by Levine, Nina
I nodded. “Yes, I promise,’ I said softly, because when all was said and done, I wasn’t sure I could ever walk away from him, not even if he wouldn’t give me what I wanted. And that thought scared me, too. I’d always promised myself I’d never stay in a relationship again where I couldn’t have what I wanted, and here I was contemplating just that.
3
Chapter Three
Layla
I closed my eyes and dug my fingers into the bed as Donovan licked his tongue along my pussy. My back arched up off the bed and I let out a long, satisfied moan.
“Fuck,” he growled into me, his voice vibrating through my core, sending more pleasure through my entire body. “I swear you taste better every fucking time I eat you.”
Oh God.
Today was going to be a good day if my wake up call was anything to go by.
I reached one of my hands down to his head and pushed him back to what he was doing, but Donovan wasn’t a man who needed any coaxing; his face in my pussy was his favourite place to be. A moment later, his hands slid under my ass so he could hold me while he licked and sucked his way to my orgasm. His tongue knew every inch of my skin and expertly worked me to the brink, and just when I thought I was about to tip over the edge, his phone rang.
He grunted and pulled away from me. Pushing up off the bed, he muttered, “Motherfucker.”
I shifted to lean on my elbows so I could watch him as he moved swiftly to the dresser at the end of my bed. God, I hoped whoever it was, was fast; I needed his mouth on me again to finish what he’d started.
Reaching for his phone, he barked, “Whatever this is, it better be worth dragging me away from my woman.”
I raised my brows; my man didn’t like being pulled away from his pussy. I didn’t much like it either.
He began pacing as he listened to whoever it was, and then he roared, “Fucking hell, Merrick.” Raking his hand through his hair, I let my gaze drop to watch his hard muscles ripple with that movement. And then he snapped my attention back to his face when he said, “I’ll be there soon.” Turning to face me, his expression gave away his displeasure and regret. “Sorry, sweetheart, trouble at the office.”
Raising my brows again, I said, “At six in the morning?”
He came to me and bent to place a kiss on my lips. As he pulled away, I slid my hand around his neck and pulled him back for a deeper kiss. When I let him go, he held his face close to mine and said, “Call staff in tonight; you’ve got plans with my mouth.”
I groaned and let my head fall back on the pillow. “You’re killing me; you know that, right?”
As he straightened, he chuckled. “I’m fucking killing both of us here.” His eyes roamed over my naked body before coming back to meet my gaze. “Trust me, I’m only leaving because I absolutely have to.”
“Is everything okay?”
“We’ve got an issue with one of our construction jobs; one I have to sort out. Everything will be worked out by the end of the day.”
“You know… it would only take you a minute or so to finish me off,” I almost pleaded and attempted to seal the deal by moving my hand down to rub my clit.
His gaze followed my hand and the way he hissed told me I had him. A moment later he bent and grasped the back of my neck firmly, possessively, with one hand while his other hand pushed mine out of the way so he could take over at my pussy. Our eyes locked and he watched me with an intense stare while he brought me to orgasm. I didn’t want to let his gaze go because the way Donovan looked at me most of the time got me almost as wet as his mouth and fingers did, but my eyes squeezed shut as the orgasm shot through me. It hit every nerve ending and blazed pleasure in its wake.
Yes.
Oh God, yes.
Best way to start the day.
“You’re beautiful when you come, sweetheart.” Donovan’s husky voice filtered through my thoughts and I opened my eyes to find his face close to mine. His eyes found mine, and a second later, his lips pressed to my lips in another deep kiss that would keep me going all day until he returned.
When he ended the kiss, I gave him a lazy smile. “I can’t wait for my date with your mouth tonight.”
Groaning, he muttered, “Merrick will pay for this.”
Before I could reply to that, he headed into the bathroom, and a moment later, I heard the water running.
Moving off the bed, I threw one of his t-shirts on and padded out to the kitchen. Annie had stayed over at her new boyfriend’s house last night, so I could walk around naked if I wanted, but I chose not to drive Donovan crazy, even if driving him crazy with need for me was high on my list of priorities.
Moving quietly around the kitchen, I made coffee for both of us, Donovan’s to go. I also began working through in my mind what I had to get done today. Madison and Velvet were coming over to collect alcohol for the Christmas party this morning, and this afternoon, I had plans to buy part of Donovan’s Christmas present. Something very sexy. Possibly something more for me than for him because once he saw it, I was guaranteed a good time.
