“That’s only the beginning of what I have planned. That’s if you’re willing to stay, of course.”
“I think I can probably be convinced.”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do any convincing.”
“I think what you just did was a good start.”
Sitting up, he reaches behind him and pulls his t-shirt from his body. I watch, captivated, as he reveals inch after inch of taut, tanned skin. I knew he would be impressive, but he’s even better than I imagined. The guy should be on the front of a freaking magazine with a body like that.
Once he’s dropped it to the floor, he sits me up and does the same to me before flicking open the button on my jeans and sliding them down and off my legs.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” His lips drop to my neck and he begins a slow descent, kissing every inch of my body. My bra disappears, and when he gets down to my ankles, my panties soon follow.
He follows the trail of kisses he made down my leg until he’s at the top of my thigh. He looks up at me, where I’m resting back on my elbows watching his journey over my skin, his eyes sparkling with delight. More heat floods my core.
Before my need gets so strong that I’m forced to start begging, he lowers his head and runs his nose through my folds, breathing in my scent.
“Jesus, Cherry,” he moans seconds before his tongue sneaks out and circles my clit.
My back arches and I lift my hips in my need for more. The aftereffects from my previous release have barely subsided, but the second he slides two fingers inside me the sensations of another orgasm wash through me. I’m not sure I’ve ever had two in such quick succession.
My legs start to tremble and unintelligible words fall from my lips as my release races forward. Warren sucks my clit into his mouth, his fingers delving inside and finding that magical spot deep inside me that has me screaming. My body twitches and convulses around his fingers as he drains every last bit of pleasure from me.
With my body exhausted from my release, I lie and watch as Warren undoes his jeans and pushes both them and his boxers down his legs. My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I run my eyes over every inch of him.
“Fuck me,” I moan appreciatively as I take him in.
“I fully intend to.” After reaching into his pocket, he rolls a condom over his length and settles himself between my thighs. He lowers himself on top of me and brushes his lips against mine in the softest kiss as he nudges at my entrance. “I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this,” he whispers.
My heart explodes, but I don’t get the chance to respond because he thrusts into me. My back and hips leave the ground and I feel fuller than I ever have. Shifting my hips slightly, he allows me a few seconds to adjust before he pulls out and slides all the way back in, deeper this time.
“Oh my…” I gasp as he continues to hit a place so deep I almost come instantly.
Dropping his face into my neck, he kisses every inch of skin he can as he continues to thrust into me, bringing my release closer and closer.
“Let go, Cherry. Let me feel you.”
I moan at his words, and after two more thrusts I do exactly as I’m told. My orgasm hits me so strong it seems to go on forever. I only just register the feeling of him twitching and releasing inside me before he falls onto my chest, both of us panting with our exertion.
“When I said earlier that I didn’t want you to think I was bringing you here with any intentions, I really meant it.” When his eyes meet mine, they’re still sparkling with delight.
“I know. Sometimes things just happen, though.”
“That wasn’t just something.”
“No, it was…” I hesitate for a second or two, not wanting to sound crazy. But in the end, I close my eyes and go for it. I haven’t scared him off this far, so why stop now? “It was everything.”
“It was,” he murmurs before kissing my lips once again.
* * *
“I think it’s safe to say the dinner’s fucked,” Warren says with a laugh once we eventually get up from rolling around amongst the blankets.
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I peer around him and stare at the black steaks sitting on the grill. He’s put his boxers back on, but I’m only wrapped in one of the blankets.
“I’m not opposed to a well done steak, but that’s pushing it.”
“We’ve still got the salad,” he says, wincing.
“Salad, it is.”
We settle ourselves back down and I watch as Warren reveals all the dishes he made for this evening.
“You can cook?”
“I can.”
“Now that’s something I can get on board with,” I say with a laugh, popping a cherry tomato in my mouth.
“Can you?”
“Yeah, I don’t really enjoy doing it for myself, though.”
“I bet you’d enjoy cooking with me.”
Dropping my eyes to his bare chest and abs, I can’t help but agree.
* * *
Even with the heaters around us, eventually it gets a little too cold and we regretfully head inside. I could quite happily have stayed in our little romantic haven forever.
I deposit all the dirty dishes on the counter then settle as I watch Warren bend over to begin filling the dishwasher. Unfortunately, a light to my left drags my attention from his shapely ass.
Looking at the screen of his cellphone, I find he’s got fifteen missed calls from his mom, another five from his dad, along with a load of texts.
“Uh, Warren. You might need to deal with this.”
So wrapped up in our little bubble, it was so easy to forget everything that’s going on in his life. So easy to forget that other people might need him right now. It’d been selfish of us to just disappear, even if it did feel incredible.
“Fuck,” he grunts, staring down at the screen as it starts ringing again. “I’m sorry. I just need to—”
“It’s okay. No need to apologize.”
He swipes the phone, lifts it to his ear, and walks from the room. I don’t hear anything, but he’s back again quicker than I expect and fully dressed in fresh clothes.
