Starts With a Bang (Redemption Ridge #7)

Chapter Eleven

Sven

I launched myself into Dom’s arms as soon as he shut the bedroom door. He stumbled from the impact but remained upright. Gripping my ass, he hauled me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Our lips met in an all-consuming kiss that stole my breath and my restraint. My holiday goodwill to all evaporated as soon as Dom’s wicked tongue rasped over mine. Come hell or high water, I was going to have this man and the new beginning he promised me. Dom took several steps toward the bed but then stopped and backtracked to the door. I pulled my mouth away and searched his gorgeous green eyes.

“Forgot to lock it.” Dom released my ass long enough to correct his oversight, but he didn’t immediately start toward the bed afterward.

“Good thinking. I adore Helen, but I won’t be held responsible for my actions if she interrupts us again. I want that do-over you promised.” Waggling my brows, I slid my hand into his hair to massage his scalp. Dom’s eyes drooped, and his lips parted on a moan. “I’m going to do you over sooooo good.” I bounced in his embrace. “Take me to bed before someone comes looking for us.”

Dom chuckled as he carried me to the bed and deposited me onto the mattress. “Don’t worry about interruptions. They have plenty to talk about and won’t even notice we’re missing.” Dom crawled onto the mattress, and I scooted back to make room for the rambunctious activities I had planned.

“Good.”

Dom positioned himself between my thighs and kissed my neck. “So good.”

I closed my eyes and willed my brain to think only of the way this man made me feel. No thoughts about family—his or mine. Just the feel of his lips on my skin. The weight of him on top of me. The way arousal made my dick swell. But my brain had a mind of its own and wouldn’t fully relax into the moment. It felt like there was unfinished business or something I needed to say to make this a true do-over. But Dom and I had talked everything out. A dawning pierced through my lust daze like the sun dispersing a thick fog. The light grew brighter and wouldn’t be denied. With a resigned sigh, I gripped Dom’s shoulders to halt him.

He raised his head and looked down at me. Arousal and confusion wrestled for dominance in his green gaze. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re claiming this as our fresh start, right?”

Dom nodded as confusion seized control of his expression. “You don’t want that?” He shifted backward as if to move off me, but that was the last thing I wanted.

“I want our fresh start more than anything.” I tugged Dom back into place, and he relaxed against me until I spoke again. “It’s just, I think we need to come clean to someone before it can happen.”

Dom groaned, and I didn’t stop him when he rolled off me. Flopping to his back, he stared at the ceiling. “I suppose you’re right. But I don’t wanna.” He’d said the last bit in a pouty voice that made me smile.

I rolled to my side and nestled closer, resting my head on his shoulder. Dom wrapped an arm around me and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I mean, we could have fresh-start orgasms to take the edge off,” I suggested. “Then we can call Kerry to fess up.” I pursed my lips and pretended to consider the situation. “That might require us to have another round of do-over sex.”

Dom turned onto his side to face me. “We’re going to redo the do-over?”

I shrugged. “Why not? It’s Christmas. Calories don’t count, and we can have as many fresh starts as it takes until we get it right.”

“Sounds like Groundhog’s Day ,” Dom said. “I sure as hell don’t want to relive this day over and over.” He leaned in and lightly kissed my mouth. “Let’s do this right so I can have you all to myself. I want to experience new things with you, not replay the same things.”

I bolted up, scooted toward my nightstand, and retrieved my phone from the charger. I pulled up Kerry’s contact but didn’t press any of the icons that would connect us. Dom had propped himself against the headboard in my brief absence. Worry furrowed his brow, and his mouth looked as grim as the first night we met. I crawled onto his lap and straddled his thighs. “You have nothing to fret about.” I kissed Dom until his lips softened beneath mine and the tension eased from his muscular body. My phone slipped from my hand and fell to the mattress, but I didn’t care. I needed Dom to know that I was his, no matter how Kerry reacted to our news. “We don’t even have to tell him that his cockblocking attempts two years ago didn’t work,” I said. “It’s none of his business.”

