Chapter 35
Chapter thirty-five
Kate
Not sleeping and not fully awake, I found myself in that blissful state where you knew you were dreaming.
And what a fantastic dream it was.
Tristan’s clever fingers toyed with my nipples, tweaking and pulling while his other hand worked between my legs. Even in my dreams, this man was so skilled at making my body sing, it didn’t take long for those delicious tingles to ripple across my skin.
“Fucking hell,” dream Tristan murmured. “You’re already close.”
I was. So freaking close that when he withdrew his fingers and pushed them back in, my entire world exploded.
Stars sparked behind my eyes as I screamed his name. The hand on my breast shot up and covered my mouth.
“Shh. We don’t want to wake Millie up just yet.”
My eyes flew open, and I realized, with shock, that it hadn’t been a dream at all.
“Good morning, baby.” His hot breath blew over the back of my neck. His fingers slowly slipped in and out, prolonging my orgasm. “I’d apologize for being unable to help myself, but you feel too damn good to be sorry.”
I hummed or maybe it was a moan, I couldn’t be sure. Behind me, he chuckled.
“Give me one more?”
Thinking he wasn’t done exploring between my legs with his skillful fingers, I nodded eagerly. But instead of continuing his delectable torture, he withdrew completely. With a protest ready, I scowled over my shoulder.
Until I saw him.
Sitting back on his heels, hand wrapped around himself, he stroked up and down. Gosh, he was a masterpiece. The way his inked muscles rippled and popped. The sharp edges of his jaw. The intense look in that dark, dark gaze.
“On your front,” he commanded. “Ass up.”
I was very grateful I’d been too tired to put my pajamas on the previous night. It made it so much easier to do as I was told.
“Perfect.” His hand smoothed up one cheek then down the other. “Fucking perfect.”
His touch disappeared. One, two seconds ticked by then smack. That big palm landed on my skin. Tiny stings of pain spread through every nerve ending, and when he caressed the pained spot with the gentlest of touches, a sharp tug of pleasure rattled my bones.
Another one of those needy noises blew over my lips.
“You liked that?” he murmured, spearing his fingers through my hair and pulling at the roots. “Didn’t you?”
I couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, couldn’t even breathe.
Another smack landed on the opposite cheek. “Gotta answer me, baby.”
I’d never nodded so fast.
“Hmm.” His low groan crawled over my sensitive skin. “This pretty ass is just begging to be spanked red, isn’t it?” There was no need to answer the question because he went on, voice all deep and growly, “Soon, baby. Real soon.”
His hand lifted again. I squeezed my eyes shut. My blood thrummed with anticipation. But instead of a smack burning my skin, he grabbed my hips. With a bruising grip, he held on and slammed into me with one sure thrust.
My breath caught. Gone was the slow and measured movement he’d used when I’d been half asleep. In its place was the wild, untamed beast that never ceased to rock my world.
He fucked me hard. Driving into me over and over again until my vision clouded, and my body spasmed with another orgasm. The pulses so strong, I dragged him right over the edge with me.
With my name on his lips, he rode out his release with slow, delectable thrusts.
“Holy shit.” He fell forward and peppered my skin with kisses. Along my shoulder, up the back of my neck, my ear, my jaw.
“How have I gone my entire life without this?” More kisses. “Without you?”
Those words. Those freaking words so carefully designed to wreak havoc on my heart did what they were intended to. Thump, thump, thump it hammered against my ribs at an alarming speed.
Words, big, big words of my own, crawled to the tip of my tongue. I pressed my lips into a thin, tight line to keep them from escaping. I didn’t even know why.
There was no hiding how I felt.
No denying it.
But somehow saying it out loud scared me to death.
Or maybe I was terrified of how fast these feelings snuck up on me. Of how without even realizing it, this man had taken down my walls so spectacularly, there wasn’t even a brick left to hide behind.
More kisses spread across my skin, giving me something other than my scrambled thoughts to focus on. Retracing his steps, his mouth moved from my jaw back to my neck, over my shoulder, and down my spine.
I shivered.
Only he could make me feel so desired and so freaking treasured. It was almost too much to take.
“Come on.” He gently flipped me over and tugged me up by the wrist. “Time to get up.”
“Nooo,” I groaned. My limbs were still mush. “I can’t move.”
His answering chuckle had the butterflies in my belly doing backflips. Goodness, had it always been like this? Had something as simple as his laugh always had this effect on me?
