Chapter 29
29
Shane
“Oh no, the lamp!” Her ass bumped into it, tipping it over onto the couch.
We probably should have left some lights on before we went to sit by the lake. I couldn’t have predicted we’d go from slow to not-inside-her-soon-enough in point two seconds. But that’s where we’ve ended up.
“Replaceable.” Unlike the woman in my arms.
Our teeth clash when her mouth crashes back into mine, and I stumble through the house with her attached to the front of my body. I don’t even need to hold her because she’s clinging so tight. I do, though, because I love the feel of her around me and in my hands, the weight of her presence and how it consumes me.
“I want you, Shane, so badly.” Who am I to deny her needs?
I press her against the wall at the opening of the hallway and kiss her good and proper. Deep, so deep that I don’t want her to remember any other kiss existed before this one. Toeing off one shoe and then another, I push under her sweatshirt and then under the Faris Wheel T-shirt to find what I want—those great tits that I plan to worship with my mouth. And my cock, if we’re up for more fun later.
She moans, her head hitting the wall when I take one good handful of the softest skin, rubbing my thumb over the little bud that perks for me. Such a good girl. Shifting, I carry her down the hall, beyond ready to tease her with my tongue and taste her again.
She squeals, laughter following in the wake of me tossing her on the bed. I’m already tugging my clothes off. “Get naked for me.”
Propping up on her elbows, she holds one leg up. “The boots. I need help.”
I take her boot by the heel and toe and pull it off with ease, then take off the other, dumping it beside my feet.
The frenzy of discarding clothes becomes the main attraction until the real show begins. I like watching her maneuver around the bed. I just like looking at her, period.
Lifting her ass, she slides off her shorts and flings them in the air, baring her sweet pussy to me again. Damn, so good. Wriggling about with her arms and head tangled in the sweatshirt, I grin because that’s my girl right there—a beautiful mess.
Reaching down, I help her out by tugging it off, then lean down to kiss her. “How’d I get so lucky?”
She falls back, smiling like the sun is still shining outside. It is for me. “We haven’t even done it yet.”
“I’m not talking about sex.” I slide between her legs in a sweep of my hips against hers, anchoring myself above her. She feels like heaven, her warmth embracing my erection while hooking her leg around my ass and rubbing her socked foot to spur me on with a tap. “I’m talking about you.”
“You’re charming, but you do realize you’ve already gotten me naked?” She steals a kiss. “Except this shirt. Can you help me get it off? It’s tight.”
I know. Perfection. That’s what I liked about it—tight around her tits. I sit up, and say, “Lift.” She raises her arms above her head and thrusts her pelvis upward—the vixen. I pull the shirt off and toss it behind me.
I’ve been fortunate to witness her natural beauty several times before, but I’ll never take it for granted. Reaching down, I grab her tits and knead, giving each their due care. I savor the feel in my hands—soft, pliable, full—and it’s sexy as fuck to watch her get turned on for me.
Rocking against her, I know it would be so easy to slip through her lips and slide inside her sweetness, but I don’t. “Can you feel how much I want you? What you do to me?”
She grins and moves her hips, but the mischief in her eyes has me smirking. “Hmm, I’m not sure.”
“Little vixen”—I chuckle—“I’m going to savor you.”
Swallowing her moans with a kiss, I drag my fingers across her ribs and stomach, pulling back enough to watch as goose bumps trail across her skin.
Cat is stunning, but this feels more than the rampant sexual energy we typically share, like the desire that had us racing back to the house. I feel it in my chest, my throat, that I’d sacrifice my life for hers. I’ve never felt this before. Not with any other woman. I’ve never stuck around long enough to find out, another thing that makes Cat an exception to rules I thought I had firmly put in place. I broke all of them for her, wanting anything she’s willing to give while searching for ways to get more.
The extortion is working in my favor.
It’s not one-sided, though. I see how she looks at me and bites her lip when she wants to say something inappropriate or flirt. I’ve seen it enough to know how to identify the attraction women have for me, but with her, it’s different. Cat looks into my eyes like I’m special beyond the image, the fame, the reputation, the wealth. She asks for nothing but devotion and trust. I’m ready to give it to her.
“Where are you going to start?” She rubs my shoulders, then runs the tips of her fingers over my muscles. I hear a gulp and watch as she closes her eyes, embarrassed. I lean down and let her hide, though I hate that she’d feel anything but incredible when she’s with me.
“There are so many great options.” Kissing her collarbone and her neck, I slide my tongue higher and higher until I reach her ear, and whisper, “I’ve waited years to be with you.” Like this. In a relationship. Finding comfort in each other. Being myself. I knew back in high school that she was special. If to no one else, she was to me.
I brush her hair back, pushing enough away to admire her. Our connection runs deep. As it should for a married couple. God, I love that and will take advantage of the fact any chance I get if it means I get her—her smile, wit, her caring nature, and her intelligence. There are so many facets to this woman that I can’t name all the reasons I’ve fallen for her. It’s her as a whole person who has me captivated.
