Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
NIALL
The last thing I’m expecting when I get out of the shower is to find Jade splayed out on the bed, completely naked.
Not even the smallest scraps of lingerie, just a tempting expanse of creamy skin.
Her hair spills around her shoulders and a few long tendrils drape across her breasts, one of them curving around a rosy nipple.
A satisfied smirk curves her lips, but her cheeks are just pink enough to tell me she’s a little nervous.
She’s propped up on her elbows, which makes her small breasts jut out in an invitation to taste them.
The necklace I gave Jade—a simple pendant with our initials entwined—hangs just in the dip of her cleavage.
Oh. My.
The arousal I’d dealt with in the shower springs to life again.
“Niall,” she breathes in this sultry voice I’ve never heard before. “I’m tired of waiting.”
Me too , my body agrees. But my brain is the more reasonable voice here.
Even as I move across the room toward her—a magnet compelled to find its complement—I ask, “Are you sure? We talked about taking things slow. I don’t want to?—”
“We did take things slow.” Her sky blue eyes meet mine. “But I want this. I need this.”
Indecision sweeps over me. It’s only been a week since everything went down with Jade’s father, and she’s been dealing with a lot since then. A resurgence of nightmares. Some flashbacks. And the most heartbreaking—when her control slips and I find her crying quietly in the bedroom because she doesn’t want to worry me.
Yes, Jade is one of the strongest women I’ve met. But she’s still fragile right now, and I don’t want to do anything to trigger her.
Still. Who am I to dictate what Jade wants? What she gets?
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” There’s no hesitation. “I want to feel you inside me. I want to be as close as we can possibly be.”
Well. How can I say no to that?
So I cross the room to the bed, taking in everything.
Her perfect breasts. Her slender legs spread invitingly for me, revealing a hint of pink at the apex of her thighs. The tiny swell of her belly and the tiny caduceus symbol tattooed just below her hip.
And as I get closer, all the little details. The smattering of freckles across her chest and shoulders from the day we spent wandering around the property. Her heart-shaped face, so delicately formed. Lips curved in an expectant smile.
At the edge of the bed, I drop my towel, and Jade’s eyes widen in appreciation. As her gaze moves up and down my body, her smile gets bigger. “I missed this. I missed you.”
I crawl over her, bracing myself above her body. “You have me. Anytime you want.”
“Good.” Her hand flattens against my chest. “Because I want you now. And”—her hand moves down my abdomen—“I don’t want you to be gentle because you’re worried about upsetting me. You won’t.”
I’m rock-hard already, desire coiling inside me, a throbbing need building. Roughly, I ask, “You don’t want gentle?”
“Maybe later. But now.” She sucks in a breath and her breasts lift temptingly. “You know what I like.”
When I thought about making love to Jade again, I’d imagined tender and slow. Maybe letting her take the lead, like she likes to do sometimes. But this…
“Yes.” In a quick move, I loop Jade’s legs over my shoulders and bury my head between her thighs. Licking. Stroking. Flicking.
Plunging my fingers inside her, feeling her inner walls rippling around them. Sucking on her exposed bud until Jade’s moaning and thrusting her hips.
And once she’s opened for me like a blossoming flower, I flip her on top of me.
I suckle at one breast, then the other, grazing each nipple with my teeth. Jade makes this sexy sound and pushes her breasts into my mouth.
She reaches for me, clasping her slender fingers around my sensitive skin and stroking. It jerks in her hand, leaking steadily. The pressure is almost unbearable.
But this is about Jade. Giving her what she needs.
So I take her hand and kiss it gently. “Not this time. I want to be inside you.”
Then I lift her up and notch myself at her slick, welcoming warmth.
“Niall,” she whispers, “I thought?—”
My hands tighten on her hips. “You’ll see.”
All the hours of sparring and weight lifting have never paid off more.
I lower Jade onto me, plunging deep, bottoming out in my first stroke.
She cries out, a sound of sheer pleasure.
And then I power myself into her, lifting and lowering Jade faster and faster.
It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. Her breasts bouncing with each thrust, her head tossed back, hair cascading down her back, an expression of absolute ecstasy on her face.
I can feel her walls quivering, tightening, clutching at me.
Jade moans, “Oh, Niall, please. Oh, please. I need to?—”
“ Yes , sweetheart.” And tilt her hips so I can feel myself hitting that spot—the one Jade told me she never believed existed until she met me.
Which feels pretty awesome, actually.
The pressure keeps building, ramping up to a fever-pitch.
Moving inside Jade is the most incredible feeling. So tight and silken and hot.
A perfect fit.
I lift Jade one more time and this time when she comes down, she cries out, “Oh, yes!” and explodes around me.
Thrusting up as I hold her in place, I go racing off the edge along with her. Flashes of white light fill my vision. I pulse inside Jade, filling her.
This. It’s everything.
And when we’re wrapped up together, Jade’s legs pretzeled between mine, she lets out a contented sigh. “I feel so much better. I didn’t realize how much I needed this. Being with you.”
“Sweetheart.” I brush her hair from her face. “I’m sorry. I was trying to give you time.”
“I know. And I love you for it. I’d do the same thing. But now…” Her lips curve into a smile. “Now we don’t have to wait. In fact, we should do this all the time.”
