by KJ Reed
“I guess we both love each other enough to compromise, even on the big stuff,” he said, pressing her back to the bed.
Her eyes widened. “What did you say?”
Panic rose up inside him, gripped him by the throat. But his voice remained calm. “I love you, Mary Ellen. I fought it for so long. I’m tired of fighting, and I don’t want to anymore.”
She cupped his face in her hands. “I love you too.”
He turned his head to press a kiss to the palm of her hand. “I feel stupid, like we wasted a lot of years.”
“Maybe we just had to wait it out this long before we were ready. Go through what we went through alone before we could be ready to deal with it now.” Her smile twisted a little, mocking herself. “Let’s face it, at twenty I wouldn’t have been able to find compromise in the dictionary.”
“Probably not,” he agreed, and earned a whack with a pillow for it. He grinned and kissed her hard, angling his body so he could press down on her. But she pushed back, shoving at his shoulders with her small hands until he rolled over for her…with minimal mental resistance.
She climbed over him—scrambled more like it—and sat on his stomach, looking very pleased with herself. Like she was queen of the mountain. “How do you feel about a little practice right now, handing over that control of yours?”
The thought had him gritting his teeth, but really, the time would come eventually. And maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. Time to get a little uncomfortable. “You tell me, you’re in charge.”
The smile that crept over her lips should have sent ice through his belly. But instead, it warmed his insides.
This was definitely a fun development. Mary Ellen knew pushing too far would only make things harder. But playing it gently wasn’t exactly her style either.
“Why don’t you go ahead and take that shirt off for me.” She lifted so he could tug his shirt up, lightly scratching his chest with her nails while he tossed the shirt away.
Would he change his mind? Unconsciously try to gain control back at some point? No way to know but to give it a go.
She patted his thigh and rolled off. “Let’s see the goods.” Her own clothes practically shed themselves as she hustled to be rid of them. Turning back, she saw him lying down flat, arms behind his head, protection already in place. Lead or follow—Brice would always keep her safe.
Like a cat, she crawled back over and situated herself until his cock rested in the crease of her pussy.
“God, you feel warm against me,” he breathed as she leaned down to graze her teeth over his shoulder.
“You know,” she said, pausing to give him a kiss. “I’ve been thinking about your technique.” As emphasis, she ground down on his length.
His hips jerked, and she could tell it was involuntary. “My technique? What’s wrong with it?” he said through his teeth.
She reached down, positioned his erection until it was at just the right angle, and dropped an inch. Just one. Until only the head was inside. She squeezed and he shivered. “No real spontaneity.”
“Having sex in the tack room at the stable wasn’t spontaneous enough—dammit, Mary Ellen.”
“Nope,” she said cheerfully. “Not really. It was nice, don’t get me wrong. But then you…” She dropped another inch. “Went all control-freak again and it was too measured. When you’re doing it in public, where you can be found, there’s a sense of urgency. Passion. That gotta have it right now or I’ll die feeling. That you can’t wait…”Another inch down. “One more second.”
“I’m starting to understand the point.” He gripped her hips, and she knew he was about to pull her down.
“Uh uh. My turn.” She pried his fingers off and placed them by his side, watching his face to see how he reacted.
He only closed his eyes, as if in pain, and resisted any further advance.
Good.
Finally, on her timeline, she sank all the way down, filling herself with him. The night around them seemed to pulse, she could feel every little twinge of his body, every shuddered breath. The most intimate of moments with the man she loved.
And she was not about to start crying.
It was that determination to hold back the tears that pushed her forward to kiss him. The angle of their bodies changed, became deeper, and she was ready to let loose. Skin stuck to skin as she pumped her hips fast, ignoring rhythm. Ignoring anything but what felt good.
“Baby, slow down.” Brice tore his mouth away.
