Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
D raven led the way into his home. He wasn’t sure what the hell he was doing. All he knew was that he didn’t want Cashea to leave. The sound of her gasp when his house came into view had done something to him. He had taken his time when designing the home. He’d tried to think of everything that would be needed in a sprawling country house on a ranch. When his father had approached him to come up with plans for the house, it had been years before he had retired. Why had he built a house this size? He’d like to think he had thought of everything that would be needed and desired in a home, but the one thing he was missing was someone to share it with .
But what he’d learned about himself by the time he had retired from the military was that he would be better off alone. At least that was what he had thought until he had met her. His hands were covered in blood for his country. He had become a monster all in the name of freedom. He was a soldier acting on orders.
Now he was no longer that person.
When Cashea looked at him, she didn’t see anything but Draven. He liked the way she took him in when she thought he didn’t know she was staring at him.
He swallowed hard as he led her through the house. It amazed him that he had led full battalions into battles and completed missions, but when it came to Cashea, he froze. He didn’t know how to be the man she would need. He wasn’t even sure what she wanted.
Hell, what did he want?
Peace.
He wanted that little piece of Heaven that he’d experienced with her. Her smile, her laugh, the softness of her skin against his had him feeling things he had never thought he would experience.
“You live here all by yourself?” she asked.
They had already been through part of the home. He had figured by the way she’d reacted that she’d want a tour.
“Um, yeah. I do,” he said.
She followed behind him closely, and they went into the kitchen. He reached over and flipped the light on and didn’t miss the small gasp that escaped her. He stepped to the side as she brushed past him. Her big brown eyes were round as saucers. She moved to the center of the kitchen and walked over to the large island. She ambled around it, sliding her hand along the marble counter. Draven paid attention to her and her reactions. It was easy to see that she was impressed.
“Oh my, look at the stove.” She rushed over to the six-burner, name-brand stove that had set him back a pretty penny. It was said to be the best on the market. Not that he cooked much. He could do a little something in the kitchen if he needed to. “I’ve seen one like this on the home network, but I never seen it up close and personal.”
She flew around the room, squealing with delight at each discovery. Who the hell would be excited about appliances and pantries in a kitchen? Draven couldn’t take his eyes off her. She went over to the double doors that led out to the back porch. She pressed her nose to the window and tried to look out through the glass.
Draven pushed off the doorjamb and strolled over to the light switch for the back porch. He flipped it so she could see. He watched her expression light up. He wished it was daylight so she could see what he got to see every morning. There was nothing better than sitting out on the porch with a cup of coffee first thing when the sun breached the horizon. It was an amazing sight, and he wished he could share that with her.
His cold heart cracked.
Was he truly wanting more?
“Draven, you have a beautiful home.” She turned to him with a soft smile on her lips. She leaned back against the door. Her hand lifted and tucked strands of her dark hair behind her ear.
Draven’s gaze coasted from her big brown eyes, to her plump lips, to the swell of her breasts down to her wide hips. He stood before her, trapping her between him and the glass.
He reached up and cupped her face. She leaned into his palm, her eyes not wavering from his. Those plump lips of hers curved into a soft smile.
“Maybe one more night?” she whispered.
“Yeah.” Draven swooped down and captured her lips with his. He couldn’t help himself. He was supposed to stay away from her, but she was wearing down on the walls he had erected around himself. Her sigh, the feeling of her large mounds crushed between them, and those small fingers of hers entwining themselves in the hair at the base of is neck had him in a desperate need to sink inside her.
He wanted Cashea, but he didn’t know how to tell her that.
He may not be a man who was good with words at the moment, but he would show her.
He broke the kiss and took his time blazing a trail of hot kisses along her jawline and down to her neck. He nuzzled the column of her throat and inhaled. Her perfume was intoxicating. He didn’t know what it was, but it would always remind him of her. His tongue slid along her skin, taking a taste of her.
Cashea’s fingers tightened in his hair. He welcomed the pain. Between that and the pleasure he was sure to find between her legs, it would prove that he was alive.
