Chapter Twenty-Four
“My flight is booked and I’m coming out to see you! Just two more weeks, sweet pea!” Ivy squealed into the phone, nearly causing me to drop it into the sink full of water.
“How long are you staying?” I asked, scrubbing away at a pot that I believe Anthony used to make scrambled eggs. There was no way I was letting him near the stove any time soon unless he learned how to properly use non-stick cooking spray and correct cookware.
“Just a week. But to tell you the truth, my contract is up with the hotel soon and I think it’s time I start living close to my bestie again. I’m going to look at places to work and apartments while I’m out there.” Ivy seemed excited, and I was happy thinking about Ivy being in the same state as me. While our friendship has not wavered a bit since my move to Chicago, it wasn’t the same. Though, she hadn’t been too happy with me when I told her about the attack two days after it happened. She threatened to hop into a plane right then if Anthony wasn’t going to keep me safe. Even Carol felt awful, saying I would have never been put in that situation if she hadn’t left me there alone.
“How have you been doing?” Ivy’s question pulled me back to the present.
“I’m okay,” I sighed. It had been weeks since the incident. For the most part, things were back to normal, and I was feeling more like myself. There were still times when I was skittish, especially with loud noises, and would wake up suddenly from nightmares.
None of that was an excuse for the sexual back-and-forth Anthony had been putting me through. One minute, his hands would be exploring every inch of my skin, but the next, he would pull away and ignore all of my advances. I was frustrated, to say the least. There was a wetness gathering between my legs even now.
“Any news about that dumbass ex of yours?” Ivy asked.
“No. The police in Pittsburgh haven’t been able to serve him with the restraining order because they don’t know where he’s at, if he’s even in Pennsylvania. Honestly, I don’t care.” I shrugged, scrubbing harder at the burnt eggs. “It’s been months since he showed up here. I think Anthony successfully scared him away.”
“Well, I hope for your sake, something bad has happened to him and he’s gone for good,” Ivy said. I would never say it out loud, but I agreed with her. “I’ll text you the flight details. Call me soon, okay?”
“Of course,” I laughed. “I love your face.”
“Love yours more.” Ivy blew me a kiss, and I returned it.
Just as she ended the call, the sound of the garage door let me know Anthony was home. The door leading into the house slammed closed, a line of expletives following quickly after as heavy footsteps echoed through the kitchen. I jumped, causing water to splash from the kitchen sink onto the floor, keeping my eyes forward while I dropped the dish towel from my shoulder onto the floor to soak up the water.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up as Anthony walked behind me to the fridge, the smell of pine and bourbon lingering in the air around me as I followed him out of the corner of my eye. Anthony pulled out a beer, opening it and drinking half of it before he closed the door. He turned toward me and I looked away, not sure what kind of mood he was going to be in.
“Is everything okay?” I asked softly. All signs pointed to Anthony having had a rough day, and I didn’t want to make it worse.
“Just great,” he paused. “You didn’t have to get those. I would have done them in the morning.”
“That’s what you said yesterday, and the day before that,” I muttered, not sure if he’d hear me, while I put the now clean pan in the drying rack. The chuckle coming from him told me he did. “It’s not funny Anthony!” I whipped around to see he had snuck up beside me. A smile stretched across his face as he placed the bottle down on the counter next to me. He knew just how much it annoyed me that he constantly left dirty dishes in the sink for days at a time.
I turned back around to drain the water from the sink and he moved behind me, warmth radiating from him and setting my skin on fire. His arms around my waist teasing the waistband of my pants with his fingers as he kissed my shoulder. I sighed, leaning into his touches and laying my head back. A shiver ran down my spine when his fingertips brushed over my hips and his lips found the crook of my neck. I pushed against him with my hands gripping the edge of the sink, feeling his hard cock pressing against my lower back.
“Anthony…” I moaned, wanting more and ready to beg if needed. His body froze against mine before he slowly pulled away.
I spun on my heels, pissed that this was happening once again. This time, though, I wasn’t going to just let him walk away. Our gazes locked, and it became a stare down, each of us waiting for the other to break.
It was me.
I shoved at his chest, wanting some kind of reaction from him. When he didn’t, I tried again, and this time one of his hands wrapped around both of my wrists, pulling me close to him and pinning them against his chest. He dipped his head close to my ear, the rough stubble on his jaw rubbing against mine and sending electricity down my spine.
“You do not want to do this right now,” he growled. His tongue flicked at my earlobe as if he couldn’t help himself and I was once again putty in his hands. As quickly as he started, he stopped. Anthony pressed his forehead against mine, our breathing the only sound in the kitchen.
“What if I do?” I whispered.
“I can’t—,” he started, pulling away to look down at me, but I cut him off.
“Let go of me,” I demanded, my voice surprisingly steady with the amount of emotions flowing through me. He immediately dropped my wrists, taking several steps back with his head down, refusing to look at me. Anger was rising in my chest, the constant rejection from someone who weeks ago worshiped my body finally causing me to snap.
