Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Callie
A nightcap? Do people as young as us even use that word? Jesus, what was I thinking?
It’s too late for recriminations now. I’m pulling into my parking spot, and Royal’s headlights flash in my rearview mirror as he passes by to find a visitor’s space. This is happening. It’s really happening, and I have no idea what in the hell I’m doing.
Does Royal think I asked him here for sex?
Did I ask him here for sex?
I don’t know. I was having such a good time with him at the bar, and I didn’t want the night to end. And now my heart’s pounding because I don’t know what he’s thinking. What his expectations are.
What if he thinks he’s just here for a drink and more conversation? And he only said yes because he didn’t want to embarrass me? If I make a move, and he rejects me, I’ll never be able to show my face around him again…an impossible endeavor since we work together. I’ll just have to watch for his cues.
But what if he’s having the same doubts, and decides to wait for me to make a move? Then, neither of us will do anything, and it will just be awkward and uncomfort––
My jumbled, erratic thoughts cut off as my car door swings open. I whip my head to the left to see Royal there, bending over to meet my eyes with a concerned expression.
“Are you okay?” he asks. “I can go, if that’s what you want.”
“Is that what you want?” tumbles from my lips before I can stop it.
Royal shakes his head. “No. Definitely not.”
He holds out a hand, palm up, and I stare at it for a beat before taking it. Royal helps me from the car, then holds onto my fingers as he closes the door behind me. He releases me then, and I barely have time to feel the twinge of disappointment before his hand presses against the small of my back.
Heat gushes through me at that simple touch, and I breathe in a stuttering breath as he leads me to the entrance of my apartment building. I use my key to unlock the door, and he pulls it open with his free hand before guiding me inside. My apartment is on the first floor, and we’re silent as we walk down the hallway to my door.
I unlock it, push the door open, and step inside first, flicking on the lights and setting my bag and keys down on the table against the wall. I don’t look back, but I hear the door click closed. I’m breathing harder now, all alone with Royal, and the air is weirdly charged with a strange sort of electricity.
My body quakes when I hear the deadbolt slide home. I squeeze my eyes closed for two seconds, then open them and take a fortifying breath before leading the way into the kitchen. I can feel Royal behind me, but I don’t turn to look at him. I stop in the middle of the kitchen and blink, my face heating in what I can only assume is a very noticeable blush.
Oh, shit. Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh shit.
“Callie? What’s wrong?” Royal murmurs in soft tones, and I spin around to face him with a pained expression.
“I don’t have any booze.”
“What?” he asks, his head tilting slightly as he studies me.
“I invited you here for a nightcap, and I don’t have any liquor to serve you,” I say, my words laced with embarrassment.
Royals head drops, and I hear a quiet chuckle vibrate in his chest before he peers at me from beneath his eyelashes. One corner of his mouth turns up, and he moves toward me with slow, measured steps.
“Well, what should we do, instead?” he asks, his voice a thick deep rumble that skates down my spine.
Oh, God. Say something, Callie. Something smart and coy. Anything.
But my tongue refuses to cooperate while my feet take on a life of their own, moving me backward as he stalks forward. I bump into the counter behind me, and my eyes flare wide. Royal freezes, his chest expanding as his expression fills with a mix of worry and remorse.
“Shit, Callie. I’m sorry. I’m making you uncomfortable. I read this all wrong. I should go.”
“Wait,” I all but shout as he starts to turn.
“No,” he says. “This was my mistake. I thought…it doesn’t matter what I thought. I’m just really sorry, and I hope––”
His words cut off as I slam into his chest. My hands circle around his neck, and I press my mouth to his before I can overthink it. Royal freezes for a mere second, then groans as his arms cinch around my waist, holding me tightly against him. He takes over the kiss, tilting his head to deepen it while coaxing my mouth open with his tongue.
Tiny explosions burst inside me, heating me from the inside out while Royal teases my tongue with his, luring it out and into his mouth so he can suck it lightly. His hands curve over my ass and apply a delicious pressure, pulling me in so I can feel his growing erection pressing against my abdomen.
Royal Manning is a really good fucking kisser.
I tighten my grip on his neck when he suddenly lifts me. My legs curl around his waist, and since I’m wearing a dress, the hard bulge in his jeans presses directly against my center. I grind against it slightly, and Royal moans into my mouth, the sound shooting straight to my core.
Royal kisses me even harder as he spins and starts to walk. His head tilts further to the side as he continues to ravage my mouth, and I open my eyes to see him watching where he’s going as he carries me to the short hall that leads to my bedroom.
His eyes meet mine, and he stops, breaking off the kiss to stare at me for a moment before asking, “Is this what you want? We can stop if you––”
“Yes,” I say firmly, cutting off his offer before he can finish uttering it. “I want this, Royal. I want you .”
His nostrils flare with those last three words, then he’s kissing me again as he starts to move. Before I know it, Royal is setting me on my feet. He continues to kiss me as his hands peel my denim jacket off my shoulders and down my arms until it drops to the floor. Then his mouth breaks away to press hot kisses to my neck and shoulder as one finger slips beneath the strap of my dress to push it down my shoulder, clearing a path for his lips.
