by Sam Crescent
“It’s not a scary place anymore, Skye. You don’t have to be afraid of it anymore.”
“I’m not afraid, not anymore. I just want to move on. Mitch died, and so did his brother. We’ve been free, and yet I’ve been acting like they’ve got control over me. I’m done with living half a life.” She cupped his face, kissing him again. “You need to get washed. You smell.”
“I smell of a sexy man.” He grabbed her ass, pulling her close. Just having her in his arms, it was heaven. He didn’t want to let her go.
Hearing her chuckle was everything to him.
Let the past go.
Let it all fucking go.
Pressing his face against her neck, he breathed in the scent of her. For however long Skye wanted to wait, he’d try.
His patience for getting what he wanted wasn’t so great.
****
Three weeks later
Skye stared down at the vague text message Noah had sent. Her heart pounded as she wondered what could be an emergency. She’d not seen him all day, and she’d come to expect him being out of the office. She still worked outside of his main office for the finance department. He’d also made sure their relationship wasn’t a secret either. The press had a field day with that.
There had been a story about their past dug up, but it was only an old picture of two missing teens. He’d put a guard on her ass to make sure she wasn’t alone, which she hated. She preferred her privacy, but she liked being around Noah far more than being alone.
Of course, with their new relationship coming up in the media, Martin had been in touch with her to have lunch.
She’d been eating lunch with her ex when Noah’s text appeared. Did he know she’d been eating with Martin? She hoped he wasn’t concerned. She knew she’d hurt him by turning down his proposal. She loved him so much, and it scared her to rush into anything, especially now, after all they’d been through. What they had, it was special, and she didn’t want to lose what they’d found together. There was nothing between her and Martin. There were no feelings for him, not even fondness, but she felt obliged to have lunch. They had shared a great deal together, and there was nothing for her to hide. Pushing her hair from her face, she recalled the accusations flung her way from Martin. She never once told him about her kidnapping. He found all of that out in the newspaper. He only knew her sexual desires, the ones Noah always played out with her.
The ones that made her feel in equal measure dirty and good.
Martin wasn’t part of her life anymore, and he wouldn’t be again. The entire lunch, until she received this text message, she’d wanted to be as far away from him as humanly possible. There was no love there and hadn’t been for a long time. But this made her finally feel she could put an end on that part of her life. Martin was a huge mistake.
Now though, she was flooded with guilt.
Where was Noah?
He’d told her to meet her at the apartment to talk.
Even his text sounded pissed off.
She could only imagine he knew she’d been to lunch with Martin. It wasn’t anything of concern. They were never getting back together. What kind of guy takes you to lunch only to spend the entire time blaming you for everything?
There was no way she’d stay in that kind of relationship, not now. Not after she knew there was another choice. Noah wasn’t some kind of rebound, and Martin, well, he’d been the guy she thought she wanted. The love she had for him, it hadn’t been real, not even a little bit. They were both two different people, and that wasn’t going to change, not ever.
Running fingers through her hair, she nodded at the receptionist on the main desk of their apartment building and went straight for the elevator. There was no way she wanted to prolong this wait.
All she was interested in was getting to Noah.
Tapping her fingers against her thigh, she tried to stay calm and keep her emotions in check, but it wasn’t working.
She was so nervous.
What if Noah saw her lunch with Martin as a betrayal?
Shaking her head, she was thankful when the elevator came to a stop and she was able to walk out, rushing to the door.
She pushed in her key, unlocking the door, closing it behind her.
“Noah!”
She called his name a second time. There was no sound. No noise. Nothing.
“Look, I guess you heard about my lunch date with my ex, but it was nothing.”
She let out a scream as someone moved behind her. Before she could turn around, he had a hand wrapped around her mouth and her body crushed against his back.
For a split second, panic flooded her.
When he spoke, she felt this overwhelming hit of arousal. “I heard you had dinner with your ex, and now, it’s time for you to show me just how sorry you are.”
Noah grabbed her bag from her shoulder and threw it to the floor. He still had his hand across her mouth, and she moaned against the harshness of it, but didn’t stop, even as he moved them both to the bedroom.
The sight of that imposing bed didn’t have the effect she thought it would. She thought it would make her panic and worry. Instead, it filled her with excitement. He pressed his cock against her ass.
“My guy was watching you, Skye. He showed me everything. He showed me how angry you looked, how uncomfortable. I had to show incredible restraint not to come over there and beat the shit out of him. I wanted to.”
Noah tore at her clothes, stripping them from her body until she stood in nothing more than a set of the silky lingerie he’d given her.
“I love your body.” He ran his hands down. Her mouth was open now. She could scream, but the sounds coming from her were ones of pure pleasure.
She let out a cry as he gripped the fabric of her panties and yanked them off her. The fabric tore, but she didn’t care. He pushed her down to the bed so that she was on her knees.