“We said we wanted a fresh start,” Dom said. “That means complete honesty and accountability. Kerry told me to lay off his brother and…”

“You got laid by his brother instead,” I teased.

Dom winced. “That wasn’t exactly what I’d planned to say.” He kissed me gently. “I’m prepared to take whatever heat Kerry dishes out because I’m not giving you up.”

“One more kiss for courage, and I’ll call him.”

“Just don’t FaceTime,” Dom said. “Your lips are already puffy from last night and this morning and—”

A soft giggle and a growly curse came from the vicinity of the bed. The two distinct voices belonged to people I loved dearly, but they were out of place in the privacy of our bedroom. I’d packed many things for the trip, but Kerry and Keegan were not among them. Jerking away from Dom, I glanced down and saw that I’d accidentally dialed my brother’s number when my phone slipped from my hand. I bit back a groan as I put the call on speaker.

Forcing cheerfulness into my voice, I said, “Oh, hey, Ker and Kee. Merry Christmas!”

Keegan snorted. “It definitely sounds merry on your end.”

My best friend gave me the reprieve I needed. “And how’s your holiday going?”

“Nice try,” Kerry growled. “You didn’t fuck-dial me to find out how our Christmas is going. And you didn’t check in last night like you promised. Guess I know why.”

“But hey, at least we know you made it there safely,” Keegan said. “We won’t keep you—”

“Hang on a damn minute,” Kerry said. “No one is hanging up until I get some explanations.”

The color leached from Dom’s face, and I pressed my lips to his ear as Keegan and Kerry playfully bickered on the other end of the connection. “He’s pulling your leg,” I whispered. “I know what Kerry sounds like when he’s pissed, and baby, this ain’t it. I say we give it right back to him.”

Before Dom could form a response, I thrust my hips forward and released a little moan. A shiver of pleasure raced down my spine, and I nearly forgot this was an act of retaliation.

Keegan giggled, and Kerry gagged. Dom’s face turned the color of a tomato.

“Sorry,” I said without an ounce of apology in my voice. “Can’t seem to help myself.”

“Look, I’ll save everyone the hand wringing and unnecessary explanations,” Kerry said. “I knew this was coming. The two of you can’t take your eyes off each other when you’re in the same room.”

“Sooo, you no longer think I’m the walking wounded who doesn’t deserve your brother?” Dom asked.

Kerry snorted in derision. “Of course not. You weren’t ready two years ago, but you are now. The same goes for Sven. I think you guys are perfect for each other. Why else do you think I suggested the holiday hijinks? Glad to see everything is going according to my plan.”

“Actually,” Keegan interjected. “Sven going with Dom was my idea.”

“But I took the suggestion and ran with it,” Kerry said. “We make a good team.”

“The best,” Keegan replied.

Kissing noises came through the phone, and I disconnected the call. They’d forgotten all about us, but it didn’t hurt my feelings. I was ready to get lost in Dom and leave the rest of the world behind. “It’s time to do you over so good,” I said.

Dom lunged forward, taking me to the mattress in an aggressive move that left me breathless. Mouths met and hands roamed as if touching and kissing for the first time. We used every inch of the bed, rolling here and there to remove one article of clothing at a time until only our underwear remained. I found myself tucked under Dom once more, and I loved the weight of his body on mine.

“Are you sure?” The hornier Dom got, the rougher his voice became. Those three words held enough gravel to pave a road to Denver.

I stroked my toes over his hairy calf. “About us?” I thrust my hips up to remind him of how turned on I was.

The friction provoked a thrilling growl from his broad chest. “About not using condoms.”

I tucked my thumbs in the waistband of Dom’s briefs and shoved them down until they got snagged on his thick erection. “Get these off so you can bury that monster in my ass with nothing separating us.”

Dom pushed up enough for me to ease the fabric over his dick. I shoved his briefs until I couldn’t reach them, then used my foot to take them the rest of the way. Dom kicked them off and sat up to retrieve the lubricant from the bedside drawer. I reached down to remove my underwear, but Dom’s possessive snarl stopped me in my tracks.

