Reed
. . .
How am I supposed to handle seven days alone with her if I’m already losing my edge after just one night?
I’m finishing up closing the bar, and she’s here, driving me wild.
She laughs, making my situation worse, as she straddles the mechanical bull.
“I’ve never actually been on one of these,” she says as her fingers curl into the leather strap.
God help me.
I switch the control to its easiest setting, but my pulse still races when the machine moves under her. She sinks deeper into the seat, the movement pulling her dress higher on her thighs. My throat tightens.
“You’re supposed to hold on,” I murmur, stepping closer than I should.
“Maybe I want to fall.”
Fuck.
I place my hand over hers, steadying her grip on the strap. My other hand hovers near the small of her back, but doesn’t quite touch.
“You fall,” I tell her, gently caressing her fingers with my thumb. “I’ll catch you.”
She bites her lip like she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.
The bull rocks again, and she rolls her hips to match the movement, an involuntary sound slipping from her throat.
It’s quiet, but it wrecks me.
My cock hardens under my jeans, pressing against the zipper.
“Like that?” I manage to ask.
She nods, her breath shallow, and her cheeks flushed a rosy pink.
“Faster.”
I increase the speed slightly, and her body moves with the rhythm as her thighs flex, her dress slipping dangerously high, revealing more of her ivory skin.
She’s clutching the strap with one hand now, as the other rests on my shoulder to steady herself.
“You okay?” I ask.
“No,” she whispers, leaning in, lips inches from mine. “I’ve been losing my mind around you for years.”
Years?
Her honesty and bluntness catch me off guard.
“Years?” I ask.
She nods, a soft, almost an embarrassed smile tugging at her lips, as if she can’t believe she’s finally saying it out loud.
“Yeah,” she says quietly. “Years.”
My chest tightens.
I remember that night.
Catalina burst through the door like she owned the place already. Carter was behind her, glaring, pretending to hate her, but I knew he didn’t. I saw the way his face brightened every time she glanced his way.
Amelia was quiet, defensive, glaring at Maverick.
And then there was Layla, half a step behind them, her smile so wide it brought light into my bar like sunshine incarnate.
One look at her, and I was done for.
My sunshine, my weakness, my reason to stay.
“You were behind the bar,” she says, her voice softer now. “Quiet. Focused. Not trying to impress anyone. You looked at me like you already knew me, and it threw me completely.”
My throat goes dry.
I remember introducing myself to her and thinking I needed to be careful. Whatever that pull was, it wasn’t something I could afford to misread.
“I told myself it was nothing,” she admits. “Just a stupid crush. One I’d get over.”
She doesn’t look away when she says the next part.
“But every day, I thought about you. Even though it’s wrong, I don’t care. I’ve wanted you, Reed; it’s always been you.”
My restraint dies a quick death.
I kill the machine and grab her waist, lifting her off the bull. As soon as her feet touch the floor, her hands go into my shirt, pulling me close.
Her lips meet mine in a frantic motion as her fingers weave through my hair.
It’s messy at first as our tongues swirl together, teasing and tasting, like she’s been starving and has finally found her favorite meal.
I groan into her mouth as my hand slides up her thigh, gripping tight.
“Layla,” I warn, breathing hard, “I’m not going to stop this time, your fianc-”
She fists my shirt, pulling me closer, as her lips brush mine, cutting me off. Before she pulls away, her breath ragged as she finally speaks.
“Fuck him.”
That’s it, fuck him, she’s mine to have, mine to take care of, mine to cherish.
I gently push her back against the mechanical bull, kissing her more passionately, swallowing every moan she gives me. Her legs curl around my hips, dragging me impossibly closer.
She whimpers when I grind against her, the contact too good, too much, and my brain shorts out.
“Tell me to stop,” I breathe against her jaw. “Tell me you don’t want this.”
Her nails rake my shoulders, voice breaking. “I want you.”
I curse under my breath as I press my forehead to hers. “You have no idea what you’re asking for.”
She smiles and whispers. “Show me then, I dare you.”
Her breath trembles against my lips as I cup her jaw, my thumb grazing the corner of her lips.
“You scare me,” I admit, voice so raw it hurts.
Her fingers slide up my throat, resting just below my jaw, her pulse racing against mine.
“Why?”
“Because I want you,” I breathe, “more than I’ve wanted anything since the fire.”
And I don’t get to want things anymore.
Her expression softens as she sees right through the steel plates I’ve welded over my chest, and without hesitation, she presses her lips to the scar climbing my cheek.
“You deserve things you want,” she whispers.
Fuck. I’m ruined.
My hands go to her hips as I lift her, placing her back onto the bull, her legs swinging idly on the bull’s side.
Not to increase the distance between us... but to admire. To breathe. To memorize.
She’s sitting there, her legs parted just enough for me to stand between them, her dress riding high, giving me a peek of her white lace thong.
“Reed… touch me.”
My self–control shatters completely.
I run my hands up the front of her thighs as my fingers trace reverent paths on her skin.
She trembles, not from cold, but because of me. Every tiny sound she makes burns into my bloodstream.
“You’re shaking,” I say quietly.
“I’m excited,” she counters as she leans her forehead into mine. “And you’re looking at me like I’m yours.”
Trailing my lips along her cheek, down her throat, I taste her pulse pounding under my tongue.
“You think I don’t already feel like you are?”
A ragged breath escapes her as she arches her back, pressing her chest against me, desperate for friction.
I nip at her hardened nipple beneath her dress, grasp her hips, and pull her closer until her body molds perfectly to mine.
A soft, breathy moan slips out of her as she reaches down and palms my cock through my jeans. Fuck, I’m shaking now, too.
