by Nikki Sloane
chapter
ONE
PAYTON
Dominic’s arm wrapped around my waist, steadying me as the train rocketed around a corner. He clung with one hand to the gray strap overhead, while I used my knees to keep our bags from tumbling over. His luggage slammed painfully into my thigh. The anxiety-inducing thirteen-hour flight from Tokyo had gotten to me.
“I hate riding the El,” I said, “when I own an expensive and fucking beautiful car.”
Dominic gave a tight smile. “Which is downtown and doesn’t have room for your luggage.”
“Sure it does. There just wouldn’t be room for you.”
His fingers flicked me playfully just inside of my hipbone, where the tattoo rested beneath my jeans. He did it whenever I made a joke about our relationship, his wordless reminder of how much I really loved him.
“You better watch it.”
“Or what?” I had my hand on his chest and drummed my fingers, challenging his seduction right back.
His embrace tightened further, and his mouth was right by my ear. “Didn’t you tell me once you wanted to reenact the scene from Risky Business?”
My face warmed with a smile. I’d suggested that almost a year ago on a Japanese train, but it felt like a lifetime now. Dominic had turned down my offer, worried he’d lose his riding privileges, and I’d learned during my year in Tokyo just how important those were.
Now we were on an elevated train barreling for downtown Chicago, just like the movie.
Well, not exactly. It was midafternoon, and the car was packed, standing room only. I glanced at the bored faces of the travelers around us and shrugged. “I’m game if you are.”
“Fuck, Payton, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” His infectious laugh sounded so good, I’d never grow tired of listening to it.
The city we would call home again in three months loomed in the distance. Chicago. Dark, dirty, loud, and everything I wanted. I’d missed the gorgeous skyline, and from Dominic’s expression, I could tell he had too.
Once we hit the loop, we got off, lugged our bags down the steps, and headed out onto the sidewalk.
“It feels like we’ve been gone for years,” I said, glancing down the street.
It had been February when Dominic had flown across the world, determined for us to be together, no matter what. Going back to Japan with him was a choice I’d made even before he proposed. Now it was September, and our best friends were getting married.
“Which way is the lake?” I said, exhausted and disoriented. “Did they move it while we were gone?”
“I don’t think so.” Dominic motioned toward the left.
“Are you guessing, or do you know?” I was giving him attitude when I didn’t mean to be. “Fuck, I’m tired.”
His expression was amused. “It’s four blocks this way, devil woman. I looked it up while we were at baggage claim waiting for the suitcases.”
All of our time together, and I still wasn’t accustomed to his planning. I liked flying by the seat of my pants, making split decisions. Dominic enjoyed thinking ahead.
My suitcase wheels rattled over a grate as I followed beside him. “You love this.”
“Having a clue? Yeah.”
We hit the lobby of the Opulent Hotel right at three, so we could check in, and I sighed against him during the elevator ride up to our room. “What’s the plan again?”
“We’ll take a nap to get over some of the jet lag, then meet Evie and Logan for dinner.”
“Evelyn,” I corrected. It was an inside joke now. He had every right to call her by the nickname, but I loved to tease. The lit floor numbers ticked by as we climbed, bringing us closer and closer to sleep. I could hardly keep my eyes open. “Where are we meeting them?”
“Benihana.”
The Japanese restaurant? I’d sell my Jaguar F-Type just for some American food. “Fuck off, we are not.”
Dominic’s smirk at his joke almost melted my panties. “You’re so sexy when you’re pissed.”
The elevator doors peeled open, and we trekked along the carpet until he had the room door open for me. No need to bother with the lights. Luggage was left by the closet as I went to the curtains and dragged them closed. I tugged off my shirt and tossed it on the chair in the corner, then stripped out of my jeans.
I locked eyes with my fiancé across the room as he began to shed his clothes. A triumphant smile quirked on his lips.
“What?” Was I acting strange? He was looking at me like I was hilarious, when all I was doing was getting ready for was a coma.
