Chapter 18 Tate
tate
Would it ever feel less than insane with her?
I wasn’t quite sure about that. I licked her inner thigh, her little shudders feeding my need taste her again. Wearing her on my beard was enough for now. Until I could summon the strength to pick her up and bring her to my bed.
Ignoring the uncomfortable throb of my cock was another matter altogether. It would be so easy to cover her right here and now. To drive into her again and again until I was sated. If that was even a thing between us at this point.
Even in the quiet moments of tonight, I flipped a switch so fucking fast.
I rested my cheek against her belly, concentrating until my breathing matched hers.
She slowly came back to me, realizing we were in a pile of half stripped clothing and twisted blankets. “My God.” She struggled up, her face heating at the state she was in.
I sat up and drew her onto my lap. I groaned as her ass rubbed against my still hard dick.
Her gaze widened. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”
I grinned.
She rolled her eyes. “I mean to whatever that was.” She tried to shimmy the yoga pants back on, but they were such a twisted mess that she collapsed back on me. “What the heck did you do to me?”
“If you have to ask then I guess I should get back in there and try harder.” I dipped my fingers between her legs where she was still soaked for me.
She gripped my wrist. “Not fair. You can’t keep erasing my brain, Tate.”
“Why not?” I kissed her neck then maneuvered her on my lap so I could stand with her. I set her on her feet, but instead of helping her back into her clothes, I stripped the pants off and tossed them onto the ottoman, then urged her back up into my arms.
She wrapped those delicious legs around my middle as I walked around the pile of clothes and blankets that had fallen around us and down the hall to my room. She gripped my shoulders, her delicious tits swaying between us.
Finally, she sighed and kissed me. “I’m sorry I sound like a petulant child.”
“Losing control is scary. I get it.” My voice was little more than a rumble as I said it. “I was asking myself if it was crazy that I always want you so much?”
“Yes.” Her gray eyes lost their stormy flavor.
“I don’t know the answer, but I’m not going to fight it.
” I set her down beside the bed, my fingertips trailing over hips as I pulled her into me.
“I know that you make me feel good. I know that making you scream my name gets me so fucking hot I can’t form words.
And I know that I want you in my bed tonight. All night.”
She licked her lips, her eyes hooded.
“And for as long as you’ll have me.” I cupped her face and kissed her reverently, then trailed my fingers over her arms down to her hands and brought one to my hard shaft. “And I need to show you I can be gentle.”
“I don’t need gentle. I just need you.” She slipped her hand under the waistband of my sweatpants and tightened her fingers around me.
“I like that you want me as much as I want you.” She sat on the edge of the bed and drew me out, then scooted back enough for me to kick off the pants and crawl between her thighs. “I need you inside me, Tate.”
I groaned and reached over for the protection in my bedside drawer and gritted my teeth as she rolled it over me.
“I can be gentle,” I reminded myself.
She scraped the head of my cock along her swollen center.
I pressed my forehead to hers and moaned as she guided me inside.
As she rolled her hips to take me smoothly and effortlessly.
And as we moved together, I felt the desperation wind into fisting pleasure as she pulsed around me.
She wrapped herself around me and rose under me until there was no air between us. Just heat and friction and soft sighs.
But when her fingers dropped to my ass, urging me faster, the sweat and need rose to a fevered pitch.
My name on her lips as I bottomed out inside of her.
“More,” she whispered. “More, Tate.”
I rolled us until she was astride me. My fingers raced over her where I knew it would push her beyond the dreamy gasps.
She rocked against me again and again, taking me deeper each time.
Each time she vised around me I felt my tether to the calm fray.
I snapped my hips up to meet her and stroked my thumb along her clit, my other hand spanning her hip to keep up the relentless pace.
I’d been holding out for too long, and was too close to the end, but I needed her to go first.
To make sure she was good.
When she broke and her rhythm got a little shaky, I rolled her onto her back and widened her legs.
Driving through her fluttering orgasm to finally come.
My breath a gasp as I sat back on my knees and drew out of her to rip the condom off to come on her belly and tits.
The need to paint her with me primal and dangerously close to obsession.
I thrummed her clit with my thumb watching her gray eyes flash with the same wild as she screamed one last time. I crashed next to her, my arms above my head to calm my breath.
“Holy shit,” she gasped. “Holy shit.”
I laughed and turned my head to look at her. “Yeah. I just...” I trailed off.
“That was so hot. You’re going to ruin me.”
