by Lia Lee
“You really feel that way about each other?” she asked.
“Yes,” Jordan said, and I nodded right along with her.
“We do,” I said.
Nicole nodded slowly, looking a little dazed. “Well, okay then. I’m not going to lie to you and say that right now, in this moment, I’m okay with this. You both ripped my heart out and stomped on it. You betrayed me in the worst possible way that I can imagine.”
“Nic—” Jordan started, but Nicole held up her hand to stop her, letting loose a mammoth, shaky sigh.
“Just wait, Jay. Please, I need to say this, and I need to know that both of you hear me. I’m not just going to forgive you overnight, and I’m sure as shit not going to be able to accept that.” She waved a hand in our direction. “Just like that.”
“But?” I prompted when she fell silent, pressing her fingers against her temple and making slow circles with them.
“But if you really feel that way about each other, I promise you that I will try my best to get to a place where I can accept this.” Her voice was softer now, with more of its usual warmth in it. There was my baby girl. “Eventually, I will get there. I just need both of you to promise that you’ll give me some time to wrap my head around it.”
“We can do that,” Jordan promised her excitedly, but Nicole didn’t look convinced.
“I mean it. Neither of you can push me. I need some time to myself. This is a hell of a lot to process, and I need to do it in my own time. No calling me every five minutes, no texting, no nothing. I’ll reach out to you in a couple of days, when I’m ready. Can you respect that?”
“We can,” I told her. I had plans for the next couple of days anyway, and she wouldn’t want to be anywhere near us for any of them. “As long as you promise me that you’ll stay safe, and that you’ll call if you need either of us.”
Nicole rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. Yeah, she was going to be fine. “I promise.”
“Good.”
“Right now, though, I’m leaving. I have a killer headache coming on, and I need to get away from all the lovey-dovey vibes in here. Like I said, I’m not quite there yet.”
Now that she mentioned it, she did look a little gray. “Okay, but Donald is driving you home.”
“Dad—”
I shook my head firmly. “No arguments. You’ve had long day, you admitted to having a headache, and you don’t look great. You’re not driving.”
“Fine,” she agreed, but probably just out of desperation to get away from us. She stood up from the couch, waved, and practically ran from the apartment.
Jordan turned in the circle of my arms so that she was straddling me again, her eyes burning with the same intensity as before. “Did you mean what you said?”
Bringing a hand up to her cheek, I stroked the smooth skin there with the backs of my fingers, dangerously close to losing myself to her intense gaze. But this was too important. “That I love you?”
Jordan swallowed, then nodded.
“I did mean it,” I told her. “I love you, Jordan. You’ve brought me back to life. I haven’t felt this strongly about anyone since Nicole’s mom, to be honest.”
Jordan’s eyes popped wide open, and she tensed. “Really?”
I smirked at her shocked expression. “Really.”
“Wow,” she breathed.
I groaned when tears started rolling down her cheeks, her lips curled into an angelic smile. “Come here, love.”
Guiding her mouth to mine with my hand still on her cheek, I kissed her deeply and passionately, pouring my all-consuming feelings for her into the kiss. Salty tears mixed with the exquisite taste that was just uniquely Jordan.
“I love you, too,” Jordan whispered against my lips. “So much. I can’t believe that my silly crush turned into all this.”
“You better believe it.” I smiled. Bumping my nose with hers, I waved a hand between us. “We’re real now, love. I hope you’re ready for that.”
“I am,” she assured me, kissing my nose and my cheeks and my jaw. “Do you really think Nic will come around?”
I answered without having to think about it. “I hope so, and yes, I think she will. We’re just going to have to give her the time that she asked for. You were right this morning.”
Jordan’s lips twitched into a wide smile. “I know. You should get used to saying that, though.”
“What?” I asked.
“That I was right.” She giggled.
I couldn’t hold back a grin of my own as I tugged lightly on her ponytail. “We’ll see about that.”