Glancing over her shoulder at him, she moaned. He’d cupped her pussy, one finger sliding between her slit, two fingers deep inside her, drawing out her cream, and moving them over her clit.
“You’re so wet.” He teased her clit for a few strokes, driving her wild with need for him.
Noah pushed down on her back, and she followed his direction. She cried out as his lips were between her thighs.
In quick easy moves, he had her on her back, legs spread, waiting for him. She wanted to beg him to never stop. The words didn’t leave her mouth.
“Do you love him?” Noah asked, releasing her pussy to move up beside the bed.
She cried out as he grabbed her hands, and before she could stop him, cuffs wrapped around her wrists, securing her to the bed. She pulled on the chains.
“Look at me, Skye. Answer my question.”
She’d never allowed herself to be tied up by anyone else but Noah, since she was eighteen years old. Staring into Noah’s eyes, she didn’t panic. In fact, she felt incredibly … aroused. This was all new to her. Her trust in Noah shocked her, but she wasn’t going to stop.
“I won’t touch your pussy until you tell me.”
“I’m not in love with him.”
He teased his fingers over her pussy, rewarding her. He didn’t touch her clit, and she really, really wanted him to.
“If you’re not in love with him, why did you go to dinner?” He fingered her entrance, sliding in and out.
“Please, Noah.”
“Answer me.”
“I went with him so he didn’t cause a scene at work. I didn’t want him there.”
“And now?”
“I still don’t want him there. I never loved him, Noah. I can see that now.” She stared at him, seeing the flash of surprise in his eyes.
Had she hurt him by going to dinner?
“Did you ever love your ex?”
“No.”
“Not even a little?”
“No, I didn’t. I believed she was necessary for what I needed, but I never loved her and I never will.”
She licked
her lips, trying to think of what to say, how to tell him the words that he seemed to find so easy to say to her.
With tears filling her eyes, vulnerable, open, she knew there was no way she couldn’t tell him.
“I don’t love him, Noah, because … I love you. I’m not saying that to get out of these cuffs. I want you to fuck me. I love being with you.” She licked her dry lips, trying to contain her moan as he climbed onto the bed.
He moved between her spread thighs and didn’t talk at all. She didn’t like the silence from him.
“Fifteen years ago, I was afraid. We’d just been through hell, and … you had an out. You could leave. I wasn’t going to be the one responsible for keeping you with me. Not a single moment went by when I was younger that I didn’t think of you. You were on my mind constantly. Hearing about your success meant everything to me. I know what they did to you. I know how it messed with your head, and to know you were able to move on, to not let it affect you, it … filled me with so much happiness. It never stopped me from missing you though, Noah. I saw your pictures in magazines and on the news. I heard about you on the radio. You were everywhere, succeeding. Me, I felt like a failure. Martin was a good guy. I thought I could love him, fall for him, but he wasn’t you. He’ll never be you, and even if you kick me out of your life right now, no one will ever compare to you. You’re the man for me. You’re the love of my life, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep you. You’re everything, Noah. You’re my knight, my monster, my lover, my hope.”
She moaned as he slammed his lips down on hers. One of his hands sank into her hair, holding her head still as he kissed her even harder. She loved his kisses so much. They were whole together.
“I love you, Skye. So fucking much. Without you, I’ve got nothing. None of this matters. I’ve tried to forget you. I’ve never been a saint. There have been other women, but it has always been about trying to forget you. I don’t want to forget you anymore. I want you forever.”
He aligned his cock to her entrance, sliding in deep. She was so wet that she heard the sounds of their joining. She couldn’t see, and he held her in place, at his mercy, where she wanted to be.
He pulled out of her only to slide back inside, pumping away. Each thrust only heightened her arousal. Anyone else, she’d be screaming, panicking, afraid.
Noah wasn’t just anyone.
He was the guy from her past, the man of her present, and one day, the husband of her future.
“You are mine, Skye. For now until eternity. We’re meant to be together.”
“Yes.”
She couldn’t agree more. He took possession of her lips. One of his hands moved down her body, sliding between them to tease her clit.
She came apart under his touch within a few seconds. She couldn’t believe how fast it was for her to reach orgasm.
Noah sped up his thrusts, fucking her harder into the bed, dominating her, taking what he wanted. She spread her legs and let him have her completely.
Over and over, he filled her. When he came, she was more than ready for it. Each pulse of his cock sent a shockwave of pleasure rushing through her. She didn’t want him to ever stop with her.
He didn’t move away from her after. He stayed deep inside her. His cock was still buried to the hilt, and she stared at him, waiting.
“Marry me,” he said.
He’d gotten the ring ready again. She’d panicked when he’d proposed a few weeks ago. This time, after seeing Martin, after everything they’d been through, she smiled.
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll marry you.”
“You’re ready?”
“I don’t know if anyone’s ever ready, but I don’t want to go another moment without you, Noah.” The cuffs stopped her from touching him.
