All I Need Is You

by Wendy S. Marcus

  “I’m sorry you feel like you’re teetering on the edge. Of course I don’t think you’re not good enough for me and I’m not scared of catching anything. Please,” he sat on the couch and patted the space beside him, “let’s talk.”

  “Honestly,” she blew out a breath that kind of sounded like a growl. “I have never in my life met a man who likes to talk as much as you do.” Neve had too much adrenaline surging through her system to sit. “I don’t want to talk. I want to have sex. You don’t. That’s fine, as long as you give me back my vibrator.”

  “You probably don’t even realize you do it.” He stood. “When we’re getting all worked up on the couch,” he walked toward her, “you flinch and suck in a breath like you’re in pain. Or you keep shifting like you can’t find a comfortable position. What kind of man would I be if I ignored the signs of your discomfort? Do you think I like jerking off in the bathroom when you’re fifteen feet away? Do you think I like sleeping on that couch, which is not all that comfortable, because I’m worried in your bed I won’t be able to say no to you? Let’s face it, you’re a hard woman to say no to. Or what if I have a nightmare and start thrashing around? What if I hit your arm or your hip?”

  “You mean while I’ve been going without, waiting, you’ve been jerking off in my bathroom?”

  He smiled. “That’s all you picked up on from everything I just said?”

  “So, it’s not that you don’t want me, it’s that you’re worried about hurting me?”

  He nodded.

  “That’s so sweet.” She punched him in the shoulder. “But I’ve been telling you I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine.”

  “Do not argue with me on this. I’m fine enough.” She flung her arms around the back of his neck. “And I need you.” She kissed along his collarbone. “Right now.”

  He stood there, not moving.

  “Swear to God, if you turn me down tonight, after I have literally thrown myself at you and come embarrassingly close to begging, I will stab you in your sleep and call Nate to help me get rid of your body. And he will too.” Nate would do anything for her. And she’d do anything for him.

  Rory reached around, clasping his hands at her lower back. “Try to be a nice guy, try to show some concern for a woman’s health and comfort, and what does it get me? Death threats, twice in one night.”

  She looked up at him. “How does stealing my vibrator make you a nice guy?”

  “I figured once you went looking for it, you’d be ready for sex, because you’d really want it and not just to please me.” He moved her hair aside and kissed her forehead. “Don’t get me wrong. I loved having your mouth on me, and I’m looking forward to having it there again.” He smiled. “But not until you feel well enough to spread those pretty legs so I can put my mouth on you too.”

  Whoa. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

  He leaned down to nuzzle her ear. “How about we give it a try, to find out for sure?”

  Neve swallowed.

  “If you don’t feel up to some gentle licking down there,” he swirled his tongue around the inner rim of her ear, sending tingles down the side of her neck…so good…“then you’re not ready for the kind of loving I want to give you.”

  Oy. Decisions, decisions. “It’s just…”

  “You’ve had a nice long bath. No excuses. Please,” he whispered. “Let me. You’ll love it. I promise.”

  In the “first time for everything” category, while Neve’s body throbbed with need for the man standing in front of her, she considered turning him down.

  “Let me spell out how sorry I am for upsetting you, lettah by lettah.” He slid his hand down her belly, between her legs, his bare skin on hers, which was when Neve remembered she’d run out of her room wearing her satiny, button-down nightshirt and nothing else. Oops. “With my tongue.” He brushed his finger across her clit. “Right here.” Slipped it down, dipping inside of her. “And here.”

  Oh God. Thinking her legs might give out, she held on as he stroked her, expertly igniting her passion, making it impossible for her to refuse the pleasure he offered. “Okay.”

  Without a second of hesitation, he scooped her into his arms and practically ran down the hall to her bedroom, placing her on the bed, gently. Then he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, pushed his tongue inside, again and again, making her crave the feel of it…lower.

  —

  He had to stop. Rory pulled away, breathing heavy—and not from carrying Neve to bed. Get control of yourself. Tonight was about this special woman in front of him, about loving her like no man ever had before. “You’re beautiful.” Lying on pale lavender sheets, her dark curls spread across a pillow, naked from the waist down. The light would be staying on tonight, that was for sure. “Smooth.” He ran a finger along her bare pussy. She lifted her hips slightly and winced.

  “Here are the rules.”

  She went up on her elbows. “My bed, my rules.”

  “Not tonight, honey.” He yanked his shirt over his head. “First, unbutton your pajama top.” An excited anticipation had his heart beating way too fast. His mouth watered with eagerness to taste her, all over. He’d dreamt of this moment dozens if not hundreds of times, especially since she’d written:

  Piercings: Yes, a few in my ears and one in my belly button.

  Tattoos: One. Maybe someday I’ll let you sneak a peek. But it’ll have to be in private….

  They were in private now.

  Only she made no move to let him see the rest of her beautiful body, totally defiant.

  One knee on the bed, he leaned over to suck a taut nipple into his mouth through the silky fabric that hid it from view. “I promise,” he sucked harder, “you’ll be glad you did.” He blew cool air on the wet spot, enjoying her little shiver.

  Then he waited.

