Kate’s eyes filled with tears. “Neil…you’ve…” but before she could finish, he was kissing her again, overtaking her in every way possible. Her feelings for him had overwhelmed her and she was relieved he was kissing her before she said too much too soon.
“Wait here,” he said. “We can have our cheesecake in bed.”
He rushed downstairs to get a slice of the red velvet cheesecake he’d bought yesterday at The Cheesecake Factory. Kate had visions of him smearing some on her bare breasts and licking it off. She had thoughts of slathering some on him so she could suck it off. She was more than ready for round two with her Greek god.
While he was gone, she used the bathroom and attempted to fix her “I just had super-hot sex” hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. Part of her felt she’d betrayed David, but the other part of her reveled in finally having had amazing orgasms. She thought briefly about her first time with David—it had been nice, not earth-shattering like it had been with Neil just then. Wow. Now she got what everyone was talking about. Sex was incredible. He did things to her body she didn’t know were possible. When she heard him coming up the stairs, she returned to his bed.
He sauntered in, carrying a tray with cheesecake and two waters, looking quite pleased with himself. When he handed her a glass of water, she was grateful, as she’d worked up quite a thirst. He got into bed next to her. She had covered herself with a sheet, feeling a little self-conscious, but he swiftly pulled the sheet down to reveal her body.
“Don’t cover up, baby. I love looking at your beautiful body.” He kissed each of her breasts, then he scooped up some cheesecake, giving her the first bite. He pulled the fork slowly from between her lips like the first time they had shared dessert. She savored the cheesecake in her mouth, moaning softly. She could see Neil becoming aroused.
“Mm…it’s so delicious,” she said.
“Not as delicious as you, my beauty.” He took some cheesecake and spread it on her breasts and began licking it off. She arched her back, again feeling the tingle below. She basked in the feeling of his hot mouth sucking and licking her nipples. The sensation of the coolness of the cheesecake and the warmth of his mouth left her panting. He offered her another bite, but she scooped the cheesecake off of the fork with her fingers and rubbed it over his hard-on. He groaned and closed his eyes momentarily, anticipating what she was going to do next. She positioned herself next to his hips and began licking the cheesecake off. She slid him into her mouth. He opened his eyes wide to watch her suck him, her head bobbing up and down, his hips slightly thrusting toward her mouth. His breathing became ragged as he became hard as stone—again.
“Oh, God…I love having your gorgeous mouth on me.” Her pace quickened. He pulled her back and quickly shifted between her legs, spreading them apart. After sliding another condom on, he thrust deeply into her hot, wet slit. She let out a loud moan. She slid her hands down his back and cupped his great ass. As he was slipping in and out rapidly, he licked and bit at her nipples. The little bites sent Kate over the edge.
The intensity of her orgasm was beyond her comprehension and all Kate could do was moan.
“Baby, I love to hear the sweet sounds you make.”
Breathless and barely audible, all she could do was whimper, exhausted from the pleasure.
Neil suddenly exploded, releasing again. While he moaned in her ear, she ran her nails softly up and down his back. She loved touching his muscular, chiseled body.
Collapsing on top of her, he kissed her neck and then captured her mouth with his. She didn’t want him to release her. His kisses were so tender, loving. A few moments passed before he pulled out of her.
He moved to the side of her and propped himself up on his elbow. He laid his other hand on her stomach. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m good. You’re amazing,” she said, placing her hand on top of his. “I’m a little overwhelmed all of this is happening. You’ve pierced my heart, Neil. Being inexperienced, I had no idea things could be this way.”
“Well, I know David’s the only guy you’ve been with, and I want to make sure you’re not upset we had sex tonight,” he said.
Her eyes became large and wary. “I know I told you I’d only been with one guy, but I never said his name. How do you know his name? What else do you know? What did you do? Research me?” she asked, sitting up in bed, covering herself with the sheet, all contentment completely evaporated.
Neil seemed taken aback. She couldn’t believe seconds before they were connected to each other, body, mind, and soul. Now she was practically yelling at him. He began talking slowly.
“When I saw Natalie today, she was excited to help me surprise you with the bikini. So, of course, you were our topic of conversation.”
Kate threw the sheets off and began to get up. How could he trick Natalie into telling him? She headed toward the door—her clothes were in the downstairs bathroom. Following after her, he continued his attempts to explain.
“We ended up talking about how much I want to know you, how special you are, how beautiful on the inside and out. I told Natalie I couldn’t believe you had only been with one other guy.”
They were now both on the stairs. She said nothing in response to him, so he continued talking.
“She said David’s name to me. She told me you lost him and how devastating it had been for you. I think she thought I already knew, that you had told me yourself.”
Kate locked herself in the bathroom and put her clothes on as quickly as she could. She wasn’t responding. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She had to get out of there. This was why she hadn’t opened herself up to anyone. Things always went wrong when she let someone else be in control, when she let others in.
Neil was standing with his hands braced on each side of the door when she opened it. “Please let me pass, Neil,” she whispered. “I can’t do this right now. I need to go.”
