by J. M. Madden
Stepping forward he fingered a silky red dress.
“Most of them, yes.”
“Are any of these your design?”
She tilted her head at him. “Yes. Most of these are actually.”
Diego blinked and looked at the dress with fresh interest. Though he wasn’t a connoisseur by any means even he could see the quality of the piece. It was gorgeous.
“I’m impressed,” he told her truthfully. “I don’t have a creative bone in my body but I can appreciate those who do.”
Lilly smiled at him, her cheeks flushing at the compliment. “Thank you so much. That’s a lovely compliment.”
Looking back at the dress, he had a flash of her wearing the thing but the hem was hiked around her waist, while he plunged between her thighs. Clearing his throat he let the dress fall back to the hanger and turned away.
Lilly stared at him with need in her eyes. “What were you thinking? Your breathing picked up.”
He quirked a brow at her. “Do you really want to know?”
She nodded, licking her lips.
“I was thinking that would be a great dress to fuck you in.”
Her breath caught then sped up like his had. For a tension-filled moment she didn’t do anything. Reaching beyond him she snagged the hanger then stepped into the adjoining bathroom. Within just a minute she returned. The red dress looked stunning on her, skimming her hips and hard-nippled breasts like she’d been sewn into the thing. Her eyes had gone dark with need.
Diego groaned at the sight of her body’s obvious demand. Stepping to her he cupped her face in his hands. “I missed you, Lilly. It was only a week but it felt so much longer.”
She gave him a skeptical look. “You just missed out on the sex.”
Without hesitation he shook his head. “No, it was definitely more than that. I missed you more than the sex.”
Her façade cracked just a little and he understood she was trying to protect herself, but he couldn’t let her downgrade what they had. “I missed talking to you and seeing the smile that dawns on your face every time you see me. I don’t know what you see in me, Lilly, but I’ll be with you as long as you’ll have me.”
She lifted her brows. “That’s quite a statement. That’s almost a—dare I say it?—commitment.”
Diego scowled but he wasn’t as aggravated as he was pretending for her. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he growled.
But the thought of being in a committed relationship with her made his heart hum with contentment.
Leaning forward he rested his lips on hers, moving softly. She sagged into him, her hands climbing his chest to cup his neck. The tips of her fingernails ran up his scalp and he shuddered, loving the goose bump-inducing touch. Drawing her body into his he let her feel how excited he was to be there.
Lilly’s hands left his head and wandered down his chest, over his t-shirt to the waistband of his jeans. When she tugged on the button, then dragged the zipper down, it was all he could do to hold still. The tips of her fingers eased through the denim to cup him in her hand and he surged into her grip.
Diego ran his own hands over the curve of her ass and hips. There was something about the slick fabric that was incredibly erotic and he couldn’t quit touching her. When she squeezed his cock and resumed their kiss, gliding her tongue against his, he had to brace his knees to maintain his feet. Backing her up into the bathroom, he found exactly what he’d expected: yards and yards of pristine marble at the perfect height for fucking. There were several different sections at different angles.
When her ass hit the edge of the vanity he stopped, then, grinning, he began to inch the fabric up into his fists. Lilly braced her arms and leaned back toward the mirror, raising her chest so that her breasts lifted up. Curling his body down, Diego licked at the fabric of her left breast. It was so thin it sealed to her body, outlining her rock-hard nipples. He flicked his tongue over it, making her cry out.
The length of her dress was now in his hands. Urging her up onto the vanity, he lifted her left leg, resting her foot on the edge of the marble and spreading her wide. Then, with a final lingering kiss to her mouth he dropped to his knees in front of her and did the same to her sex. She’d left her panties off. Good. And she was wet, tasting of honeyed need. Obviously she’d been expecting this as well.
Lilly cried out and cupped his head to her, gasping, crying out as he found her clit with the tip of his tongue. As he flicked at her faster and faster, there was no way she couldn’t orgasm. Her release washed over his tongue and her body spasmed in front of him.
