As much as I would’ve loved to take even more time with Bella, I knew that I was closing in on the finish line and I didn’t want to cross it without bringing her along with me while I was inside of her.
When I started to reach out of the stall for the condom I’d placed on the counter when I got undressed, she grabbed my wrist. “I’m on the pill.”
“What?” I looked down at her, thinking I must’ve heard her wrong.
Her eyes were wide and uncertain as she stared up. Her pink tongue slid between her full lips, licking them nervously. “I don’t know if you’ve ever…you know…without protection, but if you want to, I’m on the pill.”
It took a moment for my mind to process what she was suggesting because all of the blood in my body shot straight to my cock. Since I wasn’t sure I was mentally all there, I clarified, “You don’t want me to use a condom?”
“No, I mean, you can if you want to. I was just saying,” she paused and took a deep breath, “you don’t have to.”
Oh, fuck. I was already close to the edge and her statement had just launched me off the damn cliff. I rested my forehead back against hers, needing a moment to collect myself. I inhaled slowly through my nose and exhaled out my mouth. I thought about the repairs I’d been putting off on the house. I thought about how much my brothers were going to give me shit for taking this time to be with Bella. I thought about the tourists that got seasick.
I thought about the unsexiest things I could imagine to try and extinguish the wildfire that Bella’s suggestion had ignited. I knew that if I didn’t get myself somewhat under control, I wouldn’t even last a pump. This was the first time I’d ever ridden bareback. I’d been conditioned to wrap it up since before my balls dropped.
Other girls had given me the same proposal that Bella had, but I’d never taken them up on it. I’d never wanted kids, and honestly, I didn’t trust very many people. I’d never even been tempted to raw dog it.
But with Bella, I was a whole lot more than just tempted. It was happening. And no amount of mental distraction was going to slow down my body’s response to that fact. So, I figured I could drop the mental gymnastics and just go for it.
My hand gripped her hips and I turned her around so that she was facing the wall. Her arms lifted and her palms landed with a thud on the white-tiled wall. I took a moment to appreciate the tiny hairs that fell at the nape of her slender neck. I allowed my eyes to travel lower, following the gentle slope of her spine. When my visual journey reached the rounded mounds of her backside, my ocular exploration halted. Seeing her perfect, heart-shaped ass stopped me in my tracks.
“Spread your legs.”
A visible shiver ran through her body at my harsh direction. It had happened every time I’d commanded her to do something. She had a physical response to it. I liked that, and I liked that I was the man who’d helped her discover it.
With more force than was strictly needed, I dug into her hips and tilted her ass up. She gasped as her fingers bent against the tile wall.
Keeping one hand on her hips, I wrapped the other around my cock. It was throbbing heavily either from the attention it had already received or knowing that Jimmy was about to go Jimmy-less for the first time.
Inhaling through my nose I lined up my swollen bulb with her slick, feminine folds. Even that was too much. My balls tightened against my body.
“I know I say this a lot, but this isn’t going to last long,” I gritted out.
“Good,” she breathed, sounding as desperate as I was.
Rolling my hips forward, I plunged into her tight canal and my entire body lit up with sensation. I’d always wondered if a tiny piece of latex could make that big of a difference…it did.
I felt her body clamp down on mine and I almost blew my load right then. I stilled, hoping that if I didn’t move, I’d be able to hold out. My head dropped and my lips grazed the soft, slick back of her shoulder. “Fuck.”
“Does it feel good?” she asked as she pushed her hips back toward mine, taking me even deeper inside of her willing body.
“Yes,” I somehow managed to get out my one-syllable response.
My jaw clenched as I gripped her hip even tighter. With my other hand, I reached around her body, dipped my fingers between her legs and began rubbing her swollen clit with my middle fingertip.
The moment that I made contact; her inner walls started spasming around my rock-hard shaft. I pulled out and then rocked into her once again, this time with a little more power behind my thrust. Her ass cheeks slapped against my thighs, and since both our bodies were wet, it made a clapping sound.
“Oh yes, oh fuck!” she cried out.
There was something about hearing her cuss while I was inside of her that was a whole other level of hot. I continued plunging into her as my finger stimulated her pleasure button. And when I felt her belly contract and her body begin to shake, I thrust into her one last time.
My world burst into a frenzy of simultaneous explosions. White lights flashed behind my closed lids as pleasure rioted through my entire body. A white-hot eruption of sensation flooded through my veins as my climax came to a peak.
When the firestorm of my release subsided, I opened my eyes and saw that Bella was leaning against the tile wall of the shower, spent from her own experience.
Still holding her with one arm, I used my other to grab a towel and then turned her around. I dried her off before wrapping the towel around her body and picking her up. I’d never treated anyone in my life with such care, and it surprised me how naturally it came to me with Bella.
All I wanted to do was protect her and make her happy. I wanted to do anything I could to fill the voids that her childhood and adulthood had left in her. I wanted to spend every second of time she would give me together.
