Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The last week had been like a dream come true for Josie. She’d never felt so at peace. Of course, she still had plenty of things to stress about…her belongings, Millie and Gen, getting back into the swing of things with her job…but the good far outweighed the bad.
Nate was at the top of that good list. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a guy. He wasn’t perfect, but then again, neither was she. But things between them were fun…and exciting, intimate, comforting, and promising. She felt more at home with Nate in the short time she’d known him than she did with Ayden or anyone else she’d ever dated.
And the more time she spent with both Remi and Wren, the more at home in Riverton she felt. With friends like them, and a man like Nate to spend time with after he got home from work, Josie was falling into a rhythm.
That’s why she wasn’t thrilled with their plans. She and Nate were going to Vegas to pick up the things her landlord had stored. Somehow, she felt as if going to Vegas was going to burst the happy little bubble she’d been in since she’d been rescued. Which was stupid, but she still dreaded it.
Millie and Gen hadn’t let up on the emails. She’d blocked them both, but all they did was create new email accounts to use to harass her. She’d block those too, but the next morning, she’d have another email from one or both of them, telling her what a horrible person she was, how she’d regret killing Ayden.
She hadn’t told Nate about their harassment because it upset him so much. And there wasn’t anything he could do about it anyway. She just had to ignore them until they got tired of their juvenile games and left her alone.
Still, even being in the same city with them made her uneasy. It wasn’t as if they knew she was going this weekend, but returning to the place where she’d met Ayden, where she’d lived before making that fateful decision to fly to Kuwait, felt as if she was entering the lion’s den. Like she’d somehow get sucked in and wouldn’t be able to leave.
“Breathe, Josie. This’ll be fine.”
Josie smiled at Nate. She wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.
“Did you see Remi’s latest cartoon?” he asked as he put an overnight bag in the back of his truck. They were driving up to Las Vegas today, spending the night in a fancy hotel on the Strip, then going to her old apartment complex tomorrow morning, loading up the trailer he’d rented, and coming back to Riverton. She would’ve preferred they do it all in one day, but since he’d be doing most of the heavy lifting, literally, and it was at least a five-hour drive, she didn’t him want to overdo it.
Josie nodded. Remi’s latest Pecky the Traveling Taco featured Pecky at a night club. He was so exuberant on the dance floor that he lost most of his filling, leaving him feeling naked with only the meat in his shell. But then Latrice the Lettuce Leaf came forward and enveloped him in a big hug, covering him up.
It was a nod to Wren, and what happened to her at Aces Bar and Grill. Josie had been appalled to learn that she’d been drugged by a blind date, and everything that had happened after that, but happy that everything had worked out, especially between her and Safe.
“Are you worried about the drive?” Nate asked, turning to her.
Wishing she was better able to hide her trepidation, Josie shook her head.
“Your stuff? We have no idea what your landlord actually kept or how he packed.”
She shook her head again.
“I don’t ask you this very often, but…talk to me, Josie. Tell me what I can do to make you feel more at ease. You want me to call Preacher and see if he can go with me instead? You can stay here. I’m sure Remi or Wren would be happy to come over and keep you company.”
“I’m just not a fan of the city. I don’t like the person I was there.” It wasn’t the best explanation, but it was all she had at the moment.
“I can understand that. But you aren’t the same person you were before. What you’ve been through has changed you. You’re stronger, maybe more cautious, and much more in tune with what you want out of life. You’re amazing, Josie. And I’m proud to know you.”
That felt good. Really good.
She walked toward him and put a hand on his chest to steady herself as she went up on her tiptoes. Thankfully, Nate understood what she wanted and obliged, bending down so she could reach his lips.
“Thank you for driving. I packed extra Cheetos, just in case.”
He chuckled. “A woman who knows what I like. Every man’s dream,” he teased.
Josie blushed. She wasn’t sure about that, but yes, she did know what Nate liked. Fast showers, her lilac lotion, the really bad-for-you cheesy snacks, fresh strawberries, thriller books and movies, and he had a weakness for Italian food.
