16. Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
Monroe is on me as soon as I close the door to my suite. She attacks my mouth, her tongue slipping past as I grant her access, her hunger just as feverish as mine. My hands slide under her shirt, feeling her heated skin underneath. She arches into me, bursting at the seams, devolving into a filthy, whining mess. I can’t get enough of this. Of her. It’s like I’ve found a new addiction, something to feed the cravings. Her fingernails scrape my scalp, and I release a guttural groan, loving the way it feels.
I have mixed feelings about leaving Wendell at the restaurant without a word, but a part of me thinks he deserved it. My fucking best friend. Inviting Monroe to dinner was innocent. Maybe. I’m still not sure about that one, but that speech. Yeah, that was all him. He was talking about fate and needing a nudge in the right direction, and I knew exactly what he was talking about. It agitated me, cutting deep. He doesn’t know what he was talking about; he doesn’t know what I need.
Another moan from Monroe has my dick throbbing behind my slacks, the zipper biting into the tender skin painfully. I move back, gasping for air, keeping my eyes locked on her hooded ones.
Did I really think one time with her would be enough for me? I’ve never felt a compulsion this strongly toward someone before. It’s like I’m under Monroe’s spell and completely at her mercy.
My boxers already have a wet patch, and I can’t even be upset about it. That dinner foreplay was enough to almost make me lose it. Her soft skin felt so good in my hands, and she couldn’t help but gasp when she witnessed my resolve unravel.
“Those fuck-me eyes are going to do me in,” I pant.
“Then do us both a favour and fuck me.”
I let out a laugh, quickly unbuttoning my shirt. She tugs my hair, rolling my head to the side. My movements stop, my chest bare as she takes me in.
“I’m surprised you didn’t just jump me in that hallway,” I tease, her eagerness flashing back at me.
Humming disapprovingly, she runs her finger along my jaw, stopping at the corner of my mouth. She seems completely consumed, wrestling with what to say and do next.
“It didn’t seem like what you needed.” She traces the outline of my lips with her thumb, and my body trembles under her touch.
I’m overcome with a crushing feeling. Her honesty overwhelms me. I grab her hand roughly, purging my thoughts of her sobering words, and push past them.
“You should focus on what you need and stop telling me what you think I need.”
I refuse to let my mind and imaginary expectations drag me down. So I tune out the nagging voice that tells me this is all moving too fast and just let it happen.
Monroe’s eyes blacken with lust. “This mouth…”—her nail bites into my bottom lip—“needs to do something other than make noises that irritate me.”
White-hot desire rumbles in my chest, exhilaration simmering under my skin.
My breathing is laboured. “And what would that something be, Monroe?” My voice is thick, and I’m sure she can hear just how hard my heart is beating, waiting for her to strike this match.
Her eyes are blazing, and I can’t help but hold her gaze, daring her to speak her next words.
“Lick.” Her smirk is devastating, her voice sturdy. “And suck.”
“Fuck,” I groan.
Monroe’s soft kisses on my collarbone pluck away at the last remnants of my self-control. I hook my hands under the back of her thighs, hoisting her up. Her legs wrap around my middle, her body smashed to mine. And I move us to the couch.
I place her down on it. “Move up.”
She scooches farther up the couch until her head bumps up against the arm. “Like this?”
I grab the waist of her yoga pants and nod. The ones that made her ass look irresistible tonight and had my tongue rolling out of my head when I saw her. Dragging the material down her legs, Monroe lifts her hips for me. What happened to this only happening once? I told myself this was a one-time thing, and normally, I have no problem restraining myself. What is it about this woman that has me abandoning all my rules? I’ll spiral if I dwell on how much effort I put into getting Monroe underneath me again. There’s plenty of time to have a crisis about this at another time.
When her pants are off, I take in how soaked her panties are, the outline of her pussy too tempting to resist. So I don’t. I bury my face between her legs, and her knees open wide to accommodate the breadth of my shoulders. I lick a stripe of the saturated cotton.
