by A. M. Myers
“Diego,” I whisper, need creeping into my voice and he groans, pulling back just enough for his lips to find mine. He takes my breath away as he slips his hand around to support the back of my neck and I melt into him, gripping his cut and pulling him closer. The kiss becomes more insistent and every single cell in my body sings in relief but it’s cut short when he pulls back, chuckling.
“You’re so damn distracting but there is something else in there for you.”
I shake my head, leaning in to kiss him again. “I don’t care.”
“Izzy,” he groans, planting a few more quick but hot kisses against my lips before he pulls back and shakes his head. “I got a whole plan here and you’re kind of throwing a wrench in the works.”
“More surprises?” I ask, pinning him with a glare that makes him laugh as he nods his head. His gaze darts to the bag, ordering me to keep opening my present with just a look and I let out a huff of annoyance as I go back to the bag. After peeling the tissue paper back, I frown and pull a pile of fabric out of the bag. It’s deep blue with a dainty flower pattern in whites and pinks and I glance up at him, my brows knitted together. I turn back to the fabric and unfold it, holding it up in front of me as my eyes widen.
“You got me a dress?”
He nods. “The lady at the maternity store helped me pick it out but I think it’ll fit.”
I study the dress in front of me and I’m surprised that I actually really like it. It’s made of a light fabric that will keep me from getting too hot in the Louisiana summer and the neckline is in the shape of a “V” which will allow me to show off my new necklace, too. There are short sleeves that have little ruffles at the end that match the ruffles at the hem of the dress. It looks like it will hit me mid-thigh and in my mind, I pair it with my white wedge sandals that Diego packed three weeks ago when he took clothes from my house. They will match perfectly and I kind of can’t believe that he put all of this together.
“Thank you.” I drop the dress to my lap and meet his eyes, hoping he can see just how grateful I am. In the past fourteen years, I’ve been on more dates than I could even begin to count and slept with my fair share of men but I’ve never felt this special, this cherished. I can’t even blame them though. If a guy had even tried to do something like this for me, I would have deemed it as him getting too close and I would have cut things off right there but with Diego… there is no cutting this off. He’s in my life for the next eighteen years, whether I like it or not, and right now, my mind and my heart are at war.
“You like it?”
I blink, dragged from my thoughts by his voice and I shake my head. “I love it. Thank you so much for doing this for me. I’m shocked but I really do feel better.”
There is a proud smile on his face as he leans in and claims my lips again, branding me with his kiss and I moan. I toss the dress to the bed beside me and crawl over to him, settling myself in his lap. A groan is pulled from his lips as he wraps his arms around my waist, dragging me even closer to his body. Heat rolls off him and I desperately want to feel it against my bare skin as his fingers tangle in my hair and his lips drag down the side of my neck.
“Fuck, Mama,” he groans, tugging on my hair until I drop my head back and cry out. “We’re going to have to take this into the shower because we need to get ready to go.”
Go?
Go where?
His teeth scrape against my skin and all other thoughts flee my mind. Hunger lines his every touch as he kisses his way back to my lips and I moan into him. I throw my arms over his shoulders and wrap my legs around his waist. Two strong hands grab my ass and he stands, turning toward the bathroom but he never stops kissing me. As he carries me across the room, I shed as many clothes as I can from the both of us, dropping them like breadcrumbs. When we get to the large walk-in shower, he sets me down and I quickly shove my shorts and panties off as he turns on the water. Once we’re both naked, he wraps his hand around the back of my neck, ripping a moan from my throat that he swallows with a kiss.
He walks us into the shower and under the spray, steam curling around our bodies. I reach between us but before I can wrap my hand around his cock, he spins me toward the wall and presses the front of my body up against it. The chill of the tile heightens my arousal and I moan again, pressing my hands against the wall and arching my back. Moving behind me, he keeps a firm grip on the back of my neck and slips his other hand between my legs, toying with my clit as he leans in. His breath rushes past my ear and I shudder.
“As much as I’d love to spend all night right here,” he rasps, his voice full of razorblades that make goose bumps race across my flesh. I can’t catch my breath. “You’re going to need to be quick this time so we can get to the rest of your surprise.”
Normally, I would argue. I would spin around, pin him with a glare, and demand to know what we’re doing this evening or where we’re going because I’m not a fan of surprises but right now, I don’t care. He can take me anywhere he damn well pleases as long as he makes my body break in that way that he does, shattering me into a million little pieces before putting me back together with his magic hands. The thought should scare the hell out of me but my trust in Diego is absolute. He would never do anything to hurt me or make me uncomfortable. He makes me feel safe enough to give up the control I usually cling to and tonight, I’m going to lean into the feeling.
The hand on the back of my neck moves to the front, wrapping around my throat as his fingers thrum against my clit, sending me higher and higher as warmth floods my body. I rise up on my toes and fall back into his hard chest, soaking up the feeling of him against me. Grabbing his arm, I pray that he’ll give me what I need without too much teasing. Sure, he said it would be quick but I know Diego and he likes to torture me and make me wait for the pleasure I’m so frantic for. So many nights, I’ve laid underneath him begging for relief but it’s never that easy with him.