She also knew he didn’t like to sleep with many clothes on, and that he always stuck a leg out of the covers in the middle of the night. And when she rolled away from him, he always cuddled up against her back, spooning her. He hated alarms in the morning and usually woke up before it went off. He had an aversion to being late, and he was an exceptionally loyal friend. He didn’t say much around them, letting others do more than their fair share of holding up the conversation, but at home with her, he was a chatterbox.
Yes, it was safe to say that she knew what Nate liked. Except when it came to intimacy. She wanted to know that stuff too. So badly it almost hurt. But she was afraid to make the first move. It would destroy her to be rebuffed.
Even though she was pretty sure he wouldn’t turn her down. Not if the way they made out every night was any indication. But he was still holding back, and that confused Josie. Made her think there must be a good reason why he wasn’t moving their physical relationship forward, beyond his insistence he didn’t want to rush her. It was enough to make her second-guess her role in his life.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” he asked.
Josie felt herself blush. If only he knew. “Nothing much. The trip,” she lied.
“It’s going to be fine. Safe said anything we didn’t want to keep here, he’ll store for you. And it’s actually better that your landlord gave away your furniture, because then we really would’ve had to rent a storage unit or deal with selling it ourselves.”
He spoke as if her living with him was a permanent thing. Josie wished with all her heart that was the case.
After helping her into his truck—he still hadn’t gotten a step stool for her, not that she wanted one; she wasn’t a kid, even though she was as small as one—he got behind the wheel of his truck and they headed out of the parking lot toward the interstate.
Secretly, she liked that Nate manhandled her into his vehicle. Was glad that he still could. During her short couple of weeks in California, Josie had already gained back a lot of the weight she’d lost. It felt good to be able to look down at herself and not see her ribs or hip bones sticking out. She’d never been a big person and didn’t plan on becoming one now, but she’d needed to put on some weight, and she felt healthy. Strong.
They’d been driving for thirty minutes and were out of the worst of the traffic when Nate asked, “Will you tell me more about yourself? Your mom, your life before we met?”
Josie looked out the window at the scenery going by and sighed. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to tell Nate about her family, it was just painful.
Better to get it out fast. Like taking off a Band-Aid. Thankfully it was more and more easy to talk every day. To Nate, at least. She still got tongue-tied around others, but with him, she had no problem talking anymore.
“My mom was great. Single mother, worked hard to give me anything I needed. My senior year of high school, she got sick. Thyroid cancer. She fought hard, but it spread too fast. She died a month before I graduated. There was no money for me to go to college, so I started doing what I was good at…typing. I did a bunch of random jobs, along with waitressing a little, and managed to get an apartment. I worked from home a lot, so I found it hard to make friends. I went out with some of the other waitresses now and then, and met a few men here and there, who I had relationships with. They never lasted though.
“Then I met Ayden. He was with some buddies on the Strip when we met. He was stationed at Fort Irwin, just across the California state line, but his family lived there in Vegas. I really liked him, and I thought he liked me too. Things got serious fast. He emailed a lot, told me things I wanted to believe…I think because I was lonely. He came to Vegas to see me as much as he could.
“Eventually though, it felt as if he was just using me for a place to stay when he came to town to party with his friends, because he didn’t want to stay with his mom or sister. I started to question whether he really liked me or if I was just convenient for him. When he was deployed this last time, he told me how much he’d miss me, and he kept emailing, saying all the right things. But by then, I was pretty much done. Especially when I got an email from someone in his platoon…warning me that he was screwing a woman they worked with. You know the rest.”
Nate was frowning, and he held out his hand, palm up. Josie took it.
“He was an idiot,” he said firmly. “And I’m sorry about your mom.”
For some reason, those six simple words coming from Nate meant more than all the other sympathies she’d received in the years since she’d passed.
They sat like that as they continued northeast through the state on I-15. Gradually the landscape turned barren and brown, but that had its own sense of beauty. They passed Barstow, then Baker, which boasted what it proclaimed was the world’s largest thermometer. The traffic got a little clogged up outside the Nevada state line but cleared again not too long after that.
