“I don’t want to wait if you don’t. If you’re sure of us,” she whispers timidly.
I brush my hand over the side of her face and tuck some hair behind her ear. “Ellie, please believe me when I say this, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. You’re it for me.” I pick one of her hands up to kiss her palm before putting it over my heart. “Do you feel that? It’s yours. It beats only for you now. It’s never been as full as it has since you walked into my life. It skips a beat every time I see you, swells every time you smile or laugh, and when we kiss I swear it’s gonna explode into a million pieces inside of my chest. You rule my heart, Ellie. I love you. I’m yours for however long you want me,” I swear to her.
She’s biting her bottom lip trying to keep herself from crying any harder by the time I finish. I watch her with my heart breaking as she gathers herself with a few deep shaky breaths. I’d give up everything I had if I could keep her from feeling the pain that still causes her to be so torn and unsure.
She wipes her eyes one more time, and straightens her spine and brings her eyes up to mine. “You told me you wanted me to live again, remember?” she asks with surprising strength in her voice.
“Yes.”
A small smile tugs at the right corner of her lips. She crosses her arms over her stomach and pulls her shirt off over her head. My eyes go right to her perfect breasts wrapped in silver satin and lace. Her lips are moving against mine before I even register she’s moved.
“Make me live again, Nik.”
ALL AROUND ME
~
ELLIE
THE SIMMER THAT’S BEEN BREWING between us for weeks erupts as soon as his name leaves my lips. He molds us together, his hands fisting in my hair, his demanding mouth taking from mine until suddenly there’s not a breath of space left within me that isn’t filled with burning for this beautiful man. Every cell in my body is on fire for him in a way I’ve never felt before. It was never this intense with Josh. Not even close.
No. Go away ghosts, not now. I’m not gonna to think about him right now. Only Nik, he’s all that matters. He’s here, he’s alive, and he loves me. Nik loves me.
I can’t believe this amazing, sweet, gorgeous man loves me. I can almost feel the cracks in my heart close as it swells at the thought. I never would’ve believed it before, but I saw it in his eyes, heard it in his voice, and I can feel it in the way his hands touch me. So very hungry yet almost reverent at the same time.
They feel as if they’re leaving hot trails behind them as they glide across my skin. I’m surprised there aren’t sparks shooting out in their wake. My nerves sizzle under his fingertips. His lips and tongue are like flames against my own, searing and scorching, only making me thirst for more.
There’s sparklers running through my veins to my heart, the electricity searing the cracks closed, steel weaving into my bones making them stronger, and fresh air, his air, filling my lungs making breathing easier than it’s ever been. There’s no breath left in my lungs that isn’t already his. He takes it from me greedily then fills me with his own warm, moist air, forcing its way in in heavy gusts and pants, only to suck my breath back into his own lungs once more.
He’s like the moon and I’m the tide that can’t help but rise to meet him. He’s become my gravity, taking over my body, drawing and pulling me ever closer and deeper into his orbit. There’s no hope of turning back, stopping, or escaping him, nor do I want there to be. I’m alive in his arms. More alive than I’ve ever been.
Without warning he pulls away, leaving me reeling. His hands hold me in place, thankfully. If they weren’t, I would surely fall off his lap and onto the floor. When my head slows its spin, I look at him hoping he sees the desperation I’m feeling, but his eyes are roaming my body not my face, so I try pleading with him instead. “Nik, please.”
He must have heard the urgency in my voice because his eyes lock with mine, glowing back at me like blue flames. “I’ve waited so long. Please, let me look at you. I need to see you,” he whispers, trailing his eyes and fingers down my face and neck, then over the swell of my breasts.
I shiver from his touch and the heat in his eyes, goosebumps rising across my skin to meet him, searching for more contact.
“You are so damn beautiful, Ellie,” he says, his voice strained and raspy. “Even more than I imagined.” His big hands slide down my sides to circle my hips, which rock against him on instinct, causing him to grip me tightly, and let out a deep groan as his head falls back and his eyes close.
