by Lynn, Stacey
“Your choice. But you have to know the cost.”
“Okay…”
I ran a finger down her arm. Back up. To the fragile little strap. I tugged on it, pulled it over her shoulder and kissed her collarbone. “We can have one more night, Elizabeth. Exactly how the others have gone, maybe even better. And if you choose that option, that’s it.” The scent of her reeled me in. Sweet and flowery. God. She was tempting.
“And my other choice?” Her voice was a mere breath. Melodic even through the roughness. At the base of her throat, her pulse thrummed.
“Option two,” I whispered, my lips at her ear. “If we remove the blindfold, we be us, but before you make that decision you make it knowing it means that when we’re done here, you and I will walk out, hand in hand, and I’ll be taking you back to your place for round two.”
She exhaled harshly, parted lips ripping warm breath against my cheek. My lips were moving at her jaw, teasing, tempting. Her hands gripped my shirt at my hips. “Is that what you want?”
I’d given this a lot of thought. “I always thought I had to put a lot on hold to play football, to live for Harrison, to be the son my parents needed. And sometimes it got to me, trying to be the perfect guy. So I thought I had to keep these relationships private, knowing if a woman and I didn’t work out, I couldn’t risk this part of me getting out. But maybe I wasn’t putting anything off. Maybe I was waiting for the woman I could trust with all of it.”
Soft, warm fingertips trailed up my shirt. Walked up the buttons of my shirt and rested on my chest. “And that’s me?”
“I think that I want to figure that out and it’s the first time I’ve been willing to take that risk which, I’m really not trying to be a dick, but it says a lot about you, and what I’m beginning to feel for you.”
“Gage…”
My name trailed off her lips and her hands went to my neck. She rolled to her toes, reaching up as she pressed her palms to the cut of my jaw. I met her halfway, bending down and sealed my lips to hers.
“Tell me that’s a yes.”
“Of course it’s a yes.” Before she changed her mind, before I could, I lifted the blindfold and flung it off. Her eyes blinked several times, adjusted to the darkness in the room.
And then full, beautiful lips spread into a smile.
Right before I slammed mine against her and kissed her.
Twenty-Two
Elizabeth
His kiss was a brand. Hot hands on my body, mine on his face. My eyes drifted closed despite my overwhelming desire to see every feature on his face, up close, pressing against me for the first time.
I melted into him, thankful for the high heels I wore to barely come close to matching his height. But the aid of the shoes placed me at the exact height to have his erection press against me.
“God,” I gasped, against his mouth. His hands tangled in my hair, held me to him as he devoured me, swept his tongue inside. Heat from him rolled off, warming my skin straight to my soul.
We were connected. I’d spent two weeks around the man, doing nothing but thinking of him and his hands and his body and his work and his heart and even then, I barely knew him, I was falling for him.
He pulled on my hair, and the sudden jolt of pain made me whimper into his mouth. “How hard do you want it tonight?”
I didn’t. I wanted soft and slow and to take my time running my hands along every inch of his skin.
Still, I replied, “Whatever you have, I’ll take it.” And man. I would do that for him, and it wasn’t just the overwhelming pulse of need thrumming through me.
As if he understood, he pulled back, licking his lip. His look was panty-melting. Thank God I wasn’t wearing any.
“We’ll do hard later. So your screams can echo off the walls of your bedroom.”
Breathless, I made a sound, too lost for words and replies and then he was undoing my zipper, slipping my dress down my body. Every scrape of fabric against my skin, every press of his lips against me, spurred me on. And then I was lifted, hands on my waist, placing me on the bed. His hands went to my knees, spread me, and then like I’d so often imagined, Gage dropped to his knees in front of me.
“Yes.” His lips were on me. Tasting me, tongue flicking, driving me mindless as I clung to his hair.
I tugged, the first time I’d had true freedom to grab hold of him, and I lifted my head to watch every single moment. Our eyes met, and oh God, just the desire gleaming in his eyes, the intensity in his furrowed brow as his tongue slid through my folds, followed by his fingers.
My hips arched, thrust to him, needing to get closer. He gathered my wetness, slid to the back.
For a moment, my eyes rolled back to my head. His finger pressed against my ass, slid in. I gasped and arched into him. Oh God. The pleasure. The overwhelming mix of sensation had my thighs pulse, that familiar bundle of fire igniting, stretching, expanding until I gripped the sheets with all of my might.
“Oh God!” I cried out, head thrashing as my orgasm hit me so quick, so intensely, it rippled and rolled through my body in an almost excruciating measure.
He continued devouring me, fucking my ass, sucking my clit until the longest orgasm of my life rolled to another, slowly drawing out every sensation. I committed this moment to memory, the moment my eyes met his as he pulled back, pressed his lips to my inner thigh, wickedness in his eyes, and yet sated at the same time.
Goodness. It pleased him to do that to me.
I wanted to make him the most pleased man on the planet for as long as he wanted to be mine.
“We’re not done,” he proclaimed, standing, ripping off his T-shirt, shucking off his jeans. He was naked. And finally, I saw him in all of his glory. And there was a lot of gloriousness to take in.