The five-hour trip had gone by fairly quickly, and even though she and Nate didn’t talk about anything heavy after her story about her mom and Ayden, Josie still felt as if she’d somehow gotten to know him a little better anyway.
Maybe it was watching him down Cheetos like a toddler, or threatening to wipe his cheesy fingers on her, or smiling as a little girl in a car they passed waved at them. He was so easy to be around, which made Josie relax. She also had complete confidence in his ability to get them to their destination safely. Hell, he’d gotten them out of that prison cell and into the chopper, and through the mountains of Iraq, and back to California. Why wouldn’t she trust him behind the wheel of a vehicle?
He pulled into the parking garage of the hotel where they were staying and turned to her with an apologetic look. “I would’ve valeted, but with the trailer, I’m thinking that wasn’t the best option.”
“It’s fine,” Josie told him.
“Stay put, I’ll come around,” he told her, as he always did when they drove somewhere together. Josie had stopped trying to convince him that she could get out of the truck without his help, since she loved having his hands on her, so she waited until he walked around the truck and opened the door. Like always, she gripped his forearms as he lifted her out of the truck. But he didn’t immediately let go as he stared at her.
“I would never take advantage of your giving nature,” he said seriously. “I love how you take care of me. Coming home to you at the end of the day is something I never thought I’d have. But you aren’t in my house because I want someone to cook or clean for me. It’s because I want you there. And I’m falling for you, Josie England. If that scares you, or if it isn’t something you want, you need to tell me now…and I’ll do my best to back off.”
She shook her head immediately. “No.”
“No, that’s not what you want?” he asked.
“No. It doesn’t scare me, because I’ve already fallen for you , Nate Davis.” For a split second, she wondered if confessing was the right thing. The worry about what people would say, would think, that they were moving too fast, sprang to mind…but when she saw the smile on Nate’s lips, she pushed those thoughts away. They weren’t moving too fast. She knew this man, as well as he knew her.
“Good.”
Good? That was his only response?
Josie watched as he reached into the bed of the truck and grabbed the bag he’d thrown there before they’d left. He’d insisted on putting her things in with his, saying that since they were only going to be staying one night, it was silly to bring two bags. Then he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side as he started walking through the parking garage.
Josie had questions. Lots of them. But she just put her arm around his waist for now. Questions could wait. With Nate by her side, it was enough that she felt as if she could slay any demons that might rear their ugly heads here in the city she’d dreaded returning to.
Blink wanted to pick Josie up, throw her over his shoulder, carry her off to their room, lock the door, and not come out for days. But he forced himself to act as normal as possible.
She’d fallen for him. That’s all he needed to hear.
Josie would be his tonight. She already felt as if she was his, but he wanted to show her with his body how much he revered her. How amazed he was that she’d chosen him. There were better men out there, of that he had no doubt. But they wouldn’t love her like he could .
Love.
He should be freaked out by that word. But after observing Kevlar and Safe with their women, he wasn’t afraid of the emotion. Not anymore. Not after he and Josie had survived something horrific together.
Blink wanted to show her without words how much she meant to him. How she was the most important person in his life now. More than his SEAL team. More than his father. More than his twin. Tate would understand. Would probably be jealous. But he’d also be thrilled for them both.
They stood in line to check in, and Blink wrapped his arms around Josie from behind and urged her to lean against him as they waited. When it was their turn, he quickly got them checked in and took the key from the woman behind the counter. Getting to their room was a little complicated, and Blink winced as they walked through the loud, smoky casino to get to the elevator that would take them up to their room.
He felt Josie sidle a little closer as they passed a group of men who were obviously drunk and laughing a bit too loudly.
“Almost there,” he reassured her, steering her into an elevator.
“Everything seems so…busy,” she mumbled against him as they rode up to the twenty-second floor.
“That’s because it is,” Blink agreed. “At least here in Vegas.”
The hallway was empty when they got off the elevator, and Blink got them into their room without any issues. It was a generic hotel room, nothing too flashy. Two queen beds, TV, small table in the corner .
