Chapter 23
Hayden
Idon’t remember having spent an entire day in bed since summer vacations during high school.
Life had felt arduous and slow since then, something always to do, someone to impress, and some job that needed to be secured.
But today was different. For the first time in years, I felt like I was actually celebrating the holidays and taking it easy instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
Of course, having Diego in bed with me made it easy to resist the pull of the outside world.
Here in my little apartment, it was just us and nobody else.
Outside the air was cold, frost still clung to the windows, and clouds were gathering in the western sky.
Down at the diner people were coming and going, and preparations for the Christmas Eve party were nearly complete.
All of that felt like a distant dream as Diego ran his fingers over my skin, kissing every inch of my body as if he were trying to memorize it.
“You have a freckle right here,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my collarbone. “And here.” His mouth moved to my shoulder. “And here.” Down to my chest.
I sighed, sinking deeper into the mattress as Diego’s exploration continued. The weight of his body pressed me down, warm and solid and real. His beard tickled my skin as he moved lower, tracking a path between freckles only he seemed to notice.
“Are you planning to kiss every freckle?” I asked, my voice husky. “Because we might be here for days.”
Diego looked up at me, those dark eyes gleaming with mischief. “That’s the plan. Got somewhere better to be?”
I ran my fingers through his hair, still marveling that I could touch him like this. “No. Nowhere better at all.”
He smiled against my stomach, continuing his journey southward. When his mouth reached my hipbone, I couldn’t help but arch up slightly, seeking more. Diego chuckled, his breath hot against my skin.
“Impatient,” he teased, nipping gently at my inner thigh.
“Can you blame me?” I gasped as his tongue traced dangerously close to where I wanted him most.
The slow build was exquisite torture. Each kiss, each touch was deliberate, unhurried. Diego moved with the confidence of a man who knew exactly what he was doing, and the tenderness of someone who cared deeply about the pleasure he was giving.
When his mouth finally closed around my cock, I nearly came off the bed.
My hands fisted in the sheets as heat surged through me.
Nothing had ever felt so good, so right.
The sight of him between my legs, those strong hands holding my thighs apart, was almost too much to bear.
I could’ve lived in that moment forever.
“Diego,” I moaned, unable to form more coherent thoughts.
He hummed in response, the vibration sending shockwaves of pleasure through my body. Even after a whole day of sex and cuddling, I was getting close embarrassingly fast, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Not when his tongue was doing things that made my toes curl and my vision blur at the edges.
Just as I was about to topple over the edge, Diego pulled back, crawling up my body with predatory grace. His eyes were dark and wanting, his lips wet and swollen.
“Not yet,” he murmured, capturing my mouth in a searing kiss. I could taste myself on his tongue, and something about that was wildly erotic. “I want to be inside you when you cum.”
The raw need in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. I nodded, already reaching for the lube on the nightstand. But then I stopped, my hand finding only the bottle.
“Uh-oh,” I said, feeling my heart sink with disappointment. “We’re out of condoms.”
“We went through a box that fast?” Diego seemed surprised and maybe a bit proud of himself. “I thought five would get us through a day at least.”
“Apparently not,” I sighed.
Diego lifted his gaze, searching my eyes. “If you’re cool with it, we don’t have to use them.”
The thought sent a bolt of lightning through my body and straight to my cock. “I… uh… I mean…” I couldn’t seem to find the right words.
“I’m negative on everything,” he said, seeing through my stammering. “And I haven’t hooked up with anyone in months.”
“Oh.” I always thought Diego was far more sexually active than I was. I figured that’s why he was prepared, and why he wanted to use protection. I swallowed hard. “I… uh… I’m negative too,” I replied at last. “By the time I left California, it had been like… six months since I’d done anything?”
“Six months?!” Diego gasped. “Jesus Christ! You take a vow of chastity or something?”
“Tommy was...” I hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed. “He wasn’t really interested in sex with me toward the end. Always had excuses or was too tired. I found out later he was just sleeping with his co-star.”
Diego’s face darkened, and he pulled me closer. “His loss. My gain.”
I smiled, touched by his protectiveness. “So... no condom then?”
“Only if you’re comfortable with it,” he said, his eyes serious despite the obvious arousal between us.
The thought of feeling him completely, with nothing between us, made my heart race. “I want to,” I whispered. “I want to feel all of you. To feel what it’s like when you… you know…”
Diego’s eyes were filled with hunger at my insinuation. He leaned down and kissed me deeply, his tongue sliding against mine as his hands roamed my body. When he pulled back, his breathing was ragged. Then he stood up, his uncut cock standing at attention and his hand outstretched.
“C’mon,” he grinned as I took his hand. “We should get cleaned up before the party. It’ll be starting soon.”
I glanced out the window. He was right. It was already dark except for the plethora of Christmas lights filling the town.
“So… no sex then?” I laughed, not really sure how to react.
“Oh no,” he corrected. “There will be sex.” He grabbed the lube from the nightstand and pulled me toward the bathroom. Reaching down, he turned on the shower and tested the temperature, adjusting until he got it right. “You ever been fucked in the shower, Freckles?”
I felt my cheeks heat up. “N-No.”
“Might as well give it a try then, huh?”
Steam filled the small bathroom as Diego stepped into the shower, water cascading down his muscular frame. He held out his hand to me, and I took it, my heart racing as I followed him under the hot spray.
“This okay?” he asked, his voice low and gentle as he pulled me against his chest.
“More than okay,” I replied, tilting my head back as the water soaked my hair.
Diego’s hands were everywhere at once, sliding over my wet skin, mapping every inch of me. His mouth found mine in a deep, hungry kiss that made my knees weak. I pressed against him, feeling his hard cock against my stomach, my own erection trapped between us.
