26. Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-six
Samantha
Nate showed up at my hotel room a little past nine, his cheeks slightly ruddy, eyes a bit glazed.
I let him in, and he kicked the door shut behind him. He stepped close, his warm breath scented with wine.
“Did you have a good dinner?” I asked, backing up toward the bed.
“Mmm. It was fine. Went on far too long.” He shucked off his jacket and rid himself of his shoes. “You brought that nightdress with you not knowing I was coming on this trip?”
I looked down at my silky, rose gold nightgown that barely covered anything and understood why he was asking. This wasn’t a nightgown made to wear for long. Certainly not for a night alone in bed.
“I seem to have left all my favorite pajamas at your place.” I started undoing the buttons of his shirt. He was moving far too slow for my taste. When I reached the bottom, I slid my hands up his chest and helped him shrug out of it. “This was the only thing I could find to bring with me.”
He plucked at the fabric over my hips then flattened his palms on my sides. “Lucky me,” he mumbled, his hands roving over the smooth fabric. “You look very pretty, Samantha.”
“Thank you, Nate,” I answered breathlessly as I fumbled with his belt. He was already hard, his cock struggling behind his zipper.
“Very pretty…” His fingers toyed with the thin straps on my shoulders. “I want to rip this thing to shreds.”
Our eyes met, and my breath got stuck so far back in my chest I wasn’t sure I’d ever find it again.
I nodded.
He didn’t rip the nightgown to shreds, but the violent way he yanked it off me, it was close.
Then his mouth was on mine, and we were clawing at each other. I yanked his pants off, scrambling to get my hands on his cock.
God, he was so hard, like silk-wrapped steel in my hands. I yanked on him urgently, plumping his length even more.
He was all over me. Palming my ass, holding my tits, running his fingers along my slit.
He gripped my hair and mouthed my throat and collarbone so roughly there’d be bruises tomorrow.
Before I could consider whether I had the right kind of clothes to cover the marks, he shoved me onto the bed and stepped close.
“Samantha,” he growled, gripping the sides of my hair. “I need you to suck my cock.”
I blinked up at him. This was him asking for my consent in the way I wanted, and it struck me how perfectly aligned we were. We intrinsically understood each other’s desires and fantasies—fantasies I’d kept to myself before him.
I grabbed his hips and dove forward, taking him down my throat in one slide. His groan was filled with pain and pleasure, and his hold on my hair tightened.
Then he took over, using his hold to move me forward and back. He lodged himself in my throat for long moments, then pulled back, giving me seconds to take a breath before returning. He did it again and again, skating on the right side of my limits like they were tangible things.
My stomach grew heavy even as my head was a hazy mess.
Nate’s moans stroked my skin and lashed at my clit, making it throb.
I was soaked, my thighs pressed together to get some relief, but I didn’t dare touch myself.
I didn’t think I could have moved my hands in any coordinated way if I’d wanted to.
“Look at you,” he gritted out, his thumb trailing down my cheek as he pummeled my mouth. “So perfect, taking me so well. Your lips are so stretched, you’re going to feel this for days.”
I moaned, leaning forward to have more of him. But he was in charge. Steering me exactly where he wanted me. His tug at the roots of my hair was a direct zap to my clit. He yanked, and I shuddered, grasping at his thrusting hips.
I was outside myself, yet felt everything. When he took his cock away from me, I nearly cried. He didn’t allow me the time to push out any tears before flipping me over. He dragged me onto my hands and knees, then his mouth was on me and his fingers were inside.
Not gentle.
Never gentle.
Two fingers...three, drove into my pussy while his mouth worked higher, lapping at my puckered hole.
“I want this,” he rumbled against my flesh. “You’ll let me have it, won’t you?”
I nodded against the mattress. “Yes. Anything.” I meant it. I really did. He could have dangled me out the window, and I would have thanked him for the breeze.
He pulled away from me all at once, leaving me cold and bereft. Moments later, something slick and cool slid along my crease. Then his fingers were at my back opening, working into me with as much patience as he could muster.
I wanted him so badly, my body allowed him entrance without much struggle.
“Come on, Nate,” I whimpered. “Please, please. I’m ready for you.”