Blink went over to the window and opened the curtain, letting in the bright Vegas sunlight. They were facing the Strip, and he was glad to see they had blackout curtains, since the lights being on all night would certainly be a detriment to sleeping.
He turned around to make a joke about the lights outside, when he saw Josie standing near the door, looking uncertain.
“What? What’s wrong?” Blink asked, striding back toward her.
Thankfully, she didn’t try to prevaricate. “Two beds?” she asked.
He relaxed a fraction. “I didn’t want to presume anything.”
“But…we’ve been sleeping in the same bed at your place. Do you not like that?”
“No!” Blink said so fiercely, she jumped. He took her face in his hands and tilted her head up so he could look into her eyes. “I mean, yes , I love sleeping with you. I’ve been sleeping better than I ever have. I just didn’t want to pressure you into doing something you might not want to do. Lately things have been a little out of your control, and I wanted to make sure you know you’re in control here. With us.”
“I want to sleep with you,” she said firmly.
“Then one bed it is,” Blink reassured her.
But she shook her head as well as she could within his grasp. “No, I want to sleep with you,” she repeated.
Blink’s heart began beating overtime. He didn’t disrespect her by asking if she was certain and pointing out that she’d been through something traumatic, or telling her they should wait a little longer. Josie knew her own mind. And the truth was, he’d already decided he was making this woman his tonight; her words only made him more eager to show her exactly how much he cared about her.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
She looked confused, but shook her head.
“You want to walk around? Check out the hotel?”
“No.”
“Gamble?”
She took a step closer, making her have to crane her head back farther to hold eye contact. Blink moved his hands to her hips.
“No. I want you , Nate. There’s something about you that called to me from the first time I saw you dragged into that cell next to mine. I feel safe with you. Content. Happy.”
Blink couldn’t even put into words how she was making him feel. As if he was on top of the world. She’d chosen him. Him . If she’d seen the man he was even just a few months ago, she probably would’ve stayed as far away as she could get. He’d been broken in ways he never thought he’d be able to come back from.
But then again, Remi hadn’t been turned off by the shields he’d put up. He had a feeling Josie would’ve seen right through him as well.
“No going back once we do this,” he warned.
“Good,” she answered firmly.
So many things ran through Blink’s mind. How he wanted to take her for the first time. How he wanted to rip all her clothes off and throw her on the bed. But he didn’t want to scare her. Didn’t want to do anything that might remind her of the violence and horror she’d been through .
Grasping her hand, he led her to the end of the closest bed, then turned to face her…and slowly began to strip. He wanted to reassure her. Use loving words. But it felt as if his body was on fire and all his words had turned to ash.
Without a word, she mimicked his actions, pulling her T-shirt up and over her head, shoving her jeans off her hips.
Blink finished undressing before she did and felt not one ounce of discomfort as he stood in front of her without a stitch of clothing on. His mouth watered as more and more of her body was revealed to him. He’d seen her in nothing but a bikini and the see-through cover-up before, but this was way different.
She’d filled out in the short time she’d been in California. Blink had done his best to provide her with lots of protein and nutritious food, to try to help her put on some of the weight she’d lost while in captivity.
Now she stood before him in her bra and panties, and looked up at him uncertainly.
That was unacceptable. His woman should never feel anything but sexy and desirable when she was around him.
His hands went to her hips, and he looked her in the eye as he said, “You are literally the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”
She scoffed.
“I’m not lying.”
“My hip bones still stick out a bit. And my boobs are still flat as a board.”
But Blink shook his head in denial. “Your body is the epitome of strength. If you were any other shape, you might not have survived what you did. ”
As his words sank in, he slipped his hands under the elastic band of her panties. “May I?” he asked softly.
She gave him a small nod, and Blink held his breath as he slid her underwear down her legs. Then he reached around her and unfastened the clasp of her bra. When they were both naked, Blink took in the woman in front of him, from her head to the tips of her toes and back again. Her nipples tightened as he watched, and the sight was so erotic, it was all he could do not to come right then and there.
