Chapter 45
Friday
Brooklyn
I could feel his eyes on me. His gaze sent goosebumps chasing across my skin. All I could think about was more. I wanted him in every way possible.
But this? I stared at his reflection stalking closer in the glass. I don’t think I’d ever wanted him so desperately. He stopped right behind me.
The top of my dress was pushed down and my hair was everywhere. But Matt was still completely dressed and composed. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up, just like they had been when he’d restrained me at Club Onyx. This was the kind of thing he liked. He was in his element. And I really liked it too.
He put his hand on my lower back, making me arch more. “Spread your legs.” His voice was low and gruff. The way it was when he’d tied me up. Like something had shifted inside of him.
I swallowed hard and spread my legs wider.
“I will spend the rest of my life cherishing you. But right now? I’m going to make you scream. Because you asked. And I like giving my wife what she wants.”
Jesus.Every time he said “my wife,” I swear it made me even more desperate for his cock. I was Matthew Caldwell’s wife. I was his and he was mine. And by the tone of his voice, he was definitely about to make this a night to remember.
“Remember our first kiss in the auditorium?” His fingers gently traced down my spine.
I shivered from his touch. “You mean the one you stole?” I tried to hide my smile.
His fingers ran over the fabric of my dress. “Baby, you gave it to me willingly.”
I swallowed hard. We both knew he was right.
“I missed out on a lot of firsts.” He pushed my skirt up. “But I have a feeling you’ve never had sex when the whole city could be watching.”
I stared out at Central Park. Oh my God. I hadn’t even thought about someone seeing us. We were really high up, but it was dark outside. The snowstorm probably helped obscure us from view too. But… My eyes refocused on the reflection of us. My breasts exposed and my skirt hiked up. “Do you really think someone could see us?”
“I hope so.” His fingers dug into my hips. “I want everyone to know that you’re mine.” He thrust into me hard.
Fuck.I pressed harder against the glass. The new angle felt amazing. Or maybe it wasn’t the angle. Maybe it was the thought of having the whole city watching.
Matt slid in and out, faster and faster.
Anyone could look up and see us. My wedding dress scrunched around my waist and my husband fucking me hard from behind.
“After that kiss, all I wanted to do was bend you over one of the auditorium seats and fuck you so hard.” His fingers dug into my hips. “For teasing me.” Thrust. “Torturing me.” Thrust. “And for saying that I stole that kiss when you were pulling me closer.”
God. “You didn’t steal it. I wanted you. Desperately.”
He slammed into me again.
I thought back to the homecoming game, when we ran into each other in the auditorium. When I arrived back in the city. He’d reclaimed me in that auditorium. I didn’t know that he’d been fantasizing about that ever since our first kiss.
“I always knew it,” Matt said.
“Of course I wanted you to kiss me.” I could barely keep my eyes off him at Empire High. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I’d be able to keep my lips off him either.
“Not just that.”
I stared at his reflection in the window. It made it look like the snow was falling around us, even though we were safely inside with a fire warming us.
“I knew one day I’d make you my wife.” He groaned as I matched his thrust by pushing back on the glass.
He had known. He’d always known. And Matt always got what he wanted. I knew it back then. And nothing had changed. He’d wanted me. He’d wanted a family. And together we were making it all come true. With the whole fucking city watching.
“I was made for loving you,” Matt said.
I felt tears welling in my eyes. Matthew Caldwell had owned my heart since I was 16. Time and distance changed nothing. I still thought of him over the years. It was like he was in my veins ever since I first saw him in the halls of Empire High. “I was made for loving you too, Matt.”
Normally saying something like that would make guilt grip my heart. But I knew how big my heart was. How much love it was capable of giving. And I loved Matt. Fiercely. I always had. And I always would.
“You are so gorgeous,” Matt said.
My eyes met his in our reflection. The crackling fire sent shadows dancing across his features. And I saw it all. Our whole story staring back at me. I saw him washing my cut in the bathroom at that stupid party I was catering. I saw him sitting down next to me in the cafeteria. Him turning around and talking to me in class. Him demanding I take off Felix’s jacket. Him dancing on the homecoming float. Him holding me when I cried every night, missing my uncle. Him proposing. Twice. Him fighting to win me back after 16 years. Him continuously showing up and learning to love the new me. Him sending me 16 years’ worth of yellow roses to make up for our time apart. Him treating my son like his own. Such small moments that would last forever in my heart.
