The One (Spade Hotel #5)

Chapter 7

SEVEN

Rhett

Sixteen Years Ago

“ I t’s a good thing we only had a month left of school because I don’t think I could have waited much longer to have you all to myself.” I adjusted my arm across Lainey’s shoulders and pressed my lips against her cheek. The ocean breeze was blowing her hair into my face, tickling my skin.

When I pulled my mouth away, she turned toward me. The sun was causing her to squint, so she used her hand as a visor. “You don’t even want to share me with school?” She giggled. “For your sake, I hope the summer goes by slowly.”

“Ridiculously slow,” I growled. “And I plan to spend every waking hour with you.”

Her smile was so big; it made me grin.

“Just so you know, I wouldn’t hate it if you were in a bikini during those hours … like you are right now.” My stare dipped. “Because … damn, girl.” I played with the strings that kept her light-blue bottom on. I wanted to pull them until they were loose, see more of her hot fucking body. But I wouldn’t here—not at the beach, not in front of half my football team—but the thought of touching that hidden part, along with her chest, was so tempting.

“You mean every hour, aside from the ones you have to be at work.”

I shrugged. “Minor detail.”

“Except it’s a huge detail. You’re putting in a ton of hours, and I’m so proud of how hard you’re working.”

“Do you miss me while I’m gone?”

She dived her fingers through my hair. “I miss you even when you’re here.” Her other hand dropped from the top of her eyes, and it went to my cheek. “I can’t seem to get enough, no matter what.”

“Not even when I do this?”

I kissed her. Not with my tongue, but with my mouth open, using my teeth to tug on her bottom lip.

Her exhale told me she liked it. It even told me she wanted more.

After I pulled away, it took a few moments before her eyes opened.

“Not even when you do that.”

“Sounds like I need to cool you off.” I nodded toward the ocean. “Let’s go get wet.”

“You mean, in the water?”

“Unless you’re thinking of a different kind of wet. If that’s the case, shit, we can leave right now.”

“Rhett!” She playfully slapped my thigh.

I grazed her chin. “I’m just messing with you.”

Her stare didn’t leave mine. “I know you’re thinking about it. I am too.” After a solid pause, she added, “You’ve been really patient with me.”

We’d gotten close a few times when she was at my house late at night or when I went to her house after school, her dad at work and her mom out.

But we hadn’t gone all the way.

“It’s not about patience, Lainey. We have forever. So, it’s not something that has to happen right away. Don’t get me wrong, if it did, I wouldn’t be mad about it.” I chuckled. “But I’m good with it happening whenever. I just want you to be ready.”

She wouldn’t be my first—that had happened while she was in New York. If I’d known how she felt about me, I would have waited. But her silence during those two years had caused me to hook up with a handful of girls—a part of my past I wish wasn’t true. During Lainey’s second week back, I’d told her. I spared her the details, but I’d felt it was important for her to know since there would be one of us who knew what to expect when it eventually went down and one of us who didn’t.

Her hand found mine, and she looked toward the water, where most of our crew was hanging out. Around twenty of us had come to the beach today. Her sister and a bunch of the guys from my team had piled in multiple cars. The spot we’d taken over on the sand was covered in towels and tanning oil and coolers of beer.

“The summer is my favorite vibe.” She adjusted the strings behind her head, where her suit was knotted. “Sun, beach”—she looked at me—“you in those shorts, shirtless.”

“You’re saying I have the best body here? Is that what I’m hearing? That you could stare at these chiseled abs all day?” I laughed as I strummed my stomach.

“Oh, yes, I’m saying every word of that .”

I wrapped my arms around her and rocked us back against the towel. As we lay there, we adjusted our bodies to face each other. “The guys are going to want to play a game of football later. The way I just tackled you? Do me a favor—don’t let any of them do that to you.”

“Because?”

“I don’t want their hands on you.” I pushed some hair away from her face. “One dude touches you—that’s me. No one else.”

She poked the middle of my chest. “Same goes for you.”

“You don’t want any guys touching me?” I smiled.

“Oh my God. I can’t with you.”

I pulled her closer, laughing. “I hear you, and you have nothing to worry about.”