Excited as he was, seeing her naked made him worry for the first time. She was tiny, and he was…not. His cock was jutting from between his legs, eager and ready to bury itself inside her body, but he realized that he would have to make very sure she could take him without pain. Which wasn’t going to be a hardship.
Blink reached out, grabbed her around the waist, and picked her up. Then without thought, he did what he’d been wanting to do since they’d walked into the room—threw her onto the mattress.
For a moment he was pissed at himself, but Josie just giggled. That small sound went straight to his dick, making a bead of precome leak out of the slit.
Lifting a knee, he started to crawl onto the bed, until Josie began to push at the comforter.
“What are you doing?” he asked, worried she was trying to cover herself up.
“These things are gross. I have no idea who’s been doing what on top of it. At least we know the sheets are clean.”
Blink chuckled. He couldn’t disagree with her. He helped push the comforter down to the floor, then joined her on the mattress.
Without preamble, he pushed her legs apart and lowered himself between them. He could smell her arousal, and it ramped up his own need tenfold. Seeing her slick folds, the evidence that she wanted this as much as he did, went a long way toward calming Blink’s nerves. He couldn’t screw this up. It was too important. She was too important.
Then he was licking her. Over and over. The first burst of her musky flavor on his tongue wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. He went at her like he was a starving man, and she was the only sustenance that could sustain him.
He heard Josie squeak, felt her hands in his hair, but he didn’t look up. Didn’t look away from her pink pussy laid out before him. Blink was so into eating her out, lapping up as much of her juices as he could get, that he barely heard the grunts and groans he was making. He was in heaven, and he wanted more. Needed more.
With rough hands, he grabbed her hips and manhandled Josie until she was on her knees, right over his face when he rolled to his back, his legs hanging off the end of the bed.
Neither spoke as he feasted between her legs. He sucked, licked, slurped…and it still wasn’t enough. Would never be enough. He needed this woman’s essence like he needed air to breathe. He wanted her branded on his soul.
His hands gripped her hips tightly as he ate her out. It was messy, uncivilized, and he loved every second. He’d never been this…unrestrained before. He’d gone down on women in the past, but it never felt like this. As if he would explode if he didn’t feel her orgasm on his tongue .
As soon as he had the thought, he felt tremors start in Josie’s thighs. “Yes,” he mumbled against her. “Come all over my face. I want to taste you on me for hours.”
His words were crude, and not exactly loving, but he couldn’t help it.
Josie began to rock against him, making Blink want to pound his chest like a caveman. He was bringing her pleasure. His lips, his tongue. Him .
He latched onto her clit and sucked. Hard. And was rewarded by a gush of her release. Moving downward, he lapped at her as fast as his tongue could move.
“Nate!” she cried.
Afraid he’d scared the crap out of her, he looked up, past her tiny belly, her tits, to see her looking down at him. But instead of looking freaked out or disgusted by his lack of restraint, she licked her lips and said, “More.”
She wanted more?
He’d give his woman everything .
Blink lifted his head and began working her clit once again. Josie jerked in his grasp, and he tightened his fingers around her waist. Holding her steady as he brought her to orgasm a second time. His cheeks were wet with her juices, and Blink eagerly licked his lips, loving her taste.
It wasn’t hard to pick her up and physically move her yet again, her arousal painting his chest as he eased her down his body. It felt primitive, as if she was leaving her mark on him. At the last minute, right before bringing her down onto his cock, he paused.
“Fuck,” he mumbled.
He heard, and felt, a chuckle move through Josie’s body .
“Condom,” he choked out. Everything within him was screaming to take her. To pull her onto his dick and fuck her hard. But he wouldn’t do that to her, or any woman. He wanted to protect her at all costs.
“Where?” she asked.
“The back pocket of my jeans,” he said between clenched teeth.
He should move. Get up and get the condom he’d stashed there before leaving his apartment. But he couldn’t. His dick hurt so much if he moved even an inch, he’d lose it. Explode. He was on a hair trigger.
