"I read some articles online about what happened." I reach to cover his hand with mine. "He killed them late at night. It sounded as if they were all already in bed."
"It was late." He nods. "She had to get up early the next morning to open the café she worked at."
I don't want to call her death fate, but he couldn't have saved her. "There wasn't anything you could have done to change what happened."
"It took me years to realize that." He pulls me tighter to him. "It took longer than that to replace the memory of her body in her bed with an image of her face while she was alive."
"That's why you kept the picture there," I whisper against the skin of his cheek. "You wanted to remember her with that smile on her face."
"Exactly. It helped."
"Put it back." I point at the table. "I think you should have it where you can see it."
"It's time to leave Briella's memory behind me, Sophia. Life moves on. Dragging the past with me won't give me the future I want."
I absorb each and every one of those words. "Sometimes it's hard to leave the past behind."
He shifts me in his lap so he can look at my face. "I want a future with you. It's time to let the past go."
I stare at his lips. He's right. "Maybe one night next week you can come over to my place."
A smile ghosts his mouth. "I'd love that. You name the day, give me the address, and I'll be there."
"I'll text you all of that once I know my schedule."
His brow furrows slightly. "No rush, Sophia. We'll do it when you're ready."
"Next week we'll do it," I say as I lean in to kiss him. "Tonight I want to enjoy every second of being here with you."
***
I reach between us and tug on the zipper of his jeans. He's already undressed me down to my pink lace panties. He feathered kisses over my breasts before his lips and tongue worked my nipples into hard, aching points.
"I want to kiss more of you, Sophia."
"You need to be naked first."
"I might come on your leg just from the sight of your body." He smiles. "You make me feel like a teenager who can't control himself."
"Is that a bad thing?" I yank his zipper down and reach in to slide my hand against his boxer covered cock. "You're hard."
"You're surprised?" He chuckles. "I'm almost always hard when I'm around you."
"Almost always?" I stare up and into his face as I move his boxers aside. My fingertips glide over his thickness.
"My dick was limp on the ferry." He inches back a step toward the bed. "I admit I got a little seasick."
"I knew it." I follow his lead and move with him before I say jokingly, "I guess my fantasy of you fucking me in a boat will never come true now."
"If you would have been wearing a skirt, I would have fingered your pussy."
I don't doubt it. His hand brushed against my ass while we stood on the deck of the ferry looking at the lights of Manhattan in the distance. "There's always next time."
"Do you want that, Sophia? Do you want me to fuck you in public?"
I still. "Do you want that?"
"I'd have a driving urge to kill any man who saw your body, who watched you come."
"Keep me to yourself, Nicholas," I whisper against the curve of his jaw. "Protect me."
"With my life." He drops to his knees, his hands circling my waist. "I'd do anything to keep you safe. I'd do anything for you."
I weave my fingers through his hair as his mouth finds my inner thigh. "Make me forget everything but you."
Chapter 18
Nicholas
I stripped after she came against my mouth. The sweetness of her was enough to almost send me over the edge. I shed my sweater and jeans in record time. My boxers hit the floor before she was on the bed, her legs spread, her beautiful pussy on display and waiting for me.
I don't know how but I sheathed my cock without blowing my load.
Now, I'm inside her sweet body, moving slowly, savoring the feeling of her clenched tightly around me.
"Nicholas," she murmurs my name against the skin of my neck. "I love when you fuck me."
I fucking love it. I'll never get enough of this heaven even if I live for eternity.
"Slow," she says through a moan.
I slow, even though it takes every ounce of willpower I have. I want to take her wildly. I want to pin her to the sheets and fuck her senseless until the bed edges against the floor and we both come hard.
I kiss her roughly, my teeth edging along her bottom lip. "I'm too hard, Sophia. You feel too fucking good."
"You can come in my mouth." Her tongue darts out. "You taste so good."
I can't respond. I have to give every ounce of concentration I have left to my cock. The greedy bastard wants to take more than he's willing to offer right now.
I fuck her slowly, painful slow strokes that arch her back off the sheets.
She moves her legs, circling them around my waist. A wicked smile covers her lips but not a word leaves her lips. It's just crazy hot sounds of lust and need that come from somewhere deep within her.
My need to fuck takes over. I up the pace, my hips grinding out circles of desire as I pump my cock into her.
She darts over the edge into an intense orgasm without warning. Her heels dig into my back. Her fingernails etch lines of hunger down my shoulders to my biceps.
I can't control myself. I bracket her body with both of my hands and fuck her hard until I release with her nipple clenched between my teeth.
***
"It felt like you bit my nipple clean off." She rubs her breast and my cock swells.
"You don't like pain?"
"Keep that thing away from me." She tilts her chin. "How can you be hard again already?"
I sweep my eyes over her perfect naked body. "Do you really have to ask?"
"I can't fuck again right now." Her hands hover over her core. "I'm exhausted. My pussy needs a time-out."
"Your pussy needs a time-out?" I repeat back as I hold her gaze. "What the fuck is a pussy time-out?"
