Five #6
“Yeah. I mean, there was only ever you without one.”
“Same,” he whispered before he got up.
He left to throw the remains of the condom away, and I was going to get up, but he was back too fast, underwear up, cock tucked away, jeans still open, riding low on his hips, dropping to his knees in front of me.
Gently, with a warm washcloth and a hand towel, he had me get to my knees so he could clean me up.
“So much for my protesting,” I muttered as he left me again. It was actually nice of him not to gloat.
“No, it’s not about that,” he said, returning in moments, taking my face in his hands, tipping my chin up, and then kissing me, long and hard.
I made whimpering noises in the back of my throat because I couldn’t help it. He deepened the kiss until I thought my heart was going to burst. I finally had to turn away to take a gulp of air.
“You gave in because you wanted to.”
I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Jory,” he husked. “Look at me.”
It took me a moment to summon my courage.
“You wanted me and you love me.”
“Sam—”
“Don’t lie, tell me the truth.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“You’re scared; I know that. You think I’ll break your heart again.” His breath was warm on my face before he wrapped me in his arms, holding me tight to his chest. “But I won’t. Never again. I swear to God.”
“Sam…”
“Say it,” he ordered, running his fingers up and down my spine.
“You know I love you. Don’t be stupid.”
“And that’s why Aaron got a no.” His hand slipped up the back of my neck, his fingers buried in my hair.
“That’s why,” I agreed, my voice ragged. I sounded drugged. “I need to—”
“Lie down?” he teased me, easing back to look down at my face.
“I—”
He chuckled. “Let’s get your shoes off.”
It was ridiculous to be lifted to my feet so he could help me with my boots. He knelt close, pulled off my boots and socks, slid my jeans and briefs over my ankles, then rose and grabbed me, wrapping me in his arms, carrying me clutched tight to his chest.
“Put me down right now.”
“Okay.” He dropped me onto his bed.
“Ass,” I yelled when I hit the cold sheets that he’d pulled back, and he stood there, looking down at me as I hurried to cover myself with the blankets. “Your bed is freezing.”
I watched him slowly strip out of his clothes to reveal the rippling muscles and big, hard body I knew. The man was massive.
He smiled wickedly, clearly pleased with himself. “You look good lying in my bed.”
“It’s only for tonight.”
“Whatever you say,” he agreed before he lifted the covers and slid in beside me. The heat in his eyes made me catch my breath.
“Sam, you know we’re not––”
“I’m keeping you. If you were smarter, you’d get that this is a done deal already.”
My brows furrowed, and he bent to kiss the bridge of my nose.
“You’re so adorable.”
I tried to push him off me, but he was too strong, his mouth slanting over mine, his tongue slipping deep into my mouth.
“Jory…baby,” he sighed as he pulled back to look into my eyes. “I love you so.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him back down to me. And his weight on me felt like coming home.
“I know you’re scared I’m gonna go away or do something stupid because our track record is for shit.
I know you don’t trust me, and I know you’re still pissed about three years without any contact.
I have no right to expect anything from you, especially not faith or trust, but you just…
you have to, is all. I can’t be without you, and holy crap…
what we just did, you know that was amazing. ”
I just stared up into his beautiful eyes.
He shook his head, just barely, brows furrowing like he was dismissing something. “Knock it off. Stop with your face.”
“My face is my face, Sam.”
“You know what I mean. Stop with all the sad in your eyes. I will never leave you.”
“Sam, you’ve said that so many—”
“You’re not gonna love anybody but me. You know you’re not.”
“I’m not?”
“Fuck no.”
He was so eloquent. I couldn’t keep from smiling.
“I’ll just tie you to the bed.”
“That’ll go over well with your superiors,” I muttered, rolling away from him onto my stomach and closing my eyes, my body getting heavy.
His hand slid down my spine, and before I could slip into sleep, his lips followed the same path, and then his teeth. A moan rose up out of me.
“I missed all this gold skin.”
I was so relaxed, so sated, so ready to sleep.
“I’m so sorry that Dane had to get a plastic surgeon to make sure there was no scar on your back from that fuckin’ bullet,” he said gruffly, his voice faltering for a moment as he rubbed over the spot where it would have been.
Out of the blue for me, but clearly, his mind had been clinging to the information I’d given him days ago. “Stop with that. Not your fault.”
“Oh make no mistake, that was all on me.”
“No,” I stated, hearing the conviction in my tone. “That was Dom, Dom and his greed. He took us, and everyone who died, down that path with him. And I wanted to keep that scar, to show you if you ever came back. It was a testament to my love. To my devotion.”
