by Parker, Ali
“Perhaps.”
I propped myself up on my elbows to look down at him as he continued kissing the soft skin inside my thighs. “How long do you plan to keep that up?”
“For as long as I want to,” he said, pinching my skin gently between his teeth.
I sucked in a sharp breath of surprise and pleasure and fell back down upon the bed. His ceiling was a blank canvas above me, and I tried to get lost in it, but him not touching me where I wanted to be touched was much too distracting. I needed him. I needed anything.
So, I decided to stop waiting.
I reached down between my legs and rubbed myself in front of his face. Dallas let out a deep sound in the back of his throat. I could feel his breath on my hand. He gripped my thighs, his fingers pressing into the soft flesh, and spread my legs farther apart.
I was so wet. My pussy was slippery with juices as I traced a finger up and down my slit, pausing to roll my fingertips over my clit.
Dallas put his hand over mine. Then slowly, he guided one of my fingers inside myself. He moaned. So did I. I couldn’t recall a time where I was so turned on before. My lips were swollen from our kisses, and my pussy was tight around my finger, desperate.
Dallas watched with hungry eyes as I fingered myself. I rubbed my clit with my thumb and felt myself edging toward an orgasm.
When Dallas slid a finger inside me alongside my own, I gasped. He pressed down, stretching me open, and worked his finger in and out in rhythm with my own. “You’re so fucking sexy, baby,” he said roughly. “Damn.”
And then he pushed my thumb out of the way and sealed his lips over my clit. I gripped the duvet with my free hand. Little stars exploded behind my eyelids when I closed my eyes and arched my back, his name leaving my lips in a euphoric cry as heat rolled through my body and fresh wetness bloomed between my legs.
Dallas lapped it up, pulled his finger out of me, and pushed my hand out of the way.
His tongue swirled and licked and rolled, and I quivered beneath him. I was out of breath and delirious with pleasure when I reached down, knotted my fingers in his hair, and held him in place as I rolled my hips against his mouth. He gripped my waist and sucked my clit hard.
“Yes!” I breathed. I wanted to scream but didn’t dare.
After my second orgasm, Dallas straightened above me. “Take your shirt off.”
I sat up. My body was weak, especially my legs. As I pulled my shirt over my head and took off my bra, he went to his nightstand and grabbed a condom. While he rolled it on, I settled back down on the bed and let my knees fall apart. I rubbed myself as I waited for him.
He watched me. His eyes were dark, even in the warm light cast by the lamp. “You have no idea what you do to me, woman.”
“I have a little idea,” I whispered.
He smiled and leaned over me, planting his hands on either side of my waist. “Are you going to be able to keep quiet?”
I nodded. “I think so.”
“I’m gonna need more assurance than that, baby. If you can’t be quiet, I’ll have to make you.”
I writhed on the bed beneath him as desire shot through me. “Then make me.”
He kissed my neck, nibbled my ear, and massaged my breasts. I clung to him, hooking my arms over his broad shoulders and lifting my ass from the bed to feel the length of his cock rest across my lower stomach.
When he didn’t take the hint and put his cock inside me, I grew impatient and lowered myself back down to the bed so I could reach down, grab his shaft, and ease it inside me. He watched me as his length slid all the way in. I held his gaze and pinched my bottom lip between my teeth.
Finally, I had what I wanted.
He leaned over me, the muscles in his arms flexing, and kissed me as he thrusted in and out of me. He took his time building toward a quicker momentum. I sighed beneath him and lifted my legs higher. “Deeper,” I whispered.
Dallas drove himself in deeper, and I moaned. Then he grabbed my hands and pinned my arms above my head by my wrists. I wriggled playfully, testing how serious he was and how much force he was really applying. It became quickly apparent that I would not be able to break the grip he had on me. I was stuck like this.
I whimpered, and he fucked me harder.
And then, faster than I expected, my body took over to meet the rolling wave of another orgasm. My lips parted.
Dallas traded off and gripped both of my wrists in one hand. He clamped the other hand over my mouth, silencing a scream that nearly escaped me. I closed my eyes and rolled my hips as my climax rocked me. Dallas hung his head, and his hair grazed my eyelids. He groaned above me as he came too, and I opened my eyes, wanting to see him.
When he was done, he laid on the bed beside me with his hands resting on his ribs. He rolled his head to the side to smile at me as I turned onto my side and curled into a ball.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay quiet,” he said. He was still a little out of breath.
“I tried.”
“Valiantly,” he said as he patted my hip. Then he sat up and rolled off the bed to go into the bathroom.
While he cleaned up, I got out of bed and began collecting my clothes. He came out of the bathroom when I was about to pull my panties up my legs.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I should probably go.”
“What? No. Stay the night.”
“I don’t know,” I said slowly.
Dallas took my wrist as he walked by me and pulled me back down to the bed with him. He stroked my hair, and I couldn’t help but feel drowsiness start to creep in. I owed that to the wine, the good food, and the several orgasms, I supposed.
“Please stay,” he said. “We can head to your mom and dad’s place tomorrow together. We’ll have a good morning just the three of us.”
