Chapter 27
Alice
“Sutton?”
I call his name into the darkness. His silhouette stands motionless beside the fridge, a statue carved in shadow. The chill of the night hangs between us, pressing against my skin.
I shuffle closer, the tension radiating from him palpable. My heart picks up speed, sensing that something isn’t right.
“What’s wrong?”
“Where’s Nellie?” His voice is gruff, a gritty scrape of sandpaper in the darkness.
“She’s sleeping in bed. Is everything okay—”
Without warning, Sutton reaches out for my hand.
He snags my fingers at my side and pulls me toward him.
I stumble against the hard planes of his warm chest. My palms flatten to break my fall, feeling the softness of his cotton tee beneath my hands.
My lips part, ready to ask another question, but Sutton presses his palm to the back of my head, his fingers slipping into my hair.
He covers my mouth with his own, silencing me.
The air leaves my lungs in a gasp as Sutton kisses me fiercely. He kisses me like it’s a need, and he’s gone far too long without. The room becomes devoid of air, but I don’t care. I forget to breathe, forget that I need to.
I trace my fingers up his neck, lightly scratching my nails against the back of his scalp. Sutton releases a guttural groan in my mouth, the sound reverberating down my throat. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t stop until it settles as a pulse right between my thighs, making me needy and warm with want.
Sutton switches our positions until the countertop presses into my low back. His hand slaps against the surface as he cages me in, kissing me like he can’t get enough.
I tease the seam of his lips with my tongue, desperate to take this further.
Sutton parts for me, allowing me to slip my tongue against his.
His hands fit against my hips, and in the next moment, he lifts me, setting my ass in front of the coffee pot.
I wrap my legs around him, bringing us flush.
The hard ridge of his cock presses up against my center.
“Sutton,” I gasp as he moves his lips down the slope of my neck.
He growls beneath my ear, and I rock against him.
“That’s it, Firecracker. Say my name when you grind against my cock.”
“Sutton.” This time, his name is throaty as he dips his tongue into my cleavage, his stubble leaving a trail of warmth across my skin. “What’s happening?”
“I need you.”
Those three words light a fire in my stomach and extinguish the need for more questions. It doesn’t matter what’s happening outside of this room. I want this. Need it, even. If Sutton needs me too, then who am I to ask questions? The world could be on fire, but neither of us would know.
He returns to my mouth, scraping his teeth over my jaw on the way. But before he takes my lips, I turn my head and put them at his ear.
“You can have me,” I pant, flicking his earlobe with my tongue.
His gaze traces me from my hair to my legs spread around his hips in the dark. The backs of his knuckles slip beneath the shirt of my sleep set, teasing the elastic of my shorts. “You’re sure?”
I grab his thick wrist with both of my hands.
“I’m sure. But I need to tell you something.”
Sutton closes his eyes, breathing sharply through his nose. “Please tell me you aren’t a virgin.”
“What? No. Of course not.” I laugh, but abruptly sober when I remember what I was about to say.
Sutton notices my hesitation. “Whatever it is, you can trust me.”
“It’s just that…” I bite my lip. With a deep breath for courage, I tell him, “I’m bad in bed.”
The silence pulses around us like a living, breathing thing.
Sutton buries his face in the junction of my shoulder and neck, his shoulders shaking with soundless laughter.
“It’s not funny,” I scold, affronted by his humor.
Sutton straightens, brushing a wayward strand of hair off my cheek while his other hand continues teasing my stomach. “Who told you that you were bad in bed, gorgeous?”
My stomach flutters at both his touch and his sweet compliment. “My exes. Random hookups.”
His eyebrows snap together. “Why would they say that?”
I shift my gaze to a spot on the wall beyond Sutton’s left shoulder. “Because they couldn’t get me off.”
Immediately, his demeanor changes. The humor evaporates like morning dew on a hot summer’s day. Sutton sobers, his hand sliding up my neck to cup my face, bringing my eyes back to his.
“You’ve never had an orgasm?”
“Oh, jeez.” Flames lick my cheeks. “No. I mean, yes, I have. If you must know, I can get myself off just fine.”
“My Firecracker,” he huffs, hands skating down my sides. “Those guys are the ones who are lousy in bed. Not you.”
“But they didn’t seem to have any trouble.”
“Exactly.” Sutton nods as he begins working my shorts over my hips.
He doesn’t even need my help. Just lifts my ass off the counter as if I weigh as much as a feather and tugs the stretchy material down.
“It’s the man’s job to make their woman come.
However he has to do that for however long it takes to get the job done. ”
Sutton spreads my knees, lifting one foot to set it on the counter, exposing me to him. Cool air hits directly between my thighs.
He trails kisses up my inner leg, starting at my ankle.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, dropping my hand onto his broad shoulder for balance.
