She lowered herself onto the other chair, sitting on it sideways, facing him. “I’m sorry.”
He sighed. “You don’t need to be sorry. Sorry doesn’t do me any good. I’m starting to realize that I’m more invested in our relationship than you are. It’s my fault. Not yours.”
She sucked in a breath. “That’s not true.” Did he really think that?
He glanced at her. “It’s not an accusation. You can’t help how you feel.”
“But, it’s not true,” she repeated.
“I’ve known all along that I’m too old for you. Hell, I’m a retired Delta. You have your entire life ahead of you.”
“Stop acting like you’re old. It’s ridiculous. I’ve never once thought of you that way. It’s all in your head.”
He shrugged. “Fine, if it’s not age, then you just aren’t that into me. If you were as interested in me as I am in you, you wouldn’t have suggested that we didn’t know each other well enough for me to help you out financially or even that we don’t know each other very well for any reason. I’ve never known anyone as well as I know you. I’ve never spent this much time with a single woman in my life. And I’m not talking about weeks, I’m talking about quality time. Our few weeks together are comparable to months in other relationships. We’ve spent countless hours together, discussed everything imaginable, and shared deep secrets. If that’s not knowing someone well, I don’t know what is.”
She took several short shallow breaths, gripping her knees with her fingers, her stress level rising. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way,” she murmured. “You know me better than anyone has ever known me too. I never dreamed I’d find myself in a relationship like this in my life.”
He sighed, his gaze lowering to his lap.
She needed to pull out all the stops here and find a brave bone. She needed to make him see that he was wrong. She was scared out of her mind, and a tear broke loose to run down her cheek. She swiped it away. “Bracken, I know I don’t always say the right things, or anything at all sometimes, and I’m horrible at confrontations, and I’m sorely lacking in people skills.”
He flinched.
She let out a sob and continued. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I don’t want to fuck this up, and I’m scared out of my mind that I’m going to say or do the wrong thing and you won’t want me anymore. I’ve never once cared about our age difference. I’m worried about money and I don’t want you to think I’m a freeloader. And I don’t have a job, and I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do with my life, and I just… I just really need you to know that I’m trying and I’m falling in love with you.”
He suddenly lurched forward, grabbed her around the waist, and hauled her onto his lap. He tugged her down so that she was lying on the Adirondack chair alongside him, their bodies plastered together.
His hand went to her hair as he held her tight and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m being an ass. I shouldn’t have accused you of not caring.” He tipped her head back and met her gaze. “I’ve been falling further and further in love with you from the moment we met in Kraft’s kitchen.” He wiped a stray tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
She snuggled closer to him, setting her cheek on his shoulder.
“I need you to understand that I’m in this for the long haul. You’re not alone. If you wake up in the night gasping for air, I’ll be next to you making sure you have it. If you can’t go back to work and you need to change careers, I’ll help you out while we figure out your next step. Together. Like a couple. Okay?”
She nodded, but she was still scared. Could anyone really put up with her forever? She was never going to be completely like other people. She would carry scars and have bad dreams and freak out sometimes. She believed Bracken when he said he could do it, but did he really know?
Finally, she lifted her gaze. “I need you to do something for me.”
Chapter 17
Bex held her breath while she stared at him.
“Anything.” He searched her face.
“I need you to have sex with me.”
He licked his lips. “You’re sure?”
“Never been more sure of anything.”
He smiled. “I think I can honor that request.”
She shrugged. “It’s just a small thing. No big deal.”
He chuckled. “It’s a very big deal, and I don’t take it lightly.”
“Obviously, or I wouldn’t still be a virgin after sleeping in your bed for weeks.”
He spun them both around, sitting upright while standing her in front of him. He held her hips while he met her gaze. “I’ll grant you this wish if you do something for me in return.”
She giggled because his expression was full of mock seriousness. Whatever he was going to say was going to make her laugh. “Anything you want.”
“Starting tonight, no more clothes in bed. As sexy as you are in tank tops and tiny shorts, I want to hold you naked in my arms when we sleep.”
She flushed for no good reason. “I think I can handle that.”
“Good.” He stood, took her hand and led her into the house. He didn’t bother to turn on any lights, just continued down the hallway to the bedroom, beelining for the bed.
After turning on the lamp next to the bed, he spun around. “I hope you meant now,” he teased as he pulled her shirt over her head.
She giggled again. “Now is good.”
“Excellent, because I’ve wanted to make love to you for so long that my cock has started to protest.”
More laughter. “We can’t have that.”
“Also, I’m going to want to have sex with you day and night for a while. I’m deprived.”
She couldn’t stop smiling as he pulled his own shirt off and then went to work on her jeans, unbuttoning them and lowering the zipper. Moments later, she was in her bra and panties. He was in his boxers.
He sat on the edge of the bed, pulled her between his legs, and cupped her face, meeting her gaze before lowering his lips to hers. “I don’t take this lightly, baby. I want it to be special for you.”
