He let out a small laugh, loving that she called him out when she thought he was trying to get away with something. He loved how she could be sensitive and nurturing one moment and sassy and making him toe the line the next. It was just another example of how she could be both adorable and sexy at the same time.
Shaking his head slightly he was still grinning as he covered her hand with his. “I’m serious, Stephanie. I’m not trying to be funny, or witty or charming. This time, anyway. I’m being completely honest. When you touch me, everything else fades away. The rest of the world. All the pain. When you touch me, this warmth and light fills me. It’s not like anything I’ve ever felt before. And when I look at you nothing else exists. Just you. There’s nothing but you.”
At his declaration, her eyes widened slightly and she inhaled a shaky breath. Her fingers tightened around his as she opened her mouth to say something and he couldn’t wait to hear what it was going to be.
But nothing came out. Rather than expressing herself verbally, she let him know how she was feeling physically as she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. The kiss started out timid and gentle. Her lips brushed his lightly. He tried to let her take the lead, to control the pace, but after a few moments he raised his hand and threaded his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck. He flexed his hold and tilted her forward slightly. When he did she parted her lips giving him unrestricted access to her mouth. A moan rumbled in his chest as he slid his tongue into her wet, warmth and explored the recesses of her mouth. What had started out as gentle and sweet quickly heated and she began kissing him back with fervent passion. Her hands clung to his shoulders as if her life depended on it.
As their lips moved together faster and harder and their tongues mingled in an erotic dance, he felt arousal flowing through his veins like rocket fuel. He didn’t feel like he’d been injured in that moment. He felt superhuman. He would’ve taken any dare, attempted any physical feat right then. Jumped off a cliff, tried to leap a tall building in a single bound…anything. And it wasn’t just the adrenaline affecting his thought process, making him more reckless than he normally would’ve been. No, when she touched him, kissed him like this, he really did feel invincible.
He needed that strength and drew on it as he did pretty much the hardest thing he could imagine forcing himself to do at that moment—he put his hands on her shoulders and broke their kiss.
The expression on her face was dazed, the look in her eyes glazed with bewilderment. He understood her confusion and hoped he was doing the right thing as he explained, “I think we should stop.”
Immediately, everything about her turned to complete compassion and concern. “Oh. I’m so sorry,” she apologized anxiously. “Are you in pain? Did I hurt you?”
He smiled tenderly and ran his fingers down the side of her beautiful face. She continually amazed him. Was there any situation in the entire world where she wouldn’t think of everyone else before herself? He doubted it.
“No, that’s not why. I feel fine. Better than fine, actually. I just…I don’t want things to be…I want to do this right. I want to take you to dinner.”
She didn’t quite look convinced so he figured now was the time to ante up and put his cards on the table. “I want more than this. I want dinners and dancing. And breakfasts and lunches. I want all of it, with you. Binge watching Netflix. Going to the grocery store. Waiting in line at the DMV.”
She laughed. “Ah, yes. The classic three pillars of a great relationship. Dinners, Netflix, DMV.”
He didn’t know if her reaction was a deflection or if she was generally amused. But he wasn’t going to let either stop him from trying to make her see that he was completely serious about this and about her. “I just need you to know that I want to be with you. I want us to be together. Not just for this. For everything.”
At that, she exhaled, her body language resigned to this not continuing and rose up so she was sitting beside him. As much as he wished she’d thrown her arms around his neck and declared her undying love for him, he realized that this was actually a good sign. At least she was really considering what he said. She was taking him seriously.
He carefully pushed to a seated position and waited for the jury to come back with a verdict. He was already coming up with arguments to counter what he assumed her objections would be as to why they couldn’t be together. Objections such as they barely knew each other and that his job wasn’t really conducive for a stable relationship.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and then set her hands on her lap. “I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year and honestly, I don’t want to think about it. My life is…complicated. And it has been for a long time. I’m tired of trying to plan and control things and then everything blowing up in my face. I don’t want to overthink this like I’ve done with everything else in my life. I don’t want you to make me promises that I depend on, it’s just setting me up for disappointment. I just want to enjoy this.” She waved her hand between them. “To be in the moment right now and not worry about the rest.”
And again she proved that he never knew what she was going to say and do.
He nodded, giving that some thought. As much as he wished he could convince her that he wasn’t going anywhere and she could depend on him, he knew that the only way he could do that was to show her. His Grandma Lulu had raised him to take people at their word and if she said that she wanted to just take it day by day, then it wasn’t his place to tell her that was wrong. She wanted stability and he could give it to her, he just had to show, not tell.
“Okay,” he agreed. “We can do it your way on one condition. You agree to go on something, with me, that starts with a D.”
She glanced down between his legs and raised her eyebrows. “Wow, someone has a dirty mind,” he teased. “I’m talking about a date. Agree to go on one date with me.”
She hesitated, and he wasn’t sure if even that level of commitment was too much for her. In all honesty, if she wouldn’t agree, then he would cave. He would take her any way he could get her.
