Trust

by Sherri Hayes

  As much as I would have loved to go slow, take my time, and show her how much I loved her—all of her—that would have to wait for the next round. I needed to be inside her.

  Continuing my assault on her mouth, I flipped us over so that I was on top. Spreading her legs to bracket my hips, I removed my hand from her breast and slid it down her stomach until I reached the junction between her legs. Her breath hitched as my fingers made contact with her pussy. She was wet, and her heat radiated against my palm.

  Not wasting any time, I slipped first one finger and then two inside her. Her interior muscles flexed against the intrusion before relaxing.

  Releasing her lips, I worked my way down her neck, kissing and sucking a path to her left breast. I took it into my mouth and began sucking and nibbling. I needed her primed and writhing in my arms by the time I thrust my cock into her. She was almost there, but she needed just a little more.

  Leaning up, I gave her a quick kiss before reaching over to grab a condom. I made quick work of rolling it down my length and retaking my position on top of her. I lined myself up with her entrance, pressing only the tip of my cock inside her.

  I watched her facial expression, looking for any sign that she needed me to stop, but there was nothing but complete bliss on her features. Lowering myself on top of her, I resumed my attention to her breast while placing one hand on her waist to hold her steady. With my other hand, I reached up and gathered her hair in my fist.

  The moment she realized what I was doing, Brianna opened her heavily lidded eyes and moaned. I’d learned my girl liked to have her hair pulled. It was good to know that hadn’t changed in our months apart.

  Pressing my cock the remaining inches inside her, I began to move, using both my hand on her hip, as well as the one in her hair, to provide a counter motion. I increased my attention to her breasts, switching to the other one, needing to mark it the same as I had its mate.

  The closer I came to my climax, the more aggressive my movements. If Brianna’s reactions were any indication, she didn’t mind. Her muscles clenched around my cock with every thrust, and her chest heaved with labored breaths as I drove both of us closer to orgasm.

  When I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold out any longer, I adjusted, centering my thumb over her clit. “Come for me, sweetheart. Let me feel you.”

  As if a dam broke, Brianna began shaking. Her mouth opened wide, and her back arched. The sight alone was enough to trigger my release. She screamed out, and so did I.

  Chapter 18

  Brianna

  I woke up for the first time in four months with a smile on my face. Stephan lay beside me, his arm draped possessively over my stomach, and his head resting on a pillow near my shoulder. I never wanted to leave this bed.

  The sun was already shining strong through the curtains, so I knew it had to be at least midmorning. We didn’t get much sleep last night. After we had sex that first time, Stephan had insisted on the two of us taking a shower to clean up. I’m not sure we got all that clean, though, since he’d given me two more orgasms, one with his hands and the other with his mouth, while we were in there.

  Afterward, we’d climbed back in the large bed, and he’d gathered me to his chest, constantly kissing and touching me. It was as if he needed to reassure himself that I was there. I couldn’t blame him. It felt surreal to me as well.

  Sometime before dawn, he woke me again. This time, it was with barely there kisses all over my body that had my skin tingling. As he slid his penis inside me the second time, he held my hands over my head, pinning to me to the mattress, and murmured he loved me over and over again in my ear. It was almost magical, that feeling of being surrounded by him—loved by him—protected by him. It sent me into a spiral of sensations that ended in another intense orgasm.

  When we finally fell asleep for the second time, I was wrapped tightly in his embrace. The position didn’t allow me much movement, but I didn’t care. He was here, and I would be in whatever position he needed me to be in. After I’d left, I’d worried he would realize he didn’t really feel the same way about me that I did for him. It seemed I was wrong. Being apart had affected him immensely. Even though I knew I’d done what I had to, there was guilt there. What if there had been another way that wouldn’t have meant us being separated all this time?

  “What are you thinking so hard about, sweetheart?”

  I looked over to find him staring at me. His expression was curious, but there was concern there, too, and I knew I had to be honest. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

  “Hurt me?”

  I tried to avert my eyes, but he held my face with his hand so I couldn’t look away.

  “By leaving. I hurt you.”

  Scooting closer to me, he propped himself up on his elbow so that he was hovering over me. He studied my face for several minutes. “Brianna, as much as I hate the decision you made to leave, I do understand why you did it, just as I understand the reason you agreed to testify if need be against that bastard who tortured you. I’m not your owner. You will always have free will with me. And yes, I was hurt when you left. My heart broke because the woman I loved was walking away from me.”

  Tears flowed down my cheeks, and he wiped them away. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

  “I know.”

  He lowered his lips to mine and kissed me. It was soft, his mouth barely touching, yet it caused my body to heat just the same.

  Stephan continued to kiss me for several minutes, and his erection slowly grew against my hip. “Hmm. It seems as if my body hasn’t had its fill of you yet.” When he looked down at me, his eyes had already dilated with arousal. “We still have two condoms left.”

  I nodded, not sure what to say. He could take me as many times as he wanted. I wouldn’t object. Stephan may not own me in the way that Ian had, but he owned my heart and, with it, my body and soul.

