Chapter Twenty-Two
“Isn’t that fancy!” Sadie exclaimed when Dom pointed the remote at the gates, and they swung open.
He grinned at her. “Isn’t it? I like it.”
“It suits you.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged happily. “I don’t really know, just that you seem like you’d be more at home in a place like this than at Damon’s house.”
“Yeah, I guess I am. The house in Yuma wasn’t as big as this, but it was nice.” His smile faded. “I still haven’t told you about the money, have I?”
“What money?”
He tapped the remote on the sun visor, and the garage door opened as they approached. “Let’s get inside first.”
He parked in the garage and came around to meet her when she got out. Taking her hand, he led her through the door that opened into the kitchen.
He flicked the light on and rested his hands on her shoulders as he looked down into her eyes. A shiver ran down her spine. She wasn’t as interested in talking about money as she was in finally being alone with him.
She gripped the lapels of his jacket and went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Do you really want to talk about money right now?”
He chuckled as he slid his arm around her waist. “No, but I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while. Do you want a drink?”
She crossed her eyes at him. “I want you.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “I want you, too, more than I can say. I just don’t want you to feel like I’m dragging you off to bed at the very first chance I get.”
“Okay, let’s have a drink then, and you can tell me whatever it is you want to tell me. Then, will you take me to bed?”
He laughed. “You can bank on it.”
She couldn’t help ogling his ass as he got two glasses from the cabinet and then turned to open the fridge.
Her hand came up to cover her heart when he poured two glasses of Bailey’s. “Aww! Thank you.”
He tapped his glass against hers with a smile. “I wondered if I should maybe buy champagne for us to celebrate spending our first night here together. But this seemed like a better fit for us.”
“It is. I love this stuff. I’ll drink champagne, but I don’t really enjoy it.”
He smiled. “Me neither. Anyway, I don’t need to take all night about it, it’s just that until now I haven’t found the right moment to tell you about the money. Damon and I received an inheritance last year. It was a lot of money. Life-changing kind of money. That’s why I didn’t think twice about renting this place. And…”
She swallowed; he’d told her that he was in a great situation financially, but she hadn’t given it much thought. At the time, she’d considered his finances to be none of her business. Now… Now, she didn’t know how to feel about it.
He took a big gulp of his drink and then caught her chin between his finger and thumb as he looked down into her eyes. “… And if you like the idea, I’m thinking that I can rent this place for a year, while I build us a home of our own down on the water – next to Damon and Jo.”
All she could do was stare at him.
“Shit. Have I killed the moment? Should I have waited to tell you all this?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know what to say.”
He leaned in close, and all thoughts fled from her head. He brushed his lips over hers. “For some reason, I felt like I needed to tell you before… You know, before we go upstairs.”
She laughed. “I don’t know what to say, I don’t even understand why you needed to tell me. But now that you’ve gotten it off your chest…” She glanced over at the bottom of the stairs and held up her glass. “Shall we take these up with us?”
He chuckled. “Yes, we should.” He took her hand but then stopped and handed his glass to her. “Here, you take these.”
“Okay,” she said with a puzzled look. “What are you… Oh!”
He’d curled one arm around her back and hooked the other behind her legs. Before she knew what he was doing, he was carrying her up the stairs.
She laughed as they went. “Wow! The first day we met, you were my knight in shining armor, riding to the rescue. Now, the first night we’re going to spend together, you’re sweeping me off my feet and carrying me away to your bed.”
“Is it too much?”
“Hell no! I love it! Keep it up. If I wake up tomorrow and discover that this was all just a dream, it’ll be the best dream I ever had.”
“It’s not a dream, Sadie. This is your new life. You’d better believe it.”
Goosebumps raced down her arms as his lips brushed her ear when he leaned in to add, “I mean it, I want this to be the first night of the rest of our lives, and when morning comes around, I’m going to ask you if you want that, too.”
She tightened her arm around his neck and clung tightly to the two glasses, trying not to spill them. She wanted to tell him that yes, it was what she wanted, but there was so much to take in right now, and in the back of her mind there was still a niggling doubt that he might change his mind.
When they reached the bedroom, he set her back on her feet, and she put the glasses on the nightstand.
“Wow!” She looked around in wonder. “I love what you’ve done with the place!”