“All right,” she finally agreed. “I can do that. One date. I’ll agree to that.”
Relief washed over him. He leaned back against the pillows as a smile slowly spread across his face. She definitely didn’t make things easy for him, but it made the small victories that much sweeter.
“Wow.” Her eyes were cast down at the now rather large tent that his erection had turned the sheet into, “it looks like I’m not the only one with a dirty mind. I would ask you if you feel up to this, but I think I know the answer.”
He chuckled as her fingers brushed his abs and traced the line of his bandage. His chest rose and fell in shorter breaths as he watched her hand as it dipped beneath the sheet. Her fingers grazed his waistline and hip.
“Come here,” his voice was raw with desire.
She leaned forward, but instead of kissing his mouth her lips pressed to his cheek. She began trailing kisses across his jaw and down his neck and cheekbone. Even though the touch was so much gentler than their kiss just a few moments before had been, in a way he found it even more sensual. It was so much more intentional, and because of that, so much more seductive.
It may have been just light, gentle kisses in the moment, but it was clear they were heading down an erotic path that he was all too happy to travel with her.
As she continued to move her mouth down lower over his torso, she started using her tongue as well as her lips, tracing slow and lazy circles over his skin that drove him crazy. They made him want to buck his hips and writhe, to sit up and pull her into his arms, crush her to him, throw her down on the bed, make love to her, claim her, possess her. But, he didn’t. For a few reasons. First—and he hated to admit this—no matter how invincible she made him feel, he just wasn’t in a place to do that with his injury. Second, he could sense that that wasn’t what she wanted or needed. She was in control. She was setting the pace and clearly e
njoying it. Third…well, hell, it just felt so. Damn. Good.
He watched, captivated by her. He was totally mesmerized as she trailed her fingertips gently all over his chest, torso and arms—being careful to avoid anywhere that might cause him pain. Not that he could feel any, with the anesthetic effect of adrenaline and arousal coursing through him.
When her provocative kisses had reached the edge of the sheet, she inched the covering down over his erection and helped him pull his boxers down his legs, as well. The entire time she kept peppering his abdomen in kisses.
After he was fully naked, she continued her mouth’s inexorable but oh-so-torturously slow journey downward. She paid special attention to the muscles that lined his hips and made a V down to his groin. As she placed open-mouth kisses along the heated skin that surrounded his shaft she wrapped her fingers around it and he sucked in a hiss of pleasure. When it was firmly in her grip she started to rhythmically stroke him up and down sending hot lust whipping through him.
“Fuck,” he whispered in a strangled cry as his hands fisted in the sheet beside him.
“Later,” she teased, her eyes looking up at him with a wicked gleam. “First, this.”
With that, she enclosed the engorged head of his dick between her luscious, full lips and swirled her tongue around the tip. God, he thought he would pop right then. It took everything in him to control his physical reaction.
He hadn’t had to consciously struggle to keep himself from coming early since he was…hell, fourteen. His first time. Everything about Stephanie felt like the first time. It felt new and exciting.
He groaned and threaded his fingers through her hair as she moved her mouth methodically up and down his engorged erection. A deep carnal ache began building as she tortured him with the rhythmic suction of her wet mouth.
“God, it feels so good…” he moaned as he stroked her hair. So many feelings were rushing through him. Commitment. Protectiveness. And…love. It was love. He didn’t want to spook her by saying that, of course. But it was true. He was falling in love with her.
All he could do was try to show her that through his actions. The way that he would use his body to make her feel every bit as good as he was feeling when it was his turn to pleasure her. He would do anything he could think of to express his feelings to her without scaring her or making her back off.
He would use anything at his disposal to show Stephanie how special she was, how much she deserved every good thing in life. And prove to her how hard he would work to try to give them to her.
Just when he thought he couldn’t take the amazing movement of her mouth one minute longer without exploding, she lifted her head up and smiled. She was like a magician, her timing was impeccable. She knew the exact right moment to stop what she was doing if things were going to continue.
She stood up and smiled down at him. For a moment, he thought maybe she was going to be the one to say they needed to stop. That she was going to tell him that it was too much exertion for him and his condition. That they should wait. If that was the case, he was going to at least convince her to let him return the favor and show her the same oral pleasure that she’d just given him.
But it turned out there was no convincing necessary. That wasn’t at all what she said. In fact, she didn’t say anything. With a mischievous little grin on her face, she started taking off her clothes and dropping them on the floor.
One word continued to play in his mind as she did. Mine. They could take things as slow as she wanted but he was going to do everything in his power to make her his. God knew, he was already hers.
* * *
As Stephanie peeled off her clothes layer by layer, piece by piece, uncovering herself to Ace’s hungry gaze, she felt herself getting more and more turned on. When she had first started kissing and caressing him, the idea was that she would just give him a blow job. A way to make him feel better. Of course, they wouldn’t have sex—he wasn’t up to it. It would be too strenuous, too painful.
