“Yeah?” His voice dipped low. “Well, I like how all of that” —his gaze roamed the length of my body— “looks on you. Though, I have to admit, I’ve been fantasizing all night about taking if off you.”
My heart jumped in my chest, and desire filled my veins. Unable to control myself a second longer, I crushed my lips to his in a hungry, demanding kiss, and he responded with just as much passion.
He hauled me over onto his lap, and I straddled him on the seat, my dress bunched up around us, but he still somehow managed to find his way beneath all the layers to slowly drag his hands up my thighs.
Kissing him harder, I deftly undid the first few buttons on his shirt, never more grateful that he’d ditched the jacket and tie before we’d left. I left his mouth, nipped at his jaw, and then worked my way down his neck, teasing him the same way he always teased me—with tiny, heated kisses that were both too much and not enough.
Trent’s head fell back against the seat, and he muttered a breathless curse. I smiled against his neck, then dragged my mouth back to his for another kiss, which he gave me without hesitation.
“Chloe, baby,” he said, sounding just as breathless as I normally did after kissing him. “Stop.”
I pulled back, my chest heaving with ragged breaths. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said. His eyes were dark with an unsated thirst that only I could satisfy.
My heart raced even faster than it had been a second ago. “Then why did you tell me to stop?”
It had been weeks since we’d been together like this, and I could feel how badly he wanted me. And it was our wedding night, so I really didn’t see what the problem was.
He slipped a hand from beneath my dress and cupped my cheek. “The first time I make love to my wife, it’s not going to be quick and dirty in the back of a limo.”
I rolled my eyes. “Have you ever had sex in the back of a limo?”
“No,” he said with a laugh.
“Well, neither have I,” I said with a teasing grin.
“Chloe,” he warned, though there wasn’t much conviction in his tone.
“Fine.” I sighed with fake annoyance and crawled off his lap. “But if you insist on waiting until we get home, you’d better stay on your side of the seat.” I fixed my dress. “You obviously can’t be trusted to keep your hands to yourself.”
He let out a loud, deep laugh. “I can’t be trusted? You’re the one who started this,” he said, his eyes shifting from light to dark.
“And you’re the one who stopped it, so you just sit over there and hush,” I said, trying and failing to give him a stern look.
We were silent for several minutes, and my heart finally slowed, but everything else inside of me still buzzed with anticipation.
“Yeah. No. This isn’t working for me,” he said and moved over so he was sitting next to me. “You’re too far away.” He draped his arm around me, tucking me safely to his side.
I rested my head on his shoulder, slid my arm around his stomach, and tucked my feet up on the seat. I yawned again, and he kissed my forehead, eliciting a sigh of contentment from me.
“I really like it when you call me your wife,” I said, snuggling closer.
“I really like saying it,” he whispered. “I always knew I wanted to get married someday, but I never believed it would actually happen. So, thank you for making one of my dreams come true today.”
Hot tears burned my throat, but I refused to give in to them. I’d cried so much today already; I couldn’t handle anymore. I swallowed around the lump in my throat.
“It’s the least I could do considering you’ve made every single one of my dreams come true,” I said, hoping he’d pick up on the teasing in my tone so we could lighten the mood.
“Hey,” he said, his voice full of compassion and love. “You’ve made all of my dreams come true, too. You do know that, don’t you?”
I gave an awkward shrug.
He nudged me so my head was no longer on his shoulder, and then he gently lifted my chin so I had no choice but to stare into his eyes. “You have consistently chosen me over everyone and everything else in your life. You let me love you so completely it still baffles me at times,” he said with a tender smile. “You’ve let me claim you. Marry you. And you’re going to have my baby. That’s so much more than I ever thought I’d have, and it’s all because of you.”
“Please don’t make me cry again,” I said, my tone pleading.
“I’m allowed to make you cry happy tears, remember?” he said.
I laughed, and the looming tears disappeared. “I think I need to renegotiate that deal,” I said.
“Wanna punch me for no good reason?” he asked, the corner of his mouth twitching with an almost smile. “Even things out a bit?”
“I’m starting to think maybe you did deserve to be punched that day.” I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed.
The limo came to a stop, and our driver opened the door. Trent slid out of the car, and I followed. He thanked the driver, who nodded and congratulated us, and then Trent scooped me up into his arms. He carried me onto the porch and abruptly set me on my feet. Okay, that wasn’t how I pictured this going. He crouched in front of something resting against the front door.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A wedding gift from Ivy,” Trent said, rising to his full height. He stared down at the gift basket as if it were a deadly animal.
My jaw dropped. Part of me was curious what she’d left us, but anything that came from her couldn’t be good.
“Leave it,” I said. “I don’t want anything else from that woman. Not until we know she’s not trying to double cross us.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he said, and once again swept me off my feet and into his arms. He opened the door, stepped across the threshold, then kicked the door shut behind us. “Welcome home, Mrs. Halstead.”
I kissed him, our lips lingering on each other, neither of us wanting to stop. And now that we were home, we didn’t have to. “Take me to bed,” I whispered.