“It’s funny, you know I hate beer, but every time I smell it on your breath, I like it a little more.”

I’d only had one, and I wouldn’t have more than two, not when I had to drive, which I’d done today. I was surprised she could even smell it.

“Tell me what else you like.”

Her gaze lifted to the top of my face. “How your hair is so black that it has hints of blue.” Her fingers followed her eyes, touching the strands that were on my forehead. “And how, when you kiss me, this roughs up against my skin and burns and tingles at the same time.” She was now on my scruff. “And how your lips are always so soft.” Her thumb swiped across the top and bottom one. “And the way you smell, a combo that’s like wood and liquor, married together in the most delicious way.”

“You can thank my mom for that. She puts a few bottles of that cologne in my stocking every year.”

“Don’t ever change it.”

“Keep going.”

She leaned up on her elbow. “My favorite part is that whenever your hands or arms are on or around me, I feel like nothing could ever get through. A shield of protection, I guess you could call it. And I love that so much.”

“I wouldn’t let anything in. Ever.” I held my lips close to hers as I spoke. “You never have anything to worry about when you’re with me.”

“And I love that I feel as though it’s just us, regardless of where we are or what we’re doing. We’re currently surrounded by a beach full of people, and I wouldn’t know there’s a single person on it.” The back of her fingers stroked my scruff.

“My presence alone makes you feel that way?”

“And your eyes. It’s more than just a gaze or stare, it’s a feeling. When we were in class, I knew whenever you were looking at me. This crazy rush would come through me, and my skin would break out in goosebumps.”

I traced up her neck. “Just like it is right now.”

“You make it hard for me to breathe.” She stayed silent for a moment. “Rhett … what if I told you I don’t want to spend the day at the beach?” Her eyes were changing the longer she looked at me, almost appearing devious.

“I’d say, let’s go. I’ll take you wherever you want.”

“Really?”

I huffed, surprised she even questioned it. “Really.”

She filled her cheeks with air, as though she was trying to hide her smile. “I need to make sure my sister can get a ride home. I’ll be right back.”

She pushed herself up from the towel we were sharing, and I watched her walk toward the water, where Penelope was splashing in the waves with my quarterback. Timothy had dumped his girlfriend for the summer, and I wasn’t surprised at all that he’d set his sights on Penelope. According to my team, Penelope was the hottest girl in the school, which meant Lainey was too—they were identical to everyone but me. But my guys wouldn’t give Lainey that title—they knew I’d kill them if they looked at my girl in that way.

I stared at Lainey’s ass the entire way to the surf; the small bottoms of her suit covered the middle of her butt, but the outer edge was showing. Fuck . The way it led to her sexy, bare back with her long hair hanging down the middle of it was making my dick even harder. I adjusted myself within my trunks and sat up, holding my bent knees close to my chest.

Lainey only had to step a few feet into the ocean before Penelope came running over to her, my quarterback joining them. He listened to them for just a few seconds before he turned his attention to me.

I waved him over, and once he was close enough to hear me, I said, “Take care of Penelope today.”

He stood in front of my towel with his hands on his hips. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Lainey and I are leaving, so I’m just asking you to watch out for her. Make sure she gets a ride home and gets there safely.” I nodded at him. “You know what I’m talking about.”

“I’ve got her. Don’t you worry.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah, man, I promise.” He turned his head to the side, smiling at me the whole time. “Why are you guys leaving?”

“We’re just not feeling the beach today.”

He chuckled. “Oh shit, I’m sure that’s the reason.”

He gave me a wave and took off, passing Lainey on his way to the water as she was coming back to me, the view of her completely different from before.

Hell, she was beautiful. A petite body with lean legs and a slight hint of a curve that led to her flat stomach, decorated with a silver loop that pierced her belly button. A bikini top with a set of hard nipples poking into it. The sun catching the golden highlights in her hair, the ends of her strands bouncing over her tits.

I was one lucky dude.

When she returned, she leaned down and grabbed her bag from the towel I was on. “I’m ready.” She slung the strap over her shoulder and smiled.

As I got up, I wrapped the towel around my waist and shoved my feet into my slides. I didn’t bother to take the cooler I’d brought. I wanted to leave the beer for the guys, knowing someone from the team would bring it home for me. “Good. Let’s go.”