Wonder filled her eyes. “I guess we will, yeah. Tell you what, though. I’m hoping that you’re right about Nicole coming around. I don’t want to lose her.”
“Neither do I, love.”
Jordan brought her lips down on mine, kissing me softly until I could feel her smiling. “You really like saying that, don’t you?”
“Love?”
She nodded, and I nuzzled her neck, licking and sucking gently on all the places I now knew that she loved. “I do. I’ve waited a long time to be able to say it again.”
Jordan sighed happily and started squirming in my lap. “I’m just really happy that I’m the one who gets to hear it after all this time. Now, you asked me if I was ready for what it meant to be together for real. Are you gonna show me what you meant by that?”
I smacked her ass and nipped at the exposed flesh on her shoulder. “You bet.”
Chapter Fourteen
JORDAN
Brad’s lips on my skin was best thing that I’d ever felt, and I never wanted him to stop. I writhed in his lap, feeling him hardening underneath me against my center as he continued nuzzling my neck. He dipped his head lower and licked a path to my breasts, his hands on the hem of my shirt.
And then it was gone, the material brushing my skin on its way over my head.
Warm hands came up to cup my breasts over my lacy bra, his thumbs dragging over my nipples. I shivered.
“Cold?” Brad asked huskily.
I shook my head. “No, just...”
Trailing off, I searched for the right words, but Brad gave me a sexy, knowing smile. “Me too. Let’s take this to the bedroom, shall we?”
Still at a loss for words, I simply nodded. Brad’s hands dropped to cup my ass, then he stood and held me against him as if I weighed nothing. I crossed my ankles behind his firm butt and clung to him like a koala as he walked us to his bedroom.
I was barely aware of the wide hallways we were walking down, of the heavy wooden doors of numerous rooms along the way. I was held captivated by Brad’s gaze, never leaving mine all the way to the bedroom. There was raw, primal need there, mixed with fierce possessiveness and indescribable love. I’d never been on the receiving end of a look like that.
It made my heart swell and my body ache for him, to be joined with him in the most intimate act of connection. When we finally reached what I assumed was his bedroom, he gently lay me down on a firm mattress, the bed big enough for two families to fit on.
His bedding was forest green and matched his darkened eyes. The furnishings were dark and masculine. There were a few photographs on the walls and novels with cracked spines on his bedside table.
I wanted to explore and learn as much as I could about my man, but he had other ideas. His mouth curled into a small smile, and he dropped to his knees to start taking off my shoes. “We were interrupted the last time I wanted to taste you, but hang onto the sheets baby, because nothing’s stopping me now.”
Making quick work of my clothes, he crawled over me to bring his mouth to mine. There was a connection between us that lit up my soul and ignited an overwhelming need to be with him. There was the physical need, sure. But there was also so much more than that.
His hand curled around the nape of my neck, sliding his tongue into my mouth and stroking it against mine, teasing over my teeth and lips. I moaned into his mouth.
Fingers caressed my bare breasts, doing
things to me that made me gasp. Our kisses turned harder. Hungrier. Brad’s warm mouth moved over my chin and down to my chest, while his fingers traced a slow path to the waistline of my panties, the only item of clothing he’d left on.
He knelt over me, his gaze rising to mine as his fingers hooked into my panties and he dragged them down my legs. I fisted the cool, smooth cotton sheet, taking the advice he’d given me earlier.
I felt ready to implode, my heart pounding and my breathing speeding up so much that I was panting. Brad seemed perfectly in control, but his pupils were dilated, and his breathing came a little faster than usual.
The rustle of his clothing was the only sound as he undid his slacks, unbuttoned his shirt, and let it all fall to the floor. Beautiful didn’t begin to describe a naked Brad. He was perfect, with all the hard lines of his body and smooth, pale skin.
Climbing back onto the bed with me, he laid next to me, fingers stroking over the top of my sex as he looked down at me. “You are so damn beautiful, every piece of you.”
“You really think so?”