  Eyes locked on his, the message clear, I’m doing what you say, but you don’t control me, she undid each button, slowly, following his direction, but taking her damn sweet time. With his eyes, he followed her progress, reveling in the reveal of each new sliver of skin. The nightshirt unbuttoned, he separated the front panels, exposing her, almost losing his breath at the perfection.

  Her abdomen was amazing, flat and muscular, but not too muscular, decorated with a sexy silver belly-button ring. A heart studded with diamonds. An image he’d never forget. Her breasts were small, but not too small, with dark pink nipples, erect, practically screaming to be touched. So he touched them, rolling them, gently at first.

  She closed her eyes, turned her head to the side, and drew in a deep breath.

  He pinched.

  Her eyes shot open.

  He ran his finger over the small tattoo on the inside of her left breast, which was not at all what he’d imagined. “Love is…” Only those two words followed by three dots, and nothing after that, unfinished.

  She looked away.

  “Love is…what?” he asked.

  “Guys like to joke, ‘Love is…my pretty little titty.’ ”

  Idiots. “That’s not what you intended when you got the tattoo there.”

  She shook her head, still not looking at him. “With the skimpy costumes and leotards I wear, there aren’t many places to get a tattoo that can’t be seen.”

  “Love is…what?” he asked again.

  Her eyes met his. “I got it with the intention of someday having the name of the man I will love forever tattooed there.”

  Rory envisioned his name there, looking at it every time they made love, for years and years to come.

  “What’s with that look?”

  “No look.” He leaned in to kiss her tattoo. “That’ll be one lucky guy.”

  “Yeah right.” She brushed off his compliment. “Let’s get on with it. You’ve got a lot of apologizing to do.”

  Rory smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

  It took some work to get her in a comfortable position that would give him enough room to do his thing. Luckily, she h
ad a lot of little pillows on her bed, and with her legs propped open, just so, her feet partially hanging over the side, Rory knelt on the floor, spread her pretty pink lips, and with a quick “Now, don’t move,” got started.

  As promised, he used his tongue to spell out I am sorry I stole your vibrator and I am sorry I upset you. She moaned her enjoyment of this new form of communication, so he added an I told you so. And then he shared a secret, spelling out I really, really like you, Neve Jaimes, with a bunch of exclamation points in the form of spearing his tongue into her opening to emphasize how much, more and more each day.

  “Jeez. I never thought…” she panted, rocking her hips. “Ow.”

  Rory lifted his head to look at her. “I told you not to move.”

  “You’re so good at that. I can’t help myself.”

  Why thank you, thank you very much. Rory enjoyed giving a woman pleasure almost as much as he enjoyed being on the receiving end. With Neve, he was even more determined than usual to make it good, to give her an experience to remember him by. So without further delay, he got back to it.

  As much as he would have liked to drag out her pleasure, to take her to the edge again and again, he worried she’d pay the price late on for all her thrusting and writhing. Adding his fingers, he pushed in, then pulled out, again and again, licking and sucking…feasting…and didn’t let up, not even when she told him, “Stop!”

  Her orgasm followed seconds later. Typical Neve, she did not hold back. He stayed with her, rode it out, until she tried to close her thighs and push him away.

  “Enough. Please, Rory. Stop.”

  This time he did, using the sheet to wipe off before standing.

  Neve stretched like a cat waking up from a snooze in the midday sun, then gave him a dreamy little smile. “I really liked that.”

  Smiling back, he told her, “I could tell.” Then he licked his lips.

  “Only problem is, now I’m going to want you to do it all the time.”

  Hands at the sides of her shoulders, he leaned over and stared into her eyes. “Only me.”

  She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek, staring right back. “Only you, Rory.”

  “As often as you’d like, with pleashah, yours and mine.”

  “Now it’s your turn,” she told him, pushing the decorative pillows to the floor and scooting into the center of the bed. “Fuck me the way you want. Don’t worry I can’t take it, because I can.”

  Thoughts of fucking his sexy pen pal had been enough to sustain him while over in Afghanistan. Not going to lie, they were partly responsible for him coming to visit. But after getting to know Neve in person, Rory wanted more, wanted to show her the difference between getting fucked and making love with someone who cared about her. He would not rush—he planned to worship her and savor every single second.

  But not right now. “Tonight was for you.” He leaned in for a kiss.

  “You mean you don’t want to…?”

  Oh, he wanted to. “You’ve had enough activity for one night.”

  She reached down and cupped him. “At least let me…”

  “No.” He stood, moving out of reach. Then he turned and walked toward the door.

  “You have got to be kidding me. You’re leaving?”

  He smiled and flicked off the light. “Maybe I’ll stick around for a while.”

  “I’d like that,” she said quietly.

  Leaving his sweatpants on, a layer of protection against temptation, Rory crawled under the covers.

  “I’m not much of a cuddler,” she told him.

  Maybe not with other guys. Rory lay on his back. “Come here.”

  She did, sliding over, her naked chest pressed in close, her right knee coming over his thigh, her head resting on his shoulder. She smelled so good, felt so good. It was going to be a damn long night.

