Chapter 21
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The inside of Sullivan’s hotel suite was nice, but that was about as far as I got before his mouth was on mine and he was kissing me so thoroughly I didn’t even know or care where I was anymore. I wrapped my arms around his neck, sparks flying through me and igniting fireworks in my lower belly.
He groaned into my mouth as I kissed him back, his hands roaming from my hips, up my back, into my hair, and then around to the zipper of my dress. It was like he couldn’t get enough. Couldn’t touch everywhere he wanted to touch me without not touching another part of me at the same time.
It was utterly wild what this man did to me, but I was so intoxicated by his kisses that I felt reckless.
Like nothing else mattered except being here, in this moment, with him.
That encounter in the closet earlier had been beyond satisfying, to say the least, but it suddenly felt like it had been no more than a teaser, a little taste of what was to come.
Sullivan’s fingers brushed against my spine as he tugged at the zipper of my dress, and I shivered in response.
My fingers curled into his shirt before I hastily started undoing his buttons.
There was zero hesitance in either of us right now, no stopping to talk or even think through what we were doing.
Instead, there was only urgency and heat, both of us breathing hard and moaning as we raced through tearing the other’s clothes off like there was a medal for it waiting for us at the end.
By the time we were naked, so much heat had pooled between my legs that the insides of my thighs felt a little slick.
I’d never wanted anyone as much as I wanted Sullivan right now, and when he pushed me back on the mattress, I went willingly but pulled him with me. As much as I wanted to get a good look at him in his birthday suit, I couldn’t bring myself to let go.
He moaned into my mouth, then pulled back just enough so those piercing blue eyes could look into mine. “I’m going to go get that condom now. That okay with you?”
“Hurry.”
He didn’t wait to be told twice, just backing away and climbing off the bed to give me a quick, very sexy view as he went to grab a box from his overnight bag. My heart hammered as I watched him, my body so needy that I felt a genuine ache.
That hadn’t ever really happened to me before. Not as intense as this, at least, but after all the anticipation, the yearning for him, and the fantasies I’d concocted in my dreams, I couldn’t even really be surprised.
My only regret about this night would be that I barely got a glimpse of his long, proud erection as he rolled the condom on, and then he was on top of me.
There was a hint of tightness around his eyes as he reached down between us and positioned his cock, gently sliding the broad tip through my wet folds.
“Please,” I whispered, stroking my fingers into his hair and pulling his head back down to mine. “Please, Sullivan. Now.”
He let out a long, rough groan and pushed slowly into me, stretching me in a way that made me feel him against every sensitive inch inside.
A loud moan tore out of me, my legs wrapping around him on instinct rather than on purpose, my heels digging into his ass.
To keep him there. To hang onto that exquisite sensation.
“Fuck, Bree,” he murmured raggedly against my mouth. “How are you so goddamn fucking perfect?”
Before my brain could even catch up enough to begin formulating an answer, he started moving, sliding his hands into mine as his hips rolled in a slow, easy rhythm.
He pushed in all the way, then withdrew before thrusting in again like he just couldn’t help himself.
His kisses matched the way he was stroking my insides like he wanted to memorize every inch of being with me like this.
Everything he did made me get more and more lost in the sea of sensation he was eliciting, from the way he felt inside me, to the feverish press of his lips to mine, and how he was pushing my hands into the bed.
I didn’t know how he knew exactly what I needed in every moment, but he sure as heck seemed to.
Tension built inside me and I tugged my hands free to hang onto his shoulders. My nails dug into his skin as I pulled him closer. Sullivan groaned and started moving faster, my back arching underneath him so every thrust was deeper.
My vision blurred, my body already tensing. “Shit, Sullivan.”
The words were barely out before I came apart at the seams in an orgasm that left me breathless and shattered. Ruined for the mediocre bursts of pleasure I got from my vibrator on the rare occasion I had time to use it.
