by Julia Bright
“We don’t have to do it again,” he said, watching her through the mirror as he rinsed the cloth in the sink.
“I hope we do it again,” she declared, raising the T-shirt, startled when, as she tugged it over her head, Roan was there again with the warm cloth, trying to push it between her thighs. She reached for the wet rag as the T-shirt fell in place and tossed the thing in the sink.
“I’m fine. I’m not sore at all.” Presley tucked her long hair behind her ears. He gave a sexy little grin, and he reached out to trail his fingertips down her cheek until he lifted her chin, raising her face to press his lips to hers.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Really, don’t be. I feel fine. Good actually.” Which was technically an understatement. She felt incredible. Maybe even going so far as to say alive for the first time in her life. Roan wanted her again and that was enough for right now.
Her heart rolled in her chest again, causing her to lift a single palm to his chest, covering his heart. He was all she could see, and she raised on her tiptoes, moving her mouth closer to his. He so sweetly obliged, bending to kiss her upturned lips. Yeah, if he asked again, she’d absolutely follow this man anywhere.
“I promise, if you can handle it, the next time’s all about you.” He circled an arm around her waist, drawing her against his chest. His touch stayed tender. Roan handled her with gentle care, and boy, did he seem to like that simple press of lips, because he did it again. This time lingering over some fun lip play, before moving away, threading their fingers together, and drawing her out of the bathroom with him.
“Let’s order pizza. I’m starving.”
Hours later, Roan held Presley against his chest, snuggled in his arms with her ear pressed against his heart. He had his eyes closed. He suspected hers were too, but he didn’t want to give in to sleep. He should, though. He had one hell of a drive ahead, but tonight was too perfect, and the woman of his dreams seemed just as into him as he was into her. Who would have ever thought?
“Come with me tomorrow,” he blurted.
The peace and tranquility in the room hiccupped. The finger Presley used to caress up and down his pec paused mid-movement. Her breath hitched against his skin. He was so in tune with her that he felt the barriers he’d broken through tonight begin to slide back in place.
“No, don’t close up. Come with me, Presley. I can cover you. We can see what this is. Make sure we fit. But I’ll cover the cost of everything. You don’t have to worry about money. I’ll even send you back if you’re unhappy,” he said, locking a heavy arm around her waist as she started to rise. He didn’t want her moving away. When her gaze lifted to his, the emotion he saw reflected there confused him. Sadness?
“You know I can’t do that.”
“I don’t know that. We can stop by your place tomorrow and get your things—”
“Roan, you can’t be serious.” When she tried to rise again, he shifted, moving until he had her on her back, his body on top of hers, locking her in place. The last seven hours had proven how well they got along—from the conversation they’d shared to the toppings on their pizza—and the sex had been mind-blowingly phenomenal. Whatever her obstacles, they had to be overcome. He needed her with him like he needed air to breathe.
“You know I don’t fit in your world.” The sadness in her eyes edged into her voice as she reached a finger up to brush the hair off his forehead. He couldn’t believe how such a simple move had come to mean so much, but she’d always done that. Presley kept him together even before she knew her own power.
“How haven’t you figured out that you’re my world?” he replied instantly. For the last so many hours, that was all he’d been doing, showing her she was everything to him.
“Roan…”
“Presley…” he mimicked teasingly, making her smile. “Don’t overthink it. Just come with me. Spend one month. I know you get a break from now until the middle of June. Come with me.”
“I was planning to babysit some girls on the little league team. I start Monday.”
“Presley…I’ve waited years. Say yes. We’ll work out someone else to watch the kids. Come with me. Give me four weeks to convince you that I have this. I can handle us.” Even to him the words sounded very much like a plea.
She looked hesitant, which was different from the absolute no she’d given him moments ago, and he couldn’t help his grin. Knowing it was a stretch, he took her pause as a firm yes and studied her like he’d done so many times before. This time it wasn’t to etch her into memory. No, this was all about his heart. Roan lifted a finger, trailing the tip down her soft cheek. He loved her. Had for years now.
He shifted on top of her, moving enough to feel the evidence of her arousal against his thigh. God, she was an unexpected treat. Presley Adams had turned out to be an eager, willing bed partner. He’d had her three times already tonight, and here she was, primed for another round.
“I promise I can make you happy. You won’t be sorry.”
“I haven’t said yes,” she cooed as his hand pushed down between her thighs. Her gaze stayed locked on his even as her lips parted and her eyes narrowed, filling with desire as he methodically slid a finger slowly back and forth over her clit.
“But you’ll go with me,” he assured her, kissing the space next to the corner of her mouth.
He grinned when she gave an enticing little moan and rolled her hips into his hand. Her gaze turned wild with anticipation when Roan added pressure, circling her clit in quick strokes as he added a single finger to her clenching core. She tightened her thighs in an effort to keep his hand there and began slowly rolling her hips, riding his palm, trying to quicken his pace. God, she was the most erotic female he’d ever seen in his life.