  Lying in the darkened room a while later, still cuddled together, Neve whispered, “Are you still awake?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I never properly thanked you for the dark chocolate–covered almonds you had your brother mail to my PO box for Valentine’s Day.” She kissed his chest. “It was very thoughtful. Thank you.”

  No more thoughtful than all the packages she’d sent him. “I’m glad I didn’t know your home address back then, or they might have wound up with your neighbor,” he teased.

  “Never.”

  “Because they were from me?” he hoped.

  “Nah, because I love dark chocolate–covered almonds,” she teased right back.

  He hugged her close and held her there, loving the feel of her in his arms, the weight of her body partially on top of his.

  “Earlier you mentioned nightmares,” she said. “Do you get them every night?”

  “Didn’t think you heard that, the way you zeroed in on me jerking off in the bathroom.”

  She made lazy circles on his shoulder with her finger. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking all that clearly. Do you get them every night?”

  “Some nights worse than others.” He studied the shadows on the ceiling. “I haven’t had any more episodes like the one where I wound up on top of you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He hugged her. “Seems you cured me.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He smiled. But he had to ask: “Does it scare you that I might have a nightmare if I sleep here?”

  “No.”

  It should. After the bad ones he typically woke up all sweaty and breathing hard, sometimes on the floor, most of the time disoriented for a few seconds. “Maybe I should sleep on the couch.” Definitely he should sleep on the couch so he didn’t hurt her. He tried to sit up.

  Neve held on to him. “No. Don’t go. Not yet.”

  He could have gotten up if he wanted to. But he didn’t want to. So he lay back down, eager to hold her for as long as she’d let him, determined to not fall asleep.

  A few minutes later she said, “Rory?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more, like give you a little show on my pole or bend myself into all the positions that drive the guys wild. I hate that I wasn’t able to give you my best….”

  “Ssssshh.” Rory kissed the top of her head. “I don’t need a performance. I don’t need to be entertained. All I need is you.” He didn’t just say the words, he meant them.

  “Hopefully, before you leave.”

  He didn’t want to think about leaving, so he reached down, tilted her head up, and leaned in for a kiss to distract them both.

  Chapter 12

  “Good morning.”

  Neve came awake to a kiss on the cheek and the sound of Rory’s voice. She opened her eyes to daylight and stretched. Last night’s orgasm followed by hours spent in Rory’s arms had left her completely relaxed, happy, and feeling better than she had in weeks. “Good morning to you too. What are you doing up and out of bed?” Already showered, shaved, and dressed.

  “I’ve got a surprise for you. Sit up.”

  Neve did. “What’s that smell? Maple syrup?” Couldn’t be, she didn’t keep that stuff in her condo.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I borrowed your car.” He lifted the large cookie sheet she used to make peanut brittle and placed it on her lap. “So I could make you this.”

  Breakfast in bed. He’d made her breakfast in bed. Pancakes with melting butter and thick, rich maple syrup. A bowl with cut-up strawberries and bananas. A large glass of orange juice. Tea. The absolute sweetest thing any man had ever done for her. She looked up. “Nobody’s ever…” Probably her fault for never letting them stay the night, but would anyone have taken the time if she’d given them the opportunity?

  “I’m glad to be the first.” He sat on the side of the bed. “I couldn’t find a tray so I had to improvise.”

  The floral-print cloth napkins Grandma Ida had given her as a housewarming present covered the metal pan. “Where did you find these?” She picked up a corner.

  He smiled. “That took s
ome digging in drawers while the pancakes were cooking. Now come on.” He picked up the fork and handed it to her. “Eat while they’re still hot.”

  Thousands of calories lurked on the plate in front of her…which looked and smelled delicious. A dancer didn’t get in shape for the biggest audition of her life by eating pancakes drenched in maple syrup and butter…that looked and smelled delicious. She speared a strawberry and ate it.

  “The pancakes.” He took the fork, picked up the knife, and cut a wedge, so excited for her to try them. “Here.” He held it out to her. “Taste.”

  One bite. Only so she didn’t hurt his feelings. Maple syrup…She let out a breath. Oh, how she missed maple syrup. Her taste buds actually got all tingly at the reintroduction. “These are amazing.”

  He smiled proudly. “I got a recipe online.”

  As Neve carved out her next piece she calculated how much exercise it’d take to burn off all the calories she was about to consume—a brisk hundred-mile jog should do it. After chewing and swallowing and taking a moment to enjoy the deliciousness, she asked, “You want to work out with me today?”

  “You feeling up to it?”

  Didn’t matter. With her audition fast approaching, she had no choice but to push through the discomfort and exhaustion. “Yes.”

  “While I was out I saw a packie opening for the day. I ran in and got you a bottle of that wine you like.”

  “A ‘packie’? What language do you speak?”

  “I speak Boston and proud of it.” He thumped his fist over his heart. “Our packies are what you call liquor stores.”

  “Ah.” She nodded. “Good to know.”

  After devouring half the pancakes…and there had been a lot of pancakes…Neve’s insides felt stretched to capacity. “I’m done.” She pushed the tray off of her lap and onto the bed. “Can’t eat another bite.” For the next twenty-four hours at least.