“We can change everything if you don’t like it. I just bought what I thought might work for now. I wanted it to look nice for you tonight. I …”
He looked so uncertain. She went to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I love it!”
His arms closed around her, and he crushed her to his chest. “I love you.”
Her heart felt as though it exploded in her chest, she opened her mouth, she wanted to tell him that she felt the same way, but his lips came down on hers. The way he kissed her drove every thought from her head. Reality faded away as she clung to him and kissed him back.
Then, their hands were moving. She didn’t know who started it, but it didn’t matter. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. His hands went to the zipper on her jeans. They only broke apart so that they could tug at each other’s clothes. Her top went flying. He shrugged out of his shirt while she fumbled with his buckle. Within seconds, they were standing naked in front of each other.
She licked her lips; she couldn’t help it. She’d known that he was hiding a lot of muscle under his shirt, but …. Damn! She ran her hand over his chest, the dusting of dark hair soft under her fingers.
“You’re gorgeous.”
Her hand froze when he spoke. She’d been so caught up in the sight of his beautiful naked body that she’d forgotten to feel self-conscious about her own. She swallowed.
“I …”
She looked up, and heat flashed through her veins when she saw the intensity in his gaze.
He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t.”
She swallowed.
“Please don’t say anything to disagree with me. You’re gorgeous. And you’re mine.”
Shivers chased each other down her spine as he ran his hands down her arms and started walking her backward toward the bed.
“At least, I’m about to make you mine.”
She nodded eagerly and climbed onto the bed. He lay beside her, propping himself up on one elbow, and smiling as he traced his fingers down her cheek. She caught his hand and kissed the back of it.
“Before we go any further, there’s something I need to tell you.”
His eyebrows drew together, so she hurried on. “I love you, too.”
His full lips turned up in a gorgeous smile. “You do? I didn’t know if it was too soon to say it, I thought maybe I should wait but … I couldn’t.”
“How could I not? You’re a wonderful man, Dom. You’re better than I deserve.”
He scowled. “Don’t say that. It’s not true. You deserve everything, and I’m going to do my best to give it to you.”
“I don’t want you to give me a damn thing. Just you. Just … your love. That’s all I want from you.”
“You have it.”
She held her arms up to him. “Show me?”
That smile!
He nuzzled his face against her neck. “I plan to.” He captured her lips in one of his intoxicating kisses, and she gave herself up to him. He covered her body with his own, and just the way he felt – the rightness of it, made her feel as though she melted into him.
When his lips left hers, she braced herself, waiting for the moment when he’d enter her. He was a big guy, and it’d been a long time and … And she moaned when instead of positioning himself above her, he kissed his way along her jaw. Tingles raced over her skin when he nibbled her ear, then worked his way down her neck.
She closed her eyes as he worked his way down. He kissed her throat, and heat flooded her whole body when he teased her nipple with the tip of his tongue. When he reached up and curled his hand around her throat as he worshipped her breasts with his mouth, she almost came undone.
He lifted his head, and the lust in his eyes made her writhe underneath him.
He squeezed her neck. “Is that okay?”
She nodded. She couldn’t believe that she didn’t want to swat his hand away.She would never have believed that it’d turn her on so much, but there was no denying that it did.
His satisfied smile as he returned his attention to her nipples made the heat pool between her legs. She started to rock her hips, desperate now for what she hadn’t been sure she was ready for just moments ago.
He let go of her neck as he moved on down her body. When he kissed her stomach, she wanted to pull him back up to her. Dale’s words echoed in her head, and she tried to wriggle away.
His hands clamped her hips still as his hot mouth kissed her inner thigh.
“Dom!”
He smiled up at her. “That’s me. I want to taste you.”
She didn’t have any breath left for words, so she nodded. He spread her thighs with his hands and then his tongue was there, licking at first, then swirling over her clit, tormenting her. Carrying her higher and higher. She grabbed two fistfuls of duvet and then arched up off the bed when he slowly eased a finger inside her. She felt herself clamp down on him. When he added a second finger, she moaned, and when he added a third, all she could do was move in time with him. Her hips lifted to receive him as he drove into her, over and over again.
