Chapter Thirty-Two Only You
RYLEE
Later that night, after dessert with Zander's family, and after plans for Black Friday shopping have been made, I find myself sitting on the bed in his room alone, feeling fuller and heavier than I have in a long time.
It's not only because of the copious amounts of food that we ate today.
There are so many emotions swirling around inside me that I'm struggling to sort through them.
Zander’s family has been amazing. He's been amazing.
For the first time in… forever, I see visions of a future I never thought I really wanted.
Kids, a loving husband, PTA meetings, dance recitals, skating lessons, the whole nine yards…
it's all right there in front of me, so close I could reach out and grab it.
And it's all because of him. Zander. My perfect Kodiak. The guy who I threw up on the first time I met him. Life is funny that way.
Suddenly, the bedroom door opens and Zander walks in. His hair is damp from his shower and he's wearing basketball shorts and a gray t-shirt. Damn it, he looks way too good, even in casual wear. I can't help but stare at him.
He meets my gaze and arches a brow.
“What's wrong?” he asks. “Do I have something on my face?”
I don't say a word, just shake my head as I climb out of the bed and approach him.
He frowns in confusion but doesn't stop me as I cup his face and bring him down into a tender kiss.
He's frozen for a moment, clearly stunned, but then he groans and sinks into me.
He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me tight against him.
I whimper in relief at the feel of his strong hands clutching me. God, I missed this. Missed him. The taste of him. The smell of him. The feel of him.
As our tongues tangle, he picks me up off the floor and I wrap my legs around his waist. He carries me to the bed and sets me down gently before following me onto the mattress and holding himself above me on his hands and knees.
The world around us seems to disappear and nothing else matters but our connection.
I grab his t-shirt and drag it up his torso and over his head, tossing it to the floor.
He does the same to mine, then slips my shorts and underwear down my legs.
The sensation of his bare chest rubbing against my breasts makes me squirm and I cling to him, desperate for the pleasure I know only he can give me.
“Tell me what you want?” he murmurs against my lips. “Anything you want, I’ll give it to you.”
“Make love to me,” I whisper without hesitation.
He groans and captures my lips again as he runs his hands down my sides, leaving goosebumps along my skin.
When he cups my breasts, I arch my back into his touch.
He massages the tender mounds, taking his time as he brushes his thumbs lightly over my nipples.
I’m hyper-aware of every touch. Every sensation feels heightened somehow. More intentional. More significant.
He breaks our kiss to drag his lips along my jaw, then down my throat. His movements are slow and measured. I can tell he’s savoring this. Savoring the feel of my skin beneath his mouth and it heats my blood until it’s practically scorching my veins.
When he wraps his lips around one nipple and begins to suck, I release a soft whimper.
“Zander,” I murmur. “That’s so good. You make me feel so good.”
“That’s all I want, baby,” he replies in a low, rumbling voice.
He continues to worship my breasts, moving to the other nipple once the first is hard and perky. I’m getting so wet already, and he hasn’t even touched my pussy yet.
As if he can read my mind, he slides one hand down my belly until he reaches between my legs and drags his fingers through my folds.
“Yesssss!” I hiss.
“Fuck, you’re so wet. Is this all for me?”
“Of course it is,” I assure him. “Only you can do this to me.”
“That’s right,” he growls. “Only me.”
He moves his fingers along my pussy, lightly petting me as he continues to kiss and suck my nipples.
“I want to touch you too,” I tell him in a breathless voice.
“Yes, ma’am.”
He pushes up onto his knees and shoves his shorts down, releasing his hard cock.
I immediately reach forward and wrap my hand around his length.
He groans, dropping his head forward to watch as I stroke him, matching his rhythm as he slips his finger inside me and begins to pump in and out of my pussy.
It’s not enough. I need to feel him deep inside me. I drag his cock down to my entrance, and that’s enough of a command for him to remove his finger and thrust his length inside me.
“Oh, God!” I moan, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and pulling him back down to me as I kiss him to keep myself from crying out. I don’t want the rest of the house to know what we’re up to right now.
He moves his hips slowly, dragging his cock in and out of me so that I feel every inch of him. With his forehead pressed to mine and his lips a breath from kissing me, we move together without hurry. This isn’t just about pleasure, and we’re not just chasing our orgasms.
This is about connection. About becoming one and losing ourselves in each other. I stare up into his eyes and I see nothing but adoration. This man is everything I’ve ever wanted. Everything I’ve ever dreamed of.
“Zander,” I breathe. “I… I… ”
I can’t find the words to express what I’m feeling at this moment.
“It’s all right,” he whispers. “Just let yourself feel. I’m not going anywhere.”
When my orgasm does finally hit me, I cling to him as if he’ll keep me afloat as the waves of pleasure wash over me.
Then I fall asleep in his arms, safe and secure and certain that his embrace is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
I wake up early the next morning. Like, really early. Three o’clock, because we have to get a jump on Black Friday shopping. Zander is still fast asleep, and given that there aren’t any other sounds in the house, I’m guessing his parents and Rosie are also still in bed.
For a few minutes, I try to go back to sleep for a bit but it’s no use. My stomach is a little off, probably from eating so much yesterday, so I decide to just get up and grab my laptop. Might as well finish Zander’s article while I’ve got some time to kill.
Climbing back into bed, I rest my back against the headboard.
Pulling up the document I’ve been working on, I add in a few lines about how wonderful of a brother he is and how loving of a son.
When I’m done, I sit back and read over the whole article.
I’m really happy with how it’s turned out, and I think Zander will be too.
I save the article in the shared folder setup for the project, then shoot Juliet an email letting her know it’s in the folder. Once I’ve hit send, I shut my laptop off and close it.
Holy shit. I did it. I actually did it.
“What’s got you looking so happy so early?”
I gasp and look down to find Zander grinning up at me, his hair mussed from sleep.
“Just finished your article,” I tell him, brushing my fingers along his jaw.
He grabs my hand and kisses each digit one at a time.
“Oh, yeah? Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
He looks thoughtful for a moment as he continues to play with my fingers.
“What’s on your mind?” I ask softly.
“Well… ” he begins slowly. “I was just thinking, since you’ve got this project done, what if you took some time off and stayed in Denver with me for a little while longer? I’m going to head back after our game here Sunday, and I’d really like you to come with me.”
I blink at him, surprised by the request. My heart jumps in excitement at the thought of spending more time with him.
So far, this weekend has given me more clarity than I could’ve hoped for.
I’m not ready for him to sacrifice his whole life for me or to jump into a long distance relationship without really thinking about what options are open on my end to make this work.
“Okay.” I nod. “I’ll put in for vacation.” Something I’ve never done, so I have tons of PTO stockpiled. “How about I stay through the New Year?”
“Hell yes!” He sits up and pulls me into a hungry kiss.
I laugh, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him back. Before things can get too hot and heavy, I pull away with a sigh.
“I need to get ready to go shopping with your sisters,” I tell him. “We’re supposed to meet in an hour.”
He cringes and lets out a disappointed groan. “Well, have fun. I hope you can still call it retail therapy after spending a day with them.”
I laugh and press another kiss to his lips before disentangling myself from his hold to head off to the bathroom so I can get ready for the day.