But then, at the last minute, when she felt him surging with release against her tongue and hand—she’d changed her mind.
Different arguments replaced her earlier worries. First, he was healing very quickly and seemed to be handling physical activity well. She honestly didn’t think it would be an issue for him to go further. Second, she planned on doing all the work. Lastly, and most importantly, she figured this might be her two and through. There was no guarantee that she would get a three and free, so she figured she might as well enjoy it.
Sure, Ace talked a good game. And it’s not that she thought he was a liar. She figured he most likely believed what he was saying about wanting more, wanting to have a relationship. But…come on. That wasn’t reality. That was fantasy talk. Once he got a real, cold, hard look at what her life actually entailed, it would be over. She didn’t think he was capable of doing what Mason had done and demanding she choose between him and the twins. But, she figured any man in a serious relationship would want her to put him first. And she couldn’t even blame him for that. That was a normal, healthy expectation to have.
So, she figured since this might be her body’s last opportunity to enjoy what Ace was offering, she was certainly not going to pass it up. She was going to take every bit of pleasure that she could from the encounter, file it away in her memory banks so she could return to it on the cold and lonely nights that she knew would certainly be waiting for her in the future.
When she discarded her last piece of clothing she stood before him completely naked and forced herself to remain in place and not rush things. There was no more powerful aphrodisiac for her than the feeling of Ace’s eyes on her body. Every inch of her skin felt like it was sizzling with hot desire. Her nipples and core ached and tightened. Her muscles felt loose and molten and liquid.
She felt sexy. She felt beautiful. His gaze was the only thing in her life that had ever made her feel that way.
She wasn’t delusional. It’s not like she thought she was ugly. She just never thought about it at all. When you’re raising kids, when you have the kinds of responsibilities she did—especially the kind that came with Scott’s special needs—you never took time to stop and think about it. Let alone to feel it all the way down to your bones the way Ace made her feel.
She worried more about whether she was strong enough. Whether she was smart enough. Whether she was brave enough. The thought of whether she was pretty enough? Yeah. It never crossed her mind.
Until Ace, that is. When he looked at her, she felt like a goddess. It was intoxicating, heady and powerful. She felt empowered and free. Like there was an entire world filled with endless possibilities.
Of course, she knew that none of those things were true. The world didn’t hold endless possibilities for her. It held endless responsibilities. She wasn’t free and her empowerment was a day-by-day choice.
So even in moments like this, the most precious of her life, when she drank in all of the wonderful feelings that Ace stirred in her—she still had to keep a wall up. Self-protection was key. She still had to remind herself that, yes, even though Ace had her flying right now, there was going to come a time when she would have to return to earth. Whether that was going to be a smooth or a crash landing was entirely up to her. She couldn’t let herself forget it.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the moment.
“Come here.” The sexy promise in his deep voice sent a shiver racing down her spine.
“You’re kinda bossy.” Her words were breathless as she climbed onto the bed.
“And you kinda like it,” he gritted out.
Heat warmed her cheeks at his statement and she knew that he could see her blushing.
“Do you have a condom?”
She nodded. Simone had bought them for her last Christmas as a gag gift. She hadn’t wanted to throw them away so she kept them in her nightstand.
“Get it,” he demanded.
She reached beside the bed and pulled the protection out. She sta
rted to tear the corner.
“Wait,” he instructed firmly. “Straddle me.”
Holding up the foil packet she asked, “Don’t you want me to—”
“Straddle me.” His command left no room for argument.
Her entire body vibrated with anticipation as she moved over him, swinging her leg over and settling one knee on each side of his hip. She’d figured that she would be the one in control since he was still recovering, but clearly she’d been wrong.
He gripped the base of his straining erection and rubbed the side of his shaft lightly against her damp core. She looked down, where their bodies were intimately joined, and the erotic sight sent a surge of bliss rushing through her.
With his other hand, he gripped her waist and tilted her hip so that she was grinding against his engorged flesh. She rolled her body against his as waves of pleasure rippled through her. With each pass of her sex along his steel rod the pressure of his hardness and the friction of her movement caused her to grow more and more wet. As she slid up and down, she saw the evidence of her arousal coating his rigid member.
Her hands rested on her thighs as she closed her eyes, losing herself in the sensations that were rioting through her. As much as she wanted to prolong this experience, to draw out her enjoyment, she felt her release building low in her belly.
“This feels so good…I’m gonna…” she panted.
“Come,” Ace completed her thought. “I want to feel you come.”
The heat and lightheadedness that flooded her body at his words actually caused her to shake as she went up and over the edge. Her body convulsed as she ground against his shaft. She was seized with a rush of sensation so intense she cried out in release.
As she drifted back into her own senses she opened her heavy lids and saw Ace rolling protection down his manhood.
“That was so hot. You’re so hot,” he rasped. When the protection was in place his eyes met hers. “Ride me.”
All He Needs – Ace & Stephanie (Crossroads Book 10) Page 15