18. Stefan
— ? —
Stefan
The ballroom emptied around us, whispers and shocked faces fading into the night, but I didn’t see any of it.
I only saw Layla.
She stood in the center of the room, incandescent in that red dress.
Her chin was lifted, her shoulders back, her eyes blazing with the satisfaction of a woman who had finally claimed her revenge.
She had walked into this room expecting a fight and she had won.
She had faced the woman who destroyed her and she had burned her to the ground.
I had never loved her more than I did in this moment.
The last of the guests trickled out, their murmurs of shock and scandal trailing behind them like perfume. Somewhere in the distance, I heard my mother’s voice, sharp and desperate, calling for someone, anyone, to stay. No one did.
I didn’t care.
I crossed the room and grabbed Layla’s hand, pulling her away from the wreckage, through a side door, into a hallway that led to the service entrance. She stumbled after me in those impossible heels, laughing, the sound bright and wild and free.
“Stefan, slow down.”
“No.” I pushed her against the wall and kissed her.
Her mouth opened under mine and I groaned, my hands finding her hips, pulling her body flush against mine. The silk of her dress was thin, almost nothing, and I could feel the heat of her skin through it.
“I need you,” I murmured against her mouth. “Right now. I can’t wait another second.”
“Then don’t wait.” Her fingers curled into my hair, pulling me closer. “Take me home.”
“Where?” I pulled back just enough to look at her face. “A hotel?”
“Our home.” Her eyes held mine. “The house. Our house.”
My chest cracked open. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” She kissed me again, softer this time. “Take me home, Stefan.”
I practically dragged her to the car. The valet took one look at my face and sprinted for the keys, and within minutes we were pulling out of the country club’s circular drive, leaving the ruins of my mother’s reputation behind us.
The drive took twenty minutes. I pulled into the driveway of a house I hadn’t set foot in for years.
Our house. The place where we’d planned to raise children, grow old, build a life. The place I couldn’t sell. Couldn’t change. Couldn’t let go.
“I don’t live here anymore,” I said, killing the engine. “Not since you left. I couldn’t sleep in our bed without you. I couldn’t walk through the rooms without seeing you everywhere I looked.”
“Then why keep it?” Her voice was soft.
“Because I couldn’t bear to change it.” I turned to face her. “Because this is where I was happy. This is where we were happy. And I wanted to believe, even when everything told me I was a fool, that we could have it again.”
She didn’t say anything. She just opened her door and got out.
I followed her to the front steps, my hands shaking as I pulled out the key. The same key. The same lock. Everything exactly as it had been four years ago.
The key turned. The door swung open.
And there it was.
Her books on the shelf. The collection of design magazines she used to devour, still stacked on the coffee table.
Someone cleaned it weekly. I’d kept the service running all this time, paying them to maintain a house no one lived in, to dust furniture no one used, to keep fresh flowers in the vase on the entryway table because Layla had always loved coming home to flowers.
It was exactly as she’d left it. A shrine to a marriage I’d thought was dead.
Layla’s breath caught. She walked slowly through the living room, her fingers trailing over surfaces, touching objects she’d abandoned four years ago.
“Stefan...” Her voice broke.
“I couldn’t let it go.” I came up behind her, my hands settling on her shoulders.
“I couldn’t let you go. Even when I thought you didn’t want me, I kept this place exactly the way it was.
Because this was where we built our life.
This was where I fell more in love with you every single day.
And I couldn’t stand the thought of erasing it. ”
She turned in my arms and kissed me.
Hard. Desperate. Her hands fisting in my shirt, pulling me closer, her body pressing against mine with an urgency that matched my own. I groaned into her mouth and grabbed her hips, lifting her off the ground.
Her legs wrapped around my waist. The red dress rode up her thighs and I felt the heat of her against my stomach, nothing but thin lace between us.
“Upstairs,” she gasped against my mouth. “Our bed. I want you in our bed.”
I carried her up the stairs without breaking the kiss. My foot caught on the top step and I stumbled, but I didn’t fall. I would never let her fall.
The bedroom door was open. The bed was made with fresh sheets, the same Egyptian cotton she’d insisted on buying even though I’d complained about the price. I laid her down in the center of it and stepped back to look at her.
Red silk against white cotton. Dark hair spread across the pillows. Eyes that held mine with an intensity that made my chest ache.
“You’re so beautiful.” The words came out rough. “God, Lay. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Come here.” She reached for me. “I need you closer.”
“Not yet.” I caught her hands and pressed them back against the pillows, holding them there. “I’ve waited four years for this. I’m going to take my time with you.”
I released her hands and found the zipper on her dress, hidden in the seam along her side. I pulled it down slowly, watching the silk part, revealing inch after inch of bare skin. No bra. Just her. Just the body I’d dreamed about every night for four years.
She arched her back and I pulled the dress over her head, tossing it somewhere behind me. She lay beneath me in nothing but red lace panties and those impossible heels.
“These too.” I unbuckled the heels one at a time, pressing a kiss to each ankle as I removed them. “I want you naked. I want to see all of you.”
I hooked my fingers in her panties and dragged them down her legs. She was already wet, glistening, and my cock strained against my pants at the sight of her.
“Stefan.” Her voice was breathless. “Please. I need to feel you.”
“You will.” I bent and pressed my mouth to her throat, feeling her pulse flutter against my lips. “But first I’m going to worship every inch of you.”
I kissed down her collarbone, tracing the line of bone with my tongue. She shivered beneath me, her hands twisting in the sheets, her breath coming faster.