I searched his eyes. “All right.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Good.”
Dallas drew me up against him and wrapped his arms around me. I snuggled in tightly, liking the feel of his warm embrace and the closeness. I could smell him and hear his every breath and heartbeat. I could feel it flutter beneath his jaw as I pressed my cheek to his neck.
His breathing evened out, and I lay there, wondering how yet again, Dallas was getting what he wanted.
Just like he used to.
Chapter 33
Dallas
I smelled roses.
My eyes blinked open. The sunlight streaming through the windows blinded me, and I shielded my eyes against the glare. I was about to roll over when I realized that Elise was asleep in my arms, curled up against my chest, her cheek squished up against my skin. Her breathing was low and deep, and the sun at her back cast her front into shadow.
She was beautiful.
I didn’t dare move. I didn’t want to spoil the moment. This short, brief, perfect moment.
I closed my eyes against the brightness and softly rested my chin upon her head. She stirred but only a little, and I took the opportunity to draw her in even closer.
This was a wonderful way to start the day. Lying in bed, warm and snuggled up next to the woman I loved—
Loved?
I opened my eyes again.
Had that thought just run through my head? Had that word really been the best choice? Did I mean it?
Yes. Absolutely.
I was in love with this girl. I had been for most of my life, and yet I’d squandered away years we could have spent together, all because I was incapable of reaching out and apologizing. An apology out of the blue probably wouldn’t have been enough to fix things between us. She would have told me to get the hell out of her life, and she would have been right to do so.
But lucky for me, that wasn’t how it all went down. My father forced me into a marriage I didn’t want. I had a son. An amazing son. I grew and changed and learned. And there I was, holding her again, wondering how on Earth I’d gotten so blessed as to have another shot with her.
Part of me twi
tched like it was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
No, there was no sense in thinking negative things like that. We were here. We were on the same page. And if we continued to communicate openly, nothing would get between us now. There was no way in Hell I was going to let her get away again.
Elise stirred. I released my grip on her as she arched her back in a stretch. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled up at me. “Good morning.”
“Morning, beautiful.”
“How’d you sleep?” she asked.
“Like a damn baby. You?”
“Same. Must have been all the orgasms.”
I chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Must have been. What time do we need to head to your parents’ place?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe around two? I’d like to stop and pick up some wine. Maybe some flowers for my mom.”
“Sounds like a plan. If you’d like, you’re more than welcome to pick a bottle from my collection.”
“Your collection?” she mused.
I nodded. “I have a lot of wine in the basement.”
She giggled. “Of course, you do. I should have expected that. No Jansen man can have a home without a wine cellar.”
I laughed. “It’s not a wine cellar.”
“No?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbow. “So, I’m not going to go down there and find a room specifically dedicated to wine? With more than fifty bottles?”
“Uh, well…”
“Exactly,” she said. “That’s a wine cellar.”
“Is that bad?”
“No.”
“Why do I feel like it’s bad?”
Elise giggled and shook her head at me. “I was just making a point about your expensive taste, is all. I appreciate the offer, but I can’t show up with an expensive bottle like the ones I’m sure you have. It would make my mom and dad uncomfortable. But thank you.”
I shrugged. “No problem.”
“Too bad you don’t make your own wine.”
I snorted. “Hell no. And if I did, I wouldn’t bring it to someone’s house who was serving me dinner. That’s in poor taste.”
“Is it now?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Says who?”
“Me.”
Elise rolled her eyes and got out of bed. “I’m going to have a shower. Are you going to stay here and think about wine, or are you going to join me?”
“Is that even a question?” I asked as I slid out of bed and followed her into the bathroom.
As it turned out, we didn’t end up leaving the house until after three in the afternoon. We stayed home and cooked a big brunch, which the three of us enjoyed. Roy had been overjoyed to come downstairs in the morning and find Elise in the kitchen with me. He’d run to her and thrown his arms around the back of her legs, and she greeted him with a warm hug, crouching down to squeeze him tightly.
The whole day was going perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for better.
But when we pulled up in front of her parents’ place just before five, a flurry of nerves grew in my gut. Elise put her hand over mine. “Are you ready?”
“I think so.” I nodded and looked at Roy in the rearview mirror. “What about you, kiddo?”
Roy grinned. “Let’s go!”
I got out of the car and helped Roy out of his booster seat. Elise waited for us on the curb, and when I stepped up, she took my hand, and the three of us walked to the front door of the little townhouse.
The place was pretty much exactly what I’d been expecting.
The townhouse was two stories and narrow. The siding was a rich caramel color but was in dire need of paint, especially around the dark brown trim on the windows, where it had chipped away to reveal a sickly gray color underneath. Underfoot, the sidewalk and driveway were cracked.
When we reached the front door, Elise knocked and smiled over her shoulder at me. I had the wine in one hand, and she had the bouquet of flowers. Roy stood between us, looking back and forth.
It was Kate who answered the door. She and Elise gave each other big warm hugs, and then Elise introduced Kate to Roy. Kate waved at Roy, who grew bashful and slipped behind my legs.