He didn’t move. “Don’t go like this. Stay and talk to me,” he pleaded, fear filling his eyes. “I’m sorry Natalie and I talked about your past. Please don’t be angry. It was really an innocent conversation. She didn’t mean to betray your trust. I’m a lawyer. People tell me things.”
“It’s an invasion of my privacy, Neil,” she snapped. “I’m not ready to talk about David with you or any other man. Would you like me to talk to Mac about your past?” She tried to push past him. “Get the hell out of my way, Neil!” she yelled.
He put his arms down, letting her pass. She found her purse and got her keys out as she bolted for the door. He caught up with her and took her hand.
“You have every right to be pissed at me,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking about your feelings when I got information out of Natalie. I wanted to know everything about you. I needed to know about the guy who let you get away. I needed to know if you still had feelings for him and that’s why you haven’t been with anyone else. I know I messed up, but you have completely beguiled me. I was thoughtless and desperate. All I want is a chance to be with you.”
She pulled her hand away from his and opened the door. “Good night, counselor. I hope your information keeps you warm at night.” Her words sounded harsh, even to her. She made her way to the elevator, pushed the button, and waited.
He walked over to her. “Don’t blame Natalie. She really thought you had told me about David. She didn’t intentionally betray your confidence. She’s a good friend to you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind when I talk to her.” The elevator doors opened and she got on. She pushed the down button. Neil’s devastated face was the last thing she saw before the door closed. He looked like he’d been punched in the gut.
She got to the bottom floor, relieved to have escaped. Her mind was reeling with all of the events of the evening. She’d spent the evening with this gorgeous, sexy man who clearly wanted her. She’d shared herself with him, and had mind-blowing sex. Sex like she’d never experienced before. Now, she was walking out on him beca
use of David, her lost love. She was so confused, and needed to talk to Charlie. Charlie would help her see things clearly.
***
Kate made her way up the stairs to her apartment quickly with her purse in one hand and her work clothes in the other. Roger’s door was open. Now she had to converse with that nosy bastard. Why couldn’t he leave her alone? She was in no mood to answer his imposing questions.
“Hey, Kate, you’re getting home late. Did you go out with friends tonight?”
“Yeah, Roger. I went out with friends,” she said, putting the key in her lock. She wasn’t in the mood to be engaging. Before he could ask her anything further, she dismissed him. “Good night, Roger. Have a good evening. Say hi to Rose for me.” With that, she closed the door behind her.
***
Roger
Roger stood there for a moment appraising the situation. Her hair was really a mess, she looked upset, and she was wearing a sexy white dress. She must have been with someone. A man. Did she fuck him? Her hair looked like it. He was furious as he went back into his apartment. This wasn’t part of his plan. He was supposed to be the one fucking her. Damn it. How could she do this to me? One way or another, he’d get his way eventually. He always did. He may have to punish her for cheating on him like this.
***
Kate
Mitch and Charlie were wrapped in each other’s arms on the sofa, watching a movie. They both looked surprised as Kate closed the door behind her. Mitch paused the movie and Charlie got the lights. “You’re home early. What happened? I didn’t expect to see you before we went to bed,” Charlie said, seeing Kate’s makeup was streaked.
“You’ve been crying. Do you want me to go over there and kick his ass?” Mitch asked.
She let out a heavy sigh like she’d carried a boulder up the stairs and all of her strength was gone. “No,” she said, shaking her head. She sat down and told them every detail of her evening with Neil…well, almost every detail.
“Oh, Kate, I know you’re upset, but is it really so bad he knows about David? You were going to have to tell him eventually,” Charlie said.
“I know.” She let out another sigh. “I wasn’t ready to discuss my past with him yet.”
“The question now is what do you want?” Mitch asked. “It sounds like he’s really into you. You obviously have some feelings for him, or you wouldn’t have slept with him.”
“I know. I was so overwhelmed by the sex and him bringing up David. I reacted. I couldn’t help myself.”
Kate’s phone lit up with a text from Neil.
Neil Statton: R u ok? R u home? Respond or I will come look for u.
What? Is he crazy?
Kate Simmons: I’m fine. At home.
Kate turned her phone off. She didn’t want any more communication between them tonight. Charlie looked at her with her eyebrows raised.
“That was Neil checking up on me to make sure I got home all right,” she said with a furrowed brow.
“Okay, he’s more than into you,” Mitch said. “He wouldn’t be texting you right now if all he wanted was sex. If you want my two cents, I think you need to give him another chance. He seems like a good guy. It sounds like he stumbled upon the info from Natalie. I don’t think he was grilling her to find out about your past.”
“You’re probably right, Mitch. I’ll talk to Nat at work tomorrow. We open together. Thanks for the good advice. I need to sleep on this.” She got up from the loveseat and headed to her room. “Good night, you two.”
“Good night. Sleep well,” Charlie called out after her.