As we headed for my car, Lainey slipped a dress on over her head, and once her hands were free, she linked her fingers with mine. “If you wanted to stay, I hope you’d tell me.”

“I just want to be with you, whatever that looks like. I don’t care if we’re at the beach or sitting in my front seat in a parking lot—it’s all the same to me.” I pulled her hand up to my mouth, smelling the suntan oil she’d lathered on her body.

She patted her chest, teeth stabbing her bottom lip. “Rhett, the sweetness—stop. You’re spoiling me.”

“You just make it so easy.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, holding my lips against the side of her head. “Thank God you’re back.”

Since Alyssa’s party, I randomly found myself repeating that statement. I’d missed her the whole time she was gone, but having her here made me realize just how hard and how much.

She’d taken a piece of me with her, and now, I felt like I had it back.

“And I’m never going anywhere again,” she said softly.

I hit the button to unlock the doors, and we climbed into the front seat, where I blasted the air-conditioning as soon as the engine was on.

I lowered the radio and asked, “Where do you want to go?”

“Well … my mom’s at my house.” She rubbed her lips together. “Is anyone home at your house?”

Ridge and Rowan were both at work—where I would have been if I hadn’t taken the day off.

“There shouldn’t be.”

“That’s where I want to go, then.” She looked tiny in the big leather seat of my SUV.

“You sure you don’t want to grab some of that ice cream you were talking about on the way to the beach? You were bragging about that chocolate sauce like you needed it.”

She laughed. “How about we stop there later when you take me home?”

“I can do that.” I drove us out of the parking lot toward my place. Because I knew her and because I knew she rarely left Penelope in settings like this, I said, “Timothy assured me he’d take care of your sister. I don’t know if you were thinking about it, but I wanted you to know.”

“I’m always thinking about her.” She glanced out the passenger window.

“In what way?”

She took a deep breath. “In every way.”

I stopped at the light and looked at her.

Lainey wasn’t straightedge; she just didn’t get wasted. In fact, I’d never seen her have more than two drinks before she cut herself off, and she wasn’t into weed at all. Penelope was the opposite. She’d been hammered at each of the parties we went to, wrecked when it was time to go home, driven by either me or one of my friends. Lainey would have to help her inside the house since Penelope was usually too fucked up to even walk.

“Do you want me to go back?” I asked. “We can take her home—if she’ll even go—and then we can go to my house.”

“No.” She sighed. “Like you said, she has Timothy. She’ll be fine.”

“I can’t promise he’s going to keep his hands off her. I know my boy, and he’s single, and the two of them looked like they were on the verge of something.”

“Don’t worry, she’s into him too. I’m sure I’ll hear all about it later.” Her head tilted to the side, her shoulders slightly raised. “I can’t babysit her twenty-four seven. At this time next year, she’ll be heading to New York, and I won’t be there to help.” There was suddenly emotion in her voice. “I just have to accept that Pen is going to do what she wants, and that might be getting shit-faced at the beach and screwing Timothy in the ocean and getting home safely without me.”

“Are you okay with that?” I put my hand on her thigh. “You’ve been in this position for a while from what you’ve told me.” Once she had become my girlfriend, the two years we’d been apart was something she talked about, and many of those stories involved Penelope and her wildness in New York. “I can’t tell if you’re looking forward to the break or feeling guilty that you want one.”

“Both—if that’s possible.”

I checked the light, seeing that it turned green. My foot moved to the gas, but my hand stayed on her leg. “It is, for sure.”

“I love my sister, Rhett. I love her more than life itself. She’s everything to me. But I feel responsible for her, and sometimes, it’s a role I need a vacation from. And I’m sure she needs a rest from me, too, since I’m the constant bad guy. The one who cuts her off when it’s time to go home or tells her to slow down when I sense she’s on the verge of getting too far out of control.”

I was the oldest sibling in my family. I would look out for Rowan and Ridge forever, especially Ridge, now that we were in the same school. But I didn’t parent them—not in the way I’d witnessed Lainey having to do with Penelope.

“It’s a lot. I get it.”

