and he pulled away from her enough to look her in the eyes. “Houses?”
“Yes. Houses. If you still want to buy one. Together. I do still want to go on our vacation to the resort in January, but after that... maybe we can start saving. I’m ready now. I want to own one with you, live in our own house together.” She’d been thinking about it for a few weeks now, and she was absolutely certain it was what she wanted.
Things were different now. They were better.
And this was right.
Steve just stared at her, and she felt a sudden jolt of fear. “Not that we have to. Just because you wanted to before doesn’t mean you want to now. I know things... aren’t the same. So it’s fine if you don’t want to now or if it’s too soon. It’s really fine. I just wanted you to... to know.”
Living with Her Ex-Boyfriend (The Loft, #2) Page 16