She slid her hands up his biceps. “It already is special. Don’t make a big deal out of it. We’ve done everything but take that last little step so many times I’m practically not really a virgin.”
He chuckled and then kissed a line to her ear. “Rebekah, you’re in for a wild shock.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. Was he right?
He leaned back and unclasped her bra, his gaze going to her breasts. “So gorgeous,” he murmured as he cupped them with both hands and thumbed her nipples. He’d touched her often enough that she was familiar with the sensations he elicited, but she’d never really been fully naked in front of him. Not for more than a few seconds getting in and out of the hot tub or the times he made out with her on the couch or in the early morning hours under the covers.
They’d done a lot of practicing. She felt prepared. But was she?
He removed her panties next and then stood and removed his boxers. His erection bobbed in front of her, drawing her attention. She’d held it, touched it, made him come with her hands. She hadn’t really seen it up close and personal yet.
He was as big as she’d pictured. And the idea of him putting his thick shaft inside her definitely concerned her. But she was a grown-ass woman who rationally knew she would stretch. It would fit.
She reached for him and stroked his hard length with her fingertips.
He groaned and let her touch him for only a few moments before grabbing her wrists and pulling her hands away. He rose to standing, tugged the covers back, and then patted the mattress. “Climb up. Lie on your back. I need to look at you.”
She was shivering as she crawled onto the bed and lowered to her back. He reached for her waist and dragged her so that she was lying sideways, her butt near the edge of the bed. He spread her knees and stood between her thighs.
His gaze was on her
face, but he lowered it down her body. His fingers gripped her knees tighter than he probably realized. She didn’t mind. It was sexy that he was a little flustered. Heat rose up her cheeks and across her chest as he so reverently soaked in her nudity.
She should have been more embarrassed, but she figured all the prior fooling around they’d done had lowered her inhibitions with him. He wasn’t some guy she’d met earlier tonight and decided to have sex with. He’d used the L-word with her earlier. As had she. She could sense that changed things.
The air was charged with an intensity she’d never experienced, and when he slid his hands up to cup her breasts, she arched her chest toward him.
“Every inch of you is sexy…” His voice was rough, low, deep. As sexy as he claimed she was.
It was impossible not to glance at his erection again. It bobbed between his legs, but now that he was leaning forward to fondle her breasts, his shaft rubbed against her sex.
The heat in the room soared. She wanted this more than anything in the world, and she felt incredibly lucky. She lifted her hands to reach for him, but he grabbed them, kissed her palms, and set them at her sides. “You can’t touch me right now. Next time.”
She nodded, assuming that her touch would drive him too close to the edge. She was familiar with that reaction from him, and she wanted to see him lose himself in her touch again, but right now, she would keep her hands to herself if that’s what he needed.
His fingers danced down her belly and reached for her thighs. He stepped back to part them farther, holding her open to his gaze.
“Bracken…” She felt so exposed in this position.
“Let me look, baby.” He parted her lower lips with his thumbs, making her squirm. “I love how responsive you are. Every time. It’s precious.”
She had no idea how other women were, but she assumed based on the way they talked, most of them didn’t get quite as much pleasure from sex as Bex already knew she was about to experience. Every time he’d brought her to orgasm before tonight had been earth shattering.
Granted, she hadn’t heard any complaints from Destiny, Libby, or Christa since they’d met their dream men, so maybe that was the key to good sex. Love.
When Bracken lowered his face toward her sex, she whimpered. She was a little unnerved by the idea of him putting his mouth on her, but she also craved it.
He held her thighs wider with his hands and licked a line up her slit and over her clit.
She gasped. Jesus. She’d thought his fingers had been amazing. This was beyond the stratosphere. Her eyes rolled back and she fisted the sheets at her sides as he licked and sucked. When he thrust his tongue into her tight channel, she braced her heels against the edge of the bed. There was no way to hold back. Her orgasm slammed through her.
Bracken sucked her clit into his mouth as she pulsed against his lips. God, this felt good. Beyond good. How could anything get better than this?
When he lifted his face, he wiped his lips with his fingers and smiled at her. “I’m never going to tire of doing that. Of feeling you writhe under me. Of tasting your arousal on my tongue. Of making you cry out when you orgasm.” Without breaking her gaze, he reached for the bedside table, opened the drawer, and then slid it closed again as he righted himself.
He was holding a condom now. Duh. She hadn’t thought about protection. Her brain cells were scrambled. Thank God one of them had some sense.
He released her long enough to open the foil packet and then roll the condom down his length. Surprising her, he reached for her waist and hauled her across the bed, coming up between her legs to situate himself over her.
She grabbed his shoulders, chewing on her bottom lip.
He plucked it free and kissed her gently. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Beyond okay.” She couldn’t stop the smile. “What are you waiting for?”
He chuckled. “So impatient.” He kissed one nipple and then the other before meeting her gaze again. “It’s gonna be tight. Not gonna lie. You’ll feel the stretch at first. Might even seem too tight. But it will subside in a few moments. I promise. And then…” His grin spread. “Well, you’ll see.”
