Embraced by a Donovan

by A. C. Arthur

  “We weren’t meant to be married,” was his eventual reply.

  “How do you know that? I mean, what’s meant and what’s not. You married her in the first place so you must have loved her.”

  “Have you ever been in love, Adriana?”

  Her lips snapped shut at the question. She didn’t want to talk about her and that was fine, for now. Parker could handle being the one in the hot seat.

  “Because when you fall in love, I believe, there are certain things you just know. I knew I was attracted to Jaydon. I knew that a part of me felt like it could not be without her from one day to the next. She had those same feelings. So we got married. What we didn’t count on was that once that attraction had died down, once we’d slipped into the routine of a married couple, we didn’t like being around each other very much,” he said for what might have only been the second time since he’d made the decision to end the marriage.

  “We were young and what we had was very exciting at the time, but when it all boiled down, there wasn’t much else there. You’re right, Jaydon is beautiful and she’s intelligent. She’s all that any man could ever want. I’m just not that man and she’s just not that woman for me.”

  Adriana shook her head. She was looking at him as if on some level she accepted what he was saying but that it still might be too unbelievable to conceive.

  “What my parents have is real. I know that because it’s what I watched every year of my life, what I feel the moment I walk into their house. That’s not what Jaydon and I had and that’s how I know it wasn’t meant to be.”

  There was silence and Parker wondered if he should say more, if he should do something else to convince her that he hadn’t been just another irresponsible guy marrying the first woman he fell completely in lust with. Because for a while, that’s precisely what he’d thought he’d done. Now, years later he looked back on his short marriage to Jaydon as a learning experience, a place he needed to go to get to where he was now.

  “My parents have real love and trust and friendship,” she said quietly as she leaned forward to sit her half-eaten bowl of salad on the table. “Not too many guys offer to be your friend, especially when they’ve already seen most of your body spread out in glossy pages on some magazine.”

  He thought about some of the pictures he’d seen of her, but did not respond.

  “They’re not in love with you and probably won’t fall in love with you, even after you’ve slept with them. And when you start to refuse all the way around—” She paused and sighed, dropping her head for an instant before turning to look at him.

  “I want to sleep with you, Parker. Tonight.”

  Parker was no stranger to women throwing themselves at him, to rubbing their bodies blatantly against his as a way of showing, instead of telling, him what they wanted. He’d enjoyed more than his share of those women, had a great time in bed with them and had even been proud of himself on the occasions he’d turned a good number of women away for one reason or another. He also expected certain things in life, like the sun rising and setting on most days, the earth continuing to spin on its axis and his mother cooking those fabulous Sunday dinners.

  What he would never have expected, not in a million years, even though he knew there was an attraction between them, was for Adriana Bennett to say what she’d just said to him. That, coupled with the honest and completely uninhibited look she was giving him shook him so deeply he was momentarily speechless. Which was just something else new and unfamiliar for him to cope with.

  “Are you sure?” he asked and was surprised at how calm and composed his voice had remained. Another Donovan trait, he supposed—never ruffle under pressure.

  She nodded. “I’m positive. This is my night. It’s my moment and I want it to end in a way that’s been on my mind for much too long.”

  He could second the length of time he’d been waiting to get his hands on her as well, but he didn’t. Instead, he sat completely still and was about to ask her another question when she moved. Parker did not get a chance to speak before Adriana had gotten up and straddled him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she scooted her body closer to his.

  “I’ve thought about this enough and if you were telling the truth so have you. I haven’t had sex in three years so we can assume I’m safe. I also have a complete physical once a year, so I’m positive. As for you, I know your reputation but I also know your family so I’m sure you’re responsible when it comes to sex. Worst case scenario I have condoms in my purse. I’m not looking for forever and I won’t cling. I just want tonight, Parker. Please, just give me tonight.”

  There were some things he wanted to say, some items he wanted to set straight, but she was in his arms, her breasts pressing against his chest, her thighs—her bare thighs because she’d pulled her skirt up and tucked it between her legs—against his hips.

  “I’ll give us tonight,” he said, his gaze locked on hers, his fingers going behind her neck where he undid the snaps holding the top of her dress together.

  When the material slipped down baring her breasts Parker leaned forward kissing the hollow at her throat.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, her fingers digging into his shoulder in that way that made him want to growl with some deep primal instinct.

  He continued kissing down her chest as she arched in his arms, the high mounds of her breasts rubbing along his cheeks as he licked a slow trail down the center. Her skin was so soft beneath his tongue. For endless moments he simply stay there, loving the feel of her breasts with the rise and fall of her breathing. Moving slightly to the right he moaned as his lips whispered over a puckered nipple. His hands bunched in the material of her dress as he pushed her closer, thrust his hips to meet her center. When his tongue snaked out, feeling the turgid bud sent him wild, but he was determined to hold on, to keep his promise to her. He suckled her breast, gorging on its plumpness as he opened his mouth wider, sucked her in hard, released and repeated.