Blink forced himself to let go of Josie, and he watched as she got up on all fours to crawl to the end of the bed. The sight made another spurt of precome ooze out of the tip of his cock. He grabbed the base of his dick to stop himself from coming. Josie’s ass was perfect. Small, round, and he wanted nothing more than to take her from behind. Drape himself over her back, surround her with his much larger body, show off his dominant side.
He had to close his eyes, concentrate on anything but the woman in his bed. The taste of her on his tongue made that impossible.
The bed dipped as she crawled back toward him, but Blink didn’t open his eyes. Couldn’t.
When Josie’s small hand wrapped around his dick, his eyes popped open on their own. She was kneeling between his legs now, her gaze fixed on his cock. He watched in hungry disbelief as she licked her lips and lowered her head.
Josie enjoyed sex with the men she’d been with in the past. But nothing had ever felt like it did with Nate. The way he went down on her with such abandon was the biggest turn-on. He acted like he couldn’t get enough of her. His hands held her tightly, not letting her squirm away from him. And when he’d turned and lifted her over him, she’d never felt so feminine.
With any other guy, she might’ve felt overpowered; with Nate, she simply felt…cherished.
After she’d gotten the condom out of his jeans pocket, she’d turned around and swallowed hard at the sight in front of her. Nate in all his beautifully naked glory—she loved that he had freckles all over his body, not just on his face—with his hand around his dick. His eyes were closed and it looked as if he was in pain.
Even as she watched, a bead of precome dripped from the head of his cock, slowly moving down his thick length and onto his fingers. She had the sudden need to taste him.
Reaching out, she wrapped her hand above his own, but her thumb and index finger didn’t meet, he was that thick. Her gaze fixed on another bead of precome at the slit, she leaned down. Eager to taste him, as he’d done to her. Sticking her tongue out, she licked up his essence. Immediately, another bead of precome replaced the one she’d stolen.
So she licked him again.
Nate moaned, and Josie looked up at him even as she lapped at his slit a third time.
“Fuck.”
Hearing Nate swear like that felt like coming home. Which was stupid, but the first word she’d ever heard him say was fuck, so it was appropriate.
Josie loved the feeling of power that she had in that moment. For so long, her power had been stripped from her. And having Nate on his back, with her between his legs, made her feel as if she could do anything. She’d tamed this larger-than-life Navy SEAL. She could conquer the world.
Just as she lowered her mouth to take the entire tip of his cock into her mouth, he moved. Sitting up and grabbing her around the waist, pulling her up and over him until she was straddling his belly.
“Condom,” Nate ordered, holding out his hand. His teeth were clenched, and he sounded as if he was in pain.
Without protest, Josie handed him the small foil packet. He did a little sit up, she felt his abs contract beneath her, and his hands went behind her. She felt him rolling the condom down his length, impressed at how easily he was able to work around her.
Then he lay back down and lifted her to her knees. Using one hand, he held his cock upright, running the mushroom head through her folds, making sure he was good and lubricated. But instead of immediately bringing her down on top of him, he used his cock as a kind of toy, playing with her clit.
It wasn’t long before Josie was undulating her hips, trying to get him where she wanted him the most…inside her.
“You want this?” he asked, sounding a little smug.
“Yes.”
“Whose cock is about to be inside you?”
Josie could only moan.
“Tell me, Spirit. Whose dick are you about to ride? ”
“Yours,” she managed to get out.
“My name. Say my name,” he ordered.
“ Nate . Please. I need you.”
The words were barely out of her mouth before he slammed her down on him at the same time he thrust upward.
It should’ve hurt. Nate wasn’t a small man—anywhere. But all Josie felt was satisfaction as he filled her. She wiggled her hips, and he slipped inside her a little deeper.
“Look at me,” Nate told her.
She met his gaze.
“You’re mine,” he growled bossily. “And I’m yours. Fuck your man, Spirit. Show me how much you want this.”
Josie didn’t need to be told a second time. She immediately began to move up and down on him. He felt amazing. Thick and long, he hit places inside her that no man ever had before. But he wasn’t content to just lie under her. His hands roamed her body, caressing, pinching, playing. She felt sexy, and some of the fear and pain she’d been carrying around since she’d been captured faded away.