Sullivan kissed me hard, and I felt his hips jerk before he moaned into my mouth when he found his release. Neither of us moved for a long time after, but finally, he rolled off to take care of the condom.
Flat on my back, I lay naked in a ridiculous cloud of hotel pillows, trying to remember how to breathe like a normal person.
Sullivan stretched out beside me once he got back to the bed, one arm tossed over his head, his chest rising slow and steady. We were both flushed, and I was warm and wrung out in the best possible way. That floaty, boneless feeling settled in, my brain lagging a half-second behind my body.
“Well, that was productive,” I said finally, breaking the silence that was beginning to feel too loud.
He let out a low laugh. “Is that what you call it?”
“I like to stay on brand and productivity is your brand, right?” I turned my head to shoot him a smile. “Innovation. Efficiency. Progress. I think we ticked all those boxes.”
His eyes were dark and lazy, his mouth curving into a dangerously soft grin. “It’s good to know your sense of humor is intact. Here I was, wondering if things were going to be awkward now. I hate awkward.”
“So do I, but I wasn’t trying to be funny.
” I winked and rolled my head back on the pillows, my bones still feeling lighter than air.
I also couldn’t stop smiling, which was a touch inconvenient, but not entirely unexpected.
“So, what happens now? Are you going to not so subtly tell me that you have to be up early in the morning so it’s best if I just leave now? ”
Strangely, I didn’t really want to leave, but I knew how this worked. We’d relieved the tension that had been building between us for so long and now it was likely he was going to turn into the typical man post one-night stand.
“You could leave,” he said, sounding like he was thinking out loud. “If you want to, that is. I won’t chain you to the bed. Mostly because the chains are in my other overnight bag, but you do realize we never actually ate at the liberation party?”
My heart rate spiked. Wait, does this mean he wants me to stay? I mean, I know the chains thing was a joke, but…
“Oh my God.” I groaned and pressed my palms to my face. “You’re right. We danced, we drank, we made out in a closet, and through it all, we never got around to dinner.”
“A tragic oversight.”
“I’m starving.”
He shifted closer, propping himself up on one elbow. “Room service?”
I peeked at him through my fingers. “Is that an actual question or are you just narrating what you’re about to do anyway?”
“It’s an actual question,” he said solemnly. “I, however, am strongly in favor.”
I dropped my hands and smiled, turning to face him again. “Yes. Please. Before I pass out.”
He gave me a playful little salute and sat up in bed, reaching for the menu on the nightstand and flipping it open. “Okay. Don’t judge me.”
“I will absolutely judge you.” At least that way, I’ll have something else to do with my brain than think about how much I like playful, post-coital Sullivan. “Do you want to tell me what I’m judging you for?”
“How much food we’re about to order.” He scanned the page. “Burger. Fries. A Caesar salad so we can pretend to be healthy, but absolutely not be”
“Add the truffle mac and cheese,” I said immediately.
He glanced at me. “Already there.”
“How about some chocolate cake?”
He arched an eyebrow at me. “You want more cake?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
He laughed again and it made something warm bloom in my chest. “Anything else?”
“Those little fancy sliders.”
“Of course. This is already too much food. Just so you know, I’m judging you right back, but how do you feel about bacon on the side?”
“We’re healing,” I said. “Emotionally. Bacon is a must.”
“That’s sound medical advice.” He picked up the phone and placed the call, rattling off the order like he did this all the time, which he probably did. After adding a bottle of champagne to the order at the last minute, he hung up and looked at me like he’d just realized something.
“What?” I asked.
“We should probably get dressed before they get here.”
“Ugh. Reality blows.”
Laughing as he rolled off the bed, he stood and stretched his arms out above his head, utterly unbothered by his nakedness. I very deliberately tried not to stare but failed immediately. The man was unfairly hot, but he was especially sexy with all those well-defined muscles on display.
“I’m looking,” I said when he caught me red-handed, ogling his muscular thighs. “Just so we’re clear.”
