by Piper Rayne
All those fears rush forward again, and Reed must notice because he takes my spot on the bed, bringing me close, kissing the exact area where Jade left her mark. Circling my belly button with his tongue, his hands graze over my shoulders until my blouse cascades behind us onto the floor. Not stopping, his lips, his hands continue their mission, unclasping my bra.
His eyes are closed and he’s yet to see me while he blindly strips the bra from my body. The delicate lace joins the pile of our clothes on the floor. A thrill rushes through my veins when his thumbs brush across my nipples only to continue on their path of exploration, resting at the top of my jeans. Flicking the button open with ease, he smirks, his confidence shining through.
I run my hands along his scalp, his hair soft and soothing to my frenzied nerves. The sound of the zipper going down echoes through the room and the fact we’re seconds away from each being in our underwear is both exhilarating and frightening.
It reminds me of being strapped into a roller coaster as it leaves the starting gate. This ride is moving and the pit of my stomach is anticipating climbing that first hill.
Hooking his thumbs in the belt loops on either side, he drags the jeans down my legs and I step out of them. His hands mold to my hips, his thumbs sneaking under the sides of my silk panties and he urges me to take step out of my jeans.
He opens his eyes and his appreciative gaze moves over my body, stirring another wave of passion for this man. When his gaze finally meets mine, I see the burning in his eyes is a carnal, hedonistic need. Just like in the hallway, all my fear crumbles and he pulls me forward, his hands sliding to my ass.
He sits on the edge of the bed and I lower my weight, straddling him on the bed, my nipples hardening from rubbing against his bare chest.
His hand brushes the strands of my hair from my forehead. “You’re beautiful and every time you doubt that, remember how rock hard I am in this moment.” He captures my hand in his, guiding it down to the bulge in his boxers. “This is the truth stick.”
I smile and shake my head at his absurd thinking.
“What?”
He rolls me over and hovers above me the humor fading, and he grinds into me. “If you weren’t beautiful and sexy and tempting I wouldn’t be so rock hard.”
“You’re a man. A strong breeze can make you hard.”
“I’m not a thirteen-year-old boy, Victoria.” He circles into my center once again and I suck in a breath. “This is all because of you.”
“So, what you’re saying is that you have a peter meter?” I giggle through a gasp as he rocks into me again and hits me in a particularly sensitive spot.
“Call it whatever you want. Just know that it wants you to the point of desperation.”
I don’t want our sex life to be him having to convince me of my sexual attractiveness. I want to ride him like I own him. I want to say dirty things and not care about being judged.
“Condom?” I ask him.
He leans across the bed and my pussy clenches, missing the feel of him immediately. I move to shimmy my panties off.
“That’s my job.” He grabs my wrist to still my movements.
I hold my hands up in the air. He returns a second later, pulling down his boxers and his dick springs out. I lick my lips in a subconscious reaction.
Taking in his hard length, I become even wetter. He uses his fingers to roll the latex down his length, and saliva pools in my mouth with the urge to wrap my lips around him.
As soon as he has the condom on, he finishes sliding my panties down my legs and flings them over his shoulder.
Falling on top of me, his lips take mine and he slowly enters me as we enjoy a languid kiss. Once he’s fully seated inside of me, I raise my hips to meet him.
It’s not awkward like I assumed it would be. I thought we’d fumble to find the same groove. But I should have known things were different with Reed. That we’d connect in the bedroom the same way we do outside of it.
Somewhere between the moans and groans, the exploring hands, and found erogenous zones, Reed Warner showed me what it’s like to be a woman. To feel beautiful, wanted, sexy and treasured while in his arms as he moved in and out of me.
He takes his time, a slow dance until my body heats to levels that demand more. Knowing me well, his thrusts turn more eager, more demanding and soon our soft moans are replaced with grunts, groans, and dirty words. His gliding hands turned gripping and strong. Both our muscles tense and contract, desperate for a release.
