“You’re seriously planning on walking there by yourself?”
“It’s only fifteen minutes. I'll be fine. It’s safer than catching the train on my own.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll walk you.”
“Connor, no. I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You aren’t asking, Katrina. I'm insisting. Let me tell the others to wait until I get back.” He trots over to the table where some of his friends are still sitting and leans down to talk to them, inclining his head toward me as he speaks. One guy gives him a pat on the back, and he returns to me to the tune of catcalls from the table.
“What did you just tell them?” I ask him, an accusatory tone to my voice.
“Nothing really. I just said that I was taking you somewhere for a ride.”
My mouth drops open, and he starts laughing at me.
“I’m joking, I’m joking.” He laughs. “I would never lie about sex with you. I will wait my turn like a man.” I give him a very unimpressed look. “Seriously though, I just told them I would walk you to meet your friend. That's all.”
“That’s all?”
He nods earnestly. “Shall we?” he asks, gesturing for me to walk with him. Then, glancing back one last time to look for David. My heart sinks, and I leave. Everything is changing.
“Thanks for walking with me,” I tell him after a while, glad to have met such an impeccable guy.
“It’s no trouble. Can’t have your mugging on my conscience.”
“I appreciate it.”
“So, this guy we’re meeting; is he the jealous type? I only really ask because I’m not keen on having my nose broken tonight.”
“He’s not going to punch you for walking me to the casino, Connor.”
“That’s good to hear. I worry about these things, you see.”
“I can understand your concern.” I smile as the casino draws nearer.
“I think we should part ways here,” he says, stopping in front of the doors. “For the safety of my nose, of course.”
“Of course.”
“And I want you to know I’ll not be telling anyone your business. Not even Kayley. But I do hope you work it all out. If not, well, you know where to find me.” He smiles and I give this funny, gentle man a hug.
“Thank you, Connor,” I whisper, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek before I let him go.
“It was my pleasure, Katrina. And I hope to see you again soon.” He tips his head then stands and watches until I’m safely through the doors before he leaves.
* * *
Elliot is already there when I reach the sports bar, leaning up against the wall outside it, looking at his phone. He’s wearing a pair of faded blue jeans, and a white v-neck t-shirt. His hair is sticking up and messy from sleeping. Basically, he looks delicious enough to make me forget about the shitty night I’ve had so far. Just the salve I need to mend my chaotic heart. Alcohol makes me poetic too.
The corridor we’re in is quiet, so the clack of my heels can be heard as I walk towards him, alerting him to my presence. He stands up properly and gives me the most brilliant smile I’ve seen on him. It makes my chest swell, and I impulsively run, jumping into his arms as he captures me in a passionate kiss that has me melting on the spot. David who?
He breaks away and smiles down at me, brushing my hair out of my face. “I was dreaming about you when you called,” he murmurs.
A little ripple skitters through my stomach and shoots down between my legs. “Good dreams, I hope.”
“Come home with me and I’ll show you.”
“I’d like that.”
The sexual tension is ubiquitous on the drive to his place. We keep catching each other’s eye and grinning, and it’s hard to stay in my seat and not jump in his lap to ride him while he drives. I’m not a door mouse in the bedroom. And I’ve really missed sex this past year. The promise of it throbs between my legs and dares me to take quite public risks.
But I abstain.
“Wait there,” Elliot says when he pulls over on a quiet street. I bite my lip in anticipation as he gets out of the car, walking around to my side to help me out. Holding my hand, he leads me to the entrance of a block of brown brick flats. It’s dark and fairly surrounded by trees, so I can’t see much, but I hear the whoosh of the ocean as I wait for him to unlock the main door.
“How far away from the ocean are you?” I can’t help but ask.
“One street,” he replies. “You can see the beach from the balcony.” We climb the beige-carpeted stairs quietly and stop in front of a brown wooden door at the top of the second flight.
“This is it,” he says, looking back over his shoulder at me. With a click the door is open, and we step inside a narrow hall.
