“Nothing,” she assured, her expression suddenly more confident, “I’d like to meet your friends.”
Leo let out his breath, relieved, and gave her a gentle kiss.
“I realized this morning that I’ve been protecting my heart for so long that I have no idea how to be vulnerable with someone. I hadn’t really given it much thought, to be honest, until you came along and knocked some sense into me, literally,” he grinned, recalling the first night they met.
“You’re the first woman since Corrine that I could maybe see a future with, and I also know you’re the kind of woman that won’t tolerate any bullshit. But I need to take this slow. I promise it’s going the right direction, but I can’t change overnight,” he offered genuinely.
He needed her to understand. He didn’t want to lose her, but he was also scared shitless.
“It’s okay, Leo. I understand. I need time to process all this too. One day at a time, okay?” she soothed, gently caressing his face.
He breathed a sigh of relief as she proved, one more time, that she was worth trying for. He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and they stayed that way for several minutes, as though trying to absorb each other’s thoughts.
“You must be starving,” he jumped in suddenly, aware that they hadn’t eaten in hours. His stomach growled angrily at him.
“I am,” she purred, sliding her hand down his chest. She gripped his cock forcefully, grinning at him.
“Do you mind?” she asked innocently, winking at him.
“Help yourself,” he offered shamelessly, rolling over on his back. Nora’s girlish giggle was quickly stifled as she pulled his cock into her mouth.
Chapter 20
Nora
The entire weekend had thrown Nora for a loop. She had hoped that she and Leo would connect on a higher level, and that he would reveal a different side to himself, but she’d had her doubts, especially after the first night. She couldn’t have been more proud of him. It had to have been really difficult for him, digging so deep. But, after their conversation Saturday morning, he seemed so much lighter, happier. The rest of the weekend was like a dream. He was much more affectionate and attentive than usual, and that meant a lot to her.
As much as Nora liked the ‘new’ Leo, she was cautiously optimistic. She needed to let everything settle down before jumping to happy conclusions, especially since her heart was being pulled in two directions. She was genuinely touched by Leo’s story, and how vulnerable he’d allowed himself to be. She finally saw a crack in his tough demeanor and could see glimpses of a possible future with him.
But she also saw a future with Gage.
She knew that she had to make a decision, but it wasn’t coming easily. With Gage, intimacy came so effortlessly, but the passion didn’t. With Leo the passion came easy, but intimacy was a constant struggle. Sure, he allowed himself to go there over the past weekend, but he admitted himself that he needed time, and that true change would be slow in coming. Nora had worked with enough commitment-phobic patients to know that sometimes change was easier said than done, and that once reality hit home, many of them ran the risk of running back to the safety of their cocoons. Nora had no interest in being Leo’s therapist or trying to fix him. She needed him to be able to stand on his own two feet and be a strong partner for her.
The time was fast approaching to have an honest and revealing conversation with both men. If she was developing loving feelings, chances were they might be too. She needed to make a choice before things went too far. She was especially worried about Leo. She didn’t want to crush his heart again, especially when he was just beginning to heal. And Gage, sweet Gage. She couldn’t imagine letting him go either. She could only hope that after her date with Gage on Tuesday, and after meeting Leo’s friends on Thursday, that her heart would reveal the truth she needed. Both men had asked her for something more, and she needed an answer for them.
* * *
She hadn’t been with Gage in over a week and had been looking forward to seeing him. She had missed him, and his sentimental texts had added to her longing. When he arrived at her place, part of her hoped that he would be so consumed with passion for her that he would rip her clothes off, push her against the wall and fuck her before they even said hello.
Of course, that didn’t happen. In true Gage fashion, he came in being as polite and shy as ever, waiting for her to initiate sex. She felt like they were at square one again, and although the sex was pleasant enough, good even, it frustrated the hell out of her. She thought they were past all that. She had completely understood, even appreciated, why he wanted to take things slow with her in the beginning, but they had already sealed the deal, so his modesty was confusing, and frustrating.