  She was almost frantic over him. Pulling at his shirt as she arched, feeding him steadily with her breasts and each pretty little moan that escaped. Parker was beyond excited, his erection pressing painfully against the zipper of his pants. When he had strength he pulled his mouth away from her delectable breasts, licking up to her neck, her chin, and then finally taking her mouth hungrily. His hands were in her hair then, scraping along her scalp, wrapping the length around his wrists and holding tight as his tongue thrust deeper into her mouth. She returned his kisses with her own fervor, riding his length through their clothes showing him just how anxious she was for him to be inside her.

  He was anxious too, dammit he was more than ready. But he wouldn’t rush. Instead he slid to the edge of the couch, reaching behind him to lock her legs at his back, then returning them to her ass as he stood.

  “There’s something about us and a couch,” he whispered into her ear before nipping the lobe, feeling the coolness of her earring against his skin.

  “I think it’s a sign,” she replied breathily. “That this was destined to happen.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I guess if you believe in signs we could say that. But I want you stretched out and naked and ready for the taking. I want to make slow love to you just as I promised in my office.”

  At his words she pressed closer into him, kissing his neck, the line of his jaw, until she found his lips this time. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, an action that caused his dick to jump with its response. He moaned, opening his eyes to see that hers were partially closed, her hair wild around her face. Releasing his lip, her tongue was quick and tantalizing as it delved into his mouth, dueling with his until Parker felt like he wanted to run up the stairs to his bedroom.

  Instead he walked, carefully with her in his arms even though he could swear she didn’t weigh as much a child. When they were finally upstairs, down the hall past the guest rooms, his home office and the bathroom, he walked into the master and headed directly for the bed. Next to the kitchen the king
sized platform bed with the hand crafted leather headboard was his favorite part of this apartment. Seeing Adriana lying on the black duvet her dress more off her then on, made it absolutely perfect. When she sat up and attempted to take the dress all the way off he stopped her.

  “No. That’s for me,” he said, kneeling on the bed behind her and releasing the zipper that held the dress at her hips.

  He pushed it down, waited while she eased out of it and could only stare as she was now on her knees in front of him.

  “You are perfect,” he told her. “Those shoes are driving me crazy and that…it’s lace,” he said between swallowing as he stared down at the black thong stretched over her mound. “I’m never going to get this image out of my head.”

  “I think that’s a good thing,” she told him when she reached up to undo the buttons of his shirt. “Now, it’s my turn because I’m not on board with that “slowness” you mentioned.”

  And so it was as Parker remained still, allowing her to remove everything from his shirt to his shoes, to his pants and then his boxer briefs. She was thorough, stopping to kiss along his chest, her fingers trembling only slightly as she ran them up and down his abs and over the thighs. When she paused at his length, wrapping both her hands around him, he’d sucked in a breath. For endless seconds she simply stroked him, moving one hand to the engorged head of his erection, then switching places with the other, all the while watching as a thick bead of desire swelled at the tip.

  “Adriana,” he said her name through clenched teeth, his body strung so tight with desire, he felt like he was going to explode.

  Her head shot up and she looked at him with wide, almost fearful eyes.

  “You still okay with this?” he asked when she’d stared at him and then looked away.

  When she didn’t immediately respond Parker reached up to cup her face in his hands, holding until she was once again staring at him. “We can go as slow as you want,” he whispered.

  “I can touch you,” he said, letting his hands slip slowly down her neck, his fingers sliding with whisper-like softness over her collarbone and to her shoulders. “And you can touch me.”

  He trailed one hand down her arm to grasp her wrist, moving her hand to once again cover his length.

  “I like touching you,” he said when his other hand moved down, between her legs where his fingers parted her slick folds. “Ah, damn, I like it very much.”

  She’d slowly begun to stroke him again.

  “Do you like touching me, Adriana?”

  He watched as she nodded, her eyes still on his.

  “Tell me,” Parker whispered. “Tell me you like touching me.”

  She licked her lips and he clenched his teeth.

  “I like touching you, Parker,” she said quietly. “I like it very much.”

  “Good, sweetness. That’s so very good.” He pressed deeper as he spoke, the warmth of her desire coating his fingers as he touched the tight bud of her clit, gliding back further until his fingers was sucked into her opening.

  She gasped, spreading her legs wider, gripping his erection tighter.

  “Can you feel how good it’s going to be between us, sweetheart? I can,” he was saying as he lowered his forehead to hers, closing his eyes as his finger continued to thrust in and out of her.

  “Oh yes, Parker! Yes!” she breathed the words, her hands moving faster over him.

  Parker could barely breathe. She’d said three years and damn, he believed her. His entire body tightened as he thrust that finger in and out of her, loving the slick heat the motion produced. She rode that finger with uninhibited fervor, then whispered his name when he inserted another. His other had moved around her body until he was gripping her buttocks, squeezing the tender globes as she matched the rhythm of his fingers.

  Naked, without the hindrance of clothing, she felt even more delicate beneath his touch and Parker had to tamp down on his burgeoning desire for fear of hurting her.

  “Parker,” she said, her breath coming in heavy pants. “Please.”

