Plump & Pretty

by Mary E Thompson

  The living room was dominated by a TV that took up at least eight feet of wall space, at least I thought it was a TV. When I looked closer it was a projector like in the movie theater with a screen that made it a TV. Black leather couches surrounded the TV with a white irregular shaped rug, like it really was an animal skin, covering the dark wood floor. A brushed metal table with glass top and plastic looking chairs was next to the kitchen. A chandelier, that looked more like a medieval torture device than light fixture, hung above the table, casting a soft glow.

  I was so out of place.

  “Hey, you’re here,” Connor said with a grin. He emerged from a hallway on the other side of the living room wearing low slung dark jeans and a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His feet were bare, and he looked sexy. Like forget-about-dinner-and-how-much-I-don’t-belong-with-him sexy.

  Connor padded silently over to me and pulled me in for a kiss, no tongue, but plenty of heat. He pulled back briefly, his hand tightening on my neck so I wouldn’t get away, and said, “Damn, I’ve missed you.” He brought me back in for another kiss, brushing my lips with his tongue then sweeping through my mouth when I opened for him.

  His feet shifted wider, his normal stance for when he was settling in to kiss me, and his other hand circled my waist, tugging me tight against him. He was already hard against my belly, testing my reserve. Damn, I wanted him. Even as I told myself I needed to push him away, I wanted to pull him closer.

  “Shit,” Connor muttered as he pulled away. “I promised myself I wouldn’t do that to you. I’ll keep my hands to myself, at least until I feed you. Are you hungry?”

  “Uh, I think we should talk,” I blurted before all my resolve crumbled like a pack of crackers at the bottom of my purse.

  Connor faced me, arms crossed casually across his chest. He leaned back ever so slightly, rocking back on his heels before forcing his posture to relax. His arms fell to his side, his hands balled into fists, and his whole body looked wound tight like a rubber band. “What’s up?” he asked, tension evident in his voice.

  “Um, maybe we should sit?” I suggested, trying to… I didn’t know what I was trying to do.

  “I’m fine,” Connor said, his jaw not opening with his words. I worried he’d crack a tooth with how hard he was grinding his teeth, but I knew I had to get through the conversation.

  “Um, well, I’m just not sure this is going to work between us. It’s not that I don’t really like you, because I do, but um… I just don’t think I fit into your world.”

  Connor didn’t say anything, just stared at me. He was breathing heavily through his nose, the sound the only noise in the room. My heart was pounding, waiting for his reaction. I had no idea how he would take it, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Connor deserved to be with someone who was beautiful and outgoing and not afraid of the spotlight he lived in.

  Not me.

  “Why do you think I asked you out?” he finally asked.

  “What?”

  “I said, ‘Why do you think I asked you out?’”

  I had no idea. I shrugged, knowing it wasn’t a real answer, but I didn’t have one. There was no reason for Connor to have asked me out. It was one of the many things I’d been trying to figure out for two weeks.

  “You don’t know, do you?” I shook my head, feeling like a child caught cheating at school, or at least one who got caught not knowing the answers on a test. “See that’s part of the problem we have right here. You think I’m this… whatever, I don’t even know. And you think you’re not enough for me. The problem is it’s the exact opposite. I’m not worthy of you. I’m the one struggling to keep up here, and you’re the one feeling inadequate.”

  He ran a big hand through his hair as I reeled from what he said. How in the world could he feel inadequate next to me? He was perfect. He was Connor Lee for crying out loud, super athlete, radio personality, and all around beautiful person. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.

  And worthy? He was worthy of so much more than me. I didn’t have anything to offer him. It was a complete mystery why he was with me, and even more of one to think why he didn’t think he was good enough for me.

  “You’re the furthest thing from inadequate, Connor. You can spend five minutes outside and find five new women to take my place. You won’t be missing anything. Besides, if I let you go you’ll have the chance to meet someone who fits with you.”