After they made love, they ate their dinner on the couch, chatting quietly about their week. The Kings were in the wild card race for the Western Division and had a 3-1 record on their last road trip. Gage was killing it in net. Nora listened attentively to his hockey tales, but was not overly talkative herself.
On paper, Gage had everything she could ever want in a partner, he was amazing, but she wondered just how compatible they were physically. As shallow as it sounded, it was important to be on the same page sexually. While she wasn’t into crazy, kinky shit, she wasn’t conservative either. Gage seemed to be a very traditional guy, and that weighed heavily on her mind.
“Hey, where did you go just now?” he questioned her sweetly, trying to catch her eye.
Nora looked up at him and smiled weakly, feeling bad that she drifted away.
“I’m sorry, I’m listening,” she apologized, taking her hand in his, “I just have so much on my mind.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’ve been monopolizing the conversation. Tell me what you are thinking about,” he urged by gently squeezing her hand.
Nora sighed heavily, afraid to burden him with her worries. She certainly wasn’t ready to talk to him about his request to be more exclusive, not with Leo still on her mind, and how the hell could she tell him that she hoped he was capable of bringing more heat to the bedroom? How could she say something like that without hurting his feelings?
“Come on, Nora,” he pleaded, obviously something is weighing on you. Talk to me.”
“We have a really great relationship, and I’m so happy,” she stammered, looking at him nervously. She needed the words to come, the right words, but they were stuck in her throat.
“You don’t look happy,” he teased gently, a weary smile forming on his lips. She smiled back, hoping to reassure him.
“No, I am happy. We get along so well, you’re a fantastic guy,” she assured, still reaching for the words.
“But,” he blurted, his smile disappearing. She knew he had to be thinking the worst.
“No. No ‘but’. I have really strong feelings for you. I’m so into you,” Nora insisted, edging closer to him, “but I just feel like something is missing. The thing is, while our lovemaking is very sweet, I keep waiting for more passion. I want it to be there so badly, but it feels just out of reach.”
Gage’s face dropped, his expression stone cold, as he sat back in the couch. Nora felt horrible, but she had to be honest with him if there was any chance for them.
“Please don’t be upset. There is absolutely nothing wrong. You are so tender and caring and attentive. I love that about you. I just worry that maybe we aren’t on the same page sexually. I was hoping we could talk about it openly,” she offered as gently as possible.
“Not on the same page?” he questioned, his eyes filling with doubt. “I don’t understand.”
“Oh honey, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I am trying to say,” Nora pouted, wishing desperately she hadn’t brought it up.
“No, obviously it bothers you and so it’s important that we talk about it,” he insisted, swallowing his pride.
Nora met his eyes, slowly drawing in a breath and then releasing it uneasily. How do you tell someone you want them to be a bad b
oy in bed?
Chapter 21
Gage
Gage leaned forward and picked his wine glass up off the coffee table, taking a slow, deliberate sip while he waited for Nora to gather her thoughts. It bothered the fuck out of him that she was not happy, especially since it obviously had to do with sex. She thought that he wasn’t passionate? Was she serious? He couldn’t be more passionate about her.
Last time they were together, she had asked him why he had been holding back, and this time she admitted that she needed more passion from him. What did she mean? Did she think he was not assertive enough? Boring? Prudish? Uncreative? Fuck, he hoped not. He just wanted to make sure that she felt loved and cared for, and not think that he was only interested in her for sex. Christ if she only knew how many times he just wanted to bend her over his car, or over the desk, or on top of the dining room table and just bang her senseless. In his fantasies, he was no gentleman.
Nora smiled at him weakly, before refilling her wine glass as well and setting the bottle back down on the coffee table.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you wanted to be more assertive, and take charge, I wouldn’t object. I feel like maybe you’re holding back, and I, well, it makes me wonder why? If you’re afraid or worried about anything, don’t be. I want us to feel safe to explore anything with each other,” Nora croaked nervously.