“Nothing.” His rough voice cut through the darkened room. “Just thinking about the last time we were in a hotel, trying to get some sleep during the day.”
I was pulling the cover off and froze mid-action.
“You fought me about getting into bed together,” he added. His pants fell off his hips, leaving him in only his boxers, and he came to me, brushing my hair off my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I said in a hushed voice. “Last time, I wanted to fuck you, not sleep with you.”
His lips skimmed over the curve of my neck, drawing a shudder from my body. “Not true now?”
He loved holding that over me, just one of the many battles he’d won. I couldn’t sleep without him now. And yes, I was tired. Two seconds ago my answer would have been I’d rather sleep than screw. But Dominic’s touch lit me up and made me burn. “I always want you, Dominic, even after we’ve been up for nineteen hours.”
His lips sealed over mine, and hands tangled in the straps of my bra, tugging them down. The smooth skin of his chest pressed against mine as his arms encased me. Kissing him was insane. When his tongue filled my mouth, I moved mine against it, moaning into the kiss.
“Well,” he said, ending it abruptly, “calm down. I need to sleep.”
A fucking bluff. My gaze dropped to his boxers, which were tented. I shrugged and faked indifference. “You don’t need to be awake for this. I can get what I need.”
A startled cry tore from my throat as he tossed me sideways onto the bed, bent over me, and pressed the length of his cock against my center. Only our underwear held us back.
“Is this what you need?” The gravel of his voice was more pronounced when he whispered.
I clawed at him, my nails digging in. “Yes.”
Dominic slid down my body, his hot mouth coursing a line over my belly. “So, my tongue couldn’t get the job done?” He worked lower and lower, tugging the crotch of my panties to the side.
“It can get the job started,” I whispered. Cool air wafted over my exposed flesh, but only intensified the ache for him.
He hovered, teasing kisses and touches on the inside of my thighs. Fuck, I needed his mouth on me. This last week, he’d had to work late every night. A drawer full of vibrators didn’t compare to my man. I pushed a hand into his soft, fawn-colored hair, urging him to taste me with his wicked tongue.
“What do you want?” he whispered against my skin.
“Fuck me with your mouth.”
Bliss rolled up my legs as Dominic’s tongue licked over my clit. I had one hand in his hair and the other on the sheet beneath me, and both clenched into fists. My lungs squeezed as a finger plunged inside, taking my pleasure up another level.
He knew exactly how I liked it, but didn’t give it to me. His slowly thrusting finger was just a little too gentle, his tongue too hesitant. Teasing. Holding me exactly where he wanted me, right at the edge.
I grew lightheaded and scored my nails over his scalp, desperate for more. He could hear my whimper, begging him without words, but he ignored it. He wanted me to come at his pace, and Dominic was used to ge
tting his way.
I endured his deliberate mouth for a lifetime.
Once my legs began to shake, he kicked into a new gear, flooring my accelerator. His urgent sucking, licking, biting . . . Two fingers speared into me, filling and stretching in an ache that burned so good. I was about to come, just as he wanted.
“God, please,” I moaned, shivering as the waves of the orgasm built.
“Zutto issho ni itai,” he said in Japanese. “I want to be with you forever.”
I cried out, a strangled sound that died as I burst open. My quivering thighs locked around his head. Oh God, it was good. He was so perfect, from his stunning blue eyes to his desire to give me exactly what I needed. Liquid heat flamed through me, leaving warmth behind.
My legs went boneless as panties were yanked down. Dominic stood, and before I could catch my breath, his hands scooped beneath my knees and pulled me to the edge of the bed, sliding me across the sheets. I clutched at his hips when his thick cock sank into me.
“Yes,” I breathed. “I love you.”
My left hand walked up his chest, and my engagement ring glinted in the sunlight the hotel curtains couldn’t block. I rose up on an elbow, and my grip curled around the back of his neck. I needed him closer, his lips on mine.
