Chapter 4
Chapter Four
F aith stood in the doorway and looked around the hotel room. She couldn’t believe Troy had managed to get the exact same room they’d stayed in twenty-five years ago. “Looks like they’ve done some renovations recently.”
“Thank God,” Troy said as he tossed the duffel bag with her toiletries on a table by the door. “The place was a dive the last time we stayed here. If they hadn’t gutted the inside and made it so nice, this wouldn’t have been included on my tour regardless of the fact we spent our honeymoon here. I was fully prepared to drive the thirty-five miles to stay at the Days Inn in Lowell.”
Faith shook her head. “That wouldn’t have been the same.”
Troy pulled a bottle of champagne out of an ice bucket and pointed to it. “Thirsty?”
“I can’t believe you came over here this afternoon and set all this up.” In addition to the bottle of wine, he’d scattered rose petals on the bed and dropped off their luggage.
“I’m just sorry one night in this hotel room was the sum equivalent of our whole honeymoon. Wish I’d taken you somewhere more special than downtown Carlysle.”
She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Our honeymoon was perfect, Troy. Why on earth would we have wasted all that money to fly someplace like the Caribbean or Hawaii when we’d have done the same thing there that we did here?” She ran her hand along the front of his jeans and smiled when she felt his cock twitch under her touch. “I mean you’ve seen one bed, you’ve seen them all.”
Troy grinned wickedly. “You’ve got a point there. Take off that jacket,” he said, his voice laced with a sexy demand she found hard to resist. She recalled his warning back in the park. He’d been so many different men tonight, she was feeling slightly overwhelmed.
“Haven’t you ever heard of saying please?”
His eyes narrowed, darkened. “I told you earlier what was going to happen tonight. Take off the T-shirt and bra while you’re at it.”
She slid the heavy jacket off, tossing it over a chair. Pulling her T-shirt from her jeans, she slid it over her head slowly, enjoying the needy look in her husband’s eyes.
“Now who’s being a tease?” His voice was husky, deep and the rough timbre of it pushed all her hot buttons at once. Her breasts as she freed them from her lacy bra felt full and too sensitive to touch. Her panties were damp and her breathing was labored.
“God, Troy. I need you so badly.”
He shook his head as he rubbed the front placket of his jeans. She could see his erection straining against the material. “I believe you said something about sucking my cock.” Reaching down, he unzipped his jeans. Kicking off his shoes, he tugged off his pants and boxers. Then, as he sat on the edge of the bed, he pulled off his T-shirt, as well. It was the first time she’d seen him naked all day and she had to admit there was a lot to be said for his anticipation game. Her fingers itched to touch every inch of his firm, tanned skin.
He beckoned her to him with a crooked finger. “I want your mouth on me.”
She trembled at his admission and wondered once again when sex had stopped being sexy for them. They’d set the sheets on fire in their younger days and his racy words and smoldering looks were bringing it all back to her. How could they have let this slip away?
She walked across the room, grasping his wrist as he ran his hand along his thick flesh. She stilled his motions, shaking her head slowly. “Let me do that for you.”
“Get on your knees.”
She dropped down before him and he closed his eyes briefly when she pushed his thighs farther apart and settled between his legs.
“Wait a minute.” He reached behind him on the bed and grabbed a pillow. Reaching for her elbow, he bid her to stand up while he tossed the pillow on the floor. “Kneel on this.” He cupped her cheek with his large palm, a quick gesture of adoration.
His gaze darkened when she grasped his cock, tightening her fist without preamble, giving him the rough touch she knew he loved.
The sight of his rock-hard erection set her mouth to watering. She licked her lips as she listened to the sound of his breathing deepen, speed up. He brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles before reaching back to take her ponytail in his grasp.
With steady pressure, he guided her head to his lap and she allowed him the control. He wasn’t taking her anywhere she didn’t want to be. Usually a patient, thoughtful lover, she was enjoying his sudden dominance and she would never have guessed how much she desired giving him this power over her. She’d seen shades of his unbending determination to steer their course all day. Now, in the bedroom, she handed herself over to his command, an enthusiastic slave to his will.
Taking him into her mouth, she savored the sound of his groan when she tongued the sensitive skin just below his head. His fingers tightened in her hair and she sensed he was restraining himself, holding back out of concern. Something inside her snapped and she pushed away.
“Take me like you mean it, Troy.”
“What?”
“Take me the way you want to. We’ve been together long enough for you to know I won’t break. I’m not made of glass. You made me some promises in the park. I want them. All of them.”
