Chapter 8 Nova #2
I got up on my knees with the blankets clutched around me because I needed to have the high ground. To stare down at him. “I never asked for permission. I would think you’d want to get me out of your hair.” Thick, luscious hair that now gleamed in the light still flooding in from the hallway.
He stood, now looming over me, making me feel small and helpless. “Let me worry about my hair. You worry about how the hell you’re going to get yourself out of this situation. Just a hint, Oxford, walking headfirst into danger, isn’t it.”
I was going to scream. Any second now, the outrage bubbling and burning in my chest would come out in the form of an absolute ear-splitting shriek. “Who the hell do you think you are?” I demanded with my hands on my hips, which meant dropping the blankets.
Stepping up close to me, his gaze traveled over my face, and when a smirk began to form, I knew what he was thinking. I had walked straight into it.
The touch of his hands on my hips was welcome. Necessary. His fingers pressed against my flesh, and his gaze landed on my mouth before he growled, “I’m your husband, Oxford. Now are you going to take what’s yours?”
Son of a bitch. Why did he have to growl like that?
I took hold of him, pulling him in all at once.
Our mouths collided almost painfully, but who cared about that when the explosion of heat between us was so damn incredible?
It had the power to burn away any lingering doubts or fears.
His deep growl sent a shiver through me before he crushed my body to his while our breaths mingled and our tongues tangled, and yes, this was what I wanted—to be swept away.
To run away.
No. Not the solution.
When was the last time I did anything as impossible as breaking the kiss and pulling my head back?
He growled deeply, frustrated, which only made it worse.
“Dammit,” I muttered, lowering my head as humiliation slammed into me almost as hard as desire had.
How could I ever look at him again? “I’m sorry,” I panted out the words, shaking my head at myself.
“Oh no.” With his finger under my chin, he tipped my head up so our mouths aligned again. Between ragged breaths, he grunted. “No, you don’t.”
Then he attacked. I never had a chance, did I?
The man was determined to devour my mouth, but I wouldn’t have stopped him for anything.
It was like picking up exactly where we left off—desperate, determined—only now there was far less clothing between our hands and the other’s skin.
Our tongues danced in our joined mouths while something like sheer joy raced through me from head to toe.
We shouldn’t. We can’t. Yeah, I was going to have to try harder than that because, by the time he gripped my ass and pulled me against his untethered erection, I was gone.
He wasn’t wearing underwear, and the thin material covering his thick dick may as well have not existed.
So big. My pussy heated at the idea of what it could do. What we could do together.
My head fell back once his mouth touched my throat, his tongue lapping my skin, his teeth grazing me. The sensations were almost too much to handle, causing my heart to race and my nerves sizzle while my clit throbbed painfully. He would need to do something about that. I would make sure he did.
His soft, needy grunts filled my ears, making me smile before his hands tightened on my ass. I gasped at the pressure, then moaned so he knew I wanted more. Needed it. “Yes,” I whispered when he tugged at the back of my bra. A quick flick of his deft fingers and the clasps popped open.
He ran his hands over my shoulder, lowering the strap before touching his lips to my skin. Every part of me was on fire, yearning for his caress. That yearning intensified the lower his mouth traveled until he caught the lace with his teeth and pulled it away.
A sharp cry tumbled from my lips while his circled my nipple, tugging gently, his tongue working the tip. I was going to come if this didn’t let up soon. It was that good, and it had been so long. Who was I kidding? No one had ever made me feel this good.
My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling his head close. He switched sides and repeated the treatment. While I held him close, his hands were free to roam again, and nothing could have made me happier than his gentle but skillful probing of my covered pussy.
“Please,” I whimpered, sliding my knees over the bed, parting my thighs so he could touch me. I would die if he didn’t. There was no way I could take this much longer.
“So hot,” he grunted out, toying with the thin lace before running his finger beneath the edge. “Wet,” he growled once he stroked my slit and set off fireworks in my head. Instead of dragging it out, teasing me, he delved through my folds and groaned the way I did when he found my clit.