“What the hell, Anthony? Why are we doing this back-and-forth dance after everything that has happened? Did you finally realize I wasn’t worth the trouble?” His head snapped up and his eyes found mine once again. They darkened, a warning to stop, but I needed to say this.
“The last three weeks have been nothing short of torture, having you touch me in all the right places and then having you pull away as soon as things start getting good. You have been treating me like I’m going to break at any second. I’m not some fragile flower, Anthony. Do you regret what you did? Cause I sure as hell don’t. If you don’t want to do this, if you don’t want me, then say it cause I can’t do this anymore.” I was yelling by this point, my chest rising and falling angrily as I let out all the emotions I had bottled up for the last three weeks. Anthony didn’t move the entire time, his gaze fixed on me. Irritation replaced the anger that had been coursing through my veins.
“Message received. If you don’t need anything else, I’m going downstairs before I start throwing dishes.” I rolled my eyes as I turned to leave the kitchen. Anthony stopped my retreat by stepping in front of me. “Move, Anthony.”
“Did you just roll your eyes, luce mia?” His voice was as intense as his stare.
“And if I did?” Don’t do it Gwen. Don’t poke the bear. “Nothing you can do about it.” I poked the bear. The glint in his eye and every instinct in my mind told me to run. But I was frozen in place by all the thoughts of what I wanted him to do.
He stalked toward me, and before I knew what was happening, he had me pinned against the pantry cabinets, my ass pressed against the door with his arms on either side of me. “Maybe I need to fuck that attitude out of you.”
“Anthony, I—” I whimpered, his hands on my hips distracting me.
“Is that what you want, Gwendalyn?” One hand was traveling up my stomach, the other was still planted solidly on my hip. “You want to be my good girl?”
“Please.” I reached my arms up to wrap around his neck. In a flash, one of his hands had both of mine pinned above my head against the cabinet.
“Fuck,” he pressed his nose against my throat as he spoke, “I shouldn’t want to do this so much. I’ve tried to stay away, to give you space after the assault. But the things you make me want to do to you.”
“I don’t want space. You make me feel things I never knew I could. Please Anthony,” my voice a desperate plea at this point, “Touch me.”
“Because you asked so nicely.” He pushed my legs apart with his knee while his tongue was warming up on my neck. I was so far gone I barely registered his hand on my hip, moving as his fingers teased into the waistband of my leggings. My breath hitched when they slipped lower, past my upper thigh until they found my center. “You’re so wet, luce mia. Is all of this for me?”
All I could do was nod my head as his expert fingers moved my own wetness to my clit and began circling the little bundle of nerves. He expected me to talk right now? It only took a few seconds of his expert touch before I was practically melting into him. As my head fell back against the door, Anthony took the opportunity to nip at my exposed neck.
That’s all it took for an orgasm to overcome me. I closed my eyes and my attempt at staying quiet so Oliver didn’t wake up was quickly forgotten as a moan escaped from my throat. Anthony quickly claimed it by covering my mouth with his as his fingers continued their assault on my clit, drawing out my orgasm. Between his fingers and mouth, I barely registered the fact that his body was pressed against mine, until his hard length was pressed against my stomach.
“You feel that? You do that to me.” He pushed harder into me as he withdrew his hand from my leggings. I whimpered at the loss, wanting him to continue fucking me with his fingers, not stop.
“Anthony, don’t—” My protest was quickly silenced as he released my hands from above my head and lifted me up against his body by grabbing onto the back of my thighs. I gasped as he turned us around and placed me roughly on the kitchen island.
His eyes were now level with my unconstrained breasts, a fact he seemed all too aware of as one of his hands slipped under my shirt until he found my pebbled nipple and began rolling it between his fingers. Just as I began to moan my approval, his mouth was on me again, his tongue not hesitating to explore every inch of my mouth. His free hand was on the back of my neck, sliding up into the base of my hair, before he fisted it. All the sensations were putting my nerves into overdrive. I was getting closer to the edge, but something was holding me back.
“Anthony, please. Touch me again.”
“I’ll do one better. I want to taste you again.” He pulled his mouth away, taking my bottom lip with him as he gave it a gentle bite, moving his hand to free my other breast and giving it the same attention. “Lift that perfect ass of yours up or I’m going to have to buy you a new pair of pants. I’m too desperate of a man right now.”
I groaned as I positioned my hands on the island to push myself up. Then I froze.
Sensing my hesitation, Anthony stopped and withdrew his hand from my shirt. “Are you okay?” His eyes were laced with concern. “Fuck, I went too far.”
“No, NO!” I quickly fisted his shirt and pulled him closer to me. “It’s just, I’m not wearing cute panties or anything. Not to mention I’ve been chasing around Ollie all day. This isn’t sexy. I’m not sexy. This is—”
As if offended by my words, Anthony scoffed. In a blink of an eye, his hand was holding on to my throat, just below my jaw. The pressure from beneath pushed my head up so I could no longer see what he was doing.