I laid down on the bed, Bella still in my arms. And she snuggled up against my side, her head lying on my chest. I ran my hand up and down her back, and a feeling unlike anything I’d ever experienced welled up inside of me.
It was strong yet gentle. It was overwhelming yet comforting. It was terrifying yet peaceful.
It was love. And I needed to tell her. I felt like if I didn’t, I would burst.
“Bella,” I spoke against the top of her head. “I love you.”
Her cheek was lying against my chest so I was sure that she could feel it pounding rapidly as I waited for her response. Seconds passed, then a minute, when she still remained silent, I lifted my head and tilted it so I could see her face.
She was sound asleep, lips parted, and even snoring a little.
A smile spread on my face as I gently kissed the top of her head and whispered, “I love you.”
I had to admit, I was a little relieved. I wasn’t sure what her reaction would be to my confession, but I was sure I’d be finding out soon enough. Because now that I’d let the I-love-you cat out of the bag, I didn’t see myself stickin’ the sucker back in there.
CHAPTER 37
Jimmy
“Shit!” I grabbed the skillet handle and moved it to the sink.
As I stared down at the third batch of bacon I’d burned, I realized I should’ve just grabbed something from the Dreamy Bean instead of trying to cook. In fairness to me, I hadn’t expected to be interrupted by a phone call that had completely blindsided me.
My mind was all over the place. I wasn’t sure what to do or how to do it. For the past hour, I’d been spinning the conversation that I’d had on that phone call, and the one that I now needed to have, around in my head—and I still wasn’t any closer to having a clue what should be done.
The clicking of Sherlock’s nails on the hardwood floor interrupted my inner turmoil. I turned around just in time to see both the dog and Bella rounding the corner into the kitchen. Her newly-red hair was still piled up in the now-messy bun that I’d put it in last night. She wore her shirt and shorts from the day before, which were every bit as messy and disheveled as her hair, and there was a long red crease on her cheek.<
br />
And I knew at that moment that I wanted this exact scenario to be my Groundhog’s Day for the rest of my life. I wanted each and every morning to start by seeing Bella. And Sherlock, of course, but that was a given.
“I can’t believe I slept this long. I’ve gotta go.” Her voice was laced with panic.
“Actually, before you go, I need to talk to you.”
“Is this the talk?” Her eyes shot to mine and widened.
My heart squeezed in my chest. She was so damn adorable. Her reactions to things were as heartbreaking as they were endearing.
“No.”
“Well, can it wait? Because I’m supposed—”
“I got a call this morning and I think you should know about it,” I interrupted her. I wasn’t trying to be a dick, but I really didn’t think this could wait.
From the look of alarm on her face, I could see that I had her attention.
“Okay,” she said hesitantly.
“It’s not that big of a deal, I just thought it would be better if you know.”
“Know what?”
There just wasn’t an easy way to say this, and even though I was known for my charm, this was one of those rare times that not even that could soften the blow. “The call was from your father.”
“My father?” The color drained from her face. “What did he want?”
“He knows that we’re seeing each other and he’s not happy about it.” I was doing my best to ease into this, but from the mortified look on her face, I was failing miserably.
“What did he say? Exactly.” She emphasized each syllable.
“He introduced himself, explained that he was your father and that he didn’t want us seeing each other anymore. Then he asked me what my price was.”
“Your price?” she repeated, obviously confused.
“My price. What he would have to pay me to stop seeing you.”
Now her expression was blank. It happened in a heartbeat. One moment, I could see emotions playing on her beautiful face, the next it was as if she’d pulled a privacy curtain down. I didn’t see anything when I looked into her eyes. I couldn’t tell if she was upset, numb, sad…I had zero clues as to what was going on behind her baby blues.
“What did you say?” Her question was spoken with absolutely zero inflection.
“Nothing, at first. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Then I said that I cared about you, that I loved you, and that I wasn’t for sale. I may have called him a few choice names that I know we’ll have to get past if he’s gonna walk you down the aisle, but—”
“Wait!” She held up her hand. “What did you just say?”
This was not going well, and it was about to get worse. I took a breath before confessing, “I called him a piece of shit, and an asshole that didn’t deserve to even know you, much less call himself your father.”
She took a step back as she shook her head no.
“No…I mean…what…you said love?” Her breathing was growing shallower by the second. “You said walk down the aisle?”
Oh fuck. That’s what she was upset about? “I love you. I’m sorry that this is how I’m telling you. In fairness, I did say it last night, but you were already passed out.”
“No, this is…” Her eyes darted around the room. “This can’t happen.”
I could feel her panic, it was palpable. She was frantic. She looked like a caged animal.
I asked, “What are you looking for?”
“My purse. I need to go.”
“Bella.” I softened my voice as I took a step toward her and she retreated. I stopped and put my hands up in surrender. “What’s wrong?”
“This”—she waved her hand between us—“can’t be that.”
“It can’t be what?”
“Love. Marriage.”
“Why not?”
I’d never stopped to think that she might not feel the same way that I did. I wasn’t sure if that was from an overinflated ego or just because I knew, in my heart of hearts, that she had to feel the same way that I did because there was no way this was one-sided.
