Sweet Bliss

by Helena Rac

  That being said, I’m starting to wonder where my stranger has disappeared to. I haven’t seen him since Clara and Marcus had their first dance as a married couple. Fine, maybe it’s only been several minutes. Seems longer, for some reason. I’m not being clingy; it’s just that I know our minutes are literally numbered, so I want to make sure we spend as many of them together as possible.

  “Beautiful wedding.” An unfamiliar yet affectionate voice startles me. I nod in agreement as I take my glass of wine from the bartender.

  “Beautiful wedding cake,” the voice continues, and I realize his comment is directed specifically at me. He knows I made the cake. I wonder who it could be. I turn toward the voice, smiling appreciatively.

  “Thank you.”

  When I see my companion, I catch a glimpse of his curious eyes and feel my knees buckle. The resemblance is uncanny. My expression must give me away, because the handsome stranger with graying hair chuckles at my apparent discomfort.

  “I can see why he’s so smitten with you.” I blush at his words, and I’m suddenly unable to respond. How familiar. After a short pause, the stranger continues, “You know, he knew you’d come back. Without a doubt.” His voice is comforting, appreciative. “Thank you for making him believe again.”

  The man smiles and all I can do is nod, because I’m still in a state of shock. As I take a sip of my wine, I notice his eyes catch a glimpse of someone behind me, and his mouth widens in an adoring grin.

  My body shivers at the familiar presence. Luke’s scent is intoxicating. I breathe him in as he wraps his arms around me. His chin finds comfort on my bare shoulder, which he kisses softly. My skin tingles beneath his lips. It’s crazy, I know, but I’ve missed this feeling.

  “I see introductions are in order.” Luke breaks the silence. “Tessa, this is Carl Callaghan, my dad.” Luke’s dad extends his hand for a shake. “Dad, this is Tessa Conte, my girlfriend.”

  Girlfriend? I’m having a minor freak-out from hearing that word roll off his tongue so easily. But I love hearing it. It confirms what we are and where we left things off this morning.

  Still caught off guard by his introduction, I extend a shaky hand to Luke’s dad. I know there’s been tension between the two of them over the years, and I’m not entirely sure where they currently stand, but at this moment, that tension is not at all apparent. Perhaps things are better between them now than they used to be.

  “Nice to meet you, Tessa.” Carl’s sincerity is evident in his voice.

  “Nice to meet you too, Dr. Callaghan.”

  “Carl is fine.”

  “He hasn’t said anything incriminating about me, has he?” Luke teases. “Should I run for the hills?”

  No, please don’t run. Stay. Forever.

  “No, nothing at all,” I confirm.

  “Well, I’d better leave you to it,” Carl says. “Tessa, it was a pleasure, and I do hope we see each other again.”

  “Likewise.”

  He walks away with the same confident stride I’ve seen in Luke.

  “So,” Luke says as his arms cage me against the bar. My breath hitches at his sudden invasion of my personal space. But I’m more than okay with it. I’ve missed having him this close to me, so I welcome this intrusion.

  “So,” I mimic, my gaze holding his as I wrap my arms around him.

  “So, you sure you’re ready?”

  I play along, although I sense there’s a double meaning in there somewhere. “Ready for what?”

  “For extremely awesome dance moves, courtesy of your delicious, sexy stranger.” He grins a crooked grin that is so sexy I can’t help but want to kiss him in that moment. But I laugh instead – he’s also adorable.

  Then his look changes and he breathes, “For us.”

  “More than you know.” I don’t wait a second longer. I kiss him just the way he always kisses me. It’s tender, yet heated and intense. I kiss him so he’s nearly out of breath and I’m nearly panting.

  “Whoa. Forget the dancing. I’d rather just have you instead, right here, right now.”

  “Probably not advisable, stranger, though I’d be more than happy to find a more fitting place.”

  “Lead the way, cupcake.”

  I lead us to the dance floor instead. After all, if we went away, we’d probably never make it back, and of course that would require several rounds of explanation. Luke pouts like a sad puppy, and I’m nearly ready to reshuffle my priorities for the night. But reason prevails.