The door swings shut, and he turns and pins me to it, his arms either side of me. I can’t stop the smile from spreading over my face as he looks hungrily into my eyes, clamping his mouth down on mine as he kisses me deeply. I slide my arms around his neck and press myself to him, curling my fingers through the back of his already messy hair. “Nice place you’ve got here,” I gasp with a raspy giggle. He hasn’t even turned the lights on.
He reaches his hands down to my backside and hoists me up, so I have to wrap my legs around his waist. “I’ll show it to you later.” He carries me down the hallway, past a formal dining room, kissing me all the way until he reaches the lounge room and sets me down, kneeling in front of me. Only then does he pause and look at me. “You drive me wild, Katrina.”
He smooths my hair away from my face and kisses a trail down my neck and chest, his hands moving to cup my small breasts and squeeze my already hard nipples. I let out a short moan as I lean my body into his hands, wanting more from him. He pulls my dress beneath my breasts and takes one little bud into his mouth, causing me to drop my head back and moan with pleasure.
Guiding me until I’m lying, he slides his hand down my body and between my thighs. I part them willingly as I feel his fingertips brush the edges of my thoroughly damp panties.
With his gaze connected to mine, I watch the pure bliss cross his features as he slips his fingers under the elastic waistband, over my mound and between my folds to the slick wetness of my arousal. I gasp, as I feel his fingers enter me, rocking my hips to the motion of his hand as it moves in and out.
Dropping his head, he takes my other nipple in his mouth, circling his tongue as he slides his finger around my already swollen clit. I think I’m going to explode then and there and moan my impending orgasm.
“Not yet,” he whispers, re-covering my breasts before getting up off the couch to scoop me up again and carry me to the bedroom.
I watch his handsome face as he carries me down the hall. I’ve never felt this light and girly before. It’s incredible for a girl my size to be carried like I weigh nothing, a complete turn on.
“You’re amazing,” I breathe, as he lays me down like precious cargo.
“Reserve your judgement for when we’re finished. I haven’t done this for a while.”
He doesn’t give me time to wonder how long it’s been before he leans down to kiss me deeply yet again, his tongue probing my mouth and dancing with mine. I catch his bottom lip in my teeth and gently suck as he pulls away.
“Do you know how hard it was not to react to you in that dress tonight?” he says, as he undoes my belt and tosses it aside. “I wanted to slide my hands up those impossibly long legs of yours and have my way with you on that table in front of everyone.” Oh, hello!
He grips the top of my dress and slides it down to expose my breasts fully. I lift my hips a little to aid him as he slips my dress down the length of my body and drops it on the floor.
He stands and removes his own shirt and jeans, revealing the well-toned body I knew was under there. Every bit of him is hard, and I mean every bit. My mouth waters just looking at him. I move to sit, desperately wanting to run my hands down his chest and over his rippling stomach and down to his…
“Lie ba
ck down,” he instructs. Obligingly, I do as he says. He runs his hands along my legs to hook his fingers into my panties and slides them off in one dramatic pull. He flicks them over his shoulder and grins devilishly at me.
Kneeling on the floor, he grabs my legs, dragging them either side of him so his face fits comfortably between them. I let out my breath, slowly anticipating his mouth on me.
“Tell me you want me, Katrina,” he breathes.
I don’t even hesitate. “I want you, Elliot.” I need this.
He lets out a moan of his own as he buries his face between my thighs, hungrily lapping at my juices and lightly flicking his tongue over my clit causing me to twitch my hips in response.
“Oh god, I’m too close. I can’t take much more of this.” I grab his head, holding him to me as he sucks at my clit and swirls his tongue, teasing my entrance with his fingers.
I call out his name, gripping his head tightly between my thighs as I explode, bucking against him as he drives his fingers inside me, curling them forward to rub that sensitive spot inside.
I can feel another orgasm mounting and call to the heavens this time, exploding once more. It has been too long since I’ve had this. Too, too long.