“That’s it,” Nate urged. “Fuck me.”
Even his dirty talk turned her on. And Josie had never really been comfortable with that kind of thing in the bedroom. But being with Nate lowered all her inhibitions. Nothing felt awkward or weird with him.
Eventually she realized that Nate had gripped her waist and was moving her up and down with his strong arms. She relaxed into his grip, giving him her body weight, letting him move her how he wanted .
It was obvious he liked her submission, because he smiled, a satisfied, sexy smirk that touched the core of Josie.
Then he effortlessly moved them both once more, rolling until she was on her back beneath him. His cock moved in and out of her in a lazy rhythm.
“You feel so good. So petite, so fragile. But you aren’t, are you?” he asked. “Fragile, that is. You’re strong as steel. Refusing to bend even under the harshest pressure. It’s sexy as hell. I want to give you more. Tell me you can take it. Take me .”
Josie was practically panting. “Give me all of you,” she replied, scoring her fingernails down his chest.
She felt Nate take a deep breath, then he lifted one of her legs and hooked it in the crook of his elbow. He did the same to her other leg, so she was spread-eagle under him. When he pushed inside her, it almost hurt, he was so deep.
But Josie simply moaned. She loved that he was taking her like this. Not treating her as if she were a delicate piece of glass. She might be small, but she could take whatever he gave her. Now and forever.
“Yes,” she hissed.
“I dreamed of this,” Nate said as his cock moved in and out of her body. “Before I met you, I dreamed of finding a woman who could take me as I am. Flaws and all. And there you were. In a fucking stinking Iranian prison cell. Looking feral but beautiful as hell. Mine . I knew it then, and I know it now. I’m claiming you, Josie. All of you. This pussy is mine. This body is mine. Your heart is mine.”
He was pounding into her now. In time with every word.
“And you’re mine. Your cock, every freckle, your heart. If someone ever dares to try to take you away from me, I’ll fight like the feral woman I was in that cell!” Josie didn’t know where the words were coming from, just that it felt right to say them. They stared into each other’s eyes as he continued to fuck her hard and deep.
“One day soon, I want to fill you with my come. Fill this pussy so full, you’re dripping with it.”
Josie’s internal muscles spasmed at his words.
He grinned. “I felt that. You like that thought, huh? You want me to come inside you, Josie?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“ Fuck ,” he swore.
Josie smiled. But the grin faded as he stared down at her. Neither spoke again. Just staring into his eyes felt more intimate than the sex they were having. Then he stopped moving, and Josie moaned in complaint as she curled her fingernails into his back.
He smiled but still didn’t speak. He lifted his hips, leaving only the tip of his cock inside her. She tried to press her hips upward, to take his cock back, but he refused to give her what she wanted.
Then his fingers found her clit. Like with his tongue, he didn’t tease, but immediately began to stroke her hard and fast. She gasped from the part pain, part pleasure he was wringing from her, but he didn’t slow down or stop. He simply continued to stare into her eyes as he flung her over the edge.
“Again,” Nate ordered.
Josie wanted to protest but couldn’t get a word out of her suddenly closed throat. This was…the most amazing se xual experience of her life. And he’d ruined her for anyone else.
As she began to convulse once more, Nate thrust inside her, hard and deep.
A small scream left Josie’s mouth. If she thought her orgasms had been intense before, it was nothing compared to how it felt with him powering through her fluttering muscles with his cock as she came.
He pressed as deep as he could get and held still as he orgasmed.
A sudden regret about the condom he was wearing hit Josie. It was stupid, she should be happy he’d protected her; instead, she felt resentment for the piece of rubber that separated her from taking all he had to give.
Nate collapsed, but he didn’t crush her. Instead, he rolled once more, almost dumping them off the side of the bed. Josie laughed, then buried her nose in the crook of his neck and inhaled. He smelled like sweat and sex. And it was glorious.
She smiled. She’d had a few doubts that she’d be able to please this incredible man in the bedroom, but all her fears had been assuaged.