  “The puppy thing you’ve got going on is cute, but it’s not going to get you any treats right now.”

  “How about just a quick visit upstairs?”

  I shake my head, yet can’t help but smile at his persistence.

  “Hmm.” His eyes glisten with mischief and a cocky smirk replaces his pout. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  I wonder what he’s got up his sleeve, but very quickly realize what I’ve gotten myself into by being defiant. Being on the dance floor doesn’t bring the heat down – it makes it worse. His extremely awesome dance moves are, well, not exactly awesome. They’re extremely stimulating. The way he purposefully touches me, the way his chest connects with mine, and the way he presses his cock against me are beyond arousing. I’m like a torch, burning all over. The cake cutting, the bouquet and garter toss – none of it can come fast enough. I desperately need those breaks if I’m going to last the night without pulling Luke into a dark corner and having him in a sinfully sweet way. I am that turned on by him right now.

  Of course, I’m the lucky one who catches the bouquet. It lands in my lap after it bounces amongst the few high-strung, can’t-wait-to-be-next single women in the room. It’s kind of comical, because I’m not even close to being the next one. I can’t help but smile over the fact that I got the coveted bouquet, yet I’m not certain that till-death-do-us-part will ever happen for me. But as I inhale the scent of the flowers, I catch Luke’s smile and find myself more hopeful than ever before.

  When the night finally (finally!) comes to an end, Luke and I make our way to his hotel room almost faster than our legs can carry us. Luke’s patience isn’t going to endure another second. And frankly neither is mine. I giggle at his persistent and welcome attempts to grope me in the elevator, but my giggles are silenced by his lips almost instantly. They’re on my mouth, on my neck, behind my ear, while he pins me against the elevator wall, in the hallway, against his door. It’s like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he doesn’t keep his mouth on me. He’s hungry for me, every bit of me, just as I am for him, especially since our mini-break – due to my not-so-mini freak-out – left us feeling desperately needy. This morning’s quickie didn’t quite do the job. In fact, it left us wanting more. A lot more.

  We can’t seem to close the door fast enough. “I’ve been deprived of you and your body for far too long,” he says with urgency as he unzips my dress, although the look in his eyes tells me he’s willing to tear it off of me with his teeth if I am not out of it by the time he blinks. I work extra hard to make sure the dress is not torn to shreds, and both it and my bra are on the floor in seconds.

  “It’s only been since this morning.” I laugh, loving the feel of his hands all over me. It’s like he’s making sure I’m in fact here with him and not just some sort of illusion.

  “As I said.” He takes a moment to trail his fingers down my cheek before they land on my lips. He rubs my bottom lip, then whispers, “Too fucking long.” And then his lips are on me again, and he’s tasting, biting, discovering like my mouth holds a world of exotic flavors.

  “God, Tess, I love the way you taste. I love the way you feel.”

  Luke trails his fingers down my neck and all the way to my bare breasts. He cups them in his palms and pinches my nipples. They pucker and need his tongue. He knows it, too, as he brings his mouth to one nipple and sucks with such skill that all I can do is moan at the pleasure. I grip his hardness below, teasing him just the way he’s teasing me. Luke lets
out a deep groan and growls, “I need to fuck you, Tess. Now.” Simple and straightforward. I love my Luke.

  I don’t even get a chance to dwell on that last thought. He kisses me with so much conviction my head forgets what thinking is. “More, more, more” repeats in my mind like I’ve just had a bite of something delicious and now all I want is an extra serving. Or several. I’m lost in the sensations that seem to take over my existence whenever Luke is in my personal space and doing a whole lot of personal kinds of things to me. Yes please!

  The bed is too far away, it seems, because we don’t quite make it there. Instead, I find myself pinned against the wall and quite enjoying the serving. And when the first course is done, we move to the bed and feast on each other until we’re both satisfied. A five-star menu.