“I might be,” I said on a breath. I wiped my hair off my forehead. Nothing could hinder this moment, not even a strand of hair to block my vision.
“You’re not. There are things I want to do to you we haven’t tried yet.”
Oh goody. He crawled over me, body braced above mine and my hands roamed his stomach. The blocks of muscle at his abs, the thick ridge delineating them. The hair that ran over his pecs, down the center of his stomach, straight down to his thick and heavy dick.
God. I’d known he was big. I’d felt the stretch around him, but seeing him, standing straight and proud as he bent low and kissed me, swept his tongue into my mouth and shared the taste of me. Good Lord.
It was a good thing I’d been blindfolded for our first few encounters, otherwise, I might have lost my mind from the vision of him naked.
Before I could come up with a snappy comeback, or any words, he rolled us. My thighs went to his hips. His hand went to his cock where he stroked it, holding me at my lower back.
“Ride me.”
I covered his hand with mine. “You’re giving me control?” I didn’t think he had it in him.
I barely got the question out before he had my hands pinned behind my back with one of his. His hand gripped my wrists together and he lifted his thighs. “The illusion of it.”
The pressure of his thighs forced me forward until I was up and on my knees, over him, rubbing the tip of his cock against my soaking wet center.
I pressed myself against him as he wrapped his hand around his thickness, and good gracious. The sight of him holding himself for me made my mouth drool. I wanted that dick in my mouth. In my hands. I wanted to take my time and savor the rigid feel of him.
“Condom,” I gasped, freezing right as I was there, his head at my opening.
His head pressed back to the bed, eyes closed in pain. “Get tested before the season, and we have to keep them up to date for here.”
His eyes opened then, narrowed on me, trusting me with something so important…giving me a vulnerability it was clear he didn’t give to many.
If anyone. The thought of it made my heart leap.
We were both clean. Tests were required frequently at Velvet.
“I’m on the pill.
”
“You okay with taking all of me?”
A tremor rolled through me at the mere thought. All of him? I wanted nothing more. Still, that he was willing to give that to me sent a strange burning sensation to the backs of my eyes.
“Yes.” I nodded. Probably bobbed like a bobblehead. “I want that.”
He yanked me down at the same time he pushed up his hips, and he was there, sliding into me. He was so big it was painful from the mere force of it and I cried out in the beautiful mixture of too much and not enough that eclipsed every thought in my brain.
“Oh.” My head fell, gaze to our connection. Our bodies pressed together. The tightness of my stomach matched to the steel of his abs.
“Fucking hell,” he groaned. His face was a mix I knew matched mine. “Fucking hell that feels good. So damn good.”
“I’ve never…”
His eyes snapped open. Hips thrust up. “Me either. Feels fucking incredible. Now move before this ends way too damn soon.” I wasn’t given the option. His hips slammed up, forcing me down onto his shaft. With his hands caging mine, I didn’t have to do a thing.
We found our rhythm, rocking slowly. My body rubbed against him, the end of him deep inside of me, stretching me.
“Oh God,” I moaned. Hair stuck to my cheeks. My lips were parted. And below me, Gage was focused purely on me, my body. His forehead lined, such intensity stamped on his features, I rode him, needing to see him unravel for the very first time.
And it wasn’t long, wasn’t long at all before his hips bucked wildly, slamming me down on him at the same time.
We came together, and it took all my strength not to collapse to his chest while he road out the rest of his climax, eyes on me the entire time.
It wasn’t just the best sex I’d had, it was the most intense, not because of what he could do to my body and the pleasure he could wring from it, but because I knew for the first time, my heart was fully invested.
“I’ll follow you to your place. Where’s your car?”
His chest was beautiful. All rippled and thick. My gaze fell and stalled at the thick black hair below his belly button.
“Elizabeth?”
“Hmm?”
“Car?”
“What?”
His thumb and finger pinched my chin, tilted my head. Laughter danced all over his expression, twisting his lips up. “Can you focus?”
“I was focusing.”
“On all the wrong things.” He kissed me hard and fast, slid his hand to the back of my neck and before I knew it, I was on my back and he was hovering over me. When he pulled back, I was just as distracted as I’d been before. “Where’s your car?”
“Out back.”
“Okay. We’ll get to mine and I’ll drive you to it.”
He was full of plans. Had been planning on coming back to my place since I first entered the room. “Why my place?”
He kissed me again, nibbled on my lips. I’d almost forgotten my question when he stopped and slipped his tongue over my bottom lip. “Because I have to get up early tomorrow to go watch film and workout and you go to work later. This way you can sleep in. I have a feeling you’ll need it.”
Well. When he put it like that. “Then let’s go.”
We dressed slowly and with his hand clamped around mine, he led me through Velvet. It wasn’t until we were outside and the fresh, chilly air smacked me in the face I could make out the tightness in his expression.
It took a lot out of him to walk through the club with me. What he said earlier made sense. It made complete sense even if I’d been shocked and angry when he first mentioned what it could do to his reputation if someone found out.
It’s why I joined Velvet in the first place. Yet he had status on a whole different level than a reporter in Raleigh. His platform garnered national attention. So while he’d been rude, I could let that go.