  “You fit with me, dammit, or don’t you remember how good we were together last week. Riley you’re all I’ve been able to think about since I left your bed. I never wanted anyone the way I want you. Shit, I almost called into work so I could stay with you and my work is the only thing I have going for me. Everything else about me? It’s all a facade. Just a fake persona I put on because of who I have to pretend to be.”

  He paused and turned toward his living room, looking out the massive picture windows that showcased a distant view of the city and a closer view of a nearby park. Connor looked pained, like the whole conversation was taking a toll on him.

  “Riley, I can’t force you to stay with me. I’m not gonna beg you. I’ve never felt like I had a purpose in my life. Sports was fun in high school, but it was the only thing I was good at. College was the same way. Pauley’s the only person who’s ever believed in me, but even her confidence didn’t make me a better person. I’m just a jock who gets paid to talk about other jocks. It’s useless. I rent this condo because I need to put on a show of who I am. My car is the same. Hell, our first date was practically a publicity stunt. I just thought you saw me as more than a dumb jock.”

  “That’s not how I see you at all,” I said, getting angry that he thought so little of himself. “Sports are an important part of our world and what you do isn’t useless. People love sports, and they obviously love you too. You can’t honestly believe you’re just a dumb jock. Anyone else who does isn’t taking the time to get to know you.”

  He shrugged and looked pointedly at me. “So you looked past the dumb jock and found out I wasn’t good enough for you?”

  “What? No! That’s not it at all.”

  “Then what is it, Riley? Tell me the truth. Why are you breaking up with me?”

  I took a deep breath and looked at the man I was falling in love with. His dark hair was sticking up from where he’d been running his hands through it. His normally bright eyes were shadowed and shuttered. Tension was evident in the set of his shoulders and his hands, still balled into fists, and the wide stance of his feet, as though he were ready to fight.

  He was the same Connor I’d spent hours making love to a week ago, the same Connor I’d fantasized about for years, the same Connor who’d been bringing me cupcakes and muffins for a week. I couldn’t let him believe he wasn’t good enough for me, because no matter what I said, that was all he heard. I had to get him to really hear me.

  And for that I had to tell him everything.

  “I’m scared. Terrified. I think I’m falling in love with you and am scared that you’re going to ditch me and move on to the next woman, the pretty one who likes the same restaurants as you and lives in a fancy place like you do. If I just admit now that we’re not suited, that you’re living a life I’ll never be comfortable in, then it’ll be easier than to fall even harder for you and then have you walk away.”

  “Who said anything about me walking away? In two weeks you pretended to have a boyfriend, turned down my request for a second date, and tried to break up with me. If anyone needs to be worried, I’m pretty sure it’s me, not you. The problem with that is I’m not letting you go.”

  He stalked toward me, his eyes locking me in place. Connor walked closer, his movements sure and intentional. He was going to do exactly what he said. He wasn’t letting me go.

  His arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me to him, not hesitating before his mouth claimed mine in a demanding kiss. His tongue pushed into my mouth the same time his hand speared through my hair, tugging it back to ang
le my head just how he wanted it. He grew hard between us again, rotating his hips against mine and drawing out a moan from deep inside me.

  “Bedroom. Now,” he growled, tugging me toward the hallway.

  Twenty-Two

  I was weak. Desperate? No. Weak? Hell, yes. I wanted him and something about the demanding man who bared his soul to me turned me on more than his touch had. And that was saying something.

  He hadn’t acknowledged my confession, but maybe that was for the best. If he could brush over me admitting that I was falling in love with him then I knew he didn’t feel the same, but he wasn’t running scared either.

  Charred food filled the air, reminding me of the dinner I’d seen on the stove when I came in. “Dinner. I’m sorry, I ruined it.”

  “Fuck dinner. I’m having you.” Connor yanked me with him to the kitchen where he turned off the heat and left the pans smoldering on the burners. He pulled me behind him again as he approached the hallway, his hand hot and firm in mine. He wasn’t letting go, not for anything, and he was proving that with his tight grip.