Kate gave him a knowing smile as he peered around me. “It’s all right, Roy. I understand. I’m not a big fan of meeting new people either. You just come find me if you want to talk later. Or play a game.”
Roy nodded shyly. Kate invited us in, and we all stepped over the threshold. We took off our shoes and followed Elise’s sister down a narrow hallway. To the right was a small bathroom with olive green walls. Farther down, the hallway opened up into a kitchen, which gave way to a dining room and living room. Patio doors behind the sofa revealed a small fenced-in backyard beyond.
It was quaint but comfortable.
In the kitchen stood Elise’s mother and father. Her father, Richard, was cooking away over the stove, while her mother, Patricia, was setting the table for dinner. She spotted us first and came over to hug her youngest daughter. Then she turned her hazel eyes on me, eyes that were almost identical to Elise’s.
“Dallas,” Patricia said, opening her arms wide to give me a hug. “It’s lovely to see you. How are you?”
“I’m good,” I said, suddenly a little uncomfortable. “How are you, Mrs. Billingsly?”
“Please. Patricia.”
“Patricia,” I amended.
“I’m well,” Elise’s mother said with a sweet smile. “Richard, come say hello.”
“But the gravy—” Elise’s father started to say.
“Will stand for thirty seconds while you exercise your manners,” Patricia said. Her smile remained perfectly fixed on her lips.
After Patricia took the wine from me and the flowers from her daughter, Richard came over and shook my hand. His grip was as firm as I remembered, and so was his perfectly trimmed gray moustache. “It’s nice to see you, Dallas. You look well. And who is this little fella you’ve brought with you?”
Roy was still using my legs as a shield. “This is my son, Roy. He’s five. And a little shy.”
“Well that’s all right,” Richard said. “Nobody here is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do, Roy. You just take your time.”
I liked Elise’s parents’ approach. I nodded my appreciation as Richard clapped me on the shoulder. “Come give me a hand with the bird, son. And we’ll catch up.”
Roy followed me to the stove, and within minutes, Richard and I were chatting about the weather, the music center for youth Mr. Johnson was opening up, and Thanksgiving. Which led to conversations about gratitude.
“It’s been a long road,” Richard said as he checked the temperature of the oven. “But we have finally come to a place where we are grateful for what we have. We don’t resent what happened to us anymore. It’s strange. I never thought we would get here. And yet, here we are with less than a fraction of what we used to have, and we’re happier than we’ve ever been.”
I nodded. “I’m happy to hear that, Richard. Truly.”
He smiled and stirred the gravy. “I believe you. It was hard going for a while for the four of us. You were a bright light in Elise’s life during the worst of it. You were there when we had to sell all our belongings. I remember the day she came home from school, and her grand piano was gone. God, that broke my heart. I couldn’t console her. She loathed me for it. And I deserved it. But she was able to go to you, and you helped her through it. Despite how things ended between you, I was glad she had you when she did. It made a difference, you know?”
Roy was distracted, peering around at the fridge and all the magnets and pictures plastered all over it.
I swallowed. “I never meant to hurt her.”
Richard looked me in the eye. “I know that. I think I always knew that. Don’t worry, son. You’re welcome here.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Just get me a cutting board. In the cupboard there. Yes. And a knife, if you will.”
/> Chapter 34
Elise
My mother, Kate, and I were sitting at the dining table, chatting about how our weeks had been going. My mother’s eyes wandered over to the kitchen, where my dad and Dallas were hovering over the stove, talking amongst themselves.
“This was certainly a surprise,” my mother said.
Kate nodded. “They’ve been seeing each other.”
“Kate!” I snapped.
“What?” She crossed her arms and gave me a defensive look. “It’s true.”
“I know it’s true. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to go around telling people about it yet. It’s still fresh. Things can change. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
“Ahead of yourself?” my mother asked.
I nodded. “Yes. You know? Let things spiral and then be disappointed.”
My mother’s eyebrows arched. “So you really like him, don’t you?”
“She sure does,” Kate answered for me.
I glared at my sister. “No. We’re just feeling each other out still. Seeing where we stand. We’re not rushing headlong into anything. He has a son. That wouldn’t be fair.”
“You’re right,” my mother said. “You’re absolutely right. Nothing wrong with taking your time. I’m glad you invited him. It’s been a long time since I saw him.”
I sighed and looked over at Dallas as he chuckled about something my father just said. It was a strange sight to see the two of them goofing around in the kitchen. Roy was joining in on the fun now, and my father opened up the oven to show him all the delicious food hiding inside.
Kate stood up, offering a good distraction from Dallas. “I’m going to pop open a bottle of wine. Can I interest anyone in a glass?”
“Yes, please,” I said.
My mother nodded too.
I caught up with my mother about how her week had been going while Kate filled up a wine glass for everyone. Soon, we were all sitting and chatting, and when Dad announced that dinner was ready, we all got up and lined up in the kitchen. Dallas followed along behind me to scoop the contents of each dish onto one plate for him and another for Roy.