The words fall out of my mouth. “If this was the last thing I ever saw, I think I could die happy.”
Monroe squirms, a throaty moan tugging loose from her lips. Pure want flashes back at me as I watch her, and pride pounds against my chest. Because I know that all of her sounds, all of her reactions, she’s making them because of me. They’re all mine.
My fingers ache to make her come undone, and I can’t hold back any longer. My index fingers grip the elastic of her underwear to pull them down, but I tug too hard, ripping the weak fabric.
“What the fuck?” Monroe’s eyes bulge.
Laughing, I shake my head. “They were in my way.”
“Those were my favourites. You owe me a new pair,” she bites out.
I discard the torn underwear from her body, nipping and placing open-mouth kisses along her inner thigh. These fucking thighs. My fingers spread over the meaty flesh, my prints leaving red marks all over the velvet skin.
“I’ll get you anything you want if you let me taste you like I’ve been dying to all night.”
Her shirt has ridden up under her breasts, her lower half completely on display for me, and what a fucking beautiful sight it is to behold. She nods enthusiastically, wordlessly. Her face is filled with lust as I bow forward, inhaling her sweet scent, tinged with the saltiness of sweat.
“Legs on my shoulders.”
Monroe does as she’s told, and I slide my hands to her ass, lifting her to my mouth. I’m salivating. I’d almost forgotten how mouth-watering her pussy was. It glistens, inviting me to have a taste.
To end the torture—for both of us—I delve in. My lips suction onto her, my tongue licking long, broad strokes along her folds.
“Alden…” she whimpers, spurring me on.
Her hips buck against my face, almost riding it. My tongue prods into her, her moans transforming into winded, high-pitched shrieks. I flick my eyes up, watching her turn away—like it’s too intense, bordering on too much pressure. The column of Monroe’s throat works, and her jaw pops open. Her chest glistens with sweat.
“Fries,” she moans, body shuddering.
I pull back, not sure if I heard her right. “What?”
“You said you’d get me anything I want.” She takes in more air. “And I want fries.”
My nose bumps against her clit, making her back arch off the couch. “Sure, I’ll get you fries.” I chuckle. “But first, I want to feel you come on my tongue, Monroe.”
An intense flush breaks out across Monroe’s cheeks. Is she blushing? A childlike smile stretches my lips. I did that. I’ve never seen Monroe blush, aside from when she’s angry at me. This is a new experience. And it’s enthralling.
Her face twists, eyes fluttering as I dive back in with newfound inspiration. Her moans reach a higher note, the melody desperate and carnal, and I know she’s reaching the edge.
“Yes, yes,” she cries, hips grinding harder against my face. “Don’t stop.”
Her walls clench around my tongue, and I suck harder, using my thumb to swipe her clit until I can feel her tip off that edge. The intensity of her orgasm crashes over her, gushing onto my face and my chin. It knocks the wind out of me. Her whole body vibrates under my touch, responding to it. She’s all exposed limbs and live wires as her breathing evens out.
I place careful kisses up her thigh, a guiding path toward her abdomen, tongue swirling over where it creases. Her body convulses each time I press my lips to her skin like it is nothing more than a hotbed of fragile nerves. While I’m exploring her body, Monroe grabs my face and forcefully brings it to hers. She has a dazed smile, one I can’t stop staring at.
Her eyes flit across my face, looking at me so intensely, like she’s stripping the layers away one by one.
I can’t help but ask, “What are you looking for?” I’m whispering, really hoping she doesn’t hear.
She pauses thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I’ll let you know when I find it.”
Monroe leans forward, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. Too gentle. Too sweet that it almost hurts. My brows pinch, wholly unprepared for the feeling that skitters across my heart. It feels unnatural, something I’ve fought so hard to distance myself from. And my chest aches.
Don’t look too hard. You won’t like what you see.
Oblivious to my swirling thoughts, she deepens the kiss. Her fingers twist in my short hair, and she pulls me closer. Monroe’s lips are puffy and red when I draw back, and I don’t resist nipping her bottom lip and making her groan. Slowly, my lips trail her chin, her jaw, her throat. I hide my face in the crook of her neck, sucking her skin into my mouth and marking her.