“You’re my gift to unwrap,” he said.

Unravel was more like it. Dom took his sweet time working my underwear down my legs, stopping to kiss and nip erogenous places I didn’t know existed. Dom tossed my underwear over his shoulders once they cleared my legs and retraced his kisses back to my throbbing erection. He lay between my thighs with his head hovering where I wanted it, but he was still too far away. I slid my hands into Dom’s hair and cupped the back of his head but didn’t try to get him closer. I was going to savor him cherishing me, and I guess part of that was having Dom look at my bared body as if he were committing it to memory. Or maybe he believed that this wasn’t real.

“No one will snatch this away from us,” I said.

Dom’s gaze snapped up to meet mine. “Promise?”

I massaged his scalp the way he liked. “Promise.”

Dom lowered his head then, taking my dick into his mouth. He licked and sucked as if I were the best thing he’d ever tasted. I didn’t just lie there like a passive participant. I encouraged Dom with words and touch to get the pace and pressure that pleased me the most. He worked me right up to the edge before he eased away. My body trembled with frustration until Dom reached for the lube, and then I quaked with anticipation. Would it feel different without condoms? Would I feel the rush of his release when he filled me? Several more questions floated through my mind, but all thinking ceased when he slicked his dick with an eager fist.

“God,” I said throatily. “You’re going to fuck me like a well-oiled machine.”

Dom’s smirk was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. “Yes, I am.”

Then he used those slick digits to open my ass, first one, then two, and finally three. I propped my ankles on his shoulders, and he rendered me into a pliant pillow princess incapable of coherent speech as he worked them in and out. My cock jerked and leaked precum all over my stomach. Dom dipped two fingers from his free hand into the small pool and sucked them into his mouth. He closed his eyes and moaned as if my essence was exquisite.

“Dom.” His name was a whispered plea for mercy. “Inside. Now.”

He pulled the fingers out of his mouth and turned his head to kiss my calf, never stopping his ministrations in my ass. A finger grazed my prostate, and I saw stars.

“Please,” I begged him.

“Feeling good?” Instead of waiting for an answer, Dom massaged that bundle of nerves and nearly ended the party before it could really start. “Hell yeah, it does.” Dom eased his slick fingers free, and my pucker quivered in protest. “That’s nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you.” His confidence was sexy as hell, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his eyes when he nudged his cock against my hole. Dom thrust forward, entering me in one long, slow motion.

The slick glide of him made me gasp. Sex without condoms felt different, more intense. He was so hot and big, stretching and filling me to the point of pain without pushing me past it. Dom’s lips parted on a blissful moan, and his eyelids drooped halfway closed, but he kept his gaze steady on mine until he bottomed out. Then he broke eye contact to look down at the juncture of our union.

“Look at us.” Dom traced my stretched opening with his thumb as he withdrew, dragging his dick back over my pucker excruciatingly slow. I tightened my clench, ensnaring his fat cockhead before he could pull completely free. Dom bared his teeth like a savage beast and slammed back inside of me. The impact jarred a whimper loose, and I worried he might mistake the sound as distress. I locked my legs around his ass to hold him close and signaled that I not only could take whatever he could dish out, but I also encouraged it.

Dom came down fully on top of me, capturing my lips in a scorching, open-mouth kiss that mimicked the savage fucking he gave me. I touched Dom everywhere I could reach, paying special attention to his ass and loving the play of muscles as he pumped in and out of me. He captured my mouth in a hungry kiss that stole my breath. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, trying to get as close to Dom as humanly possible as he fucked me within an inch of my life.

