Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Marshall
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and moved up her body. She was pliant on the bed beneath me, beautifully flushed. She was gorgeous all the time but especially after an orgasm.
I thought being with her would feel familiar or come with a lot of memories. But it was new and exciting. Our bodies looked different, and our heads were in different places. We weren't teens exploring our sexuality; we were adults who knew exactly how to make each other feel good.
We knew what we wanted and how to get it. We didn't need guidance or instruction. We gave into our desires, and it was the best feeling. But I wasn't done with her.
I braced my hands on either side of her head. She appeared to be lost in a state of euphoria. I dropped my head and kissed her, wanting her to taste her essence on my lips.
She moaned, and I knew she was enjoying it.
I reached over to the nightstand where I'd hidden a box of condoms weeks ago for this very scenario. I didn't want to assume it would happen, but I wanted to be prepared. The next time I had a child, I wanted to be in a committed relationship.
And no matter how much I enjoyed being around Saylor, this relationship had an end date.
The end of summer would trigger everything.
Hayden would live with her mother. Saylor would go to Jacksonville.
But I wouldn't think about that. Not when I had a gorgeous woman whose hands were running over my heated skin.
"Marshall—"
"You want me?" I asked as I rested on my heels and smoothed the rubber over my aching dick.
"Yes."
I positioned myself between her legs, holding the base of my cock so that the tip pressed against her entrance. There was no turning back now. I eased inside, the pleasure so intense, tingles shot down my legs.
She grabbed my ass, urging me to press deeper.
I was helpless to deny her. I braced my hands on either side of her shoulders again, easing inside in a slow, tortuous pace. I didn't want to deny either of us pleasure, but I wanted to draw it out. Enjoy every second of this.
Her nails bit into my skin, and I bottomed out. The pleasure so intense I gave into my desire to move. I pulled out to the tip and thrust deep.
With each pass, she whimpered, and I nearly lost all semblance of control. Being with Saylor was different than anyone else. We had a connection that was forged as teenagers.
Now we were adults, more knowledgeable about giving and receiving pleasure. The combination was dangerous. How could I go back to any other relationship after experiencing this?
I didn't want to think about any of that now. There was just her and me on this bed, time suspended around us. I wanted to see her, so I flipped us so that she was on top.
Her hands immediately dropped to my chest as she began moving slowly. Lifting herself up and then down again, swallowing my length.
I gritted my teeth against the desire to grip her hips and slam her down over me. I could be patient.
Instead, I touched her breasts, feeling the weight of them and thumbing over her nipples. Her head fell back, and her lips opened on a gasp. She liked this.
I reared up so that I could suck on her nipple. Her movements were shaky, her cries more insistent. So I fell back down to the bed and gripped her hips, giving into my baser desires.
I helped her move over me, needing her to get there faster. The orgasm was threatening to overcome me, so I eased a hand between us and circled her swollen clit that was slick with our desire.
"Marshall," she cried and shook around me.
Her thighs trembled, and her pussy spasmed as the waves of pleasure shot through her. I easily flipped her and drove into her until I thrust deep once and spilled into the condom.
I wanted to be bare inside her. But it wasn't the right time for that. Neither of us wanted the risk associated with something like that. I wasn't even sure she trusted as easily as she once had. Not after being cheated on.
This would have to be enough for now. I collapsed on her body, only slipping off a few seconds later, rolling her so that she was tucked into my side.
"I have to get rid of this condom."
She pulled back from me and collapsed onto her back.
I eased out of the tangle of sheets, tied off the condom, and threw it in the trash. I washed my hands, checking the mirror to see if I'd changed. This move felt huge, but I looked the same on the outside.
When I returned to the bedroom, Saylor was watching me.
I eased under the sheets. "Like what you see?"
"I love it." Her hand glided over my pecs, then lower over the abs I worked so hard to get. But when she slipped lower, I stopped her with a hand on her wrist. "Not yet."
She smiled, and it was naughty. She knew exactly how she affected me.
"Give me a few minutes to recover."
She arched a brow as my cock grew under her attention.
"We have a little bit of time before I have to get Hayden."
The desire in her eyes faded a bit. I didn't want to mention my daughter when we were in bed together for the first time in forever, but she was a fact of my life. Any woman who was with me would have to deal with that.
I pulled her to me, cradling her against my body.
Her fingers traced the lines of my muscles. "Your body is different."
I squeezed her plump ass. "Yours is too."
"You've filled out. You have a man's body." Her breath tickled the hair on my chest.
I leaned close to say into her ear. "That's because I'm a man now."
She squeezed her thighs together, probably remembering how I felt between her legs. I wondered if she'd still feel the evidence of our lovemaking tomorrow. The thought stiffened my cock.
I reached between her legs and cupped her pussy. "Are you sore?"
She shook her head.
I slipped a finger inside, and she licked her lips.
I wanted to drive her wild, to give her an evening she couldn't forget. We didn't have a lot of time together, and I needed to make it count. Before we knew it, Hayden would be back, and we wouldn't have any privacy, or opportunities to be together like this.
I wanted to make the most of this time we had. I wanted to make her feel so good she couldn't think about another man, much less her asshole of an ex.
I moved my finger inside her, searching for that rough bundle of nerves that would drive her higher. I rubbed the heal of my hand against her clit, and in no time, she was rocking against my hand, riding me for her pleasure.
"I want to see you come again." I'd never get tired of this, watching the pleasure overwhelm her.
She arched into me, and I moved slightly so that I could continue my work and suck on her nipples. She gripped the hair on the back of my head, holding me to her. I wanted to be inside her, but I wanted her to fall apart on my fingers. "Are you going to come for me?"
