Chapter 31
STELLA
After that phone call with Felix, the ball of negative energy constantly percolating in my gut just dissipated. As if that final goodbye helped me come to terms with all that was said and done.
I was officially a divorcee, and I felt… content.
Slipping my phone away, I lingered in the hallway of Curtis’ house, watching our wild boys make a downright mess in the kitchen.
My best friend was in the middle of it all, trying to call out orders, which were wilfully ignored. I couldn’t help but smile.
In the past six months, he had become my rock. We hadn’t been physical since that one night, yet the tension continued to build between us, that connection pulling so taut that I truly thought I’d snap.
Every time I saw him, each time we touched in passing, I swore my skin was about to melt away from my bones, desperate for more of him.
Curtis was respectful, the perfect gentleman. I had loved him for years as a friend. But now, our connection had morphed into something entirely new.
After knowing the man for so long, my outlook had suddenly turned romantic, intimate. Just the thought of him had my blood singing with need, sending my flesh tingling with want.
“Don’t you dare!” Curtis yelled, his finger pointing at Phoenix, who held up a threatening handful of cake.
As predicted, my freshly turned three-year-old spread his little devil smile and chucked the batter right in the centre of Curtis’ chest.
Bullseye! Cue food fight.
Screams and squeals ensued, icing and batter flying in all directions. I couldn’t help but crumble in laughter.
Four sets of eyes swung to me in the archway.
I backed away step by cautious step, raising my hands. “Nope. No.”
“Get her!” Eli screamed.
I ran, but didn’t get far. I was soon covered in cream and sugar alongside the rest and decided to join in the fight.
Naturally, it was every man for himself. In between all the ruckus, Curtis chased me down the deserted corridor, pinning me to the wall in his haste.
Giggles wracked my body as I smeared cake all over his face. In retaliation, he grabbed my wrists and anchored them above my head with one firm hand, and with the other, he gripped my chin.
“Surrender,” he said, all manly and rough. The tone sent a shiver skating down my spine.
“Never,” I whispered, twisting against him, half-heartedly trying to break free.
However, that move was my undoing. Curtis aligned his front to mine, pinning me to the wall to prevent my escape, causing my neurotransmitters to spark from the added contact.
Laughter abruptly died in my throat as a moan threatened to release instead.
It was all fun and games until lust decided to take over. And looking up into his eyes, I knew he had been consumed in the fire right alongside me. Our chests collided while heat steadily warmed my body.
As if transfixed, Curtis’ gaze flicked over my face, settling on my tongue that popped out to lick the icing from the corner of my mouth.
Sugar burst over my taste buds, causing a whimper to push past my lips. He pressed his thumb against the seam, skating back and forth as if to capture the sound.
His touch was additive, all-consuming and delicious. I had to steal a taste.
On the next stroke, I opened my mouth and skimmed my tongue against the pad of his thumb.
His breath hitched, eyes turning black with desire as he tentatively pressed his finger inside, seeking the wet heat of my mouth.
I easily complied, heightened and keyed up. I sucked on his thumb, lapping at the sweet coat of icing, eagerly swallowing it down, searching for more.
He rhythmically pushed in and out. In and out. The pad skating against my tongue, feeding me everything I’d ever want.
Hence why I couldn’t resist when my body began gyrating against his, seeking his added weight.
Curtis’ eyes lapsed shut. “Fuck, baby… If you keep doing that, I’m going to lose control,” he said, tone husky and raw.
Moving quickly, I tugged my hands out of his grip, curled them around the base of his neck and pulled down. “Lose control, Curt. Lose yourself in me.”
Those words were the unleashing of my feral monster.
Curtis growled and closed the one-inch gap between us. His lips met mine in a clash of aching desire.
He drank down my groans as I soaked in his possessive touch.
His palms skirted over my frame, lowering down and around to my ass, massaging and pulling me deeper into him, his solid cock pressing against my centre in both threat and promise.
God, I wanted him. I had never wanted anything more in my life.
That connection was more than sexual; it was a natural calling to something deeper. I held no fear, only necessity.
A high-pitched squeal from the living room whipped us back to the present.
“Where’d they go?” I heard Logan question, their voices getting closer as they roamed the house in search of us.
Curtis and I barely separated, his palms continued to bracket my face, refusing to fully let go. His eyes were feral and clouded, which reflected the same in mine.
“Later,” he said.
“Please,” I replied, leaving the wanton promise lingering between us.
“Fuck,” he muttered before he kissed me again. Not an innocent peck. No. It was a claiming before he abruptly ripped away from me, storming down the hallway.
I was a useless puddle of mush—left wet, aching and craving my next fix.
Curtis was mine, and it was about time I showed him how much.