My toes curl against the bed sheets, my insides contracting as I kiss his shoulders. Reed takes me to the edge and my teeth emerge like a vampire desperate for blood. Each cry from my lungs is louder than the one before until I clamp onto his shoulder and my body trembles with release.
His own pleasure-filled groans intensify before he stills inside me and comes with a sound I know I’ll never tire of hearing. Spent, he collapses on top of me after finding his own nirvana.
Our bodies are covered in a slick sheen of sweat, and I’m sure my hair must be a tangled mess. Reed grabs the top of the comforter, urging me to slide under, which I do. Once I’m tucked in, he kisses me briefly on the lips. “Now I feed you.”
He disappears from the room and I take the moment alone to flail my legs and arms on the cushy mattress. He’s just as great in bed as he is out of it. That hope for a happily ever after that was planted when we walked into the bedroom, now sprouts.
* * *
Reed returns to the bedroom empty-handed and goes to his drawers, pulling out a pair of track pants to cover his lower half. He grabs a t-shirt out of another drawer and walks over to the bed, passing it to me.
“Come.” He holds his hand out for me to take while I slip the shirt over my head.
Leading me down the hallway, I catch a glimpse of another bedroom and a bathroom as we pass by them. We reach the kitchen and he pats the counter. I climb up with his help and notice a plate waiting there for me. He grabs another plate and slides up to join me on the counter. We both waste no time digging in.
“You feeling okay?” he asks a second later, hopping down and moving to the fridge.
“Yeah.” I eat a few of the roasted potatoes. “I thought you said you couldn’t cook?”
“Turns out I can follow a recipe.” He shrugs, pulling out a bottle of wine and stepping to a cabinet to pull out two wine glasses.
His mannerisms are effortless as he opens the wine bottle and holds it just right, so the wine doesn’t splatter out of the glass. Handing me mine, he slides back up on the counter.
“It’s delicious.” I sip the wine and place the glass beside me.
“Not exactly how I expected tonight to go, but I have no complaints.” He leans over to kiss my cheek then gets to work eating his own meal.
“I’m sorry I ruined it.”
“I’m the one who spilled salad dressing on your blouse, which I’ll replace, by the way.” His eyes glance at my legs as I cross them.
“No, you won’t. If I didn’t do that detox cleanse I wouldn’t have passed out which means you wouldn’t have been feeding me in the first place.”
He leans forward and presses his lips to mine. “I’m having a great time.”
“Me, too.”
“I know you’re scared, Victoria. I know taking a chance and putting your trust in someone isn’t easy for you.”
My eyes want to fill with tears. How right he is.
“You’re the best chance I’ve taken in a long time.” I mean it. Reed has given me no reason to doubt his intentions or the type of man he is. My head falls to his shoulder. His strong shoulder that I know would try to carry the weight of my messy life. “You scare me,” I admit with a whisper.
“You scare me, too. Believe me.” He almost sounds defeated, but then he pulls away, setting his plate to the side and takes my head in his hands. His lips meet mine again—confident and sure. “For you, I’ll try,” he whispers. “I can’t sit here and promise this will end in a castle with f
ireworks bursting in the sky. We could both end up hurt, but I know you’re worth it. You’re worth the heartache that’s possible. All I’m asking is that you try with me.”
“Sounds so easy.”
“I’ll start. I’ve never had a long-term relationship. Never really found anyone I wanted to try it out with. I tend to work a lot. Some cases are so consuming I forget to have a life. For you, I want to try to change that.”
“My turn now, huh?” He nods. “My experience with Pete stole my belief in marriage. He buried the little girl who thought fairy tales came true. You’ve somehow managed to get her to poke her head above ground, but I don’t see it as an easy feat. For you, I want to try.”
He smiles at me using the same phrase as him.
“I guess I’m asking you for patience. There’s a big case coming to a head this week and it’s a make or break for my career. I’ve never been with a woman during a time where my focus needs to be solely on work. For you, I want to try.” He picks up his wine glass.
