Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Holt
Iwake slowly, just the way I have every morning with Tessa in my arms. The warm weight of her pressing up against me.
The jolt of adrenaline I’m used to startling awake with every morning is gone. There’s no pressing need to scan the room for threats or reach for a weapon.
It’s just warmth. Just Tessa.
Her back is curled into me, fitting perfectly against the front of my body. My arm is draped over her, like I’ve claimed her, and I never want to let go.
Maybe I have. Maybe I don’t want to.
It’s a thought that’s been pressing harder into my consciousness with every second that ticks closer to Luke’s arrival and Tessa’s departure.
But for the moment, I focus on the one thing I can control.
My raging hard dick, demanding release.
She shifts in her sleep, pressing back instinctively. I suck in a sharp breath between my teeth.
“Careful, doll,” I murmur into her hair.
Instead of going still, she rolls her hips slowly and deliberately against me. A sexy, sleepy laugh vibrates through her.
“Good morning, Daddy.”
A growl rumbles through me. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
She stretches like a cat in response, arching back further into me in a way that is definitely not accidental. “You feel very much alive to me.”
I slide a hand down her side, letting my palm settle on her hip. “You have no idea.”
She turns in my arms, facing me now, her eyes still half closed but open enough that I can see the teasing glint there. The sheets fall just enough to slide down the curve of her shoulder, to the swell of her breasts.
Her fingers drift up my chest, unhurried, as if we have all the time in the world.
“You slept well?”
I hold her gaze and nod. She makes it easy to feel comfortable and safe in a way I didn’t know I needed.
“I guess you wore me out,” I say, keeping it light instead. “Again.”
Her hand drifts lower and wraps around my cock, making me groan. “You don’t seem very worn out to me.”
She strokes me slowly, pulling a growl from my throat.
“Careful,” I warn, my voice thick. “Keep that up, and I’m going to have to take over.”
Her grip tightens, her thumb swirling around the head of my cock, smearing the bead of precum over my length. “Promise?” she purrs.
Challenge accepted. I roll us quickly, pinning her beneath me, catching both her wrists in one hand over her head, my body caging hers. She gasps, thighs parting as I settle heavily between them, my cock throbbing against her belly.
“You want to be in control, doll?” My free hand skims down her, my nails raking lightly over her ribs, hip, and inner thigh. “Or do you want me to be?”
“You,” she moans on a breath, her greedy hips lifting. “Always you.”
“Good girl.” I hold her gaze, command in my tone. “Hands stay there, Tessa. Got it? No coming until I say so. Understood?”
She nods, biting her lip, an eager trust in her eyes. I fucking love the way she responds to me. The way she wants this exactly the way I do.
I reach between her legs and drag my fingers through her folds. She’s soaking wet for me already. “Damn, Tessa. You’re so wet for me.”
“Always.” The word is a moan as her eyes close, her head dropping back.
I move in slow, feather-light circles over her clit, watching her lips twitch, her breath coming faster. She’s so damn responsive to me.
I push one thick finger inside her tight heat, her walls clenching down instinctively. Then two, curling up inside to hit the magic spot I know will have her vibrating in seconds.
My cock is throbbing. I want her so badly. But first, there’s nothing I want more than to see her come undone from my touch.
I feel the pressure building within her. She arches, her hands twitching over her head. I know she’s desperate to reach for me, but she’s such a good girl, holding herself back. “You close, doll?”
“Yes.” Her nod is frantic. “I’m going to—” I hold completely still, my fingers still buried deep. She cries out in frustration. “Holt. I—”
“No,” I tell her. “Not yet.”
She whimpers and thrusts her hips up, searching for my touch again.
I resume, my fingers moving faster this time, my thumb grinding, pushing her right to the edge. She’s panting, her body tensing. “Holt, I…”
I pinch her clit lightly, the sharp spark making her cry out. She’s hovering on the brink and working hard to hold herself back. It’s the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, watching her work so hard. “What do you want, Tessa? What do you need?”
“I need to come,” she sobs, her head thrashing against the pillow. “Please, Daddy.” I almost explode at the need in her voice. “Let me come,” she begs. “Please.”
“Fuck, yes,” I growl, plunging my fingers deeper, my thumb relentless. She’s tumbling faster toward her release, trembling, gasping—
SLAM.
A loud noise outside shatters the moment. A truck door slamming.
We both freeze, hearts pounding.
Luke.
I’m off the bed before the realization fully lands, already reaching for my jeans.
My cock is still rock-hard as I pull my jeans up.
My girl is sprawled out on the bed, her breath coming in sharp pants, her tits rising and falling with desperation.
For a moment, I consider making Luke wait long enough so Tessa can come and so I can watch her fall apart for me one last time, but a sharp rap on the door kills that thought.
Her eyes fly open and lock on mine.
The knock sounds again.
Louder.
Reality crashes in hard.
“Tessa?” Luke’s voice carries through the cabin.
I drag a hand down my face and step back from the bed, doing up the button on my jeans before grabbing a shirt.
We knew this was coming. Even if we tried to ignore it.
“Stay here,” I tell her before grabbing a shirt and tugging it over my head. “Give me a minute, okay?”
She nods, her expression unreadable as her breathing starts to slow and reality sinks in.
I want to say something. Anything to let her know what this time with her has meant to me. I want to tell her not to leave. Not to go traveling to find something we already have together. But I won’t do that to her. I can’t.
Instead, I blow out a breath, turn, and walk out of the bedroom to answer the door.
To face my best friend.
Tessa
I stay exactly where he left me.
The bedroom door closes with a soft click, and for a few seconds, I just lie here in the rumpled sheets, my breath finally starting to slow, the ache between my legs just beginning to fade.
And then reality starts to sink in.
My dad’s here.
This is over. Whatever it is or was, it’s over.
We knew this was coming. Still, I wasn’t prepared for the sharp sting I’d feel watching him walk away from me.
I give myself a few more seconds before pushing myself up, grabbing the sheet, and clutching it to my chest. A few minutes ago, Holt was on top of me, edging me toward another earth-shattering orgasm. Now… he’s out there talking to my father like nothing has changed.
Maybe nothing has.
That thought makes me sadder than it should.
I slide out of bed and head for the bathroom. It’s been years since I’ve seen my dad, but he can wait a bit longer. I need a few minutes. The woman looking back at me in the mirror looks flushed and alive in a way I don’t remember ever seeing before.
I probably stare at my reflection longer than I should before turning the water on hot and stepping under the steaming stream to rinse away the last traces of sleep and unfulfilled passion.
I stay under the spray until the water has cooled.
When I finally shut it off and wrap a towel around my body, I’ve pulled myself together as best I can.
Whatever happened in here with Holt stays here.
I dry off, take a deep breath, and get ready to face my father.