He reached for her shirt and tugged it over her head. His gaze greedily took her in. She had on a pale-pink lace bra that did nothing to hide her large dark areolas. Cashea didn’t hesitate to do the same to his shirt. They both found their way onto the floor. She traced the lines of his chest with her fingertips. She moved down to his abdomen until her fingers came to rest on his belt buckle.
“Cashea,” he murmured.
“Don’t speak.” Her finger came to rest on his lips. Her wide eyes met his as she shook her head.
His heart raced, and he fell victim to the depths of her brown pools. Everything about this woman captivated him. He couldn’t—no, wouldn’t—resist any longer.
“Just me and you. No thinking. Just enjoying each other.”
She reached up and brought his head down to hers. Their lips met in another hot, passionate kiss. Draven tilted his head to the side and reached for her. His hand settled on the base of her neck to hold her to him. In the morning, he’d tell her how he felt. That he wanted to explore what this was between them. He didn’t want her thinking he was only using her for pleasure.
He needed more.
The pile of clothing on the floor grew until they were both completely naked. Cashea’s body was made to be worshiped, and he was going to do exactly that. Just not in the kitchen up against a glass door. He bent down and swung her up in his arms. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he stalked out of the kitchen.
“What’s so funny?” he asked. He arrived at the stairs that led to the second floor. He hadn’t taken her up there during the tour. She could see the rest of the house in the morning.
“I’m too heavy. I’ve never had anyone just pick me up and carry me the way you keep doing.” Her warm breath skated along his neck.
He took the stairs in an easy jog. He didn’t even want to think of the men who she had been with before. She didn’t weigh that much. He’d picked up bales of hay that weighed more. Hell, the equipment he’d had to adorn when he was deployed weighed more. What type of men?—
No, he wasn’t going to go there.
He arrived at his bedroom door and nudged it open with his foot. He hadn’t left any lights on when he’d gone out earlier. He really didn’t need to. He knew the layout of his room like the back of his hand. He gently placed Cashea down onto the bed. He reached for the lamp on the nightstand. He needed to see her. He flicked the light on and turned back to her. His breath was snatched from his lungs.
She was perfect.
He had never imagined any woman in his bed. He’d never brought anyone here before. She was the first woman to grace the four walls of his private domain.
Her brown skin practically glowed in the low light. He inhaled sharply and had to rein in the animalistic urges he had. Cashea deserved to feel like the beautiful woman she was. He had seen the insecurities in her eyes their first night together. He wanted to erase all the doubts that may linger in her brain. There was nothing wrong with her.
He took hold of her ankle. It was so tiny and delicate in his hand. He caressed her skin, sliding his hand up her calf. She propped herself up on her elbows and watched him. Her legs fell open, revealing her core. His already hard cock swelled even more. He ignored it. This was about her. He crawled onto the bed and braced himself over her. She fell back onto the mattress. He followed her down and took her lips in a crushing kiss.
Here with her, he didn’t have any worries or cares. Those demons that haunted him were silent. He focused on the woman who made him feel. His tongue swept inside her mouth. She met him unabashedly. Her arms came around him and locked him into her. Her moans and sighs drove him crazy. He needed to hear her scream. Wanted to feel her body shake as it had before.
He broke the kiss and moved down to her tantalizing breasts. They were worthy of his attention. They filled his hands perfectly. He suckled and licked both of them. He wasn’t going to rush this night. He cupped one of the mounds and brought it to his mouth where he drew the nipple deep into his mouth. Cashea’s back arched off the bed. Her hips gyrated against his stomach.
“Draven,” she moaned.
He loved hearing his name fall from her tongue. He switched to the other side and repeated the motions. He could lie here all night and day and never tire of tasting her body. He finally went down farther. He took his time kissing and licking every aspect of her that he could. He wanted to memorize every part of her until he knew her body as well as he knew his own.
He arrived at her center. The womanly aroma greeted him. He spread her legs wide and bit back a growl at the evidence of her desire coating her labia. He slid a finger through her folds, and it came away coated with her creaminess.
“Fuck,” he growled.
He dropped his head and ran his tongue through the same path. Her essence exploded on his taste buds. He officially couldn’t get enough of her. Cashea’s fingers found their way to his hair and threaded themselves through the thick locks. He dragged his tongue up to her clit where he suckled it into his mouth.