  Surprising me, he rolled onto his back, threw the covers off both of us, and pulled his knees toward his body. “Come sit.”

  Sitting up, I lifted my leg and placed it on the other side of his waist. I’d only been on top once before, so I was a little nervous.

  Almost instantly I remembered I shouldn’t have been. Stephan was in charge. He’d take care of me—tell me what I needed to do.

  Gripping my hips with his hands, he instructed me to lie back. This was new. Different, but I did what I was told. My back lay flat against his legs, and my knees were bent. I didn’t understand the meaning of this new position until he started touching me. He ran his hands up and down my inner thighs. Every time he’d get close to my center, he’d head back down.

  The motion continued until I was aching for him to touch me. Moments away from begging, he grazed his thumbs over the edges of my folds. “Do you like that?”

  “Yes.” My voice sounded breathy even to me.

  “How about this?” Without warning, he began tracing the opening of my entrance, and then traveled up to circle my clit. I wanted so badly for him to touch that spot that gave me so much pleasure, but instead he retreated back down to where he’d begun.

  As he continued, my hips began to lift of their own accord—my body silently begging for what it wanted. He halted his movement altogether, and I nearly screamed out in frustration.

  I glanced down the length of my body and found him smirking at me. “Keep those hips still, Brianna. We do this on my timetable, not yours.”

  Another wave of guilt crept up, but I tried to suppress it, to remember all he’d said in the past. I wanted to please him so badly. Taking a deep, calming breath, I closed my eyes and concentrated on trying to remain as still as I could.

  After another minute had passed, he began touching me again. At one point, when he inserted two fingers inside me and began moving them in and out at a rapid pace while rubbing circles right above my clit, I gritted my teeth in an attempt not to move.

  “Good girl. Now I want you to count to ten for me, and when you reach ten, you may come.”

/>   Sweat dripped down my forehead as I started to count. “One.” As soon as the word left my lips, the speed of his fingers increased, and his thumb that had been teasing my clit pressed in firm circles sending a jolt of heat throughout my body.

  By the time I reached six, I was shaking. Concentrating on the number I was on, and on not coming, was taking every ounce of energy I had. Even then, I wasn’t sure I hadn’t missed a number—or said one twice.

  “Ten.” The last number was spoken without sound as a dam broke inside me and my climax over took my entire body.

  When I opened my eyes again, Stephan was sitting up, and I was in his arms. “Are you all right?”

  I nodded, not sure if I could speak.

  “Was that good? Did you enjoy it?”

  I nodded again.

  This time he chuckled. “Did I leave you speechless?”

  Smiling, I gave talking a try. “Maybe.”

  “I guess not.” He was clearly amused. “That’s good, because I’m not done with you yet.”

  My eyes widened at his statement, but he didn’t give me much time to register what was happening before he lifted my hips and positioned his penis right where he wanted it to be. Pulling me against his chest, he kissed me as he lowered me onto his erection. I was still sensitive from my orgasm, and I could feel every inch of him as he slid inside me.

  His fingers dug into my flesh as he lifted and lowered my hips to meet his thrusts. I circled my arms around his neck to ground myself as he moved. His gaze never left mine, and he appeared to be completely focused on what he was doing. For some reason, that made the heat between my legs increase even more.

  I knew he was getting close when his movements were less fluid and more abrupt. His brow was furrowed, and he was sweating. I brushed my fingers along his forehead, tracing the crease.

  “I love you, Brianna. Don’t you ever forget that.” His breath was hot against my cheek as he continued to thrust.

  Reaching between us, he took hold of my breasts and began pulling on my nipples. Every tug sent a spark of energy from my breasts down to where we were joined. I closed my eyes, letting the sensations overtake me.

  “Touch yourself.”

  I opened my eyes, not sure I’d heard him correctly.

  Apparently I had. He released one of my nipples, wrapped his fingers around my right wrist, and guided my hand down between my legs. I could feel where we were connected. “Rub your clit. Make yourself come.”

  I didn’t move.

  “Do it,” he ordered as he went back to my nipples.

  Tentatively, I attempted to mimic what I’d felt him do in the past. It took a couple of tries, but once I found what worked—that pleasure—I was climbing faster and faster toward that peak.

  “There you go. Rub faster, Brianna. I want to feel you come around me. Come for me, sweetheart.”

  Just as I fell over the cliff—my orgasm claiming me—Stephan wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and covered my mouth with his own. I felt him jerk twice, moaning against my lips as he found his own climax.

  He brought us back down onto the bed, panting and smiling. “I missed you. I missed this. I missed everything.”

  “Me, too.”

  We lay there, coming down from our high, until his gaze landed on the clock on the nightstand. He sighed. “It’s already eleven thirty. Ross and Jade will be here in a half hour to get you.”

  In response to our impending separation, Stephan held me tighter, burying his head in my shoulder.

  I hugged him back. “I wish I could go home with you.”

  “I know. So do I. Hopefully it won’t be much longer. Once the press finds something else to sink their teeth into, we won’t have to worry about them.”

  As much as I didn’t like it, I knew he was right. Cal said a few reporters had tried to follow him home two weeks ago. “When can we see each other again?”

