It's Not Over

by A. L. Zaun

  “Promise?” I lowered my hand and gently squeezed the growing bulge in his pants.

  His head fell back, and he grunted as I stroked him.

  All’s fair in love and war.

  “Did I do this?” I asked innocently. A smile of satisfaction spread across my face.

  Our mouths met hungrily. I was distracted by his tongue and lips when he slipped his hand between my legs. I gasped as his fingers ran along the thin material of my thong.

  “Did I have something to do with this?” he asked. “You’re so wet.”

  Touché. “You’re going to have to work harder,” I mumbled as I stroked his dick.

  “Really?”

  He tugged my hair back, matching my every move. Our slow waltz had turned into a seductive tango, and I was enjoying it very much.

  “I’ll give you harder,” he said.

  That’s what I’m counting on.

  He crashed his mouth over mine. Generally, I didn’t kiss the men I slept with. It had something to do with that line in Pretty Woman, the one about kissing being too intimate. It had stuck with me. It worked for me. Sex was about fulfilling a physical need or escaping from the stresses of life in an orgasm. Rick was quickly changing all of that. I couldn’t get enough of him. He opened up something in me that had never been tapped before, and an insatiable appetite took over.

  Our lips moved desperately, trying to somehow satisfy the hunger. His mouth traveled to my neck and then my collarbone, leaving my mouth frantic for contact. Almost sensing my need, he teased my lower lip with his finger. I lured him closer with my tongue and then swirled it around his finger before I sucked. My body was alive and buzzing, craving him as an ache pulsed between my legs.

  Touch me.

  He pressed me up against the wall. “Tell me what you want,” he whispered in my ear. His rapid breathing matched mine.

  With little room between us, I raised my hand along his dick, massaging his vein with my thumb. He leaned into me, growling as he lowered his mouth over my nipple.

  Holy shit. A delicious and intense current seized me. I released him and raked my nails along his back and up to his hair, whatever I could get my hands on.

  “Tell me, Maddy.”

  I wrapped one leg and then the other one around him. I was thankful for the yoga, barre, and ballet classes I’d taken. “I’m not going to beg,” I breathed into his ear.

  “That’s not what your body is telling me.” He circled his palms over my pebbled nipples.

  Damn, body, cooperate.

  “I want to hear it from your mouth.”

  Our eyes met in a heated standoff. I wanted to let go. I wanted him to catch me, but I couldn’t let him, not yet. I needed some control. He brushed his lips gingerly over mine, sending a shiver down my spine.

  “Marin,” I could barely get out, “it’s not going to happen.”

  He leaned in closer and I pressed my mouth against his as I spun my body around his.

  Thank God for pole classes.

  I lowered myself, brushing my hands across his chest. He looked at me like a tiger about to pounce on his prey. With my shoulders squared, I pivoted half a step back. His eyes devoured me. I took two steps back. His dimple appeared.

  “If you want me,” I said, tucking my chin into a soft shoulder shrug, “you’re going to have to come and get me.” Checkmate. I was the seductress calling the shots.

  As I began my twirl, reveling in my victory, I felt his hands around my waist, and then I was airborne before landing over his shoulder.

  “It turns out, I’m really good at that,” he said, slapping my ass.

  Asshole. “Put me down,” I squealed, struggling against his grip. “You’re certifiable.”

  “You’ve got that right, babe.”

  He pushed open the door. My bedroom sparkled with lights shining through the sheer curtains and dancing on the walls of the otherwise dark room. His hold changed, and just as I thought I was about to step down off of him, I was dropped onto the mattress. That was unexpected but somehow extremely arousing. I was finding Rick’s inner caveman to be very appealing.

  I never gave up control in bed—to any man. It was never about overpowering anyone. It was simply about having dominion over myself. I wasn’t about to let that go, no matter how erotic it was.

  Sitting up on my elbows, I blew off the hair that had fallen on my face. “What are you really doing here?”