“We should,” I agree. “Although.” I hate to bring it up, but my next job for Blade and Arrow is coming up in just over a week. “You know…”
“I know you have to work, Niall. I understand. And I’m so thankful to your teammates for covering so you could stay with me. But I want you to work. Rhiannon will be at HQ, and so will Erik. And we’ll FaceTime every night. It’ll be okay.”
“And it’s only for four days,” I add in an attempt to reassure myself as much as Jade. “I’ll be home before you know it.”
“I know. And I’m talking to Henley, and now I’m in touch with Olivia, and Shea… Don’t worry. Just focus on your job.”
“Jade.” I cup her cheek, gazing at her intently. “I will always worry about you. That’s part of being in love.”
“True.” Jade smiles. “Now. What do you think about breakfast? And maybe another round of this?”
“That sounds like a great idea. And later, I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?”
“Yeah.” I kiss Jade before adding, “It should be here after lunch. And I’m pretty sure you’ll like it.”
“Is the surprise being delivered?”
Jade puts her Kindle down on the couch and looks over at me. Anticipation lights her gaze. “Or is Dante cooking something? Are people coming over?”
“Nope.” I walk away from the window and sit down next to her. “Not a party. Or a delivery.”
“What is it, then?”
Chuckling, I say, “Jade. Do you know what a surprise is? It means you don’t know what it is until you get it.”
She huffs, but she’s still smiling. “I’m just curious.”
My phone pings, and I glance at the screen. “Well. Looks like your surprise is here.”
Her brows jump up. “Where?”
As I walk to the front door, I glance over my shoulder and reply, “It’ll be here in a minute.”
Looking at Jade’s excited face, I vow to give her many more surprises. Gifts. Trips. Special dates. Anything to make her smile like this.
And then, less than a minute later, there’s a quick series of raps on the door. I look over at Jade. “Are you ready?”
“Niall. Yes . You’re making me crazy.”
With a laugh, I say, “I don’t want that.” And I open the door.
“Niall!” Shea slams into me, hugging me tightly. “It’s about time.” Then she steps back and smacks my arm hard enough to bruise. “And I can’t believe you waited so long to tell me.”
“Sorry,” I start, but Shea’s attention has already shifted.
“Jade!” Shea sprints across the room and launches herself at Jade.
Jade gasps and springs up from the couch, but the force of Shea’s hug knocks them both back onto it. “Shea. You came .”
“How could I not?” Shea flicks a sour glance at me. “Once I finally found out what was going on.”
“It’s not his fault,” Jade says quickly. “We both… I know. I’m sorry. I was just so worried…”
“Stop.” Shea yanks Jade onto the cushion next to her. “Don’t apologize.”
I make a cautious approach, not wanting Shea to smack me again, and sit on Jade’s other side. “It was more my idea, Shea.”
Shea shakes her head, her lips twisting into a wry smile. “No way. I know Jade. She would have wanted to protect me as much as you.” Then she hugs Jade again. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you. That you were going through all this on your own.”
“Ahem.” It’s loud. Intentional. “I was here. My team. Jade wasn’t alone .”
“I wasn’t,” Jade adds. “Niall. His friends… they’ve been wonderful.” Tears brim in her eyes. “Beyond wonderful. And you know I wanted to tell you. Especially about Niall. I was just so worried you’d come and I’d drag you into this.”
“It’s okay,” I murmur, taking Jade’s hand.
Shea softens. “I understand. I do. If the positions had been reversed… but I would have come, Jade. Stayed here with you. Supported you.” There’s a pause as Shea’s gaze skips to mine. “Or… maybe this worked out better.”
Jade squeezes my hand. “Niall and I… but are you okay with this? Niall and I being together?”
There’s a hint of worry in Jade’s voice, so I wrap my arm around her shoulder and draw her closer to me.
Shea snorts. “Are you kidding me? Why do you think I was always talking about you guys to each other? Saying how amazing you both were?”
She looks between Jade and I, grinning. “I’ve been hoping you two would work this out before you’re old and gray. Especially now that you’re living so close to each other.”
“Well…” Jade says slowly, “That’s one thing I didn’t mention on the phone.”
“Jade’s living with me,” I add. “Here. At Blade and Arrow. And when the time is right, I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
“What?” Shea gasps. “Are you serious?”
Jade glances over at her. “Would that be okay?”
“Of course it would be okay!” Shea flings herself at me and Jade. “It’s more than okay. Then you’ll be my sister for real. It’s freaking amazing!” Shea pulls back and pins me with a glare. “You’d better check with me about the ring. And the proposal.”
Jade looks at me, eyes sparkling, a huge smile on her face. “Niall can give me any ring and propose however he wants. I’ll say yes.”
And I almost do it. Right here. But when I propose to Jade, she deserves for it to be perfect.
So, as Shea makes little gagging sounds in the background, I frame Jade’s face and kiss her deeply. Then I whisper, “I love you. I can’t wait to propose. And I can’t wait to spend my life with you.”
Jade’s gaze holds mine, showing me everything. “I love you, Niall. It’s always been you. And I can’t wait to spend my life with you, too.”