He reached up, clicking the locks open, and she touched his face. Noah took her hands, rubbing her wrists. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
She smiled. “No. You could never hurt me.”
And that was what she knew.
Noah King had been forced to hurt her from the very beginning. He’d done so to stop her being hurt.
He’d taken her virginity, and even as she struggled in that cell, he’d given her pleasure. Against all odds, Noah had helped her.
Touching his cheek, she rubbed her fingers back and forth. “I never thought I could love someone like this. Not after everything we’ve been through, but I now know I can and I want to. I want you, Noah, only you. There was no need for you to worry today. Martin, he’s nothing. He means nothing to me. He never will.”
“I wasn’t worried today,” he said. “I was fucking jealous.”
“Why? He’s married. He’s got a family of his own. There’s nothing to do with me.”
Noah kissed one wrist, his lips gliding across the rough skin that had been left there by the cuffs. He took the second one and did exactly the same, soothing her pain.
How long had he been doing that with her?
Skye waited.
“I know how good you are, Skye. You’re fucking amazing. Any guy would give everything in the world to have you by his side. Every treasure, there would be nothing left.” He stroked her cheek. “Martin may be happy, but she’s not you. No woman will ever match up to you because you’re the best woman there is.”
Noah had opened up his doors, and she saw … everything. He was completely, totally in love with her.
“I’m not everything.”
“You are to me. You are the single most important person in my life. I’d give up my fortune to be with you. It’s why I know I’ll never leave you alone. I’ll never let you go, and I will make you the most loved woman in the world.”
She cried with him. “I love you too, so much.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing against him. “I’ve missed you so much. I tried to live without you, but it’s impossible. I don’t want to do it. I can’t do it.”
“Then let’s get married. I want this to be official. You and me.”
“Really? You and me.”
“Yes. I don’t need any big, elaborate affair. I only need you, Skye. It took me a long fucking time to realize it, but that’s all I need. You.”
Epilogue One
The media went nuts over their wedding. It wasn’t a huge affair as they both had already been married. Something sweet, with a couple of friends, was all they both needed. For Noah, he didn’t give a shit what kind of wedding he had, only that Skye belonged to him.
When she walked down the aisle for him, he knew he was doing the right thing. She was the woman for him in all the right ways. He’d put a stop to the media hunting through their past.
They had both made a statement to the press. They had a past, and they wanted it to stay there; all they cared about was building a future together. Their words sounded amazing, or at least reading them back they did.
With her as his wife, by his side, his world was now complete. No matter how much money he made or the contracts, there had always been something from his life missing. That had been Skye.
It had taken him a long time to realize it, but she was the missing piece for him. Carrying her up to his apartment after their wedding, she was constantly asking him if he was okay.
“You can put me down. I weigh a ton.”
“You don’t weigh a thing. I’m doing this wedding thing properly.”
“And carrying me over the threshold is doing it properly?”
“I never carried Scarlett over the threshold.”
“Why not?”
“Didn’t want to. I went to the bar after our wedding and drank to oblivion.” He’d not been standing in church happy and excited at the prospect of marrying Scarlett.
His family had loved the idea of him settling down, but the truth was, he hated his first wife. He’d remained faithful to her because he believed in his vows, but he’d not believed in his wife. His family could now see that Skye made him happy, and even though
his father wasn’t convinced of their union because of their past, Noah had told him straight, he could go and fuck himself. His father didn’t have to be married to her.
He did.
Her parents weren’t so thrilled either. On the day she’d left him alone to take care of something at the office, her parents had spent a great deal of time telling him how good Skye had been single and how there was a friend of theirs that would suit her better. He knew they didn’t like him, they knew about their past, or at least, parts of it, just not the whole truth. He wasn’t going to be put off.
He’d listened, and at the end of their long conversation of how much they loved this other guy, he told them simply that Skye loved him. He may have also mentioned to them that any other guy wouldn’t make Skye happy and she belonged to him, and that he loved her.
Still, he handled it the way he wanted.
Carrying her over the threshold, he kicked the door closed.
“Please don’t drop me.”
“I’m not going to drop you,” he said.
She held on tightly around his neck. “There was nothing wrong with me climbing on your back. It may have been easier for your arms.”
“You’re crazy,” he said. “You’re not a problem.” He carried her through to the bedroom and placed her gently on his bed. “Piece of cake.”
“I love cake,” she said.
He laughed, dropping a kiss to her lips. “You better get used to this bed.”
“And why is that?”
“I booked our honeymoon to start in three days, but we’re not leaving this bed. I’ve got all the takeout on order in advance.”
“You have, have you?”
“That I have. By the end of this honeymoon, I’m going to put my baby inside you.”
She gripped his shoulders, holding him back. “You want a baby?”
“I want a family with you, Skye.” He saw the smile and the tears. “What did I say now?”
“We didn’t talk about a family.”
“You don’t want one? I can change my mind. See, no kids running around.”
She threw herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him down.
“I want one.”