“What makes it even harder is that every time we leave the house together, my dad tells me to watch out for my sister. But who watches out for me? Who ensures I’m making the right decisions?”

“Me.” I squeezed her leg. “I wouldn’t ever let anything happen to you, Lainey.”

Her hand went to the back of my neck. “I know.”

“But I know what you’re saying. That’s a lot of pressure he puts on you. He obviously feels like you can handle it—and you can because you’re strong as hell. That doesn’t make it any easier though.” I reached for the hand that wasn’t on my neck and clasped it. “You’re in a hard spot. I’m sorry.”

She tilted her body toward me. “Whenever I get into one of these moods, I remind myself that we only have one more school year together, and then, after college, who knows if Pen and I will be living near each other again? If she stays on the East Coast and I continue living on the West Coast, that’s a lot of distance.” Her exhale came out in slow waves. “And that thought makes me incredibly sad.”

I turned onto my street and stole a quick glance at her. “As long as that sadness doesn’t involve tears, I’m good with it. But there won’t be any tears today, Lainey. Today is only about you and me—you hear me?”

She smiled. “I agree.”

I sped up until I reached our long driveway, making my way through the gate, and I parked outside the garage. Lainey joined me at the front of the car, and we went in through the side door, stopping in the kitchen.

I opened the fridge, taking out a Coke. “Want one?”

“No.”

I flipped the tab back and took a sip. “Do you want anything?”

She was staring at me, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking about. When she didn’t say a word, I pointed toward the backyard even though we couldn’t see it from here.

“You’ve already got your suit on. We can go in the pool or hot tub. Or if you feel like staying dry, we could watch a movie in the media room.”

“We could.” She came closer until she was standing right in front of me. “But I’d rather hang out in your room.”

“Yeah?” I touched her cheek, my thumb near the corner of her mouth, circling the edge of it.

I still had the towel wrapped around my waist with my swim trunks underneath. She pulled the towel loose, and it dropped to the floor, her fingers dipping an inch beneath my waist.

“Rhett”—she swallowed, and even though there was sexiness in her eyes, there was hesitation in her voice and shyness in her touch—“I don’t want to wait any longer.”

My dick was instantly hard.

But I needed to make sure I was understanding what she was saying since her statement could go so many fucking ways. “Wait for … what ?”

She glanced toward my waist and gradually met my eyes again, her hands flattening against my abs. “To have sex.”

I drew in a deep breath. “Lainey …”

“That’s what I want to do today. In your bed.”

I surrounded her face with my palms and also covered it with my gaze. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I know.”

I angled her neck back, pointing her chin up. “Your first time should be something you never forget. I want to make it special?—”

“That’s why I threw it on you like this and didn’t tell you at the beach. I knew you’d want to plan something, like you did for our first date at Disneyland.”

“But we talked about it at the beach. Is that why you’ve decided it should be today? Did I do something to persuade you?—”

“Absolutely not. I’ve been thinking about it pretty much nonstop since we got back together. It has felt like the right time for a while. I was just waiting for the perfect occasion.” She scanned my eyes. “And that’s now.”

I gave her a kiss. “Disney was one hell of a first date.”

She smiled. “It was everything.”

“I want this to be too, Lainey. The grin that’s on your face as you talk about Disney—that’s what I want when you talk about losing your virginity. That kind of smile, that kind of memory.”

“And all I want is to be wrapped up in you.”

My heart was beating away, and my fingers had a slight shake to them. “What if I want it to be more special than my bedroom?”

Lainey deserved the fucking world, and I wanted to give it to her.

Not that my bedroom wasn’t a cool spot. But this was a moment that couldn’t be duplicated, and I didn’t want her to think back on it a few years from now and wish I could have done something more.

“What will make it special is you. Us. Together—finally. I don’t need candlelight and music and a hotel room and sexy clothes or anything like that. Maybe later, down the road, when I’m past all the pain.” Her eyes were pleading with mine. “But here, now, this is what I want.”

I moved my nose above hers. “You sure?”

“I’ve never been surer about anything in my life.”

I didn’t lift my hands off her face, nor did I lighten my grip. “You need to know this … you need to hear it.”

“What?”

“I love you, Lainey. I loved you when I was fifteen, and I love you even more now.”