He swallowed heavily and she could see him fighting some sort of internal struggle. No doubt the old-fashioned man he was raised to be, the one who believed women were meant to be protected and cherished, was battling the alpha male who wanted to take, to control, to own.
“I don’t think you understand what I’m?—”
She cut his words off with her mouth on his cock. She devoured his hard flesh, took him to the back of her throat while tightly squeezing his balls in her hand.
His fingers flew to her hair and she thought for a moment he’d pull her away, stop her, but instead he pushed her head lower, forced her to take him deeper. She hummed her assent, felt the moisture gather in her pussy and knew which man had won when he tugged on her ponytail, forced her head back until her gaze met his.
“I’m going to fuck your mouth, Faith. This isn’t gonna be a simple blowjob. You understand there’s a difference, right?”
She narrowed her eyes, angry that he felt the need to explain himself. It felt like he was asking permission, seeking her approval. She bared her teeth, let him feel them against his flesh. He growled—an honest to God growl—and then gave her exactly what she’d asked for. He gripped her face between his large palms, pulling her mouth down on his cock, pushing deeper with each entry, the entire time he alternated between praising her beautiful mouth and demanding that she suck harder, take more, swallow his head.
“Shit. I’m coming, Faith. God, baby. I’m coming.” The first splash painted the back of her throat as Troy continued to push her mouth on to his cock. She swallowed several times until his hands slackened and she heard his harsh breathing begin to slow. Looking up, she watched as he fell onto his back on the bed. She released him, loving the utter exhaustion and complete satiation on his face. Resting her head on his thigh, she felt no need to move right away.
Though her own arousal was still thumping, her body crying for satisfaction, she was happy to stay where she was, secure in the fact that she’d just rocked her husband’s world.
“Come here.” His voice was husky, deep.
She crawled up on the bed beside him, and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace as he placed soft kisses on the top of her head. “Jesus, Faith. I never expected—I didn’t know?—”
She raised her head and grinned. “Not too shabby for an old housewife, eh?”
“You aren’t old.”
She rolled her eyes, not surprised that was the only thing he heard.
“I wasn’t too rough? I didn’t hurt you?” His words brought to mind his memories of their first time and she wondered if he’d harbored his anxiety about harming her all these years. She’d never known, never suspected.
“You were hot,” she said. “Despite my fear of sounding like a complete pushover, I have to admit having you take control in bed turns me on a heck of a lot more than I would have suspected.”
He studied her face for a moment, his eyes serious, his mouth tight. “This could change things a bit.”
She looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”
“Knowing that you like it, knowing you want it. Jesus, Faith. I want it too. More than you could ever know.”
“How come you never said anything? Never asked?”
He shrugged. “We’ve been married a damn long time. I sort of thought I knew what you liked in bed. I didn’t want to scare you off.”
“Troy. I think after all these years, it’s pretty safe to say there’s nothing you could do to chase me away.”
He rolled over, pulling her under his large frame. “Is that right?” His question was laced with just a touch of sensual menace and as quickly as that, her body jumped into overdrive, not forgetting that while he’d come, she had not.
“You know,” he said, “maybe you’re right. A little fear’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
She reached up to place her hands on his shoulders, but he stopped her, gripping her wrists firmly and pushing them into the mattress beside her head. “Leave your hands there. Don’t move them unless I give you permission to.”
She narrowed her eyes for a moment, wondering what he’d do if she disobeyed. He must have read her thoughts on her face. “I have no doubt you’re going to test my limits, Faith. All of them. But not yet. Let me show you exactly what we’ve been missing.”
She nodded, leaving her hands in place. He rose from the bed, standing above her. She was still in her jeans, a problem he made short work of. After he stripped off her clothes, she watched as he crossed the room to a small bag in the corner she hadn’t noticed before.
“What’s in there?”
He shook his head. “No questions.”
“Again?”
He chuckled. “You really suck at this game.”
She grinned, but her smile faded when she watched Troy pull a pair of handcuffs from the bag. “Oh,” she breathed.
He walked back to her, indicating with his finger that he wanted her to twist around and lay on the bed the proper way. She moved into the middle of the mattress and he bent over her, pulling her hands above her head once more. She lay still as he wove the chain on the cuffs around a slat on the headboard, then she heard the snick as he snapped the bracelet part around each of her wrists. Instinct drove her to tug on the metal. The cuffs were lined with some sort of soft leather, so her skin was protected.
“They’re secure,” he said, pointing out the obvious fact she’d just discerned for herself. She was definitely trapped. “You won’t get free until I decide to let you go.”
“And when will that be?”
He reached down and roughly pinched one of her turgid nipples.