  Parker released his grip on her bottom, bringing his hand up to her neck so that he could pull her mouth to his, kissing her deeply as he continued to plunge his fingers inside of her. He loved how eager she was to take him, so it was with monumental regret that he pulled his fingers from them and lay her back on the bed.

  He moved quicker than he ever thought before to get a condom from the nightstand, rip that package open and sheath himself before kneeling between her legs once more.

  He lifted one leg, loving her bronze skin tone and how it seemed to go on and on forever. Dropping feather-light kisses along the toes that he’d noticed were daintily painted, he continued down to her ankle, then to her calf and finally tucked that leg up on his shoulder.

  “You have no idea how many nights I’ve dreamed of this,” he whispered before taking her mouth once more. At the same time he pressed into her until his tip was quickly sucked into her warmth, the same as his fingers had been.

  Parked held completely still, loving the feel of her tongue along his and giving her time to become acclimated with his size. She was quick to adjust and still anxious as she began her own little tempting as hell thrusts upward.

  “You weren’t lying when you said you weren’t on board with going slow,” he said giving her a little more length.

  She shook her head, her hair splashing along the pillows like a wild mane. “Not here. Not now.”

  As if her words weren’t surprising enough, when she reached around, cupped his ass and pushed him deeper as she simultaneously lifted her hips to take him, Parker could only groan. And then there was no more talk, no more thinking of possibly hurting her.

  “Only the pleasure,” he whispered to her. They were going to concentrate only on the pleasure.

  And damn it was pleasurable.

  #

  Adriana was in heaven. Or a place like it on earth for sure.

  With each stroke Parker made inside of her she felt lighter and more content than she ever had in her life. Her body hummed with this sort of perpetual bliss that made her feel like she was floating and no matter how hard she thrust, or he pumped, she could not get enough.

  He’d lifted her other leg until they were both spread wide as he held her ankles and continued to work himself inside of her. And oh damn, was he working. In and out, around and in and out, she was dizzy with desire just thinking about it. She was wet and hot and moaning until she thought there must have been another person in the room with them because she’d never sounded like this before.

  When she opened her eyes once and looked up to the ceiling, she’d quickly closed them, saying his name to remind herself who she was with, and who was bringing her this pleasure. Her heart beat wildly as he said her name in reply and repeatedly told her how perfect she was. But to her way of thinking he was the perfect one. Not just in how good he looked, clothed and without, but how gentle and compassionate he’d wanted to be with her. He’d wanted to take his time and go slow. The way he looked at her and touched her had confirmed that fact. Adriana had never experienced that before. The exact opposite was more like it and so she’d opted for the quick taking.

  That only made this moment more important and more earth shattering when he plunged deep into her, setting off fireworks in her mind and what felt like a torrential flood inside her body. She was shaking and whispering, “So good, Parker. So, so, good,” when he tensed over her, claiming his own release just seconds after bringing hers.

  “So perfect, Adriana,” he told her finally when he’d let her legs fall down to the bed and lay on his back pulling her up close beside him. “And so worth clinging to.”

  “What?” she’d asked, panic trying desperately to slip through the haze of satiated bliss. She lifted up to look at him.

  He cracked an eye open before smiling, that infamous Parker Donovan smile and Adriana felt a pang in her chest that had her gasping.

  “You may not cling, but I certainly plan to,”
he told her as if that was that.

  She’d been shocked by his words but he’d simply pushed her head back down on his shoulder and settled in as if the plan had been for them to spend the night together all along. It seemed like forever until he fell asleep and she’d continued to try and fight her own exhaustion. She should get up and leave. That was the smartest thing. He’d done as she asked and they’d had sex. The most excellent sex she’d ever had in her life and she’d loved every second of it, even the moments of guilt and uncertainty as they’d tried to push their way through. A part of her had even felt rejuvenated and reborn in having such a rewarding sexual experience after all that she’d been through.

  But sadly, it wasn’t enough. She realized that just as the sun began to shine brightly through the windows lining the wall at the foot of his bed. It was too high up, she knew, that’s why she hadn’t gaped at the Miami Beach skyline when she’d come in. The view for her would be more than breathtaking. The word devastating rang into her mind and she sat up in the bed with a start.

  Parker had held her throughout the night, but a few moments ago he’d shifted and she’d taken that time to slip from his grasp. She missed his warmth instantly and at the same time hated herself for the weakness. Her hands began to shake as the memories slowly began to replay and the familiar feeling of something rushing towards her and not being able to get out of its way took charge. This was her life she thought sadly. And no matter how much time and money had been spent on what was supposed to be her recovery, it obviously hadn’t been enough. When her chest felt too tight, her temples throbbed wildly and the thought of going into Parker’s kitchen to hunt down the left over pizza seemed like her only salvation, Adriana sat up completely, with her back to where Parker still lay. She leaned over, covering her face and trying to hold back the sobs of distress, of fear. She’d wanted so desperately to be better, needed it as she needed her very next breath, and the biggest and most discouraging moment was finally here. She wasn’t better. She was the same and this darkness that had followed her like a brewing storm since that night in New York was never going to go away.