My back arches and I can’t breathe. That’s the moment I feel him mutter, “Oh, damn, babe. My god, you’re something.” In a few seconds, his strangled voice says, “Melina, stop, babe. Stop. Honey, quit, right now.”
As soon as I drop my arm, he falls on top of me and wraps his arms around my waist, and mine squeeze tight around his ribcage. My heart is pounding out of control, and I can feel his slamming against my own chest.
A man just made love to me. Not a man―the man. The one I want. I practice saying his name in my head. Boone Lawson. Boone Lawson. It sounds perfect, totally perfect. I could say it all day. All night. All the time. Boone. Boone.
The silence around us is comforting, punctuated only by our sighs, some deep, some soft and sweet. When he rolls us to our sides, his hand comes up, fingers brushing hair away from my face, palm soft and warm against my cheek, and I close my eyes against the fear that it’s all a dream, terrified to say anything for fear it will break the spell he’s cast over me. But when he feathers a tiny kiss on my forehead, I can’t stop myself. “Why are you being so nice to me, sir?”
Those lips catch mine again with a strong, warm kiss, then pepper a few little pecks on them before he says, “Right now, it’s Boone. And I’m not being nice to you. I’m enjoying your body and hoping you enjoyed mine.”
“I did. You’re amazing,” I whisper and kiss his neck.
“You’re pretty damn amazing yourself, gorgeous. I wish tomorrow wasn’t Sunday.” I’m about to ask what that means when he says, “If I didn’t have Baker all day, I’d take you home with me and we could spend the day together. Wouldn’t that be great?” The smile he gives me tells me he’s being genuine.
“Yes. It would. I’d love to spend the day with you.”
“We’ll have to work that out. He’s with me on the days his mom has a twelve-hour shift, and that changes, but it’s still doable. We’ll just have to plan. But spending a day with you would make me very happy. And spending the night before and the night after wouldn’t hurt my feelings either,” he says with a chuckle.
“Mine either,” I agree with a grin.
“So let me ask you this. I could spend the night at your house tonight if you didn’t mind me getting up and leaving in the morning. How would you feel about that?”
“I would feel wonderful about that,” I answer, hoping I don’t look as stupid as the smile I’m sure I’m wearing.
“Good. Are your arms sore?”
I nod. “Getting there.”
“I was afraid of that. Let’s get out of here and we’ll go back to your place. I can wrap them and work with them a little, maybe help stave a bit of that off. Sound good?”
“Sounds great.” He’s already scooting out of the bed by the time the words are out, and I get a chance to really look at him. Oh, my, the guy is perfection. Beautifully sculpted without being hard and muscle-bound. “Can you hand me that robe?”
“You want to cover up so I can’t see you?” he asks with a mischievous grin.
“No. I want to cover up so I can walk to the locker room,” I say, knowing full well somebody has picked up my corset by now and taken it to the locker room. My thong is on the floor and I snatch it up as soon as I have the robe on.
“Everybody out there saw you naked,” he points out.
I wish I could make him understand how I feel at that very moment. “Well, that’s true. But that was at your direction. As long as I’m your submissive, my naked body belongs to you. You get to decide who sees it and when. Besides, nobody else has seen it since …” The words just won’t form.
His brow furrows. “Since when?”
It’s all I can do to whisper, “Since you made love to me.”
Sitting there on the edge of the bed, pulling his boots on, he looks up and says, “If you’ll recall, I told you I wanted to make love with you, not to you. There’s a distinct difference. It felt like you were making love with me, not letting me make love to you. Was I wrong?”
I take the two steps to the bed, drop my gaze to his, and smile. “You weren’t wrong. We made love together, and it was wonderful.” Without thinking, I lean down and kiss him, my palms pressed to his cheeks, feeling his beard under the heels of my hands. Whatever this is that we’re building, I want it more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
His hands come up and press against the backs of mine, holding them to his face. As soon as our lips part, he smiles. “Melina, I haven’t felt this way with a woman in a long, long time.”
