Chapter 9 #2
Fuck. This woman. Spike curled his fingers into fists and held onto his control with everything he had.
He wanted her. Every inch. Last night, he’d masturbated after they’d gone to bed.
Her giggles reverberated in his head, her smile the only thing he could see when he closed his eyes every night.
He’d taken his cock in his fist and exploded after an embarrassingly short amount of time stroking himself, but his release wasn’t nearly as satisfying as he’d hoped.
“I’ll clean up, you go on and get ready,” he said after a long pause.
“Are you all right?” Reese asked gently. “You seem…off.”
There she went being all sweet and kind again. “I’m good,” he told her. “How could I not be when I get to spend the day with you?”
Her cheeks turned a pretty pink at his compliment.
“I feel as if I have to steal you away from everyone else to get some one-on-one time with you,” he teased.
Reese rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said. “You’ve had more important things to do than babysit me.” She stood up, but Spike’s hand shot out and grabbed her forearm, stopping her in her tracks.
“That’s not true. You need a ride somewhere, I’ll gladly take you.
If you’re hungry, I’ll make you something.
You get nervous about what happened in Colombia, I’m happy to talk it through with you.
You’re more than a guest, Reese. You’re more than just my buddy’s sister.
We’ve mostly tiptoed around our attraction to each other, but I’m not sure you realize that you’ve got me wrapped around your little finger.
You say the word, and I’ll bend over backward for you. ”
“Gus,” she whispered.
Spike wanted to kiss her more than he wanted almost anything in his life.
But he held himself back. He wouldn’t push himself on this woman, even though it was the most difficult thing he’d ever done to not pull her against him and show her with more than words how much she was starting to mean to him.
How much he needed her goodness and sunny disposition in his life.
“Go change so I can show you one of the many reasons I fell in love with this place,” he said gently.
Reese nodded, and he dropped his hand from her arm. She looked down at him for a long moment, before turning and heading toward his bedroom.
Spike had actually stood and taken a step after her before realizing what he was doing. The vision he had in his head of backing her into his room and onto his bed before falling down on top of her had almost overridden his common sense.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to pick up their empty breakfast plates and take them into the kitchen. He was already dressed and ready to go, but wanted to pack a small bag of snacks and water for their hike.
After a few minutes, he’d gotten control of himself once more. Spike hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to have Reese living with him while keeping things mostly platonic. Hell, it had only been a week, and he was more attracted to her than anyone he’d ever dated before.
Every word Woody had said about his sister was true.
She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman, and he didn’t want to do anything that might scare her off or make her wary to be around him.
Spike vowed to be a perfect gentleman, so she’d have no cause to regret her decision to stay in his cabin.
“Is this okay?” she asked, making Spike jump. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had snuck up on him…and Reese wasn’t even sneaking. He’d been so lost in his head that he simply hadn’t heard her. Turning, he ran his eyes up and down her body.
She had on a pair of khaki hiking pants she’d bought a few days ago when she’d been shopping with Henley, Alaska, Jasna, and Isabella.
The boots on her feet weren’t new. They’d been included in the boxes that had been shipped from Kansas City with her Ford Escape.
She wore a pale green T-shirt that somehow brought out the blue in her eyes.
It had a picture of a sloth hanging from a branch and the words, “Life is good, Take it slow” beneath.
He smiled. “You’re perfect,” he said, letting some of the desire coursing through his veins shine through in his words because he literally couldn’t help it.
He wasn’t surprised when Reese rolled her eyes. “Hardly. But thank you. I don’t think I’ll get cold, but I have a jacket I was planning on tying around my waist, just in case.”
Spike wasn’t expecting rain, but he approved of her thinking ahead. “I’ll shove it in my pack, so you don’t have to worry about it,” he said as he walked toward her, unable to stay away.
“That bag on the floor? It’s huge!” she said with a laugh. “What else do you have in there?”
“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” he deadpanned.
Reese giggled, and Spike wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. So much for being a gentleman. That lasted a whole three minutes.
