by Layla Hagen
"Henry!" Ellie scolded. “Drop it.”
“Okay. Okay. I’m not going to bring it up again tonight.”
We chatted about their parents while we ate the risotto with vegetables. Once we cleared the plates, I brought the cake out of the fridge. I uncorked the champagne, pouring for everyone, and we clinked glasses.
"Cheers," I said. "To Ellie."
"To Ellie," Henry said. We sang a weak happy birthday to you. I wasn’t much of a singer, so the cat was out of the bag. Brayden heard me once and thought I was sick, the asshole.
Henry stayed with us for another hour before announcing that he was taking off. He kept looking at the candles Isabelle set up around the apartment.
"Okay. You two, I'm going to go back to my Airbnb. Ellie, I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Ellie and I walked him to the door. Once he left, I turned my gaze on Ellie.
"I love all these candles," she said. "I can't believe you asked Isabelle to help you decorate. And that you cooked my favorite meal."
I pulled her to me, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, touching her temple with my thumb.
"Why are you in disbelief?" I asked.
She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess this is something I'm not used to or something I don’t ever expect of anyone."
"What? To make an effort for your birthday?"
"Yes," whispered Ellie.
I put my forehead close to hers. "It makes you happy. I like making you happy." Her eyes clouded; she looked like she wanted to say something. "What's on your mind?"
"It's just that, after the way my parents' marriage ended... I’m not blaming my parents or anything. I know I’m an adult, responsible for what I do.”
“Ellie, some things just stay with us over the years. It doesn’t mean you’re blaming anyone.”
“I don't think I let anyone in, you know? I'm not even sure if it was a conscious thing I was doing. But I didn't. I sort of put up a wall around myself, that way I wouldn’t be disappointed. No one's gotten in until you.” The sheepish look she had touched my heart. “Besides, you cooked for me. In my world, that’s like a love declaration.”
Fuck me. Her words twisted around my chest. I cupped her hands with mine, pinning her against the door, and told her, "It is. I love you, Ellie. I wasn't even sure I was capable of it, but you've got me. What I told Henry was 100 percent true. I've changed since I met you. You've changed me." I cupped her cheek, kissing her mouth descending to her neck.
“I did?” she whispered.
“Yes. And I didn’t think it was possible to feel this way.” I didn’t plan this, but I’m glad it happened. Ellie needed to know I couldn’t let her go.
“And I love you, Ian.”
I straightened up, looking her directly in the eyes. A smile played on her lips, but her eyes were full of emotion. “Thank you for everything you did tonight. And keeping Henry in check.”
“I didn’t.” At least I don’t think I did.
“He would’ve roasted my ass even more if you didn’t glare at him every five minutes.”
I laughed, caressing the back of her head. “I didn’t want anything to spoil the mood for your birthday.”
“He didn’t. It was honestly the best birthday I’ve had. Because of you.”
I wanted to make all her birthdays unforgettable—every single one of them.
“So I’m going to spoil you tonight too,” she went on. “But I have to change first.”
“What? Why?”
“I have a sexy outfit in my backpack. Obviously, when I packed it, I had no idea that Henry was joining us.”
“It’s too inappropriate?” My dick twitched. She laughed, pressing herself against my erection.
“Someone’s excited at the thought.”
“Very.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“What if I’d planned a surprise party with more people?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I know you. You wouldn’t do that. You always try to get us to be alone.”
“I do. Because you’re mine.”
“I am,” she whispered.
Hearing her surrender like this was chipping away at my self-control. I wanted to claim her mouth and body and all her pleasure.
Chapter Nineteen
Ian
Her smile turned even happier, then was quickly interrupted with a frown. "What are we going to do once my placement is over?"
"I don't know, but I understand that your career is important to you." My gut twisted as I said this, but I went on because I wanted her to know that I had her best interests in mind. What she wanted was important to me too. "I know what it's like to have a goal and focus on it, and I respect that. I want you to have everything you’re dreaming of. Let's not think about what happens when your placement's over. We still have months before that."
Her frown intensified. She bit her lower lip.
"What?" I asked.
"I don't know. My boss says she wants to talk to me. That's never been a good sign before."
"Were there any complaints about you?" I asked.
"No."
"And you have been doing one and a half jobs basically since the pastry chef left. That’s got to account for something."
"Exactly. I think so too... but..."
"I don't think this is going to go in a bad direction. Just wait and see what happens," I said, "and we'll figure stuff out then."
She nodded. I needed her to know that I was in her corner. I needed to distract her. I didn’t want her worrying about anything on her birthday.
"I forgot to give you your gift," I said.
She perked up, looking behind me as if expecting to see her present there. "Then go get it. And can you do it naked?”
"That's a very specific request," I said with a laugh.
"I'm the birthday girl, so you can't say no to me. Even though... Henry’s visit did sort of spoil my mood for sexy stuff."
I winked, running a hand through my hair. “You can say that again.”
“Sooo... my gift?”
I took the envelope from the TV console, bringing it back to her. She reached for it, snatching it from my hands. She sat upright, taking it from the envelope.
"It's a giftcard for an airplane ticket," she said in surprise.