I don’t have the courage to tell him that I’ve never felt this way with a man. It’s new territory for me, terrifying and glorious at the same time. We’re just getting started but if it were to end tonight, I’d be devastated. Instead, I say, “Good. At least I satisfied you.”
The laugh that breaks from his lips surprises me. “Satisfied me? Woman, this took satisfaction to a whole new level!”
Well, would you look at that. The porn queen finally found a man who wasn’t faking it when he seemed satisfied. That’s a new thing.
And I’m all about new things.
Chapter Five
“Whew!” He rolls off me and onto his back, arms spread wide and gasping. “Holy hell. There’s making love and there’s fucking, and by god, that was fucking. Premium fucking. That pussy of yours is pretty god damn amazing, sweetheart.”
“Well, that cock of yours is pretty damn amazing too, sir.”
“Boone. For the love of god, call me Boone, okay? Or babe. I kinda like babe. Or bae. Or boo,” he says, laughing.
“Now you’re just being silly,” I tell him and run my finger down his nose. It lands on his lips and he kisses it before he sucks it into his mouth. “Uh-oh. Now I’m in trouble.”
His teeth grip it gently and he rolls to his side to face me, then nods and grins around my finger. After he’s sucked it deep into his mouth again, he lets it go with a pop and laughs. “Why do relationships have to be so damn serious? I mean, parts of them are, but this is fun. Why can’t they be fun?”
I take the finger he loosed and run it down his cheek. “They can be. Just depends on who’s having the fun.” He leans in and gives me a peck on the lips, then finger combs my hair as he gazes into my eyes. God, he’s got beautiful eyes!
“We should probably get some sleep. Morning’s gonna come early and―”
I can’t believe I forgot. “Oh, shit! I’ve got a new job to start on Monday! Holy hell, I almost forgot. Yeah, I’ve gotta get some sleep. I can’t go in there looking like hell the first day.”
“Yeah, what’s her name―Flossie?―she’d be kinda torn up about that, I’m guessing,” he says and pulls me to him. “Snuggle up, cuddle bug. Let’s get some sleep.”
I wiggle and squirm until I’ve got the sheet and blanket over us, and I press myself into his side. “Frieda. And she probably wouldn’t care. As long as I’ve got a pulse and I’m upright, she’ll be okay with it. This is just a pity job. She felt sorry for me.”
“No it’s not! She hired you because she knows you’ll do a great job! Gah, Melina, can’t you give yourself a break? Just one?” He sounds a little irritated at me, and I don’t know what to say. But his voice is softer and gentler when he says, “I don’t think you realize how awesome you are, babe. And you are. You’re an exceptional person. It took me about ten minutes to figure that out when I first saw you. You have no idea how amazing you really are.”
It only takes the slightest turn of my head to kiss his pec. “Thank you.” I snicker when I add, “Bae.”
“Oh, lawd. Go to sleep. Nitey-nite, beautiful.” With that, he reaches up, turns off the bedside lamp, and sighs into the top of my head.
After years of going to that club, I finally know what bliss really is. It’s not there. It’s here, in his arms. I’m just praying I won’t wake up and find that I dreamed it all. That will kill me.
* * *
“What time do you have to be there?”
His voice is muffled by the pillow. �
��Ten.”
“Then you should probably get up. It’s eight already.”
He snaps up to sitting and looks around. In less than eight minutes, Boone’s across the room, pulling on his boots. Not the ones he wears at the club―a pair that look kind of like hiking boots. “Yeah. Shit. I need to get up and get moving. I’ve got to get home, get showered and changed, and Baker comes over at ten, and then I’ll take him for lunch. He’s got an appointment tomorrow at his doctor’s office, so I know I’ll be tied up with that. Call you later?”
“Sure.” I want to ask what kind of appointment his little boy has, but that’s probably none of my business. “Please.” I need to hear your voice, I want to say, but that sounds so fucking needy.