I pull my legs up to my chest and pull his shirt over my legs. “I promised myself after Pete that I would never put someone above myself again. My schooling and Jade come first. A man wasn’t part of that plan, but for you, I want to try.”
His finger tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ve never wanted to win something more than I do your heart.”
“I’ve never wanted a man to hold on to it as much as I want you to.”
“So, it’s done. The terms are laid out. We’re both agreeing to try?”
“Do you ever stop being a lawyer?” I chuckle.
He leans in to place a chaste kiss on my lips. “No.” He slides down from the counter, opens the fridge and grabs a container. “Dessert and a movie?” he asks.
“Definitely.”
His arm circles my waist and he assists me in finding my footing on the floor. Then his strong hand is in mine as we round the counter and sit on his couch. He places a blanket over us and his big screen comes to life with the click of a remote.
“Reserve your energy because I’m not even close to being done with you yet.” He kisses my forehead, hands me a fork and we Netflix and Chill for the rest of the night.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Somehow, Reed swindled me into a four-way date on Saturday. As he dropped me off at home at six in the morning, he used his charm to convince me to go to the zoo with him and Henry, and to bring Jade along of course.
Now, as they run ahead of us to see the dolphins, Reed’s fingers search for mine, brushing against them before pulling away again.
“This is torture,” he says.
I laugh, laying my head on his shoulder, keeping my eye on Jade and Henry. If she looks up, I can straighten fast.
“I need a whole night. How else can I show off my breakfast skills?” His fingers continue playing with mine and my stomach flutters with every touch of his hand.
“Well… Pete is coming in next week and he’ll be taking Jade for the weekend.”
“Pete’s coming?” he asks, and instead of being happy I can sleep over at his house for two nights, instead of one, his voice is clipped.
“Not the reaction I was expecting.”
He leads us to a bench where we sit down while the kids watch the dolphins swim around.
“Sorry, I guess I’m a little insecure when it comes to you.”
I take a chance and kiss his cheek. “I’ve been divorced for two years.”
“Yeah, but he might want you again once he knows you’re taken.”
His arm is swung behind me on the bench, but his expression says he’s not here in the moment, that his mind is far away.
I use my finger to turn his chin my way. “Taken, I am.” I eye him hard and he nods. Not convincingly though. “Reed?”
“I know, I know. I don’t doubt that, trust me.” He reaches out and squeezes my hand. “But I also know Pete. He’s not going to be happy about us.”
Jade and Henry run to the next window, following a dolphin. Jade tells Henry how dolphins can tell a woman when she’s pregnant and how a dolphin told her mommy she was pregnant with her. Pete likes the story much more than I do, but Reed definitely doesn’t need to hear that story right now.
“Maybe we should concentrate on the fact we can be naked in your condo for an entire weekend,” I lean to my side and whisper.
His gaze falls to my lips and I lick them. He shifts in the seat, adjusting himself. “Don’t tempt me.”
“What?” I ask, standing up to head toward Jade and Henry before the mob of people swallows them up and I lose sight of them.
“You know exactly what you’re doing.” He joins me, his hand finding my ass and squeezing.
“That’s highly inappropriate behavior for a zoo,” I say over my shoulder.
He inches closer. “You do realize this torture you’re inflicting will be returned tenfold in the form of me denying you orgasms, right?”
I laugh so hard people around glance over.
“What’s so funny, Mommy?” Jade asks.
“Oh, Reed just told a joke.”
The two small faces look to him. “Tell us!”
“Well…” he pauses to think of one. “Why did the dinosaur cross the road?”
They look at one another, their mouths transforming to different shapes as they try to think.
“Give up?” he asks.
Jade looks at me eagerly waiting for the punchline, so she can laugh as hard as I did.
“What? What?” Henry pleads.
“Because the chicken wasn’t born yet.”
The kids giggle, look at each other, and shrug before turning back around.
