Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Josie
When I step out of the bathroom, Dane’s waiting for me, his gaze locking with mine.
I tighten my hold on the towel I wrapped around myself after my shower; it’s the only thing keeping him from seeing all of me. After all these weeks of being together twenty-four seven, he’s seen more of me than any man ever has in every nonphysical way.
He’s heard me snore. Seen me cranky. Watched me vomit countless times. And still, he’s looking at me like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world right now. I don’t want to shatter that image by losing my hold on this towel and having him find out my stomach’s not rock hard like his.
“Are we...” My voice barely registers.
He moves closer and I instinctively back up, my back hitting the hallway wall. But he doesn’t stop. Desire swims in his eyes as he cups my cheek and leans his forehead against mine, gently tugging on the end of a wet strand of my hair.
“I’ve wanted this since the first time I saw you,” he rumbles, his lips so close to mine I can feel the warmth of his breath.
“The first time?”
“Hell yes. I only hated the idea of you, Josie. But the way you stood up to me...” He puts his palm on my thigh and I inhale sharply. “You refuse to take my shit. No one’s ever done that.” He slides his hand up around the back of my thigh, hiking it up around his waist. “I don’t just want you. I need you.”
He showered before we left the hotel this morning. I can smell a hint of his pine-tree-scented soap. I want more. More of his scent, his words, his skin. I grip a handful of his T-shirt and tug, urging him on.
His lips settle against mine at the same time his massive palm grips my ass, my squeal becoming a moan. My mouth yields to his, his tongue sweeping against mine. I let go of my towel to wrap my hand around his neck, gasping as I feel the towel getting looser.
“Don’t,” he says as I reach for it.
“Dane...” My heart hammers nervously.
“Let me see you. I’ve waited so fucking long.”
He threads his fingers into mine and gently pins one of my hands to the wall, then does the same to the other. My chest rises and falls as I breathe hard, terrified of him seeing me naked in broad daylight.
“I’m average,” I say weakly. “I’m not like you.”
He hums a note of amusement. “You are anything but average.”
I lean my head back, rolling my eyes up toward the ceiling as I exhale heavily. He opens my towel all the way, my back the only thing holding it against the wall.
I’m so not prepared for this. I shaved my legs and pits in the shower, but my lady bits haven’t been waxed in ages.
“Fucking finally,” he says in a low tone, cupping one of my breasts. “I’ve wanted to get my mouth on these forever.”
He bends, lowering his tongue to one of my nipples, and I arch my back, my inhibitions forgotten. The towel drops to the floor, but who fucking cares? He’s licking, sucking and tugging my nipples between his teeth in a way that I can somehow feel between my thighs.
Ragged exhales are all I can manage as he teases them, moving my hands above my head and holding my wrists with just one of his hands. He’s so big, his body towering over mine in a way that feels deliciously overwhelming.
His free hand cups my breast, working in tandem with his mouth. He knows how to apply exactly the right amount of pressure to my nipples to send sparks of arousal shooting through me without causing pain. I had no idea having them pinched and nibbled on felt this good.
I’m starting to wonder if it’s possible to orgasm from nipple stimulation when his hand slides down from holding my wrists. He kisses his way down my stomach and I gasp, wishing we were in the dark.
He’s on his knees, looking up at me with a reverent expression. His hands cradle my hips and a devilish smirk plays on his face as he says, “Spread your feet apart, gorgeous.”
Holy. Shit. Right here in the hallway? I bite my lip, holding back a nervous laugh.
His full smirk appears. “You’ll spread ’em soon enough.”
He buries his face between my thighs, tonguing my clit. I gasp, my palms hitting the wall. I want to feel self-conscious, but the way he’s swirling his tongue...I’m lost in the sensation. My hips are in his hands and he’s devouring me, his mouth every bit as skilled here as it was on my breasts.
He was right. I quickly find myself moving my feet apart to allow him more access, shamelessly grinding my hips, moving against his face as I feel the first orgasm I’ve had in a very long time about to rock through me.
“Oh god, Dane,” I pant. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
He doesn’t, and I practically ride his face as I come apart, crying out with satisfaction.
When my body goes limp, he finally stands up, wiping my arousal from his face with his T-shirt.
“Why are you still dressed?” I ask him.
“I won’t be for long.”
He grins and pulls his T-shirt off over his head, then kicks off his shoes and pushes his shorts and boxers off. I look from his impressive, rock-hard erection to his face and then back to his erection again.
“You okay?” he asks, arching a brow.
“Try not to poke a hole in my uterus with that.”
He laughs, putting an arm around my shoulder and another behind my knees to pick me up and carry me. “No holes, I promise.”
He walks us into his bedroom, where Mr. Darcy is lying in the center of the bed. Dane ignores him and kisses me softly before setting me down, my cat jumping off the bed.