Surging to his feet Diego dropped his jeans and underwear enough for his cock to spring into view. Trembling from her release, Lilly gripped him in her hand and guided him into her.
Her slippery heat drew him deep. Diego let the smooth fabric of her dress settle behind her ass and he gripped her there, loving the feel of slickness upon slickness.
Groaning, thrusting faster, he savored the feel of her searing heat. She felt so damn good to him.
Then he opened his eye and looked up.
His own image was reflected back to him from the bathroom mirror and it was magnificent. The pure eroticism of the moment was striking. Her black hair swayed down her back but she was angled enough that he could see her breasts bouncing with his every thrust.
It totally rocked his world.
The cradle of her hips rolled as she leaned back on her elbow and braced one arm against the mirror. Glass bottles went clattering but neither noticed; they were so consumed with reaching that burning peak. Lilly’s head lolled and she looked at the reflection of them fucking in the mirror. It must have affected her as much as it did him, because she screamed out, louder than he’d ever heard before, and began to orgasm, her body contorting with shudders.
Diego fought to hang onto his control but watching her drown in pleasure pushed him past the point of no return. With a guttural cry he let himself slam into her one, two, three more times before his own release crashed over him. It took everything he had to stay vertical as wave after wave of pleasure consumed him.
For several long moments he rippled with aftershocks. It was humbling to be so at her mercy.
Lilly had collapsed to the counter, her eyes closed. She panted in the aftermath and he felt shudders still rolling through her body as well.
Diego ran his hands over her breasts covered in the silky fabric one last time before he withdrew from her.
Lilly groaned as he left and her pewter eyes flicked open to his. Diego was humbled to see that she had been as affected as he had. She stared at him, dazed, for several long seconds before her gaze cleared. “I think I love you,” she whispered, then paled.
Diego fought not to react to her words. He’d heard them before from other women in similar situations. He knew he was a good lover. Women always gave more credence to the connection of bodies than men did. And he connected bodies well. Pleasuring a woman had always given him satisfaction.
The nervous flutter in his gut, though, was unexpected and he was struck with a little sadness. For more than thirty years he’d gone through life alone, pretty much. It would be nice to have someone to call his. But did he dare believe her?
“Yeah, whatever,” he laughed, trying not to be leveled. “That’s the orgasm-buzz talking.”
Something dimmed in her eyes but he reached out a hand to pull her upright. She slipped off the edge of the counter and groaned, the long red dress settling around her. There were faint rings around her nipples where he had suckled her. “I think you may have to get that dry-cleaned.”
Lilly looked down at herself and giggled. “Definitely can’t wear this to Rosella’s party, hmm?”
Crossing her arms over her stomach she lifted the dress up and off, letting it fall into a puddle on the pale tan tile.
And though they’d just had sex, Diego was struck silent for a long moment. She cocked her hips and braced her hands on them, posing for him. Shaking his head at her utter femininity he st
epped forward enough to press his mouth to hers, tunneling one hand into her hair. He kissed her long and leisurely, loving her taste. When he pulled away they were both breathing heavy.
She narrowed her eyes at him and moved away to the room-sized glass shower. “Would you like to join me?”
He didn’t need a second invitation. Shucking his clothes in the direction of her dress he followed her into the stall.
The hot water running over his body felt phenomenal, but not quite as good as Lilly washing him. There was a tile bench inside the stall. Lilly turned on the steam setting, sat his ass on the bench and soaped him from head to toe as the heat rolled, then rinsed him with the handheld attachment. But she paid special attention to his recovering, appreciative cock. Subtle tickles and strokes brought him back to aching hardness. When she pulled a hand towel inside the stall, knelt on it and took him into her luscious mouth, Diego moaned. And though he’d come not even ten minutes before, her mouth was delicate enough on his sensitive skin to wring a second slow-rolling orgasm from him. As exquisite pleasure hazed his vision, he knew there was no way he could have kept his balance through this one. It arched his spine until it cracked and his feet skittered against the tile until she lifted her captivating mouth, letting him drift down from his high. As he regained his breath and sight she pushed to her feet and stepped under the spray. The smile on her plump, pink lips looked smug, as if she’d fought a heavy battle and won.