“Tough crowd.” Reed shakes his head and then leads us out of the dolphin area with his hand on the small of my back.
For the rest of the day, we sneak touches and manage to get in one chaste kiss while the kids were enthralled with watching the chimpanzees fly from tree to rope and back.
We stop to drop off Henry, and Reed asks if we want to go in and meet Henry’s grandparents.
“I want to see your room.” Jade opens the door of the taxi before I can object.
“That’s what I get for letting her sit by the door.”
Reed pays the taxi driver and waits patiently at the car door until I get out.
Henry and Jade walk right into the house.
“Jade!” I softly scream because I’m sure Henry’s grandparents won’t appreciate them storming in so noisily.
“Ned is quiet, but Helen will keep you here until tomorrow if you let her, so you might want to plan your exit now,” Reed says as we walk up the path to the front door.
Again, his hand lands on the small of my back and those butterflies slap their wings in my stomach.
Reed knocks on the door. “Helen? Ned?”
“Reed.” A woman emerges out of the kitchen drying her hands on a waist apron.
She’s cute, with short, curly dark hair and a small frame. I’m not sure I’d even think she was a grandparent.
“Helen, this is Victoria Clarke, Jade’s mom,” he introduces me.
She holds out her hand. “What a pleasure. We’ve heard so much about Jade and you. You guys have had a lot of joint outings it seems.” She smiles and her petite hand fits in mine.
“It’s great to meet you as well. Yes”—my eyes search Reed out—“we have been doing a lot. The kids have fun together.”
“Henry just adores Jade. Talks about her all the time.”
A huge boom rocks the floor, a few glass knickknacks wobble in the curio cabinet to my left.
“HENRY!” a man sitting in a recliner yells, who I assume is Ned.
“Sorry!” Henry screams down. It’s the loudest I’ve ever heard him speak.
Helen glances over to the bald head, shakes her head and waves him off. “Grumpy,” she whispers.
“I hear you,” he says.
“Then get up and introduce yourself. Reed is here with Jade’s mother.” All the w
hile she’s lecturing him, she’s eyeing us with an apology.
“Who’s Jade?” he asks.
“Listen to your grandson every now and then and you’d know.”
The recliner rocks, creaks and then it’s not only a bald head in my view but the rest of his imposing figure. A tall man and if Henry gets his grandfather’s height, basketball might be in his future.
“Evening, Ned.” Reed approaches the man, hand out, straight back.
“Reed,” he says, but his eyes are on me.
Immediately, I want to shrink into a ball and roll back down the porch.
Reed returns to my side. “This is Victoria. Henry’s friend Jade’s mother.”
Ned’s big hand swallows mine up. Callused palms scrape against my skin while we shake.
“Hi,” I say in my meet-the-parents sweet voice. They aren’t Reed’s parents, but they are important to him.
“Pleasure.” He eyes Reed. “Is this what you do when you take Henry out? Use him as bait?”
I swallow deeply and Reed laughs, though it’s not his usual one. This one is forced, and I can tell he’s uneasy.
“No. We met during a drop-off at school. Henry and Jade were already friends and I know Victoria from way back.”
“Well, if I’d known you can catch something like this, I’d take him out more often.” He laughs, but Reed and I stay quiet, unsure how to react.
Helen swats him over the head and joins in laughing.
“Please excuse my husband. He’s joking.” She eyes him, and he moves fast, tickling her ribcage.
“I had them going, didn’t I?” He looks over at us, yellow stained teeth emerging, but a genuine smile nonetheless.
“Would you like some pie? I just made blueberry, Henry’s favorite.”
Without waiting for an answer, she turns and heads to where I assume the kitchen is.
“What do you have, half a brain? Go,” Ned says.
Reed and I step forward. I can’t speak for Reed, but I do so out of fear. Someone failed to mention that Ned is scary.
The smell of baking hijacks all my senses when I step into the kitchen. “It smells delicious, Helen.”