I feel a surge of power run through me.
If one tilt of my hips can cause that response from him, what else can I pull from him?
Slowly rocking against him, trying to ignore my nerves at feeling how huge he feels under me, and what his moans and groans are doing to my insides, I reach behind my back and unhook my bra. I have it off seconds later. My breasts feel heavy and full, and my nipples are so hard they’re aching almost painfully. I need to feel his touch, and not wanting to wait a second longer I take his right hand in my left and slide it up my stomach to my breast.
His head jerks up and his eyes fly open as soon as I run his fingertips over the softer skin that covers it. He sits up more so he has use of both hands, and they immediately cup and weigh my heavy flesh in their palms while his fingers and thumbs slowly caress the skin around my straining nipples.
The fire burning in me flames higher. I need more. He seems bent on taking this slowly though, so I do my best to calm down and let him.
He sits back again and slides his palms from under my breasts, letting them take their own weight. His eyes seem to glaze over as he stares at me in what I could only describe as wonder. Instead of feeling powerful, I suddenly become self-conscious and cup them with my own hands, lifting them back up knowing they are not as perky as they were before…
He stops my train of thought by leaning forward and bending his head to place gentle kisses to the skin that is swelling between my fingers. When his hot tongue joins his lips he easily pulls my hands away, taking my insecurities with them. Those beautiful hands of his take their place, and I can’t help but whimper as he lifts one nipple to his lips, circling it once with his warm, wet tongue then kissing it lightly. The right one gets the same treatment as the left. I whimper even louder when he stops to look up at me.
“Please don’t ever hide these from me. They’re perfect, just like you are,” he whispers. “Look how well they fill my hands, like they were made to be together.”
He’s right, we fit perfectly together. If either one of us were bigger or smaller the fit would be all wrong.
He leans down and rubs his cheek over the side of one, from nipple to chest. “So soft, so perfect,” he sighs, then his lips trail kisses back to my nipple. I watch, trembling, as his tongue slips out and flicks the rock hard pebble causing another whimper to escape my throat as a bolt of pleasure goes straight to my core. His fingers and thumbs close around it and its mate, pinching and twirling them as he looks back up at me. “So hard, and begging for my touch,” he says, his voice dripping with sex.
I grind against him harder hearing his words, realizing I’ve never stopped rocking myself over the large bulge that’s barely hidden inside his thin shorts. “Yes. Please touch me, Nik. Touch me,” I pant, hardly recognizing my own voice.
He doesn’t hesitate, nearly making me cry out when his lips lock around one nipple and begins to suck it greedily while his thumb and fingers twist and pull at the other. I writhe on top of him, my moans joining his, as he seemingly worships my breasts, never making one jealous of another. His lips leave me, but his fingers don’t stop their assault as he sits back and watches me rise and fall over him. “Please tell me there are condoms somewhere in this house,” he groans, pressing up into me.
“Don’t need them,” I pant, never slowing my hips.
His drop from under me, and his fingers still. “El, if we’re gonna stop, we need to stop right now,” he tells me, his voice waver
ing. “I can’t handle much—”
I push his hands away and reach for his shirttail and start to pull it off him as quickly, but gently, as I can. “I have an IUD in, it’s good for at least another year. And you’re clean. They tested you when you got to the hospital, we would already know if anything came up. Now help me get this off,” I beg him.
Relief floods his face, and he doesn’t waste time sitting up and helping me get it off one arm and over his head. Thankfully it’s one of those gym shirts with the large arm holes so it slips easily off his bad arm. “Remind me to send them thank you notes,” he winks, giving me a panty melting grin.
I giggle in return, but the air leaves my lungs, cutting it off, when he pulls me flush to his naked chest. He’s so hard and hot pressed against me, I want to pull him into me until we melt into one.
