Chapter 15 #2
I lean down to kiss her, tasting the hot chocolate we all shared before Hazel and Alec arrived. “It is.” As I lead her inside, I glance at Murphy, who’s made himself comfortable on the couch. “And Murphy, too. But I don’t think he’ll be much of a distraction.”
Angel smiles at Murphy. “I made him special dog biscuits as a treat. They have peanut butter and oats and bits of carrot. I got the recipe from Ophelia at Decadent Delights.”
“He’ll love that,” I reply. As I close and lock the door behind us, I add, “Speaking of food, I was thinking we could order from Mariano’s. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great.” Angel catches my hand and tugs me further into the living room. “You know I love Mariano’s.”
“I do.” Pulling her into my arms, I kiss her again. “And I thought after dinner, we could watch The Holiday. Or Love Actually. Whichever you’d prefer.”
Angel’s head jerks slightly in surprise. “Really? You know those are romances, right?”
“I know you wouldn’t watch them with Haley,” I explain. Then, in a lower tone, I add, “It was my fault we didn’t get to watch at least one of them before.”
Because I was acting like a jealous, insecure jerk; something I’m still trying to make up for.
“Ronan.” Her expression softens. It looks like she’s about to say something, then changes her mind. “I’d love to watch either of them with you. And have dinner from Mariano’s. Plus, I made a special dessert for after.”
“A special dessert?”
“Yeah. You said your mom used to make butterscotch blondies when you were a kid. So I found a recipe for them. We can have them warm with ice cream and caramel.”
My mouth waters at the thought. “That sounds amazing, cupcake.” Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out my phone. “Should I put in the order for dinner now?”
Angel takes my phone and sets it on the table beside the couch. “Actually, I was thinking we could do something else first.”
“Oh?” I glance around the room. “Do you need me to fix anything? Change a lightbulb? Check the smoke detectors?”
And now that I’m thinking about it, shit. How have I not checked her smoke detectors already? Are they new? Do they detect carbon monoxide, as well? And what about volatile compound detectors? Angel has a gas stove, so that really would be a good idea.
“None of those things,” she says with a smile. “I didn’t ask Hazel to take Haley so I could put you to work.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I know you don’t. But tonight isn’t for that. It’s for us to spend some private adult time together. Which leads me to…” She clasps her hand around mine and tugs me towards the stairs. “I have something to show you.”
“What is it?” I ask as I follow her upstairs.
“You’ll see.” Angel glances back at me with a mischievous smile. “Just a second…”
We arrive at her closed bedroom door, and she pulls a key from her pocket and unlocks the door.
Before she opens it, she says, “One of the benefits of an old house. I almost never use the master key, except on Christmas Eve, when I have all the presents set out to be wrapped. But for this… I didn’t want Haley to come in and see. ”
Then she pushes open the door and steps into the room. “I wanted to do something special. For you. Well, for both of us, really. Something nice after all the stress we’ve been through.”
As I follow her inside, my gaze sweeps around the room.
Only the lamp on the dresser is on, casting a semi-circle of light on the wall above it.
Lighting the rest of the room are dozens of small battery-operated candles, flickering with a soft, golden glow.
On the bed, rose petals are scattered across it.
And on the nightstand is a bottle of champagne and a bowl of strawberries.
Something deep inside my chest twists.
“You did all this?” I ask, turning to her.
Angel nods. Her cheeks go pink. “I wanted to do something romantic. Like something out of the movies.” As she pulls me over to the bed, she adds, “And you’ve done so much for me, Ronan. I know this is just a small thing, but—”
I silence her with a kiss. When I pull away, I say, “Anything I do for you is because I want to. And it’s not just for you. It’s for me. Making you happy makes me happy. Keeping you safe makes me feel better. Seeing Haley smile makes me feel… I can’t describe it. So, really, it’s selfish.”
“No.” She strokes my cheek. “You are not selfish, Ronan Davies. Not even close.”
“Sometimes I am.”
Her gorgeous blue eyes meet mine. “We all are sometimes. Like tonight. I wanted this time with you. Just us.”
She pulls me the rest of the way to the bed, and I go willingly.
Once we reach the mattress, Angel puts her hands on my shoulders and gives me a little push. “Sit. And take off your shirt.”
“My shirt?”
“Yes.” She grabs a small jar off the nightstand that I hadn’t noticed before. “I’m going to give you a massage. And I can’t do that if your shirt is on.”
“Angel. You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” Then she puts her hands on her hips, and it’s so similar to how Haley does it, I have to work not to laugh. “Now. Your shirt.”
A second later, her teeth dig into her lower lip. “Unless you don’t want—”
“I do.” Grabbing hold of my shirt, I yank it off in one move. “Whatever you want, cupcake. I want it, too.”
Angel looks flustered for a moment as she looks at my bare chest. Then she visibly gathers herself and whispers, “Your pants, too.”
She’s nervous, I realize. Maybe she’s never done anything like this before.
Then I think back to what Angel told me about the last ten years.
The few first dates that fizzled into nothing.
The men who asked her out, but changed their minds once they found out she had a kid.
And, finally, a quiet acceptance that staying single was better.
So, no. She probably hasn’t done anything like this before.
But she wants to. I can tell from the needy look in her eyes. I can tell from the sweet flush across her cheeks and the outline of her nipples against her thin sweater.
Protectiveness sweeps through me so swiftly I’m almost breathless from it.
I don’t want her to be nervous. I want her to know I want this as badly as she does.
“Cupcake.” I stand and pull off my pants and socks, leaving me in only a pair of briefs. Just the thought of Angel touching me has me hard and wanting. The fabric covering my erection is already damp. “Will you take off your clothes, too? So I can see your gorgeous body?”