“I didn’t need a scar on you to remember that for the rest of my life.”
I grunted.
“What?”
“That’s what Dane said. He told me that if you came back, you wouldn’t need it.”
“He really is a very smart man.”
I murmured my agreement.
“And fuck me, I’m gonna hafta get him to like me all over again, and he wasn’t that crazy about me the first time.”
A chuckle rolled out of me; I couldn’t help it.
“Laugh it up, he’s gonna think you’ve lost your fuckin’ mind.”
“That’s par for the course.”
“Is that right?”
“You know it is,” I said because Sam knew all about me and Dane and how crazy I drove my brother and… “God,” I groaned as the realization hit me.
“Yep. I know all about you and your brother and all the important people in your life,” he said, kissing between my shoulder blades and then trailing down. “Nobody knows you like I do.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“You gonna stay here with me forever?”
I sighed deeply.
“Good,” he said, his hand sliding over my ass before his mouth closed on my right cheek.
“Stop.”
“Why?”
“’Cause you’re gonna kill me.”
He bit me, and it stung a bit before he swirled his tongue over it, sucking and bathing it at the same time. He would leave a huge mark.
“Feel good?”
Of course it did. “No.”
“Liar,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice before he rolled me onto my side, spooning quickly around me, his lips on my nape.
“Your bed is gonna be a mess. You should have let me shower.”
He grunted. “Who the fuck have you been in bed with that cares about having to change sheets? Since when is walking around with dried cum on you a bad thing?”
“Ohmygod, just stop.”
He grumbled something into my hair as he hugged me tight.
“I can’t breathe.”
“You don’t like to breathe.”
It was a ridiculous statement, but he was absolutely correct. I couldn’t have cared less about breathing. In the past, he’d always slept with me tucked in tight against him, and I loved it because for me, smothered was best.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered.
So I did.
I was so hot, straining to reach him, and slowly, as I came awake, I realized he was kissing me everywhere and sliding his hands up my legs from ankle to thigh, holding me down, allowing the writhing but no escape.
“Sam,” I mewled, reaching for him, wanting him closer.
“Baby, you’re never gonna leave me.”
I could only look at him through narrowed eyes as he leaned over to his nightstand and pulled another condom out of the top drawer. He used his teeth to rip the wrapper open.
“You realize that’s unnecessary.”
“Yes, but I want you to know I care about you,” he murmured. “Now put your legs over my arms.”
We moved slower than we had earlier, taking our time, and it was as gentle and loving as the first time had been rough and mauling. Afterward, I went from consciousness to sleep so seamlessly I didn’t remember making the transition until my phone woke me in the middle of the night.
I heard it from inside a dream, and woke to the reality of it going off in the living room of Sam’s apartment.
With him plastered to my back, holding me tight even in sleep, it was hard to get untangled.
After several moments, I managed to get free of both him and the covers on the bed.
I staggered through rooms that were familiar and alien at the same time and found my phone where I’d left it.
My jeans hadn’t moved; they were still crumpled up by the front door.
They were like a neon light pointing to my surrender.
“Crap,” I grumbled before I answered, raking my hands through my hair, trying to wake up. “Hello?”
“Jory,” Chris said. “It’s Chris.”
“I know.” I yawned. “What’s wrong?”
“Dylan.”
“Dylan what?”
“She’s in the bathroom, and she won’t come out. We need to go to the hospital—I think maybe she’s in labor, but she won’t… Her mom and dad are here, my folks are here, her sister… I—she won’t come out, and, Jory, I need you now. Right now!”
“Okay.” I rubbed my eyes. “Okay, I’m coming. I’m coming. Hold tight.”
I was putting on my boots, pulling up the first one, when the light came on. Sam shuffled over to the couch and leaned on it. He was naked, clearly not fully awake, and his hair was sticking up in tufts. He looked adorable, all sleep tousled and bleary eyed.
“What are you doing?”
“I gotta go.”
“No,” he whined. “You promised you’d stay here with me forever.”
I chuckled, pulling on the second boot. “I never said any such thing.”
The noise he made in return was half whimper, half moan.
“Sam,” I said softly before standing up, pulling on my shirt, realizing it was useless since I could no longer button it. “Shit. I need a sweater or a T-shirt or something.”
“I need to get my gun,” he grumbled, opening his eyes wide to try and wake up. “A bullet will slow you down some.”
“Sam,” I repeated his name as I walked past him back to his bedroom. “Dylan’s in labor, she needs me.”
I was alone for several moments before I heard him fumbling around behind me. When I turned to look at him, he had his underwear and jeans back on.
“What’re you doing?”