Chapter Seventeen
N ot even a cold shower helped the raging hard-on that had popped up at the thought of sleeping next to Delilah. Why the hell had Anthony told her parents he would be respectful? All he wanted to do was climb those stairs and join her in the guest room, stripping her down to skin.
Anthony returned to the large basement room in his pajama pants and a T-shirt. Even though he slept naked at home, he took an overnight bag that included a change of clothes, toiletries, and pajamas everywhere he went in case he ever got stuck somewhere. Delilah wasn’t wrong when she’d called him a Boy Scout. He liked to be prepared.
Although, nothing had prepared Anthony for walking into the basement bedroom and seeing Delilah leaning over his bed in a pair of indecently skimpy plaid shorts, her lush cheeks hanging out the bottom.
“What are you doing to my bed?”
Delilah straightened and turned. Anthony sucked in a breath when he saw the deep V of her shirt, her tits threatening to spill out. Her gaze flicked his way, her eyebrow arched innocently.
“I was just giving you an extra blanket, in case you got chilly.”
Was she messing with him? She had to know those shorts were gloriously hot and enticing, daring him to sneak his hands around and slide them up the back of her thighs until his hands gripped the globes of her ass. Was she even wearing underwear?
Fuck, stop, think about anything else but what she’s got under there.
“I’m going to go to bed,” he said, his voice coming out raspier than normal.
“Sweet dreams,” she murmured, her hips rolling all the way to the stairs and he couldn’t tear his gaze away from that gorgeous ass. “I guess I’ll go take care of myself.”
Anthony’s cock jerked as she shut the door, leaving him with that torturous picture.
Think of something other than Delilah and her pretty pussy.
His father sprawled across his older brothers flashed through his mind and worked like a bucket of cold water.
Thirty years. Before Anthony was even born, his father had been seeing Evelyn. Bradley had filled in the blanks once they left the house, but it was all so unreal. He’d planned on leaving their mom for Evelyn but her pregnancy changed all that. He couldn’t abandon his pregnant wife for a younger woman. What would people think?
Unfortunately, Evelyn grew impatient after ten years and threw out an ultimatum. Either he left his wife or she was done. He’d made the choice but never imagined Rose would fight him on everything. She’d gotten alimony, child support, and the house. Gregory angrily raged against his ex-wife, claiming she’d financially crippled him. When his new wife wanted children, Gregory had to tell her about the vasectomy he’d had after Anthony was born. She’d been furious but hadn’t left.
Until today.
The phone call he’d received from Evelyn tonight had opened his eyes to everything. She’d resented his mother not just for holding on to his Dad, but that she’d had Anthony. Rose had the child Evelyn wanted and instead, she’d gotten Dad, his obnoxious older sons, and their lazy wives. Bradley and Audrey were the only ones who ever treated her as anything more than a cook or maid and they didn’t visit often. The life she imagined had never happened and instead, she’d ended up childless with a bitter old man for a husband.
Anthony wanted to say he could sympathize with her but karma had delivered her just deserts. While Anthony was a firm believer that it took two to tango, Evelyn knew his dad was a married father of four and she still thought he was going to leave his wife and what? Treat her like a pampered princess and give her six more strapping kids?
She’d either been oblivious or in denial to not know what a selfish prick Gregory Russo was.
Anthony lifted the comforter and climbed inside, thanking the painfulness of family drama, the surefire cure to make a man go limp.
He opened his message center and sent Pike a text.
Been thinking about the winter games. Let’s keep it simple. Snowball fights. Sledding or tubing. Activities the average person could do. What do you think?
Anthony sent the text and tapped on his Instagram feed, spotting a picture of Pike holding up the phone in order to get the entire Winters clan in the picture. Seeing his friend’s smiling face made him sick with guilt. He should go home tomorrow and talk to Pike. At least if he faced him like a man and explained everything, Pike might be pissed at first, but he’d get over it. Dragging this out was only going to make it worse.
A text popped up from Delilah and he clicked on it, staring at the picture of her shiny pink labia.
She misses you.
Fuck me.
He texted her back with shaking fingers. Hasn’t anyone told you it isn’t nice to tease?
Three little dots popped up and she responded with Look who’s talking.
I’m not the one sending naughty pics.
No, you’re the one putting the brakes on something we both want.
Oh yeah? What’s that?