His large hand ran up and down her spine, holding her against him. She felt his cock soften inside her, but with the way she was lying on top of him, he didn’t slip out. Josie’s inner thighs were soaked, and she felt boneless.
“Are you okay?” Nate asked, in a tone completely different from the one he’d used moments ago. It was tentative, unsure .
“I’m perfect,” Josie reassured him with a long sigh. She felt his muscles relax under her.
“Good. Because I was a little intense there.”
That was an understatement. She hummed under her breath, too wrung out to do much of anything else. She felt more than heard a chuckle reverberate through his chest.
“You should know…” he said, then paused.
Josie forced herself to lift her head to look at him.
The second she met his gaze, he said, “That was life-changing.”
Josie agreed wholeheartedly. She nodded.
“You tired?” he asked.
She nodded again.
“You want a bath? Or shower? Or to lie here?”
“Lie here,” she said without hesitation. “Then a bath…later.”
He nodded, and Josie lowered her head again. Several moments later, she mumbled against his skin, “Are you cold?”
He laughed. “What?”
“We aren’t under the covers. I was just thinking that you might be cold.”
“I’m good,” he reassured her.
“Shouldn’t you…I don’t know…be removing that condom?”
“Probably.”
But again, he didn’t make a move to get up. Mentally, Josie shrugged. She knew if a condom was left on after a guy lost his erection, it could leak or slip off. But she wasn’t worried about pregnancy. She had an implant to protect herself. She hadn’t mentioned it to Nate because he seemed so hell-bent on wearing the condom .
She dozed then, lying on top of Nate as if he were a body pillow. She only woke when she was jostled. Nate had picked her up and was carrying her into the bathroom as if she were a princess or something.
“Can you stand?” he asked.
Josie nodded, but Nate kept his hands at her waist until he was sure she was steady on her feet. Then he casually removed the condom without a lick of embarrassment, leaned over, and turned on the water in the tub. “Stay right there,” he ordered. Before Josie could say anything, he walked out of the bathroom.
He returned less than ten seconds later with a bottle in his hand. He held it up and said, “I brought some bubble bath.”
Josie was confused. “You did? Why?”
“Because if the chance arose, I wanted to pamper you.”
Seriously. He was too good to be true. If this was happening to anyone else, Josie would’ve rolled her eyes and said it was completely cheesy. But since this was Nate, and it was actually happening to her, she felt all gooey inside.
For some reason, she didn’t feel self-conscious being naked around this man. Maybe because he seemed completely unconcerned with his own lack of clothes. Of course, he was a beautiful specimen of a man. His bruises were almost entirely gone, and she assumed his ribs didn’t hurt, especially after the way he’d hauled her around in bed and out of it.
Smiling, Josie stepped toward him as the tub filled. She ran a finger down his chest, over the copious amounts of freckles. “I love these,” she told him, then leaned forward and kissed one. Then another. She would’ve kissed every single one of the small spots, but Nate put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to his. He leaned down and kissed her. Long, slow, and deep. Then he took her hand and gestured to the tub.
“It’s ready.”
Looking down, Josie saw the tub was filled to the brim with bubbles. She also didn’t miss the way his cock was once again hard.
“You want to join me?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Nope. We won’t fit.”
“But…” She gestured to his groin with her chin.
With a smile, he said, “It’s always going to be like that around you. I took you hard, you’re probably sore. I can wait.”
This man. Jeez.
Josie stepped into the tub and settled into the hot water with a sigh. After going so long without being clean, baths were her new favorite thing. And Nate clearly hadn’t missed how many she took back at his apartment.
He braced himself on the edge of the tub and leaned over, kissing her forehead. “Take your time. I’ll just be watching TV.”
She felt bad that he hadn’t been able to clean up first. Blushing a little as she spoke, Josie told him as much.
But Nate simply shrugged. “I love smelling like you,” he replied, before straightening and leaving her alone in the bathroom.
Josie closed her eyes as she soaked in the fruity-smelling bubbles. Nate had literally changed her life. And she couldn’t imagine him not being in it. She hoped she wouldn’t do anything to mess things up between them.