“But the massage.”
“Oh, I want the massage,” I tell her. “And now that you’ve mentioned it, I want to give you one, too.” I slide my hand under her shirt and stroke her back. “Putting my hands all over your incredible body, making you feel good… I think massages are a fantastic idea.”
“Okay.” Angel takes a deep breath and lets it out. Then she takes off her shirt, revealing the sexiest bra I’ve ever seen. It’s pale pink and sheer, so it looks almost like she’s wearing nothing. Beneath it, her nipples are full and lush and beg to be taken into my mouth.
“Cupcake,” I murmur. “Do you have any idea how fucking gorgeous you are?” I palm one breast and flick my thumb over her nipple. “I cannot wait to give you a massage. And to have your hands all over me.”
She unfastens her pants and wriggles out of them. Then she puts her hand on my chest, right over my heart. “I want to touch you, too.”
“You can do anything you want,” I reply. “And.” I hold her gaze. “We can stop there. I want you to know that. I don’t expect anything. I said we could take things slow—”
“I know.” Angel’s chin tips up. Something fiery flashes in her eyes. “But what if I don’t want slow anymore? What if I want all of it?”
My dick jumps eagerly.
“Then you can have it.” Pulling Angel to me, I cover her lips with mine. “Anything you want. It’s yours.”
Her gaze travels from my chest to my black briefs, and then to my face. “Lie down,” she commands. “It’s your turn first.”
Like I told her, anything she wants is hers.
So I do as she tells me.
I force myself to lie still as her hands roam all over me.
And when she finishes my massage, I don’t do what my body is begging me to, which is to skip straight to the part where I sink deep inside her.
Instead, I stroke the massage oil across Angel’s satiny skin, memorizing each perfect curve and sweet little freckle.
I press soft kisses all over her body, noting which spots she likes best, like the sensitive spot behind her ear and another at the base of her neck.
Just as my hand is sliding over the swell of her ass, she rolls over. “I want more.”. A glance at her sheer panties shows the depth of her arousal. “I need more. I need… to feel you inside me.”
“I want that, too,” I reply. My voice is unexpectedly rough. “I want to feel your sweet body wrapped around me.” Grabbing hold of her filmy panties, I slide them down her legs. Then I take off her bra, leaving Angel gloriously naked.
A flush spreads across her chest. Her breasts rise and fall. “Yours, too,” she murmurs. “So we’re both naked.”
I yank my briefs off so quickly I’m amazed they don’t rip. My dick juts towards her, throbbing and ready. Pre-cum drips steadily from the tip. “Is that better?”
Angel nods. “Yes.” Then she wraps her small hand around me.
And oh, fuck, is it incredible.
After only a few strokes, I’m on the verge of coming. But I won’t allow that. Not our first time. Or ever.
I lower my mouth to her breast, taking her nipple into my mouth. As I swirl my tongue around it, she gasps and arches her back. Her head falls back. Her mouth parts in a tiny O.
With one hand, I reach between her legs. I slide one finger inside her, then a second. She’s wet. Hot. Ready. Her legs fall open, inviting me in.
“Ronan. Oh.” Angel’s hips move restlessly. “I need you. Please. This is good, but…”
I curl my fingers inside her. “But what?”
“I still feel empty.”
Ah, fuck.
“Okay, cupcake.” I rock back on my heels. “I need to go downstairs. There are condoms in my bag—”
“The nightstand.” Angel glances at the one to our right. “In the drawer. I bought some.” Her cheeks turn adorably pink. “They’re new. I hoped we might end up using them.”
The need to be inside her is more than an ache. More than desire. It’s an all-encompassing need. So I lunge at the nightstand and yank the drawer open, then stare in surprise at the jumbo-sized box of condoms inside. “A hundred of them?”
She giggles. “They were a better deal that way.”
“True.” I waste no time getting the wrapper open and rolling the condom on. Then I climb over Angel and brace myself above her. “Is it good like this?” I ask. “Or would you rather be on top?”
“You on top,” she replies quickly. “Just like this.”
“Okay, cupcake.” I notch myself at her center.
My heart slams hard in my chest.
This isn’t just sex. This is something much more important.
“Ronan.” Her legs come around my hips. “Oh. I need—”
I do, too.
So I sink inside her. Slowly at first, giving her time to adjust. As I feel her body mold to mine, I start moving.
And it’s perfect.
All of it.
Feeling her muscles clutch at me. Hearing her soft moans. Watching her face go slack as the pleasure sweeps over her. Smelling that sweet cupcake scent mixed with a heady, sultry aroma.
Though it begins gradually, we quickly build to a frenzy. Our bodies crash against each other. Our skin slicks with perspiration. When we kiss, our teeth clack.
I thrust deep inside her, bottoming out; holding myself back from finishing through sheer strength of will.
When I can feel Angel getting close, I lift her hips so I can sink even deeper. I slam my mouth down on hers, and she kisses me back just as hard.
Her inner walls squeeze at me.
Her body stiffens.
She cries out my name as she convulses around me.
I watch her face as ecstasy ripples over it. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.
Then I let myself fall over the cliff along with her.
Even as my body is still shaking with the aftershocks, I roll us over so she’s on top. My arms come around Angel instinctively, hugging her close to me. Her head snugs beneath my chin, and her breath feathers across my skin.
We lie together in contented silence for I’m not sure how long. Then Angel rests her hand above my heart again. “That was even better than my fantasy,” she says quietly. “It was perfect.”
A feeling deeper and more intense than anything I’ve ever felt sweeps through me.
Pressing my lips to the top of her head, I murmur, “It really was.”