“I’m sorry but I need to head to my parents’ place.”
Stepping up to him, I run my hands up his chest and rest them on his shoulders. “Stop apologizing. I understand, Warren. You need to be with your family right now, not rolling around in your garden with me.”
“But—”
“No buts. Would you like me to call a taxi?”
“No, I’ll drop you off. They don’t live that far from your place.” His mouth opens once more, but instead of allowing him to apologize again, I stretch up on my toes and press my lips to his. He accepts the kiss, but it’s different to all our others. Tears sting my eyes as the thought that this might be our last pops into my head.
* * *
“Thank you for tonight. It was incredible,” I say when he pulls to a stop outside my house.
“I’m s—” I place my fingers to his lips to stop him.
“Your family need you right now. It’s your job to be there for them. I’d never forgive myself if I got in the middle at a time like this.”
“What are you suggesting, Cherry?” He studies my face as if it’ll hold all the answers he needs.
“I think…” I swallow down the emotion that threatens to bubble up in my throat. “I think we should put the brakes on—”
“What? No.”
“Wait, just hear me out. I think we should put the brakes on just until you and your family have properly dealt with everything. If this could be what I think it could, then I want to fully jump in with two feet and not constantly worry about everyone else or about your intentions.”
“My intentions?” he questions, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
“I just need to know that you’re serious, Warren. Your life’s just had a massive shift, and it’s easy to latch onto something—someone—as a distraction from reality.”
“You think you’re a distraction?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Fucking hell.” His hands lift to his head and he pulls at his hair in frustration. “Have I ever given you any indication that all I wanted you for was a fucking distraction?”
“No, not really, but—”
“This is bullshit, Cherry. I want this. I want to see where this thing can take us.”
“I do too, Warren. But I don’t think this is the right time.”
“When will be the right time?”
“I don’t know,” I admit sadly. “I just know you need to be with your family right now. Not me. Once things have settled down, come and find me. I’ll be waiting.” Pushing the door open, I go to get out.
“But—”
“No buts. This is the right thing to do, and you know it.” He opens his mouth to argue but he’s got no argument. “I’ll see you soon, yeah?” He nods and I take the silence as my cue to leave.
His stare burns into me all the way to my front door, and by some miracle I manage not to break down until I’ve waved him off and got myself inside. It’s then I let all the intensity of the last two days out.
I’m exhausted after a week of nights followed by a week of back-to-back long days. The last thing I want to do is go out and celebrate a colleague’s bachelorette party.
“It’s going to be an epic night. Come on, get excited.”
“I just want to sleep, V.”
“You can do that after a night of drinking, surrounded by hot and sexy male strippers.”
“Ugh, that’s not making me want to go more.”
“Trust me, another man is just what you need. You’ve been moping around over Warren for almost two weeks. It’s time to get back on that horse, baby.” I refrain from pointing out that when she broke up with her last semi-long term boyfriend, she refused to go out of the house for over a month. “Now, sit still and let me sort out your make-up.”
I humor her as she goes to town on my face. Hopefully she’ll apply enough that I’ll look at least a little bit happy about tonight.
This bachelorette party is Bryony’s doing. I’d no idea until Tessa started discussing her wedding plans that she was marrying Bryony’s brother. Tessa wants everything—the huge fairytale princess wedding and the dream happily-ever-after. In her quest to not have to be involved in the dramatics, as Bryony put it, she offered her planning services for free. For someone who seems to love weddings, she doesn’t seem all that keen to be involved in them.
So in order to give her sister-in-law the best send-off into married life, she’s booked an exclusive club in the center of town and organized the ultimate ladies night. The details make me want to run and hide in a dark corner, but Bryony and Vaughan can’t wait to get their hands on the guys that will be wandering around and gyrating their hips at us tonight.
“You know, you could show a little more leg,” Vaughan mutters as she looks down at my floral, flowing dress. “It’s cute, but it’s not exactly sexy.”
“It’s fine,” I state, grabbing my purse and ushering her and her itsy-bitsy bodycon dress out of my room.
Right on time, a horn sounds outside. When I pull the door open, I find a giant limo with a fully suited driver holding the door open for us.
It’s obvious the champagne’s already been flowing when we get inside. We’re the last to be picked up, so the excitement grows as we head towards our final destination for the night.
The neon signs for the club light up the street and the queue for the place is already wrapped around the building. Thankfully, we’re VIPs tonight so we get to skip the line.
Bryony practically launches herself from the limo, clipboard in hand, and we all follow behind.
I hang around at the back of the group with a couple of the other nervous-looking women who have probably been convinced into this. We wait for Bryony to chat up the doormen and head inside.
Wolf whistles sound out from the men waiting to get inside, but I refuse to look up. I just want to get inside, get a drink, and find a seat to hide in.
The girls in front start heading inside but I’m stopped when a warm, large hand lands on my shoulder.