His first slow thrust was deep and my toes tensed into points. I arched my back as I pulled his face down, slamming our lips together. Connecting with the love of my life on all levels. His hardened chest flattened against mine, pushing my breasts into him as his thrusts increased in intensity.
“I love you,” he whispered, raining kisses along my jawline. “Real.”
It didn’t take long for his tempo to erase my mind and burn away all my exhaustion. My only desire was for him to reach the same climax he’d already given me. Not like it mattered. He wouldn’t settle for just one orgasm from my body. He’d go until he had me screaming, and only then would he worry about himself.
“Goddamnit,” he groaned, watching me writhe beneath him. I palmed my breast with my right hand, rolling and pinching the nipple between my fingers, and Dominic’s pupils dilated with lust. “So fucking hot.”
“You’re gonna make me come again.”
“Good.” Hips beat into mine, his cock growing harder as the volume of my moans increased.
“But, shit, you make it impossible to be quiet.”
The sapphire eyes gleamed. “Who said you had to be quiet? I know I sure as hell didn’t.”
“We’re . . . in a hotel.” It was a challenge not to pant it out.
“And?” He ground his pelvis against my clit, and flashes of electricity danced up my spine.
“People will think you’re murdering me again.”
His perfect smile spread across his face. “I’m still hazy about that. Did they think I was killing you with my cock? Yeah, you were screaming about it, but how—”
I lifted up on my elbows again and latched my teeth on the side of his neck, drawing a sharp noise of surprise, laced with an edge of pain. It flipped a switch in him. Sweet, playful Dominic went away, replaced by the darker, aggressive version.
“That’s how it’s going to be?” he asked in his rough voice. “All right, let me help you be quiet, slut.”
He bolted upright, drawing out of me, and the sudden emptiness was shocking. I blinked up at him. Was he really going to stop just because I’d nipped at his neck? I hadn’t even left a mark. In fact, I’d never left a mark on him, other than the tattoo on his hip, which had been his idea. He’d marked me plenty of times, not that I was complaining. We both knew how much that turned me on.
When I sat up, chasing after him, a hand gripped my shoulder and pushed me to turn around.
“On your back,” he ordered. “Head hanging off the edge of the bed.”
I shivered with excitement. I loved his dominant side, which had expanded under Akira’s masterful teaching. I scrambled in my eagerness to follow his command, pivoting on my ass and scooting down to lie flat on the mattress.
“Open your mouth so I can fuck it.”
My pussy clenched at his dirty words. I barely got my lips open and he was there, sliding his dick inside, wet with my own taste. At this angle, he could drive deep into my throat. I swirled my tongue over him, getting him to pulse, and there wasn’t anything else like that sensation. Knowing how much he enjoyed what I was doing to him. I wrapped one hand around his cock, twisting my fist around him as he thrust in and out.
My other hand trailed down between my legs where I was needy and unsatisfied. And no sooner had I started playing with myself than he leaned over me, seized my wrist, and pushed it away.
“No, no, no,” he teased. “We don’t want you getting too loud.”
I wanted to remind him that he had my mouth occupied, but he dropped my hand at my breast, squeezing down on it.
“You can play with these,” Dominic said, dragging our hands over my tits. “But this,” his fingers glided down through my wet pussy and slapped my sensitive flesh, “this is fucking mine.”
His other hand was a fist, and he set it beside my hip, so he had leverage as he leaned over and sawed his cock in my greedy mouth, slow enough to not gag me. When I tightened my grip, he groaned in approval, and the fingers on my clit rubbed faster. I bucked under his skilled touch.
Compatible wasn’t a strong enough word for us. It wasn’t like every time we had sex it was the most amazing rapture ever. But we always clicked. Always worked together. Even our mediocre sex was fun and enjoyable. I hoped I’d never take a minute of him for granted.
A rough finger shoved inside me, and I moaned while he was lodged in my throat. “Mmm . . .”
“Fuck.” It came out strained. The vibration of my moan must have felt pretty damn good, judging by his reaction. The heel of his palm pressed against my clit while the finger fucked me in time with his hips. Pleasure built at the base of my spine, teasing the orgasm again.