She stood on her tiptoes and closed the distance between us, wrapping her arms around my neck and leaning her body against mine. When she pulled away a few seconds later—just her mouth since I wouldn’t let her out of my arms—she whispered, “I love you too.”

My forehead rested on hers. “I don’t want to hurt you … and today is going to hurt.”

“You called me strong in the car, remember?” She smiled without any teeth. An expression that told me she was nervous. “I can take it.”

“This is different.”

“I know.”

“But I’m going to do everything I can to make it easier on you. Believe that, okay?”

“I knew that before you even said it.”

My hands dropped from her face, and I reached around her back and lifted her into my arms, her weight no more than a feather. I waited for her to wrap her legs around me before I took my first step.

She laughed when she realized what I was doing. “You’re going to carry me all the way upstairs?”

My brows rose. “Do you want me to put you down?”

“No.” She tightened her grip on my shoulders.

“Then, yes, I’m going to carry you to my bed.”

She wasn’t giving me much time to make this extra special, so even the little shit, like bringing her up to my room this way, mattered. And in return, she kissed me—the whole way to the staircase and up the long flight and down the hallway until we reached my bedroom. I kicked the door closed once we were inside and locked it behind me, finally setting her on the bed.

She gripped the edge of the queen mattress while she looked at me, shoulders caved inward, knees bent and pressed to her chest.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Hair was in her eyes, and she didn’t move it away. “I’m not.”

I knelt in front of her on the floor and lifted the bottom of her dress, caressing her ankles, which earned me a shiver. “You’re sure about that?”

She let out a small laugh. “Okay, maybe a little.”

I gently pulled the dress up her body and over her head, tossing it on the floor behind me. It didn’t take much effort to get her bikini off; I only had to tug on the strings, and the flimsy suit was in my hand, joining her dress somewhere near the door.

This was the first time she had ever been fully naked in front of me. She’d been topless before, and when I went down her pants, her jeans mostly stayed on.

But this was hardcore.

This was a view unlike anything I’d ever seen.

“When you look at me like that”—she paused to pant—“I can barely take it.”

My gaze crawled up her face. “You’re beautiful, Lainey.” It then dipped as low as it could from where I was positioned. “Every part of you.”

She let go of the bed and dived into my hair. “It’s hard to breathe again.”

“It’s only going to get harder, but I need you to keep breathing for me, okay? That’s how you’re going to get through this.”

She gave a slight nod, and I yanked her to the very end of the bed, spreading her legs apart so I could put myself between them. And while she stayed sitting, her shoulders now back and her spine upright, like when a teacher unexpectedly called on her in class, I kissed her.

But this was different than how we’d made out on the way up to my room.

This was even hotter.

I gave her my tongue, and I cupped her tits and ran my thumbs around her nipples. They were already so hard, and I knew—because I’d done this before—that she liked it when I gently pulled them. Not enough to cause her any ache, just enough to make her moan.

And she did.

With every exhale.

When that sound turned louder, relaxation coming through her posture, I rolled her nipples between my fingers and thumbs.

“Rhett …”

“I know you like that.”

“Don’t stop.”

There was heat already coming off her body.

I felt it in her mouth and in the spots pressed against me.

Now, I wanted to taste it.

“Are you wet, Lainey?”

“Yes.”

“How wet?”

She tilted her head back, and I kissed down her throat, gradually moving to her collarbone and chest so I could take each of her nipples into my mouth.

“Oh my God.” She quivered.

Instead of my hands, I used my tongue to flick them.

Tug them.

Bite them.

“Shit,” she sighed. “That’s … amazing.”

My eyes connected with hers, and I lowered to her stomach, tonguing around the loop in her belly button and to the top of her pussy, spreading her legs around me, giving me enough room so that my face fit in between them.

I’d never done this to her—or anyone. But I’d watched enough porn to know that this was how you made a woman really wet, and that was what Lainey needed to make this hurt less.

But that wasn’t the only reason I was doing it.

If she was going to give me one of her firsts, then I was going to give her one of mine.