Anthony knew he was wading into dangerous territory taunting her but she wasn’t wrong. He was the one denying them both, but Anthony was tired of meaningless sex. He wanted more.
Are you sure sex with Delilah wouldn’t be exactly what you’ve been looking for? You went down on her and it was the most incredible experience you’ve ever had doing that to a woman.
He heard the faint squeak of feet on the stairs and tensed, watching the door open. A sliver of light illuminated the dark room and Delilah, who shut the door with a click, entered, plunging the room into the dark again.
Anthony fumbled with the lamp on the stand next to him and it clicked on in time for him to watch her pull the ponytail holder from her hair and run her fingers through the dark strands. The action raised her large breasts and he noticed her nipples were pebbled under the thin cotton of her tee.
Shit, his dick hardened with a vengeance as she wasted no time climbing onto the edge of the bed between his legs, crawling up the comforter toward him.
“What are you doing?” he whispered.
Delilah’s sexy smile made him swallow audibly. “You asked what we both wanted. I’m showing you.”
His heart thundered in his chest as she straddled him, her lips pressed against the pulse of his neck, and her warm breath rushed across his skin when she murmured, “Also, I’m testing your resolve.”
“Shit,” he said, earning a giggle from Delilah. Her hand cradled the back of his neck as she kissed her way along his jawline, finally brushing his mouth with hers. Delilah’s other hand slipped between them, under the comforter and cupped him in her palm.
“Hmmm, what have we here?”
Anthony took her shoulders and rolled her from on top of him, kicking off the comforter to follow her. Anthony pressed her into the mattress, throwing his leg over her thighs to hold her there.
He slid his hand over the backs of her thighs and glided it over her skin until he touched the bottom of her flannel shorts.
“Oh,” she gasped as his fingers explored past the hem, discovering that Delilah was indeed naked underneath. His palm cupped the globe of her ass and she wriggled against his touch.
“You’re a very bad girl, Lila.” He removed his hand from her shorts and gave her a soft swat on her posterior. She gasped softly and he brushed the hair from the back of her neck. “Did that hurt?”
Delilah shook her head and Anthony pushed up onto his hands and positioned his knees on either side of hers, leaning over to nip at the back of her neck. Delilah jerked in response, arching her back and he did it again, following it up with a flick of his tongue. Her skin tasted clean and carried a subtle floral scent that he couldn’t place.
“I promised that I wouldn’t disrespect your parents.” Anthony rubbed his hard length against the curve of her ass and she whimpered, pushing back against him. Delilah was incredibly responsive, just one more thing that made her nearly irresistible. It took everything in him not to give in, to pull those adorable shorts down and bare her to him. It wouldn’t take much to have her writhing under him, wet and ready for his cock, but there would be no stopping once he started. Delilah tempted him to throw his vow to the wayside, to forget about her parents upstairs, to let the rest of the world fall away and bury himself in her.
“What about me?” she whispered. “Shouldn’t you be more worried about disrespecting me?”
“And how am I doing that, baby?”
“By holding back, you’re telling me I’m nothing more to you than all the others.”
Anthony jerked back like he’d been shot, her words cutting deep. He turned her over so he could see her face, and he saw the tears clinging to her lashes. His heart squeezed, and he brushed the tear away. “Don’t manipulate me.”
She opened her eyes, blinking at him. “I’m not.”
Realizing he’d come off harsher than he meant, Anthony softened his tone. “Holding back is about me and has nothing to do with you. I feel a great deal about you.”
“I get it.” Delilah relaxed into him, smiling softly. “You don’t want to have sex until you fall in love. That doesn’t mean we can’t do other things, right?”
“What did you have in mind, Lilah?” he asked, brushing his mouth over hers. “Do you want me to go down on you again and play with your sweet pussy until you come all over my tongue?” Anthony untied her shorts and slipped his hand inside, cupping her with his palm. “Or maybe you want to get on your knees and suck on my cock? Hmmm, so many possibilities.”
Anthony grabbed the top of her shorts and dragged them down her legs, exposing her to the light. His cock throbbed, flexing as he slipped a finger between her lips and rubbed along the wet folds, his excitement reaching explosive heights as he slipped from the bed. He fully removed her shorts and met her gaze, holding it as he stripped off his T-shirt and pajama pants.
“Close your eyes, baby.”
“Why? I like watching you.”