She couldn’t have slowed down if she wanted to. Luckily, she didn’t. It was sporadic, at times a little awkward. And drawn out more than she thought it would be. But before too long, she felt that slow ripple start low in her belly and she breathed a word of warning moments before fireworks went off behind her eyelids. Numbly, distantly, she heard Brice’s own groan of release before his body went slack beneath her.
She twisted and repositioned, ignoring his moans, until her head was on the center of his chest. It was soothing to listen to his heart, so fast to begin with, slow down to a one-two rhythm.
Brice rested his chin on the crown of her head. “So are you going to marry me?”
A flutter of excitement beat inside her chest, like hummingbird wings. But she kept her voice cool. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’ve ruined me for any other woman, you know.” He smoothed one hand down her back, rested it lightly under her butt. “You’ll just have to get over it and commit.”
She yawned. “Like I said, I’ll think about it.”
His deep chuckle rumbled in her ear as she drifted to sleep. “You do that.”
Epilogue
She woke to the building pressure of an impending orgasm. How in the world…
“Finally.” Brice kissed the side of her neck, keeping his voice low. “I thought you’d never wake up.”
“I’m on vacation. And it’s not even six yet,” she pointed out, glancing at the clock on the hotel nightstand to confirm. “I don’t have to wake up when I’m on vacation. And speaking of, what are you doing back there, sir?”
“Having my way with you while you completely ignore me, apparently.” He sighed with regret. “It’s truly a shame how far a guy can get without any notice. I feel so used. Like a toy.”
“But you don’t fit in my nightstand drawer,” she said, deadpan face in place.
Brice rolled her over with a fake growl and nipped at her breast. That Mr. Serious could be so playful was a fantastic surprise. Over the past year, she’d learned even more about the different facets of Brice’s personality when he allowed himself to relax, to not be on guard. To hand over the reins occasionally.
Not that it wasn’t still a struggle sometimes. But they fought through it, and each time came out stronger because of it.
He slid one of her arms up over her head, let his fingers drift until they laced with hers. As he slowly—always slowly with this one—entered her, he gave her the most solemn face she’d seen in a long time.
“I love you.”
She squeezed his hand. “I love you too.”
“In a few hours we’re going to watch Pete and Sarah get married.”
He angled his hips, and she closed her eyes for a moment to savor the new pressure. “Mmm hmm. Sure are.”
He nuzzled the sweet spot below her ear, kissed her skin. Whispered, “I want it to be us.”
God, she loved this man. For the last year, he’d asked her every so often, nudging her toward the altar slowly but steadily. Not that she was against marriage. But when she said I do, it was forever. And there wasn’t a rush.
But he’d finished wearing her down. He finished a month ago, really. But he hadn’t brought it up since then.
Another thrust brought her closer, filled her deeper.
“Marry me, Mary Ellen.”
She lifted her lids to see liquid, brown eyes staring at her, as if he knew this was the make-it-or-break-it moment.
“Yeah. I’ll do that.”
&nb
sp; About the Author
KJ Reed is an inconspicuous housewife by day, folding laundry, changing diapers and washing dishes with pleasure. But late at night, when the rest of the household is asleep and not making messes she has to pick up, she writes erotic romance. She took up writing one day when she realized the voices in her head weren’t multiple personalities, but characters begging to come out and play.
A military wife, she’s fortunate enough to be surrounded by manly, Alpha-tastic inspiration on a daily basis. Nothing stirs the blood quite like a platoon of sweaty Marines running by in formation, does it ladies? Of course, she’d tell you where she lives, except by the time you’re done reading this biography…she’s probably moved again.
KJ is currently working on her next erotic romance, hopefully hot enough to singe your socks off. She loves email and is semi-compulsive in her need to quickly respond. So send her a shout out, tell her what you liked and what you want to see more of. You’re almost guaranteed a response.
KJ welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].
Also by KJ Reed
Faithful to a Fault
Songbirds
Strike a Chord
Text Me
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer ebooks or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
www.ellorascave.com