When he reaches into a bedside drawer for a condom and puts it on, I finally get to stare openly at his body. I’ve gotten glimpses in the locker room, but I had to pretend I wasn’t interested.
He’s all muscle, dark hair lightly covering his chest and trailing down. I feel a sudden stab of jealousy toward any woman who’s ever touched his body. I’m greedy, wanting to explore every inch of him and never, ever share.
When he puts a knee on the bed, he pauses, looking at me. A wave of self-consciousness hits and I jump off the bed and get under the covers.
He shakes his head and grabs the top of the covers, prying them from my hands and pulling them all the way down to the end of the bed so he can see me. I close my legs and he climbs onto the bed on his knees, easing them apart. He’s between my legs, looking at me with a wolfish grin.
“Why are you being shy? Can’t you see how much I want you?”
His erection juts out like a sword, long and strong.
“No one’s ever looked at me like this,” I admit. “It’s always been more of an in-the-dark, over really quick kind of thing.”
He picks up one of my ankles and kisses it, caressing my calf. “Not anymore. You’re too beautiful not to look at. You told me not to stop earlier. I’ll never stop. You’ll always come first.”
There’s a flutter in my stomach as he sets my foot back on the bed and leans forward, kissing my lips. “I haven’t wanted any other woman since I saw you, Josie. I need to know you want me, too.”
My heart swells for this beautiful, damaged man. He’s been hurt, but he’s still willing to expose himself to me and risk being hurt again.
“I do,” I say against his lips. “I...”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
He leans up on his elbows, looking down at me. “Tell me what you were going to say.”
I flush, embarrassed. “I was looking at you earlier and thinking...I hate any other woman who’s ever touched you. I know it’s irrational.”
He smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I get it. I feel the same way about any man who’s ever touched you.”
“Yeah?”
He kisses me. “Yeah.”
I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him down. “What’s a girl gotta do around here to get fucked?”
His amused smile slides away as he pushes himself inside me, not stopping to make sure I’m comfortable.
“Ah, that’s...big.” I shift.
“You wanted to fuck and I aim to please.” He pulls out and goes all the way back in at full force.
“Fuck. Slow down. I haven’t had sex in a long time and you’re used to groupies with gaping vaginas.”
He pulls all the way out, scowling. “You want me to fill that smart mouth up? Because I can do that.”
I bite my lip, smiling. “All I’m saying is slow down. Let me adjust. Appreciate the tightness of my inexperience.”
Amusement dances in his eyes, but he doesn’t say a word.
He kisses me gently and pushes himself in, more slowly this time. I thread my fingers into his hair and he buries his face in my neck, kissing me until he finds my most sensitive spot, right beneath my earlobe. Soon, he’s buried completely inside me, my legs locked around his waist.
“You feel so fucking good, baby,” he says in my ear.
He gets on his knees, putting my ankles on his shoulders, and I immediately miss the closeness of him. But from here, he’s able to play with my clit as he thrusts into me, and damn , is he good at it.
I feel myself climbing toward climax again, but what I want more than anything is to see him lose control.
“Show me what you like,” I say. “Please. Fuck me the way you like it.”
“I will, baby. After you come.”
He keeps thrusting, his fingers circling. When I see his strained expression, holding back his own arousal in favor of mine, I let go, coming even harder than I did the first time. It seems to go on and on, Dane’s expert fingers making it last.
“Keep your legs here,” he says, and I lock my ankles behind his head.
He leans over me again, one hand bracing himself on his headboard, and he pistons his hips, pumping into me so hard I have to put a hand against the headboard to keep myself in place.
His arm muscles flex as he thrusts, breathing hard. He’s spectacular. I’ve never seen anything so masculine and sexy in my life. I can’t believe I’m the one having this effect on him. I know I’ll be sore from this tomorrow and I’m going to love every second of it.
“Oh, fuck...” His eyes lock onto mine as he rocks his hips into me, moving faster now. “Josie.”
God, I love the sound of my name on his lips as his body locks and he groans with his release. His body shudders and I run my palms down his sweat-slicked back.
He exhales, relaxing, and we lie down side by side.
“We’ve been dancing around this thing between us for a long time,” he says softly.
“Was it worth the wait?” I stroke my fingertips over his cheek.
“I think so. But let’s dispense with this pretend girlfriend thing.”
The flutter returns to my stomach. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“No more games. I want you in my life as my girlfriend.”
I love the sound of that. And I hate that I have to worry about what my aunt would say, but I do.
“I don’t know how that would work with my job.”
His hand is on my hip, his thumb stroking my skin. “We can keep it private until you’re done with the job. But then we tell everyone.”
I smile, feeling like a flower about to burst into bloom. “Okay.”
There are so many unknowns, but I’m sure of the most important thing: us.