“Ouch,” she cried.
“No questions. Remember?”
She nodded, trying to figure out why her pussy was begging her to ask him something else. The slight pain of his pinch seemed to have a direct connection to her clit. She squeezed her legs together, wishing she could use her hands to ease the need.
Troy slapped the side of her hip. “Hold still. Open your legs.”
“But—”
He slapped her other hip. “No talking.”
She opened her mouth to retort, but before she could utter a sound, he leaned down and took her lips in a crushing kiss. For a second, she feared he was bruising her lips, then he put his tongue into action and she decided she didn’t give a shit if he did. She returned his kiss, their tongues battling for dominance and he didn’t pull away until she was gasping for air.
“You’re going to be a bit tougher to train than I thought.”
A very large part of her took exception to the word train until he reached down to cup her breasts. He brought his lips into play, sucking on her nipples until she was crying out, pleading for him to fuck her. Her clit was pulsing painfully from the neglect, the need.
“God, Troy. Please,” she yelled again, but he ignored her, intent on tormenting her at his own pace.
Finally, after a lifetime, his lips began to travel south. Kneeling between her outstretched legs, she shivered when he blew a steady stream of air on her clit. “You need to cool off.”
She threw her head against the pillow and struggled not to call her dear, beloved husband every nasty name she’d ever heard.
When he looked up and gave her a smug grin, she clenched her teeth against the steady stream of obscenities floating through her mind. He was testing her, teasing her. She knew that as well as she knew the moment he took these cuffs off her hands, all bets were off.
He ran one finger through the short hair on her pussy. “Maybe it would help if you counted to ten.”
“Maybe it would help if you kissed it better.”
He laughed at her suggestion. “Maybe it would.” He bent forward and took her clit between his teeth with a sharp nip that took her by surprise before he used his tongue to soothe away the pain.
Her eyes closed of their own volition and she felt, more than saw, the brilliant flash of white light that accompanied her immediate climax. One touch and he’d driven her over the edge.
Troy seemed unfazed by her orgasm, instead continuing his assault on her senses. Each bite he delivered was followed by a soft kiss, each pinch was soothed by a delicate rub. He used her body against her, bringing her to the brink two more times. Each time he refused to acknowledge her trembling cries, her thrashing, and instead he continued to play until she thought she’d go insane with the intensity of the pleasure.
When she thought she was completely drained, his cock brushed against her opening and her traitorous body came roaring back to life. He lifted her legs over his shoulders, his hands supporting her ass as he drove in with one hard, deep thrust.
Once seated, he held for just a moment, waiting for her at last. When her eyes met his, she saw how much this night meant to him and she felt as if she were seeing him clearly for the first time.
“I’m going to fuck you now,” he said simply.
She nodded.
“I can’t be gentle.”
Her voice, hoarse from yelling, betrayed her and all she could do was nod once more.
Her gesture freed him as he pounded into her body with a strength she didn’t know he possessed. She was vaguely aware of the fact she was screaming as he pushed her over into one long, painfully beautiful orgasm. The clenching contractions of her inner muscles seemed to push him into a different realm. He gripped her thighs, holding them against her chest as he opened her up for an even deeper fuck.
For a moment, she thought she saw stars and feared she’d pass out as she came one last time. He followed her into the moment, filling her with jet after jet of hot come, until he collapsed on top of her.
It wasn’t until she felt her arms being lowered that she realized she had fallen asleep. Troy had cleaned her and covered her in a blanket, yet neither act had roused her until he unlocked the cuffs and pulled her into his arms.
“Okay?” he asked.
She nodded. Her body was numb from his hard use, but she knew she’d let him do it all over again in a heartbeat if he asked her to.
“So okay,” she whispered.
He kissed her brow. “You’re amazing. Just when I think it’s not possible for me to love you more, you find a way to burrow even deeper into my heart.”
She smiled tiredly at his admission, but her mind felt as mushy as her muscles. “Ditto,” she replied and she fell asleep once more as Troy’s chest rumbled with his soft laughter.
Faith woke up the next day, surprised by the brightness of the sun outside. Usually she was up with the birds in the still dim hours of early morning, but it would appear her husband had officially worn her out. Glancing over, she found him snoring softly, looking exactly like the man she’d woken up next to every morning for years. But this morning, something felt different, better. Ordinarily she’d get up and make a pot of coffee, reading the newspaper and playing FreeCell on her computer until he woke up and joined her.
This morning, despite the stiffness in her muscles, she was tempted to wake him up and demand he continue the amazing sex he’d initiated her into last night. His eyes opened slowly and found her staring at him.