  He kissed my neck, sliding his thumb back and forth over my collarbone. “Soon. I’ll think of something.”

  “Okay.”

  Kissing my lips, he reluctantly pulled away. “We should shower. As much as I’d love for you to leave here with the smell of sex on you, we don’t need to draw attention to either of us.”

  Without a word, he helped me out of bed, and we strolled hand in hand into the bathroom. This shower was worlds away from the one last night. The looming good-bye was weighing heavily on both of us, and it filled the small shower enclosure as we washed the evidence of our night together from our bodies.

  Dressed with only minutes to spare, we sat together on the couch, holding each other. “You still have your laptop, right?”

  I looked up at him. “Yes.”

  “Good, because I have an idea.”

  I waited, anxious to hear whatever it was.

  “Ask Jade if she’ll help you download Skype onto your computer.” He got up and retrieved the small pad of paper on top of the dresser. Scribbling something down, he tore the sheet off and returned to sit beside me on the couch. “This is my Skype name. Send me a contact request, and we can do a video chat. It’s not the same as seeing each other in person, but it will have to do until I can figure something else out.”

  Taking the paper, I folded it and put it in the pocket of my jeans.

  A knock on the door drew our attention. He stood and went to open the door for Cal and Jade. Our time together was over.

  Chapter 19

  Stephan

  Saying good-bye to Brianna was almost as difficult as it had been the first time. The only thing that made it easier was the knowledge that our separation had an expiration date. I wouldn’t be going four months without holding her in my arms again. That wasn’t happening. If I had my way about it, I wouldn’t be going a week without having some sort of physical contact with her. In order for that to occur, though, I would have to get creative.

  When Jade and Cal arrived to pick up Brianna promptly at noon, they handed me a small black bag that had been propped up outside the door. Inside was a change of clothes for me. It didn’t take a huge leap to know Lily was behind this. Only she would be brave enough to go to my condo, traipse into my bedroom, and rifle through my things. Why she hadn’t gone and bought something new, I had no idea. Under normal circumstances, I’d be livid, but her actions made getting out of the hotel without drawing attention to myself much easier. If I’d had to wear my tux, I would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

  It nearly ripped a hole in my heart watching the pain in Brianna’s eyes as she left with Cal and Jade. I knew she wanted to come home with me, and if it had been possible without putting a proverbial target on her back, nothing would have stopped me from doing just that.

  The risk was still too high, however. Since the press conference two weeks ago, I’d had more than one reporter jump out at me from the most unlikely of places. Even walking a block to get coffee was an adventure. Brianna wasn’t ready for that. I’m not sure she ever would be.

  At least talking via Skype was now an option. With Agent Marco no longer watching my every move, contact with Brianna was possible. We’d have to be careful, but at this point, I was willing to risk it. I needed her, and she needed me. Going back to the way we were wasn’t an option.

  After changing my clothes, I headed downstairs to the hotel lobby and out front to where the valets were located. Handing the young man my ticket from the night before, I waited while he jogged off to retrieve my car. It was raining, which somehow felt appropriate.

  The valet appeared with my car, and I slid behind the wheel. Traffic was minimal downtown given it was a Sunday afternoon. I was also sure the weather had something to do with it. Fall was upon us, and with it came cooler temperatures that made you want to curl up in front of a warm fire, especially when you added in the rain. Like everyone else on a day like today, all I wanted to do was get home. It was already close to one, and I was sure Sarah was wondering where I was after ditching her last night.

  As I pulled into the under
ground parking garage attached to my building, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I let it go to voice mail and waited until I’d put the car in park before checking to see who had called.

  The number on the caller ID showed it was from Richard and Diane. I figured they were probably wondering about my disappearance last night as well. Diane was most likely worried something had happened with the case—for the last two weeks she’d been calling me almost daily to find out if I had any news. Checking the voice mail didn’t give me any further idea as to what the call was about. It was Richard, and all he’d said was “Call me when you get this.”

  He didn’t sound upset or agitated, so I hoped I was correct in that they were only checking up on me due to my unexpected departure from the gala. Figuring I might as well get it over with, I dialed their number and waited for someone to pick up.

  “Stephan.” There was a sound of relief in my aunt’s voice. “I’m so glad you called us back so quickly. I hope everything’s all right. You took off last night, and all Lily would tell us was that something came up and that you had to leave.”

  I smiled. Lily could have made a great politician with answers like that. “My apologies if I worried you, but Lily was right. Something came up that required my immediate attention.”

  “Nothing bad, I hope.”

  “No. Nothing bad.” For some reason I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

  “I’m glad to hear that. With everything that’s going on, I never know anymore.”

  There was a pause on the other end.

  “Stephan, Richard would like to speak to you. I’ve got to get back to dinner anyway. Jimmy and Samantha are supposed to be here in about ten minutes.” Diane hesitated. “You could still come if you’d like. There’s plenty of food, you know.”

  “I appreciate that, Diane. Maybe next time.”

  She sighed. “Okay. Here’s your uncle. Be safe.”