"For multiple tickets, so you can visit your family whenever you want."
She looked over at me, mouth slightly open. "Ian, this is more than I dreamed of. Thank you so much. This is the perfect gift."
“I thought about it all by myself.” I was damn proud of putting that huge smile on her face. “Who do you want to visit first?”
“Well, I just saw Henry, so maybe Mom.”
She grinned from ear to ear as she sat on the couch, pondering out loud when she could take time off. I wasn’t listening fully, though. I kept thinking about her rotation and what that would mean for us. A few months ago, thoughts about the future weren’t even lingering at the back of my mind. But now, they were front and center. It was all I could think about. Ellie had turned everything upside down and shown me a side of life I wasn’t aware of before.
I wanted her in my life, but I also didn’t want her to give up on her dreams.
I sat next to her on the couch, watching as she browsed for flights.
“I’m not buying anything, I just want to see what I could book,” she said, opening browser after browser. We ended up falling asleep on the couch. Sometime during the night, I woke up with a stiff neck. Ellie was curled next to me, with her head dangling in an awkward position. She couldn’t spend the night like this, or she’d be sore as hell tomorrow. Careful not to wake her up, I scooped her in my arms, propping her head on my chest. Was that a snore? Fuck, she was so damn cute. She didn’t wake at all when I put her on the bed, fully clothed, and I fell right back to sleep too.
Next morning, I woke up to the sound of giggles. Blinking my eyes open, I saw Ellie hovering over me, grinning.
“What time is it?” I asked.
> “Six o’clock in the morning.”
I groaned. “Why are you awake?”
“Because we fell asleep early. I don’t remember coming to bed.”
“I brought you in here sometime during the night. You were sleeping in an awkward position. Didn’t want you to be sore today.”
“Such a gentleman.” She smiled brightly, jumping off the bed.
“Time to start the day. And in case anyone is interested, I was thinking we could put last night’s plan in action. You know. The one where I put on the sexy dress, you do the super sexy plan with the extra pair of panties. Does it ring a bell?”
My cock twitched. “Fuck, yeah.”
“Awesome. While you wake up, I’m going to get rid of morning breath.”
She darted out of the room with a wiggle of that sinful ass. I followed her a few minutes later. She was dancing in the bathroom, singing off-key with a toothbrush in her mouth. I rinsed my mouth with the same toothpaste without taking my eyes off her. Ellie was clearly happy. I wanted to keep her this way.
“So, mister,” she said once we both finished brushing our teeth, “what do you plan to do to me?”
As a response, I pulled her flush against me.
“You’ll have to let me go so I can put on the dress,” she whispered.
“Change of plans. I’ll just take off your clothes, so you don’t need to put on anything else.” I kissed down her neck, possessed by the need to have her right here, right now. I needed to keep her. Capturing her mouth, I ran my hands down her neck and shoulders and further down to her waist, tugging at her sweater. Breaking off the kiss, I took her shirt off. "You're so damn sexy," I said.
She groaned in protest. "It's a cotton bra."
"You're fucking sexy," I repeated. "You're the sexiest woman on the planet for me." I took off her bra, touching her breasts, skimming my fingers over her nipples, watching them turn to hard nubs while the skin all over her upper body broke out in goose bumps. Only then did I lower my hand to the button of her jeans, popping it open.
"You want to get me naked before we even get to the bed?" she asked in a teasing voice.
"I want to make you come before we even move from the bathroom." She drew in a sharp breath. I yanked her jeans down, along with her panties. She stepped out of them carefully. Her legs were covered in goose bumps too. I moved up slowly, touching her ankles and her knees. Moving my hands further up, I teased her outer thighs before cupping her ass.
"I'm going to make you come so hard," I promised, kissing her mouth again. I touched her ass with both hands, pulling her against me. I wanted her to feel that I was already hard for her, just from seeing her gorgeous body and how she reacted when I told her what I had planned to do to her.
When we paused to breathe, I pushed her against the sink. She grinned, parting her legs slightly. I moved my hand from her chest down to her pubic bone, nudging her clit with the tips of my fingers. She dropped her head back, moaning.
"I haven't decided yet if I'm making you come with my mouth or my fingers. Maybe I'll do both," I said.
She shuddered, parting her legs even more. I kissed her shoulder and her neck while I moved my fingers in a slow, circular movement over her clit.
"More," she whispered. "Harder, please."
I was going to explode in my pants. I was going to have her, but not before I made her come. I moved my fingers even slower, enjoying her cry of protest. Kissing her neck and shoulder was one of my favorite things to do. Her skin was very smooth.
"Ian!" she cried. Her voice shook. She grabbed my sweater. Light tremors coursed through her. Fuck, she was already there. Her response to me was intoxicating and addictive. I paused, moving my mouth further down her body until I reached her breasts. Looking up at her, I lavished her left breast with attention before moving to the right one. I wasn't touching her pussy now, and she was having pleasure withdrawals. I could see it in her eyes. She needed my touch badly. I lowered my mouth to her pubic bone, grazing her clit with my chin.
She cried out when I reached her pussy with my mouth.
"Ian, please. Ian!"