“Good morning, Mrs. Wainwright.”
“Good morning,” she said, clearing the sleep from her throat. “Sleep well?”
“Like the dead. That was quite a workout you gave me. Figure I’m lucky I didn’t have a heart attack.”
She laughed. “Feel up to another round?”
He looked at her in disbelief, then worry. “Are you kidding me? Aren’t you sore? Faith, I was more than a little hard on you last night.”
She wiggled a bit, trying to determine if she was in pain. Problem was the second Troy said hard, her thoughts went straight to the gutter. “I don’t think I would have enjoyed a little hard. Seems to me you were very hard…and very good.”
Troy closed his eyes and she thought for a moment he was praying. “All the wasted years,” he muttered. “Dammit, Faith. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but we don’t have time.”
Faith narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t we have time?”
“Tour’s not over yet.”
He glanced at the clock beside the bed and hopped out of bed before she could try to seduce him out of his damn plans. “Troy.”
“Come on, sweetheart. Rise and shine. We’re already behind schedule. I’m gonna grab a quick shower and get dressed. While you’re getting ready, I’ll run out and pick us up a couple of cups of coffee and some donuts.”
“You had me at shower,” she said, rising from the bed, letting the sheet drop away.
Troy shook his head. “Didn’t I specify? I’m showering alone. With the door locked. Behave yourself, Faith, or you’re going to find yourself lying facedown over my lap while I show you what happens to naughty girls.”
Her pussy fluttered at the thought and she grinned.
“Shit,” Troy said, turning for the bathroom.
He slammed the door and she distinctly heard the lock snap into place.
Despite Faith’s best efforts to seduce him, Troy remained true to his original schedule. Luckily the beautiful, sunny day snapped her out of her bad temper as they rode through town with the windows on the truck rolled down. Troy was singing along with Toby Keith on the radio, and she had to admit she felt happier and more relaxed than she had in months. It was amazing what a night of incredible sex could do for a person.
She played the night over in her mind, not paying attention to their direction until Troy pulled the truck to the side of the road and parked.
“You were a million miles away,” he said, tapping her nose playfully.
She shook her head. “Not that far.” She looked outside and realized they were parked outside their first apartment. “Hillman Apartments.”
Troy grinned. “Yep. Only doing a drive by here. It’s time for you to open the album again. Read the next letter while we head to the next stop.”
Putting the car in drive, he pulled away from the curb as she turned to the next page. Happy tears sprung to her eyes when she found a picture of Jackson and Jenna sitting outside on the grass in their Easter finest. Jackson, the very protective four-year-old brother, was sitting with his arm around his one-year-old sister. Both of them were smiling widely and Jenna had a pink plastic Easter egg in her hand. Faith ran her finger across the picture, touching their faces and recalling how soft and wonderful it had been to caress their baby skin. Discreetly, she brushed away a tear, turning her attention to Troy’s letter.
My dearest Faith,
I can still remember the night you told me you were pregnant with Jackson. We were living in that cardboard box of an apartment on Hillman. It was well after midnight and I came home from working the late shift, surprised to find you awake and waiting for me. You just looked at me and said, “I’m pregnant.”
I don’t think I realized exactly how much those words were going to change my life. I mean I was excited and happy. I wanted to make a family with you, Faith—never doubt that. But for the first time in my life, I also experienced true fear. Until that moment, I’d lived like most young men do, believing they are invincible, untouchable, immortal. Let’s face it—the center of my universe was ultimately me. You were, of course, an integral part of my life, but the axis of my existence rotated solely on my wants, needs and desires.
Those two words changed all of that. Suddenly, I realized I would be responsible for another human being—completely responsible—and everything I’d come to think about the world shifted, changed and I was forced to become less selfish and more selfless. Quite a transition for a twenty-two-year-old to make. And once again, I had no answers, so I looked to you to guide me.
Even from that first night, you seemed so at ease, so comfortable with the changes happening in your body and in our lives. For nine months, I simply listened and followed as you prepared us to raise our child. I loved watching your belly grow round, loved talking to the baby inside and feeling him kick. Every day was a miracle. I learned the basics of how to be a parent from my folks, but as I watched you with Jackson and Jenna, I discovered how to love unconditionally, without limits. You are a natural mother. No child in the world could ever have had a better mom than my two kids did and I owe you more for that than I could ever hope to repay.
I’ve received hundreds of gifts in my lifetime—from ties on Christmas to a clunky used car on my seventeenth birthday. None of them compare to the ultimate gift you gave me—fatherhood. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without Jackson and Jenna.
I love you,
Troy