“Well...how about we go find somewhere to put all this stuff? And then...who knows.”
He picked up the bags and stood. “I'll follow your lead.”
* * *
As he slid the key into the lock of the door, her pulse pounded. They walked into the room and it felt just like the first time. He gently pressed her against the door and kissed her. His fingertips skimmed around the edge of her sweatshirt and tickled against her skin, only heightening the pleasure of his lips against hers.
She broke the kiss and turned her face away. “Calvin...”
“Too fast?” he whispered against the skin of her neck, his breath leaving a trail of goose bumps.
“Not fast enough,” she choked out. “I need you.” Her hands trailed down to the bulge in his jeans.
“Not too fast though, sweetheart.” He shifted his hips away from her inquisitive fingers and kissed her again. When he pulled back, she groaned in frustration. “We have all night.”
“So? Can't you go more than once, Calvin? Or have you gotten soft in your old age?” Her dark eyes twinkled as she teased him.
“I'm going to show you there's not a damn thing soft about me, Zoe. But not until you can't breathe from the pleasure. Until you're absolutely begging me to make love to you.”
“Is that so?” She snagged the bottom of her hoodie and slowly peeled it over her head. Her braid loosened in the process and dark hair tumbled around her shoulders.
Calvin drank her in, his eyes seeing soft, pale skin and full, feminine curves. “You're beautiful.”
“I'm fat and pregnant.”
He reached for her, his roughened hand softly sliding over her hip. “You're beautiful. You're carrying my baby.” She squeaked as he dropped to his knees and pressed a soft kiss to her belly. “You've never been more beautiful.”
“Calvin...” His mouth trailed to her sides and he nipped and licked the taut skin there.
“Yes?”
“Love me.”
“Oh, I do.” He stood and tangled his hands in her hair. “Too much, and not quite enough.”
Their mouths met again and he slid one hand from her head down to gently cup her breast through the lace of her bra. She moaned against his mouth and he slowly circled the pebbled nipple with his fingertip before breaking the kiss and replacing his finger with his mouth.
The rasp of his tongue through the lace made her knees buckle and he deftly caught her, supporting her weight with his arm as he laved her nipple slowly and surely. Once the lace was completely damp from his attentions, he switched to the other breast, pulling moans and whimpers from her throat.
He kissed up her pink tinged chest, nibbled and suckled up the long column of her neck, and brushed his lips against her jaw. Her lips trembled as his found them again and they parted to welcome the wet slip of his tongue. He retreated just as quickly and trailed his mouth across her cheek to whisper in her ear. “So beautiful.”
His tongue whirled down her neck again, lips softly traced her collarbone, and his fingers found the straps of her bra, easing them off her shoulders. “This needs to go.” With one hand, he undid the hooks and the scrap of fabric fluttered to the floor. He replaced the lace of the bra with his hands, stroking his fingertips over every inch of her full breasts.
“Come to bed with me.”
She took his hand and laid back on the king sized bed, shifting to her side. He crawled up beside her, still fully clothed. “You're wearing too many clothes.”
“This is about you. Not about me.” He kissed her softly again, easing her on top of him.
“I want to feel your skin, not your shirt,” she whispered.
“Okay, then these pants that make your ass look amazing have to go too.”
She shifted off the bed and peeled the rest of her clothes off and turned to watch as Calvin undressed. His shirt was the first thing to go and her mouth went dry as she watched the play of muscles in his arms and back. She crawled over to him, and knelt on her knees on the bed. Placing her palms flat against his skin, she kissed his shoulder blade.
“You're sexy.”
“So are you.” He shifted his pants off and turned around to face her. His dick stood thick and proud, jutting toward her like a beacon. Her fingertips slid down his flat stomach to encircle him and he hissed. “Zoe.”
“Don't wear my name out,” she breathed as she shifted to take him into her mouth.
His head fell back and he slipped his fingers into her hair. “Sweetheart.” She used her tongue to swirl around the tip, and her hand to pump the base of his shaft. After a few more whorls and licks, Calvin gently tugged her hair. “You need to stop.”