"It's a break from a big cock." She rolls her eyes. "When you fuck me hard like that I feel like your cock is going to split me in two."
"That's not a complaint, is it?" I trace a path along her bare shoulder. "You're not saying my cock is too big for you, are you?"
"Never." She rolls on her side to face me. "You're bigger than anyone I've been with."
I smile inwardly. I like knowing that. I've never had penis envy, but I'm glad that I can give her an experience she's never had before. "You're more beautiful than anyone I've ever been with."
"How many women do you think that is?"
"Sophia." I lean in for a soft kiss. "Don't ask me that."
"It's a lot?"
I don't want to go there for obvious reasons. I've had this discussion with women before and it's never ended well. "It's not important."
"Do you wonder about the lovers I've had?"
"No," I answer brusquely. I do, but I won't admit that to her. She's never spoken of any man in her past and although I'm glad for that, it's left me wondering if there's a reason behind it. She knows about Briella but that's a unique situation. I won't go into details about any of the other women I've fucked. None of them are worth mentioning.
"I don’t want to waste the time we have together reliving our pasts." I kiss her again. "I don’t care about any of your experiences with other men."
Something shifts behind her eyes. "That's fair."
Maybe it is or maybe I'm an asshole for not being open minded enough to hear her tell me about the men she cared enough about to fuck. Her words before we slept together the first time never leave my mind. She needs a connection to screw. That means that every other man who has tasted her or fucked her has meant something to her. I'm not evolved enough to be open to hearing about that. I admit it.
"Is being eaten out part of a pussy time-out or will you sit on my face?"
She laughs loudly. "I need to g
o home to work on that design I told you about. I'll have to pass on the face sitting tonight."
"I'd say it's your loss but it's mine. I can't tempt you at all?"
She slides her lips over mine in a slow and sensual kiss. "I have to go, but I'll keep the offer in mind for the next time we see each other."
"That better be tomorrow, Sophia."
"Maybe." She grins against my mouth. "I might be busy."
"I'll call you in the morning to find out."
"I like you a lot."
I love you, Sophia. I fucking love you.
I don't say it. Instead I repeat back her words as I stare into her eyes.
Chapter 19
Sophia
"Do you think Nicholas has slept with more women than you have?"
Crew starts coughing. "I just took a drink of coffee, Sophia. Your timing is shit. Why the fuck would you ask me a question like that?"
I squint. "You're a man, Crew."
His fingers run along his jaw. "You're correct. I'll ask my question again. Why the hell would you ask me if I've fucked more women than Nick has?"
"What's it like to sleep with so many people?"
"What's it like to ignore every question your best friend asks you?"
"Cadence is my best friend, not you."
"Tell her that if you want, but you and I know the truth."
I smile. "His number is higher than mine."
"The old lady sitting behind us probably has a number higher than you. The guy with the hunch back over in the corner does too."
"You're not funny." I shake my head. "I'm serious."
"You're self-conscious." He picks up the cup of coffee in front of him. "Don’t talk while I drink. This shirt cost me more than your first car."
I wait until he swallows. "What if he wakes up one day and realizes I'm boring in bed?"
His brows perk. "You're boring in bed? I wouldn't have guessed that. I pegged you as a freak."
"You're disgusting."
"Because I'm a freak in bed? Don't knock it until you've tried it."
"I'll never try it, Crew."
"The feeling is mutual, Soph. I care about you too much to cross that line."
I take comfort in that. I know that he doesn’t view me that way and I'm grateful. If he did, I wouldn't be having this conversation with him. "He mentioned the idea of fucking in public."
He doesn't flinch.
"You've done that?" I whisper as I lean over the table. "Have you done that, Crew?"
"Twice this week alone."
I sip on the mug of tea I ordered. "No details please."
"I don't fuck and tell." He shoots a smile at a middle-aged woman passing our table.
"I can't do things like that." I pull on a strand of my hair. "I like him a lot and if I'm not what he wants or needs, I'd rather know now."
"You should be having this conversation with Nick," he points out. "If you can't talk to him about stuff like this, you two are doomed."
"It's not always easy for me to talk about sex," I admit on a sigh.
"Why?"
I don't answer him. I can't. It's too personal of a conversation for me to have with him.
"You don’t have to tell me anything." He straightens his tie. "Talk to Nick. The guy is head over heels for you."
"Is there anything a woman would tell you that would make you not want her?"
"If I cared for that woman the way Nick cares for you, I doubt like hell there would be."
I look at him. "You're a good friend."
"I'm the best." He finishes the last swallow of coffee at the bottom of his cup. "I'm here whenever you need me."
"Don't tell Nicholas we talked about this, Crew."
"You're not going to make me pinky swear to that, are you?"
"If I asked you to, you would." I wiggle my left pinky at him.
"You're fucking right I would." He stands and leans down to kiss my forehead. "Trust in Nick. Whatever you need to tell him, he'll understand."
I nod.
