My heart feels like it will burst in my chest. My woman. My satisfied as fuck woman. I grind her down on me, locking us together, as I rise up on my knees behind her and push her head down to the mattress so her ass is in the air. Julia turns her head to the side to gulp in air, but I’m too far gone to control myself right now.
My hips power against her ass, pushing inside her with rough pumps as I race to climax. Julia lies there, her golden hair tangled around her head, chest and shoulders on the bed and ass in my hands, fingers clutching the sheets beside her as I continue thrusting. There’s a tightening at the base of my spine, and with a bellow of relief, I spend my seed inside her.
Feeling drained and utterly empty, I collapse on top of Julia, flattening her body to the bed. She turns her head and we kiss over her shoulder, clumsily, our mouths slipping and sliding against each other, our hearts beating loudly.
“That was… Fuck, Julia… I can’t…” I shake my head, unable to put into words everything I’m feeling. She simply smiles at me, her eyes filled with understanding, and I can’t help but kiss her more.
We lie like that for a while before I slide off her prone body and pick her up, carrying her to the bathroom. We shower together, regret and satisfaction mingling inside me as I wash away the evidence of her virginity from her thighs and my cock.
Julia leans against me, letting me tend to her, turning when I tell her to and holding her head back so I can wash her hair. I chuckle, amused at her compliance, and wash her thoroughly before drying her with a towel and taking her back to bed.
We spend the rest of the day there, cuddling and talking. Julia thinks she’s being sly as she rubs her breasts against me and runs her foot up my leg. Adorable, I think, and turn her to her back as I slide down her body, kissing my way to her sex. No matter how much she tempts me, I refuse to take her again, wanting to give her pussy time to heal.
She pouts and bats her eyelashes at me, so I pull her on top of me, eating her out while she sucks my cock. Her soft, shy hands and eager tongue bring me to orgasm in moments, and I shoot inside her mouth, groaning as she tightens her throat muscles and swallows every drop. Heaven flashes behind my eyes every time she does it.
Chapter 9
Julia
Brandon and I spend the next day in bed, and each new thing I experience with him rivals for the forefront position in my brain. Whether we are eating the dinner he has cooked for us, talking about our favorites, or lazing around in bed after another round of mind-blowing pleasure, being with him takes me to new heights, and I can’t resist hoarding each and every moment in my memory.
The next day, we dress up for dinner at James and Clarissa’s house, and I carry a bag which contains the cherry pie Brandon baked for us to have as dessert. Recalling the fun we had in the kitchen today makes me smile.
Brandon looks over from the driver’s seat and catches me. “What are you thinking about?” he asks.
He brings my hand up from his thigh and kisses my knuckles before putting it down on his pants leg again and covering it with his. It’s a habit he’s picked up over the days; driving with one hand holding mine. I can’t say I mind it. Every time he does it, butterflies flutter their wings in my stomach.
“I was just recalling how good you look covered in flour,” I reply teasingly.
His lips quirk up at the corners, and he shakes his head. “I’ve never made the kind of mess you did yesterday in the kitchen while helping me. Flour was everywhere by the time we finished.”
I laugh at the reminder and pat my stomach contentedly. “Well then, it’s a good thing you’re the cook in this relationship.”
He smiles fully this time. “I’m always happy feeding you.”
I sigh with happiness and relax in my seat. This is everything I’ve ever wanted. Holding Brandon’s hand, secure in our relationship, driving to my brother and his wife’s house for dinner together.
We reach their house and the door opens to reveal Henry, James’s butler. He was in our father’s employ, and after the death of our parents, he insisted on continuing his post. In those first few weeks, when nothing made sense and we were enveloped in grief, Henry was a major support as he managed the whole household singlehandedly. I know James considers him a valuable employee.
He smiles when he sees us, bowing over his hat and addressing us. “Sir.” He nods respectfully to Brandon and then turns to me. “Ma’am.”