There’d be no mistaking the sounds of our labored breathing and bodies slamming together if anyone else was nearby, but I was too far gone to worry about something like that. My climax built into a thrilling crescendo as Dom angled his thrusts to pound my prostate. All too soon, the dam broke, and I bit Dom’s shoulder to keep from shouting out my pleasure. My release pumped between us, coating our stomachs. Dom eased back enough to see the mess we made, then sat back on his haunches, keeping his dick buried inside me as he pumped me with shallow thrusts. Strained muscles told me Dom was close. I lazily trailed my fingers through the cum on my stomach and enjoyed the way his jaw tensed. I lifted my digits to his mouth, and he licked them clean.

Dom held my hips in a bruising grip, fucking me long and hard. He panted and rutted inside me, chasing his orgasm, and I couldn’t wait for him to bathe my insides with his spunk. He slammed deep and came on a grunt, then pulled out to finish spurting all over my stretched opening. Dom pumped his cock to make sure I got everything he had, and then he slid his dick back inside me for a few shallow thrusts.

Dom eased his dick free and smeared his release into my quivering rim before he eased back down on top of me. I rose up for a kiss, and he met me halfway. We were messy and sticky, but neither of us cared. The only thing that mattered was the bliss our fresh start brought us. He finally eased back and braced the weight of his upper body on his elbows.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous I almost can’t stand to look at you,” Dom said.

“I’m sweaty and smell like cum. I bet my face is red and my hair is a mess.”

“And you’re still the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.”

I shook my head. “That’s you. So strong and masculine. I just want to burrow inside you.”

Dom pushed off to lie beside me. “You can burrow inside me anytime you want.”

I arched a brow and turned into his embrace. Settling my hand over his pounding heart, I said, “Are we talking about the same thing? I meant I wanted to climb into your body and live there. It sounds like you meant…” I let my words trail off to invite Dom to answer for himself.

“Your dick in my ass,” Dom said.

“You do that?” I asked. Judging people’s preferences was dumb, but I was just as guilty as the rest. “I pegged you as a confirmed top.”

“Pegged, huh?” Dom asked. “Heard what you did there.” He circled my wrist and brought my hand up so he could kiss the palm. “It isn’t possible for you to climb into my chest and live there, but you’ve metaphorically pitched a tent in my heart and took up residence. Why not stake your flag in my virgin ass too?”

Dom’s confession melted my heart and turned the rest of me into a puddle of goo. I still had at least one working brain cell, and it was stuck on Dom’s invitation.

“About that flag staking…”

Dom inhaled and chuckled at the same time. I snagged the water from the nightstand before a coughing fit could ensue, and he downed it in one long go. He cleared his throat. “Crisis diverted.”

“We need to work on breathing exercises,” I said.

Dom quirked a brow. “Into breath play?”

“Hell no. I won’t yuck someone else’s yum, but that’s not for me. I meant mindful meditation. You can learn breathing exercises to calm stress and anxiety.” I chuckled at Dom’s dubious expression. “You doubt it now, but I’ll make a believer out of you yet.”

Dom tackled me to the bed and kissed me. “You already have. And after some recovery time, you can stake your flag.”

“Whose recovery? Mine or yours?”

Dom dug his fingers into my sides, and I flopped around on the bed like a fish out of water. “Was that a crack about my age?”

“No,” I squealed. “I just like to deal with specifics.”

Dom used his size difference to pin me to the bed and learn all the places I was ticklish. The fooling around led to kissing and petting and making out like I’d never done before. I couldn’t kiss or touch him enough. This was the moment I’d happily live in for the rest of my life. But then we discovered our recovery time didn’t take as long as we’d expected. And I learned the art of giving and receiving in a whole new way.

Helping Dom discover previously unexplored pleasures was the highlight of every sexual encounter I’d ever had. Watching his expression morph from uncertainty and discomfort to curiosity and ecstasy was the moment I wanted to relive forever. I loved him with my mouth, hands, and cock until I coaxed a powerful orgasm from him. No barriers. When I came inside Dom, I staked that metaphorical flag and dared anyone to take him from me. I collapsed onto his chest afterward, and he wrapped his arms around me. His heart pounded beneath my ear, and his pucker flexed around my softening cock. I knew true contentment for the first time in my life.

“So worth fighting for,” I whispered.