Chapter 16 #2
There’s a shine in the car they’re on that shows a slight reflection of their skin, drawing my attention to the way the woman’s breasts press into it.
The shine on their skin, the divot in the man’s face as he focuses on where they’re joined.
Ari even has the minor details in there done beautifully.
Wrinkles in the pants that are wrapped around his ankles.
The leaves on the trees in the background in different shades of orange and yellow, representing what it’s really like to see the trees in the fall up north.
I shake my head, slightly mind blown at the talent she possesses.
“Arianna, this is beautiful.”
“Thanks,” she murmurs, taking the tablet back and saving her work once more.
“I’m serious, Freckles,” I tell her, loving the pink that spreads across her cheeks as she snaps the case shut. “I thought you said you do graphic design?”
She nods, chewing on the corner of her bottom lip for a second. “That’s mostly what I do. Every month, I open three or four slots for custom character art.”
“You’re incredible.”
She shrugs, but I refuse to let her brush this off.
“I’m serious. What I just saw took my breath away, and I’m not just saying that because I saw every vein running along that dude’s cock. I mean, hell, your color accuracy on the foliage in the background is insane, and that’s just one part of it!”
Ari finally smiles, fidgeting with the edge of the tablet.
“Thank you. I have fun with it. And I wasn’t lying, I do graphic design.
I work with different authors, putting together images they can use for social media, but lately I’ve been thinking about focusing more on the actual art side of things.
It’s just been damn near impossible to find a way to lighten my workload so that I could do that. ”
My eyebrows scrunch together, and I lean back, throwing my arm over the back of the couch and mindlessly playing with the curly strands that hang down her back.
“What about when you start working again after the baby is born? Like when maternity leave is up?”
“What about it?” She hums, head tilting back as my fingers find the back of her skull.
“I’m assuming that you’ll be wrapping up all your work before the baby is actually born?
” I pause, waiting for her nod of confirmation.
“So that means you’ll have a blank slate when you get back to working, whenever that is.
Why don’t you just make an announcement that you’ll be changing up services or whatever you call them. ”
Ari’s head slowly tilts up toward me and it’s damn near impossible to tell if the expression on her face is from her being impressed or annoyed at the suggestion. Just as I’m about to apologize for possibly overstepping, a smile so sincere spreads across her face and knocks the air from my lungs.
“Holy shit, why didn’t I think of that?”
My exhale is practically audible, and I relax now that I know I didn’t piss her off. While she opens her tablet back up to what looks like a never-ending to-do list and adds a note for herself, I glance around the lobby.
“Wait, Ari, what are you doing down here anyway?”
She shrugs, but I don’t miss the smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“Being a good friend.”
I blink, confused by her answer, and wait for her to elaborate. When she doesn’t add anything else, I gently tap her on the shoulder.
“And what does you being down here have to do with the kind of friend you are?”
“Well, you see, when a hockey player is part of a team that played really freaking good, and he even managed to score twice himself, his fiancé tends to enjoy…rewarding him.”
“Oh.” I nod, understanding finally. Since Dom shares a room with Greyson, who doesn’t go out to the bar after a game unless Stella is with him, it makes sense why they want to use the girls’ room.
Good for Dominik.
“Yup.” She shakes her head, settling against me, and I can almost feel the exhaustion weighing on her.
“You’ve gotta be exhausted, though.”
She shrugs and my mind is made up before her shoulder even drops.
Pushing to my feet, I turn back, holding a hand out in offering for her. Ari eyes it wearily before sliding her palm into mine and letting me pull her to her feet.
“And where exactly are we going?”
“My room.” There’s no hesitation in my voice as I practically drag her toward the elevator.
“Wait, but what about—”
“Landon was just handed his third beer when I left the bar. Which means we have at least another two to three hours before he stumbles back here with the guys.”
The elevator doors slide open, and I hold out a hand to keep the doors open while guiding her on.
I don’t miss the way her shoulders relax at my statement.