I shake my head at him. “It’s Julia, Henry. You’ve known me since I was a baby.”
He dips his chin to acknowledge this but doesn’t say anything more. The stubborn, old coot. I give Brandon an amused glance.
“The master and mistress are running a little late,” Henry informs us, delicately clearing his throat at the end. “Please proceed to the dining room where everything’s been set up.”
We follow behind him, and Brandon pulls my chair back and seats me before taking his own seat beside me. I lean over and brush a kiss against his cheek. He quickly turns his head to capture my lips, letting them go at the sound of a cough from the doorway.
I look over and see James standing there with Clarissa by his side. I refuse to blush at being caught kissing Brandon, especially when Clarissa is looking a little dazed herself as she smooths down her hair.
“I suppose I’ll have to get used to this now,” James comments as they walk to us.
I get up and wrap my arms around him, and he bends to kiss my forehead. “How are you feeling, Jules?” he asks, his voice tinged with concern.
“Much better,” I reply, pulling back and smiling at him.
I hug Clarissa as Brandon and James shake hands and slap each other’s back.
We all take our seats as the meal is served, and conversation flows around us.
James’s phone rings just as dessert is being brought out, and he gives an apologetic look to Clarissa before excusing himself from the table, murmuring, “This is important.”
Brandon leans over and murmurs in my ear, “I’ll be right back, sweetness.” He gets up and follows James out of the dining room.
Clarissa and I look at each other and trade a meaningful glance. It must be about Olivia. I’m glad they’re discussing this out of the room. As much as I want to know what will happen to her and why she did what she did, I don’t want to confront her. I’m glad Brandon is handling it with James.
I look up as Clarissa asks me, “Did you tell Brandon about the therapy you were taking when you were abroad?”
“Yes, I told him. We talked about my parents’ death, and I told him about how my therapist thought their car crash contributed to my fear of enclosed spaces. Seeing the pictures on the news when I was very young exacerbated it.”
Clarissa nods sympathetically. “What did he say?”
“He was very understanding. Clarissa, talking to him feels better than anything. He listens so attentively and holds me when I need it. These last few days with him have been so…so…wonderful,” I conclude when I can’t think of a word big enough to encompass how it feels to be with Brandon.
Her eyes turn soft and she smiles at me as she squeezes my hand across the table. “I’m so glad you found him. I knew there was something between the two of you that day in the kitchen. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you,” she adds, waggling her eyebrows mischievously.
I blush and look down at the table.
“I’m very happy for you,” she says softly.
I smile and then tell her, “He wants me to go to therapy again.”
“Do you want to?”
“No, I don’t feel the need right now. I mean, yes, I went through an emotional trauma the other day, but I feel much better with him by my side.” I shake my head. “He says he will check every night to see if I have any nightmares or if I can’t sleep like before, and if I do, then, and I quote ‘Your ass is going straight to a doctor.’”
Clarissa laughs, and I laugh with her. At that instant, James and Brandon come back into the dining room and their expressio
ns are soft as they look at us.
Brandon takes his seat beside me and tugs my palm over to rest on his thigh. As we cut into the delicious pie he made, I look around the table and bask in the feeling of contentment and peace. My family around me, eating, talking and laughing together. There’s nothing better in the world.
* * * *
As Brandon and I lie together in bed, our bodies cooling from the heat of our passion, his hands in my hair and my head resting on his chest, I finally ask him about Olivia. I need to know so I can put her out of my mind, once and for all.
“What did you and James do about her?”
He doesn’t pretend to misunderstand me. “James fired her, effective immediately,” he tells me simply. “We worked with the press and released the truth of her actions, especially in the prominent circles of the corporate world. After the cops are through with her, she won’t find a respectable job anywhere in this city, you can be damned sure of that.” His voice is hard and fierce, and his hands pull me closer to him.
I nuzzle against his side as I think about this. It seems harsh, but she deserves this. Harming another person intentionally, and all for the sake of petty jealousy, can’t be justified by anything.