She bit her lip again. Would he just do it already?
“I haven’t had sex in a fucking long time, so it’s going to feel so damn good when my cock gets inside you. I’ll probably come too fast, but I promise next time will be better.”
“Bracken...”
He met her gaze again. “What, baby?”
“Fuck me already.”
He dropped his forehead to hers and then reached a hand down between them to stroke through her folds and then line his erection up with her entrance.
As he nudged forward, his jaw was set as if he were in pain. She wondered if he always did that. She couldn’t focus on him anymore, however, because all her attention went to the stretch as he slowly slid in a little at a time.
She grabbed his biceps and held on, forcing herself not to stiffen. The stretch was tight. He hadn’t lied about that. She took a deep breath and held it, her head tipping back as she willed him to get it over with.
He held himself aloft by his elbows, his fingers grazing over her temples. “Look at me, baby.”
She dropped her gaze.
“Deep breath.”
She did as he asked.
Suddenly, he thrust all the way in.
She gritted her teeth against the intrusion. The pressure. Too much.
Bracken held her gaze. “Let your body relax around my cock, Rebekah. Breathe, baby.”
She realized she hadn’t taken another breath since the one he’d commanded, and she let it out and drew in oxygen again. The pain subsided, leaving her with a new sensation of restlessness. She moved her hands from his biceps to his hips and reached around to grab his fantastic ass. “Move.”
He lifted a brow. “You sure?”
She nodded. “Please. Do it again.”
He eased almost out and then thrust back in to the hilt again.
She gasped. The experience from this second thrust was totally different. Nerve endings she hadn’t realized she had came to life. “Again.”
He groaned as he did her bidding, and her own noises blended with his. Holy shit, this felt good. She lifted her hips to meet his thrust as he did it yet again. The slight tilt to her pelvis sent him even deeper.
“Jesus, baby… So damn tight.” He slid one hand down her body and reached between them, his fingers landing on her clit. When he stroked the swollen nub, her eyes rolled back. Too many sensations bombarded her at once, from her nipples rubbing against his chest, to the tight delicious feeling of having him fill her, to the way all her blood seemed to rush to her clit.
Her mouth fell open. “Oh, God. I’m going to come.” Her legs shook.
“That’s the idea.” He pinched her clit and then released it and thrust faster. Every time the base of his erection rubbed against her clit, she grew closer. The world started spinning out of control, and then she was right on the edge, so close. She arched her hips upward again to increase the friction, and held her breath as she tipped over the cliff.
Waves of pleasure washed through her. Her entire channel pulsed around his length. And what made it even better was that he kept moving. Faster now, stretching her, filling her, consuming her.
Finally, he released a low groan, held himself deep inside her, and stiffened. His body shook with his orgasm. It gave her a sense of power, knowing she’d done this to him. Knowing that he enjoyed their joining as much as she did.
She was still panting when he finally relaxed his body, still hovering over her by his elbows, but panting now, a gorgeous smile on his lips she would never forget.
Bex stroked her hands up and down his back.
When he finally met her gaze, he kissed her lips, quickly switching from a brief peck to a deep consuming lip-lock. He moaned into her mouth as he met her tongue and made her toes curl.
After what seemed like forever, he finally lifted his
face and met her gaze. “You okay?”
“Bracken… There are no words.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Yeah? It was worth the wait?”
She nodded. “Every second of it.”
Chapter 18
Bracken rose up on one elbow and stared at the gorgeous woman sleeping next to him. He had no idea how he’d gotten so lucky. He didn’t want to move and risk waking her because he wanted to watch her sleep.
It was early. The sun was rising. The faint light was enough to illuminate the curves of her body.
She was on her back, one arm up above her head. The sheet had slid down enough for him to watch the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed deeply. It only took a slight tug to ease the sheet low enough to expose her nipple.
The dark disk called to him, but he resisted. The tip was a hard point even in her sleep. The globe was high and round and perfect. He loved every inch of her body, and he stared at her breasts for a long time, feeling so lucky.
When he finally slid his gaze back to her face, he found her watching him. She was smiling.
“Did I wake you?”
She shrugged. “I felt the sheet drag over my nipple.”
He winced. “Sorry.”
“Are you?” she teased.
“Not really.” He reached for her breast and fondled it, satisfying his need to touch her. When he thumbed her nipple, she whimpered, pleasing him greatly.
“Are you sore?” he asked.
She squirmed, her hand coming to his face, cupping his cheek. “If you’re asking me if I want to have sex again, the answer is yes.”
He slowly smiled. “Good.” His mouth lowered to hers. He was never going to get enough of her. He wanted to claim every inch of her body over and over until she had no doubt she belonged to him.
He released her lips and moved his mouth down to suckle her breast, tugging the sheet off her.
Nonstop (Open Skies Book 3) Page 11
