Chapter 39
INA
His eyes darkened in a way that made my stomach flip. “Show me your bedroom.”
My heart started racing. I took his hand and led him down the short hallway to my room. It was barely enough space for my full-size bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. The walls were covered with photos of family and friends from back home.
Dane looked around, taking it all in. His gaze lingered on a photo of me and my parents on graduation day, then moved to the string lights I’d hung above my bed because they made the space feel cozy instead of small.
“I like it,” he said softly, then looked at me. “But I love you.”
The words still made my breath catch. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of hearing them.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
He kissed me, slow and deep, his hands sliding into my hair. I melted against him and my fingers found the buttons of his shirt. I worked them open one by one while his mouth moved to my neck, kissing and sucking in a way that made my knees weak.
My hands pushed his shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. I ran my palms over his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath warm skin. He was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at him.
Dane’s hands went to the hem of my sweater, pulling it up and over my head. His eyes darkened as he took in the simple black bra I wore underneath.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his fingers tracing the edge of the lace. “Sometimes I can’t believe you’re real.”
“I’m real.” I reached behind me to unhook my bra, letting it fall away. “I’m right here.”
His hands cupped my breasts, thumbs brushing over my nipples until they peaked. I gasped at the sensation, my head falling back as pleasure sparked through me.
He guided me backward until my legs hit the bed. I sat down, and he knelt before me, his hands going to the button of my jeans. He looked up at me, asking permission without words.
I nodded.
He pulled my jeans and underwear down in one smooth motion, leaving me completely bare before him. I should have felt vulnerable or self-conscious, but the way he looked at me made me feel powerful instead.
Dane stood and removed the rest of his clothes. I watched, my mouth going dry as he revealed himself to me. I’d seen him naked before, but this felt different. This wasn’t frantic or forbidden. This was us, choosing each other.
He crawled onto the bed, covering my body with his. His weight settled over me in a way that felt right, like two puzzle pieces finally clicking into place.
“I love you,” he said again, his forehead pressed to mine. “I’m going to keep saying it until you’re sick of hearing it.”
“I’ll never be sick of it.”
He kissed me again. I felt certain of his love. He might not believe in intuition and soulmates, but I did. He was mine. I was going to prove it to him every day.
I rolled us over, straddling his hips, and pushed him back against the pillows. His eyes widened slightly, surprise mixing with desire as I began kissing my way down his chest.
“Ina, what are you doing?”
“Shh.” I pressed a finger to his lips. “Let me.”
I’d never been this bold before. Never taken control quite like this. He was absolutely the alpha, but if our relationship was going to work, I needed to be on equal footing. In the bedroom at least.
I kissed down his stomach, feeling the muscles tense beneath my lips. His breath quickened as I moved lower, my hair falling forward to brush against his skin.
He let out a low moan as I wrapped my hand around him.
I looked up at him through my lashes. “I want all of you.”
His head fell back against the pillow with a groan as I took him into my mouth. I started slowly, finding my rhythm, paying attention to what made him gasp and what made his hips jerk.
His hand came to my hair, not pushing or pulling, just touching. Like he needed the connection.
“Ina,” he breathed. “God, that feels so good.”
I hummed around him, sucking and lapping at his length. His whole body shuddered. I felt powerful in a way I’d never experienced before. I loved that he was completely undone by my touch.
I took him deeper, hollowing my cheeks, using my tongue in ways that made him curse under his breath. His fingers tightened in my hair.
“I’m close,” he warned, his voice strained. “I don’t think I can’t hold back.”
I didn’t stop. I kept going, wanting to give him this. Wanting to show him that I chose him too.
When he came, it was with my name on his lips and his hand gentle in my hair. I swallowed and sat back, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
He looked wrecked. His chest was heaving, his eyes glazed, his hair a mess from where I’d run my fingers through it.
“Come here,” he said, his voice rough.
I crawled back up his body like a cat that had gotten the cream.
He pulled me down for a kiss that was so tender it made my chest ache.
“I love you,” he murmured against my lips. “So much it terrifies me.”
“Good. Because I’m terrified too.”
He rolled us again so I was beneath him, his hand sliding between my thighs. “Your turn.”
I gasped as his fingers found me, already slick and ready. He knew exactly how to touch me. He was a fast learner and knew what made me squirm and what made me cry out. He gave me one orgasm and then another.
I was the one wrecked now and I loved it. But I wasn’t done. I needed more. I needed to be joined with him. His erection told me he was just as ready.
“Please,” I whispered. “I need you.”
He reached for his pants on the floor, fumbling for his wallet and the condom he kept there.
“Dane?”
He looked up. “Yeah?”
“Are you going to be faithful to me?”
“Baby, you are the only one for me. There will never be another. I promise you that.”
I crooked my finger at him. “I want all of you, Dane. No barriers. Just us.”
He understood what I meant. What I was asking for.