As long as he didn’t let it happen again.
We reached his car and he opened the door to his large white SUV. “You’re nervous,” I said as I climbed into my seat, the plush leather immediately hugging me.
He looked to the doors of the club and back to me. “It’s not you.”
And the worry in his eyes. God, I understood him maybe more than he gave me credit for. “I get it, Gage. Really. Thank you for trusting me with this part of you.”
“I can tell you one part specifically that wants your trust.” He leaned into the doorway and kissed me.
“Later. Soon.”
“Damn straight, little one.” He closed the door, and I shivered from that nickname.
It was so sweet. So perfect.
I buckled up even though we were in the parking lot. Habit and all that, and when we drove around and reached my Explorer, I was planning on hopping out when Gage stopped me.
“Hold up.” He hopped out of his side and met me at the door. “You have your keys?”
I held them up in my hand. “A smart woman always does in a dark parking lot.”
“Good.” He walked me to my car and right as I went to beep the locks, he turned me. I was up against the side of my own vehicle, his body against mine, his hands at my cheeks. His mouth pressed against mine and I opened for him. He kissed me like he’d never taste me again, like he’d gotten a hint of his favorite new treat and needed to order a dozen more.
I kissed him back with equal fervor. My hands at his chest. His arms. I inspected his upper body with in-depth precision. Eventually, my hand landed on his stomach and I pushed him back.
“Wait until we get to my place.”
His grin went wicked, oh so beautifully wicked and sexy and so beautiful I memorized it, tucked it into my memory bank so I’d always have it with me.
“I’ll follow you.”
He opened my door and waited until I had the car on and seat belt fastened before he shut the door and returned to his SUV.
* * *
My apartment was a fifteen-minute drive from Velvet. A newer complex with three stories of apartments. The buildings had walkways in between each individual one but were U-shaped and the shared space in the middle of the courtyard had a large pool, hot tub and a massive outdoor kitchen area. It even had an on-site event planner where there were weekly activities like yoga in the fitness center, Wednesday wine nights, and football game Sundays on the large outdoor screen television.
So far, I’d partaken of few events except for the occasional wine night, but it was a great way to meet neighbors.
It was a great place. Not exactly ritzy but definitely not low-end. It catered to single professionals, and I’d just moved in a year ago.
I’d never been embarrassed to bring anyone to my place, but as we pulled in to the parking lot, the lights of Gage’s Lincoln Navigator following me close the whole time even though he’d put my address into his GPS in case we got separated, nerves lit in my fingertips and traveled to my gut.
This was a guy whose last five-year contract had been over seventy million dollars. Which essentially meant he made more money during one football season than I’d ever see in my lifetime. His clothes were high-end where mine were Target and T.J. Maxx. Heck, even the dress I’d bought to wear to the fundraising gala last week had been rented at a fraction of the cost it would have cost to buy anything.
His SUV alone probably cost more than my annual salary.
And I was bringing him to what had to be a humble abode, probably barely nicer than his college apartment.
The differences in our lives hadn’t registered until I slowed down, pointed at the visitor parking spots of which there were plenty and pulled in to my assigned spot only five spots down.
By the time I climbed out of my five-year-old Explorer, I was tempted to run to my apartment, lock the door behind me, and pretend the last two weeks had never happened. Too bad he was so much bigger than me, and most likely way faster, and he could catch me easily or else I might have tried.
He met me in the middle of the parking lot, arms loose
at his sides, his strides easily eating the space between us. Good gracious, the man was all that and a bag of chips. Frightening in his size and his intensity, and yet his very presence made me feel protected and safe at the same time.
“Hey.” Hey? Might as well slap myself silly and call it a night.
His answering grin made my knees weak. “You get nervous on the way here?”
How did he read me so well? I flipped my keys around my thumb and shrugged. “Maybe?”
“Figured you would. That’s the other reason we’re here. My house is farther away and I was worried you’d back out halfway there.”
My nose scrunched and his answer was to laugh again. “I’m not sure it’s great you think you’ve already got me figured out.”
“Not much to figure out.” He reached for me, took the keys out of my hand, tossed them into his other one and threaded his fingers through my hand. “You want me. I predict you’d get nervous bringing any man to your apartment and at some point on the drive, you realized your home is much smaller than mine and you’re wondering what that says about you. Or me.”
Wow. He was really good. And also, I was holding hands with Gage Bryant. Taking him to my house. My bedroom.
How had the world gotten so insanely awesome and wildly twisted?
“That pretty much covers it,” I mumbled, tucking hair behind my ear and watching my feet as we headed toward the building.
“What floor are you on?”
“I’m in number 212.”
The stairs to all apartments were outside. So I allowed him to read the signs, head the right direction.
“This is a nice place,” he said. He was scanning the area. It was well-lit and the owners and management company did a great job of keeping the bushes trimmed along the first floor. Each apartment had a small, barely big enough to be called a patio or porch, but nonetheless, people tried to decorate them for the holidays. Outside my front door was a five-foot chunk of barn wood I’d painted and stenciled at a ladies’ wine and craft night with Amanda last fall. It was white, the letters spelling out Welcome in all caps in a bright teal color.