  His bedroom was pretty much what I expected. King sized bed with black sheets, black comforter, and black curtains. Dark wood matching furniture filled the room and a bathroom that was equally dark was visible through an open door on the other side of the room.

  Connor jerked his shirt off with one hand, the other still holding mine. He switched the hand he was holding mine with to let his shirt fall to the floor then stepped up to me. “You’re not going anywhere. And regarding your confession earlier… I’m right there with you. We’re gonna fall together, baby. No more running.”

  Aw, damn. My friends were right. All my freaking out was for nothing. Connor wasn't ready to run just because I was falling for him. Instead he was falling too.

  My free hand travelled up to his chest and the hair there tickled my fingers. He felt so good, heated skin covering tightly wound muscles. Dear God, I could touch him all day. My hand drifted up to his neck and dipped into his hair. I tugged him down to me and kissed him greedily. Hearing he was falling for me turned me ravenous. I needed him. Now!

  He kissed me back as hard as I kissed him. Connor pressed me against the wall, his hands trapping me in place. The only part of us that touched was our lips. Our tongues slashed through each other's mouths, lips crashed together, teeth clacked as we tried to get closer and closer. He devoured me, stealing every last breath I held inside and replenishing me with his own.

  Connor moved closer, his hands still on the wall next to my head, and pressed his body against mine. He was hard and thick between us, a throbbing need against my belly. I couldn’t stop my hands from reaching for him, sliding between us to grab hold of him, even though he still wore his pants. He groaned and arched into my hand.

  Needing the contact of his skin, I tugged his pants down just enough so I could touch him bare. Thick, hot steel filled my hand, his soft skin moving slightly as my hand stroked him. He felt so good in my hand.

  Suddenly he jerked away from me, his hands tearing at my clothes. My shirt was gone one second, my pants the next. His mouth covered my nipple through my bra as he yanked my panties free, the sound of the ripping fabric making me moan. The next second his fingers thrust deep inside me, nearly lifting me from the ground with the force he took me. Dear God I wanted him to want me that badly. Where he couldn’t wait. Where the bed was too far away. Where the only option was where we stood.

  A nip on my nipple made me yelp, but flooded his hand between my legs. “Oh, fuck, baby, yes. Give me one.”

  His thumb circled me as his fingers dove deep inside me. I was close, so fucking close. “I… can’t… stand… too… weak,” I stammered, my body losing strength with each second he drove me crazy.

  His hand left me, a sudden and complete loss I felt deep inside. The spiral I’d been on halted like a spinning top hitting the wall. My knees sagged, the weakness I’d felt settling in and making it nearly impossible for me to stand. “On the bed. Now,” Connor demanded. He was standing in front of me naked. He’d shed his pants and his beautiful cock was pointed straight at me.

  All my energy returned.

  The two steps it took me to reach him were wobbly, but sure. His eyes were burning bright, hunger obvious in his gaze. When I stopped in front of him and dropped to my knees his eyes bulged as much as his cock did. “Riley, honey, you don’t have- Oh, baby,” he finished on a moan as I took him in my mouth.

  I swirled my tongue around his shaft, concentrating on the head. The bead of moisture there only fueled my need for him. The tip of my tongue fit into the slit at the tip of him and he groaned again, his fingers diving into my hair the same time his hips thrust forward, pushing him deeper into me. I sucked hard on him as I withdrew, running my nails up his legs. “Holy fuck,” he moaned.

  When I started up a rhythm on him, he helped, thrusting in and out in time with me, guiding my head to suit him. I felt him swell inside my mouth and braced myself for the explosion sure to come, then was yanked to my feet, my toes barely brushing the ground.

  Connor spun us, still basically carrying me, and pushed me back onto his bed, my ass barely on the mattress. He gripped my hips and slid his hands down, pulling my legs up until he was holding my knees, then plunged into me in one swift movement.

  “Oh, God,” I moaned as he hit me deep and hard, starting my spin all over again.

  He thrust into me ruthlessly, no longer in control of his motions. I hooked my legs behind his back and held on for my ride.