“Wow,” he says as he wipes at his mouth then climbs back on top of me. “I love how responsive you are.”
I bite my lip. “You’re good at the touching and the licking,” I say, feeling flushed.
He chuckles, kissing me so deeply I can taste my own sweetness in his mouth. “I’m going to fuck you now.” Reaching over to his bedside drawer, he pulls out a condom, sitting back as he applies it over his long thick shaft, while I watch unabashedly. He creeps over me and holds his weight, his arms either side of me as he nudges his tip at my entrance, locking my eyes with his, studying me.
“I’m waiting for the fucking part.” I smile, lifting my hips to nudge him closer. He drives himself inside me with one swift movement. We gasp together at the erotic intensity of being connected so deeply, and he moves himself in and out of me in time with my own hips rocking.
Each time he drives into me, I moan from the pleasure of it. “Do you think I can get you to come again?” he pants in my ear.
“Keep going like this and you will,” I gasp.
His steady rhythm is pushing and pulling at my insides, building my pleasure to the verge of exploding once more. I clench reflexively.
“I don’t think I can hold on if you keep doing that.”
“Just hold on. Hold on,” I cry, clenching tighter, my orgasm bursting through me for a third time, my starved body greedy for more. And more.
This is exactly what I needed.
He breathes out slowly as he shudders, his cock pulsing inside me as we collapse together, gasping for breath, our limbs all tangled up with each other.
“I was right,” I remark, trailing my fingers up his back. “You are amazing.”
He lifts his head and smiles brightly at me. “No, you are.” He kisses me again slowly this time, beginning to move inside me once more. I can feel his erection harden inside of me, and I gasp as he slowly grinds his hips into mine.
I wrap my legs around his middle and pull him tightly against me. He lifts me off the bed so I’m sitting on him, rocking with him as I look into his eyes and can see his passion for me, his wanting of me. This time I don’t climax, but it is beautiful, sweet and slow.
He gets up and removes his condom, wrapping it in a tissue and dropping it in the bin in the adjoining bathroom. I can’t keep my eyes off his body and watch him shamelessly as he moves back towards the bed. Putting his arm around my waist, he drags me against him, wrapping himself around me, nuzzling my neck.
“Sleep, beautiful,” he mutters against my skin. I wriggle to get comfortable, feeling safe in this cocoon his body has created around me. I close my eyes, and it doesn’t take long before his breathing evens out, and I know he’s sleeping.
As the moments pass, I can’t seem to drift off. I’m exhausted and sated, but this tiny voice in my head keeps asking, why? Why did David break his promise? Why did he go with Beth and leave me there? Where is he now? I’m tempted to sneak out of bed to check my phone, but even I know that would be a shitty thing to do. Instead, I close my eyes again and force my breathing to slow down. Why does he have to keep hurting me? I shift slightly and wipe a wayward tear as it escapes my eye. Why aren’t I ever enough?
Eighteen
I’m pulled from my sleep by the sound of my phone ringing. Grabbing my dress from the floor, I race for it, thinking it’s David finally calling me back. But, the caller ID reveals it to be my mother. “Shit,” I say to myself, realising I forgot to call her last night to tell her I wasn’t going home.
I clear the sleepiness from my throat and answer quietly, trying not to disturb Elliot.
“Are you out training already?” my mother asks immediately.
Wriggling into my dress, I’m relieved she hasn’t realised I didn’t come home, and I’m about to go along with it, but I’ve had enough of the tiny lies.
“Uh, hi Mum. No, I’m not training.” Getting my dress into place, I move into the lounge room to talk.
“Well, where are you? It’s six o’clock in the morning and your car’s not here.” She gasps as she realises what’s going on. “You didn’t even come home last night, did you?”
“No, Mum, I’m um… with Elliot,” I admit, as I sit down on the brown leather L shaped couch and tuck my feet under my body.