“I do,” he said, moving down my body. His warm hand gripped my thigh as his tongue traveled down the length of my body, as though he was worshiping every inch of my skin. His palm cupped my sex, and the pressure nearly had me seeing stars.
I arched against him, his fingers moving between my slick folds until one eased into me. I tingled, just the feel of his finger inside of me taking me to spectacular heights. “God, Brad.”
Groaning against my skin, he worked another finger into me, and my back bowed. His mouth traveled lower, until he was kneeling between my legs, exposing me completely to him. He pushed his fingers deeper slowly, then brought his tongue to my slit and licked me from top to bottom. And again.
Stars exploded behind my eyelids. The strength of the orgasm that was building was staggering. My body was going to be blown to particles when it hit. I gripped the sheets harder, trying to anchor myself against the incredible sensations that were ripping through me.
It was no use. My hands flew to his hair, tugging it as I held him to me. If he stopped, I would cry and beg and scream.
But he didn’t stop. Instead, he brought his lips to my clit and sucked the little bud in between them, flicking it with his mouth with a pressure that sent my body skyrocketing. I cried out, coming as every muscle inside me drew tight, and sensation overtook me. “Brad, fuck. Brad!”
Floating in a bubble of ecstatic bliss, my body went limp, satiated. When I opened my eyes, Brad was there, wearing a satisfied smile. But it was tight, strained. His muscles were tense, and his eyes were slightly pained.
“Good?” he asked.
The best I could do was nod. I pushed to sit up on the bed, still trembling from the force of my orgasm. Brad watched me with heavy-lidded eyes.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Getting my own taste,” I rasped, my hands moving to his broad chest, then up to his shoulders. When I pushed lightly, he lowered them to the bed, keeping his eyes locked onto mine. I started the same way he had, crawling up his body to kiss him deeply. My hands explored on their own, running along his sides and tracing the hard ridges of his abdomen and the corded muscles in his arms.
My fingertips danced down to his belly button, circling it before they found the coarse hairs that formed a trail to his thick erection. He groaned into my mouth, and I swallowed the sound happily.
Breaking the kiss, I licked the shell of his ear and nipped at its lobe. Brad’s hands gripped my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh.
Feminine power surged through me. It was a glorious thing, having a man that sucked up all the energy in every room he entered at your mercy. All that mattered was making him feel as good as he’d made me feel, showing him the same adoration.
I positioned myself between his knees, letting my hair trail over his chest and stomach as I licked and kissed and sucked my way down his torso, my hands gripping at his upper thighs. My thumbs rested a hair’s breadth away from his heavy balls, and I let them brush against him every so often as my tongue made its way to my target.
Keeping up my southern trajectory, I only stopped when his thick, rock-hard erection was inches away from my mouth. He was huge, even bigger than he felt. Thick veins throbbed under his skin, which was soft as satin under my touch, in stark contrast to the steel that it sheathed.
He sucked in a deep breath as I stroked him softly, almost reverently. The muscles in his neck twitched, and he groaned as I milked a drop of pre-come from him. Bending my neck, I closed my mouth over his tip and licked across his slit, gathering the liquid on my tongue.
His hips bucked, nearly coming off the bed. His stomach dipping on a deep breath as his hands burrowed into my hair, gripping it tight. “Fuck, Jordan. Yes.”
His need flowed into me as acutely as my own, my stomach tightening at the thought that I was wholly responsible for his pleasure. He trusted me with it, with his body and his heart. Bringing my hands to his balls, I massaged them between my fingers and slid my mouth down his length, hollowing my cheeks.
Circling the base of his dick with one hand, I kept the other on his sack and brought my mouth to meet hand on him again and again, swirling my tongue around his broad head and over the nerves bundled there.
Hips bucking with a loud groan, he suddenly tugged on my shoulders, hooking them under my arms and pulling me off him to set me on my back beside him.