Unaware of my spiraling thoughts, he pushed off the bed and scooped me into his arms. He didn’t speak as he crossed the room into the bathroom. Neither did I. There were too many things to work through in my brain. Too many feelings. Too many fears.
“I can hear the gears turn inside that pretty head.” He put me down and got the water ready. “What’s going on?”
How did I even put the mess inside my mind to words.
“Does any of this”—I waved my hand between us—“seem sudden to you? It feels sudden. Too sudden maybe. I mean we’ve seen each other almost every day for so many years. Why now? Why—”
“Hey.” His hand found mine. Lacing our fingers, he squeezed. Funny how that one simple action always grounded me.
“It feels right.” He’d said it so calm and even, so matter-of-factly. “So fucking right.”
Sliding his palm along the back of my neck, he pulled my face to his. He didn’t kiss me. Instead, he pressed his lips against my forehead and held them there.
“I…” He paused and sucked in a sharp breath.
“You mean a lot to me, Kate. I don’t think these kinds of feelings jump up out of nowhere.
It was always there, simmering just below the surface, waiting to be noticed.
” He paused again and drew back slightly.
With one hand still anchored at the back of my neck, he lifted the other and brushed the tips of his fingers over my cheekbone. “You were always there.”
My heart flipped over inside my chest. The truth in his words stole the breath from my lungs. He’d always been there too. He had to be.
“Tristan, I—”
A loud noise filtered through the apartment before the rest of the sentence could tumble over my lips.
“I think our girl is up.” His mouth curved into a wry smile. “I’ll go check what the commotion is about. Take a shower, and when you’re ready, come find us.”
With another peck to my forehead, he slipped out of the bathroom while I got under the warm water and washed up.
Twenty minutes later, I was finally ready, dressed in my favorite T-shirt and denim shorts. I walked out of his room and straight into chaos. At least, that’s what it sounded like. Blaring music and the clang of pots and pans had me taking cautious steps toward the kitchen.
When I rounded the corner, my poor heart couldn’t take the scene in front of me.
Tristan and Millie were having a little dance party of their own. He manned the stove and what smelled like pancakes, while my Millie stood on a stool next to him, her little body moving in time with the beat.
I admired them for a few more seconds before the concerned part of my brain thought of my girl possibly falling and getting hurt. Tristan must’ve somehow picked up on the happenings inside my head because the thought had barely formed when he scooted closer and snaked an arm around her.
The sight of them like that was almost too much. Emotion crawled up my throat, bringing with it a familiar sting behind my eyes.
“Just gonna stand there and watch?” he asked without even looking at me.
I grinned. “Nothing wrong with enjoying the show.”
“Kate,” Millie squealed.
He helped her off the stool, and when her feet touched the floor, she barreled toward me. I dropped to my knees and braced for her body to hit mine.
Like the previous day, the hug was different. The weight of possibly losing her was finally gone, and when I wrapped my arms around her, she felt like…mine. She was. I might not have given birth to this girl, but I loved her as much as a mother could love a child.
“Hey, Bug.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Did you have a good sleep?”
She nodded then abruptly pushed out of my embrace. Turning to face Tristan, she bounced on the spot. “Can I tell her? Can I? Please? Pretty, pretty please?”
His chuckle was loud and infectious, and when he faced me, my jaw hit the floor.
“What is that?” I asked, pointing at his chest.
His eyes, shining bright with mischief, stayed locked with mine for a few breaths before he lowered his gaze. “Just sending a message.” His dark stare was back on mine. “Like it?”
Like it? I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the big white block letters on his black T-shirt.
Back off SUGA, she’s mine.
I was still staring at it when Millie’s annoyed “Tristaaaan,” bounced off the walls.
He chuckled again. “Sure, princess, go ahead.”
“Kate.” Millie grabbed my hands, more jumping in place ensued. “Tristan said he has a big surprise for us. We can see it after breakfast.”
“Oh, yeah?” My attention shifted to him. The way he watched us sent a violent tug through my heart. I’d never seen so much adoration on someone’s face.
That pesky sting behind my eyes was back with a vengeance. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I willed my damn emotions to stay in check. There was nothing to cry about.
“What surprise is this?” I’d meant for the question to come out playful, but there was nothing playful in the way the whispered words fell from my lips.
Keeping his unwavering attention on me, he shook his head. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now, would it?”