There’s no space left between us, but he’s nowhere near as close as I want him to be. My hands search every inch of the hot, smooth skin of his broad back and rippled sides they can reach, only leaving his broken shoulder untouched. He feels even better under my hands than I imagined he would. I’m drowning in my need for him again, our very short interruption fading quickly from my mind.
His hands are adding flames to the fire, roaming all my lines and curves, pressing and gripping gently, almost as if he is cherishing his most prized possession, seeming to be preserving my body to his memory all the while. His fingers thread their way through my hair, and he gently pulls me loose from his chest, as his thumbs guide my jaw so my face will be close to his. I swear his eyes are shining with unshed tears when I look into them.
“I love you, Ellie. I love you so damn much it hurts. I can’t believe you’re finally in my arms. It feels so amazing to finally hold you,” he barely manages to get out before covering my lips with his. His kiss is so tender and deep. I feel as if I may shatter into a million pieces my emotions are so overwhelming.
I’ve never felt more beautiful, loved, or wanted in my life and we’ve barely even started.
I gasp into his mouth, trying as quietly as I can to choke back the sob that’s threatening to close my throat up. “I love you, too. So much.”
I try to distract myself from my sudden emotions and the tears threatening to spill with the warm skin of his neck. I’ve wanted to taste this part of him for weeks. I finally give into my urge, kissing, sucking, and licking my way from his collarbone to the hollow under his ear. His masculine smell and taste flood my senses sending a shudder through me, causing my hips to pick up their rocking once more. I want to devour him.
“Ellie.”
His breathy moan of my name only drives me deeper to the point of madness. I work back down his neck and across his collarbone, then up the other side to his ear. “I need you inside me, Nik,” I breathe into it, while grinding my hips.
He shudders this time and stills me with a hard grip. “I’m gonna explode like a fucking teenager if I don’t calm down first. Stand up for me, and let’s get these off,” he says, tugging on my cutoffs.
I whine about it, but they have to come off either way and I can’t do it sitting down, so I carefully climb off of his lap and stand between his legs. I start to undo my button, but he brushes my hands out of the way. “No ma’am, you’re my present, and you already tore the wrapping off the top half. Let me unwrap the bottom at least.” He smiles up at me so adorably I want to cry again. I bite my lip instead and nod.
He hooks his fingers in my belt loops and tugs me a little closer to him. With maddening slowness, he slides the shiny silver button free of its hole, then slides the zipper down. Once again, his hands wrap around my hips, but this time his thumbs slide over the silk of my panties, up from the center of my pubic bone, then across to my hip bones as his fingers sink under the denim covering my ass. The fabric catches on his knuckles, and is pulled down inch by agonizing inch as he moves his hands down my cheeks. I wiggle my hips to help the process along, but he shakes his head at me as he huffs out a laugh.
“You’re in such a hurry, Hummingbird. If we rush it’ll be over too soon.”
“It’s been two years, Nik, but the last three weeks seem like a lifetime in comparison. I feel like I’ve been waiting for this moment with you all my life, I don’t want to wait anymore,” I whimper, gently gripping his hair hoping it will help steady my shaky legs, and let him know I’m closer to the edge than he thinks.
He looks up at me with so much love shining out of his beautiful blue eyes it immediately calms me. He slides my shorts down to my knees letting them fall the rest of the way on their own. His hands glide around the backs of my knees, teasing the sensitive skin by circling his fingertips over it, then he runs them up the back of my thighs, squeezing them when he reaches the top. He leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my stomach, then breathes me in deeply.
“I’m sorry it’s been so long, that you had to wait all alone, and I didn’t find you sooner,” he whispers as he lays his cheek against my stomach and wraps me in a gentle hug.
My heart lodges painfully in my throat, my nose and eyes burning. My fingers loosen their grip from his hair, stroking it and his face instead. “It’s not your fault, sweetie. There was no way for you to know. You found me as soon as you could. You’re here now,” I choke out, somehow finding my voice.