He pauses near my knee, sweeping the crease with his tongue. “I’m showing you that you aren’t broken, gorgeous. Not even a little.”
My shoulders tense as apprehension sneaks in. “You’re going to be so disappointed,” I mumble.
Sutton snaps the string of my thong. “Love this. Do you have more of them?”
“It’s all I wear.”
“Good.” Sutton grips the side in both hands and tears the string in two.
I don’t have time to react before his fingers take the place of my underwear. His touch is soft and exploring. He starts by running his fingers down, tracing each side, before circling back to the top, where I keep a neat triangle of hair.
“Relax,” he murmurs into the quiet, his eyes steady on mine. “Lean against the cupboards.”
I do as he says, melting into the wood at my back.
“That’s it.” His touch dips lower, sweeping across my entrance. He releases a muted growl. “Oh, gorgeous, you are so wet for me.” He doesn’t linger. He lets his touch circle where I need him most before he moves on.
My hips twitch, seeking more pressure.
“Be patient.” He lays his forearm across my pelvis, keeping me in place.
Sutton repeats the pattern. Circling, brushing over that spot before returning to the top. My body heats little by little. Staccato whimpers fall from my mouth. On the next rotation, Sutton gathers some of the wetness and drags it over my clit.
I shudder and reach out to grip his arm.
“Do you like that?”
My nod is jerky. I wrap the fingers of my other hand around the handle of the cabinet beside my head, making the plates inside rattle.
He slowly circles my clit. “Tell me what you need. Softer? Harder?”
“This is perfect.” My mouth falls open as soft electric pulses ripple through me, starting deep between my hips and reaching my toes.
Sutton presses another open-mouthed kiss on the inside of my bare knee and slips a finger inside. He pumps it slowly, letting me get used to the intimate intrusion. He plays me like he’s been well attuned to my body for years. Not like this is the first time I’ve ever been touched by him.
He sinks a second finger inside and retakes my mouth. His tongue swirls against mine, stroking in time with his fingers. He moves them faster. Harder. Reaching a deep spot that I’ve never felt before as his thumb strums across my clit, a brutal combination that sets off fireworks in my blood.
“Sutton,” I gasp, feeling like a string pulled taut. A frustrated whimper falls from my lips straight down Sutton’s throat.
“Look at you, gorgeous. You’re doing so well for me.” He takes my bottom lip between his teeth, delivering a sharp sting before letting go. “I love seeing you like this.”
My hips undulate against his hand, increasing the pressure. My clit throbs beneath his thumb, and I begin to pulse around his fingers. Close, but not enough.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“You’re making me work for it. That’s okay, Firecracker. I love a challenge.”
Sutton drops to his knees and yanks my hips to the edge of the counter. Right in the place where he eats his breakfast, he spreads me wide and drags his tongue over me like I’m his favorite meal.
I slap my hand over my mouth. The warm, steady pressure of Sutton’s tongue nearly rockets me straight over the edge. His fingers keep a leisurely pace, contrasting the fervor with which he eats me.
Sutton Stone is on his knees for me.
Oh god. The thought alone nearly makes me come. Sutton looks up at me, his eyes hot with desire as he swirls and sucks.
“Sunny,” I moan, feeling it closing in.
“Let me have it.”
A pressure starts behind my navel and travels lower. My stomach muscles tense so hard they nearly cramp. I thread my fingers into his hair, keeping him in place. Reading my cues, he doesn’t let up. His tongue flicks hard, he pumps my fingers, and I finally shatter.
His palm comes down on my mouth just as a high-pitched gasp crawls from my throat. I cover his with mine, gripping tight as I hold his head steady and grind against his mouth. My chest heaves, lungs burning with stagnant air as the world explodes in kaleidoscopic colors.
“Fuck, Alice. I’m so honored you gave that to me.” He wipes his mouth on the inside of my thigh before surging to his feet to kiss me.
“I’m not broken,” I whisper against his lips, shock coloring my tone.
“You’re not broken,” Sutton growls. “And I’ll prove it to you again.”
He helps me onto unsteady feet. His hands drop to the button and fly on his jeans. I join him, pushing his fingers out of the way and replacing them with mine, eager to see the sizable, solid bulge I feel behind the zipper. We both freeze when a little voice calls out.
“Daddy? I had a nightmare.”
Nellie’s sleepy voice floats up the stairs. Sutton shoves me behind him, blocking my naked ass with his huge body. I clutch his shirt and hide my face in the center of his back.
“I’m coming,” he calls. He swiftly scoops my shorts off the kitchen floor and hands them to me. “I’m going to need a rain check.”
“Wash your hands first,” I urge, stepping into my pajamas on shaky legs.
His eyes search my face, longing flickering in his expression. The moment stretches between us, charged with unspoken words. He leans in and presses a gentle, fleeting kiss on my lips. The electric contact leaves us both slightly breathless.