Chapter 33
[Ford]
Cadence is a fucking vision.
After scrambling off the bed, she stands at the end and unbuttons the few buttons over her chest. Opened wide, her dress easily falls off her body.
Next, she removes her bra, holds out her arm to one side, and dramatically drops the scrap of fabric to the floor.
Perched up against the headboard, I watch the unveiling, like a slowly unwrapped gift, and slip my hand into my boxer briefs fisting my dick.
After admitting to her I didn’t ever jack off to visions of her in my head, she’s made me do the deed a few times during our nights together. With her in the room no fantasy is required. Her watching me take myself in my hand and spend while I’m looking at her naked form is pure heaven.
“Fuck, you’re going to make me come before you touch me,” I warn her.
Tonight feels different. Not only is it my birthday but I have Cadence trapped.
Not caged in, though. If she really wants to leave this room and forget the later portion of the evening—cuddling—I’ll honor her request. But I’m hoping she’ll honor mine.
I want to hold her after we do everything this night brings.
For now, I want her mouth on me, and with the gleam in her eye and the way she’s crawling up this bed, she wants the same thing. Slipping my arms behind my head, I watch her remove my pants and boxer briefs in one swift move.
“Lose the shirt,” she demands.
Three months ago, I would have struggled to tug this thing over my head.
Hell, I wouldn’t have been able to lift my left arm and hold it behind my head.
A pinch in my shoulder reminds me I still can’t exactly do either without it hurting but I’d tear this shirt to shreds in order to expose my skin to her.
With my chest bare, Cadence runs her hands over my lower belly and around my dick without touching it.
She coasts her palms down my thighs, cupping the backs of my knees, and making them bend a bit to accommodate her between my legs.
Then her hands curl around me. Both of them.
One cups my balls, the other swipes her thumb over the slit at the tip that seeps with desire for her.
“You’re better than a banana split, Ford Sylver.” She squeezes at my shaft and tightens her hold on my balls.
“Do not fucking make jokes about ice cream right now.”
“Why not? You’re my favorite flavor.” Her sassy mouth lowers, drawing me between her lips.
The first suck always gets me. Cadence goes to the throat before drawing to the crown, swirling her tongue as she glides upward then repeating the motion.
Within seconds, I’m ready to burst, but there’s something more I’d like for my birthday. A different gift.
“Cadence. Sweetheart.” I brush back her hair, which tickles my belly and curls over my hips. “Let me inside you.”
Releasing me with a pop, Cadence lifts her head. Her bright eyes meet mine. “I thought you’d never ask.”
We’d been exploring one another for nearly a month in no rush to take anything further, but suddenly the weight of time presses on me. I don’t want to pass up any more chances to be with her.
I want her to know I’m hers.
Twisting, I grab my jeans which are dangling off the side of the bed and fumble for the condoms in my pocket. We already had the safe sex talk. She’s on the pill but condoms are extra protection.
Cadence grabs the packet from me, confidently rips it open, and proceeds to cover me. And every second is an additional tease. I’m so hard I’m ready to combust, and I’m worried this will be over embarrassingly fast.
Once I’m covered, Cadence crawls over me, and holds me at her entrance, swiping the tip through her soaked folds. I’d love to feel her dripping down my dick, want to feel her heat surrounding me, but we aren’t there yet.
As she lowers herself onto me, taking just the tip at first, I lose all thought and just watch as I slowly slide into her.
“Cadence. Baby.” I’m a stuttering mess. With my fingers on her hips, I dig into her flesh, worried I’ll leave a bruise but needing to hold onto something, so I don’t surge into her. The gradual way she takes me in is torture and pleasure in a conflicting swirl.
Eventually, I’m seated to the hilt and Cadence pauses a second. We both take a deep breath as she stretches around me.
“Feel so good, baby.”
When she’s ready, she drags up my shaft and my eyes roll back. “Fuck. That feels incredible.”
She drops back down repeating the easy pace until she sets a newer rhythm. Cadence takes the lead, but I charge forward, matching her thrust for thrust, until her breath hitches.
“Cowboy?” The question in my name and the widening of her eyes has me slowing down but Cadence only speeds up. “Cowboy. This. Never.”
“Heck yeah. Take it.” Take everything from me.
As Cadence bounces up and down, her mouth gapes, her hair wild, then she slams down on me and as her channel tightens around me, I go off.
Lifting my head, I capture her cries with my mouth, setting off my own as I let go, hard and fast. This.
Never. I steal her thoughts. Nothing has ever felt like this before.
Cadence collapses over me, her hair fanning out over my chest, and I wrap my arms around her, attempting to hold her tight while my body feels loose and languid.
“Happy birthday, cowboy,” she mutters over my racing heart.