God, I love it though.
“Yes,” I gasp as a wave of pleasure washes over me, a small taste of the release building inside me. But I want more. I buck my hips against his hand and his fingers tighten around my throat as he growls in my ear. I whimper as my nipples tighten almost painfully and my pussy clenches with need. “I need more. I need you, please.”
“This isn’t about me, Mama.”
I nod, pressing my ass back against his rigid cock. “But I need it. Please.”
“Fuck,” he rasps, pulling his fingers away from my clit and reaching between us to line the head of his erection up with my pussy before sinking into me. A gasp rips itself from my throat as relief rushes through me and I close my eyes, falling back into his large body.
He keeps one hand on my throat while the other presses against my lower belly, encouraging me to arch my back and tilt my hips toward him as he drags his cock out of me and surges forward again. Crying out, my hands find the wall and I hang on as he finds a pace he likes that is all erratic need without the hint of the teasing he usually likes. I couldn’t be more grateful.
“Jesus,” he whispers, his breath brushing over my ear and I shiver. “You are so wet and warm, Izzy. I could stay here for the rest of my fucking life, just pounding your sweet little pussy until I take my last breath.”
I shudder, my body galloping toward the release that I need more than air or food or life. “God, yes, Diego.”
“You’re getting close. I can feel it,” he says and I nod. His fingers tighten on my throat again and I moan, grabbing his arm and clinging to it. The other hand moves between my legs, playing with my clit as he pounds into me harder and faster. Each ragged breath he takes is rushing past my ear and driving me closer to my orgasm. “Make sure you scream my name, Isabelle. Let the whole fucking world know who makes you come better than you ever have before.”
My release flashes through me like wildfire and I do as I’m told, crying out his name as my knees give out. Of course, he doesn’t let me fall though, wrapping his arm around me and holding me to him as my
entire body shakes in his grip. My core pulses around him, massaging his length and somewhere, in the midst of my pleasure, his grip on me tightens and a deep groan echoes off the shower walls. I peek up at him. Diego’s head is thrown back and pleasure lines his handsome face as his cock jerks inside me wildly with his release. My heart hammers in my chest and I gasp for each breath as he slowly sets me back on my feet, his eyes meeting mine. There is so much in his brown depths, things that excite and scare the hell out of me in equal measure. Instead of studying it further or analyzing what the hell it means, I turn and push up on my tiptoes to steal a kiss. He groans, his arms wrapping around my waist and holding me close as he kisses me like he can’t get enough of me.
And if the past couple of weeks are any indication, he can’t.
“Time to wash you,” he murmurs against my lips before pulling away and spinning me toward the water. Grabbing the shampoo from the shelf, he pours some into his hand before working it into my hair. His fingers massage my scalp, making sure that every strand is clean and by the time he turns me back toward him so he can rinse my hair, I am a puddle on the floor. No one and I truly mean no one has ever cared for me like this. The gesture reaches into my chest, to a place that very few people are allowed access to and I can’t take my eyes off of him as he works to make sure all the shampoo is out of my hair.
He does the same with the conditioner before rinsing it and the entire time, I can’t take my eyes off of him. The look on his face… he appears honored to be the one tasked with taking care of me and my heart thumps erratically in my chest as my stomach turns. I’m not used to this and it’s quite clear that he’s managed to short circuit my brain. Except not in the sexy, fun time kind of way.
Once the conditioner is rinsed from my hair, he grabs the body wash and flashes me a smile as he positions the open bottle above me and lets the soap drizzle over my tits. I fight back a grin. Satisfied with his work, he sets the bottle back on the shelf and begins carefully dragging his hands over my skin, working the soap into a lather, and flashing me quick glances that make my mind fuzzy. It’s stupid but there is a small part of me that tries to imagine what it would be like to have this – to be taken care of, loved, and cherished like Ali or Carly are every single day.
No.
I grit my teeth, hard, as I shake my head to myself and push the thought away. Before my best friends met their husbands and fell in love, I stopped believing in the concept all together but it’s impossible to look at Ali with Logan or Carly with Chance and deny that love exists. It’s clear in every look, every touch they share that it’s real. It’s just not meant for everyone and it’s certainly not meant for me. Allowing myself to fall into that fantasy where Diego and I might make this work and ride off into the sunset is how you end up broken beyond repair.
I won’t go back there.
Besides, it’s not even like that. What we have is simple and complicated at the same time but it will never go beyond what it is now and it’s stupid to even think like that. Not to mention, weak as hell. When I’m all clean, Diego turns me toward the shower door and smacks my ass as he shifts underneath the spray.
“Go get ready while I finish up in here.”
In a daze, I walk out of the shower and yank a towel off of the rack on the wall, wrapping it around my body and leaving the bathroom without looking back at him. I’m not trying to be a cold bitch or ungrateful for the tenderness he just showed me but I seriously need to get my shit under control before I have to face him again.
With renewed determination, I quickly get ready – doing a simple makeup look with mascara, blush, and a little gloss before putting my hair back in a low bun to combat the Louisiana heat. Once that is done, I dig through my duffel bag and find the sexiest pair of panties Diego packed for me. They certainly aren’t the raciest thing I owned before it all went up in flames but the red lace will do the trick tonight. Besides, it’s not like I need any help to seduce the man.