When he closed his mouth over her and lashed his tongue over her clit, she gasped as she let go. Her orgasm seemed to wash through her whole body at once, lifting her, carrying her away until she felt like she might evaporate. Her legs quivered as he slowly brought her back down the other side.
She lay still, breathing hard. Waiting for whatever came next. She had no frame of reference for this. She remembered describing sex with Dale to one of her friends in Denver. She’d said it was mostly a lot of pushing and shoving, and waiting for him to get finished.
Sex with Dom was something else entirely. She couldn’t look away from his eyes as he crawled back up over her body. When he reached her, he kissed her deeply. She could taste herself on his lips. That wasn’t something she’d experienced with Dale – maybe once or twice back in the early days. With Dom it only added to the depth of their connection – the intimacy.
When he lifted his head, he cocked an eyebrow. “Was that okay? Nothing to say?”
She smiled. “You rendered me speechless. Oh!” Was he waiting for her to return the favor? She slid her hand down between their bodies, but he shifted his hips away from her.
“If you touch me, I won’t last.”
“Are you ready?”
He chuckled. “I’m so ready that I don’t know how good I can make this for you.”
“You already made it the best sex I ever had!”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “We haven’t even started yet. I’ll get a condom from the drawer in a second, I just need to lie here with you for a second. That was incredible.”
“Really? You mean you enjoyed seeing me enjoy myself? Is this one of those things? Because if it is, I’ll forfeit every shopping trip ever and trade them all for more of this.”
He chuckled. “No. I mean yes, I loved seeing you enjoy yourself, but I enjoyed it too. I’m so turned on right now that I’m afraid to move.”
Feeling emboldened by his words, she said, “Then don’t move – not away from me, anyway.” She spread her legs wider, hoping that he’d know what she meant.
“I need to get a condom.”
“Do you? I don’t need it – not for contraception, and not for anything else. Dale and I … not for years. Let’s just say that at my last several annual checkups I knew damn well that I didn’t need to worry about anything nasty in that department.”
He met her gaze. “You don’t want to use one? I don’t need it – I’m the same. It’s been years for me, too … I …”
A lump formed in her throat when he added, “Over nine years.”
She closed her eyes, but he tucked his fingers under her chin. “My old life is in the past, Sadie. Just like yours is. There’s no room for any of it in our bed.”
She sniffed and blinked away the tears that pricked behind her eyes. “Are you sure?”
He nodded solemnly. “I love you. I want a future with you. Do you want one with me?”
“I do, Dom. With all my heart.”
“And that’s what I’m saying – you have all my heart, okay?”
She nodded. “Then make love to me.”
He slid his hand down her side, over her hip, her thigh, then he hooked it behind her knee and lifted her leg. She was wide open to him. He held her gaze as he pushed inside her. She was wet and ready, but he was so big that she felt the sting.
He moved slowly, and a bead of sweat appeared on his brow. “You okay?”
She nodded, unable to form words. Grateful that he was finally there. She gasped as he thrust his hips, filling her, stretching her. Her inner muscles fluttered around him, and he groaned.
“You’re perfect.”
She ran her hand over his hair. “I don’t know about that, but I’d say that we’re the perfect fit.”
He smiled. “Like a jigsaw. We fit together and make the picture complete.”
“Aww! Are you going to talk sweet nonsense to me all night or are we going to do this?”
He chuckled. “I was just buying myself some time. This is going to be fast.”
“Have at it. I already got more than I bargained for.” She lifted her hips, and his eyes closed. She opened her mouth to speak again, but all the air left her lungs when he pulled back and then thrust deep and hard.
She grasped at his shoulders, seeking something to hold onto as he filled her over and over again. Every slide of his hard length inside her sent waves of pleasure crashing through her body. She hadn’t expected to come again. She’d thought that this would be for him. But sweet lord above! He was carrying her higher and higher, and instead of him worrying about it being over too quickly, she was the one trying to hold back.
“Dom!” she gasped.
He planted his hands on either side of her head and arched his back. “Yeah?”
She nodded rapidly. “Yes! Oh my god, yes!”
He sent her flying away again. After one, two, three more thrusts, he held deep and let go. His release carried her higher, and she grasped at his ass, holding him deep. They soared away together. Their bodies gave each other all they had, and in her mind, she could see her heart reaching out and joining with his.
