“No bra or panties tonight?” I asked, pulling my shirt over my head and shoving my shorts down my legs.
“I guess you’ve rubbed off on me in more ways than you know.” Her dark eyes filled with heat as her gaze dropped to my cock. “You’re always running around without any boxers on under your athletic shorts, with your dick practically hanging out. I figured I might as well be as comfortable as you are since I live here too.”
“Hell, baby. Feel free to skip the yoga pants and shirt if you want. I’m certainly not going to complain.”
She fell back against the pillows in a fit of giggles. “I’m sure you wouldn’t.”
I grabbed a condom from the bedside table and dropped it on the mattress beside her before crawling over her body. “Naked Sundays sound like a damn good idea to me.”
“We’d never get anything done.”
“Being productive on the weekends is overrated.” I trailed a finger between her breasts. “I’d much rather fuck like bunnies than get random shit done.”
Her rosy nipples pebbled, and I bent low to suck one into my mouth. She made a breathy noise, and my hips rocked against her core. I instantly felt the wetness of her pussy coating my cock where we were pressed together and let her nipple go with a pop. “And it feels like you would too. Admit it. You’re soaking wet for me.”
“It’s not like I can deny it.” She lifted her legs and wrapped them around my hips. “When the proof is all over your dick.”
I switched to the other peak and her hips rotated until I nudged her entrance. “I need to put the condom on, baby.”
She whimpered at the reminder as she dropped her knees from my sides and I twisted to grab the foil packet. Ripping it open, I pulled the rubber out and quickly rolled it down my hard length. As I bent over Faith again, I got distracted by the sight of her pussy. It was pink and puffy, glistening with her juices. As much as I wanted to sink inside her, I wanted to get my mouth on her more. “But first, I need a taste.”
Scooting onto my stomach, I threw her legs over my shoulders and dove right in, tracing a path with my tongue through her center.
“Holy shit,” she breathed, her fingers gripping my hair and pushing me closer. When I licked back up again and circled her clit, she squirmed. I pressed one of my palms against her belly to hold her in place while I drove her crazy. I nipped and sucked at her pussy lips, flicked her clit, and licked up and down her slit. I kept at it until she was bucking hard against my hold and pleading for me to let her come. Only then did I stab my tongue into her entrance while pinching her clit. She flew over the edge, screaming my name and shuddering beneath me as I surged to my knees and wrapped her legs around my hips.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous when you come, baby,” I breathed. I glided my palms up to cup her creamy swells. “Your skin gets flushed, all the way down to your perfect tits.”
“I thought it was my skin that’s perfect.”
“Your skin, your tits, your ass, your pussy...it’s all perfect.” Holding the base of my cock, I pumped it a few times before tracing the tip through her folds and lining it up with her entrance. “And mine.”
“Yours.”
Her easy agreement hit me, just like it did each time she told me she loved me. My focus narrowed to one thing—getting inside her tight pussy. I held her hips steady and drove deep, fully seating myself in her wet heat with one powerful thrust. “Like I said, perfect.”
“More than perfect,” she panted. “I swear it gets better every time.”
“Just think what it’ll be like years from now, when we know each other’s bodies better than our own.”
I could have sworn her eyes filled with fear, but she quickly masked whatever emotion it was before I could be certain. Then her pussy walls clenched around my hard length, and the pleasure obliterated my concern. I pulled out and slid back inside, setting a steady rhythm as the tell-tale tingling started to build in my spine. It only took the feel of her pussy wrapped around me to bring me close to the edge, but I never let myself go until I got her off first—even if she’d just come on my fingers or mouth. I needed to feel her come around me before I allowed my own orgasm, no exceptions.
“Tilt up, baby,” I demanded, gripping her hips to get her into a position where I could go deeper. “Yes! Fuck!”
Her hands slid around my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin. “Dillon! Yes, please. Harder.”
I pushed one hand into the mattress next to her side and kept the other at her hip as I began to pound into her. The pace turned furious, with the headboard banging against the wall with each of my deep thrusts. My gaze was locked on Faith’s face, watching as her dark eyes turned glassy and her plump lips parted with each of her gasps of pleasure. It wasn’t long before she flung her head back against the pillows and closed her eyes.
She was close, but that wasn’t good enough. I needed her to explode because I didn’t think I was able to hold out much longer. Releasing her hip, I slid my hand between us and plucked at her sensitive clit. My body was taut with restraint, the pressure building as I got closer and closer to the brink. Dropping my head low, I sucked one of her nipples into my mouth at the same time as I pinched her nub. It was exactly what she needed to drive her over the edge, and she screamed out my name. Her pussy walls clamped around my cock, and I had to fight against them to plunge inside twice more before anchoring myself deep. Overwhelming pleasure roared through me as my cock pulsed streams of come into the condom sheathing it.