“Now I’m only going to say this once, so listen very closely. I will not tolerate anyone talking bad about what’s mine. That includes you.” Shifting my head to the side, he marked a path from my collarbone to my ear with his tongue. “I don’t care if you’re wearing lace underwear or granny panties, it doesn’t matter. Because it’s all going to look the same, in a pile on my floor.”
Goosebumps began to form on my neck as he moved my head so I could look him in the eye. “Lift up so I can claim what’s mine, luce mia.”
As I shifted my hands back down to the island to lift myself up, he let go of my throat, moving to slide both of his hands under my ass and into the waistband of my leggings, swiftly pulling both them and my underwear off in one motion. I gasped at the feeling of the butcher block on my ass. I didn’t have much time to process it before Anthony had a hold of my knees and was pulling me toward the edge while spreading me wide. Positioning himself in the middle, he lowered himself down to one knee with hunger in his eyes.
I grabbed the edge of the island to keep myself from falling as Anthony moved his head to get his first taste. Swiping his tongue up between my lower lips, I gasped when he barely brushed my clit with the tip.
“Fuck Gwen, you taste even better than I remembered.” Plunging his tongue back toward my pussy, he began his assault on my body. His hands made their way up to my thighs, giving him the leverage to spread me even more. My back arched in an attempt to press myself into him.
“This pussy is mine.” He moved his tongue slick with my wetness back up to my clit. As he flattened his tongue to press against it, he moved his hand to position a finger at my entrance.
“Oh God, yes,” I sputtered, attempting to push my body onto his finger.
“No God here, luce mia, only me. Now tell me, do you want my fingers inside of you again or should I keep teasing you with my tongue?” He lazily flicked his tongue over my clit several times, making me squirm with need. What kind of question was that? I continued my sad attempts to force his fingers inside me. His hand on my thigh tightened its grip, and I gasped. “Words, Gwendalyn. I need words,” he growled.
“Your fingers! Your fingers, please!”
“Good girl.” He roughly shoved a finger inside of me as he sucked my clit in between his teeth. Immediately, he pulled out, plunging two fingers all the way in, curling them to hit that spot deep within. All it took was one, two, three strokes and I was spiraling.
My head hung back as I drew my bottom lip in between and bit down to stifle the scream threatening to escape. The force of my orgasm caused me to see stars. Anthony continued pumping in and out of my pussy, not stopping until he had licked up every drop of arousal.
Blinking away the stars, I looked down at him just as he withdrew his fingers and slipped them into his mouth. “I’ll never tire of this taste,” he grinned down at me. My heart was hammering so hard in my chest I was certain he could see. Standing, he grabbed a clean dish towel from a drawer, then wet it at the kitchen sink and returned to his spot between my legs. Kneeling once more, he cleaned me up as I sat happily sedated, watching him work. I had never been taken care of after any sort of sexual intercourse and a lady could get used to this kind of treatment. Standing up, Anthony gently grasped my chin between his thumb and finger, pulling me toward him. He gently kissed my lips and once again, I couldn’t help closing my eyes and melting into him. I didn’t want this moment to end. I wanted him to take me up to his room and have his way with me.
Gently, he pulled away. His hands found my waist and he lifted me off the counter and placed me on my feet. Bending down, he grabs my discarded leggings and underwear, handing them to me. I stared at the clothes in his hands, dumbfounded.
“Gwendalyn, I can’t be gentle anymore,” he shook his head, “and you deserve that. You deserve better than me.”
“Stop, I thought we already established that I am not some breakable thing. I want you, all of you. So give it to me.”
His eyes darkened once more and I could have sworn I saw him smile. Before my next breath, Anthony had me thrown over his shoulder and walked through the house to the steps. I wiggled in his grasp, ready to protest being manhandled, but was quickly silenced by a smack on my ass.
“Anthony!” I gasped, sincerely hoping I hadn’t woken up Ollie.
“I’m in charge, luce mia. If I want to throw you over my shoulder and smack this ass, then I will. Plus,” he paused, slipping his hand in the space where my lower body rested on his chest and between my legs, “it would seem that you enjoy this.” His fingers had found the pool of wetness that had quickly gathered, and I cursed my body for betraying me.
I closed my eyes as he slipped a finger into my center, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from moaning out loud as my sensitive core shuttered from the contact. My eyes opened when my ass made contact with the mattress. Anthony had discarded my clothes by his feet and was looking down at me with a darkness in his eyes.
“Last chance, Gwen,” he said. “We do this, and I am never letting you go. You’re mine, to cherish and protect until my last breath.” His declaration depleted the air from my lungs as he continued.
“I want you, more than words can explain right now, but I will always put your safety above all else. So if anything gets to be too much, you say stop and I will. No questions asked. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
A fierce hunger joined the heat in his eyes. I squeezed my thighs together as he stalked toward me and grabbed my chin. Tilting my head up, I resisted the urge to squirm under his heated gaze.
“Good girl. Now, luce mia, take off your shirt. I want to see those perfect tits.”