I recall something from the day we went to the office. “You told her not to call you by your name. And I noticed James and Clarissa call you Stone too,” I prompt him.
His breaths ruffle the hair on top of my head as he answers, “My mother. She used to call me by my name. Brandon. I think it was the name of my father.” He kisses my head and then continues, “Hearing it makes me think of the past, and I try not to do that. That’s why I asked James and Clarissa and everyone I know to call me Stone.”
I raise my head from his chest and look into his eyes, shocked. “But you let me call you by your name.”
He dips his chin and his nose rubs against mine. “Because I want you to own every part of me.” He pulls me on top of him, and his hands hold me still as he slides into me, fully hard again and stretching my pussy to the limit. “You make every part of me clean.”
I gasp as he thrusts inside me deeply.
“My name.” He keeps up a steady pace of thrusting. “My body.” Thrust. “My heart.” Thrust. “My soul.”
I lean down and kiss him, tears welling in my eyes at his honest words. The raw emotion sparkling in his gaze binds me to this moment with him, us locked together.
“I love you, Brandon,” I whisper against his lips.
“I love you too, sweetness,” he rasps, and I come. Safe in the arms of the man I always have and always will love. Until the end of time.
Epilogue
A month later
Julia
I put the pearl drop earrings in my ears and lean back to admire them in the mirror. They were a gift from Brandon a week after I came back home. He said they were a belated graduation present, but I think that was just an excuse he used so I wouldn’t protest too much at the cost. The man loves to spoil me. The earrings are simple yet elegant, and they always remind me of the day he came home from the office with them, love shining in his eyes as he presented them to me.
Arms wrap around me from behind, and I lean back into solid warmth and hard muscles. Brandon’s body is as familiar to me as my own now, and I smile as he nuzzles my neck and kisses the top of my ear.
“You look beautiful, sweetness,” he whispers into my hair.
I look at him in the mirror as his gaze sweeps down the length of my body, taking in the pearl white dress I’m wearing, with a sweetheart neckline and a flared skirt that reaches my ankles.
It’s our one-month anniversary today. A month from the day Brandon officially made me his. I didn’t realize Brandon even remembered what date it was today until he came home from the office early, carrying a bag with the gown I’m wearing right now packed in tissue paper.
He has arranged for us to have dinner with James and Clarissa at a new restaurant that has opened up near their office. It has raving reviews online, and Brandon told me he had to book a week in advance to get us a table. I love that he went to so much effort to make this day special for us.
“Beautiful,” he whispers again, tightening his arms around me and pulling me more securely into the curve of his body.
“Thank you,” I say. “You have great taste.”
I sweep my hands down the bodice of my dress, admiring the silky feel of the material. Brandon’s gaze follows the downward movement of my hands over my body, and his eyes burn hotter. I know that look very well.
“Brandon, no,” I tell him as I try pulling out of his grasp. “We’ll be late.”
But he isn’t listening to me, his hands gathering the back of my dress at my waist as his upper body urges me forward until I’m bending over the dressing table.
“I’ll be quick,” he whispers huskily as his hand delves under my skirt to push my panties aside and feel for my wetness.
He groans at the juices trailing out of my sex already and unzips his pants to pull out his cock. There is urgency and desperation in his movements, as if he didn’t just have me an hour ago when he came home with his gift to surprise me.
“Brandon,” I moan when I feel the tip of his cock nudging my entrance.
He reaches underneath my body to fondle my clit as he takes a hard thrust which seats him fully inside my core. My body shoots forward from the force, and I catch myself with my hands at the edge of the table as Brandon starts pumping with ruthless speed inside me, his body curved over mine and pressing my front to the table’s hard surface.
“Give me this, sweetness,” he rumbles against my neck. “I need this. I need you!”
At the last word, he gives a particularly rough thrust as he pinches and tugs at my clit. The sharp, dual sensations send me over the edge, and I come as I feel Brandon’s seed shoot inside me.