Suddenly, her whole demeanour changes. I can even hear the smile in her voice. “Oh, my goodness! Was it wonderful? Katey showed me his photo yesterday, and he is so attractive,” she gushes.
“Mum!”
“What?”
“I’m not telling you that stuff.” I speak quietly into the phone, not wanting Elliot to overhear.
“Sorry, it’s just a bit exciting isn’t it?”
“I suppose so.”
“I’ll talk to you when you get home then. You are coming home aren’t you?”
“I’m not sure yet. I'll call you later to let you know.”
“All right, just make sure you tell me this time OK? I got a shock this morning when I woke up and you weren’t here.”
“I’m sorry for worrying you, Mum.”
“That’s OK sweetheart, have a good time.”
We disconnect, and I smile at my phone thinking about my mum and her love of romance. Then I open my contacts list and try David again. He still hasn’t called back and now it’s morning, I’m worried about him.
No answer.
Sighing, I get up and walk into the small kitchen to grab a glass of water, feeling surprised at how tidy it is considering Elliot lives on his own. There isn’t even a cup in the sink.
Elliot’s hands snake around my waist as I stand facing the sink, drinking my water. He kisses my neck and asks, “Everything OK?”
Setting down my glass, I turn towards him, kissing him back softly. He's put on a pair of cotton pyjama pants and has left his glorious chest bare. I run my hand over the firmness of his pecs.
“Mmmm, yeah, everything’s fine. I just forgot to tell my parents I wouldn’t be home last night. My mum was worried.”
“What about your dad?”
“He’s probably still asleep at this time.”
Elliot reaches up to my face and smooths my hair back behind my ears, gently caressing my skin with his thumbs. I close my eyes, enjoying the feel of him, enjoying that I’m finally alone with him, not having to worry if anyone can see us.
He reaches down and opens the cupboard under the sink and takes a new Chux dishcloth out of the packet. I watch him curiously as he wets it and rubs some hand soap into it from the dispenser he has on the windowsill.
He then comes back over to me and ever so gently wipes it over my face. My eyes widen as I realise what I must look like having slept in my makeup from last night.
“Oh god, I must look a fright,” I exclaim, trying to take the cloth from him.
>
He moves it out of my reach. “No, you look beautiful,” he says, kissing me quickly on the mouth. “You just don’t need to wear this stuff.”
Ever so gently, he continues to clean off my makeup in slow deliberate strokes. Obligingly, I close my eyes as he glides the cloth gently over my skin.
“Keep them closed.” His voice is just above a whisper. I hear him rinse the cloth to wash the soap out before he uses it to wipe over my eyes again. “Open.” I lift my lids, blinking rapidly until they feel normal. I watch his face as he studies mine and gently wipes the mascara from under my eyes. There’s something sensual about what he’s doing to me.
I know in this moment that the slow part of our relationship is over. I need this man to take me forward. I’m willing to let go of the fear from my past relationships, and my hope for the one relationship I’ve yearned for over the years that will never happen. I’m ready to move forward and focus my affection on this man who is so strong, yet so gentle at the same time. I’m willing to put my hope in him.
“There,” he says when he’s done. “Perfect.” He brushes his knuckles along my cheek, and I catch his hand with mine, pressing a kiss to his palm.
He pulls me to him and kisses me, our tongues moving together as we moan into each other’s mouths, pressing our bodies into each other.
His hands roam down my back and towards my buttocks where he grabs me and hoists me up onto the kitchen bench. Smiling into our kiss, he slides my dress up above my still naked hips. I part my legs further as he releases his erection, circling himself at my entrance and moaning, because I’m already tremendously wet.
When he pushes inside me, I think fleetingly of a condom, although in this moment, I don’t care. I want to feel him inside me; just him and nothing else between us. I want to feel connected to him in the most intense way. I want him to make me forget…
I gasp as his silken shaft slides deep inside of me, thrusting back and forth, igniting my body with a fire that feels ready to consume my senses.
Beautiful Boxset: Beautiful Series, books 1-4 Page 17