Zoe released him with a soft pop and smiled. “Oh?”
“Yeah. You get to go first. Lie back on the pillows and get comfortable.”
She eased back, lying mostly on her side and Calvin reclined beside her. He kissed her slowly, nipping her bottom lip and then licking it to soothe the bite. He nibbled down her neck and came back to her breasts, taking them in his hands and loving each breast with fervor. His hand worked one nipple to a peak then he would switch sides, using his mouth on the pebbled peak and his fingers on the other. As his mouth worked down her belly she moaned at the slow, feathery touches. Heat pooled between her thighs, where she longed to be touched most, and Calvin obliged the want with a swirl of a fingertip on her clit.
“Calvin!”
“Yes?” he raised his head and smiled up at her.
“Please.”
“Are you comfortable?” He slipped another finger between her folds and teased her clit again.
“God, yes. Please,” she panted, eyes fluttering closed as he whirled a figure eight slowly around the sensitive nub, the edges of his fingers just barely brushing it.
“Tell me if I hurt you.”
“You're not!” she gasped. “Touch me.”
“But I am...” He kissed her belly again, this time a little lower. “Like this?” He eased a fingertip into her hot sheath.
“More.” Her hips arched up and he withdrew.
“Not yet.” Another sweet kiss to her belly, easing even lower. His fingers continued their devastatingly slow figure eight motion, swirling closer with each touch of his lips.
She panted harder, squeezing her eyes shut against the roar of pleasure building in her belly. Little white dots played at the edge of her vision and when he parted her folds and suckled her clit, she fell apart, her back arching up off the bed.
She grabbed his head and held him to her, whispering, “Please, please...”
He didn't disappoint, alternately sucking and licking the pulsating nub. One long finger eased deep inside her, crooking up to stroke her g-spot in a come hither dance that drove her insane. Her head lolled back and forth on the pillow and gibberish came from her mouth as she reached her peak. Another finger dipped inside her and flitted against the most sensitive spot as he flickered his tongue against her clit.
The little white lights behind her eyelids grew brighter as she came. Calvin held on through her orgasm, alternating soft flutters to her g-spot and gentle kisses to her core. He withdrew and shifted on the bed to spoon behind her. His hand caught her thigh and eased her leg up over his own. As he slipped deep inside her liquid heat, she hissed and arched back into him.
“Yesss...”
He nibbled her ear lobe and palmed her breasts, teasing the nipples between his fingers. “I love you.”
“Oh God, Calvin.” His movements were slow and sure, sliding completely into her heat and withdrawing to the very tip before plunging back in to the hilt. She felt every slow, sweet inch that he gave her, each slip of hard, unforgiving flesh into silk.
His speed increased as she tightened around him and as he came, his hand slipped to her clit, pinching and swirling the nub until she followed suit. He kissed her shoulder. “I'm glad to be home.”
Zoe rolled into his embrace and rested her head on his pec. “I am glad you are, too.” She pushed up onto her elbows and kisse
d him. “I'm hungry.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“I want a burger. With cheese. And bacon.” She rolled off the bed and padded into the bathroom. “But first I feel gross and want a shower.”
“Feel like company?” Calvin called from the bed.
“While altogether tempting, my desire for food wins out. Sorry!” She closed the door and got in the shower. After the world's fastest wash with cheap hotel soap, she emerged, wrapped in a towel. “I guess I can try out some of my clothes, huh?”
“Or you could come back to bed,” Calvin patted the mattress and smiled. “I mean, my wife is all wet from the shower and only wrapped in a towel...”
She shot him a dark look. “Down, boy.”
He patted the bed and grinned. “Up girl?”
“No.” She bent and pulled clothes out, matching a black pair of pants with a turquoise top. She dressed quickly, glancing back at her still very naked husband, lounging on the bed. “Well, I'm going to get a burger... You can lay here naked as the day you were born.”
He laughed. “I'm coming, I'm coming.”