But it honestly never occurred to me that she might not be falling as hard as I was. And after she’d told me about her condition, I’d assumed we were all systems go.
“Because I have a heart condition that means that I could drop dead at any moment. And you have a family curse that says any relationship you get in will end in tragedy. If that’s not a recipe for disaster, I don’t know what is.”
“We talked about your condition. I told you that it doesn’t change anything for me. And as far as my family curse, it’s bullshit. Do you actually believe that some woman that my great grandfather scorned has any sort of power over us?”
She was still shaking her head, and her eyes were still wildly searching the room. I could see that reason wasn’t working, so I thought I’d take a different tactic.
“Okay, let’s say that it is real. The Comfort Curse is a real thing. If that’s the case, you’d be the absolute best person for me. Because I would know if, God forbid,” I knocked on my mahogany kitchen cabinets, “anything tragic did happen, it wouldn’t be because of that dumbass curse. You had your issues before you even met me.”
Was I grasping at straws? Hell yes. But Bella didn’t give me a whole lot of choice.
She was still shaking her head and I could see this was going from bad to worse.
“It’s on the table by the front door.” I pointed to the front room.
She nodded and turned.
“Bella. Please don’t go. We need to talk,” I begged.
“I have to go. I have to meet Cheyenne.”
“I’m sure my sister will understand if you’re a few minutes late.” I grabbed my keys off the counter and followed her out the front door instructing Sherlock to stay before I did.
“I’m meeting Abernathy. I can’t be late.”
Shit. I remembered Cheyenne telling me something about that.
She hurried down my walkway right past my truck.
“Where are you going? I’m your ride,” I called out after her.
“I’ll walk.”
“Bella! Bella, wait!” I shouted, but she was already halfway down my street.
I wanted to chase after her, but I didn’t see the point. She knew how I felt. I couldn’t tell her any more clearly.
All I could do was hope that, with time, she’d come around and see that I was right. Yes, my family had a curse on them. And yes, she had a family curse of her own. But those two things made us perfect for one another, not the other way around.
CHAPTER 38
Isabella
I sat staring out the large picture window in Jennings Abernathy’s office. The leaves rustled in the ocean breeze. Over the soft music playing through the speakers, I could hear the birds chirping.
The serene environment was in direct opposition to the war of emotions and thoughts that were battling it out in my mind. My head was filled to capacity with everything I was feeling and thinking, and I was doing my best to sort it out.
There was so much information to take in. I was trying to process it, but failing miserably.
My father had offered Jimmy a bribe to stop seeing me. I didn’t have any proof, but I had to think that he’d done that with the other relationships I’d started in the past. The difference was, those men had taken the payoff and run. Jimmy not only told me about the offer, he’d also told my father exactly what he thought of him. I doubted that my father had ever been spoken to like that. At least not in his adult life.
And I couldn’t even begin to process everything that Jimmy had said to me. He’d said “love” and “walking down the aisle” after we’d known each other one week! And the scariest part of all was that, it wasn’t crazy that he had. I was feeling and thinking the same thing. I just knew it wasn’t going to happen. And that’s where the emotion came in.
I loved Jimmy Comfort. I wanted to be with Jimmy. But it was one thing to be his girlfriend. It
was another to be his wife. Could I actually do that, in good conscience? What if he regretted the decision to marry me but didn’t feel like he could tell me because of my condition? Just like I didn’t want him to pity-exclusive-date-me, I sure as heck didn’t want him to pity-stay-married-to-me.
I heard the door open and sat up straighter in my chair. I needed to pull myself together. This wasn’t about me. It was about getting answers for Cheyenne.
“Ms. Santini. I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. What can I do for you?”
It took me a moment to take in the man who had just entered the room. He was shorter and rounder than I’d expected. And from the air of superiority he carried, I knew that he was exactly the sort of man that my father chewed up and spit out. Men who had such high opinions of themselves that they had too much pride to admit when they were in over their heads.
What made men behave the way they did?
Men like my father.
Why would my father leave my mother when I was four? And why hadn’t he just sent me to a boarding school, since he’d obviously had no interest in actually getting to know me? Why had he insisted I work at his company in exchange for paying for my education when he didn’t even acknowledge my existence in front of anyone? And most importantly, why had he paid off men that showed interest in me?
And then there was Jimmy Comfort.
Why would a man that could have anyone want me?
“Ms. Santini? Is everything okay?”
“Um, yes. Sorry. I have someone joining me if that’s all right.”
I sent a text to Cheyenne letting her know that he was in the room.
“Of course, of course. Is it by any chance your father? Will he be joining us?”
If this were a soap opera, Cheyenne would have opened the door and dramatically said, “No, it’s your daughter.”
But this wasn’t a soap opera, it was real life, so instead I simply replied, “No.”
“How is your father? I must admit, I have admired him from afar.”
The buzzer on his desk went off and I heard the receptionist’s voice coming through. “Mr. Abernathy, I tried to st—”
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