  Chapter 23

  I have no idea what time of day it is as I open my heavy eyelids from the slumber I succumbed to after yesterday’s exhilarating activities. And I’m not just talking about the wedding. No, last night … God, last night was intense. My limbs still feel like Jell-O, and my body is sore from several servings of Luke. I can’t help but grin when I think of how yesterday unfolded, how the night ended, and how this morning has begun. I’ve woken up tangled in my sexy stranger, who’s holding me tight like he’s afraid I’m going to repeat my escape from a few nights ago. Not this time.

  “Hey you,” Luke murmurs in his throaty morning voice. He sounds so sexy, raw, exposed. I feel like I could orgasm just listening to him first thing in the morning. His eyes have this soft, adoring, yet needy look in them. And he’s naked. Naked!

  “Hey,” I whisper back. He reaches for my cheek and caresses it gently, then outlines my nose and lips. His focus is entirely on me and nothing else. Now I feel exposed – it feels as though he can read every thought that flutters in and out of my mind. “How long have you been up?” I ask, because I’m jealous of the time he spent looking at me, wishing I’d had the time to reciprocate while he was asleep.

  “A while. Long enough to take in every single detail of your face so I can remember it all when I’m gone tomorrow.”

  It’s words like these that make me a swooning girly-girl over Luke. But I don’t want to think about tomorrow. I don’t really want to talk about it either. It’s too depressing, and not how I want to remember my last day with Luke. I have a better idea. Several, actually. And they don’t involve a lot of conversation. Mainly gasps and moans and unintelligible sounds.

  “No. Nuh-uh.” I wiggle my index finger in his face and he tries to bite it. “We’re just going to forget that little fact and not talk about it, okay?”

  “What fact?” He’s teasing as he continues his futile attempts going after my finger. Failing at that, he grabs me by my wrists and rolls on top of me so that I’m quite cozily pinned underneath him. He’s hard. Everywhere. Muscles toned, abs chiseled. Cock erect.

  “Not talking about it.” I’m actually not even sure what we’re not talking about anymore. I’m very, very distracted. “So what’s the plan for the rest of the day, Mr. Callaghan?”

  “Today’s about you and me, this bed, and nothing else.” I love it when we think alike. “Okay, maybe not just the bed – that is negotiable.”

  “I’m pretty good at negotiating. As a matter of fact, I can be very persuasive.”

  Luke’s eyebrows rise. “Yeah? Anything in particular you’d like to persuade me to do?”

  “I can think of a few things.”

  “Try me.” He smiles, and I nearly catch fire from the way his eyes focus on me and on my lips.

  I don’t think I need to persuade him much for what I’m going to ask for next, what I can’t help but want, even though it was only a few hours ago that I was on the receiving end of it all. But first, I’m in desperate need of a bio break and could probably use some mouthwash. Otherwise, I’ll be completely self-conscious.

  “I will. In just a moment.” I try to scoot out from underneath him, and just when I think I’m in the clear, he grabs me and tosses me back on top of him. I laugh and try to fight him off. Pillows are my best friend as I smack one in his face, then another, but he barely flinches. He just tosses them to the ground and I’m left defenceless again. Then I remember his ticklish spot, just below his ear – my only chance at not peeing myself. I lean in and go for his mouth, then his cheek, then trail my kisses lower, down his neck and up to where his weak spot is. But instead of a kiss, I blow a raspberry, twice, then add tickles for good measure. Luke completely looses it, laughing wholeheartedly, begging me to stop. Which I do, but only because I’ve managed to escape.

  “You’re in so much trouble, cupcake,” he calls after me while trying to catch his breath.

  “I don’t mind,” I reply as I make my way to the bathroom. “I think we’ve established that I like getting into trouble with you.”

  A few minutes later, just as I finish brushing my teeth, I’m startled by the unexpected warmth that sneaks up on me from behind and the unexpected hardness that pushes between my butt cheeks. I smile as I meet Luke’s eyes in the mirror. He kisses my bare shoulder and draws a line down my spine with the tips of his fingers, then wraps his arms around my waist. I lean into him, and his body molds against mine.