It’s common knowledge that if our captain is ever seen with his third drink of the night, he’s in it for the long haul.
For as much as he gave me shit about closing down bars, more often than not, he was right there with us.
Which also helped Ari and me sneak off so much. The three of us would stumble back to his condo and tuck him into bed, where he’d promptly pass out. Arianna and I would sneak out and head to my apartment for a quick fuck before she’d slip out and go back to his place to spend the night.
As we take the elevator back up to our floor, my eyes never leave her face, and I find myself wondering how the hell I managed to survive with only scraps of her.
Then again, as Arianna glances up at me with a sly smile on her lips, I already know the answer.
I would take whatever crumbs of time Ari could spare me, so long as it meant that for a few moments, she was with me.
Those times where we were searching for whatever few minutes we could find over the course of weeks or months only make me appreciate the time I have with her now.
Because now I know every free second will be spent with her and the life she is growing.
By the time the elevator stops on our floor, I have to let her step out ahead of me so that I can adjust myself. Just the thought of being with her, of knowing that she wants to face what’s ahead of us with me, is enough to make my dick twitch.
I pull out the room key as she leads the way down the hall. She and Lilly managed to snag a room a few doors down, so even if Landon were to come back earlier than expected, it wouldn’t be completely unusual for her to be here. Especially if he knew what Dom was up to.
Tapping the key card to the door, I push it open and let her in first.
My eyes immediately drop to her ass. Even covered by the baggy Bobcats hoodie she’s wearing, it does nothing to stop me from remembering exactly how she looks in leggings that hug her hips and thighs.
Ari sets her things on the dresser beside the TV in a small pile before turning to face the two beds. She raises her hands, pointing at both beds in a silent question.
“Mine’s the one on the right, farthest from the door.”
Without missing a beat, she lunges onto the bed. She lands on her side with a soft oomph before rolling onto her back.
“Wanna know the one thing I miss the most that I can’t do now that I’m pregnant?”
“Hmm, what’s that?” I ask while stepping up to the end of the bed and sliding her sandals off.
“Lying on my stomach. I am not made for side sleeping.” She groans as I press my thumb into the arch of her foot. “Oh shit, that feels good.”
I sit with her feet in my lap and continue rubbing them.
“You’re not allowed to sleep on your stomach when you’re pregnant?” I ask, racking my brain to remember if that was in one of the books I read.
She shakes her head while stretching her arms above her head on the bed. My dick jerks at the sight of her spread out, but I ignore it and focus on massaging pressure points in her feet.
“It’s technically okay while in the first trimester, but it’s mostly recommended to sleep on your side with a pillow or blanket. Plus, the last time I tried, it was really uncomfortable.”
Does that mean she already has one of those pregnancy pillows I read about? Or should I buy her one?
I make a mental note to casually check her room for one the next time I’m at her house.
“Holy shit, Dean.” Arianna moans when I press my thumb into a particularly tight spot, and I bite back my own groan at the sound.
“Baby, you gotta be careful when moaning my name like that.”
“Why would I want to do that?” Her free foot slides up my thigh, inching closer to where I desperately crave being touched.
“I mean, if you want my face buried between your thighs, go right ahead and do it again.”
I glance up just in time to catch sight of her triumphant smirk before she drops her head back to the mattress and fucking moans my name again.
Dropping her foot, I twist off the mattress, slide down until I’m kneeling on the floor, and wrap both hands around her thighs so I can tug her to the end of the bed.
She squeals in surprise, arms flinging to the side to help her find balance just as my fingers find the waistband of her leggings.
With one forceful tug, both her pants and underwear are halfway down her legs.
As I continue working them off, I lean forward, unable to resist kissing the newly exposed skin.
Ari squirms at the touch. Once her leggings are free from her ankles, I drop them to the floor beside me before wrapping my arms under her thighs, hiking her legs over my shoulders, and hold her still.