She cried out and went over, her body trembling, her pussy squeezing me like a vice.
Before she could come down, I smoothed another condom over my dick and eased inside her in one swift motion.
I didn't want her to come down or think about what any of this meant.
For a short time, we'd allow ourselves to feel, to let go.
To forget about our responsibilities, what anyone would think.
There was no one else here but us. No one else's opinion mattered. I tried not to think about the fact that Hayden would probably be happy if we were together. She liked Saylor. The problem was Saylor wouldn't stick around. She wasn't an islander.
She'd leave, making me feel bereft without her. I didn't have a choice in the matter. I'd already put this into motion, and I had to see it through.
I moved inside her more slowly this time. The entire act felt more meaningful than the last. We were coming together, enjoying the feel of each other. She gazed up at me, never breaking contact.
"You're beautiful," I told her.
She moaned in response.
"I love to watch you come." I wouldn't get enough of it. I wanted to give her pleasure. I wanted her to remember what it felt like to be with me, even if she was contemplating another. I wanted her soul.
She bit her lip as if she was holding off another orgasm.
"Let go," I urged.
She moved her head away. "It's too much."
"It's never enough," I countered as I took her nipple into my mouth, alternating between sucking it, then grazing my teeth over the hard peek before soothing it again. The combination drove her higher, and she was powerless to give in.
She arched off the bed and cried out. I thrust harder, chasing my release, knowing our time together was limited. That I'd need to get out of bed and pick up my daughter. When would it be my time?
I gave up my career to reunite with my daughter.
And now I had my teenage love in my bed, and she couldn't be mine.
As I came down from my orgasm, the pain spread through my chest. This thing with Saylor was limited in time and scope.
I couldn't let myself fall for her. But as I rolled to my side, I wondered if it was already too late.
I played with her hair. "I talked to my mom about going to dinner with them tomorrow. She said to invite you."
Saylor's eyes widened. "Are you sure you want me there?"
"Mom invited you. You can't say no," I said, hoping she would come. I needed her there for moral support.
"Ah. Okay."
"And I want you there," I added.
She snuggled against my chest, and we cuddled until my phone buzzed. Then I got out of bed and washed up, pulling on clothes. By the time I returned to my bedroom, it was empty. Saylor had already moved to her room, and the door to her room was closed.
Was she sending a message that we were done? That it was a one-time thing, never to be repeated? My head ached with the possible meanings, but my daughter was waiting on me.
Outside the air was heavy with humidity, and it smelled like rain. We'd probably get a middle-of-the-night thunderstorm. The weather felt a little like my mood, hot and volatile.
I wasn't sure how to take Saylor sneaking off without saying goodbye. Was she concerned about Hayden, or did she intend to send a message?
In no time, I was pulling up to Hayden's friend's house. I texted her, and she appeared on the porch a few seconds later.
Hayden slid into the passenger-side seat. "Did you have a good night?"
I wasn't expecting her to ask me about my night, but I was fully prepared to ask about hers. "Yes.”
She raised a brow. "Were you nice to Saylor?"
I backed out, confused. "When am I ever not nice to Saylor?"
Hayden rolled her eyes. "You didn't like her when we first moved in."
Was that true?
"You were irritated around her all the time."
My eyes widened at that assessment. "I'm friends with Saylor. We're good. You don't have to worry about her."
She fell silent, so I asked, "How was your night?"
"It was fine."
I guess I wasn't going to get anything else out of her tonight. The book I was reading said not to ask too many questions. I didn't want to be that dad, the one who hovered even though I knew I was hopelessly protective of her.
Her lips twitched in amusement. "There weren't any boys, if that's what you were wondering. Except for Sadie's brother."
My head whipped around to see her expression. "How old is he?"
"Eight," she said before laughing to herself.
"Funny. You think you have me figured out," I muttered.
Her smile faded. "Oh, I doubt that. We haven't spent that much time together."
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. "I would think the letters would have helped."
"I think I told you more about me than you did about you," Hayden murmured, and I wondered if she was feeling looser, more able to talk about the truth after an evening with her girlfriends.
Was that true? It was possible. I couldn't talk about my work. I didn't want to scare her, and our operations were secret.
"I loved your letters. I felt like I was with you even though I couldn't be physically there."
She looked out the window. "It was a diary of sorts for me. I wasn't sure if it mattered, but I enjoyed the act of writing things down."
"Do you still keep a diary?" I asked her.
She gave me a look. "Are you going to read it?”
I blanched. "I would never do that. You've never given me a reason not to trust you, and I wouldn't violate your privacy like that." When she remained quiet, I asked, "Does your mother search your room?"
Her face pinched. "She looks at my phone."
"I can understand that she's worried about you. But I won't do that."
"Thanks, Dad."
Trust was a big thing between us. And she'd never given me a reason to think she was up to no good. She got good grades and enjoyed hanging out with girlfriends. I never heard her even talk about liking a boy, not that she would with me anyway.
She'd never gotten into trouble at school. There was no reason not to trust her. Maybe that was a mistake, but I was going to stick by it now that I'd said it to her. I was fairly sure that book I'd read said to give her space.
I was just getting in my groove as a parent. I was sure I'd make mistakes, and I hoped this wasn't one of them.
"I want to go to dinner one night with my family."
"Okay."
"You haven't spent a lot of time with them. But I'd like you to get to know them better."
"Okay."
I'd gotten used to these one-word answers. They were better than groans and rolled eyeballs. My family were still virtual strangers to her.
If I wanted her to have a relationship with them, I'd have to take the lead.
Everything was coming together for me. I couldn't let this thing with Saylor derail my plans to reunite my family. That was the most important thing.