I pumped my fist on him. Used suction. Spun the edge of my tongue on the head of his dick. Everything in my arsenal to bring him to the brink, as he was about to tip me over into ecstasy.
“Shit. Oh, fuck, yes,” Dominic said between deep breaths. “Take it.”
It was the last push I needed to release, and I exploded. My cries were muffled by his enormous, throbbing cock, and as I came, my legs trembling, it was the wordless permission he needed.
Breath left him in a loud burst, and his movements became jerky and erratic, followed by a long noise of satisfaction, which rumbled up from deep in his chest. He came in spurts, wave after wave, filling my mouth, and when he ceased, I swallowed. It drew another low moan from him.
“Payton,” he whispered, his knuckles brushing over my cheekbone. He stepped back and helped me sit up. In a heartbeat, he was seated beside me on the bed, his arms trapping me. I tilted my head so he could trace kisses along my neck, my eyes falling shut and my fingertips gritting over his unshaven face.
His kisses slowed, and reality returned, one layer after another. I blinked sluggishly. We collapsed on the bed and Dominic tugged the sheet up over our sweat-dampened bodies.
A chuckle rang out when I curled up beside him, needing the contact against his warm body. I sighed dramatically, but since he couldn’t see my face, I grinned. We’d pushed each other into new territory. Talking. Sleeping in the same bed. Love.
Soon, marriage.
“Hey.” I rolled over onto my other hip, turning to face him. “Let’s get married.”
His eyes were already closed, one hand tucked under his pillow. “Thought we already agreed on that.”
“No,” I said. “Let’s get married while we’re home. Tomorrow.”
chapter
TWO
Dominic’s eyes flew open and a scowl darkened his face. “What?”
As the idea began to take shape, I grew more excited. “We’ve been living together for a year. The paperwork with our work visas is a pain in the ass. We could go to the courthouse and do one of those quickie J
ustice of the Peace things.”
His face was stoic, but the muscles beneath his jaw tensed, as if clenching his teeth. He wasn’t a fan of this idea?
“Have you ever been to any of the Cook County courthouses?” He asked it in a lazy voice, but there was tension beneath. “Because if you had, I don’t think you’d be chomping at the bit to go back.”
“Okay, the courthouse isn’t great, but it’s not that bad. Think about it—”
His expression turned serious. “I already have.”
I hesitated as the words sank in. He’d considered getting married while we were home, but decided against it. “And . . .?”
“This is Evie and Logan’s wedding, not ours.”
“Seriously? We don’t even have to tell anyone. Just you and me.” My fingers brushed over his jaw, cupping his face. “I’m tired of waiting, and I don’t need the big party or the dress. I want to be your wife.”
He blinked slowly, and I saw the thought run through his gorgeous eyes. He wanted this too, and badly, but he shook his head. “I really fucking want that, but there are a bunch of reasons why we should wait.”
“Yeah?” I deflated somewhat. “Convince me this isn’t the best idea ever.”
“Our families won’t like it.”
I raised an eyebrow. Of course it mattered what Dominic’s family thought, because they were warm and fuzzy, and the way a family was supposed to be. Besides his sweet parents, I was getting two hilarious sisters-in-law in the deal. I was less interested in what my family had to say about any decision I made in my life.
“I know your family might not like it,” I said, “but they’ll get over it. I have zero fucks to give about my family.”
They’d met Dominic only once, via Skype, in a super awkward ten-minute conversation. That was all the time my selfish parents could spare for the man who wanted to marry their only daughter. Dominic and I had booked our plane tickets months ago for Evie’s wedding, in the same fucking city where my parents lived, and still, plans to meet face-to-face were up in the air. I’d sort of stopped trying to make it happen, and I’d bet on my life that we’d fly back to Tokyo without seeing them. “Sorry, Payton, I wish we could, but it’s been such a hectic week,” I could already hear my mother saying.