I was sitting at the table, deep in thought and savouring my coffee when strong hands grasped my shoulders from behind. Lips brushed my cheek and Donovan’s turned-on voice danced across my skin. “You wear my shirts with impure intentions; don’t you, sweetheart?”
His hands left me and I immediately craved his contact again. I looked up at him. “Is it working?”
His dark eyes didn’t leave mine as he reached across the table for the coffee I’d made him, and I wished like hell he didn’t have to leave so soon. Dipping his face to mine, he murmured, “I jerked off in your shower and yet here I am, hard as fuck again . . . I’d say it’s working.”
My pussy clenched and I almost came from his words alone.
His lips pressed to mine in a kiss and I curled my hand around his neck to make sure he couldn’t end this kiss too fast. I needed every drop of Donovan I could get before he left. The thing I loved about him was that even when he had other urgent matters to take care of, he still made me feel like the only place he wanted to be was with me, and this morning was no different. He sank into me and his lips blessed mine with a kiss that reached deep inside, unfurling more desire through me.
I moaned into his mouth and my shoulders slumped as I finally let his mouth go. As he straightened, I stood next to him and slid my arms around his waist. “I miss you already,” I whispered, gazing up into his eyes.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. “This construction job was one I thought we needed, but I re-evaluate that decision just about every damn day lately. It seems to be nothing but fucking headaches; headaches that drag me away from you far too much for my liking.”
“How long until the job is finished?”
“Too long . . . this one will last years, but hopefully we’ll be able to iron out the kinks soon.” His eyes flashed heat as he added, “And then I can get back to more important things.”
I placed a hand on his chest. “Okay, you should go now, before I refuse to let you leave.”
His lips twitched in that Donovan way of an almost smile. Taking a step away from me, he murmured, “Probably a good idea.”
I smiled and watched as he palmed his keys and swept his appreciative gaze over my body one last time before turning to leave. “I’ll see you and your mouth tonight,” I called out as I let my eyes drop to his ass.
He reached the stairs and stopped to look back at me before leaving. “Seven, sweetheart. Be ready.” His voice was thick with desire and his eyes burnt with more heat, and I grabbed hold of the table to steady myself.
Will this man ever fail to turn me on?
I nodded as I continued to grip the table hard, and then he was gone.
As I dropped into the chair to try and gather myself together again, I wondered what growing old with Donovan would be like.
Would he always fuck me as hard as he did now?
Would his eyes always hold as much de
sire as they did now?
Would his mouth always seek my pussy like it did now?
These were all things I knew I’d find out because the one thing I was sure of these days was that he and I would grow old together.
Donovan was the one for me and I was the one for him.
* * *
Five hours later, Madison and Velvet arrived at the bar to collect the alcohol for the party, and I knew straight away something was off with Velvet. We’d spent enough time together now for me to be able to read her moods.
Frowning at her, I asked, “Should I be concerned?”
She hopped onto a bar stool and rested her elbows on the counter, dropping her chin into her hands. Her lips pressed together tight as she looked at me with a look that told me how disappointed she was with something. “I want kids and I don’t think Nash does.”
Madison pulled up the stool next to Velvet’s and with a concerned look, asked, “Did you guys talk about it?”
Velvet nodded, dejection written all over her face. “Yeah, three days ago.” She sighed, long and hard. “He didn’t say no but he did tell me he’d think about it and get back to me, and he hasn’t spoken to me about it since.”
I reached my hand out to lay it gently on her forearm. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“Yeah, me too.” Her voice held no hope and I hated that for her.
“Is he avoiding you completely or just not talking about babies?” Madison asked, and I could see her mind ticking over. She was always trying to help those she cared about and I’d grown to really like that about her.
Velvet turned her gaze to Madison. “We haven’t had sex since and he’s hardly spoken to me; I’d say that’s Nash’s way of avoiding me because I think we all know that sex is high on Nash’s daily agenda. He just looks at me with sad eyes, and I hate it. It’s bad enough being upset over this myself, but to see Nash look so sad kills me. I should never have said anything to him about it.” Her shoulders slumped and my heart went out to her. I’d watched Nash and Velvet and they really were perfect for each other; I’d hate to see this break them apart.
“I don’t agree,” Madison said. “You needed to open up this conversation with him, and while I can see how hard this is on you, it will be worth it once he comes back to the conversation and you guys work through it together. Nash hates confronting his feelings. I mean, look how long it took him to confront Aaron’s death…he needs you to push him.”