“I swear I’m gonna make it up to you and then some. I’ve been waiting for you just as long, Ellie,” he murmurs as he turns his face into my skin, and starts to kiss his way across the top edge of my panties. “I’m going to love you so hard. You’ll never be alone again. I’ll always be here for you. I’m going to cherish your fragile heart with my life. Worship every inch of this glorious body.”
Only my hands in his hair and his hand gripping my thigh are keeping me upright. My tenuous state slips further away when his right hand pulls my panties tightly up between my legs. I didn’t register until this moment how soaked they were. His mouth is hovering above my center, and seeing him there makes my heart falter. I start to protest, not knowing where he’s going with this, afraid I actually do know, but then go mute, my knees almost buckling when he forces his hot breath through the fabric.
“Nik...what are you doing? You shouldn’t,” I pant and stutter. Then a noise I couldn’t describe leaves my lips and mixes with his growl when his even hotter tongue runs up the length of my lips, the thin silk the only thing between us. I’m left to hold myself up as he lets me go, and jerks my panties down my legs. I thought I was self-conscious when he looked at my breasts, that was nothing compared to this. The burning I’ve been feeling is suddenly all in my cheeks.
I can’t believe he just tasted me.
Josh never…
I’ve heard women talk about it, but I was always self-conscious and afraid to bring it up, and he never offered. We hardly made it past missionary with the lights on. We had both been sheltered virgins when we married, our wedding night was… Well it was pitiful, embarrassing, and sad. It was years before it got any better, too.
Suddenly Nik is standing right in front of me, and I’m startled back to the present. I can’t look up at him though, I’m too embarrassed. But I can fuss at him.
“Nik, your leg. I’m not letting you get hurt again. Please sit back down,” I say, gripping his sides and leaning my forehead against his chest. I meant my reprimand to sound stern, but it sounded like begging even to my ears.
“Shhh, I swear I’m not going to do anything that could put an end to this,” he promises quietly.
Shit! Maybe if I get his pants off he’ll sit. I’ll know what to do with him then.
I reach for them and start to pull them down, but his hands go over mine stopping any progress.
Damnit, I’m gonna cry. I don’t want to cry.
“My love, will you look at me, please?” he whispers, gently lifting my chin with his fingers.
I let him pull my face up, but I can’t get my eyes to open, the tears will fall if I do. He waits a few heartbeats for me to open them, but doesn’t ask again wh
en I don’t. Instead, I feel his thumbs rubbing slowly across my cheeks. “He never made love to you that way, did he?” he asks so quietly I almost don’t hear him over the blood rushing through my ears. I shake my head. He sighs deeply and pulls me back against his chest and rubs my back. “I mean no disrespect, but he was a fool. You taste divine.” I squeak, and tuck myself against him tighter. “You look divine too, every inch of you,” he rumbles into my neck, and I know instantly the inches he’s speaking of.
Leia took me to the spa before she left and bullied me into getting the works, which included a bikini wax. I nearly scalped her when they were finished. Now I’m grateful she talked me into it.
“Let me love you, Ellie,” his voice vibrates deeply through his chest and into my ear. “Let me bring you pleasure no one else ever has. I can make you come apart at the seams, make you scream my name, and turn your bones to jelly. Then I can do it all again, over and over until you beg me stop. Let me worship you so that you’ll never doubt my love for you.”
With his words alone I melt in his arms, the fire roaring as it never has, my juices beginning to run down my thighs. He must feel the moment I surrender to him, because he lifts my face up again, and kisses me until I’m a quivering mess. When he pulls away my eyes open, and I nearly orgasm where I stand the heat in his gaze is so intense.
“Will you let me?”
“Yes,” my mouth answers before my brain can even begin to think about it.
“Go to the dining room table, and lay down on your back for me,” he softly demands, his velvet voice seeming to slither into the base of my spine then all the way up my back, propelling me to do his bidding. I’ve already taken two steps before I realize it, but then I remember his leg, and stop and turn back to see if he needs help getting there.
Save Me Page 24