When he finally slumped down over her, she wrapped her arms around his back as they recovered. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her neck, sending an aftershock rippling through her, which made him shudder, too.
“I love you, Sadie.”
“I love you right back.”
“Do you want to be mine?”
She reached up and ran her hand down his cheek. “I already am.”
~ ~ ~
When Dom opened his eyes, it took him a moment to figure out where he was. He wasn’t looking up at the ceiling in his bedroom at Damon’s house. He … he relaxed when it came back to him. He was in his new place.
And the heavy warmth on his chest – that was Sadie. He curled his arms around her, but she didn’t stir. He inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. He felt as though they were there now. They still had things they needed to know about each other. Still needed to get used to each other’s ways, figure out how to be together in the every day, but he knew that they’d get there.
They’d had a long, slow run up, but last night had proved to him that they were right for each other. It wasn’t so much the sex – he smiled to himself as he thought the act itself – it was more about the intimacy. The ability, and the desire to open up to each other, emotionally and physically. She’d trusted him with her body – he’d trusted her with his.
He hadn’t had sex with anyone since Polly, and that wasn’t for lack of opportunity or offers. Some women, just like some men, were only interested in looks, and physical attributes. He’d never wanted to share his body with someone he wouldn’t open his heart to. And until Sadie, he’d thought that his heart would always belong to Polly. He didn’t even feel disloyal anymore. Something had shifted inside him. He still loved his memories of Polly, but she was gone. He was still here, and now Sadie was the one who was here with him. It dawned on him that what had shifted was his loyalty. He waited, but there was no sadness or guilt. It was right, it was as it should be. He loved them both, but Polly was now the woman in his past – and Sadie was the woman in his life.
He turned his head to look out at the lake. He loved that about this house – that he could see the lake right from his bed. He’d known that Summer Lake would be good to him when he first came. He hadn’t known it would be this good, though.
Sadie stirred and he ran his hand over her hair. “You awake?”
“Maybe,” she mumbled.
He chuckled. “Sleep some more if you want.”
She tightened her arm around his waist. “Not sleep, just lie here and enjoy this.”
He kissed her forehead, happy to do just that.
“And by the way? Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
She lifted her head and finally looked up at him. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks were sleep flushed and her eyes were a little puffy – and she looked beautiful.
She rested her elbows on his chest and smiled as she looked into his eyes. “You said that when morning came around you were going to ask if I want this – I’m saying, yes, I do.”
He kissed her. “For the rest of your life?”
She nodded, but he could see there was some hesitation in her eyes.
“But?”
She shrugged. “I do, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I don’t …” She pursed her lips and then hurried on. “Does the rest of our lives mean getting married? Because I don’t think … I mean, I know you haven’t asked or anything, but that’s what the rest of our lives sounds like, and I love you, but I don’t want to … and besides, I’m not even divorced and …”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “Relax.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“I’m glad you feel that way. I was concerned that maybe you would want to get married.”
“And you don’t?”
Even though she’d already explained how she felt, her question made him nervous. He’d been worried how she’d feel when he told her his position. There was nothing for it, he had to be honest.
“I don’t. I love you. I want to be with you – live with you. Go to bed with you every night and find you in my arms when morning comes around, but no. I don’t want to get married. I did that once in my life. Whatever we build, I want it to be something different – something that’s uniquely ours.”
He cringed, dreading the worst, and a wave of relief washed over him when she grinned. “Thank god for that!”
He chuckled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I feel the same way – if not for the same reasons. You associate marriage with what you shared with Polly – and I love that for you. I want whatever we have to be something different – it’s like you said, for there to be no comparison, because everything is just different. And for myself, I associate marriage with Dale – and I don’t want to taint anything that we share with that kind of crap.”
He kissed her forehead. “So, we’re good then?”
“Not just good, we’re great.”
His breath caught in his chest when her hand slid down over his stomach. She smiled as she curled her fingers around his hard length.
“You’re awake, then?”
He nodded. “Wide awake and raring to go.”
She ducked her head under the covers. “I’ll just go and say hi.”
He caught his fingers in her hair as she brushed her lips over his head. He opened his mouth to speak but lost the ability to form words when she took him in her mouth. Instead, he closed his eyes, and laid his head back, as the woman he loved showed him just how much she loved him right back.