Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
RONIN
Iwake up a while later, unsure of how long we’ve been asleep. A quick check of my phone, squinting at the bright screen, tells me it’s after midnight.
I roll my head to find Mellie snuggled under my blankets next to me, fast asleep. I can’t help but run a finger gently down her cheek, marveling at how beautiful she is like this. She stirs at my touch, her eyes slowly blinking open.
“Hey,” I whisper.
“Hey,” she whispers back, stretching her arms over her head, her lace-clad breasts peeking out from beneath the comforter. “What time is it?”
“Just after midnight. Do you want me to take you home?”
Mel shakes her head. “No, I want to stay. If you want me to?”
“Of course I fucking want you to,” I answer, placing a kiss on her mouth.
She giggles, gently pushing me away. “I’ll just shoot my mom a text so she doesn’t worry in the morning when I’m not there.”
“I’ll go get your phone for you,” I offer, swinging my legs off the side of the bed. I sit up, running my hands through my unruly hair. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“Thirsty, definitely,” she answers.
“Okay, be right back.”
I grab Mellie’s phone from the kitchen counter and duck into the fridge, retrieving two bottles of water before making my way around the house, turning lights off. When I enter my bedroom, Mel is sitting up, the blanket pooled around her waist.
She takes her phone and bottle of water with a grateful smile, twisting the cap open and drinking deeply.
“I’m just going to use the bathroom real quick,” she says, placing the water on my nightstand. She darts into my bathroom, back in her lacy underwear once more.
Laying back on the bed with one arm under my head, I turn the TV on and flip to an ambience video with a dark city-scape and a low, rainy soundtrack. I close my eyes, relaxing to the background noise.
When Mel returns, she climbs back into my bed, and as soon as her head hits the pillow, I roll on top of her.
“Our first sleepover, Mel,” I say with a quirk of my lips. “Well, our first one outside of a cold, frozen tent.”
She lights up and her smile is smug. “Whatever shall we do to pass the time?”
I press my hips into hers, letting her feel how hard I am. Mellie’s eyes widen before they go dark, her gilded gaze flaring.
“I can think of a few things,” I murmur, trailing my nose across her throat slowly, inhaling. “You smell so fucking good.”
Mellie runs her hands up my arms and around to my back, her nails gently scraping against my bare skin.
Her legs fall open on either side of me, letting me come to rest directly between her thighs.
I lift my knee, pushing it against her warm center, and squeeze my eyes shut, stifling a groan.
Even through the fabric of her underwear, I can feel the heat emanating from her. I push into her gently, teasing her.
She reaches down and palms me through my boxers before wrapping her hand around me and working me through the material.
I drop my head, resting my forehead on her shoulder as she strokes up and down my length.
Her soft fingers dip inside my underwear, finding bare skin.
With a growl, I gently bite down on her shoulder as she starts to pump.
I thrust softly, relishing in the way I feel wrapped in her hand.
My lips crash into hers, and I tilt my head for a deeper angle to devour her as she continues to undo me. I love the way she works me so thoroughly, like we’ve been doing this for years. She just knows me, inside and out.
Breaking away from her mouth, my lips run down her neck to her cleavage. Mellie’s chest heaves, her beautiful breasts moving up and down with each breath.
I pull the lacy material down, exposing her to me.
I want to know every touch that makes her gasp, every flick of my tongue that will have her hanging on the edge, begging for more.
Her nipples immediately peak and I lean down to take one in my mouth, kneading her other with expert fingers.
I roll my tongue around her nipple, and she moans, her hand tightening around my cock.
I thrust even deeper, a primal need to be inside of her taking over me.
Pausing my actions, I reach underneath her to unclasp her bra, tossing it to the growing pile of discarded clothing on the floor.
Returning to worship her with my mouth, my hand dips under the fabric of her panties and parts her, my fingers working their magic at her center. Pumping two fingers in, I stretch her, readying her for me.
She stops to pull my boxers down. I let her yank them off my legs, kicking them to the side as I pull her own panties off and toss them.
We pause, our eyes meeting for a brief moment, both of us breathing hard.
The reality of us laying here, naked and desperate for each other, hits me hard, right in the gut.
If only I could have told my younger self to be patient, to give her time, and we’d be here.
“Do you have any—” Mellie begins, but before she can finish her question, I’m already reaching into the nightstand for a condom.
“You’re sure?” I ask, needing to hear her say it. Hear her want it. Hear her want me. Choose me.
“Fuck yes I’m sure.” Her voice comes out breathy and weak.
