Chapter Thirty-One #2
She wanted to share something with him, too.
“You know that beach party you drove me home from on my twentieth birthday? The whole reason I was there was for the sparklers. When I was little, all the other kids were allowed to hold them on the Fourth, but my parents wouldn’t let me.
They said they didn’t want me to get hurt, but I think it was really because they didn’t want me to feel like the other kids.
They didn’t want me to be as happy as they were, because then I might notice the difference in our families.
How unhappy mine was compared to theirs.
I really don’t think my parents knew I felt that difference every minute of every day. ”
Zander’s fingers curled around hers. “I’m sorry, darlin’.”
“Me too. Brian had heard that the people who threw the party on the beach handed out sparklers. That’s why we went. But we never got that far. We hooked up with kids we knew and got rip-roaring drunk and high before heading to the beach. I was my own worst enemy.”
“You were a frightened girl trying to make it in a world you were never taught to navigate. My parents host that beach bash on the Fourth every year. We’ll go this year and celebrate your birthday.”
She longed to celebrate with him and his family, but she had to work, and nobody liked to swap shifts on holidays.
It wasn’t like she was used to birthday celebrations anyway.
Birthdays had never been a big deal when she was growing up.
Her parents would give her a small gift and present her with a store-bought cake, both of which had felt like obligations.
They’d gone to see fireworks a few times when she was a kid, but not often.
Brian gave her a card every year, and she’d miss that this year as much as she missed him.
“I wish I could, but I have to work.”
“You’re doing good work, Angel.” He squeezed her hand again, and they went back to watching the fireworks.
The air crackled with excitement as thunderous booms rang out, showering them with a visual feast of vibrant colors.
When he laced his fingers with hers, she glanced at him.
His jaw was tight, and he was staring absently at the sky.
She wondered what he was thinking and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, then rested her head there.
A few minutes later, he said, “Hey, darlin’.”
“Yeah?”
“Nobody else knows what that tattoo means.”
The heady emotions in his voice stirred something in her chest, as hot and bright as the fireworks. “Your secret is safe with me.” Not wanting him to worry about her breaking that promise after their obligation was over, she added, “Always.”
His chest rose and fell with a long exhalation, as if he had been holding his breath. He held her a little tighter and pressed a kiss to her forehead, murmuring, “Yours, too.”
THE LAST SHIMMER of fireworks faded into the night, leaving only the roar of the falls and the murmur of the dispersing crowd.
The fireworks were incredible, but it was the way Zander held her, the closeness she felt once she fully let her guard down, that had her wishing it could continue all night.
She started to get up, but Zander kept her close and said, “Let the crowd go first.”
In no rush for their night to end, she smiled against his chest, drenched in happiness.
They stayed that way for a long while, eventually making their way back to the hotel.
The night replayed in her mind as they walked into the suite for the last night of their honeymoon.
The sight of separate bedrooms made her nerves prickle.
Would it be wrong to ask him if they could stay in the same room again?
Should she expect they would? She looked from the bedrooms to him, at a loss for words, and blurted out, “I’m going to take a quick shower before bed. ”
He stepped forward, sliding his strong arms around her waist, heat rising in his eyes. “Then do I get to fuck my wife again?”
Yes, yes, yes! “Is that all I get? Just a fuck? That’s a little disappointing after last night.” Feeling saucy, she pushed from his arms and said, “Why don’t you make a better plan while I rinse off?” She turned on her heel and sauntered toward her bedroom.
He scooped her up, and she laughed as he charged through the bedroom door.
“What are you doing?” she asked through her laughter.
“I made a better plan. We’re showering together.”
Through laughter and kisses, they stripped off their clothes and ducked into the shower, locking lips as the warm water rained down on them.
His kisses always turned her inside out, but with water seeping between their lips and his rigid cock sliding against her belly, it felt sinful and erotic.
They groped and caressed, his every touch taking her higher, until she felt like she was going to burst. She reached for his cock at the same time he pushed a hand between her legs.