She paused with her hand on the doorknob. “Promises, promises.”
“Don't you open that door, Zoe Hall!” He ran for the bathroom. “Give me one minute.”
“Fine...”
He washed up and began jerking his clothes on while still wet. “You haven't left me, have you?” Silence. “Zoe Hall!”
He stumbled out into the front of the room and saw a note on the notepad by the phone.
Find me. Tag, you're it.
A smile crossed his lips and he pulled out his phone. He texted her.
C: Tag, I'm it?
A few moments passed and a text came back.
Z: Yep. Come get me.
C: You know that this is war.
Z: I'm not scared. I'm ordering a burger.
Calvin smirked. She didn't go far at all. Jamming his phone back in his pocket, he rushed out of the room and down to the elevator. As he rode it down, he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. I love the playful side she has, and I'm going to pay her back for this later...One touch at a time.
Calvin jogged to the bar across the street. As he walked in, he spotted his beautiful wife sitting at the bar, a Shirley Temple at her hand and a big plate of fries in front of her. She glanced over and grinned wide, her dark eyes twinkling with mirth. He slid up on the barstool beside her and kissed her cheek. “Tag, you're it.”
“I let you catch me,” she said.
“You know, this kind of reminds me of our first 'date'. What if we finish the night out bowling?”
“Shame we can't go to the old bowling alley and this time not get caught by Tim.” The bartender brought her a burger and she smiled up at him. “Thanks!”
“You want something, son?” The older man asked him and Calvin nodded.
“A Coke would be great, thanks.”
“You got it.”
Zoe beat the bottle of ketchup until she was satisfied with enough on her burger and she picked it up and took a big bite out of it. “Mmmmmmm.”
“That good?”
“God, yes. Want a bite?” She held the sloppy mess out to him.
“Sure.” Their eyes locked as he took a slow bite. “Mmm. Delicious.”
Her cheeks went pink and she took another bite of the burger. “Want a fry?”
“Nah, I'm good, babe. So tell me, have you thought about any names for her?”
Zoe chewed and swallowed. “Yeah, I have.”
“Well tell me.”
“Dahlia Vivian.” She took another bite of the burger and eyed him.
“My Grams' name is Vivian, so I get that. But Dahlia?” He wrinkled his nose.
“Combining Dawn and Lila, the two most important women in our lives. I think they'd want it that way.”
The Coke came at that point and Calvin took a long sip of it, blinking his eyes a few times before he looked back her way. “Ah hell, Zoe.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.” He took another drink. “What if the baby is Derek's?” The words tumbled from his mouth before he could stop them. Verbal diarrhea strikes again...
Her smile faded. “I never thought that far.”
“I'm pretty sure the man won't appreciate you naming her after my mom and grandma.” He snatched a fry from the basket and stuffed it in his mouth. “Maybe we should have a name that is neutral.” He took a slow breath. “Just in case.”
She placed the burger back in the basket. “I'm not hungry anymore.”
“I'm sorry, Zoe. I didn't mean to upset you. I just… I thought maybe you should think about that possibility.”
“I wish we didn't have to, Calvin.”
“Me too, but it is what it is. You know I'll be there, regardless.” He smiled and leaned to kiss her cheek.
She turned and stared at him. “Will you?”
“I made vows to stick with you, didn't I? It'll be okay. Eat your burger. Then we'll go have fun.” He stole another fry and popped it in his mouth.
“What are we going to do if she is his, Calvin? He's not going to back down about being there for her.”
“I know that. I would expect nothing less. I'm not going to lie and say it won't be hard, but we will make it through.” He swallowed against the pain blossoming in his chest. Christmas she'll see the trust I have in her...
She finished her burger and he paid the tab. “Let's go find somewhere to bowl.”
“If that’s what you still want to do,” she said quietly.
“You look beautiful. Have I told you that?”
“Yeah, you have. Thank you.” A weak smile crossed her lips and he sighed.
“I shouldn't have said anything, huh?” Calvin nudged her with his elbow as they walked to the car.