Kate went into her bathroom and got ready for bed. She took a Tylenol PM and went to her room. She stripped down, too exhausted to take the time to hang up her clothes, and threw them on her chair. Laying her head on the pillow, she thought about how incredible the evening had been, until David had come up. Hugging her body, she thought about her first interaction with Neil; he was so sophisticated and clever. His relentless pursuit had melted her heart and she couldn’t refuse coffee with him. Boyish charm oozed from him on their first date and him feeding her cheesecake had been so seductive. On their lunch and dinner dates he’d opened up, been vulnerable with her, and it gave her courage to do the same in return. He already had a hold on her heart even though she barely knew him. Somehow, they seemed to fit together like he was the piece she’d been missing for all these years. He was also sweet, considerate, and attentive, but his confident, commanding manner was what had swept her off her feet. Everything about him was appealing to her. She drifted to sleep contemplating his qualities. Things would look better in the morning. They always did.
***
Neil
Sitting on his sofa, Neil began reviewing his evening with Kate. Everything had been amazing until his horrible move of bringing up David. His only intention was to make certain she was okay. He wanted everything to be perfect between them. The sex had been incredible and he wanted her to know he was sensitive to her feelings. Putting his head back, he stared at the ceiling, picturing Kate’s face etched with despair as the elevator doors closed. Was she still in love with this old boyfriend? What kind of a hold did he have on her? Would she be able to let him go and move on? These were all questions he wanted answered. Now he had to ask for another chance. How many chances would she give him? How many did he deserve?
***
Roger
It was two o’clock when Roger slunk into Kate’s room. With his flashlight, he scanned her bedroom. He saw her clothes draped over her chair, found her panties, and brought them to his nose, inhaling deeply. Her scent was intoxicating, and he immediately felt a pull in his groin, one of both arousal and anger. She’d fucked another man tonight. Her panties had all the telltale signs. How could she do this to him? Didn’t she understand he had a plan for them to be together? Everything was in place to get rid of Rose. One way or another, it was going to be up to Rose whether or not she lived to talk about their breakup. Why was she screwing everything up? Literally! He was going to have to come up with a plan for this fucker who was trying to steal his woman.
She seemed dead to the world. Roger gently pulled her covers down, this time to her knees. Oh, she’s so hot. He licked his lips and swelled more in his pants. Hovering above her, he wanted to lick her breasts to make her nipples erect, but knew she’d awaken. As if she could subconsciously feel him near her, she stirred. He backed away rapidly, turned off the flashlight, and slipped into the closet. Kate mumbled something he couldn’t hear. Then she turned on the light and looked around her bedroom. She pulled the covers back up over her. Roger peered out through the crack in the closet door, watching as she got up to go to the bathroom. He could see her entire form in the light from the lamp—she had a body to die for. A body he was willing to kill for.
Returning from the bathroom, she looked around her room again as though she had the feeling she wasn’t alone. Roger stayed hidden in her closet. She turned off the light and lay on her side, facing the bedroom door. He hoped she’d go back to sleep quickly. Within minutes, he could hear her breathing had deepened. God, she’s delicious. He was going to have to find a way to slip her a special cocktail so he could do more than explore her breasts. He wanted to explore every inch of her body. He slipped her panties in his pocket and crept out of her bedroom, confident he’d get to fuck her very soon…
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kate
The alarm went off, annoying Kate to no end. She hit the clock, turning it off. She was in the middle of a dream she didn’t want to end, so she rolled over and dozed for a while, her dream coming back into focus.
She was in a meadow with thick fog on one side and translucent sunlight on the other. It was like the meadow was split in half and she was trapped in between the two sides. She heard David calling her, but she couldn’t see him through the thick fog. His voice reverberated through her body. In the clearing, with sunbeams dancing off the dew, Neil was calling her name. His beautiful face was shining in the
sun. His arms were outstretched to her. She stood between the meadow’s sunlight and deep fog. She was torn. She wanted to find David, but even in her dream state she knew it was impossible. He called to her again, saying he loved her, but she had to let him go. He was telling her it was time. Time to move on.
Dazed by her dream, she sat up suddenly in bed. Her subconscious was trying to tell her something—the same thing everyone had been telling her. Time to get a clue.
She looked at her clock. “Oh, no!” she said, jumping out of bed and rushing to take a shower. Her thoughts immediately landed on Neil. Everything he’d done to her the night before came rushing back, causing her to clench deep down. She might have been upset with him, but damn if she didn’t want him fiercely.
She got out of the shower and dressed quickly. Zipping through the kitchen, she made toast and threw a frozen meal into her lunch bag along with an apple. She’d have to put her makeup on at work before the store opened, but she’d managed to put on foundation and powder before leaving the bathroom. At least—it being Sunday and her working ten to five—it’d be quick and easy. It was always busy, so the day flew, making Sunday her favorite day to work. Plus, getting off at five gave her plenty of time to have an evening.
There was no traffic to speak of, so her drive to work was effortless. It allowed her to focus on Neil. She’d promised herself when she and Charlie moved in together she was going to have a life again. Well, life was messy. It was time to take a risk. She’d been playing it safe ever since she lost David, and despite the fact she’d met guys on a regular basis, she wouldn’t give anyone a chance. Not until Neil. He was relentless and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer, and there was something very alluring about that—about him. She knew he wanted her. There was no guessing, no games. She decided she’d get Nat’s version of the story and then determine if she was going to give Neil another chance.
Fallen For You (Killer Next Door #1) Page 11