“Are you sure?” His voice was rough with want, but I heard the question beneath it. The need to make sure this was what I really wanted.
“I’m sure. I’m on birth control. And I trust you. You can trust me. I’m with you and only you.”
His nostrils flared. I realized he would be the first man I ever had sex with without a condom. But I knew he was the right one.
He tossed the condom over his shoulder and flashed what could only be classified as a predatory grin. “I hope you’re hydrated because we are going to have a very, very long night.”
I shivered at his words, anticipation coiling low in my belly. He dropped onto the bed, covering my body that was already covered in a sheen of perspiration. He positioned himself at my entrance, his eyes locked on mine, and I felt the blunt pressure of him seeking entry.
“I love you,” he whispered, and pushed inside.
The sensation of him without any barrier between us was overwhelming. I felt every inch and every glorious ridge. My back arched off the bed as I gasped his name.
“Oh god, Ina.” His voice was strained, his arms trembling as he held himself still, giving me time to adjust. “You feel incredible.”
I wrapped my legs around his hips, pulling him deeper. “Move for me. Please.”
He did, setting a slow, languid pace that had me clinging to his shoulders. It was deliberate. Intimate. Every thrust was a promise, every kiss a declaration.
Tears prickled at my eyes because it was too much. The physical pleasure combined with the emotional weight of what we were doing was soul deep.
“Look at me,” Dane commanded softly.
I opened my eyes and found him watching me with an intensity that stole my breath. His eyes were dark with desire, but there was something else there too. Something vulnerable and raw.
“I see you,” he said, his hips rolling and making me gasp. “All of you. And I love every single part.”
He kissed me, swallowing the sound, his pace quickening. Tension built inside me, coiling tighter and tighter with each thrust.
His hand slipped between our bodies, his thumb finding that sensitive bundle of nerves and circling with just the right pressure. I shattered around him, crying out his name as pleasure crashed through me in waves.
He followed seconds later, burying himself deep as he came. I felt the warmth of him inside me and it made me feel claimed in a way.
We stayed like that for a while, both of us breathing hard, our bodies still joined. He pressed kisses to my forehead, cheeks, nose, and lips.
“I love you,” he murmured between kisses. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
I laughed, the sound watery. “I love you too.”
He finally pulled out, and we both made a small sound of loss at the separation. He gathered me against his chest, pulling the blankets over us.
Twenty minutes later, I realized I was not properly fed or hydrated. “Food,” I said. “Come on. I need food.”
He chuckled and rolled out of bed. I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around my naked body while he jerked the sheet from my bed and wrapped it around his. No need for clothes when we were just going to be naked again.
Hours later, I was curled up on the couch with Dane, both of us still naked and sharing a single blanket when I heard the jingle of keys.
“Oh no,” I whispered. “Abby’s home.”
The door swung open and Abby walked in. Her eyes landed on us. “Oh, come on.”
I clutched the blanket tighter around myself. “Abby, I thought you’d be later.”
“Are you two naked?” she shrieked, immediately covering her eyes with her hand. “On the couch? The couch where I sit?”
“We have blankets,” Dane offered helpfully.
“That doesn’t make it better!” But I could hear the smile in her voice even as she kept her hand firmly over her eyes. “You know what? I’m giving you a month.”
“A month for what?” I asked.
“A month to move out and find a new place.” She pointed blindly in what she thought was our direction but was actually toward the kitchen.
“Go live in his fancy penthouse. Have your New York City fairytale like you deserve. But I am not living with you two lovebirds doing whatever this is all over the apartment. Just no. Gross. Ew.”
“Abby, I can’t just leave you.”
“Yes, you can. And you will.” She started backing toward her bedroom, still covering her eyes. “I’ll find a new roommate. Someone who keeps their clothes on in communal spaces.”
Dane shifted beside me. “Abby, my wallet’s on the kitchen counter. Take one of my credit cards and treat yourself to a spa hotel stay for the weekend. On me.”
Her hand dropped from her eyes but she kept them squeezed shut. It wasn’t like we were actually exposing our bodies. We were both covered. Well, Dane’s chest was on display, but that wasn’t exactly scandalous.
“Seriously?” Abby asked, suddenly smiling.
“Seriously. It’s the least I can do for traumatizing you.”
“I’m taking the black one,” she called out. “And I’m booking the most expensive suite I can find. With room service. Lots of room service.”
“Go for it,” Dane said.
She grabbed her purse and waved the card. “You two better disinfect this entire apartment when you’re done. I mean everything. Bleach. Fire. Whatever it takes.”
“We will,” I promised, trying not to laugh.
“I’m happy for you, Ina,” she said. “I really am. You deserve this.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t have sex in my room and we’re good.” The door slammed behind her.
Dane and I looked at each other before bursting into laughter.
“Maybe we should go to my room,” I suggested.
“Why bother? She’s gone. I’ll buy her new furniture.”
How did I get so lucky?