  Forty-eight hours ago, he had been on the final leg of his quest to win his ex-girlfriend back, yet here he was, pulling out every single trick he had. Was I a last hurrah? Did it even matter? I didn’t believe in love, but tonight, I wanted him to love me. I wanted to feel what it meant to be adored. I wanted to believe that it could be real—if only for tonight.

  “You’re here. Where else would I be?” He moved closer to the edge of the bed. He stepped out of his pants but left on his black boxer briefs. “I cut Daniela loose today.” His hands began a gentle caress along my calves.

  For months, I’d listened to him talk about his obsessive quest to win her back. Then, poof, out of thin air, he cut her loose?

  I’m not buying it.

  I placed my stiletto on his chest, stopping him. “You mean, she caught on to your game.”

  He lowered my foot. “No, I actually did the right thing.”

  “According to whose morality?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  He slipped off my shoes and brought his lips to my ankle, reverently kissing me. Goose bumps prickled my skin and created a map for his mouth to gently travel up my leg, nipping and sucking along the way.

  “The only fucked-up thing I did was go after the wrong girl,” he said, crawling onto the bed.

  I hooked my leg behind him to control the shiver that ran over me. I brought him closer, staring into his eyes. “Deception and manipulation are fair game then?”

  He leaned over me as my body reclined under him.

  “It’s a matter of perspective. It could actually be romantic,” he said.

  Our mouths collided in desperation while he held my hands above my head.

  “Hold on to the headboard.”

  “Make me,” I responded rebelliously, bringing my arms around his neck and running my fingers through his dark hair. “I want to touch you.” That was a partial truth. I did want to feel his body. I wanted my fingers to run through his hair and my lips on his mouth, but restraining my hands in any way, even voluntarily, was too vulnerable, and I didn’t like feeling helpless.

  His lip curved to the side as he reached for my arms in a commanding fashion. “You can touch me all you want—later. For now, you’re going to hold on to the headboard.”

  He clamped my arms above me, and my fingers reached for the headboard.

  Damn him. But my legs wrapped around his back. I’m going to touch him one way or another.

  “You’re going to pay for this,” I warned him, our eyes locking.

  The bastard smiled with his damn dimple.

  “Babe”—his fingers gently drew abstract patterns on my arms—”you love it when I tell you what to do.”

  He kept his eyes on me while his hands wandered aimlessly down to my breasts where he began fondling them and toying with my nipples, squeezing and pinching them. My hips lifted up against his dick. I was on the verge of a frenzy. I was yearning for him. I was throbbing. I was frantic. I needed him already. I wanted my orgasm. I wanted to forget.

  Please.

  “That’s it, baby. Show me how much you want me.”

  With each touch, nip, and squeeze, I felt my body going to that place where total relaxation took over, my mind cleared, and euphoria filled me. In that moment, nothing mattered. I closed my eyes, wanting to focus on the way my body tingled. Electrical currents were radiating to my core as I lost myself in his touch. He slipped out from under my legs, his hands skimming my body.

  “Rick…” I mumbled, hiding a silent plea in his name.

  “Look at me.”

  H
is deep voice penetrated my inner recesses, and then he kissed and licked along my inner thigh.

  “I want to watch your wild blue eyes.”

  He slipped my thong down my legs, making sure to keep contact with my skin the entire time. My core tightened, bringing me to the verge of an orgasm.

  “Open your eyes, Maddy.”

  His voice brought me back to him. My eyes flickered opened and rested on his gaze. My breath caught while I stared at him. “Rick…”

  The stolen glances and subtle touches we’d shared over the past three months played before my eyes. Damn him. My breath caught in my throat as my heart hammered.

  “Spread your legs for me.” He trailed kisses along my inner thigh while keeping his eyes on mine.

  He hadn’t shaved since…I didn’t know when…so his stubble tickled me. With my entire body in a state of urgency, my legs fell open for him of their own accord. Just when I didn’t think I could take any more, he rolled his thumb over my clit. All of me clenched as my lips trembled at the sensation. I whimpered and moaned, unable to hold on.