Already so close. It was a relief when he laid me down so I could focus on the sensations he stirred in my core.
After giving me the pleasure of watching him strip off his T-shirt, he crawled over me, worshiping me with his hands and tongue until I writhed and moaned his name.
“Vaughn… yes…” I whimpered when his hand cupped my sex and the lace now plastered against my skin.
“So ready,” he whispered, lavishing kisses upon my breasts while slowly sliding the thong away from my pussy. My heart was about to burst, though my throbbing clit might kill me first. “I can smell you already. Your pussy needs attention.”
“Yes!” It was a prayer, a plea. Yes! Pay attention to my pussy before I die.
I lifted my hips in desperation, making him chuckle against my skin as he kissed a trail down my stomach.
He caught my hips in his hands, keeping them in the air so my pussy was closer to his face before he lowered his nose and inhaled.
Fuck me. Had anything ever been so hot?
“Sweet,” he whispered, allowing his lips to graze my bald lips. I reached out with one hand and took him by the hair, my entire body straining. I needed relief. Why wouldn’t he give it to me?
“What do you want?” he whispered.
Like I needed to tell him? “Let me come,” I begged. “Let me come on your tongue, please.”
He didn’t say a word. He only growled loudly enough for the sound to fill the room before diving in. That was the only way to describe it. He dove in and began to feast happily, hungrily, thoroughly.
The world shattered around me in rainbow prisms, sheer bliss radiating from my core to the tips of my fingers and curled toes.
It happened so fast, but then I was so close already.
The bliss rolled on and on like a series of waves, each one bigger than the one before, leaving me submerged in sweet darkness penetrated only by the pounding of my heart.
And still, he licked, kissed, touched. “I could live off the taste of you, Oxford.” His breath made my overheated skin tingle, but it was the message behind his words that stopped the descent of my pleasure and started me back up the mountain again.
He was still hungry, still needing me.
Like I needed him.
I needed that thick cock inside me, still rigid by the time he got up on his knees and reached into the nightstand by the bed. He kept condoms inside—What a host, always considering what his guests might need.
All thoughts of the humor behind that vanished when Vaughn lowered his waistband, revealing what had poked at me earlier.
Holy shit. I was supposed to take all of that?
At least eight inches long, thick, and already oozing precum by the time he unrolled the condom down the length of his veiny shaft.
A touch of apprehension mixed with the lava flowing through my veins, cooling it a little, making me doubtful.
Still, I wouldn’t have stopped him for anything. Instead, I spread my legs wider, giving him more room to settle between them, pulling him in with my calves against his ass. It didn’t matter what my brain thought. My body knew what it wanted, and it wanted him inside me, like thirty seconds ago.
He slowly dragged his head through my entrance, getting himself wet, grunting with every ragged breath he took. “Are you ready for me? Do you want this inside you?” he asked, the hall light playing off his chiseled muscles with every move he made.
It didn’t matter whether I thought I was ready. I knew what I wanted. “Yes,” I whispered, lifting my hips for him so he could line up easier.
The pressure was intense, but it was the sense of being stretched to my limit once he eased himself inside that made me bite down hard on my lip. “So fucking tight!” He gasped, closing his eyes, the tendons standing out on his neck as he fought for control.
Who wouldn’t be tight when it came to his size?
Pleasure bordering on pain gripped me, leaving me clawing the sheets before reaching for him, scratching at his arms and chest while he sank deeper.
Then, without a word, he pulled back slightly and eased himself back in.
Out, then in, filling me, moving a little faster all the time. Harder. “You take my cock so well.”
Yeah, I did, and I loved it. My soul sang along with my body, a symphony beyond anything I had ever experienced. Something I knew even now I would not be able to live without. How could I ever go back from this?
I couldn’t think of that now, not when his breath quickened, his grunts deepening, along with his strokes.
“Can’t hold on much longer…” he warned, and the helplessness behind it took what was already brewing in my core and turned it into an inferno.
Nothing mattered more than coming with him, exploding together.
When he fell forward onto his forearms, I took the opportunity to indulge in his body and the way it felt beneath my hands.