Damn right I was going to ruin her for anyone other than me.
Because I sure as fuck was beyond gone for her already.
When I got my breath back, I hauled us off to the showers then into bed. She was too tired to fight me about staying overnight and when the watery gray of morning crawled through my room, I was still holding onto her.
I kissed her on the shoulder when Velma came looking for her first meal and slipped out of bed.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay in bed. I had three meetings before noon.
Now that the sheds were here, I needed to meet with all the artists to show them around and make sure they were good with the size of the retail space in the reality of things.
I made coffee while Velma decided whether my offering was acceptable.
She wasn’t normally a fussy eater, but I didn’t usually have overnight guests.
She decided chicken in gravy was good for her first meal and daintily lapped it up while I made a second mug.
When I got back to my room, Amber was still in the same position.
She certainly had no trouble sleeping. Then again, I’d passed the fuck out and slept hard myself. I set the mug on the bedside table to see if that would wake her up while I took mine into the shower. I finished showering and my morning routine, and she still slept on.
Deciding she didn’t need to wake up with me since it was still so dark and gray, I left a note propped against the cold coffee to find me at the trailer when she woke up as well as my phone number and a code for the gate so she didn’t have to go all the way around.
I whistled on my way to the trailer, finding Molly inside on the phone.
She nodded toward the coffee maker and I made another cup to help me through the slog of emails waiting for me. When she got off the phone, she sat back in her chair with a smirk.
“What?”
Her smirk widened into a smile. “Nothing.”
“What’s going on today?”
“You’re just going to skip the fact that you went off with Amber yesterday to the house and left Valerie losing her mind?”
“It’s none of her business.”
“I thought she was going to blow the top of her head off. It was a sight to behold.”
“C’mon. It’s not that serious.”
“Sure, boss.”
I rolled my eyes. “Amber and I are seeing each other. She’ll have to get used to it.”
“Just seeing?”
“Labels might scare her off. It’s exclusive as far as I’m concerned.”
Molly’s smile got bigger. “You’re adorable and I’m so happy for you.”
“No advice or warnings?”
“Nope. You’re a big boy. Just don’t get too serious too fast, that’s all. Have fun.”
“Right. Exactly what I’m going to do.” I went back to my emails. “I’m going to make appointments for the artists to come and see their spaces. Are you around this week to take some?”
“Sure. Just add it to my calendar so I know.”
“Got it.”
We worked through the early morning, taking a break to check on the sheds after the rain let up. Thankfully, they were dry and the installation didn’t have any leaks from an all-night soaker.
That was a good sign.
I fielded a few more calls and checked my phone to see if Amber had texted me. When lunch rolled around, I gave up and went to see if she’d left when I was distracted. I peered into my bedroom through the back door, finding a lump of female still in my bed.
I slid the door open and she held a hand up with a wave. “Hi.”
“Hello there.” I came inside, finding Velma at the bottom of the bed in a sprawl. I gave her an absent stroke on my way by.
Amber rolled over holding the book we’d started the night before.
“Hey. You started without me?”
“I didn’t mean to, but well, the book was just lying there on the couch. I couldn’t help it.”
“I was slaving out there in the rain and you’re all cozy...” I trailed off when I noticed she was wearing my thermal shirt under the blankets. “Now that’s just cruel.”
She flipped the covers open. “Then come here and I’ll warm you up.”
I laughed. “You think I won’t?”
She bit her lower lip, her eyes lit with laughter.
I toed my boots off, shucked my work pants and tossed my dusty shirt aside then dove under the covers with her. Velma hissed and hopped off the bed, her tail swishing as she flounced out the door.
Amber yelped. “You’re cold.”
“Then warm me up.” I pinned her with my leg and arm, and her delighted giggle eased a few knots that had been left over in my belly.
She wiggled under me until I was curled around her as the big spoon. She folded her arms over mine, shuddering a little. “You’re frozen.”
“It’s damp as hell out there.” I tucked my chin over her shoulder and kissed her neck. “Not mad that you’re still in my bed, even if you read the book without me.”
She curled under the blankets until only her nose was showing. “Want a recap?”
“Sure.”
I tucked her in close as she gave me a rundown of the book. Listening to her lilting voice relaxed something in me that I didn’t realize was wound up. Coming home to her each night was going to change me fundamentally, I was pretty certain.
And I was definitely here for it.
Everything was finally falling together.
I just needed to hold on tight.