Diego pushed to his feet, wondering dimly if he’d ever felt like this before. As he pulled Lilly into his arms and let the scalding water pound over them he knew that he hadn’t. Ever.
Chapter Nine
Lilly woke with an elephant sitting on her bladder. She blinked awake to a bright shaft of sunlight shining in the window over her head. She needed to order curtains or something. When her sight had cleared she could see that it wasn’t an elephant torturing her, just Diego’s knee. He had rolled to his side then stretched an arm and leg over top of her, as if holding her down.
Rolling her head to look up at his face, Lilly froze. Her breath stalled in her lungs.
The eye patch had shifted.
For a breathless moment she wondered if she should look away. It seemed incredibly intimate, more than anything else they’d done together sexually, to look at the scarred deficit behind the patch. But her curiosity was stronger. As she looked at the damage the IED had done, she wasn’t sure why he was so defensive about it being seen. There wasn’t much there. Yes, there were scars and a concave disfigurement where the eye itself used to be, but nothing he should feel uncomfortable sharing.
Guilt made her look away. It wasn’t right exploring his vulnerabilities when he couldn’t do anything about it. With a gentle nudge to the bronze arm holding her down, Lilly scrambled out from beneath the weight, heading for the bathroom.
When she returned Diego had rolled onto his stomach, his perfect ass barely hidden by the sheet. Trying not to jostle him Lilly eased back into bed.
She woke again a little while later when something tickled her nose. Batting it away she blinked her eyes open. Diego loomed over top of her, a length of her purple hair in his fingers. The eye patch was firmly over the eye socket and he grinned down at her, white teeth gleaming.
Lilly was a little taken aback. She’d never seen that expression on his face before. Usually he was scowling or stone-faced. This unrestrained joy was very uncharacteristic.
“Looks like you got up on the right side of bed this morning.”
He lifted a thick black brow at her. “Technically I’m not out of bed yet.”
Nudging her with his hips, he wiggled a brow at her and she giggled. Shifting, she rolled over enough to open her arms to him. As soon as he settled into the cradle of her hips she sighed. Though she was still waking up, he felt incredibly good. When he began to rock that hardness against her she widened her thighs, inviting him in. Slowly, strongly, he settled himself into her body.
Lilly moaned, feeling more complete emotionally than she had for a long time. “I just want you to stay right here. This is so perfect,” she whispered.
Diego braced himself up on his hands, muscles straining in his arms, and looked down at her, his gaze thoughtful. “I feel the same way. I don’t like people in general, but you’ve bewitched me or something.” He surged into her. “This feels right.”
She arched up to meet him and they didn’t say anything else after that, just enjoyed each other. Lilly wondered what he would have done if she’d confessed her love for him again. He would say it was post-coital euphoria.
As she shampooed her hair a few minutes after the morning wake up, she debated telling him I love you then. He stood in front of her, no more than a foot away scrubbing his own luscious body, but she chickened out. It would be the ultimate downer if he gave her that laughing condescension again and turned away.
Her heart wasn’t ready for that.
They headed into the kitchen to scrounge up some breakfast. Her phone chimed on the charger beside the coffee pot. She picked it up and opened the email. She had several messages in there including one from her realtor.
Sorry, Lilly, another turn-down on your back-up choice from the lease company. I don’t understand what’s going on. Call me later. Gina
Lilly shook her head in frustration. It wasn’t the money. Even after buying the house she was still liquid. There would need to be money rolling in eventually but she could carry herself for several years if she needed to. It was what she had planned on early in her career.