Trent obliged, though he didn’t use his superhuman speed. He took his time, planting kisses on my lips with each step he climbed, until finally, we reached our bedroom.
He set me on my feet, but his mouth didn’t stray too far from mine, and he kissed me languidly. My thoughts swirled, and my body ignited. Even though this wasn’t my first time, it felt like it. Maybe because it was our first time as husband and wife, and that made this night all the more special.
I kicked off my shoes, lowering myself back down to my normal height, and Trent smiled. “Much better,” he said.
I laughed. “Seriously? Now you have to lean down to kiss me again. It’s so much easier when I’m taller.”
He licked his lips and trailed the back of his hand down the side of my face. “Your height is just one of the many things I love about you,” he said, his gaze intense. “I have a weakness for short girls.”
I stood there, stunned. “How did I not know that about you?”
Then again, there was still so much I didn’t know about him. He’d lived a long time, and he had a past I couldn’t begin to comprehend.
He lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug. “Don’t worry. You’ll have an eternity to learn everything there is to know about me.”
My heart tripped over itself, then beat hard and steady.
“I really like that, too,” he said, his voice dropping to a husky rasp.
“You really like what?”
“The sound your heart makes every time I talk about our future, or when I mention having an eternity together. It stutters just the slightest bit, almost as if it can’t keep up with itself, and then it pounds,” he said.
“Yeah, well, you have that effect on me,” I said, not bothering to hide it from him. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.
His only response was a much too short kiss that left me wanting more. “Before this goes any further, there’s something
I want to do,” he said.
Trent walked over to the closet and rummaged around for something on the top shelf. What on earth was he doing? I shifted on my feet, my curiosity growing by the second. Had he bought me a wedding gift? I hoped not because I hadn’t gotten him anything.
“What are you doing?” I asked, unable to handle the suspense a moment longer.
Finally, he sauntered back toward me, his bright, sexy smile a stark contrast to his dark, lustful eyes. Stopping in front of me, he held up the vials Ivy had given us.
My jaw dropped, and I stared up at him. “You want to do this tonight?” I asked.
He gave a small nod. “I said I wanted to have a baby with my wife, and you’re my wife now,” he said, his voice much calmer than mine had been. “I was going to save these for the honeymoon, but why wait?”
“Because… I—” I snapped my mouth shut.
I didn’t have a good reason why we should wait, other than the fact that he’d completely blindsided me with this. We’d talked about it a lot, and we were both in agreement that it was something we wanted to do, but I figured we’d also talk about when to drink the potion so that we’d both be prepared.
“If you don’t want to do this right now, that’s okay,” he said, his tone patient. “But I want you to know that I’m ready whenever you are.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. I’d fought so hard to be able to have Trent’s baby, and while the idea of pregnancy and childbirth was scary, so was not doing those things. I wanted this more than anything. Why was I hesitating?
Memories of the night Trent had stayed awake trying to figure out a way to make this work flashed through my mind, followed quickly by images of him playing with Little Frank, of the sheer joy in his eyes, the sound of his carefree laughter, the way he smiled every time Little Frank would ask for Trent.
Now was our chance to have that life, to be parents. And God knew I wanted to be everything for Trent—his best friend, his soulmate, his lover, his wife. The mother of his child. With a steady hand, I took the vial with my name on it and twisted off the wooden top.
“Are you sure?” he asked, brow raised.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
Together, we drank the potion, and then Trent took the vials and tossed them on top of the dresser. Warmth seeped through my veins, and a sudden rush of dizziness hit me, but it disappeared even faster, and then I felt fine. Perfectly normal.
Trent gently clutched either side of my neck and slanted his lips over mine, and the instant his tongue grazed mine, I was a goner. Everything inside of me screamed for more, for him to kiss me harder and deeper, to never stop.
I fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, my palms itching with the need to touch bare skin, to hear the way he’d groan when I ran my fingers down his chest. The sensations clawed at me, demanding to be sated. It was as if I had no control over my body, the urges fully taking over.
But Trent wasn’t nearly as crazed as I seemed to be. He spun me around so my back was to his chest, his lips featherlight across the back of my neck. The way he was torturously slow in peeling my dress from my body, kissing and caressing every inch of skin he exposed, was an intentional seduction, a promise of everything he planned to do to me.
“Trent, please,” I said, my voice a needy whine. I turned to face him, not caring if he was done teasing me, rose up on my tiptoes, and drew his bottom lip between my teeth, demanding he kiss me.
His hands coursed down my back, stopping on my butt, and then he lifted me off my feet at the exact moment his tongue plunged between my lips. I wrapped my legs around his waist and whimpered at the feel of how hard his body was.
“I have been waiting my entire existence for this moment,” he said as he laid me down on the bed.
He didn’t once lose contact with my body, settling easily between my legs as if he didn’t belong anywhere else. And he didn’t. He was mine. For eternity. No matter how many times I had that thought, it always made my breath catch.
I ran my fingers through his hair, and he tilted his head, groaning. “It scares me sometimes when I think about how much I love you,” I said.