Her arms tighten around my neck, her eyes finding mine even in the dark. “Bad timing that we finally got right.” When she reaches between us, taking my dick in her hand, I shift to the side to give her better access. Sliding up and then down several times, she varies her pace, watching me and adjusting. “You’re big, babe. I’m nervous. It’s been . . . longer than I care to admit.”
Slipping my fingers into her hair, I’m not above encouraging her to put her mouth on me, but a driving desire keeps me focused on coming inside her, claiming her in ways that seemed impossible even a week ago. “Flattery works.” There’s a shyness to her smile that draws me in to kiss her. Fisting her hair gently in my fingers, I pull her close, making sure she’s looking at me when I say, “You don’t need to be nervous. It’s just you and me. I’ll do whatever feels best to you. Just tell me. Okay, babe?”
“Okay.” She takes a breath that seems to calm her tightened expression, softening the corners of her eyes. Her hand never stops jerking me off, not even a break in rhythm.
I shudder, wanting to collapse on the mattress. But she keeps me here, where it feels so good, so close to giving in to her hard work. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t have condoms. It’s the one thing I forgot. Fuck .”
“Oh.” She stops, making me regret saying anything. Waiting to say anything for two more minutes would have worked out a lot better for me. She lies back with her breath coming heavy. “Oh no,” she says, draping her arm over her forehead. “That means . . .” Dropping her arm back to the mattress, she looks at me like I’ve stolen her favorite toy. Maybe I am that for her. I smirk even though nothing about this situation is funny.
“What does it mean? I mean, I know, but what were you going to say?”
She hesitates. I already know why. We haven’t talked about our sex lives. I think she wanted to avoid it as well. We’ve not exchanged details like how long and test results, so I don’t blame her for any reluctancy. I blame myself.
My sex life has been plastered across gossip sites since we became famous. It was shoved in her face without wanting the information. Different women in other states and countries, actresses, models, even a UN Ambassador. Online sites don’t get clicks for the truth. That’s boring to most. They get paid for the juicy gossip. I don’t talk about my history because there’s never been anyone worth mentioning. Until Cat.
“You’re worried about my past?”
“I don’t have to worry about mine.” She scrapes the tips of her nails over the scruff on my chin. “I’m sorry, but I need to protect myself.”
“Not from me. Not ever.”
“As a nurse?—”
“It’s okay.” I kiss her head and move beside her, lying flat on the mattress. “My medical portal is online. I can show it to you.”
Sucking in a breath, she closes her lids just briefly, seeming to allow her to gather strength. “It’s not a fun topic, but it is important.” She exhales. “To me.”
“It is to me, too.” I run my knuckles over the back of her hand, then hold it in the small space between our legs. There’s no easy way to have this conversation, but right before fucking adds another layer of complication. I turn to my right to find her already looking at me. “I’ve not been with anyone since you, and we never?—”
“No, we didn’t,” she says, sadness coating her tongue. I hate that she only remembers the pain instead of the happiness we shared. It took me a long time to get here, and I won’t taint that period with what went wrong. But I understand her dealing with it at her own pace.
Sitting up, I grin at her, though, needing the levity. “It’s been fucking torture. We were so close to getting the deed done.”
“I don’t know how you survived the pain?” I’m detecting a note of sarcasm in her tone, and I’m glad to hear it.
“Not going to lie. I took a lot of showers.”
She rubs my back to soothe the trauma I experienced. Smirking, I say, “After taking all the tests, I passed with flying colors . . . passed as in I got the go-ahead on my bill of health last month, Nurse. I get my reputation may worry?—”
“Was it just your reputation,” she asks, twisting her lips to the side, “or was it you living the rock star lifestyle to the fullest? Which I have no reason to be mad about. We might have been married, but we weren’t committed to each other.”
She takes hold of my hand and gives a comforting squeeze as if she understands my struggles because my wife is amazing.
“We’ve come too far to hide any secrets. They always find their way to the light.”
Nothing about her body language or expression changes. She stares at me like I’m still the hero instead of the villain. “You can tell me anything. I’d rather know the truth.”
“I came close a couple of times last September on the tour.” I shouldn’t feel ashamed since I had every right, but there’s a first time for everything.
“Why didn’t you go through with it?”
Turning to find her eyes on mine, no judgment set inside the golden centers, I lean over and kiss her cheek. “Because they weren’t you.”
Pressing her palm on my chest, she leverages herself above me. “You’re more amazing than you know, Shane Faris.” She kisses me and then whispers, “You see yourself through the paparazzi lens instead of who you are in real life. But I see you. I see everything you’re doing to change for me. You don’t have to.” Bouncing her head to the side, she laughs. “The usual still stands. No cheating or hurting each other again, but I fell in love with you, not the rock star persona you embody for others.”
A tightening in my chest has me reaching to loosen the knot forming.
She sees me. There’s nothing more I could ever want than to have this perfect being love me for who I am on the inside. And that she likes my ass helps.
When she bends down to kiss me, she rolls her hips along my length. The torture feels too good to stop her.
Straddling me, she lifts, pressing her hands to my chest and rising above me. She positions my dick exactly where she wants me and begins a slow descent. “I’m on birth control.”
Four of the sweetest words I’ve ever heard spoken.