Looking back, I find the face of a man I’ve not been able to get out of my head for the past two weeks.
“Cherry.” His voice is deep and rough, and it hits me straight between the legs. Images of our short time together assault me as I stare at him, dumbfounded.
“Warren?” I rack my brain, trying to figure out if he told me this was where he worked or if I’ve just forgotten.
“Come on, hurry up,” someone calls from the crowd, forcing Warren to tear his eyes away from me.
“You’re not leaving without me tonight. Understood?” His stare comes back to land on me. It’s intense and doesn’t allow for any argument.
I swallow, his dominant tone making my mouth water with need. Fuck, I’ve missed him.
“Cherry, come the fuck on,” Bryony barks from inside and I’m forced to step away from Warren’s intense stare.
His eyes don’t leave me, despite the disgruntled chants from the people trying to get inside. It’s not until I turn the corner at the top of the stairs that the tingles start to fade.
“Are you okay? Did you know he’d be here?” Vaughan asks in a rush.
I don’t get a chance to answer because we’re greeted at the entrance to the VIP lounge by practically naked and oiled men holding trays of flaming sambucas.
“Down the hatch, ladies. Let’s start the night off right!” someone calls from the other side of our group. Probably Bryony.
Vaughan downs hers quickly, then turns to encourage me to do the same. I do it in the hope it will help me relax and enjoy the night. I didn’t really want to be here as it was, but knowing Warren is mere feet away only makes it worse.
Just being the bride-to-be’s work colleague means that I’m mostly left alone. All the attention is focused on the bride and bridesmaids, and I am more than grateful that I get to sit back and watch them get practically molested by the men wandering around with only tiny aprons covering their junk.
“You’re up,” Vaughan shouts in my ear, handing me another drink.
“I don’t fucking think so, V.” I put my hands up in defense when she nods towards an empty chair where the other girls have been getting the full male stripper experience.
She won’t take no for an answer, and she eventually manages to drag me to my feet. Bryony soon notices the commotion and comes over to assist.
“Just embrace it, Cherry. It’s not every day you get a guy that hot up close and personal.” My mind flashes to the man standing outside and the warning he gave me. If I want a hot guy moving against me, then it should be him, not some random guy covered in an obscene amount of baby oil.
My protests go unheard. Within minutes, I’m in the chair, the music starts, and I try to look anywhere but at the man stalking towards me.
The girls chant and scream around me, egging the guy on, totally ignoring the death glares I’m giving each of them.
I keep my head back as I try to keep away from the guy thrusting his hips over my waist, when I feel him. The stripper places his hands on my shoulders, and when he really starts moving, my face heats up.
But it’s not because of his suggestive movements. It’s because of the pure rage that fills Warren’s face the second he gets a good look at me.
With his eyes boring into mine, I watch as he storms across the room, forcefully removes the man from on top of me, letting him tumble to the ground with a panicked look on his face. Then, he hauls me from the chair.
“We’re leaving,” he growls, lifting me and throwing me over his shoulder like I’m nothing more than a rag doll. Catcalls and excited laughter erupt from the girls. When I lift my head up, I find a sea of jealous faces staring back at me.
He carries me through the club and out the back doors. I feel eyes on me the entire way, but I don’t look up.
By the t
ime my feet are lowered to the floor, all the blood has rushed to my head and I wobble about.
“Whoa, I’ve got you.”
I stare at Warren as if he’s a figment of my imagination. I haven’t heard anything from him since I walked away that night. And although I’ve missed him like crazy, which is weird for someone I’d only just met, I knew I made the right choice. I wasn’t, and shouldn’t have been, his priority at that time. His family needed him and I’ll forever stand by the choice I made to walk away in that moment.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he says, echoing my thoughts before slamming his lips down on mine. There’s no finesse to his kiss, just desperation. A desperation that mimics my own.
My back bumps up against his car and he squashes his giant body against mine as his kiss continues. His hips grind into me and his length presses into my stomach.
“Let’s get out of here,” I manage to get out when he sucks on my bottom lip.
I’m left panting when he pulls away from me, stepping back. He quickly rearranges himself before helping me up into his truck.
The second he joins me, the engine’s on and he’s backing out of his parking space.
The journey to my house is a blur as he takes the corners a little too fast and runs at least two red lights.
Once we’re safely in my driveway, I feel like I can take a breath once again. But it only lasts so long because the moment he pulls my door open he slides his arms behind my back and thighs and lifts me from the car.
“Get your keys ready,” he demands, marching towards the front door.
Before I know it, he’s running up the stairs with me still in his arms. He doesn’t even break a sweat carrying my weight, but when he kicks my bedroom door closed behind us and lowers me to the floor, his chest is heaving.
He pushes me back against the solid wood, lifting me and pinning me in place with his hips.
His eyes are still dark and possessive like when he found me in the club, and it only makes the throbbing of my clit stronger.
His Cherry Blossom (The May Flowers Series) Page 3