“Good. I need to hear your voice.” Holy hell, he must’ve read my mind! I can’t believe it. He feels the same way. Thank god. I’m not in this alone. “I’ll talk to you later, babe. Have a great first day tomorrow. Knock ‘em dead,” he says as he stands and stomps the legs of his jeans down over his boot tops. “You’ll do great. What’s the name of this place again?”
“Frills ‘n Thrills.”
“Got it. Okay. Talk to you in a bit. Have a good day.” He plants a little kiss on my lips and strides to the door, but he turns before he walks out and looks straight at me. “Last night?” When I nod, he smiles and presses his right fist to his left pec. “Holdin’ it in my heart, babe.” Then he disappears.
Okay, so maybe I just fell back into the bed and squealed a little. Who could blame me? You would too if that incredible hunk of a guy had just said that to you. Don’t lie―you know it’s true. Out loud so I know it’s real, I say in my sexiest voice, “Boone Lawson is holding our lovemaking last night in his heart. In his heart.” Oh my god, that sounds so incredible.
My shower takes forever, mostly because I keep thinking about the night before and having to get myself off. Twice. In the shower. Holy hell. I can’t keep that up. As I’m getting dressed, I keep thinking about the things he said to me, like how awesome my pussy is, and how beautiful my tits are, and how feeling me grip him was enough to drive him crazy. Those kisses―they were over the top, breathing into me as he stroked into me, holding my face between his hands, kissing me over and over and over until my lips ached. And when he wrapped his lips around my clit and sucked … Oh my god. I’ve never felt like that in my life.
I spend the rest of the day daydreaming. I know, there are a million things I should be doing, but all I really want to do is think about him. At ten that evening I get a text: Can’t wait to see you again.
I text back, Same here, bae. That gets me a laughing emoji.
The next morning I’m still walking on air. It’s ridiculous that I’m starting my first day at my new job at an adult store and I’ve got to wear a panty shield because I’m so fucking wet I’m afraid it’s going to trickle down my leg. That’s what thinking about him does to me. I almost run a couple of lights on the way to the store because I can’t concentrate. All I’m thinking about is him.
I pull up at five before and find Frieda unlocking the door. “Well, good morning!” she sings out as I step up to the door.
“Good morning! Beautiful day, huh?” I reply with a smile.
“It sure is. Ready to get started?”
“I am. What do you need me to do?”
The bell on the door jingles as it closes behind us, and that starts the first day of my new career.
It's about four thirty that afternoon and I’m in the back when Frieda yells, “Mel, uh, Mary! Come on out here!” The sight that greets me makes me suck in a breath.
Beautiful coral-colored roses, the kind that fade to yellow at their bases. They have a name, but I don’t remember what it is. At first, I think there are a dozen of them, but when I count, I find there are eighteen. I don’t even have to look at the card―I know who sent them.
Hey, beautiful! These are almost as lovely as you. Hope your first day has been great. Talk to you this evening.
– Boone
“Well, well, well! Somebody’s got an admirer,” Frieda says and winks, that conglomeration of wrinkles tightening around her eye. My cheeks heat up and I know I’m blushing. I got flowers from a man. I know it sounds incredibly sad, but that’s never happened before.
It’s a struggle to get them into my car as I leave, but I’m very, very careful. I want them to last forever, or at least for two weeks. I may never get more, and they’re special to me. I’ll put them in the middle of the table so I can see them from pretty much everywhere in the house.
And at night, I’ll put them on my dresser. I’ll sleep better if they’re right there.
I’ve been home for all of twenty minutes when my phone rings. I don’t give him a greeting. Instead, I say, “You didn’t have to do that but thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. It’s not every day somebody starts a new job, especially somebody who’s you. Good day?”
“Yes. Very good day. She taught me a lot, and it’s only the first day. And the pay is a lot more than I thought.”
“Good. You deserve it.”
“Thanks. So how did your son’s appointment go?”
“About like it usually does. They tell us things haven’t changed much but they’re watching for it to go downhill and for what will happen if it does. I pretend like I’m hopeful when, in reality, I’m not, but I have to keep a brave face for Baker. My ex has stopped coming to the appointments. She says they’re too depressing. So now it’s up to me.”