“Turn around,” he murmured against my ear, his hands guiding my hips.
I complied, facing the shower wall as Diego pressed against my back. His thick pulsing cock slid between my ass cheeks, teasing me as his hands caressed my chest, fingers finding my nipples and pinching them gently. I gasped, pushing back against him instinctively.
“You’re so needy, Freckles,” he whispered, his breath hot against my neck. “I love how much you always want me.”
I felt his hand slide down my stomach, wrapping around my cock as his other hand reached for the lube he’d placed on the shower caddy. The dual sensations of his firm strokes and the anticipation of what was coming next had me moaning under the hot spray.
“Please,” I breathed, not even sure what I was begging for. Just more. More of him, more of us, more of this perfect connection we’d found.
Diego released me just long enough to slick his fingers with lube. I felt him press one against my entrance, circling teasingly before pushing inside. The intrusion was familiar now after our marathon day, my body welcoming him easily.
“You’re already so ready for me,” he groaned, adding a second finger alongside the first. “You take everything I give you so easily.”
The water beat down on us as he worked me open, his fingers finding that spot inside me that made stars explode behind my eyelids. I braced myself against the tile wall, pushing back against his hand, desperate for more.
“Diego,” I panted, my voice barely audible over the shower. “I need you inside me. Now.”
He withdrew his fingers, and I heard the cap of the lube snap open again.
Moments later, I felt the blunt head of his cock pressing against me.
Without the barrier of latex, the sensation was entirely different.
It was more intimate, more raw. I could feel every ridge, every vein as he slowly pushed forward.
“Oh god,” I gasped as he breached me, the stretch and burn giving way to pleasure so intense it bordered on pain.
Diego paused, giving me time to adjust. His hands gripped my hips, thumbs rubbing soothing circles against my skin. “You okay?” he asked, his voice strained with the effort of holding back.
“Yes,” I breathed, pushing back against him. “Yes, please, don’t stop.”
He eased in further, filling me completely, the sensation unlike anything I’d ever felt before. The hot water cascaded down our bodies as Diego began to move, slow, measured thrusts that made me gasp with each one.
“Fuck, Hayden,” he groaned, his voice rough with control and concentration. “You feel so fucking good like his… God I can’t wait to cum inside you. To make you mine.”
His words sent a thrill through me, and I arched my back, taking him deeper.
One of his hands slid around to grip my cock, stroking me in time with his thrusts.
The dual sensations were overwhelming, his thick length throbbing inside me, his skilled fingers around me, and the hot water beating down on us both.
“Harder,” I begged, my voice echoing off the tile walls. “I can take it. Please, Diego.”
He obliged, his hips snapping forward with new intensity. The force of it pressed me against the shower wall, the cool tiles a sharp contrast to the heat of our bodies. Diego’s mouth found my shoulder, teeth grazing my skin as he pounded into me.
“I’m gonna—” I gasped, feeling my orgasm building rapidly. “Diego, I’m close.”
“Me too,” he panted against my ear. “Can I cum inside you? Please, Freckles, I want to fill you up.”
The request sent a jolt of pure lust through me. “Yes,” I moaned. “God, yes.”
His rhythm faltered, becoming erratic as he chased his release. His hand worked my cock faster, thumb swiping over the sensitive head with each stroke. I felt the familiar tightening in my core, the pleasure building to an unbearable peak.
Then I was cumming, crying out his name as waves of ecstasy crashed over me.
My cum painted the shower wall in white streaks, quickly washed away by the water.
Behind me, Diego groaned deeply, his hips jerking as he emptied himself inside me, his balls drawn tight against my ass.
The sensation of his hot cum filling me was foreign but incredibly intimate, marking me as his in the most primal way.
We stayed like that for a moment, both of us breathing hard, Diego’s forehead resting against my shoulder. I could feel him softening inside me, but neither of us seemed eager to break the connection.
“That was way better…” I said, still surprised by the intensity. “So much better than what I expected.”
“Yeah,” Diego agreed, pressing a soft kiss to the nape of my neck. “It really was.”
Finally, reluctantly, he eased out of me. I felt a trickle of warmth down my thigh, quickly washed away by the shower spray. When I turned to face him, Diego’s eyes were soft and full of love.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, brushing wet hair from my forehead. “Every single inch of you.”
I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You are too,” I replied, kissing his jaw. “The most beautiful cowboy I’ve ever seen.”
Diego gave me a lingering kiss before reaching for the shampoo. “We should probably actually get clean before the party.” His hands worked through my hair, massaging my scalp with gentle pressure that made me melt against him.
“The party,” I groaned, suddenly remembering we had somewhere to be. “Everyone’s probably waiting for us.”
“Let ‘em wait,” Diego murmured, though he continued washing my hair with efficient movements. “You’re worth being late for.”
I closed my eyes, savoring the tenderness of his touch as he rinsed the shampoo from my hair. We took turns washing each other, hands exploring familiar territory with new appreciation. There was something deeply intimate about this simple act of care, maybe even more so than the sex we’d just had.
“I could get used to this,” I admitted as he ran a soapy washcloth across my shoulders.
Diego’s eyes met mine, suddenly serious despite the steam surrounding us. “That’s the plan, Freckles. I want you getting used to this. To us.”
My heart swelled at his words. It still amazed me how quickly this had happened, how completely I’d fallen for him.
A month ago, I was nursing a broken heart in California.
Now I was planning to build a life in Sagebrush with a cowboy who knew me better after a couple weeks than Tommy had after years.
Diego was everything I’d ever wanted, and so much more that I didn’t know I needed. But now that I knew, I was never gonna let him go.
Ever.