I wanted to know this part of her body as well as I knew her mouth. And even though I’d touched her pussy before and fingered it, this was a whole different beast. So, I took some time rubbing my fingers around her. Her breathing hitched whenever I got close to the center, and she gasped when I went low. I wasn’t even using my mouth, only the tips of my fingers, going far enough to show me just how wet she was.

“What … are you … doing … to me?” She was breathless.

I knew she’d never had this either, not if I was the first dude to ever kiss her. “I’m prepping you for my tongue.”

“You’re going to put your tongue … there ?”

“Yes, Lainey”—I flattened my tongue and swiped from the bottom of her to the top—“right here.” I kept it high, wiggling it against her, and I wedged it between where her clit was tucked in.

The second I licked her there, she screamed, “Rhett!”

If my mouth wasn’t open and my tongue wasn’t out, I would have smiled. But I was too busy, my speed upping with every lick, my finger circling the rim of her pussy until it eventually slid in.

This was for her. That was the plan anyway. I just hadn’t expected to like this as much as I was. For my dick to throb every time she moaned. For the taste of her to be something I was suddenly craving.

“Yes!” she shouted. “Fuck!”

The more I did while I was down here, the more her body began to respond, letting me carefully ease in a second finger. While both were inside her, I turned them, gently pumping and stretching to get her ready for me. And with each rotation, her body moved, her hips greeting me, and she tugged on my hair like she was urging me to go faster and deeper.

I’d gotten her off before.

I knew the sounds, the feel, how she got extra wet, like she was doing now, and how there was a brief tightening and hardening of her clit.

But I also knew how coming would make her relax, and that wasn’t what I needed.

I needed her wanting.

I needed her hungry.

I needed her needy.

So, I stopped all movement, like the screeching of brakes.

I gave her a brief kiss and lifted my mouth off her, my fingers slipping out.

“Ah!” She looked at me as though she were feral.

I wiped the sides of my lips, but not the middle. “You want more?”

“I want you to live there. Permanently.”

I chuckled, satisfied with my first attempt, and I got on my feet and loosened the waist of my swim trunks, letting them drop to the floor. Naked, I headed to my nightstand and pulled out a condom.

“Do you think it would hurt less if you didn’t wear one of those?”

I turned the metal foil in my palm. “I don’t know. Maybe? My skin is probably a lot smoother than latex.”

“I’m on the pill, Rhett.”

“You are?”

“Not for that .” Her legs returned to the front of her chest, her arms wrapping around them. “My periods were messy and super crampy. The doctor put me on it to regulate me.”

I knew what she was saying, but I still needed to hear her voice it out loud. “You’re telling me not to use a condom?”

She nodded.

“You’re honestly good with that?”

“I’ve been on it for over a year. I take it religiously. Yeah, I’m good with it.”

Then, so was I.

I dropped the rubber back in the drawer and returned to the front of the bed. As soon as I reached her, she focused on my dick, taking it in her hands, running them down the length of me.

“You’re going to destroy me.”

“I’m really going to try not to.” I held the back of her head while she pumped me. “ Mmm . That feels good as hell.”

“My mouth would feel better.” She gave me a shy smile and got on her knees so she had a better angle to give me head. “I’m not the only one who needs to be wet.”

I combed through her hair. “That’s true.”

Her lips were at my tip. “And if you get to taste me, I think it’s only fair that I get to taste you.”

“You don’t have to convince me.” I held my base to keep me aimed at her mouth. “Do whatever you want to me, Lainey.”

“Anything?” Her mouth opened, and she surrounded my crown.

Within a second, I was moaning. That was all it took for her to fill her mouth with half of my dick, sucking so hard that her cheeks added pressure from the inside, and her tongue swirled around the top.

“Fuck.” My head fell back once she started bobbing, and I lifted it to see her eyes on me. “You’re loving this, aren’t you?”

I could tell by her movements.

From the look in her eyes. The way she was working me. Relentlessly.

She didn’t answer.

She didn’t need to.

But what she needed to do was stop, or this was going to end before it even began.

I popped my dick out of her mouth, letting the cool air calm me down a little before I asked, “Where did you learn to do that?”

She wiped the sides of her mouth. “Girls watch porn too, you know.”

“Damn.”

She was grinning as I climbed on top of her, shifting her toward the pillows until her head was on one.