My body hovers before hers. Her legs are spread wide, and I fit perfectly in between them. Reaching down, I palm myself and pump a few times before rolling the condom on, running the tip over her opening. Mellie gasps, arching up into me and letting out a moan.
“Shit, Ronin.”
“Mel, baby, you feel so fucking good,” I say quietly, rubbing myself over her entrance, basking in how wet she is for me. “I—I have thought about this—” My voice catches “—about you, for so long. Being with you. Inside of you again. There’s no one else for me. You know that, right?”
I let my cock rest against her as I lower myself. Pushing the tip inside of her the slightest bit, I suppress a groan, holding myself back.
“Ronin,” Mel pants, amber irises colliding with mine. “It’s always been you.” She pushes up, letting me slide in a little deeper. “Always.” She leans forward to place a rough kiss on my mouth. “But right now—right now, I need you inside of me.”
Her lashes fall closed, head falling back onto the pillow. I grab her face gently by the chin, forcing her to look at me. Her eyes find mine again, glazed with lust.
“I want to see your face,” I say, my voice rough. I push inside another inch. “I want to watch while I claim you.” My hips twitch, pushing in more.
Mellie’s gaze sparks. She opens herself even wider, bringing her legs around my waist, her feet just below my ass as she pushes up again. This time, my cock slides in almost to the hilt, and I close my eyes for a split second before opening them again, watching her face.
I pull out slowly before slamming back into her, fully seated. Mellie cries out, her eyes locked to mine. I do it again. And again. I continue the slow tease, pumping in and out slowly, each time hitting deeper inside of her. Her low cries fill the air, hips bucking up against me with each thrust.
I want this to last. I want to savor every single touch, every ounce of pleasure I wring from her body.
Her hands find my ass and she pushes me harder, deeper inside of her, her breasts bouncing with each thrust.
The tension inside starts to build, but I don’t speed up yet. I fuck her slowly, deeply, feeling her walls begin to tighten around my cock.
Mellie begins to breathe harder, faster, and she reaches up to cup my face. She pulls me down for a kiss, breathing against my lips.
“More,” she gasps as my hips buck into hers, my motions becoming more hurried as my own release builds.
“Ronin!” She smashes her lips against mine once more. “Ronin—I love you.”
Those three little words gasp out of her as she comes, her legs pulling taught against me as her body shudders.
My heart clenches so hard, at first I’m almost afraid I’m having a heart attack.
Ronin, I love you.
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I stare down at her, still moving inside of her as she writhes against me, and my own release comes as I thrust deep into her one more time—as I come so hard, harder than I ever have in my life, hard enough to see fucking stars.
Ronin, I love you.
I tremble against her, our gazes locked as we breathe heavily, our bodies slick with sweat and pressed against each other tightly. The aftershocks of my climax make me shudder inside her.
Ronin, I love you.
One lone teardrop slips free, making its way down my heated cheek. Mellie’s hands still on my face, and a finger swipes the tear away.
“Ro, are you alright?” Her question is a whisper.
I find my voice, my words finally tumbling free, “I love you, Amelia Baker. So fucking much.”
Her eyes widen, and she kisses me, hard.
I kiss her back, then say it again, “I fucking love you so much. I love you, Mel.”
Mellie laughs, lashes lined with with silver tears. “I love you.”
I bury my face in the crook of her neck, and her hands run through my hair, soothing and comforting.
I lay down next to her on my side, reaching over to brush the hair out of her face.
“You’re incredible, you know that?” I say softly.
“I still can’t believe that you’re actually here, in my bed.
” I let out a little laugh. “You don’t even want to know how many times I’ve imagined this. ”
A tired, sweet smile stretches across her face as she turns to face me, hands tucked beneath her head.
“After you left, I didn’t have much hope left that anything would happen between us.
I thought that was my last shot, and I’d blown it.
” I run a hand down her bare arm. “But then you came back here, and I knew as soon as I saw you sitting at my bar that night that this was it, this was my shot. It just felt…different.”
Emotion is threatening to overwhelm me now.
Tears are still drying on my cheeks, and my throat feels so tight I can barely get the words out.
“These last few months have only furthered that feeling, that tiny kernel of hope that you felt the same, that you wanted me this time as much as I want you. I never imagined we’d get another chance. ”
“I felt it too.” Her fingers trail along my jawline, sending a chill down my spine. “Even before I got in town, something about the trip felt different.”
I pull her closer to me and kiss her, wrapping my arms around her to hold her close. She nuzzles into my side as I lay on my back, fitting against me like the missing half that’s been gone for the last four years.
And for the first time since she left, I finally feel complete.