Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Claire
So, this is bliss.
Bryce brushes my damp hair back from my face, kissing me softly. His hard body relaxes against mine, the heat of his skin delicious.
We’ve been in bed for hours, going at it in different positions. He is definitely no longer holding back, and I have the aching thighs to prove it.
Like I say, bliss.
But now my bladder is calling. I wriggle out from beneath him, kissing him on the cheek, and head into the ensuite, blinking at the bright light. I fiddle with the light switches until a soft light comes on above the mirror over the washbasins. I turn off all the others.
After I’m done, I glance in the mirror while I wash my hands.
Fuck.
My lips are slightly swollen, my hair tangled.
I look like a woman who has been thoroughly made love to, which is what I am.
But the scar on my forehead is red and hideous, despite the invisible stitches the doctor used.
I’d forgotten it was there, to be honest. I frown, touching it carefully with my fingers.
It’s still tender, and I wonder how long it will take to heal.
“Hey, you okay?”
Bryce appears behind me in the mirror. Holy fuck.
It hits me again how beautiful he is. Broad shoulders, muscled arms and pecs, and those amazing abs.
Lean hips, strong thighs, and the heavy length of his cock.
His sandy hair is tousled, his cheekbones shadowed. He looks like a statue of a Greek god.
“Uh, yeah.” I brush my hair forward, covering the scar.
He frowns, coming up behind me, close enough I can feel his heat.
He reaches around, brushing the hair back from my face, revealing the scar.
He kisses my cheek, then down my neck. My nipples harden.
His fingers come to them, and the sight of his tanned hands against my skin, the way he plays with me, makes me instantly wet.
“Claire.”
“Yes?” His hand slides down my stomach, but stops just before it gets to where I want it to be. The other remains on my breast.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
He presses against me, heat all down my back. His hands hold me in place. “Are you worried about the scar?”
“No. Yes. Maybe.”
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” He kisses the side of my neck, “And one of the strongest I have ever met. And you always will be. You don’t need to hide anything from me.” His green gaze meets mine in the mirror.
I love him so much. I can’t hold back anymore. “I heard what you said to me.”
He frowns, tilting his head slightly. His cock presses into my backside, rock-hard.
“In the car. When you found me. After the accident.”
The frown disappears and his lips part.
“I love you too.”
Oh god. It’s a gamble. But I need to say it. He needs to know, even if it was something just said in the heat of the moment.
He doesn’t say anything, but his whole expression sharpens with lust. He reaches across the counter to his toiletry bag, pulling out a condom. I watch his reflection, his hands leaving me for a moment as he rolls it on. He grabs my hips, tilting me forwards. I brace my arms on the counter.
“Say it again,” he growls. The tip of his cock presses against my opening. I am aching for him.
“I love you,” I gasp, as he thrusts into me.
I watch his face, the movement of his hips as he grinds against me, and it’s so damn hot I can hardly bear it.
He fucks me, filling me, so hard and strong.
My orgasm builds as I bend further forward, taking him deeper, watching him in the mirror the entire time.
His abs contract as he pumps into me, every muscle on his body clearly defined.
It’s the sexiest fucking thing I have ever seen.
I cry out, tightening around him, so close.
“Bryce, ah, yes, harder. Oh god.”
He obliges, and I tip over the edge, pleasure bursting through me.
He pulls out, holding me upright against him as his fingers come to my clit, my nipples, playing with me as I writhe and moan, reflected in the mirror like a sex dream.
I bet this isn’t on Joss’s bloody list. I come again, gasping as the climax explodes through me, Bryce’s arm around me the only thing holding me up.
When I stop shaking Bryce scoops me into his arms and takes me back to bed, laying me down as carefully as though I’m made of glass. He’s still erect, and I realise he hasn’t come yet. He follows my glance, and grins.
“I’m not finished with you yet,” he murmurs, bending over me for a kiss. His knee nudges between mine and then his weight is on me, his cock sliding inside me once more. He pauses, and I can feel the trembling in his limbs as he holds back.
“I love you.” He dips his head for another kiss. “You are my everything, Claire.” His mouth curves in the crooked grin I adore. Then he pulls back, slamming into me so I gasp. “So I hope you don’t mind,” he slams into me again, “if I keep fucking you like I mean it.”
I don’t mind at all.
Bryce
Claire loves me.
I just want to stay in this room with her and make love to her for another week. But even though we have a late checkout, all good things must come to an end.
“We need to talk.”
Claire is tumbled in my arms, resting on my shoulder. She lifts her head, her dark brows coming together.
“We do?”
“I have to leave.”
Her frown deepens and she moves away from me, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her knees.
“I was only supposed to be here for a month and I’m due back on the circuit. I have commitments, competitions, appearances, filming. All around the world. I have to leave just after Christmas.”
Her frown clears slightly. “Right. And you’re telling me this because…?”
“I don’t want to leave you. Fuck, Claire. I just found you.” I reach out, taking one of her hands.
“Then don’t. Leave me, I mean. I’ll come with you. If you want me to, anyway.” She chews her lip.
“I can’t ask you to give up your job, your life, to follow me around the world. I was thinking I would just fly you out whenever you can get time off work, and—”
She leans in, kissing me. “You are my life, Bryce. I won’t be giving anything up. And I don’t need my job. Anna will do fine without me.”
“You don’t?” My head is spinning. This is not what I expected at all. Hoped for, sure. But I didn’t think she’d actually be up for it.
“I have a very generous trust fund.” She shrugs. “I don’t know how. I didn’t even know about it until my parents died. But the income from it will more than cover the costs of keeping the house running, and all my travel.” She smiles, then. “I want to see the world with you.”
I hug her close, gazing into her shining eyes. “I want to show it to you.” I kiss her, hard, excitement bursting through me. “I need to get some stuff out of storage, and then I can get on to Jeff, make sure you’re booked into every event with me, and then—”
Her hand comes to my cheek. “Do you have a lot of stuff in storage?”
“Uh, yeah. I guess. Just bits and pieces I’ve collected over the years. Why?”
“I have a big house. And a garage. If you wanted to leave anything there.” She shrugs one shoulder.
“Is that right?” I know what this means. She does, too, or she wouldn’t have offered.
“Mmm-hmm.” She nuzzles the side of my neck.
“So we’re doing this?” I don’t mean just the travel.
She lifts her head. “We are. You’re stuck with me now, Bryce Maylands, whether you like it or not.”
I wouldn’t have it any other way.