  “If I recall, you were saying something about persuading me.” Luke grins as he rests his chin on my shoulder.

  “I most definitely was.” And I’m so, so ready to do just that. I take Luke’s hand and move it down between my thighs. “Touch me here,” I whisper.

  He leans in closer, so that his breath tickles the skin just below my ear, and murmurs, “Gladly.”

  I watch him, I watch what his fingers are doing to me, and I’m beyond saving. I’m drowning in pleasure, making incoherent sounds. And the way he’s watching me, his eyes full of mad desire, the way he can see how lost I am in him, makes me need him that much more. My body’s arousal is climbing. I moan because I need him. I tremble because I crave him.

  He turns me so that I’m facing him, his fingers continuing their motions inside me. Then his lips are on my mouth, his tongue searching urgently. He draws out every little whimper, every little sigh from me. My hands find his hair and tangle in the morning mess as I writhe against his fingers. I’m obviously very persuasive. Or perhaps he is. In either case, I wouldn’t be opposed to this being my morning every morning.

  “Fuck, Tess. You’re so sexy.”

  I close my eyes and revel in the sensations that are nearly ready to tear me apart. And when I do, when I completely break and I’m weak in my knees, I wrap my arms around Luke’s neck and am whisked away, back to bed. Unlike last night, when patience wasn’t a consideration, Luke enters me unhurriedly and pleasures me with sweet torture, all the while kissing my lips, my neck, my nipples. What follows are muffled noises and the sounds of two bodies together creating infinite, undefined patterns. I’m wrapped around him, I’m wrapped in him, and it feels almost too personal. It’s more than lust, even though I can’t pinpoint exactly what this in-between feeling is. I’m not even sure there’s a name for it. But I love every second of it. Even more than cupcakes.

  I lie on Luke’s chest, listening to the calming beat of his heart, while he plays with the tangled strands of my hair. I love the comfort and safety his embrace gives me. I love the closeness that I feel whenever our bodies are near, just like they are now. I’m tracing my fingers on his abdomen, up and down his happy trail, lost in my thoughts.

  I do wonder one thing now that my brain is back to thinking, considering the slow start it had this morning – it was rather preoccupied by lust. I’m not sure if I should ask, but I know that if I don’t, it will just mess with my head. Luke’s always so honest with me, so there’s no reason why he won’t be this time. I prop myself up on his chest so that I’m facing him and can read his expressions when he answers me.

  “Why didn’t you come after me?” I ask anxiously. “It’s the one thing you’ve always held against your dad – that he didn’t fight for her.” I stop there
because even though I didn’t say much, I’m afraid I’ve gone too far.

  Luke thinks about it for a moment. “When you left Thursday night, I was so frustrated with myself for letting you go, for not being able to make you stay. But I was just as angry with you for not being stronger, for not believing in us.” He looks at me as if he’s hoping I’ll understand where he’s coming from, and I do. I know exactly what he’s referring to, and it pains me to know I’ve put him through that again. “Trust me, if I’d acted on impulse only, I would have come after you and fucked the hell out of you, just like I did at the bakery.”

  “That was fun,” I tease, though the look he’s channeling toward me says he’s trying to have a serious conversation. After all, I did ask a serious question. “I’m sorry. Please continue.”

  “I needed time to think about what you said, to clear my mind and figure out what to do next. I went sailing with my dad on Friday. We talked, more candidly than we ever have. I needed to ask questions I should have years ago. I needed answers.”

  “I’m glad you did. I hope you got the answers you were looking for.” I smile, and he kisses my forehead softly – a lovely feeling.

  “I did. After spending the day thinking of all the possible ways to get you back, I finally understood why my dad never went after my mom. He really did believe that if they were meant to be, she would come back to him. If he reached out to her, begged her to come back, and she did, he’d never know if it was because she wanted to, or if it was only because she felt sorry for him. He would never know if she really loved him the way he loved her. He wouldn’t have been able to trust her again. And I realized just how much strength and determination it took for him to stay away all those years.”