I covered her clit with my lips, tugging a bit before pressing the flat of my tongue against it. Her hips bucked forward. I grabbed them, keeping her in place so I could explore her all I wanted. I licked her entrance, avoiding her clit until she tugged at my hair, making me smile against her swollen flesh.
Looking up at her, I memorized every detail about this second: the way her mouth was open in a moan, her eyes closed as if she was bracing herself for the wave of pleasure. Her head was tilted slightly to one side and her shoulders hunched. Her whole body was preparing for the orgasm.
I pulled her clit between my lips again and watched her come apart. She arched forward, bucking, but I held her in place. Her cries of pleasure filled the bathroom. One leg shot out as she propped both hands on my shoulders.
"Ian," she murmured. Her voice was very, very weak.
"I've got you, baby. I've got you. I promise."
She straightened up, but she was still faint. She was putty in my hands. I covered her mouth and kissed her, walking her back to my room. I could have her in my bathroom, but I wanted her in my bed. I wanted her everywhere, in my shower, against every wall.
She smiled against my lips, and her body became stronger when we reached the bedroom. She looked at me with a wide, happy smile. She was sated, but I wasn't. I was still hungry for her. I needed my release. I needed to sink inside her. She took off my sweater right away. I got rid of my jeans on my own. "Those panties I told you to bring, where are they?"
Her eyes widened. "In my backpack." She pointed to a corner of the bedroom where she’d dropped it when we arrived.
"Take them out," I commanded.
She nodded, sucking in a breath and going to the backpack. A few seconds later, she returned with her black lacy pants. "What are you going to do with them?" she asked.
I looked her straight in the eyes. "I told you I'd tie your wrists. Unless you don’t want to."
"I do want to. I'm just... It's not something I’ve done before."
"Then I'll be the first one." I felt an immense amount of satisfaction at that thought. So many firsts with this woman. And the last, if I have anything to say about it. "Hold out your wrists for me." She immediately obliged. I crossed her delicate wrists within my thumb and forefinger and then twisted her panties until they were tight enough for what I had in mind. I tied both her wrists together. "Lie on the bed."
She sat down, moving to the center of the bed.
"Hold your hands above your head.”
She did as I said, watching me intently. I’d been her first, and yet, she didn’t hesitate to give herself to me. To please me. This woman meant so damn much to me, and I wanted to prove that to her every way there was.
I took a condom from the dresser, putting it on because I sure as hell wasn't going to remember to do it later, not when I was this crazy for her. I wanted to possess her very soul. I settled between her legs, kissing up her inner thighs, up her pussy again, pressing my mouth against the swollen flesh. She was still pulsing from before, the aftershocks of the orgasm. She cried out, a long, drawn-out sound I hadn't heard from her before. My dick twitched. I moved up her body, looking her straight in the eyes. She was pulling at her panties, tugging at them.
"I can't touch you like this," she said.
"I know."
"And I can’t grab stuff, like the sheets or anything."
"I know, but internalizing all of this is going to make it even more intense. You'll see."
"I believe you," she whispered. "I'm just not sure if I can take it any more intense.”
I leaned over her, biting her lower lip lightly. "Oh, you can, trust me. You so fucking can, Ellie. I will give you so much pleasure, and you're going to take every ounce of it." Leveling my weight on one forearm, I positioned my cock at her entrance, nudging her clit with the tip, sliding in a few inches, in and out, massaging her G-spot.
"Ian, wow. Oh, this is... I’m..."
"I don't understand you." She rolled her hips, taking me all in. I loved seeing her claim what she wanted. I thrust inside her hard and deep, feeling my whole body tighten already. She was close again. Because she was still sensitive from before, I knew it wouldn't take very long. I pulled out, cupping her left buttock and pushing her on one side and then flat on her belly.
She attempted to push herself on all fours, but I put a hand at the small of her back. "Don't. I want you like this." She was such a sight, legs spread wide, ass up in the air, hands tied in front of her, looking at me over her shoulder.
I slid inside her again. This was going to be more intense for her, because her clit was rubbing against the mattress. She pressed her forehead against the mattress, bringing her tied hands to the back of her head and moaning. I leaned over her, whispering in her ear. "I love you, baby. I love seeing you like this.. Come for me." I slid my fingers between her clit and the mattress, applying even more pressure while I exploded inside her.
"Fuuuuuuuuck." I was gone to the world. Everything in me just exploded. I'd never felt pleasure like this. It was shocking, and when I heard her cry out, tightening around me, I knew it was just as intense for her. I thrust inside her until we both rode out the wave of pleasure, then pushed myself off her, lying d next to her, half straddling her with one thigh. I took away the panties from her wrists, but she didn't move. She just nudged me with her head.
A few minutes later, she finally looked up at me. "This is a new record," she whispered. "Usually I can't move after you have your way with me. Now I can't even speak."
"I like where this is going," I said.
She finally turned on one side, moving her fingers on my chest. "And now I can finally touch you."
I took her hand in mine, kissing her wrist. The panties had left a bit of a red mark, but I knew it would fade quickly. "I love you, Ellie."
She grinned from ear to ear as she pulled two pillows under her head. “I love you, too.”
Chapter Twenty