When she’d lived in New York she’d scrimped and saved every dime she could. She and Kendall had shared an apartment, splitting expenses, and Lilly had hustled jobs like crazy. She’d had a successful livelihood. Investing came to her naturally; probably because of her father. Opening this store had been a dream for years and she had planned accordingly.
Every few months, even now, her agent would call with a new offer. It was very flattering but not the direction she wanted her life to go now.
“Everything okay?” Diego asked beside her.
Lilly jerked to attention. “Oh, yeah, sorry, woolgathering.”
“Are you sure? It looked like you had bad news.”
Turning to lean against the counter she eyed him. He seemed sincere in his interest so she decided to let him in a little.
“The leasing company backed out of my contract. And I just got an email saying my backup refused me as well.”
Diego’s brows furrowed. “Did they give a reason?”
She shook her head, tucking some strands behind her ear. “No, that’s why it’s so frustrating. Everything except signing was done on the first property. They returned my deposit the other day.”
“Maybe they think you’re too taxed after buying the house?”
Lilly knew he was trying to offer her alternatives but… “No. My money is fine. There’s no earthly reason why they should have denied me.”
He reached out and rubbed a hand over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, babe. If there’s anything I can do let me know.”
Leaning over she pressed a kiss to his stubbled chin. “Thank you for the offer but I’ll figure it out. Probably. I’ll have to go looking again this week.”
Trilling chimes went off and she looked at the phone in her hand. Her heart sank when she saw her father’s number. Frowning, she pressed another quick kiss to Diego’s chin. “It’s my dad. I have to take this. Not sure why he’s calling so early on a Sunday morning.”
“What me to start breakfast?”
She nodded, already walking out of the room. Taking a deep, steadying breath she swiped her finger across the screen and dropped to the couch. “Hey, Dad. How are you? And mom?”
“We’re fine, Lilly. I can’t talk long. We’re heading to dinner in a few minutes. I wanted to talk to you about Ray.”
Lilly went cold. Had that man actually gone to her father?
“He says you’re pressing charges. I told him he had to be wrong. There was no wa
y my daughter would do that to one of my oldest friends.”
Charles Carmichael just couldn’t believe anybody would rock his boat.
“I am pressing charges, Dad. He tried to drug me.”
“Did you see him put it in your drink?”
That made her pause. “No, I didn’t see him put it in my drink, but somebody I trust did.”
She looked up at Diego. He watched her from the kitchen, eye narrowed as he listened to her side of the conversation.
“Don’t you find it convenient,” her father continued, “that the man you are sleeping with suddenly rescued you from imminent harm?”
Lilly knew her mouth was hanging open in shock. Part of that could be gossip he’d received from any of the attendees that appeared at the gala. The rest was very private. Five million emotions hit her all at once but anger took the forefront. “You’ve been watching me? How dare you?”
Charles heaved a sigh. “Of course I dare. You’re my daughter and I’m not there to monitor you in person.”
“I’m also twenty-nine years old. I am an adult.”
Snapping that into the phone seemed a little juvenile but she wasn’t going to say that.
“You’re not acting like an adult. I would never have known about this man if I hadn’t had him investigated. A Hispanic security guard, Lilly, with an impressive criminal record? Is that what I raised you to look for?”
She accepted the series of barbs and admitted he was probably right that she wouldn’t have contacted him. She’d known he wouldn’t want her with Diego, for many reasons. He’d just enumerated every one.
“I don’t have to tell you about every man that I’m interested in, that’s the great part about growing up. You have no right to monitor my activities like this.”
“I disagree,” her father told her firmly. “Until you behave like an adult I refuse to let you ruin the lives around you.”
Lilly shook her head in disbelief. “Are you joking? Your act of parental concern act is ridiculous. I’ve been on my own since I was a child. Literally, on my own. You and mom were always gone. Even when I worked in New York I was alone most of the time. I just bought my own house. I’m about to open my own clothing store. Are those not the actions of a responsible adult?”