  “You’re so wet.” His fingers continued sliding and flicking before penetrating. He dropped his mouth and began swirling his tongue, licking me.

  I panted and squirmed. I needed to let go of the headboard. I wanted to touch him, to hold him, to clutch him close to me. “Oh my god, Rick…” I want you.

  He relentlessly continued, now sucking on my clit, while massaging my G-spot. “That’s it, Maddy,” he coaxed me between licks. “You taste so fucking good.”

  Every muscle in my core tightened, and then spasms came, causing my eyes to roll back and my toes to curl. My back arched as I cried out, “Yes…Rick…” My head fell to the side, my body slumping in a complete and total state of euphoria. “Marin,” I mumbled, unable to speak, breathe, or form a coherent thought.

  “Yeah,” he responded, lying down next to me. He brushed some hair off my face and tenderly placed kisses along my face.

  “Wow…” I said breathlessly.

  He grinned. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  I turned over on my side to face him and ran my fingers along his chin. “How are you holding up?”

  “Considering I didn’t explode in my boxers, I’m doing fan-fucking-tastic.” His eyes softened as he hooked his leg over mine. “You’re so amazing.”

  “Do those lines really work?” My eyes focused on his lips, and my fingers inched their way around his neck to play with his hair.

  “You tell me.” He laid his hand on my hip. “I’ve never used it before—well, not in this context.”

  I knew the answer. Yes, they do.

  Pulling his head toward me, I kissed him—like I meant it. It wasn’t enough though. I needed him, and that thought both thrilled and terrified me.

  I swung my leg over him, moving his leg off of me and straddled him, pressing myself against his thick erection. “Amazing, huh?” I ran my hands along his chest while I slowly ground into him. “Happy to feel me, I see.”

  His lip curled to one side into a cocky grin. “You have no idea.”

  “As a matter of fact”—I pressed into him—”I think I have a very good idea. You want me, don’t you?” I asked, using his line.

  I knew how to have sex and how to use my body to bring a man pleasure and to get my own. I just hadn’t had an emotional connection during sex in so very long. I looked down at him as my pulse raced, and my mouth went dry.

  He flipped me onto my back, lying over me. “I think I’m beyond wanting.”

  So was I. I reached down for his boxers and began inching them down, setting him free and letting him spring into action. “I’m in dire need.” My heart beat feverishly.

  His lips met mine in a passionate dance, slow and intense. I pulled back from him reluctantly, instantly missing the intimacy. I reached over and rummaged in the drawer for a condom, tore it open and handed it to him. For a split second, he hesitated. His eyes said it all.

  I’d spent every day with him for three months. Oftentimes, we had seen each other more than once during a day, mostly due to his neediness. I’d learned many things about him, especially when he enacted his Madison pussy-protection plan. He was irrationally jealous and insanely protective.

  “I’ve never brought anyone here.” It was the truth. I never had.

  My home was sacred. My bed was off-limits. How he had infiltrated my life the way he had was a mystery. He only managed to get past Walter once because of their bond. Maybe it was New York. Maybe I was tired. Maybe I’d bought into the fantasy. I wasn’t a woman of maybes though. I was a woman of confidence and certainty. Rick Marin was in my bed for one reason only—I wanted him here.

  He rolled the condom on and moved over me. “I’m no saint.” He kissed me softly and was surprisingly rational and mature. “But I’ll fucking kill the cocksucker who even thinks of touching you.”

  Ah, there he is.

  My legs rubbed against him, needing close contact with him, while my arms wrapped around his back, holding him close to me.

  I’m letting go. Please catch me.

  “I want you,” I mumbled.

  “Say it again, Maddy,” he urged, pressing his dick against me.

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “Maddy”—he pressed his tip against me—”do you want to feel me inside you?”

  I raised my hips to him. “What do you think?”

  Lying over me on his elbows, he lowered his mouth to mine. “I went to you, but you were gone.” He kissed me, and my heart skipped a beat. “I chased you all the way to New York and played by your rules.” He ran his dick along my slick pussy, and I gasped at the contact. “I want this—you and me.”