"And Sophia?" He turns back just as he starts to walk away. "My number has got to be higher than Nick's and when I stop and think about all the women I've fucked it makes me feel like shit."
He doesn't give me a chance to respond before he exits the café and heads up Broadway.
***
"You're ahead of schedule with your designs." Mr. Foster stands next to me as we look at the design board I created for Ella Kara's launch. "You only have two open spots, Sophia. I'm tempted to suggest we expand the line to four more pieces, but that's pressure I'm not sure you can handle."
Apparently, the man doesn't know me very well. "I have six more in mind."
"Six?" He steps toward the white board. "Tell me about them."
"I can do better than that." I reach for my sketchpad. "I've already chosen the fabrics. I've attached a swatch to each page and you can see the notes at the bottom that explain the accessories I feel would best complement the core design elements of the pieces."
He takes the pad from my hands and skims through the pages I've dog-eared. "This is your best work to date. Are you confident you can get these completed by launch?"
I'm certain I can have them all complete by two weeks before launch, but I don't allow my cockiness to shine through. "I can, sir."
"Move ahead on this." He hands me back my sketchpad. "I'll have Sasha assign you another two assistants."
I can use the help. I'm grateful for it too. "I'll work hard on getting these done as soon as possible, sir."
"Good." He turns to face me. "I understand that you're seeing Nicholas again."
"I am." I busy myself with the piece of fabric that's currently taking up more than half of my workstation. I'll be transforming into a strapless dress. "We've been hanging out."
"Isla would like to have you both over for dinner next week if that works for you two."
It's our first official invitation as a couple. I can't help but smile. "I'll ask Nicholas when I see him. Do you have a particular evening in mind for that?"
"Wednesday," he says without hesitation.
I know the offer has a lot more to do with Nicholas than me. Mr. Foster has never invited me anywhere, but to the party he hosted to celebrate the upcoming launch of Ella Kara.
I know that they view me as the most direct path to spend time with their favorite author. I don't mind. I like the idea of socializing with the Fosters outside of work hours.
"I'll check with Nicholas and let you know."
"I look forward to getting to know you both better, Sophia."
I look forward to the look on Nicholas's face when he realizes that Isla Foster is an even bigger fan of his than her husband.
Chapter 20
Nicholas
My hands roam Sophia's body, stopping to grab her ass. I pull her closer to me. "When I'm not with you, I think about this. Do you know how hard it is to get any work done when your girlfriend has an ass like this?"
"I can't say that I do." She giggles, her breath teasing my cheek. "It's freezing in here. Can't we get under the covers?"
"No," I answer quickly. "I want to see your body. I could stare at it all day."
"It feels like you have been."
"You only got here an hour ago." I know that for a fact. I waited all day for her to arrive. She came over to my place straight from work. I ordered food so that she'd have sustenance and so that I could get the dinner part over with early. My plan all along was to feast on her for the evening. That was postponed when she took a seat at the piano and played two pieces by Schumann.
"Did you think about me today?"
I laugh at the absolute absurdity of the question. "Want do you think?"
"I think the answer is yes."
I kiss the sweet smelling skin near her collarbone. "It's yes. I think about you most of the time."
"I think about you sometimes too." She sighs when my lips move lower.
"Just sometimes?" I ask before I roll her right ni
pple between two of my fingers.
"That feels so good," she murmurs. "And yes, Nicholas, just sometimes."
She's teasing me. I hear it in the tone of her voice. "Tell me what you want me to do to you."
Her entire body stills. "I want you to fuck me."
The lights in my bedroom are dimmed, but I still see the blush that creeps up her chest and onto her neck and face. "Say it again."
"I want you to fuck me," she whispers.
I move so I'm perched above her. "That's the sexiest thing I've ever heard."
"It's not."
"It is." I stare down at her mouth. "Tell me you like my cock, Sophia."
Her tongue darts out over her bottom lip. "I do like it."
"Say it. Say you like how my cock feels when I'm fucking you."
"If you know it already, why do I have to say it?"
My cock swells even more. "I want to be rock hard when I take your cunt."
Her eyes drop and a small moan escapes her throat. "You say things no man has ever said to me before."
"Every man you've been with in the past is an absolute idiot."
Her eyes widen as she shifts her legs underneath me. "You said you didn't want to talk about them."
"I don't." I kiss her softly. "I just know that any man who has been inside of you knows what a gift that is. How a man walks away from that is beyond me."
"You walked away from me."
She's right. I did. I regretted it instantly and it had little to do with the way her pussy grips me when I'm fucking her. It had nothing to do with the taste of her or the way she screams my name. It had everything to do with what I feel inside for her. "That was temporary insanity, Sophia. It won't happen again."
"You can't say that for certain." Her fingers run over my chest. "You don't know what will happen between us in the future."
"I'm not leaving you again." I stare into her eyes. "You gave me a second chance. There's no way in hell that I'm fucking that up."
TENSE - Volume Two (The TENSE Duet Book 2) Page 7