Gage chuckled under his breath, a sense of relief washing over him. For a moment he thought she was trying to find a way to end things with him. He knew he needed to step up his game in the bedroom, he wanted to, hell he had been waiting for the moment that he could let down his guard. He had been raised to respect his woman, to make sure that she wanted his advances. His mother would have cuffed him in the ear if she ever thought that he was behaving like an entitled douche bag. She had drilled it into his head to make sure that he had consent before ever making advances. Apparently, that respect came across to Nora as shy, reserved and passionless. Fuck, he hoped he could prove her wrong.
“I want that too,” he assured, “You have no idea how much I want that.”
Nora smiled broadly at him, as though relieved that he understood.
“I’m not as reserved as you may think I am, woman,” he growled, inching closer to her, suddenly feeling the need to prove his prowess. If she wanted a man, she was going to get a man.
“No?” she teased sliding away from him coyly, tempting him to follow, “Not a shy, passive guy? Are you sure?”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure,” he crowed, setting his wine glass down, and then hers. He crawled over the couch towards her, his cock quickly stiffening between his legs. He unbuttoned his jeans assertively, and pushed her into the sofa cushions, laying her back, then forced her arms over her head in one swift move. She moaned underneath him, her wide eyes brimming with curiosity.
“Don’t move,” he growled, releasing her arms, “stay right there.” He pulled up her skirt and ripped her panties off her, tossing them on the floor beside him, coaxing another moan out of her. He knew he was being rough, but the drive inside him was powerful. He wanted to take her.
“Gage,” Nora whispered, squirming underneath him. He brought his mouth down on hers, hard, forcing his tongue inside.
“Shhh,” he commanded, as he pulled his lips away from hers, “don’t talk unless I tell you to.”
Nora gasped, pulling in her breath sharply, but he could tell it was not in objection. She was digging it. He flipped her over on her stomach, and pushed his groin into her so she could feel how hard he was inside his jeans, then buried his face into her neck to bite her sensitive flesh. She smelled like coconut, sweat and sex, her pheromones perfuming her skin, arousing all his senses. She giggled and tried to pull away.
“No,” he insisted, landing a playful but firm smack on her ass. “Just stay still. Don’t move an inch.”
Gage, slid his hand between her legs, plunging his fingers inside her. She was soaking wet and ready for him. He fucked her with his fingers, while he used his free hand to hold her down. She rocked her hips in unison, forcing him to penetrate her deeper, while she gasped for breath. He knew she was close.
“Don’t cum, Nora. Not until I tell you to. Tonight, I own your cunt, do you hear me?” he insisted, his breath hot in her ear. His erection throbbed inside his pants, begging for release.
He picked her up and leaned her over the arm of the couch, spreading her knees beneath her so he could have better access to her. He leaned in behind her, wrapping a hand around her hip so he could rub her clit. She moaned deeply, sharing her approval. His fingers found her hole again and easily slipped inside. She twisted and squirmed against the couch, begging him for release, but he was having too much fun torturing her.
He chuckled flirtatiously, and whispered in her ear, “You are so fucking sexy, your pussy is hot and wet. Do you want to be fucked?”
“Yesssss,” she gasped, pushing her ass into him.
“Beg me, dirty girl. Tell me what you want,” he demanded, smacking her ass a second time.
She groaned desperately, and put her head down, as though the pleasure was too much.
“Fuck me,” she whispered, her words barely audible. “I can’t hear you,” he growled back, again grinding himself into her.
“Fuck me,” she begged, this time a little louder.
He laughed roguishly, heavily aroused by her need.
Gage took his pants off, releasing his angry erection. He searched for a condom in his pockets but couldn’t find one.
“Dammit,” he groaned, throwing his pants on the ground. Nora knew exactly what the problem was and giggled into a pillow.