She let out an adorable oof as she collided with him, but her smile didn’t dim.
“I want to kiss you,” Spike said in a voice that sounded nothing like his usual calm tone.
Several seconds went by before she said, “Well? What are you waiting for?”
“Your permission,” he said seriously.
“Anytime you want to kiss me, you can,” she said breathlessly.
“Okay, maybe not in front of Woody for a while. I mean, I talked to him, and he’s cool with us, but he’s still my brother and making out in front of him would be weird.
Oh, and maybe not in front of Jasna. She’s cool, but it’s even weirder to make out in front of a kid. Come to think of it, it might—”
Spike couldn’t wait for her to finish talking. She’d given him carte blanche to kiss her, and he wasn’t waiting another second to do just that. He cupped her neck, pressing his other hand firmly against her back as he tilted his head and leaned in.
He felt her fingers in his hair—then he couldn’t think about anything other than how her lips felt under his. How soft she felt against him. The hand at her back pressed harder, sliding around her, wanting to feel every inch.
Their tongues twined together, and he could taste the mint from the toothpaste she’d obviously used after changing. His fingers tingled, as did his toes. His erection pressed against her belly, and it was all he could do not to grind against her.
He’d kissed her before, but it had been a chaste touching of lips, nothing more.
This was…overwhelming. Exciting. He could taste the promise of a future in this kiss.
And when she moaned deep in her throat and dug her fingernails into his scalp, Spike clutched her to him harder as he made love to her mouth.
He had no idea how long they’d been kissing before she lifted her lips from his. But she didn’t pull back. Instead, she buried her face into the side of his neck and clung to him just as hard as he clung to her.
To his surprise, Spike found that he was breathing hard. Practically panting. His cock throbbed and he was two seconds from coming right then and there in his pants. That hadn’t ever happened to him. He enjoyed kissing, but it was always a means to an end. A precursor to the good stuff.
With Reese, kissing was the good stuff.
Her breaths wafted over his skin, making goose bumps break out on his arms. His hands shifted, the one at her neck sliding to her back, while the one at her waist inched down to her ass, and he couldn’t stop himself from kneading the generous globe for a moment before gripping her tightly and holding her in place against his throbbing dick.
“Holy crap,” she murmured against his neck.
Spike smiled, relieved he wasn’t the only one feeling this. He licked his lips, tasting her there, and said, “Yeah.”
He felt her head lifting, and he looked at her.
Spike couldn’t stop his gaze from going to her chest. He could see her nipples through her bra and T-shirt, and a giddy mix of relief and pride went through him.
She was obviously just as turned on as he was, and it made something inside him relax a fraction.
He’d known she liked him, but seeing the proof that she was just as affected by their chemistry made him less desperate somehow.
He vowed to enjoy the anticipation and excitement of their new relationship.
Reluctantly letting go of her ass, Spike brought his hand up to her face and brushed his fingers against the rosy pink of her cheek. Her lips were a little swollen, and he loved the feel of her fingernails against his scalp and arm, where she’d grabbed him to hold on while they were kissing.
“I’m not going to kiss you in front of Woody. He’s not opposed to our relationship, but you are his little sister.”
“So we’re in a relationship?” she asked shyly.
“Yes,” Spike answered definitively.
“And…”
“What? You can ask me anything. Tell me anything.”
“I know. It’s just that this is so soon. But I haven’t felt this way about a guy before. You already know I had a crush on you before, but now…are we…can you…I want to be exclusive,” she finished quickly.
Spike framed her face and fixed his gaze on hers. “As you can see, there isn’t exactly a slew of women out here to date,” he said.
“But there’s lots of guests,” she interrupted before he could go on. “And I’ve seen how some of them look at you and the other guys. I’m guessing plenty would be happy to have a vacation fling.”
“My friends and I have never, and will never, mix business with pleasure,” he said sternly. “That’s the best way to fuck up a good thing. I’m not going to sleep with any of the guests—and hell yes, we’re exclusive. I don’t want anyone else but you, Reese. You’re all I can think about.”