Do I dare ask? “So, um, what’s wrong with him?”
“Kidney failure. He’s on dialysis six days a week, and they’re looking at a home dialysis machine so he can have it seven days a week.”
“Oh, my!” I never dreamed it was so serious. “So when did all this happen? I mean, was he sick or something, or did he get hurt?”
“None of that. It’s some kind of inherited thing.”
“From your side of the family?”
“No. His mother’s. And he’s adopted.” That I didn’t know. “But even if we’d known beforehand, it wouldn’t have made one bit of difference. It would’ve to my ex, but not to me,” he says, making sure I know that, but he didn’t have to tell me. What little he’s said about his son has told me he loves the child fiercely.
“I’m so sorry. Can he have a transplant?”
“Not that bad yet, but when it is, that’ll be especially hard. He’ll have to go on a donor list, and, well, everybody’s heard those horror stories.”
“Yes. I have.” I need to turn this a little more cheerful somehow. “So what did you guys have for lunch?”
“He wanted pizza, so that’s what we had. She’d have a shit fit, but I don’t care. He deserves to have a little happiness.”
That makes me chuckle. “I have this feeling that with you as a dad, he has a lot of happiness.”
“I hope so. I try.” There’s silence for a few seconds before he says, “I wish I could see you.”
“I wish I could see you too,” I say, and I mean it.
“I’ve got to try to find a way to break the news to her that I’m seeing someone.”
So that’s what’s going on. He’s seeing me. I’m seeing him. I like it. “Will that be hard?”
“I don’t know. Haven’t done it before, so I’m not sure, but I guess I’ll find out when I work up the nerve to broach the subject with her,” he says quietly.
Okay, this terrifies me. “What do you think she’ll say? Or do?”
“I’m not sure. She’s going to want to know everything about you.” There’s a finality in his voice that scares me.
“And what are you going to tell her?”
“I’m going to tell her that she forfeited the right to ask a bunch of questions about my life when she walked out.” There’s a strength in his voice that wasn’t there a minute before.
“How hard will she dig?”
“I’m not sure. All I have to tell h
er is that there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be around Baker. That should be her only concern. And she should know me well enough to know that I’d never jeopardize his safety or well-being. That’s it. Anything else is none of her business.” I hear a small voice in the background and Boone says, “What, buddy?”
“Um, I, um, I said can we have pizza for dinner? Because I really want it,” that voice says clearly.
“We had pizza for lunch, so we can’t have pizza again. We have to have something a little healthier for dinner.” There’s silence, and then Boone says, “What do you say?”
“Yes, sir. Okay. Broccoli?”
“Broccoli is a good choice. We’ll find some other things to go with it. Maybe Millie can come up with something.”
“Yes, sir. Can I ask her?”
“Yes. You may. Tell her I said it was okay.”
“Yes, sir.” There’s the sound of small feet slapping the floor and they recede into the distance.
“Millie?” I ask, afraid to hear the answer.
“My housekeeper.”
Fuck me. The guy has a housekeeper. And apparently she cooks. Considering the fact that I can barely boil water, that’s probably a good thing. “Oh. Nice.”
“Yeah. She is. And she makes sure I don’t eat junk food constantly. Otherwise, I’d weigh four hundred pounds.”
“You’d never weigh four hundred pounds,” I say with a laugh.
“If I ate the shit I want to eat, I would!” he laughs back. I love that laugh, so warm and sweet, and it makes my arms ache to hug him. “I suppose I should go see what Master Baker is up to.”
“Good thing you didn’t name him Bator,” I say and chuckle.
“Master Bator. Oh! Masturbator! Okay, haha, smartass,” he says and laughs.
“My work here is done,” I quip and he laughs again. “But seriously, I, um …” I just can’t finish the sentence.
He waits a few seconds, then says, “I miss you too. You working tomorrow?”
“Yep. She asked me what days of the week I wanted off, but I didn’t know what to tell her just yet. So tomorrow and Wednesday for sure.”
Undeniably His: Bliss Series, Book Five Page 8