Light snoring and even breathing wake me, and I realize it’s coming from beside me. I open my eyes, and my vision comes into focus on the tangled mess of black hair snuggled into my side. I’m confused momentarily before everything comes flooding back. The restaurant. Monroe. She stirs beside me, and I reach for her arm. My movements are careful, faint strokes to avoid waking her. I continue the rhythm long after she settles back down.
Part of me knows I shouldn’t test my luck. The longer I touch her, the more likely it’ll be that she wakes up. But the other part of me, the one that’s winning, can’t stop.
Monroe’s skin is smooth to the touch, and the motion comforts me more than I want it to. Panic washes over me then, telling me I should wake her up. To tell her to leave and be done with it, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I rush out of bed as quietly as I can, disentangling my limbs from hers, and head into the washroom.
Hoping that Monroe will get the message and leave, I turn on the shower. I can’t face her. Not when that dread is smothering me. My head snaps up at a loud knock.
Monroe’s voice is dampened. “Alden?”
My heart sinks. I don’t want to answer her, afraid of what I might say, but she knows I came in here.
“Yeah?” I hate how clipped my voice is.
“I think…” she begins, the combination of the thick door and the running shower making it hard to hear. “I think my bra is in there…”
“So?” My answer is automatic, but I look around until I spot the pretty pink bra on the floor near the sink.
“So, I need it.”
A vision of last night takes root as I bend down to pick it up. I hoisted Monroe up on the sink counter, stripping her free of that bra, and coaxed delicious moan after delicious moan from her lips. My mouth suctioned to each one of her nipples, giving each one the time and attention they deserved. I palm myself through my boxers, growing hard just thinking about it.
“ Fuck… ”
Another knock.
“Alden? Did you hear me? I need my bra, or I’m going to be late for my shift.”
I run through the options in my head before I eventually give in, cracking the door open. Monroe’s eyes round when she takes me in. We lock eyes for a moment, but I break the connection and give her a once-over instead. Seeing her smudged makeup and messy hair, I feel a surge of pride and smirk.
The impulse to reach out and flatten it for her takes over, but I resist. That would be too much.
“What?” Monroe asks, looking peeved but also a little self-conscious. It’s adorable, and my smile widens.
“Nothing.” I hand her the bra, letting my fingers drift over the back of her hand. “Nice hair.”
She combs her fingers through the tangled strands. “Shut up.”
It comes over me quickly, and as she turns around, I snatch her wrist before she can get away. She smacks into my chest, and my arm bands around her waist. “What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.”
“I said shut up.” She gives me a dirty look, but there’s also a playful glint in her eye. “Or do you need to be told a third time?”
“Twice is plenty.” I pull her closer. “But if I recall, last night you hadn’t wanted me to stop using this mouth.”
Monroe’s cheeks go red, and she slips out of my hold, turning away to put the bra on. I let her go. When she looks back, she seems nervous.
She rolls her lips together. “I—uh, I shouldn’t have stayed over last night. I’m sorry.” She avoids my eyes. “You don’t really come across as the sleepover type, so…”
I don’t seem like the sleepover type? It’s possible that was true in the past, but I can’t stop thinking about how relaxed I felt last night. And this morning. Well, until everything came rushing back. The noise. The pressure. The fears.
“Okay,” I say, not understanding what she’s apologizing for.
My heart clenches when she looks at me again. Her expression says she’s been scolded about this before. A new feeling blooms, one I don’t know how to deal with. The thought of anyone treating Monroe so poorly makes me tighten my grip on the door.
“Okay?” She has a pained look. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Am I supposed to say something more?”
Monroe bites her lip. “Well, no. I-I guess not.”
I take a step closer to her, searching her face. “And speaking of last night…” Her eyes widen. “I think we broke a rule.”
“That won’t happen again, so I hope you enjoyed it.” Monroe clears her throat harshly.