Cashea’s cry broke the silence. Her grip on his hair tightened, and he feasted upon her. There was no other place he’d rather be than right there. Her thighs shook as he took his time. He’d build her pleasure until she could do nothing but scream through her orgasm. He played with her clit, teased it, tugged on it. Cashea writhed on the bed underneath him, chanting his name.
He pushed a finger inside her soaked core. He was greeted with her tight walls and the slickness that was working its way from her channel. He growled, knowing that when he sank in deep, it would be heaven. He introduced another finger, needing to stretch her out a bit. He was a big guy and didn’t want to cause her any pain.
“Oh!” Cashea cried out .
Her hips set a rhythm with his fingers, and he thrust them deep into her. He latched on to her clit and refused to let up on it until she came. Her cries soon turned to shouts. Her muscles grew taut, and the mattress shook from her body trembling. She was close. He could feel it. He rotated his fingers and found the spot he had been looking for. Cashea screamed, her thighs clamping down tight on his head. He pushed them apart while he continued to focus on drawing out her orgasm. Her body flopped onto the bed, spent. Her muscles relaxed, and she just lay on the bed, panting with her eyes closed. He withdrew his fingers from her core and used the next few minutes to lick every ounce of cream that had slipped from her.
Draven sat back on his haunches and flipped her over onto her stomach. He used his hand to raise her onto her knees. He ran a hand along his cock and was greeted with a few beads of his sticky liquid. He took in the sight of her ass up in the air. He ran his hands over the globes before he lined up the blunt tip of his cock with her drenched opening.
He pushed forward and sank completely inside her. Their simultaneous groans filled the air. Her warm channel welcomed him without restraint. Her walls closed around him tight. This slickness from her orgasm allowed him to slip right in. He closed his eyes and gripped her hips, unable to move for a second. Her pussy was made for him. So tight and wet. He was trying to not blow his fucking load right there. Nothing could compare to what he was experiencing at the moment. It was as if he was finally home.
“Cashea.” Her name fell from his lips.
She went to brace herself on her hands, but he placed one of his on the center of her back and pushed her down. He didn’t want her any other way but how she was. He withdrew slightly and sank in. A moan was ripped from him. Slow and steady was not going to work at the moment. He thrust hard, drawing out cries and gasps from Cashea.
He couldn’t stop himself. His hips moved on autopilot; he thrust continuously. It was as if he was possessed. He pounded into her, unable to get deep enough. She took everything he gave. Her hands gripped the bedding. She threw her hips back toward him. The sounds of their lovemaking filled the air.
Draven couldn’t catch his breath. Sweat slid down his temple, and his body trembled from his own orgasm chasing him. His balls drew up close, and he could no longer hold back. He bent down over Cashea, covering her back with his chest. Her cries were muffled by the bed, but he felt the way her muscles clamped down on him as she came again. His hips continued their motion, and finally, he tipped over the edge into ecstasy.
He roared, his climax slamming into him. Hot spurts of his release shot out of him and flew into Cashea’s womb. His hips slowed, and he thrust again, another wave of his release escaping him. He dragged in air to his lungs and caught himself before he fell completely on Cashea. He paused, leaving his semisoft cock still nestled inside her. Cashea’s skin was slick with a thin sheen of sweat. Her head was buried in the blanket. He dropped a soft kiss on her shoulder and bit back a wince.
Fuck.
He hoped he hadn’t been too rough with her.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” A slight panic filled him. He withdrew from her warm sheath and felt the evidence of their activities coat his cock. He rolled to the side of her, trying to catch his breath.
“Hmm?” Her head popped up suddenly.
Her dark hair fell like a curtain over her face where he couldn’t see her. She pushed it out of the way, and her gaze fell on him. His heart was already racing, but in that moment, seeing her expression of satisfaction, it skipped a beat.
“Not hardly,” she said.
He jerked his head into a nod. He reached for her and rearranged them on the bed where he fell back onto the pillows with her cuddled up into his arms. He pulled the blankets over them and for the first time felt at peace in his own home. He glanced down at Cashea who had fallen fast asleep.
He leaned over and turned off the light. In the morning, they’d have a conversation. He liked her just where she was and hoped she wanted to stay there.