Yes…
They moaned into fervent kisses. She stroked as he teased, their hips thrusting and rocking. She was on fire, and she wanted more. She wanted to feel his hard length in her mouth, taste his salty skin, and see him lose his mind for her.
“You fucking kill me,” he growled against her lips, then crushed his mouth to hers, backing her up against the cold tiles. His fingers worked their magic, taking her up onto her toes as she stroked his hard length. “Do you know how badly I wanted to get my hands on you today?”
“You should’ve done it.”
His eyes drilled into her. “You would’ve been cool with me pulling off the road to bend you over my bike and fuck you into next week?”
Her body flamed, and “Uh-huh” fell desperately from her lips, surprising her. But she knew she would not only have let him do it, but she would have loved it. “As long as no one could see us.”
“Fuck.” He took her in another brutal kiss, expertly teasing her nipples until they throbbed. Then he blazed a path down her body with his strong hands and talented mouth and pushed her legs apart, growling, “Eyes on me. I want to see the pleasure in them when you scream my name.”
She gladly obliged, watching as he used the tip of his tongue to taunt her most sensitive nerves and slid two fingers inside her, fucking her with them as his mouth wreaked havoc with her senses.
He stopped finger fucking her, zeroing in on that magical spot inside her that sent pins and needles racing through her core.
He took her clit between his teeth, and the breath rushed from her lungs.
She went up on her toes, digging her fingernails into his shoulders as he did something that sent waves of pleasure crashing over her.
“Zan—” flew from her lips, her body quaking and bucking.
He stayed with her, drawing out her pleasure, and as she came down from the high, he sent her reeling again. She grasped at his head, his hair, his shoulders, anything to combat her weakening legs as she surrendered to another earth-shattering orgasm.
He kissed his way up her body, every touch of his lips igniting sparks against her skin. He was so damn sexy with the water raining down on him, she put her hands on his chest and said, “My turn.”
She pushed him back against the wall, and he laughed in surprise.
But that laughter quickly turned to gritted-out curses and rough praise as she explored his magnificent body, kissing and touching him, from his powerful shoulders, hard pecs, and rippled abs to his thick thighs and, finally—God, finally—she wrapped her hand around his thick, hard cock, earning the darkest look she’d ever seen.
She was no expert at this, having done it only a few times, but the way he was looking at her made her feel empowered, like she could do no wrong, and she clung to that confidence like a lifeline.
The shower rained down on her as she licked him from base to tip, earning a guttural moan. She stroked him as she swirled her tongue around the broad head, then slicked her tongue again down the length and teased his balls. “Fuck, Angel.”
He fisted his hands in her hair, sending shocks of pain and pleasure down her body.
As she took him in her mouth, his hands tightened in her hair, his eyes boring into her as his cock hit the back of her throat.
He growled. Wanting to hear more of that, she stroked and sucked, loving the way he watched her, the way he gave her total control of their pace, but held tight enough to send scintillating sensations scorching through her.
When she worked him faster and tighter, he made more of those gruff growls, spurring her on.
“Fuck, Angel. I’m gonna blow.”
It was a warning she had no interest in heeding.
She took him deeper, stroking faster. His entire body flexed, and his hips thrust so hard, she had to grab his leg to keep her balance as “Shauna—” tore from his lungs like a bullet, and salty jets spilled down her throat.
Gratification, pride, and immense pleasure swamped her as she stroked and sucked, taking everything he had to give until he sank back against the wall, his body jerking with aftershocks.
“Jesus, Angel.” Hands still tangled in her hair, he tugged her up to her feet, searching her eyes.
His warm hands slipped from her hair to her jaw, rubbing it tenderly.
He didn’t say a word as one arm circled her waist, drawing her into a blistering kiss.
It wasn’t urgent or feverish, but even more confident and possessive than ever.
The kind of kiss that said things were different now.
When they stepped from the shower, he dried her off and led her into the bedroom, where they fell ravenously into each other’s arms again, and as their bodies came together, different was exactly how she felt.