“I love you,” I murmured against her skin. “I never stopped. Not for a single second.”
“I love you too.” Her voice cracked. “So much. I never stopped either.”
I found her breast and circled her nipple with my tongue, feeling it harden under my attention. She moaned, her fingers flying to my hair, gripping tight.
I flicked my tongue across the stiff peak. “I remember how much you love this.”
“Yes.” She arched into my mouth. “Don’t stop.”
I sucked her nipple between my lips, gentle at first, then harder when she cried out. My hand found her other breast, rolling that nipple between my thumb and forefinger, pinching just hard enough to make her gasp.
“Stefan...” Her hips were moving restlessly, seeking friction. “I need more. Please.”
I kissed down her stomach, taking my time, savoring every shiver and gasp. I traced my tongue around her navel, across the soft curve of her belly, down to the jut of her hip bones. I bit the sensitive skin there and she jerked, a moan escaping her lips.
“You’re so wet already.” I settled between her thighs, my face inches from her pussy. I groaned and lowered my mouth to her.
The first taste of her made my eyes roll back. I licked through her folds slowly, relearning her, savoring the way she shuddered beneath me.
“Oh god.” Her thighs clamped around my head. “Stefan. Yes.”
I circled her clit with the tip of my tongue, teasing, not giving her the pressure she needed. She whimpered and tried to grind against my face, but I held her hips down.
“Tell me how it feels.” I licked her again, long and slow. “I want to hear you.”
“It feels incredible.” She was panting now. “Your tongue feels so good on my clit. Please. Please don’t tease me.”
I gave her what she wanted. I sealed my lips around her clit and sucked, flicking my tongue rapidly across the swollen bud. She screamed, her back bowing off the bed, her hands fisting in my hair.
“Yes.” She pulled me closer, grinding against my mouth. “Right there. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
I slid one finger inside her and groaned at how tight she was, how hot and wet and perfect. Her walls gripped me immediately, pulling me deeper.
“More, please,” she begged. But instead of obliging I pulled my finger out. “What the fuck, Stefan.”
I chuckled and pressed a kiss to her clit as I crawled up her body and kissed her deeply. She moaned into my mouth, tasting herself on my tongue, her hands pulling at my shoulders.
“You’re wearing too many clothes.” Her fingers fumbled with my buttons. “I need to feel your skin. I need you inside me.”
I sat back and stripped off my jacket, my shirt. She reached for my belt and I let her unbuckle it, let her unzip my pants and push them down my hips. When she wrapped her hand around my cock, I groaned so loud it echoed off the walls.
“I missed this.” She stroked me slowly, her thumb circling the head, spreading the precum that was already leaking. “I missed how hard you get for me. How big you feel in my hand.”
“Lay...” Her name came out strangled. “If you keep doing that, I’m not going to last.”
“Then get inside me.” She pulled me closer, positioning me between her thighs. “I want to feel you come inside me. I’ve missed being filled by you.”
I pressed the head of my cock against her entrance and pushed in slowly.
She was so tight. So hot. So fucking perfect. I groaned as her walls parted around me, gripping me, pulling me deeper. When I was fully seated, I had to stop and breathe, had to fight the urge to come right then.
“Stefan.” She cupped my face in her hands. “Look at me.”
I opened my eyes and met hers.
“I love you,” she whispered. “I love you so much. I never stopped.”
“I love you too.” I started to move, slow deep thrusts that made her gasp. “I’ve always loved you. Only you. Every day for four years.”
I found my rhythm, pulling almost all the way out and sinking back in, filling her completely. She wrapped her legs around my waist and moved with me, her hips rising to meet each thrust.
“You feel so good.” I groaned against her throat. “So tight around my cock. I forgot how perfect you feel.”
“Harder.” She dug her nails into my back. “I need you harder. I need to feel you tomorrow.”
I gave her what she wanted. I drove into her with everything I had, our bodies slapping together, the headboard hitting the wall with every thrust. She clawed at my shoulders, her nails leaving marks, and the sting only made me want her more.
“I’m not going to last long.” My voice was strained, my control fraying. “You feel too good. It’s been too long.”
“Don’t hold back.” She pulled my face down to hers, kissing me fiercely. “Fill me up. I need it.”
I reached between us and found her clit, rubbing tight circles while I thrust into her. She cried out, her pussy clenching around me, and I knew she was close again.
“Come with me.” I was right on the edge, barely holding on. “I want to feel you come on my cock.”
“I’m so close.” Her voice broke on a moan. “Stefan. I’m going to come.”
“Look at me.” I slowed my thrusts, making each one deep. “I want to see your eyes when you come.”
Her eyes locked onto mine. I watched them go hazy, watched her lips part, watched her whole face transform as the pleasure built.
“Now,” I commanded, driving into her hard. “Come for me now.”
She shattered. Her walls clamped down on me and she screamed my name, her whole body convulsing, her eyes never leaving mine. The sensation was too much. I buried myself deep and let go.
“I love you.” The words tore out of me as I came, my cock pulsing inside her, filling her with everything I had. “God, Lay. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She was crying now, tears streaming down her face, but she was smiling. “I love you too.”
I collapsed against her, still buried inside her, my face pressed into her neck. Her arms wrapped around me and held on tight. Her heart pounded against my chest, matching the frantic rhythm of my own.
We stayed like that, tangled together in our bed, in our home, her body wrapped around mine.
Finally, finally, we were home.