His soft hiss when my nails ran over his back only spurred me to do it again and again until there was nothing else in the whole world but his hisses and grunts, his cock moving inside me, and the sheer exhilaration of falling apart at the same time he did.
“Fuck… Nova…”
Oh, help me. Did he have to say my name that way? Heavy with pleasure and relief, a little stunned. It was an intoxicating sound, something I could get used to hearing it exactly that way for a very long time.
And that was a big, huge red flag.
Just like that, the afterglow was over, at least for me. I could hardly wait for him to withdraw, ignoring the tiny bit of sadness that came with it in favor of murmuring, “That was intense. Thank you.” God, could I sound any more pathetic? Was this a business transaction?
“Uh, you’re welcome.” He chuckled softly, rolling onto his side to face me. “That’s a good word for it.”
We had just consummated our marriage. Son of a bitch.
How had I let this happen? Guilt gnawed at me as I sat up, knowing what I had to do, even if not a single part of me wanted to do it.
I would much rather have relaxed, come down from that dizzying high, maybe fallen asleep for a little.
I wanted to bask in the moment now, not get out of bed and go straight to the en suite to clean myself up.
Stupid, stupid Nova. How much worse do you need to make things for yourself?
It was when I came out and found my underwear that Vaughn sat up, scrubbing his hands through his tousled, dirty blond hair. “What are you doing?” he asked as if it wasn’t evident.
“I really should go. I’ve already taken advantage of your kindness, and besides, I never wanted to pull you too deeply into my mess.
” And if I didn’t go now, I might never leave.
This was too nice, too damn good, and it would be too easy to start looking at him as my refuge.
He wasn’t. It wasn’t fair to either of us if I let myself depend on him.
Obviously, he had different ideas after letting my words sink in. “I’ll have someone drive you there. I can arrange for someone to watch your building,” he said with a scowl that contradicted his helpful offer. Was he pouting over having to let me leave? Why couldn’t anything with him ever be easy?
“That won’t be necessary.” Why was it taking me so long to get dressed? I needed to go. This was too much. We had already taken things too far. I couldn’t drag him into this any further than I already had. What the hell is wrong with me?
“You know I’m going to do it, anyway, right?” He pulled on his shorts, then fished his phone from the pocket. “I can call up the security company we use for the casino, and they’ll send someone over in a heartbeat. No questions asked.”
The idea was tempting enough that I decided against asking how he was so certain. Was he in the business of protecting frightened young women?
“Fine,” I agreed, sitting on the bed. I gave him my address and apartment number, which he entered into the device before tapping out a message. The screen’s glow illuminated his face but did nothing to reveal the thoughts behind it.
“It’s done. Someone will be over there within ten minutes. They’re discreet,” he assured me before I could ask. “And if you want to Uber so we’re not seen together, at least let me order it for you. This way, no one can trace it back to you.” I had to give him credit. He was a quick thinker.
Still, he only ordered the car once he had confirmation the security guard had arrived at my building.
“Wait outside your apartment door,” he explained.
“You’ll give him your key, he’ll check the place out to make sure everything is safe.
After that, he’ll sit outside in his car until his replacement shows up. ”
I had no idea what to say. I didn’t even know what to think. He seemed to have everything under control, not to mention having all these resources at his fingertips, willing to jump at a moment’s notice. “Why are you doing this? Why go to all this trouble?”
“Come on, Oxford,” he reminded me with a grin that did nothing to soften his gaze. “Remember? You’re my wife.”
Before I rolled my eyes, his grin hardened into something decidedly more threatening. “And nobody fucks with what’s mine.”
His words replayed in my memory long after I was safely in the back seat of my Uber, having promised to send him a thumbs-up once I was home and locked in for the night.
They replayed past the point where I met the security guard in the hallway and waited while he checked out the apartment.
After, he’d given me the all-clear so I could go inside.
It wasn’t until I sent a thumbs-up message to Vaughn—nothing more, nothing with any details—that I had to ask myself why he considered me his when an annulment was always part of the deal.