“I like making you feel good.” She tickled her way across my chest. “Because what you did to me, that was epic.”

“You’re going to get a lot more of that.”

“But first, I need to survive this.”

I moved her legs to either side of me, my tip banging against her every time I adjusted. “I’m going to go slow. I want you to tell me if it hurts too much or if you want me to stop.” I waited for some type of recognition. “All right?”

“All right.”

I added more spit to the end of my dick, rubbing it over my head, and before I pushed my way into her, halting after only an inch, I made sure she was still wet.

Her chest wasn’t moving, her face unreadable.

“Breathe, Lainey.”

At my command, her chest rose, but it looked like she was holding in the air.

“Breathe,” I repeated.

She did, but she said nothing.

Maybe she was waiting to see what I was going to do next, or maybe she was getting her head right and preferred to do that in silence, like me at the start of every football game, or maybe even this small amount was too much.

But I needed to know.

“Talk to me,” I said softly.

It took a few seconds, and she finally exhaled what she was holding in and replaced it with another large inhale. I took that as my cue to move, and I went in only a little more. I stayed there, locked, letting her get used to this new width. I was a hell of a lot bigger than the two fingers I’d used on her, so I knew this was going to feel unlike anything she’d experienced.

Since I was met with more silence, I waited until I thought enough time had passed, confident I could continue, and I went in as far as the end of my crown.

“Wow!” She gripped my wrists.

My reaction was the same, but for an entirely different reason.

This was a fucking wow , for sure.

She was so tight.

Wet.

Her pussy squeezed me, making me feel like I could come right now.

But I was positive that what I was experiencing was nothing like what she was going through. I assumed it was the exact opposite.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded on the pillow.

“Lainey, I need to hear your voice.”

Her lips strained as she breathed through them. “I’m okay.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?—”

“Keep going.” She gripped my wrist a bit harder. “Please.”

I was using all the control I had to not just slide my way in, and I had to up my restraint even more during my next shift because I was nearing the halfway point and I could really feel her, especially without wearing a condom. I’d never realized how much that layer blocked, but since there wasn’t anything separating us, I felt everything.

And, fuck, it felt so good.

But I suspected the latest shift had felt even worse for her.

That killed me. I would do anything to hear her moaning again.

If I couldn’t get her body in a place of comfort—at least not yet—then I could attempt to take care of her heart and mind, so I said, “I love you.”

There was a change in her eyes. A hint of the smallest smile while she forced herself to breathe. “I love you.”

Even if it was tiny, I believed that made a difference.

So, I used that momentum to plow my way in a bit more. That was when her chest froze, her eyes squinted shut, her nails stabbed my skin.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

But she didn’t complain. She didn’t call this off. She didn’t even groan.

I attempted to distract her again and whispered, “I love you.”

Her eyes opened, her lips slowly parting. “I love you too.”

“Say it again, Lainey.”

She swallowed and dragged her bottom lip into her mouth, biting it while the tension in her legs increased, her knees shaking. “I love you too.”

Since she’d had such a strong reaction to my face between her legs, I set my thumb on her clit, giving it soft strokes. Within a few swipes, there was another change in her breathing.

It sounded deeper.

Less tense.

“Lainey …”

“ Mmhmm .”

“I love you.” I did everything I could to shut off the sensations building inside me and concentrate on anything other than how amazing this felt. But the farther I went in, the more intense it got. My balls were aching for a release. “I fucking love you so much.”

“I love you.”

“I need you to keep breathing for me.”

She didn’t respond.

“Take a big breath right now.”

As I watched her lungs fill, I arched my hips and gave her the final push. “There. You have all of me.”

“Rhett …” Her eyes widened, hands clutching the blanket she was now holding.

I could feel her pulsing.

Narrowing.

Almost … straining.

“I’m not going to move until you’re ready. You tell me when.”

“I think I can feel you in the back of my mouth.”

I wanted to chuckle, but I wouldn’t.

Not when she was feeling like this.

Her chin tilted backward, exposing her throat, hiding most of her face from me. But what that did was arch her back and spread her legs, her tits sticking out, her body fully displayed.

A sight that was fire.