Heat flashes through me with every harsh breath I take, my body coming alive like it hasn’t in…I can’t remember how long. My core clenches as Royal groans, his hands curving over my hips while his mouth connects with mine once more. Hot and demanding, his kisses ravage my mouth as my fingers tangle in his hair.
His fingers slip beneath the hem of my dress to tickle my thighs, making me shiver. I break off our kiss to take a deep breath, and when I open my eyes, Royal is watching me with a questioning expression as he slowly slides his fingers upward, taking the dress with them. My head bobs in a jerky motion as I release his hair and lift my arms. His smile is filled with sunshine as he bunches the material in his fists and pulls it upward slowly like he’s trying to savor every inch of revealed skin.
After he pulls the garment free of my head and arms and tosses it aside, his wide eyes walk a slow trail down my body. I remain perfectly still as he takes me in, my breaths choppy and uneven as a slow smile curves his lips.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he breathes as he lifts a finger to trace the skin above the cups of my strapless bra. “Absolute perfection.”
My core throbs with the cadence of his words, and my hips buck forward involuntarily as my abdominal muscles contract. The movement shatters the stillness of the moment, and Royal blows out a harsh breath before ripping his shirt over his head. Taking on a life of their own, my hands reach for his jeans. My clumsy fingers work on the button and zipper while Royal’s hands move to my back, unhooking my bra quicker than I could’ve. It falls between us getting caught on my forearms as I finish unzipping Royal’s jeans.
Royal plucks it off and tosses it away before taking a step back, out of my reach. His eyes stay locked on mine as I stand there, bare-chested and wide-eyed, and he pushes his jeans down and steps out of them.
He doesn’t move after that, giving me yet another opportunity to turn back if I want to stop. Some small part of my brain tells me I should. That this is crazy. That Royal Manning and I have no business sleeping together. That this could end very badly for both of us.
But those thoughts are overrun by need and desire. I want him. He wants me.
That’s all that matters.
I continue to hold his gaze as I hook two fingers in the waist of my underwear and slowly push them down over my hips. Royal’s chest heaves jerkily as the scrap of lace hits the floor, then he’s on me, kissing me with wild abandon as he walks me backward toward the bed. When my thighs hit the mattress, I release my grip on his thick biceps so I can climb on and scoot myself backward.
But Royal doesn’t follow. He watches me with hooded eyes before gripping my ankles. I yelp as he jerks me back toward him, bringing my ass to the edge of the mattress. His palms glide up my calves to my knees, then he pushes them apart and stares down at my center while his tongue darts out to wet his lips.
“Even prettier than I imagined,” he murmurs, and I can only analyze the fact that he’s imagined me like this for a moment before his head dips and his tongue licks along my slit.
My thoughts scatter, and my shoulders fly off the mattress as a shout bursts out of me. Royal’s moan vibrates against my sensitive flesh, and I fall backward. His tongue finds my clit with ease, and my shoulders dig into the mattress as my spine bows upward. My arms stretch over my head, my fingers curling into fists like some invisible force is coercing them into the position.
“Royal,” I gasp when he sucks the sensitive nub lightly.
He moans again at the sound of his name on my lips, then slowly pushes a finger inside me. My body tenses at the intrusion, and he stops, lifting his head to meet my eyes. Checking on me. Making sure I’m comfortable with what he’s doing.
I nod jerkily, saying, “Just been a while. Keep going.”
He gives me a short nod, then watches my face as he pumps his finger gently, pushing a centimeter or two deeper with each thrust. My inner muscles loosen with his careful movements, and my head falls back to the mattress as a long moan tumbles out of me. My eyes close, and my hips pump in time with the motion of his finger.
A second or two later, his tongue is lashing at my clit again, and I feel the muscles in my legs tense. Royal’s finger pulls free, but before I can complain, he’s pushing it back in with a second finger, stretching me in the most delicious of ways.
I’m moaning on every exhale as he works me over, driving his fingers faster and deeper as his lips and tongue work me into a frenzy. When I’m balanced on a razor-thin edge, Royal pushes his fingers deep and curls the tips upward, dragging them along the inner wall until he hits a spot that makes me scream and fall over that edge into the abyss of ecstasy.
My body convulses like someone zapped me with a defibrillator. Pleasure rolls through me as Royal pumps his fingers gently, his tongue circling my clit to draw out my release. Finally, my spine straightens out, and my body slumps back to the mattress in a lifeless heap.
Holy shit. It’s been a while since I was with a man, but not so long that I can’t remember the orgasms. And I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that is the hardest I’ve ever come without the aid of a vibrator. Maybe even with it.
“God,” I breathe, and Royal pulls his fingers free before turning his head to kiss my inner thigh.
Then he crawls over me, settling his hips between my thighs. Placing his hands on either side of my head, he pushes up onto straight arms to stare down at me. His lips curl up at the corners as he rolls his hips. His hard erection rubs against my slick, sensitive flesh, and I realize he took his underwear off at some point.
“Fuck,” he grunts as my hips lift to increase the pressure.
Fresh desire rolls through me despite being fully sated. Seeing the need etched across his features and knowing it’s all for me…it fills me with a feeling of power I’ve never experienced. And I want more. I need it.
I need him inside me.
Now.