Angling his body to relieve her of some of his weight, Roan leaned in, his mouth close to her ear. “We should sleep. It’s close to four. My alarm’s set for eight. If we leave then, we’ll get more than halfway tomorrow.” Roan watched her instinctively respond to his breathy whisper. Ah yeah, he had her. Her eyelids slid closed as her palm came to her breast. He reveled in the glory of watching as she touched herself. Presley rolled her head back, riding the path to orgasm when another soft wanton moan slipped free. Her hips became erratic as she rocked against each of his strokes. She was close. Roan smiled at the knowledge that he’d brought this reaction out in her. She was a rare prize at the end of a hard-fought battle, making him feel very much like the king of the world.
He should have been content just to give her this moment. She needed to know the sincerity driving him right now. Roan leaned in to kiss her, a simple few swipes of the tongue to help convey all the tenderness and longing inside his heart. He lost track of his goal as the beauty in his arms began to come undone.
Presley wrenched from his kiss, eagerly latching on to his neck, suckling the skin there. With only a slight shift of his hips, he abandoned the idea of just getting her off and reached for his leaking cock. With only a minimal reposition, Roan found himself fervently thrusting, pushing into her drenched pussy. She easily took him, moving her body to align with his. She was almost there and arched then rolled her hips against his. As he had done every time before, his release built quickly, pushing him as deep as her small body could handle. One of her legs wrapped around his waist, the other wrapped along his calf, and she held him there, rocking along with him. They moved as one in the perfect rhythm they both created. No question, tonight they’d found their sexual balance, and fuck if it wasn’t absolutely perfect, just like Presley.
“It feels good,” she whispered and arched into his thrust.
“I could make love to you all night,” he said against her ear.
“I think you have.” The words took a second to understand, but a smile ghosted across his lips as he pried his eyes open, looking down at the beauty underneath him.
“Look at me,” he commanded hoarsely. Slowly those expressive blue eyes opened. They were dark with de
sire and steady on his. His heart teetered in his chest. He loved this woman. Always had. Even before he met her, his heart had waited just for her, but for the first time, he saw that same emotion reflected back.
Their coupling had been too simple. They connected too well. Had he gotten it wrong all these years? Had she just been waiting on him to make his move? Roan gathered her in his arms, rolling to his back and pulling her up on top of him. He smiled as she startled, her eyes growing wide as her hands reached out to his chest, helping to find her balance. Her long hair floated down around them.
“Move for me, Pres.” She shoved her hair out of her face and sat straight up, changing her angle and pushing farther down, taking him to the root. A feral hot tremor spread the length of his body as she buried him in the hot confines of her precious body. Presley gave an excited gasp, arching her back, thrusting those gorgeous breasts out while her head fell back between her shoulders. Her look just turned Roan on. He reached out to cup the swells of her breasts, squeezing and molding for several long seconds before he moved his palms to her hips, urging her to move, and dear lord, did she.
Presley rode him with purpose, taking everything he had to offer. She was smooth, almost choreographed in the rhythmic sway of her hips. Roan pumped his cock in and out of her body, snapping his hips in urgent, mind-blowing thrusts. Her palms landed on his pecs as she bent her head, letting her hair fall forward while raising, lowering, and undulating her hips. Fuck, it was all too much. He needed to watch the show she put on, but his body hummed and tightened. His hands sought her tits, mashing and kneading them. He pinched her nipples, rougher than before, and Presley cried out, dislodging his hold, and threw her body backward while bucking wildly against his dick. The sounds of her flesh meeting his ignited the inevitable inside him.
Roan barely had time to reach a hand to her cleft, touching her sensitive nub. She lost her shit, ramming up and down on top of him, and he matched her, move for move, until he used all his strength and gripped her hips, holding her securely in place as he aggressively slammed up into her body. His orgasm burst free at the same moment she tossed her head back and called out his name before crumpling forward, her strong body limp and heavy across his chest as he continued to fuck her through his release.
His world exploded, yet somehow he managed to cup a hand to the back of her neck, keeping her forehead against his chest while sailing straight into that sated dizzy world that would most likely end with him passing out. She was just that good; he’d never let her go. “Say you’ll go so we can have more of this.”
She heaved in breath, yet she chuckled as she melted across his chest, becoming better than any blanket he’d ever had. “I’ll go for four weeks, then I have to be back here, and I’ll have to get a job while I’m there. I need the money.”
“Whatever you want,” he conceded, deciding he’d tackle that once they got there. As if it were too much of a struggle to hold her head up, Presley lay there, her hair covering her face and her breath slowly returning to normal. Minutes passed before either said another word.
“God, I can feel the burn in my thighs. That was a better workout than even all those back tucks. How do guys do this during sex all the time?” she mumbled, causing him to laugh. So not the declaration of love his heart may have hoped to hear.
“No pain, no gain.” Roan chuckled and pushed her hair out of both his and her faces. “Let’s clean up and sleep a few hours,” he said, but didn’t move one single muscle.
“Yeah,” she agreed.
Instead of moving, he could hear her soft snores seconds later. They were awkwardly positioned on the bed, and since he’d never mentioned that they should be using a condom, he could feel his desire sliding from her body. On a big yawn, he decided that was okay too and reached for a pillow, shoving it under his head while grabbing for the blanket. He haphazardly draped it over the both of them. Sleeping a few hours, then getting her on the road, putting miles between here and there, would be the only thing he could do to make sure she didn’t change her mind.