  He sucked on my lower lip, and I kissed him.

  “Tell me that you want me as much as I want you.” Let go, Madison. Let him catch you.

  I brought my hands to his face and held his gaze. “I want you, Rick.”

  With that admission, he slid into me, filling me. “Holy fucking shit, Maddy. You feel…there are no words.” With each push, he went farther into me.

  “I want you.” I gave myself to him.

  In and out, he pumped into me, possessing me. He held my face in his hands, kissing me. His eyes bore into me, owning me. “I need you,” he murmured.

  Our movements were smooth, and our rhythm was graceful and very intimate. I’d never felt so vulnerable. It was too vulnerable.

  “Rick…” I arched my back, pressing my body closer into his. “What are you doing to me?”

  Before he could say anything, I flipped out from under his body and straddled him. I ran my hands along the light dusting of hair on his chest, riding him.

  “You always have to be on top,” he said, his eyes crinkling with a smile. Sitting up, he pulled me in closer and went deeper into me, groaning. He lowered his hands and held my hips steady. “Amazing and beautiful.” He brushed his lips over mine.

  “I never took you for a sap,” I joked as his tongue ran along my lip.

  He led me down until I was lying on my back. “A sap? Your abuse is a turn-on,” he said, thrusting into me.

  His pace sped up, fast and hard. My muscles began to tighten around him, and the sensation was intense. The pressure mounted.

  “Rick…” I panted, huffing. My legs wrapped around his back.

  “Maddy…let go…I’ll catch you.”

  I couldn’t hold on. My muscles constricted around him. I love you. My body trembled in ecstasy while I cried out his name.

  “I’m gonna come, baby,” he said before kissing my neck.

  I held him close, running my hands along his back. I brought my mouth to his shoulder, feeling his body tense as he released a guttural moan. He rocked inside me a couple of more times before his body went completely lax.

  “I think you killed me,” he mumbled into the covers, “and I died a happy man.”

  I nipped his neck while running my fingers through his disheveled hair.

 
He rolled onto his side. “Why did you leave me?”

  I fell back onto the pillow, closing my eyes.

  “After all of this, don’t shut me out.” He sounded hurt.

  I hesitated, searching for the words. “As pathetic as it sounds, I just couldn’t watch you with her. I needed distance to get my head straight, so I could let you have your fairy-tale illusion.”

  He turned my face toward his. “So, this,” he said, motioning between him and me, “was confusing for you.”

  I rolled my eyes at him.

  “I sure as hell hope you’re not confused anymore,” he said with a confident grin.

  “I never said I was confused.” I propped myself on my elbow. “I wanted this. I hate you most of the time, but—”

  “You love me,” he said with a wink.

  “Your ego is unreal.” I shook my head. “Love is an illusion. It doesn’t exist,” I said, more for my benefit than his.

  With the sheets wrapped around us and the soft moonlight filtering in through the window, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips. “There’s nothing wrong with my ego. In fact, after the orgasms I gave you in my out-of-practice state, I’d say that I was a fucking god.”

  My eyes crinkled as I softly laughed while staring into his hazel eyes. “A god? No, you aren’t cocky at all.”

  He looked down at himself, nodding. “Yep, a god.” He hooked his leg over mine. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” He laid his arm over my breasts. “I corrupted Walter, assaulted Bruce, manipulated the ticket agent, charmed a cashier, and bribed a TSA agent.” He nuzzled his head in my neck. “Deception and manipulation—I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”

  “You’re right.” I chewed on the corner of my lip, loving and hating how his charm was winning me over. “Deception and manipulation can be romantic.”

  He’d changed the rules. I looked away from him, smiling. I was in the moment, living in the present. I didn’t want to complicate things. We had tonight. I wanted this with him.

  “Look who’s a softy now. Better be careful, or people might actually think you have a heart,” he said, his breathing beginning to slow down.

  “You’re such an asshole.” I playfully shoved him. “Are you always this chatty after sex?”