He smirked. “I’d be offended if you weren’t.”
I grabbed one of the robes and slipped it on, tying it loosely while he pulled on sweatpants and a T-shirt from his overnight bag. Sighing once he was all covered up again, I sat back down on the bed and tipped my head, just watching him for a moment.
“What?” he asked, coming back to the bed and sitting down on the very edge. I followed the movement with my eyes as he ran a hand through that thick, sandy hair, then laughed. “Seriously, what?”
“Nothing much.” I shrugged, picking at the robe before finally shaking my head and looking up at him past my loose hair. “You just surprise me, is all.”
A slow grin spread on his lips and he nodded. “Yeah, I know the feeling. You’re not really what I was expecting either.”
Our gazes remained locked for a long, drawn-out beat, but then the knock came and we both jumped. Sullivan took the cart, tipped generously, and wheeled it in, the room filling almost immediately with the scent of fries, garlic, and something rich and cheesy that made my stomach growl.
“Okay,” I said as he stopped the cart at the foot of the bed. “That smells awesome. I forgive you for a great many things right now. This was the perfect idea.”
“More progress,” he said cheerfully, handing me a plate.
We ate sprawled against the headboard, trading bites without asking and our knees bumping every once in a while. Fries went missing. Sauce ended up on my finger and he grabbed my hand, licking it off while intently holding my gaze, like he was testing me.
“Behave,” I warned, already a little breathless again.
“I am behaving,” he said. “I haven’t done anything.”
“That’s the problem.”
He smiled and my pulse kicked up, but he didn’t let go of my hand, drawing these little patterns on my skin with his fingertips. By the time the plates were half empty, my skin felt electrified by his touches, my nipples hardening more with every pass.
Finally, when he leaned over and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to my shoulder, I set my fork down slowly, moving my plate to the nightstand. “We’re not going to sleep yet, are we?”
“Not if you keep looking at me like that,” he said quietly, eyes on mine as he moved his plate to the cart and then crawled up the mattress.
“Sullivan. No.” I laughed, but the sound came out husky and my cheeks were probably the same color as the ketchup that had been on my finger. “We just ate.”
“Intermission,” he said, reaching for me.
I didn’t even try to fight it, wiggling down on the bed until he had me pinned beneath his body, his lips devouring mine.
Deftly undoing the loose knot I’d tied in the robe’s belt, he kissed a path down my neck, nipping and licking my stomach before spreading my thighs apart and making me see stars all over again.
We didn’t talk much as he sank into me after, just hands, and mouths, and that familiar pull between us, like gravity had opinions about where we belonged.
I didn’t think I’d really understood the word insatiable fully until now, but Sullivan was so good at this that I strongly suspected I would never be able to get enough.
With him on top of me, moving inside me, and my fingers gripping his hair, it also didn’t feel like I would have to. He hadn’t rushed me out of the room earlier and he was taking his time again now, making me shiver and tremble, and really drawing out my pleasure.
When my limbs had gone pleasantly useless after, we collapsed back into the pillows with our bodies pressed together like they’d decided this was the correct arrangement.
I curled into him without thinking, my cheek against his chest and his arm heavy around my shoulders.
He kissed the top of my head almost absentmindedly, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“This is nice,” I murmured.
“Yeah,” he said. “It is.”
Tucked safely into his arms, I suddenly didn’t feel like this would be over after tonight, but I also didn’t want to question it right now.
Instead, I just let my eyelids grow heavy, the day finally catching up to me.
Just before sleep pulled me under, I felt him tighten his hold on me like he was anchoring us both in place.
I didn’t fight that either, not really sure why I was so comfortable with him all of a sudden, but it seemed Sullivan Crowne had a way of drawing me in. I just wasn’t sure what would be waiting for us on the other side of all this.
Somehow, I already knew that in the harsh light of the morning, things just wouldn’t look quite the same. I simply didn’t want to think about any of that right now.