“Fuck, I’ve missed having your taste on my tongue, baby.” There’s no warning, no more teasing or slowly building up the anticipation for what’s to come.
No. With her pussy glistening directly in front of my mouth, all I can do is dive right into her.
I groan as the heady taste that is distinctly Arianna hits my tongue. Her hand tangles into the hair on top of my head, greedily holding me in place. If my mouth weren’t already occupied, I would remind her that I’m not going anywhere.
On the next swipe of my tongue up the length of her pussy, I continue up to her clit and suck it into my mouth.
Her fingers tighten, pinching the strands of my hair in an almost painful hold as I flick my tongue over the sensitive bud while sucking on it.
Not pulling my mouth away, I free one of my arms from her thighs.
My fingers find her soaking entrance and we both groan at the contact.
“Dean,” she moans, hips shifting slightly as if to remind me where she craves to be touched.
Slowly, I push a single digit in. The sounds that spill from her lips as I work a second finger into her make my cock press achingly against the zipper of my jeans, but somehow, I manage to shove it to the back of my mind.
With my tongue still working over her clit, I curl my fingers and search for the bundle of nerves that makes her sing.
“Oh shit,” she mumbles, and I smile against her before getting lost in her.
In the way her cunt grips my fingers as her orgasm builds.
The way her entire body jolts every time I suck on her clit.
The sounds she makes as I thrust into her over and over again, each moan and plea breathier than the last. The scrape of her nails against my skull as she shoves my face between her thighs.
Everything Arianna does while she succumbs to the pleasure is magnificent and something I will never get enough of.
Each time we’re together like this, there’s something new to experience.
Some different combination of the way she pants for me while her body lights up at my touch.
I’ll never have my fill of Ari because there’s always something to discover.
And not just in bed. Even earlier, when I learned how talented of an artist she is. Just when I think I’m figuring her out, she adds a wonderful surprise to the mix that makes me see her in a different light.
She’s an addiction in the purest form.
“Dean, I’m gonna…Fuck, yes. Just like that.” She grinds her hips against my face, chasing her orgasm with wild desperation. “Please don’t stop.”
While continuing to thrust my fingers, I finally pull back enough to look up the length of her body and find her hooded gaze already watching me.
“Baby, the only way I’m stopping is after you come all over my face.”
Her jaw drops open in a shocked gasp as I suck her swollen clit back into my mouth.
Within seconds, I can tell Ari is teetering on the edge.
My teeth scrape against the sensitive flesh as I gently bite down before running my tongue over the nerve to soothe the slight sting that I know she loves.
Her cunt tightens at the sensation, her pussy fluttering around my fingers as she reaches her peak.
With one final thrust and another pull on the bud between my teeth, Ari detonates. The sound of her orgasm reaches my ear like a siren’s song. She comes beautifully with my name on her tongue as I drink up every drop of her release.
Gentling my touch, I continue to work her through the climax until her hold on my hair lessens and she’s pushing me away. I place kisses on every inch of her that I can reach.
The apex of her lush thighs; kiss. Both her hips; kiss. The beauty mark on her inner left thigh that’s surrounded by lighter freckles; two fucking kisses.
She’s panting as I slowly pull my fingers from her, and I pause my mission of kissing every inch of her to suck my fingers clean. Once that’s done, my eyes land on where her shirt has risen, revealing the small bump.
Our baby.
Grinning, I lean forward and kiss just below her belly button before pushing to my feet and kicking my shoes off. With one swift move, I dive onto the bed beside her, wrap an arm around her waist, and haul her up the bed until she’s curled into my side.
“I shouldn’t get too comfy. Landon might come back.” Despite her words, she settles against me with a contented hum.
“Let me just hold you for a minute.” I’m clinging to her like a damn koala bear, but I can’t find it in me to stop. Especially as she melts completely into me.
The sweet scent of her shampoo is all I can focus on as my eyelids get heavier. I barely process the soft snore that sneaks from the woman in my arms as I slowly drift to sleep.