My hands move downward until they meet the soft lace again. I run my finger over her swollen clit, before slipping my fingers under the lace, gently pulling them aside.
I slide my finger up her tight heat, feeling how wet she is, which makes me groan. “You’re so wet for me,” I choke out, my forehead pressed to her collarbone.
“Touch me,” she pleads as she grips the collar of my flannel. “Please, Reed—”
I kiss her neck gently before I push two fingers into her tight, wet cunt, feeling her walls tighten around me. I curl them just right, feeling the way her thighs tremble with every stroke.
She moans in response, and it’s a sound so sweet that it shoots straight to my throbbing cock.
I pump my fingers faster, in, out, in, out, her moans growing louder within the bar.
Quickly, I stop, but only briefly to glance up at her.
“Layla…” My voice cracks. “I don’t want to be a mistake you regret.”
Her hands cradle my face, keeping me steady. “You’re the first thing in a long time that feels like hope,” she says. “Don’t take that from me.”
Hope.
No one has ever used that word with me, not without flinching.
I slide my hand between us again, moving my finger in slow, gentle circles over her clit. She gasps, a desperate little sound that hits me hard, as she grips my shoulders.
“Tell me what you need, baby,” I murmur, my lips brushing her ear. “I’ll give you every damn bit of it.”
Her hips buck upward, telling me what she wants.
“You,” she whispers. “I just need you.”
Fuck consequences.
I press my forehead to hers as my hand slides beneath the lace, my fingers feeling the heat and slickness that make my knees weak.
Her eyes flutter shut, a sigh falling from her lips like she’s letting go of everything but us.
“That’s it, baby,” I whisper, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Let me take care of you.”
She arches her body with my touch, her moans tremble with each stroke as I fuck her cunt with my fingers.
Her breath stutters when I push three fingers deeper into her pussy, and Jesus Christ, she’s perfect.
The way she clenches around my fingers, like she was made for me.
Her forehead drops to mine, her swollen lips parted, catching her breath. “Reed…”
Fuck, my name sounds so good leaving her pretty lips.
I curl my fingers inside her, pleasuring her G-spot, and her whole body bucks into my palm. I anchor my other hand at the small of her back, holding her steady so she doesn’t slip.
So she knows I’ve got her. Always.
“There you go, baby,” I murmur, peppering kisses along her jaw. “Let me feel how much you want this, make a mess for me.”
Her nails dig into my shoulders, a plea ripped straight from her chest. Every tiny sound she makes goes straight to my aching cock, what I’d do to feel her wrapped around me, but not yet.
“You’re so fucking wet,” I breathe, voice rough and low. “All for me, baby?”
She nods, eyes fluttering shut as her thighs tremble around my hips.
“Yes,” she gasps. “All for you.”
A rough, hungry sound escapes me as I kiss her forehead once, softly, before letting my lips slide down the curve of her throat.
I latch onto the spot that makes her tremble, sucking until I feel her fingers clutch at me, marking her because I don’t give a fuck.
Pulling back, I look into her pretty blue eyes before kissing her again, while my fingers work deeper, stroking that sweet spot that makes her gasp into my mouth.
Her hips grind forward, chasing every move, helpless against the way I’m unraveling her.
“Layla,” I groan, biting her lower lip. “Feel what you do to me.”
I rock my hips into her thigh, letting her feel exactly how hard I am, how close I am to losing myself completely.
She whimpers, clutching my hair. “I-I’m not gonna last—”
“Don’t,” I tell her, my thumb circling her clit with firm, teasing sweeps that make her whole body jerk. “Make a mess, baby, let me finally see how pretty you look when you fall apart.”
Her breathing turns frantic as her thighs clench around my arm as she rides my hand, chasing her release. Her lips press against mine, and she moans into my mouth, the sound of a woman breaking open.
My fingers keep moving through her, through the waves, kissing every sound she gives me, drowning in the way she feels around me.
She clings to me, trembling, and I’ve never seen anything more devastatingly beautiful.
“Reed!” She yells, as her orgasm crashes through her, she squirts all over my hand, leaving my jeans damp.
My breath comes in ragged pulls as I gently withdraw my fingers from inside her, not wanting to overwhelm her.
She whimpers at the loss as she’s still trembling, her breathing quick, and I can’t look away from the way she glistens for me, proof of how incredible she just felt.
Lifting her head, she watches me with dilated pupils.
I bring one slick finger to my mouth, holding her gaze as I taste her. The soft moan that slips from her lips nearly undoes me.
“Fuck, Layla…” My voice comes out lower than I intend. “You taste so fucking sweet.”
Her cheeks flush deeper, but she doesn’t look away. I lift my other two fingers, coated in her release, holding them close to her lips.
“Here,” I murmur, a little rougher now. “Taste yourself, baby.”
She bites her lip, then wraps her hand around my wrist as she guides my fingers into her mouth, curling her tongue around me while she sucks and licks herself clean.
It’s the single hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
She collapses against me, panting.
I hold her through the aftershocks, my hand still between her thighs, my lips soft against her temple.
“Oh my God, that’s never happened to me before.”
I let out a huff, kissing the corner of her mouth. “That was so sexy.”
A faint blush colors her cheeks as she whispers. “Really?”
I rest my forehead against hers, fighting the urge to take her against the bull, consequences be damned.
“Yeah, baby,” I say, my thumb sweeping the inside of her knee as I catch her gaze, “You’re fucking stunning without even trying.”
She blushes again, hiding behind her fingers.
“We probably shouldn’t have done that,” she finally whispers.
“Probably not,” I admit, kissing the corner of her lips. “But you’re gonna have to drag me away from you if you want me to stop.”