When the last wave rolled over me, I collapsed on the mattress next to her. I rolled the condom off my dick, tied it off, and tossed it in the trashcan in the corner of the room. Then I pulled her against my chest and ran my fingers through her long dark hair, brushing it away from her face. “You won’t be able to distract me with sex forever. You know that, right?”
She tilted her head back to look up at me, her eyes dazed and hooded by her lids. “What do you mean?”
“You’re going to have to tell me what’s bothering you eventually.” She shook her head, and I knew she was going to pretend nothing was wrong. After what we’d just shared together, I didn’t want there to be any lies between us. I stroked my thumb over her lips to stop her before she could deny what I knew to be true. “I’m not going to force you to share. Not yet anyway. But the time is going to come when I’m going to need more than sex from you—as fantastic as it is. I’m going to want to know what’s bothering you.”
She heaved a deep sigh and snuggled against me, closing her eyes as she drew shapes against my skin. “I know.”
It wasn’t a lot, but those two words confirmed I wasn’t imagining things. And that even though she didn’t want to talk about it yet, she was willing to admit there was a problem of some kind. I’d take it...for now.
Chapter Two
Dillon
I spent the next week doing everything I could think of to make Faith feel comfortable enough to share with me whatever it was that was bothering her. I brought her all of her favorite things—food, flowers, wine. Opened up to her more about Declan. About the gambling. But it didn’t seem to matter what I did, she was still keeping the problem to herself.
All day long, I’d been reminding myself that I needed to give her as much time as she needed. But it didn’t help. I was officially at the end of my rope. I was all out of patience and wasn’t sure if I could last long enough for her to open up on her own without me pushing.
“You look like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.” I looked up and found my dad standing in the doorway of the office he’d given me. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest and a worried look on his face. “I didn’t throw too much at you too fast, did I?”
I shook my head. “It’s not that.”
He moved forward, shut the door behind him, and crossed the floor to drop down onto one of the chairs in front of my desk. “You sure? Because I can adjust your workload if you’re having a problem keeping up
.”
I pulled three reports up on my computer and swiveled the monitor so he could see them. “These aren’t due until tomorrow, and they’re already done except for triple-checking my numbers to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes.”
He scanned the reports, running his finger down the last column on each of them before nodding his head. “Don’t waste your time checking these again. Everything looks good. You can go ahead and send them to me now, and I’ll make sure you get some new assignments to work on in the morning.”
I opened my email and wrote a quick note, attaching the files before I hit send. “Sent.”
“Great.” He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “If it’s not a work problem, then it must be personal. Is it gambling or Faith?”
“I haven’t been to a casino in months, Dad.”
His dark brows rose. “How many months?”
I did a quick calculation in my head. “Almost seven.”
“Before you met Faith? Or sometime after?”
I looked down at my desk as I answered, “The last time was when I got the black eye. I haven’t been back again.”
“That would be before, then.” He flashed me a big grin. “Which means your mom was right to get the two of you together.”
“Like she isn’t always right?”
“You make an excellent point,” he chuckled. “But you not gambling in that long is more than even she could have hoped for.”
I leaned back in my chair and shook my head. “I’m not sure about that. Mom isn’t afraid to dream big.”
“That she isn’t.” He shook his head and chuckled again. “It’s one of the first things that made me fall in love with her, how much hope she has in her heart. And I quickly learned to work hard to make sure all those dreams come true.”
I’d been a witness to the lengths to which my dad was willing to go for my mom my whole life, but it didn’t help me much when it came to my woman problems. “Faith’s the opposite. She doesn’t dream much and is happy with what she’s already got.”
“But?”
“But what?”
“Dillon,” he sighed, shaking his head. “We both know there has to be a but in there somewhere.”
Of course there was, but that didn’t mean I was going to admit to it so easily. “Why?”
“Because you looked worried about something when I walked in here, and we already ruled out that it’s not work or gambling related. That leaves Faith.”
Talking to my dad about my relationship felt a little weird, but I’d already admitted to myself that I was at my wit’s end. It wasn’t like I had a lot to lose, and maybe he’d even have some good advice. He and my mom had certainly made their relationship work better than most other couples did. “She’s been a little distant over the past week, ever since she and Mom had their shopping day.”
“Your mom said they had a blast. She had a little too much to drink with lunch, and Faith drove her home.”
I thought back to that day and nodded. “Yeah, I remember. You guys stopped by before dinner to pick up the car. I’d only been home for a little bit, and she seemed okay. I didn’t notice anything off with her until after you guys left. She was tense. Moody. But she didn’t want to talk about what was bothering her. Said she was fine.”
“You do realize that ‘fine’ is usually code for ‘you should know what’s bothering me and you’re going to be in big trouble if you can’t figure it out yourself,’ right?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Not with Faith. She’s complicated and has her fair share of issues. But she doesn’t usually play games like that. If she was pissed at me about something, I’d know it.”
He didn’t look too convinced I was right, but he didn’t argue with me. “Then what do you think it is?”
I heaved a deep sigh as I considered my answer. “She seems…almost scared.”
