Chapter 37
My face was set with sheer determination as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, brushing out my wet hair after my shower.
I set my brush down on the sink, running my fingers through my tresses a couple of times and shaking it out before I turned and stepped out of the bathroom in Blake’s bedroom.
As I paused at the door and let out a breath, I mentally steadied myself. This has to work. He’s just a man. With final determination, I opened the door and stepped out.
I quietly padded down the hallway from his room.
When I stepped into the open living area, Blake was sitting on the couch with his back to me, watching sports highlights on the television with Maverick beside him.
He was killing me—before my shower, we took Maverick for a walk, and this jerk was shirtless and in sweatpants with a backward ball cap.
He was still in that state now as he sat on the couch.
I was convinced he knew exactly what the hell he was doing.
Well, so did I.
I bit my lip through a smirk as I walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to grab some water.
The noise pulled his attention. “You okay, baby girl?” he called out.
“Yeah.” I shut the door and turned my back to him. “Just getting a drink.”
My stomach flipped when I heard his feet hit the ground from where they’d been resting on the table in front of him. Then he stood. He took all but three steps before I heard him freeze.
“Baby…”
“Yes?”
“You’re naked.”
I slowly turned to face him in all my naked glory. “I am.”
His hands settled on his hips, and his jaw tensed as his eyes traveled over every inch of me before they narrowed slightly when meeting my gaze. “Why are you naked?”
“I’m trying to seduce you.”
He crossed his arms over his bare chest. “No strenuous–”
“Shhh, don’t say it.”
He suppressed a laugh. “Not saying it doesn’t make it any less true. No strenuous activity for two weeks, until your doctor clears you.”
“It’s been almost two weeks.”
“And your follow-up appointment is in a few days. Until then–”
“I’m standing here naked, offering myself up on a silver platter, and you’re going to deny me sex over a few measly days? And you’re a doctor. You can ‘clear’ me…in more ways than one.”
He laughed, pinching the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh mixed with a groan before dropping his hand back to his side. “You’re killing me.”
I rested my hands on the counter behind me and leaned back, making my chest jut out slightly.
“I could be satisfying you, if you’d just take my bait.
And also, you have no room to talk, considering you’re walking around shirtless in grey sweatpants and a backward hat.
That’s basically a man’s version of slutty lingerie. ”
He snorted with laughter and walked forward, stopping directly in front of me.
His hands reached out and curled around my waist. “It’s just a few more days.
” I sighed in defeat—I really thought this would work.
He chuckled softly, leaned down, and brushed his lips against mine.
“It’s for your own good. I promise, I’ll make the wait worth it.
” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “Now, go get that sexy ass of yours dressed.” His hand slid around, giving my backside a gentle swat.
I groaned and walked back down the hall toward his room, keenly aware of the weight of his gaze on me. I glanced over my shoulder, and sure enough, there he was, enjoying the view of my ass with a playful smirk until I disappeared inside his room.
It’d been nearly three weeks since my accident, almost two since I left the hospital.
I’d been making progress, but these restrictions chafed at every part of me.
The hope of getting the all clear at my follow-up appointment was the only thing keeping me sane.
This “no strenuous activity” bullshit was not for the faint of heart, especially when sleeping beside a man like Blake Pierson.
And Blake would not budge, no matter how hard I tried, even when his body told me he wanted to. And believe me, I tried. Pathetically so.
I flirted.
I teased relentlessly.
Hell, I just stood in front of him bare-ass naked. But the man had the self-restraint of a goddamn saint. He had his urges on lockdown and would not give in.
Each time I tried, he reminded me of the “no strenuous activity” instructions on my discharge papers, saying he didn’t want me to chance it and hinder my recovery, that I would have to wait until my doctor gave me the okay.
I tried not to take it to heart, knowing he was only looking out for me.
And I equated his worry and concern to what he’d gone through, not only with me and my accident, but his past as well.
