1 Jericho
"You're being elusive," she accuses, but there isn't an ounce of heat in her tone.
"I'm not," I argue. "I said it was a surprise."
"Haven't we had enough surprises to last a lifetime?"
I consider this, but we've made a plan to put all of our regrets, traumas, and bad choices behind us in order to move forward. I meant it when I said I would.
"This isn't a surprise for you," I clarify, but all it does is make her frown deepen.
"But it isn't work related?"
"I'm here at the house until we know for sure that Eli is adjusting and making progress with his therapy."
I'd fully planned to get up, grab a shower, get dressed, and head out, but she's in the bed with the blanket pulled up to her chin. The problem is that I know she's stark naked under there, and the idea of leaving her behind makes me wish I didn't have a single responsibility in the world other than our son.
"No," she says when I drop the pair of jeans I was planning to put on. "Not unless you tell me what you have planned."
I pause, but instead of getting upset, I let a slow smile spread across my face.
"I'm not going to let you ruin the surprise."
"That's not for me..."
"Correct," I say as I press my knee into the end of the mattress.
I cover her body with mine, the pressure of my weight trapping her under the blanket as I press my lips to hers.
She tries to fight me, to resist my affection, but when I move my lips to her exposed neck, the tiny mumble of a groan tells me she's already lost.
"Are we moving out?"
I pull my head back, confusion drawing my eyebrows together.
"Do you want to move out?"
She shakes her head, relief washing over me.
"I want to stay here. It feels safe."
"We are safe. Eli is safe. I don't even see any plans to leave at all."
"Good," she whispers.
"You may not feel that way when the house is completely full of other people," I remind her as I shift my weight to pull the blanket from her body while she's distracted.
"I adore the people who live here," she says. "Cora and Zara have been so kind to me, and Eli just adores them."
"I know," I whisper as I wrap my lips around the peak of one breast.
"You're sneaky," she accuses, but she doesn't push my mouth away.
It doesn't matter how many times we come together like this. The thrill it gives me to have this woman back in my arms will never leave.
We've suffered and endured some horrific things these last several years, and there wasn't a glimmer of hope in my mind that my life would be any different from the trajectory it was heading until recently. Look where we are now. I'll be hard-pressed to ever think things won't work out eventually, no matter how dire the current climate might be.
"If you keep going, I'm going to require you to tell me all your secrets," she whispers, spreading her legs so I can settle between them.
"We have no secrets, Aspen," I assure her. "And before you argue. Surprises aren't secrets."
"They most certainly ar—"
I cover her mouth with mine once again, shifting my hips so my cock lines up at her entrance. She melts under me as I press forward, sheathing myself inside her.
"Nolan," she pants when I pull my head back, every muscle in my body aching to move but needing to make sure she's right here with me.
Aspen knew me as Luke before, and I love how quickly she has adapted to using my real name. It makes me feel as if there are no barriers between us any longer.
"Open for me, Peach," I beg, needing to push forward just a little more.
Her mouth hangs open as her legs widen ever so slightly, but it gives me the room I need to join us fully.
"That's my girl," I praise before pulling out and slowly moving forward once again.
I know she's a little tender, so I take my time, coaxing her body to accept me so I can give her exactly what she's desperate for.
"How is it always so good?" she asks, her arms curling under mine until I feel her fingernails digging into my shoulder blades.
"Because it's us," I answer with another backward pull of my hips before thrusting forward once again.
Her back arches, the sensitive skin of her neck begging for attention, and I'm unable to resist the request.
My lips trail along her throat, the warmth of my breath making no difference to the goosebumps forming on her skin.
Her body reacts to me in a way that makes me want to stand on top of the world and beat my chest in victory.
"Harder," she moans.
I give her exactly what she needs, despite the fact that it means this ends a lot faster than I had planned. The good news is that the end means we can simply start all over again.
"Perfect, Peach," I whisper, my teeth clamping on her earlobe. "Fucking perfect."
I lift my body, resting most of my weight on my hands as I move my hips, loving the way she lifts her legs and presses her knees into my ribs.
I know her body well, so the first grip of her orgasm is no surprise. My body's response to hers comes naturally, the way it always has and always will, as I follow her off that cliff.
My arms tremble, muscles weakening until I'm covering her completely, my mouth trailing up her throat and down her jawline until our panting mouths meet.
"Good morning, Peach."
"You said that already," she whispers against my lips.
I pray there never comes a day where I've gotten enough of her that I can crawl out of bed and not want to get right back in, if only to hold her to my chest and tell her that I love her.
"I'm going with you," she says as she presses a hand to my chest.
I roll off, the cool air in the room meeting the sheen of sweat on my skin.
"Where?"
"Wherever you were heading for your surprise."
"I'm not going to let you talk me out of it," I tell her, my softening cock threatening to harden again when she climbs out of bed.
Those little dimples in her back, above her ass, have got to be one of the sexiest things I've ever seen in my life. Just the sight of them makes me want to stick my tongue into the divots.
"I won't try to talk you out of it," she promises, but the woman doesn't have a clue what my plans are.
I've missed so much time with my son. I want to give him everything he's ever wanted, tangible, intangible, the whole lot.
"Shower with me and spill all your deepest, darkest secrets," she says, standing on the edge of the bed and holding her hand out to me.
I can't help the frown that forms on my face.
In the years we were apart, I've done some pretty awful things in order to bring bad guys to justice. I've been unethical and deceitful, and I put myself in more than one position to betray others.
Instead of telling her that she doesn't want that shit in her head, I force a smile and place my hand in hers.
My life was on a much different path before she came into my life. Eli makes everything different.
Needing to care for and provide for the two of them means I can no longer take the life-altering risks I've gotten accustomed to taking. I'll no longer take a woman in bed in order to get her to disclose the information I need about someone close to her. I'll never whisper words of love to a mark to get her to betray those she holds dear.
I'll never be the first one to run head-on into a fight because I have people who love and depend on me back home.
I spend the next half hour in the shower, running my hands all over her body, but the woman is no fool. When I try to once again distract her from my plans today by lowering my mouth to her neck and letting my fingers roam down her torso, she grabs my hand and stops me. I can see the fight in her eyes when she blinks up at me.
"Just tell me your surprise," she pleads.
"Are you the type of woman who is going to rummage through the closets looking for gifts the day before Christmas?"
I know her answer when she rolls her lips between her teeth and glances away.
"Shame on you, Peach," I chastise as I reach for the nozzle to turn the water off.
Her laughter as I climb out of the shower and grab a towel for her sets my skin on fire. There was a time, not very long ago, when I was certain I'd never hear that lighthearted tinkle ever again, and I'm grateful for fate having different plans for us.
We dress in silence, and I can feel her growing more anxious as we get closer to leaving the house. I know she doesn't like the idea of stepping foot out of the cabin. I know it'll take some time for her to accept that her tormentor is gone for good. Her father was never short on enemies, but I, along with all others in Cerberus, have worked diligently to make sure the world believes that she and Eli are dead so they can now live in peace.
"Who's going to look after Eli?" she asks as we leave the room and head for the stairs.
"Cora offered," I assure her. "We won't be gone long. Just meeting someone a little further down the mountain."