My thumb had died out while I was gawking at her and was resting on her clit. I started back up, gently brushing across it, and that seemed to cause her to stir.

She looked at me, and I swore there was hunger in her eyes.

It took some time, but her muscles began to relax, and her breathing returned to somewhat normal.

“I’m going to move a little and see if you can handle it.” I pushed down harder on her clit. “Okay?”

“Yes.”

I went as tenderly as I could, rearing back toward my tip. She was still so wet, so tight, and that didn’t change when I worked my way in.

“I wish you were feeling as good as I am right now.” I stretched my hand over her side. “I wish you were fucking screaming for more.” I traced my fingers over her hip. “It’s going to get better. Trust me.”

A pattern developed. It was no sprint; it was more like a crawl, but I kept up the movement, waiting for her body to stretch enough that the hurt would fade, the burning would lighten, and a hint of pleasure would come through.

I saw it even more when I wet my thumb and ground it against her clit. If my girl had any chance of getting off, this would do it.

Instead of giving her a full thrust, causing more friction than she needed, I went back only half the length, keeping my pumps short, but my finger adding more pressure.

“I don’t know how”—she sucked in an inhale—“but this isn’t as bad as it was. And this”—she reached for my wrist again—“feels really good.”

“You’re going to come.”

“I … don’t know.”

“I’m telling you, you’re going to come.”

I wouldn’t drag this out forever. I didn’t want to scar her. I wanted her to eventually love this as much as me.

I replaced my thumb with the pads of two fingers, and within a few rotations, she was moving. It wasn’t a full swing, but it was enough to show me that something was happening. That she was getting there. That it was strengthening, especially when her teeth went to her lip and the softest moan came out.

“I’ve been fucking dying to hear that sound.” I flicked her nipple, carefully tugging it, and that earned me another moan.

“Rhett … oh my God.”

“I was right. You are going to come.”

The fact that, through all the pain, I’d gotten her body to this place was all it took for my body to get there too.

There was a swish in my balls, a tightening from a place deep within, a tingling that gradually lifted to the surface.

“Rhett!” Her back rounded as her hips rose off the bed, her stomach shuddering. “Ah!”

Fuck.

It wasn’t just the sight of her that sent me over the edge. It was how her orgasm caused her to narrow, sucking my dick from the inside, followed by this heavy wave of wetness.

A feeling I couldn’t handle.

And one that I couldn’t hold off.

I pulled back on the little control I had left, and while she shouted my name again, I let everything go. “Fuck yes!” While I drained myself into her, I increased the speed of my hand. “Baby, show me how good you feel.”

Her exhales were building, and within a few shifts of my hips, I was finally empty. She was still, and we became silent.

I waited for her to say something before I asked, “Are you okay?”

“Definitely okay. I can’t believe you were able to get me off.”

I was just glad I could. That she’d trusted me enough to even put her mind there.

“Relax your legs for me. I’m going to pull out. And I have a feeling you’re going to be sore.”

Her knees fell to the sides, and once my tip cleared, I saw the blood. It was on my dick, and there was some on the blanket beneath us.

I was worried it would freak her out, even if she expected it, so I rubbed my hands up her sides and over her stomach, using a calm voice as I said, “Let’s get you in the shower.”

“Okay.” Her eyes bugged when her gaze lowered, and she saw my dick. “Wait, is that my blood?”

I hovered my body over hers and kissed her. My tongue slid in, and I wound our lips together, filling myself with her taste and breath before I separated us. “Your blood doesn’t bother me. Not when I’m the reason it was there and that I got to take something so special from you.” I pecked her. “But I want to clean you off since I came inside you, and I think the warm water will make you feel better after everything I just did.” I kissed her cheek and her earlobe and her collarbone before returning to her lips. “And maybe, if you’re feeling up to it, I can give you my mouth again.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck and took several deep breaths. “You got me through the pain, and you were so gentle.” She smiled. “It was perfect, Rhett. Everything about it.” She rubbed her fingers over my lips. “And for wanting to even put your mouth there again after I just bled all over you—you couldn’t possibly be any dreamier.”

“It’s because I love you. Because I would do anything for you. And because I learned today that there’s nothing I like more than hearing you moan.”