He finally felt comfortable enough leaving me alone for an hour while he went to therapy the other day. I had to work a little to convince him, but he finally relented. I wasn’t the only one healing from something, and I wanted him to keep going to see Nate, especially since it helped him.
By the time Friday rolled around, I was more than ready for my appointment—more so for it to be over. Blake took me that afternoon, and when we arrived at the office, the first thing they did was a chest X-ray. Afterward, I was taken to the room, and we waited for the doctor.
When she came in, she had my X-ray films and put them up so we could both see—my lungs, specifically the right one, looked great.
Box one, checked.
She then checked my incision where the tube had been—there was no redness or signs of infection, and she was happy with how it looked.
Box two, checked.
Then we talked about how I’d been doing. I explained I’d been up and walking at least twice a day, now going as far as the end of Blake’s street and back, that I hadn’t been on the prescription pain meds all week, only using over-the-counter meds as needed, and I’d been eating and drinking fine.
“Well, I’m pleased with your progress. And everything looks great.
I’d still like you to take another two weeks off from work to give yourself that extra time, but you can resume normal activity as tolerated.
Still no heavy lifting, not for another couple of weeks.
We want those muscles to heal properly.”
Lucky box number three, checked.
Out of my peripheral, I could see Blake rubbing his mouth over his hand to hide his smile. I was fighting for my life not to make eye contact with him as I nodded along to what the doctor was saying.
When we finally left the office, I was waiting for him to say something about it, but he didn’t. He was playing it off—or trying to—but I knew he was thinking about it.
When we got back to his house, I had a little extra pep in my step as we walked inside. He grabbed Maverick’s leash from the hook and took him out into the backyard. When he came back inside a few minutes later, he looked at me with a curious smile.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“I am,” I said as I started down the hall, and he followed, just like I knew he would.
“Yeah?” His tone was playful, feigning innocence. “And why’s that?”
I turned to face him when we walked into his bedroom. “Because I was given the all clear.”
“I see,” he said with a coy grin as he stepped closer. “And how do you want to celebrate, baby girl? Whatever you want.”
“Well, in that case…” I reached up, looping my arms around his neck, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around my waist. “I want you.”
His voice was a low rumble, “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Blake’s lips were on mine a heartbeat later, rough and desperate, like he’d been holding back for weeks. He backed me against the wall, pressing every line of his hard body against mine, and I whimpered against his lips when I felt the evidence of his need.
His lips moved from mine, shifting to my neck. “Do you realize how fucking hard it’s been not to touch you the way I’ve wanted to?” he murmured against my skin.
“Yeah,” I breathed, tilting my head to give him better access. “Trust me, I know.”
His hands slipped under the hem of my shirt, pushing it up, his lips breaking from mine only to pull it over my head.
He growled when he saw he had no bra to fight with, his hands sliding up to cup my breasts before he spun me away from the wall and backed me toward his bed.
When I pulled his mouth back down to mine, he groaned against my lips, the sound a mixture of relief and pent-up desire as we fell back onto the mattress, his arms caging me as his body hovered above mine.
Blake drew back, rising on his knees to tug off his shirt.
I would never—and I mean never—get tired of looking at every inch of this man’s perfectly sculpted body.
I sat up, my hands reaching for the waistband of his jeans and tugging the button before lowering the zipper so the denim dropped down.
I could see the outline of him against his boxer briefs, and my mouth watered as I pulled the front of them down.
My eyes lifted to see him watching me intently as I wrapped my hand around him, making his hips jerk forward with a groan as I stroked him. And I kept my eyes on his as I leaned forward, wrapping my lips around him, swirling my tongue around his swollen head as he throbbed against my palm.
“Fuck,” he hissed as his fingers tangled in my hair. “That’s it, baby girl,” he groaned.
His eyes were dark and hooded as he watched me take him to the back of my throat before pulling back. That ache between my legs turned into a full-on throb as I bobbed my head, my hand moving in tandem with my mouth, listening to his labored breaths.
When his hips bucked forward, pushing himself deeper, my eyes pricked with tears as I gagged, and he groaned louder.