  With his hands free, Connor leaned over me, resting one hand on my breast, still encased in my bra. “Why didn’t I take this off?” he growled, a glint in his eye telling me we both knew it was the least of his worries. His other hand slid between us, finding where our bodies joined and rubbing me with his thumb again. My eyes slid closed, the sensation of him inside me combined with the feel of his hand on me too much to handle.

  “You’re so beautiful, Riley,” Connor murmured. I pried my eyes opened so I could look at him. His eyes were trailing down my body, making me wonder what he really saw, because I couldn’t see it. “So fucking beautiful,” he whispered as he leaned down to kiss me.

  His tongue swept through my mouth, a gentle, sweet kiss that was in complete opposition to the feverish pace of his hips and hand. The contrast threw me, but did it for me. I broke our kiss with a scream, his name pouring from my lips as my body clenched around him, begging him to follow me into bliss.

  Connor’s face blurred as he pumped faster and faster into me, all of him reducing to the feeling between my legs, where I felt the brush of the hair that covered him against my thighs and my belly. His fingers tightened on my breast and he picked up a frantic pace with his other hand, still nestled intimately between us.

  As suddenly as the first orgasm came, the second one crashed over me. Like waves on a Hawaiian coastline, I couldn’t recover from the first before the second drowned me, my breath sucked from my body, my heart pounding in my chest, my throat burning from the power of my screams. I bucked hard into him, drawing every last bit I could from his fingers and cock.

  Connor bellowed my name, tremors shaking his body as I felt a hot blast inside me. He came hard into me, warmth and fullness filling me as he shook with his own orgasm.

  Seconds later Connor collapsed onto me, the weight of his body pressing the last of the oxygen from my lungs. I struggled to breathe, but I didn’t care. Death by Connor Lee’s sexy body sounded like a pretty fucking great way to go.

  When he finally pushed himself off of me I sucked in a breath like I’d been suffocating. “Jesus, Riley, why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t breathe? I shouldn’t have laid on you. I’m too big.”

  “Yeah, you are,” I said suggestively.

  He laughed despite his worry and shook his head. “I’m serious, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “It’s okay. I liked having you close.”

  He leaned down and kissed me. “I like having yo
u close too, baby. Always.”

  After another minute he stood, sliding out of me with the movement. Then he froze.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, worried about the fear on his face.

  “Riley, I’m so sorry, but I forgot all about a condom. Honey, I’m so stupid. I… you just felt so fucking good. Jesus, I’m an idiot.”

  “Connor,” I said, trying to get his attention. He paced the room, his hands making paths through his hair then down over his face. He didn’t look at me, just walked, his feet pounding hard on the wooden floors. No matter how many times I said his name he didn’t hear me, just beat himself up pacing the floor.

  He finally stopped in front of the door to the bathroom. I thought he was going to calm down and listen to me, but all of a sudden he punched the wall. A hole slightly bigger than his fist exploded in the drywall. He pulled his hand out and shook his fist. I jumped up from the bed and rushed over to him, grabbing his arm so he couldn’t do it again.

  Examining his hand with inexperienced eyes, he looked okay. “You need to calm down.”

  “I just can’t believe I did that. I’ve never had sex without a condom. Ever. I promise you, Riley. I’m clean. I’ve been tested and I’ll get tested again so you can see the results. And if you get pregnant I’ll help you. Jesus, what was I thinking?”

  His free hand wiped over his mouth and jaw then travelled to his neck, squeezing as he dropped his head to his chest. He looked purely horrified. And I had to know.

  “Are you freaking out because you’re worried about being tied to me forever?” When he looked confused, I added, “If I got pregnant?”

  “What? No! I’d consider myself lucky to be tied to you forever, although I’d prefer it wasn’t because I fucked up. I… my ex… she got pregnant.”

  The room spun and all the blood drained from my head. Lightheaded and woozy, I collapsed to the floor. I never expected to hear that. How could I build a relationship with him if he didn’t even tell me things like that? I’d already fallen for him, and now I was going to have to meet his kid.