“Believe me, I know the feeling.” He chuckled softly, and then his lips were back on mine.
He didn’t take nearly as long removing his clothes as he had taking off my dress. Not that I was complaining. But then he teased me relentlessly with his mouth and fingers until I was a writhing mess beneath him. Every single time he touched me, no matter how small, it was pure euphoria, but he’d never touched me like this before.
I loved every second of it, and I craved more. I needed more as badly as I needed my next breath, and I was positive I’d die if he stopped right now. Were these enhanced sensations because we’d been depriving ourselves of each other for weeks? Or was this simply because he was my husband now and that made this all the more intense?
His breath was hot against my neck as he slid inside of me. I cried out, my fingernails digging into his back. Planting his hand next to my head, he pushed himself up just far enough to gaze down at me, and suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.
He rocked against me, our bodies in perfect sync. “I love you so much, Chloe,” he said, his voice strained with the effort of holding back, from what or why, I had no idea.
But I didn’t want him to hold back. I wanted him, all of him, and I wasn’t going to settle for anything less. I threaded my fingers through his hair and brought his mouth down to mine. He kissed me with the desperation and ferocity of a man who’d only just gotten his heart’s greatest desire.
His movements were steady despite the intensity of the need that raged between us, and I knew then that he was being careful because he didn’t want to hurt me. I hooked my legs around his and moaned when he dragged his lips across my jaw.
“I’ll never get enough of you,” he said, nipping at my neck.
Flames of desire exploded inside of me. Was he going to bite me? I wouldn’t care if he did, but I wasn’t going to ask. I knew it had been getting harder for him to control himself when he bit me, and I didn’t want to ruin this moment for us.
Instead, I said, “Kiss me.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE:
Side Effects
I FOLDED A PAIR OF JEANS and shoved them into my suitcase, which was already way too full. But Trent refused to tell me what to bring—I had no idea if I needed snow pants or a bikini—and when I asked, all he said was, “Pack a little of everything.” He was impossible with his surprises.
My plan was to be packed already. I’d even gotten up early just to make sure I was ready, but Trent and I had spent the morning doing other things that were a lot more fun. He’d even climbed into the shower with me earlier.
We normally had trouble keeping our hands to ourselves, but it was twice as bad this morning. Even now, as I stood near the bed, suitcase wide open, knowing I still needed to pack all my toiletries and shoes, all I could think about was Trent.
Where was he, anyway? He’d said he was going downstairs to get something, but that had been ages ago. Okay, so maybe it had only been a few minutes, but it felt like forever. I took a step back and studied my luggage. I had jeans, sweaters, shorts, T-shirts, bathing suits… What else did I need?
Bras, underwear, and socks. That would’ve sucked if I’d forgotten to pack those. Before I could grab them, though, Trent practically tackled me from behind, and then I was beneath him on the bed. His lips were on my neck, teasing.
“Trent,” I said around a giggle and pushed against his shoulders. “That tickles.” I squirmed in an effort to get him away from my neck.
“What about this? Does this tickle?” he asked right before he captured my lips in a heated kiss.
Moaning softly, I ran my fingers through his hair, holding him to me as he deepened the kiss, his intentions crystal clear. His hand landed on my hip, pinning me in place. Not that I was trying to go anywhere.
And then, slowly, he eased his hand up the hem of my shirt. I suck
ed in a sharp breath at the feel of his fingers grazing across my belly button. He left a trail of goose bumps in his wake, and I suppressed a shiver of delight.
“I need you,” he said, his voice raw with fiery need. He rocked his body against mine, proving just how much he truly needed me.
“We don’t have time for this. Abby and Isach will be here any minute,” I said, but then I hooked my leg around his, knowing full well I couldn’t stop the desire raging between us. And I didn’t really want to. I wanted him just as badly as he wanted me.
He moved the pillow and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Then he grinned. “We have at least fifteen minutes before they get here. That’s plenty of time.”
I laughed. “No, it’s not.”
Not if the last four times were any indication anyway. I’d had more sex in the last twelve hours than I’d had in my entire life, yet here I was, ready for more. I craved Trent in a way I never knew was possible. This had to be what he felt all the time with his heightened emotions.
Groaning, he rested his forehead to mine.
I dragged my hands through his hair and laced my fingers behind his neck. “I still need to finish packing,” I said, even though I’d much rather stay right here with him.
With a heavy sigh, he gave me a quick kiss, then pushed off me. Reluctantly, I stood and straightened my shirt, then finished packing. He flopped back onto the bed, head propped in his hand, and he watched me with a desperate hunger.
I gathered the stuff from the bathroom that I’d need and dumped it into my suitcase. Then I propped my hands on my hips and glared at Trent. “Stop looking at me like that,” I said.
“Like what?” He laughed.
“Like you’re in physical pain because you’re not touching me,” I said.
“But I am.” He gracefully rolled off the bed and was in front of me before I could blink. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but the compulsion to be with you is overwhelming.”
“It’s weird, right?” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’ve been feeling the same way. All I want is to be with you, more so than usual.”
Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5) Page 30