“Christ, as good as you look choking on my cock…” He gripped my hair and pulled himself from my mouth.
“I don’t want to come down your throat. At least, not right now.
” He gently pushed me back to lie down, quickly stripping off his jeans and boxers the rest of the way before his hands went to the waistband of my leggings. “Lift your hips.”
I did as he said, and he peeled both my leggings and underwear off, tossing them to the floor. His ravenous gaze wandered over my naked body as his hands went to my knees.
When he spread me open, his eyes darkened. “Look at that. Dripping, and all for me.”
A ragged breath escaped me when he dragged a thick finger through my wetness. “Blake, please,” I whimpered. “I–I need…” My words trailed off into a moan when he did it again.
“I know exactly what you need, baby girl. And I’m going to give it to you,” he rasped as he shifted so his head was between my thighs.
“I’m going to wreck every inch of you with my mouth”—his tongue licked a slow stroke against me—“my fingers”—he pushed two into me, crooking them upward—“and then my cock. You’re gonna be a goddamn mess when I’m done. ”
My back arched with a moan when he wrapped his lips around my clit, pumping his fingers as he sucked and swirled his tongue. “Yes!” I gasped, reaching down to thread my fingers in his hair. “God, your mouth…so–so good,” I moaned.
He chuckled darkly, sending vibrations rippling through me as he worked me expertly. His fingers pumped as his tongue licked and swirled, and when I came, my back bowed off the bed, my body quivering as I moaned his name.
I was still panting when he finally lifted his head, lips and chin glistening as he slid his fingers from me and brought them to his mouth, sucking them clean.
He grabbed a condom from his nightstand, tearing open the wrapper and rolling it on in one smooth motion before climbing on top of me.
He leaned down to capture my lips in a heated kiss as he simultaneously sank into me with one hard thrust, and I moaned against his lips, feeling myself stretch around him.
“Fucking Christ,” he rasped, nipping my bottom lip.
My fingernails dug crescent shapes into his shoulders when I felt him start to pull out slowly, then he snapped his hips forward, slamming back in, drawing a shuddered moan from my throat with how deep he went.
Each stroke was slow and measured, yet hard and deep. He was taking his time, making sure I felt every second of it. And I did. Pleasure unfurled, making my body shudder and tingle.
Sex with Blake had always been amazing, but with our new dynamic—the love out in the open, and neither of us holding back anything anymore—it made it even better.
Blake leaned down again, his lips crushing against mine, slipping his tongue into my mouth as he rolled onto his back, pulling me with him in one fluid motion. His one hand tangled in my hair, his other gripping my ass, moving my body in sync with his rocking hips beneath me as the kiss continued.
I finally broke away with a moan, sitting up, panting through whimpers as I moved faster, drawing a groan from him. “Use me, baby girl.” A sharp thrust upward stole my breath. “Fuck yourself on my cock like you need to.”
My hands splayed against his broad chest, my hips rocking faster. “Blake,” I moaned, nails digging into his skin. “I’m…I’m gonna come!”
He gripped my hips tighter, guiding my rhythm—hard, fast, deep. “That's it,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Take it like you own it…because you do, Haley. All of it—every fucking inch. And I want you to scream when you come on what’s yours.”
His thumb found my clit, circling in firm, deliberate strokes that sent me over the edge. And I didn’t just come. I unraveled. My entire body shook, and my vision speckled as my orgasm tore through me, and when I spasmed around him, a guttural groan ripped from his throat as he came hard.
I slumped against his chest, panting as he continued to pulse and twitch inside of me. His grip on my hips gradually loosened, one hand sliding up the length of my spine to the back of my neck, holding me against him.
He turned his head, brushing his lips against my cheek, his ragged breaths rustling the hair by my ear. “You alright?” he panted.
“Uh-huh,” I whispered, trying to catch my breath.
His large hand cupped my cheek. “I love you.”
When I lifted my head, he didn’t hesitate to meet my lips, pressing a gentle kiss to them as I smiled breathlessly. “I love you, too.”