I’m still catching my breath at the sudden orgasm and the speed of our lovemaking when Brandon pulls out of me and fixes my dress before stuffing his cock inside his pants and zipping up. He takes my arms and gently turns me around, gathering me in his embrace, his heart racing and puffs of breaths bathing the side of my neck.
“I love you, Julia. You know that, right?” he asks as one hand reaches up to trace the pearl drop in my lobe.
I snuggle closer into Brandon and wrap my arms around his broad back, warm and content. “Of course I do. And I love you, Brandon.”
The rushed frenzy of our coupling seems to have eased something in him, and I can feel the slight strain in his muscles dissolving the longer he holds me. His hands sweep up and down my back, tangling in my hair and smoothing over my ass.
I sigh and push back after a while, knowing we need to leave or we’ll end up staying in our room. And I want to celebrate with my family today; this special day that holds so much meaning for us.
“Come on,” I tell Brandon as I take his hand and tug him with me into the bathroom. “Let’s get going.”
He watches me intently as I quickly reapply my lipstick and brush out my hair again before turning to look at him.
“How do I look?” I ask, smiling up at him.
He bends and kisses my nose. “Like my world.”
My heart melts, and I hug him to me, marveling at all the blessings in my life. I never want this feeling to end.
We leave the house and drive to the restaurant, Brandon’s hand holding mine on his thigh as he navigates through traffic, a heavy expression on his face.
A slight feeling of apprehension races up my spine, and I recall the urgency in the way he took me a while ago. Like he couldn’t get enough of me. I don’t know what to think, so I remain quite as Brandon drives, occasionally sneaking glances at him, wondering what he’s thinking.
Arriving at the front of the restaurant, Brandon gets out and gives his keys to the valet as he comes to my side and opens the door for me, reaching a hand in to help me out. He keeps a hold of my fingers as we walk inside and to our reserved table, his thumb circling the inside of m
y palm in repetitive, restless movements. The unease I’ve been feeling since we left the house increases.
When we reach our table, James and Clarissa are already seated, and I smile and hug both of them before taking my seat, Brandon sliding in next to me and immediately picking up my hand again. I see him share a meaningful glance with James, but before I can question him, Clarissa asks me something and I turn my attention to her as James engages Brandon in work-related talk.
We order some of the specialties of the restaurant, and all throughout dinner, as we eat and talk, Brandon’s hand gets tighter and tighter around mine until I can’t feel my fingers anymore. Suddenly, I decide I’ve had enough of this. We don’t have secrets from each other, and whatever Brandon is hiding from me, he needs to share it, because I can tell it’s stressing him out, and that is, in turn, stressing me out.
So, uncaring of our audience, I turn in my seat to face Brandon and lean closer to whisper to him, “Just tell me. What is it?”
He startles and looks at me with a question in his eyes. I stare back unflinchingly, letting him know I’m not doing this anymore.
He sighs and looks around the table. James and Clarissa are watching us intently, but my sole focus is on Brandon as he abruptly gets up from the table, swallows, and puts his hand in his pocket as he takes my hand and helps me rise.
As soon as I’m standing, he drops down to one knee in front of me. My heart catches in my throat, and my hands fly up to cover my mouth as Brandon digs inside his jacket pocket and reveals a small, blue box. His hands are shaking as he opens the lid to reveal a beautiful ring with a pearl in the middle surrounded by two yellow diamonds on each side.
I glance at James, and he is smiling proudly at me while Clarissa wipes tears from her eyes and beams at us. I look back at Brandon as he starts speaking.
“Julia, from the moment I first saw you at sixteen, you’ve owned me. You bring light and joy to my life, and I will spend eternity protecting you, loving you, and giving you everything you deserve.” He takes my left hand and holds the ring up to my third finger. With his heart in his eyes, he asks me, “Will you marry me, sweetness?”
Tethered to Him (Alphamen in Suits Book 2) Page 7