“It ain’t over yet, baby.”
While we remain in our little bubble of spent limbs and galloping hearts, I press my lips to her head. Eventually, she lets me up and I dispose of the condom then return to the polka dot bed.
“We should have a real cake,” Cadence whispers, laying on her back, as if anyone else is present to hear her. “And a party. You need presents and—”
I tug her side into my front. “I don’t need any of that. I never really celebrate my birthday.”
“Why not?” She glances up at her. Her cheeks are still flushed. Her lips swollen.
I shrug. “They weren’t a big deal when I was a kid.” I don’t remember ever having a party or a big celebration. “When I was a teen, and my baseball team often had a long tournament over the Fourth of July weekend, someone’s mom always brought a pity cake.”
Cadence scrunches her nose. “A pity cake?”
“Yeah, she’d feel sorry for me that I didn’t have any family present for most of the tournament.” Stone would be there when he could. Clay, too. But I didn’t have that constant stream of family like many of my teammates, especially if it was an out-of-town tournament.
Cadence glances back toward the end of the bed. “I always celebrate mine.” Her voice remains quiet. “But I’m a Valentine’s baby and somehow I always end up with red presents containing pink hearts.”
“Valentine’s baby, huh?” I chuckle, then realize I’d missed her birthday by a week when she came to Arizona.
She waves out her arm. “I’d have champagne and go to a club.” She drops her arm and picks at a polka dot puff. “And it’s always lonely.”
I lower and press a kiss to her shoulder.
She playfully pouts, “I want a party.” Quickly, the sadness in her expression morphs to that shield of protection.
“Next year,” I tell her. “Nothing Valentine red. How do you feel about purple?” I tease. “And cake and ice cream.”
“Next year.” Her voice is wistful, but also hints she doesn’t believe in next years. She lives in the present.
Cadence shifts to her side. “You have great colors for your birthday. Red, white, blue.”
I snort. “Who knew birthdays were supposed to have colors?”
“Those are Chicago Anchors colors, too.” Her voice lifts stronger. “It was fate.”
“Speaking of fate, where’s my lucky cap?” I’d like to see her wearing the blue cap with a red anchor outlined in white, and nothing else covering her body as she sits on my lap.
“Keeping me lucky.” She giggles and the sound goes straight to my heart.
“Well, since it’s still my birthday, I have another request.”
Her head quickly shifts on the pillow.
“You’re always calling me cowboy, which makes you my cowgirl, right?” Maybe she needs a cowgirl hat on her head and nothing else.
Cadence pulls her head back as if to eye me better.
“How do you feel about riding in reverse?”
“Giddy up!” She motions her hand like she’s about to lasso me, then presses me to my back proving she isn’t opposed to the idea one bit.
+ + +
“I’m going to get us coffee,” Cadence murmurs at my ear in the morning. Her body is no longer wrapped beneath my arms but seated on the edge of the bed. A thin stream of light beams through the space where the curtains don’t quite meet.
“Why aren’t you in bed?” She slept against me last night as I wished. We’d even made a game of her explaining just how the knife and fork work, with her arms tucking against my chest and our legs entwining together. Only being naked, when our fronts met, we were tangled in a new way.
Three times last night we came together. I wanted a fourth this morning.
“We should really get back. Plus, it’s a beautiful day.” Her voice is too chirpy with the suggestion we return to Sterling Falls.
“Don’t tell me you’re a morning person.” I groan, rolling fully to my back, feeling a twinge in my shoulder.
“Okay, I won’t tell you I love the start of a new day, although I’m equally a night owl. Who-who.”
I laugh and meet her eyes. “I thought you were a duck.” My duck.
“Well, I guess I’m all kinds of birdies.” She bends her elbows and flaps her arms, imitating a flying creature and having too much energy for this early.
“I’ll go with you to get coffee,” I jackknife upright, still feeling a little spent from last night. My dick, however, wants to celebrate a new day.
With a hand to my chest, Cadence presses at me. “Lay back. I’m only going to the lobby. I just didn’t want you to think I’d run off.” Her eyes soften, reminding us both of yesterday afternoon.
I grab her hand and kiss her knuckles. “No more running.”
Slowly, she stands, does a twirl, and curtsies. “I don’t run. I flit.” She waves out her arms before turning for the door.
Once she leaves, her words settle hard in my chest. I don’t want her flitting away from me either.
Quickly, I shower, check in on the girls knowing they’re most likely up at this hour, and tell Violet we’ll be heading home soon because I’ll be bringing Cadence home with me.
To my room. To my bed. I’m not ready to burst the bubble of Cadence and me.
If only I could convince her, we can have something more.
Next year. The year after. I’m not certain how that would look but I am certain I’m not spending another birthday without her as my present.