“Montgomery men do whatever it takes to make sure our women have nothing to be afraid of.” He rose from his chair and stared down at me. “So figure it out and fix whatever it is.”
“If only it was that easy,” I muttered, tapping my fingers against my desk. I’d been trying to figure out what was bothering her for the past week without much luck.
“Nothing worth having comes easy.”
It was one of his favorite sayings. One I’d heard at least a thousand times growing up, but it didn’t do me much good at the moment. “You got any better advice for me than that, Dad? Because I could use it right about now.”
“Yup.” He nodded. “Go big or go home.”
I started to roll my eyes because he’d just tossed out another one of his favorite sayings that shouldn’t have helped, but then an idea hit me. One that might make Faith feel at least a little more in control of her life. “You know what? You’re right.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “I am?”
“You are.”
He beamed a smile at me. “It’s been a while since you’ve admitted that to me. At least since before you hit your teens.”
“It’s not my fault Mom’s the one who’s always right,” I razzed him, feeling energized as I jumped out of my chair and grabbed my wallet and keys from the corner of my desk. “And since I’m already done with all my work for tomorrow, I’m going to cut out of here on time tonight instead of staying late like usual.”
“I should give you a hard time after that crack,” he muttered. “But I’ll cut you some slack since you’re worried about Faith and tell you nobody’s going to judge you for leaving on time every once in a while. From what I’ve seen myself and heard from the team you’ve been working with, you’ve already proven that you more than deserve your job.”
It felt damn good to hear my dad say that since I’d been busting my ass to show everyone that I hadn’t just been given my position because I was a Montgomery. That I’d earned it. “Thanks, Dad.”
He slapped me on the back as I walked past him. I was full of determination to do as good a job as Faith’s boyfriend as I was at work. When I got to my SUV and pulled out of the parking lot, I called Faith.
“Hey, you working late again tonight?”
“Nope, I’m on my way home to you as we speak.”
“Oh.”
That wasn’t an excited ‘oh’ like it should have been. Instead, it sounded more like she knew she was supposed to be happy I was coming home early, but it wouldn’t have bothered her at all if I was working late. If I hadn’t already decided that her time was just about up to spill on her own, then that one little syllable would’ve done it.
“Meet me in the driveway in about ten minutes?”
“Are we going out?” She didn’t sound the least bit excited by the possibility, but I wasn’t going to let that deter me.
“Yup. Be ready when I get there or else we’re going to be late for the appointment I made.”
“Appointment? For where?”
“You’re just going to have to wait and see.”
“You and your surprises,” she laughed, finally sounding more interested.
“My tough girl loves ‘em, and it makes me happy to give her what she wants.”
“Dillon.” It sounded like she sucked in a shaky breath before she continued. “You’re so good to me.”
“Of course I am, baby. I love you.”
She sniffled. “I love you, too. You know that, right?”
“I do.”
“And I want to be just as good for you as you are for me.”
Shit. Was that what’d been worrying her? That I was giving her more than she was doing for me? If so, my plan for tonight could backfire in a major way. It was something we’d already talked about, but the price tag was high and it might reinforce the feeling that I was giving more than her in our relationship. At least financially, but that shit wasn’t important. Between my trust fund and what my job with my dad paid, I had more than enough money. But there was only one woman who was meant for me, and that was Faith. “Don’t you realize ho
w fucking amazing you are? The impact you’ve already had on me is insane, Faith. You’ve changed my whole world for the better.”
“Are you sure?”
I didn’t hesitate to respond. “There isn’t a single doubt in my mind.”
“I just—”
It killed me that she didn’t know how important she was to me. “Faith,” I snapped to get her attention. “Before we met, I struggled with losing Declan every damn day, and I felt like I’d never find an end to the darkness that was my life. My mom was able to arrange for us to finally meet because I got into a fight at a casino, and I was in deep shit with my parents. My life was a shit show back then.”
“And now?”
“I still have bad days, but instead of heading to a casino to gamble my way through them, I go home to you.” I wasn’t used to saying shit like this, but I’d open a damn vein for her if that’s what it took to make her happy. “Where there used to only be darkness in my world, now there’s light...because of you.”
“Really?” Her question was whisper soft, as though she didn’t believe she had such a big impact on me. I was going to have to work on that; get her to the point where she felt more secure about her place in my life. Convince her that the value she brought to our relationship was priceless.
“Really, baby.”
“Okay,” she sighed.
“Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” That time she said it with more certainty.
I knew we hadn’t solved everything with one conversation, but at least now I had a better idea of what was going on inside her head. I figured that was half the battle. “Then you’d better get your ass in gear so you’ll be ready to go when I get home.”
Chapter Three
Faith
I raced into our bedroom after disconnecting the call with Dillon. There was barely enough time to make me look normal since I was a total mess. I was going to try my hardest though, because I didn’t want Dillon to notice anything wrong with me. And with my puffy, red-rimmed eyes, it was going to take a lot of drops and makeup for that to happen.
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