He smacked the side of my ass with one hand, continuing to coat my inner walls with the other. “I know you are, sweet girl. You’re always ready for me. That’s why I can’t get enough.”
I arched my back as much as he would allow, presenting myself to him. “Please, Nate. Let me feel it.”
“You’re gonna get it.” His fingers slipped out then the blunt end of his cock nudged against me. “We’ll both feel it. But I’m not going to hurt you. Your body is going to open for me so I can fit inside nice and deep, right?”
Head hanging, I nodded. “Yes.”
He pushed into me and didn’t take his time. He’d done such a thorough job prepping me; the sting was sharp but brief as he sank fully inside me. His hips hit my ass, jolting me forward. I reached out, bracing against the headboard, and answered his thrust with one of my own.
“Like that,” he encouraged. “Just like that.”
One hand on my hip, the other in my hair, gentle Nate fell by the wayside, leaving behind a powerful being who took no mercy on me—exactly like I wanted.
Our bodies came together with brutal force, and his retreat made me whimper and whine for more.
When he returned, I met him, eager for every point of contact, inside and out.
I felt him in my stomach and chest. In my throat and brain. He consumed me with his body and infiltrated my mind with his reassurance and praise.
Why would I look for someone else when I knew they wouldn’t be able to give me this? I’d been searching all my life for a partner to understand me and had finally found it, at least in the bedroom. There was no way I’d be giving it up anytime soon.
Nate used me like a doll. He took me from my knees to my side, curling around me as he pounded into me.
Then he moved us again, placing me in his lap, my back to his front.
Draping my legs over his, he spread me wide.
I fell back against him as he ran his hands over me, cupping my pussy, rolling my clit in tight circles until I was shaking and begging.
Then he dipped two fingers inside me, pressing against my back wall, feeling himself moving in my other channel. He groaned beside my ear, and I turned my head to dig my teeth into his neck.
“Dammit, Sam. How is this—how the hell do you feel so good?” He sounded angry, utterly confounded, and I had no answers for him. It was a mystery to me how well we fit together. I truly hadn’t known it possible to share something like this with someone.
I blubbered something incoherent, and he grabbed my face, turning it so he could kiss me hard and deep, taking my useless breath away. He kept kissing me and pounding into my ass until we were both boneless heaps, spent in each other’s arms.
I touched his ruddy cheeks, the sweat on his brow, his bottom lip I’d made puffy from my teeth. He held me close, almost nose to nose, his tired eyes raking over me. We surveyed each other for a long time, until we caught our breath and sounds from outside began to seep in.
Eventually, we moved to the shower. My knees were shaky, and I kept giggling for no reason. Nate made sure I stayed in his arms, kissing the side of my head and cheek as he washed my hair and body.
“I would love to wash your hair too, but my arms don’t work,” I mumbled against his chest.
He squeezed me, a rumble rising out of him. “You don’t need to do anything other than let me take care of you. You already gave me so much.”
“God, you’re a sweet man.”
He chuckled, pressing his lips to my temple. “Nothing I’ve done to you tonight could be mistaken for sweet.”
I slapped his back weakly. “That’s for me to say. I lost track of how many times I came, and by my definition, that’s pretty sweet.”
“Hmmm…” He nuzzled into my hair, cradling the back of my head in his palm. “In that case, you’re sweet too.”
“You came once.”
“And you hollowed me out. I came so much, I’m barely a husk.”
That made me snicker so hard, I would have stumbled if he hadn’t been holding me. “I like when you’re funny.”
“I mean it.”
I didn’t stop laughing until he’d dried me off and tucked me into bed, my silky nightgown long forgotten on the floor.
I hoped tonight would be one of the nights Nate slept well.
Waking up in the morning to see fatigue shadowing his eyes bothered me.
I hated that he spent all night alone while I dreamed.
I wanted him to dream with me.
“Did you have a good meeting?”
“It was the first of many. Roman and I have to consider whether the company is worth investing in. I’m not convinced yet,” he replied, stroking my hair. “How about you? Did you and Ade like the building?”
“The building is fine. It needs a lot of work, but that was to be expected. We gutted the Denver club. We could do it again if we had to…” I sighed. “He’s made his mind up about opening the club here.”
“But you’re not sure?”