“Nah, it was something that needed to be said. We can't wrap ourselves up in this bubble that everything is perfect and this is a fairy tale. Because it's not.”
He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. “Why can't it be, Zoe? Why can't this be our own little fairy tale?”
“I'm a realist.”
“Well, I say it's our fairy tale. We'll have a happily ever after. I believe that with all of my heart, Zoe.” He bent and kissed her slowly.
She kissed back and sighed. “Let's go bowl.”
He searched on his phone for a bowling alley and drove them there. Zoe was silent on the ride, and he watched her from the corner of his eye. I should have kept my mouth shut.
They pulled in front a brick building with neon lights proclaiming “All U Bowl”. He parked the car and stepped out. Zoe followed him into the building and he asked for shoes for both of them. She never said a word as she pulled her shoes on and found a sparkling purple ball.
Calvin watched her stalk to the line and throw the ball, it rolling down the lane and crashing into pins. A strike in which she took no joy. He clapped and smiled, but she walked back to her seat in silence. He stood and palmed a ball carefully, and tossed it, watching as it curved and hit two pins.
They continued the game in much the same manner, Zoe picking up spares and strikes, and him bombing. Neither said a word to the other and when the game ended, Zoe pulled her shoes off and took them to the counter. Calvin followed suit and paid for their game. She waited for him by the door, refusing to meet his eyes.
He opened the door and they walked back to the car. The ride back to the hotel was spent again in silence. When they arrived, they rode the elevator to their floor and went into their room. As the door closed, Zoe crawled into bed and whispered softly. “Hold me, Calvin.”
“I’m here for you, baby.” He kicked off his shoes and climbed up on the bed beside her. His arms twined around her and he buried his face in her hair. “It's gonna be all right.”
“Just hold me, Calvin. Hold me and don't let me go.”
Chapter Eleven
The next morning broke grey and cold, and Calvin woke to the shower
running. He eased from between the covers and padded into the bathroom. Stripping his clothes off, he opened the curtain and joined his wife in the heat of the shower. She turned to face him, her pretty face splotched from tears and Calvin opened his arms wide. She stepped forward, into his embrace and sobbed.
His hand rhythmically ran up and down her back, seeking to soothe the woman he loved. After a few moments, she pulled back and rinsed her face under the blistering spray. “I'm getting out.”
“Zoe?”
She glanced down at his stiffened dick and whispered, “Sorry.”
He shrugged. “You don't have to be sorry. You're upset and you need comfort right now.” He scrubbed quickly with the sliver of soap in the shower and rinsed under the now lukewarm spray. As he stepped out of the tub, she handed him a towel and looked up at him quietly from the toilet where she sat fully dressed.
“I love you.”
Calvin's brow furrowed. “You know I love you, Zoe.”
She nodded and shrugged her shoulders. “I know you do, Calvin.”
He lifted her chin with his finger and stared into her eyes. “Hey. Here and now, remember?”
Zoe sighed and tried to smile. “Here and now. It's Christmas, after all.”
“Well. It is tomorrow. Want to head back home and let Grams fill you full of cookies?”
Zoe suddenly smiled. “You do realize we're standing here having a conversation and you're naked, right?” Her fingertip brushed the puckered scar on his arm where he'd been grazed by a bullet and she frowned.
“Well I'm standing, you're sitting,” he quipped.
She laughed. “Good point. But can't you get dressed?”
Calvin looked down at his damp body and back to her. “Why? Are you distracted by my...charms?” He waggled his brow and arched his hips forward.
She giggled and tossed a washcloth at him. “No!”
“You seem very distracted to me, Zoe.” Moving quickly, he pulled her up and into his arms. “Could I distract you further?” he purred against her ear, a promise to leave her fully distracted and blown away in each little word he whispered.
Zoe fought the urge to take Calvin back to bed and pretend the world didn't exist. I could forget everything, just for a little while. She shook her head and pushed against his chest.
November Foxtrot (Rhythm of the Heart Book 2) Page 10