“Oh, you think this is funny?” he scolded, throwing himself over her. She turned her head sideways so she could meet his eyes, playfully grinning at him. His cock slid between her legs, feeling the sensation of her exquisite wetness lubricating his shaft. God he wanted to bare back her. He hadn’t fucked a woman without a condom in a long, long time and the temptation nearly split him in half. She seemed to enjoy his manly flesh rubbing against her swollen folds as well, as her legs spread open even wider. She moaned his name, and slipped her hand between her legs, tugging on his cock so she could massage her clit with it.
“Jesus, woman, you’re fucking killing me,” he groaned, pushing himself dangerously close to her opening.
“I’m fucking cumming,” she gasped, pushing back into him, “Please, let me cum.”
“Yes,” he stammered, his own cock dripping with excitement.
“Fuck me,” she insisted breathlessly, practically impaling herself onto his blade, “It’s ok, just do it, please.”
He knew she was lost in the heat of the moment, he was too, and he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. He grabbed her shoulders and plunged his cock into her, as deep as it would go, until her beautiful, curvy ass pressed against his groin. In and out, in and out, her sweet wetness seducing him.
The pleasure was fucking brilliant. He held her hips, rocking himself into her while she squirmed and moaned beneath him. Within seconds she came, her pussy, like velvet, throbbed and tightened around his cock. It was a sensation unlike anything he had ever felt before, and he was close to climaxing himself, but he wanted to enjoy her for as long as he could.
He pulled himself out of her, slow and deliberately, then encouraged her to turn over. As soon as her pretty face was within reach he kissed her, this time a little more gently, but with no less passion. She held his face in her hands, kissing him back with equal intensity.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he croaked, slipping his erection between her thighs.
She opened herself up for him, wrapping her legs around his waist, inviting his cock home. He eased his way into her, pumping his thick shaft against the walls of her pussy, pushing himself deeper and deeper into her, his lover’s squeaks, whispers, and moans fully arousing him
“Tell me one of your sexiest fantasies,” he uttered breathlessly, his eyes locked to hers, “don’t hold bac
k, I want to know the dirtiest one.”
Nora looked at him seductively and bit her bottom lip.
“I, um, I, want to be... with two men,” she panted, sliding her hands down his back to the roundness of his muscular ass, pulling him in tighter. “at the same time. I want to be fucked by them both.”
The thought of Nora being turned on by her fantasy, imagining two men fucking her while she writhed in pleasure, was enough to send Gage over the edge. He imagined himself in that scenario with her, fucking her from behind while she pleasured another man, Nora sucking his cock while another man ate her pussy, the two of them penetrating her at once, all of them cumming at the same time, bodies entwined in a tangle of saliva, sweat, and cum. It was a fucking hot fantasy.
He could feel the orgasm surging in his groin, building with an intensity that rocked his hips even more, forced his cock even deeper, pumping faster and faster until he exploded inside her, his hot seed spilling into her fevered body. She tightened her grip on his ass, her thighs squeezing against him as she climaxed herself, screaming out his name over and over, her body bucking beneath him as he watched her in awe.
She held him while he laid on top of her, giving him time to recover. He could feel his erection surrendering to the exhaustion, his warm, sticky semen spilling out of her as her pussy released its grip on him. His body tingled from the endorphins, all of his senses heightened. He was acutely aware of her breathing, hypnotized by its soothing rhythm. If heaven existed, this was it. This exact feeling.
“I may have jumped to conclusions with you,” Nora mused, shifting her body beneath him.
He rolled on his side, allowing her to wiggle out from under him. She turned to him and smiled.
“You think?” he grinned back, tracing a finger over her cheek bone and down her chin, pulling her towards him for a kiss.
“Yes, smart ass. You know I did,” she said, pouting playfully. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I understand why you did,” he comforted. “I can be shy. It takes a while for me to come out of my shell. Seriously, I appreciate your honesty, because it opened the door for me to be myself.”
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