“I like things as they are. If we open here, it will mean traveling back and forth until we find staff we trust to do most of the day-to-day management.”
His fingers paused. “You’re not considering moving here?”
“No. Not even for a second. I like visiting the beach, but I’m a Denver girl, through and through. Ade doesn’t want to move either, but he likes the idea of creating more spaces like MHC. I’m just not sure now is the time.”
His rhythmic stroking restarted, and he hummed contentedly. “You’ll figure it out.” He sounded so sure.
“Probably.” My eye caught on the little bottle of clear liquid Nate had put on the nightstand. I poked his ribs. “You brought lube with you.”
He chuckled, squeezing me tighter. “I figured we might end up in the same bed.”
I wasn’t the least bit mad at his assumptions. When we were in the same place, it was impossible for us not to end up this way.
“You could have warned me you were going to be on the plane this morning.”
“I thought it would be fun to surprise you.” He shifted so he could see my face. “Were you disappointed to see me?”
“Of course not.” I meant that completely. Nate had become one of my favorite people, and it wasn’t just because of the sex. I genuinely like his company. “If I’d known we were going to share a hotel room, I would have come better prepared.”
His mouth hitched. “What does that mean?”
I shrugged my shoulders, going for saucy and mysterious. “I guess you’ll never know.”
That earned me a full-on laugh and landed me flat on my back, Nate hovering over me, smiling as wide as I’d ever seen. I reached up, brushing his hair away from his face.
“You look good like this,” I said.
“You look good, always.” He dipped down, brushing his mouth over mine. “You told Adrian you’re not seeing anyone.”
“Mmmhmm.” I raised my head to sip more from his lips. They were so warm and soft, I couldn’t get enough. “Notice how he didn’t ask you. It’s not really fair.”
“My answer never changes. I don’t date.”
He moved beside me, propping his head on his hand, and I mirrored his pose, bringing us face to face.
“You just sleep around.”
“I have sex without strings on occasion,” he said. “I’m not sleeping around now.”
My toes curled with pleasure. I’d known, but I liked hearing him say it. Probably more than I should have.
“You wouldn’t have the time.” I placed my hand in the center of his chest and grinned. “I keep you occupied.”
“You do.”
Maybe it was none of my business, but I was curious, and we hadn’t talked about this. “Why don’t you date?”
His sigh was heavy, and the crease between his eyebrows carved deep.
“You know about Rosalie. We were together for nearly a decade. Well…off and on. Toward the end, off more often than on. It got pretty…toxic, as the kids say.” He shook his head.
“For a long time, I figured if I couldn’t get things to work with her, after she’d stuck by me when I was barely hanging on, who would I be able to make things work with? ”
A burst of pain sprouted in my chest. Nate and Rosalie had been broken up for years, and he’d gone this whole time thinking he wouldn’t be able to make a relationship work? But he was…so wonderful.
“You could make a relationship work with a lot of women, Nate. Just because it wasn’t right with her doesn’t mean you’re not capable of being a good partner.”
He tapped the side of his head. “Things can get really muddled up here. But…I’m beginning to see that might be true. It wasn’t right with her, but it might be with someone else.”
My stomach lurched, but I ignored it. There was no reason for it. Nate was seeing his worth, and I was glad. Whether there was a woman out there who truly deserved him was another question, but that wasn’t up to me to decide.
“Maybe next time Adrian picks at my dating life, I’ll be able to point him in your direction.”
“Sure. Maybe.” His brow crinkled, and his mouth opened and closed like he was deciding whether to say something.
“What?” I tilted my head. “Say it, Nate. You don’t have to hold back with me.”
“I think…” He sucked in a deep breath and locked his eyes on mine. “Let’s be real.”
“What do you mean? Real about what?”
His mouth quirked into a half smile. “Let’s be real, you and me. No more faking it. Let’s try it for real. Dating. Being together.”
Oh no.
No, no, no.
Take it back. This was perfect! Take it back!
But he was looking at me with such earnestness, such hope, all I could say was, “I can’t, Nate.”
I couldn’t explain it. Not in any way that would make sense to either of us. One thing I knew for sure was this couldn’t be real. I wasn’t the woman to give that to him.
Another pinprick to add to my collection.
This time stinging worse than before…and I was doing it to myself.