Brad’s eyes were wild, his breathing labored as he reached for his nightstand and produced a condom. Rolling it on hastily, he rose over me, taking the bulk of his weight onto his elbows. Lying underneath him, the feeling of his heated, bare skin against mine and his cock nudging my entrance was exquisite.
He took my mouth in a ravenous kiss, his hand sliding down my side to cup my pussy. Everything was sensitive and wet. A low groan radiated from Brad’s chest into mine, assuring me that he was as needy as I was.
Brad fit himself to me and pushed in, rocking against me as he moved deeper. Fingers wrapped around my thigh, pulling me against him as he rocked, gaining momentum gradually as our bodies moved together.
We touched and kissed and loved each other, taking our time until slowly, the sweet sensation of pressure started building again. Brad stroked into me in a way that pushed me higher, winding the tension tighter and tighter.
His skin was plastered to mine. I stuttered his name over and over again. When he groaned, his whole body shuddered, and mine erupted with pleasure in response, hot, bright perfect waves of satisfied elation.
Brad buried his face in my neck. His hot breath fanned my skin, and his moans subsided with mine.
“I love you,” I mumbled, still breathing hard. I couldn’t believe how damn incredible it felt to be able to say those words to someone and really mean them. To hear them back from someone and know that they meant it just as deeply and truly as you did.
That it was Brad I got to say them to and hear them from just made it all the more magical. The cherry on top of the world’s greatest sundae.
Brad collapsed next to me, keeping an arm draped over my stomach and resting his head on my shoulder. “I love you, too.”
A happy sigh escaped from my lungs as I wound my fingers into Brad’s thick hair and stroked through it. We lay together for a while, both lost in thought.
“What are you thinking?” I asked eventually, breaking the comfortable silence.
Brad’s eyes flicked up to mine, the look in his eyes more loving and intimate than words could ever be. “Soppy truth or plain truth?”
“There’s a difference?” I asked.
“To me? Yes.” Brad shrugged, but his eyes were lighting up with humor as our gazes remained locked.
“Okay, soppy truth first.” I loved that he was finally letting his guard down completely with me. I’d never seen him quite like it, and I couldn’t wait to explore this side of him.
“I was thinking about how lucky I was to have found this again.” He kissed m
y shoulder and tightened his arm around me.
“And the plain truth?”
Brad laughed, mischief creeping into his eyes. “That I can’t believe I get to wake up with those great tits next to me from now on.”
I tugged lightly at his hair, not able to stop from smiling a little myself. My heart fluttered at his words. “From now on?”
His brows pulled together, causing a little dent to appear between them before it smoothed out and the lightness and mischief were back. “Well, yeah. That’s how this works, love. We sleep together. We wake up together. Rinse, repeat.”
“Oh, is that how it works?” I joked. “I was wondering.”
Brad gave me a little squeeze. “On a more serious note, though, would moving in together be something you’d be willing to think about in the future?”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t be willing to think about in the future, not so long as it’s with you.”
“Wanna know another truth?” Brad propped himself up on his elbow and leaned over to kiss me.
“What’s that?”
His full lips spread into a grin, his eyes intently studying mine. “I’ve never been more ecstatic about getting drunk and accidentally kissing someone.”
I laughed, pressing my head back against his pillow. “Yeah, I have to agree with that. I feel exactly the same way.”
Epilogue
6 MONTHS LATER
BRAD
“Hey, honey,” I said when Nicole’s voice flowed through the speakers in my car.
There was the sound of cars honking on her end of the phone. Then a door slammed, and there was silence. “What’s up, Daddy?”
She sounded chirpy, as she always did these days. It had taken her a month after Jordan and I started dating before she’d finally come around. She still flinched at first when she saw us touching each other, as innocent as those touches might have been. The first time she saw us kissing, I thought she actually went green, but she’d been fully supportive of us since, anyway.
In a way, we were closer now than we were before Jordan and I got together. I definitely saw more of her. I hadn’t realized quite how much time Jordan and Nicole spent together before, and while their relationship had initially been strained, they’d long since made up.