Chapter Five
“Hey, sleepy head. It’s time to get up.”
Presley heard the words and even registered the finger moving her hair out of her face, but she didn’t budge for fear her wonderful dream would come to an abrupt end with the reality of morning. When a calloused palm that felt all too real cupped one of her bare breasts, she slowly fluttered open her eyes to see Roan standing above her with a lecherous grin plastered on his handsome face. She gave her own lazy smile as she stretched out her sore, aching body.
“What time is it?” she asked, settling her head onto the soft pillow, reaching for the blanket. Just a little more sleep before the world came crashing down on her.
“Eight thirty. I wanted to be on the road thirty minutes ago.”
Reluctantly, Presley lifted, shoving her elbows behind her, looking around for the alarm clock before looking back at him, letting out another long yawn. They hadn’t gone to sleep all that long ago. How was he already up, showered, and dressed, and she hadn’t heard a sound he’d made?
“We need to stop by your place then get on the road. I’ll feed you after we put some distance between here and us.”
“Roan…” Her sleep-hazed mind tried to catch up.
“No backing out. You agreed to give me four weeks. Now get up,” he said, whipping the blankets off her naked body. Presley jackknifed up in all her nude indignation. Roan didn’t seem to notice all the attitude she threw his way as he tossed the blankets on the sofa and started checking the dresser drawers for anything he may have left behind. “I’m packed. I left out a few things for you, but I’m ready to go.”
She saw her clothes were folded, stacked nicely on the side chair. Her purse was also there. A robe came flying toward her, landing on her head, causing her to bust out a laugh.
“You should cover yourself. I wanna get on the road, so I’m trying hard not to crawl back in that bed.”
That just made her smile broaden. She did take the robe, sliding it in place as she went for the bathroom. She stopped short after getting a good look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a wild mess, but that was to be expected when she slept without braiding it. She immediately reached for the brush he’d left out and raked it through the tangles. She made quick work of brushing her teeth, catching sight of Roan in the mirror out of the corner of her eye. She marveled at the easy way they had with one another. He was comfortable enough to enter without knocking and leave her clothes on the vanity.
By the time she was pulling her tank over her head, he called out, “Your phone’s vibrating like crazy.”
“It’s in my purse,” she answered, pulling her shorts through each foot.
“Want me to get it?”
“Please.” Presley buttoned her shorts, then reached in her front pocket and pulled out a hair tie, quickly gathering the masses back into a ponytail. She’d need some dedicated time with a straightener to get this unruly mess under control. As Roan came closer to the bathroom, a faint ring started. It was Blaine’s ringtone, and she froze as Roan came around the doorframe. He had proved last night he was the possessive type, and she’d gotten the distinct impression he didn’t liked much about Blaine.
“Does he still call you?” he asked, a hint of jealousy in his tone. Roan barely extended the phone in her direction. The struggle was real until he finally let her take the cell as the call went to voicemail.
“Not really,” she answered somewhat dishonestly. Of course, Blaine called right back. He wouldn’t stop until she answered, so she did, lifting the phone to her ear while staring straight at Roan. “Hello?”
“Are you at the Hilton?” Blaine asked, his voice rushed and hurried.
“How did you know that?” Presley turned away, giving Roan her back. He hadn’t budged one single muscle except for the intensity of the scowl marring his face. He made her nervous, but she seriously wanted to know how Blaine had heard that bit of information. Fear of the gossip mill
churning worried her as much as Roan’s possessiveness.
Blaine completely ignored her question. “You know I want to hear all about that, but later. We got a sitch on our hands. My parents are here, Pres. They’re surprising me. They say something’s not right, and they’re coming down here to see. I need you,” he said desperately.
Okay, well that couldn’t be good. Blaine’s parents were incredibly intolerant and that said it mildly. They stayed all in Blaine’s business, never fully trusting him to run his own life. The fact that they had pulled their ruse off as long as they had shocked her regularly.
A deep breath escaped, and Presley closed her eyes, blocking out Roan’s angry image staring at her in the bathroom mirror.
“I thought we were done with all that,” she whispered as if Roan couldn’t still hear her in all the utter quiet and a foot of space between them.
“I know. I caved. So look, I’ll pay you a hundred dollars. Just one more time, I promise. When I’m in Baja, I’ll tell them we broke up,” he pleaded.
“Blaine, it’s not a good time,” she said, looking over her shoulder at Roan. She watched his face harden. He looked fiercer than she’d ever seen him, and she lifted a pleading finger, begging him to hang on.
“Twenty minutes, Pres. Please. They’re pissed off. I need you. They love you.” They loved the lies Blaine had told his parents about her. Her shoulders slumped and her expression turned imploring as she stared at Roan. Blaine had literally carried her through college. Because of him, she actually had a small savings—enough money to cover her rent for the next two months. She had to help Blaine; she saw no other choice. Making the decision, her expression turned to regret as she continued to stare at Roan. Right then, she made a promise to herself that she would tell Roan everything once she was certain he’d never tell another living soul.
“Five minutes, Blaine. That’s it.”