Anthony smiled. “Trust me. You’re going to love this more.”
Delilah closed her eyes, feeling exposed in the light, but too turned on to truly care. The bed shifted under Anthony’s weight as he climbed back onto the mattress and she held her breath, waiting, expecting to feel his mouth and tongue probing her already soaking wet center.
Something rubbed against her seam, dragging along in an upward motion until it connected with her clit. It circled her, warm and soft, the texture creating electric currents of pleasure and she gasped.
“Feel good?”
Delilah realized as he pressed between the lips of her labia and rubbed against her opening that it was his cock. Anthony was using his cock to tease and torment her. He pushed against her slightly, and she cried out, “Yes.”
Anthony’s hips moved, the length of him sliding against her sensitive flesh and Delilah opened her eyes. He held himself over her, watching her face as he ground into her. Delilah’s back bowed when his tip connected with her clit, whimpering.
“God, you feel so fucking good. Wet and hot.” He picked up speed and that heavy ache built inside. Delilah bit her lip to keep from crying out and waking her parents. When the tip of him slipped inside, Delilah gasped, hips arching to take more, but he was already pulling back.
“No,” she begged.
Anthony lowered himself between her legs and devoured her like a starving man, his tongue pressing her clit in hard circles. His whiskers rubbed against her labia and the skin of her thighs, the pressure building until she couldn’t climb any higher. Delilah grabbed a pillow and screamed into it as she came writhing against his mouth, her body shuddering with release. She pulled the pillow from her face and took a deep breath, languid with pleasure.
He crawled up the bed until his stiff cock rested against her. His mouth brushed hers, trailing soft kisses across her cheek. “Is that what you wanted?”
Delilah chuckled. “It will do for now.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Delilah’s eyes fluttered open and met his as her hand pushed between them to wrap around him. He sucked in a breath as she pumped him slowly. “This is what I really want.”
Anthony bucked against her. “Oh, yeah?”
“Hmmm, all of it. First in my mouth and then inside me, as deep as you can go.”
“Fuck yes.”
Power surged through her as she pushed him off her and he was flat on his back, watching her with hooded eyes as she tied her hair in a knot on top of her head.
“Jesus, no one has ever looked at me like that before.”
“How am I looking at you?” she whispered.
“Like you’re a kid at Christmas and Santa brought you exactly what you wanted.”
“That’s incredibly accurate.” Delilah kissed his abs, making her way down to where his hard-on bobbed and flexed, the round head glistening. She kissed the tip and then swept her tongue along the underside, listening to his breathing hitch. Blow jobs weren’t her thing and she had never thought of herself as good at them, but with Anthony, she wanted to learn everything about him. The different textures of his dick, the salty taste of him as she sucked him down her throat. That breathy sound he made when she circled his tip rapidly. Delilah didn’t just want to do it because he’d done it for her. Everything with Anthony had been unlike the intimacy with anyone else and she wanted to know if it was the same for this.
His cock flexed against her tongue and his hips jerked.
“Lila, shit, baby, if you keep that up I’m going to come.”
Delilah bore down on him, intensifying her ministrations. His fingers slipped into her messy bun and tightened, thrusting against her mouth until he stiffened and she swallowed down the warm evidence of his orgasm.
Delilah released him after one last brush of her tongue over him, smiling when he shivered. “That was fun.”
Anthony chuckled, taking her by the arms and dragging her up his body until she was snuggled against his side. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“Didn’t you?”
“I fucking loved it. I’m pretty sure that counts as breaking my celibacy, though.”
“Hmmm, do you regret it?”
Anthony pressed a kiss against her forehead. “No. I haven’t regretted a single moment with you.”
Delilah’s heart raced, scared that he only felt that way because they were away from all the stress and complications in Mistletoe, but once they returned, his guilt about Pike would overwhelm him.
“I guess I should go back to the guest bedroom,” Delilah said.
“Not yet. I’ll set an alarm. What time do your parents wake up?”
“Six?”
He grabbed his phone and tapped the screen for a few moments before he returned it to the side table. “There.” Anthony grabbed the blankets and sheet and pulled the covers over both of them. “I’m not ready to let you go.”
Delilah closed her eyes, listening as Anthony’s breathing deepened, a disturbing thought lingering at the back of her mind.
What happened when Anthony was ready? How could she protect her heart from him when she was afraid it was already too late for that?