By the time I grab the dress off the bed and slip into it, I’m feeling more like myself, completely in control, and I take a deep breath before approaching the mirror. My reflection stares back at me – color staining my cheeks, my lips swollen from Diego’s assault on my body, and a sparkle in my eye that excites the hell out of me. I don’t know what it is but there is this electricity skating over my skin that tells me tonight is going to be a good night. Running the tip of my finger along the neckline of my new dress, I inspect it in the mirror. It’s not my usual style but I love the way it clings to my curves and makes me feel so damn pretty and feminine. God, it’s going to drive Diego out of his mind all evening and a thrill runs through me at the thought.
“Isabelle.” His rough voice rushes over me and I barely resist the urge to close my eyes and moan. God, that orgasm, as spectacular as it was, wasn’t enough and I am going to be aching the entire evening until we get back here and I can make him watch me peel this dress off my body. “You are so fucking gorgeous.”
I lean back into him when he steps up behind me with a towel covering the lower half of his body and not a damn thing else. Tattoos cover almost every inch of him and his wet hair falls into his face, making him look so damn fuckable. As he places his hands on my hips, I study the image of the two of us together and suck in a breath. We just fit, like we’re meant for each other or something.
No.
That’s crazy.
His brown eyes meet mine and he smiles, dragging one hand up my body to my throat. He grips it gently, sending a shudder racing through my body. The move is possessive and unlike the other times men have tried to do something similar to me, hot as fuck. With Diego, everything in me isn’t screaming to elbow him in the gut and regain the control or yelling at me to tear him down until he knows that he can’t push me around.
“You ready to go?” he asks, leaning down and pressing a slow, deliberate kiss to my neck, his gaze flicking up to my face in the mirror. I watch him, enraptured.
“Not if you keep doing that.”
He smiles against my skin. “All I can think about is stripping that dress off of you and eating your sweet little pussy until you’re moaning my name.”
“I’m good with that,” I tell him, leaning back into his body and imagining just that. It’s not hard to picture. Diego excels in all things when it comes to giving me pleasure but he’s particularly good at driving me out of my mind with his tongue alone. “But I’m not the one with plans.”
“Shit. You’re right.” He pulls away and I let out a squeak of protest as I reach behind me to grab him and drag him back to me. Why in the hell did I even say that? There isn’t a single part of me that wouldn’t rather stay here and let him have his way with me. I catch his gaze in the mirror and he grins, stepping out of my reach.
“I was kidding. Forget the plans and throw me on the bed.”
He laughs. “Is that an open-ended invitation?”
“No.”
“Liar,” he says, laughing again as he steps up behind me and holds the necklace out in front of me. Sighing, I grab my hair and move it out of the way so he can put the jewelry on me. When it’s clasped, he places his hands on my waist again and leans down, pressing a quick kiss to my shoulder. “We both know I can have you wherever and whenever I want.”
“Are you saying I’m a whore?”
His smile is lethal as he leans in and whispers, “No. I’m saying you’re mine.”
Holy shit.
The words shouldn’t excite me so much – I know this. They shouldn’t make my heart race and my pussy clench with need but… God, they do. The rational part of my brain that is rapidly shrinking with each second I stare at him in the mirror tells me that this is very, very bad. But I shove the thought away before examining it too closely because this feels too good to let go of just yet.
But I will.
As soon as the guys find Luca and put an end to all this, things between Diego and me will go back to normal and we’ll just be co-parents but until then, I w
ant to soak up every second of bliss that I can. No matter what, though, I will not allow him to break down my walls and worm his way into my heart.
That would be a disaster.
Chapter Twenty-One
Isabelle
The live band plays a cover of “She Talks to Angels” by The Black Crowes and I swing my hips, grateful for a more mellow song so I can finally catch my breath. Peeking over at the table, I catch Diego’s gaze lingering on me, just like it has been all night, and I bite back a smile. As soon as we were both ready for the evening, he led me out to the truck and made me put a blindfold over my eyes before he would even start the damn vehicle. It took ten minutes of intense arguing before I ripped the fabric out of his hand and put it over my eyes. Maybe it was a tad dramatic but I was not pleased and I stewed on the entire fifteen-minute drive over to Moe’s Bar and Grill – the club’s favorite establishment. It’s run by family which means it’s the perfect place for us to come and let off a little steam without worrying about the danger that is lurking around me.
“That man can’t take his eyes off of you,” Ali says, looking over at Diego and I turn away from him to hide my smile as I roll my eyes.
“The same could be said for you and the grumpy one next to him,” I shoot back and she laughs, glancing over at her husband as he sits next to Diego, sipping on a beer and watching her shake her ass. When we pulled into the parking lot and Diego finally gave me the go ahead to take off the blindfold, the first thing I saw was my best friends and their husbands, ready for what I think is a triple date but I didn’t want to ask. Dates are the kind of thing couples do and after my meltdown in the shower earlier, I’m so not going there. In my mind, this is just Diego going above and beyond to cheer me up after a hard week.