When my thumb grazes her bare stomach, she shudders. But she doesn’t move away.
“You have no idea how much.” I push my luck and glide my hand up her torso to her breast. Her lips part in a gasp. “What if we made a new rule?” Squeeze . “One that involved more of what we did last night.”
Monroe’s chest rises steadily, and her eyes drift to mine. “Convince me.”
My skin prickles at the challenge. That fucking pink bra. The cups are decorated with darker pink lace, and the deep cut exposes the top of her breasts perfectly. As I slide my hands around to unclasp it, my lips find the side of her neck, revelling in the warmth and her scent. She pulls me closer when the bra falls to the ground. I can feel her heart pounding under my careful touch.
Her head drops to my chest when I roll her nipple between my thumb and forefinger. Her body twitches from the small touch. I do it again, applying more pressure. Monroe whines.
“Use your words, Monroe. Do you want me to keep touching you like this? Yes or no?”
I’m barely controlling myself as I wait for her response.
It’s quiet because her face is buried in my chest. “Yes.”
My chest rumbles with satisfaction, but I pull away. Monroe stares at me, eyes wide with shock.
“I used my words!”
“I know.” My dick twitches in my boxers. “And you didn’t even argue with me about it, either. I’m impressed.”
“Then what are you doing?”
I pick her bra up from the floor and hand it to her. “Nothing. At least not right now. Don’t you have a shift you’re running late to?”
“Shit!”
She darts across the bedroom, collecting her discarded clothes from the king-size bed, and throws her hair up in a loose ponytail. When she stretches her body over the bed to grab her shirt, I can’t help but stare at her like I can’t look away.
I tear my eyes off her, and I don’t know what comes over me. Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind, I don’t want her to walk out of that door yet. “Do I need to secure these fries from somewhere local, or am I allowed to go out of state?”
At my words, Monroe stops. She does a slow turn, which shouldn’t amuse me so much.
“What?”
I cross my arms over my chest, leaning against the door frame. “You heard me, Monroe. I’m a man of my word, and I promised to give you anything you wanted if you let me taste you.” I study her reaction, her sharp intake of air. “I have endless resources, a fact you never seem to want me to forget, but out of anything, you chose fries. So, that’s what you’ll get.”
Judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t expecting me to follow through with her mid-coitus request. And I can’t tell if Monroe regrets what she said.
“Oh, that,” she says, rubbing her chest and avoiding my eyes. Yeah, that. “You know what? Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it?”
“I said what I said in the heat of the moment. Just forget it, all right? I’m not looking for anything more than what we agreed on. I don’t want more.”
She’s making perfect sense. But my competitive side won’t be so easily sated. I push off from the door, crossing the room to stand in front of her.
“I dare you,” I say. And her jaw twitches. “I bet I can get you the best fries you’ve ever had.”
Monroe can’t resist proving me wrong. It’s embedded in her DNA. It’s who she is. And if I have to use that against her now so that she’ll let me treat her to something, then so be it.
I can see her stubbornness rising to the surface. She arches a brow. “Are you sure you want to make that bet? It takes a lot to impress me.”
“I’m counting on that.” Without waiting for her response, I retrieve my phone from the bedside table and hand it to her. “Here. Put your number in.”
She eyes the phone suspiciously. “You want me to give you my number?”
“This is strictly for… business. I promise.”
When she doesn’t question me further, only shakes her head, a wave of relief washes over me. Her fingers swiftly type her number, and she hands the phone back to me.
Monroe crosses her arms over her chest. “Get ready to be disappointed when you lose.”
Just as she turns to leave, I snatch her wrist again. “That word isn’t in my vocabulary, Monroe.”
With a smirk, Monroe slips her wrist out of my hold. “We’ll see about that. Won’t we?”
A strange warmth spreads through my chest as I watch her leave my suite. As soon as the door closes, I race to my laptop, determined to win this bet. I haven’t felt this exhilarated about something in a while, and it makes me question if this competition is the only reason behind this feeling.