I felt tears streaming down my cheeks.
“Baby.” He slowly pulled out of me. “Did I hurt…”
“No.” I turned around and looked up at him. “You healed me.” Just like Tanner had said he would. If I let him in again.
Matt dropped his forehead to mine. “You healed me. By coming back to me.”
I tried to blink away my tears. “You were right.” I took a deep breath. “I want to cherish this moment.” I slowly unbuttoned his vest as he tilted my chin up so he could kiss me.
Not a rushed kiss like 16 years ago in the auditorium. A slow one. Like we had all the time in the world. And God, I hoped we did. I hoped my curse didn’t extend to him. Because I knew I couldn’t live without him.
He’d always been there. Even when I tried to ignore his existence.
He was my rock.
He was my shoulder to cry on.
He was my home.
He was everything to me.
I pushed his vest off his broad shoulders and undid his tie as his tongue swirled around mine. I unbuttoned his shirt next and pushed it off too. My fingers ran down his six-pack as he somehow managed to undo the rest of the buttons on my dress. I felt it pool around my ankles at the same time I pushed down his tuxedo pants and boxers.
I pulled back from our kiss and looked up at him. I was still getting used to this version of him. For so long, he’d been frozen at 16 in my mind. “I can’t believe we found our way back to each other.”
“It’s fate,” he whispered against my lips.
“But you never deserved to be in pain for 16 years, Matt.” I hated that he thought that. That he’d lived that.
“Maybe I just needed 16 years to grow up to be worthy of you.”
I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. “I was always the one reaching. You were way out of my league.”
He smiled down at me. “Not a chance in hell, Brooklyn.” He took a step forward, caging me in against the glass. “I’m the luckiest man on earth because you chose me.” He ran his thumb along the scar on my stomach. “Twice.”
“I’m the lucky one.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him again. “And I want to make love to my husband.” My husband. I felt a lump in my throat. But I refused to think about the pain right now. I just wanted to focus on him. Because I needed him to know he was wrong. He’d always been worthy of me. When we’d first fallen in love, we were so young. And foolish. We’d both made mistakes. But what mattered was that we were here right now. Together. Forever.
I left my heartache behind as he lifted me back into his arms.
He laid me down in front of the fire again.
“Now, where were we?” He leaned down and kissed my ankle.
I groaned. “Not again.”
He laughed against my skin and sat back. “Then how about you show me exactly what you want.” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me on top of him as he lay down.
I straddled his waist and slowly lowered my hips, letting him sink inside of me. God yes. I put my hands on his shoulders to steady myself as I moved my hips up and down.
At first he let me set the pace. He ran his index finger along the necklace he gave me, and then his fingers trailed down my bicep and forearm, until stopping at my hand. He lifted my hand and kissed where my rings sat. The rings he’d given me.
I shifted my hips and he groaned and dropped my hand. I leaned forward, pressing my breasts in his face.
He mumbled something unintelligible against my chest. It sounded a whole lot like “perfection.” And I couldn’t stop smiling.
His tongue swirled around one of my nipples as his free hand squeezed my other breast.
I started grinding against him, his cock stretching me, claiming me. The heat from the fire made sweat drip down my back.
Matt groaned again. His fingers tightened on my waist and he started guiding me.
Fuck.I tilted my head back. He knew my body so much better than I did.
He moved one of his hands off my hip and his thumb brushed against my clit.
He sat back up, capturing my lips in a searing kiss. And somehow managed to roll us over so that I was on my back now. He thrust into me deeper. Harder. Exactly how I wanted.
My fingers dug into his back as I started to clench around him. “Matt,” I moaned. “Yes! Yes, God!”
He groaned and thrust forward, again and again, emptying himself in me as I gripped him.
Our chests rose and fell as we stared at each other.
I reached up and ran my hand along the scruff on his jawline.
Matthew Caldwell was all mine.