“But what if he just chooses to walk away instead? What if he chooses to avoid this completely?” Velvet’s voice dropped low, scared.
Madison squeezed her arm and smiled. “I think you’re underestimating Nash’s love for you, Velvet. He won’t let you go without a fight.”
“I agree,” I chimed in. “I haven’t known you guys very long, but even I can see how much that man adores you.”
Madison’s face lit up with a grin. “I was beginning to think I’d never see the day Nash Walker fell for a woman, but geez, when he fell, he fell hard.”
Velvet sighed, and it was such an unusual sight, because she didn’t seem to let things get to her much. Or, at least, if they did, she kept them close. “Okay, I’ll have faith in my man. I just hope he hurries up and works through his shit because I really need some sex.” She used humour like a shield but her disappointment was clear to see.
Madison’s laugh rang through the bar. “Oh honey, I have no doubt that Nash is feeling the same way.” She added with a wink, “I bet he’s in some serious pain.”
“Ugh,” I groaned, “I know what pain feels like when it comes to sex. Donovan got called into work this morning, right before we were about to have some. I need to start switching his damn phone off every time he comes over.” I glanced at Madison. “And I’m sorry to talk about sex with your brother, but fuck, I needed to get that off my chest.”
She laughed again and waved her hand as if to say ‘it doesn’t bother me’. “You can talk about my brother any day of the week. I just love to hear how you’ve got him wrapped around your finger because that man needed someone to do that to him.”
Velvet shifted off her stool. “Right, let’s get this alcohol. I need to do something to take my mind off all this.” She eyed Madison. “You sure you’re okay doing this? Being around all this alcohol?”
Madison nodded and gave us a smile. “Yeah, I’m doing really well these days. I go to my meetings and talk my issues out rather than keeping it all locked away. And J makes sure I keep it all up; he won’t let me slip.”
“You’ve got a good man there,” I said, honestly believing those words. J could be a moody asshole but he wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to Madison. “Okay, follow me. I’ve got everything out the back, ready to go.”
I led them out into the storeroom and we spent the next half hour packing their cars. The heat beat down on us and by the time we had transferred all the alcohol, sweat stuck to all of us.
Wiping my forehead, I complained, “I am sick of Queensland summers. Think I might move to Tasmania.”
“Don’t you dare,” Madison said, “Besides, you’d miss Blade too much.” Her eyes twinkled knowingly and her lips curled up in a grin. She, of course, was right.
Nodding, I conceded. “True, I would.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it and will see you tomorrow afternoon,” Madison said as she stepped off the footpath and headed to her car. Then she stopped abruptly, turned and asked, “Do you know if Blade’s mum is coming? She RSVP’d and said no, but Blade said he’d talk to her, and I never heard back.”
“I don’t think she is. I think she feels like she’d be out of place there with Marcus’s ‘real’ family, as she calls you guys.” It made me sad that Stella thought like this because I knew Madison, Scott and Sharon didn’t think this way.
Frowning, she asked, “What do you mean by real family?”
“Stella’s still gaining her confidence back and while her head knows she’s equal, her heart struggles to believe it. She hasn’t said as much, but it’s clear to me in the words she uses that she thinks of herself as the family no one talks about. Does that make sense?”
“I know what you’re getting at, but goodness, that’s awful. I’ll try to reach out to her this week and let her know I really want her there,” Madison said as she started walking backwards to her car.
“Good idea,” I agreed. “Now, are you sure you don’t want us to bring any food?”
“Nope, you’ve supplied all the drinks so we’ll take care of the food. And Harlow is making desserts. We could survive on that woman’s desserts alone.”
“I’m glad she’s coming. For a minute there, I thought she was gonna cancel on us.” Harlow had been unpredictable the last couple of months, often not turning up to club gatherings and Madison’s get togethers, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d decided to give the Christmas party a miss, too.
Madison’s expression turned thoughtful. “I think Scott may have said something to her. I’m not sure, but from something she said to me, it felt like that was the case. Whatever it was, I’m thankful. She needs to be around people. Shutting herself away like she has been won’t help her.”
As I watched them drive off, my thoughts drifted to the last couple of months. So much had changed in my life; so many new friends now surrounded me. It felt good, and I couldn’t help but think that Madison was right – Harlow needed to be with her family. Her Storm family.
* * *
By the time seven o’clock rolled around, my body was alive with anticipation and my mind was a mess of need. I couldn’t focus; I hadn’t been able to for at least the last hour. All I could think about was Donovan and his demand for me to be ready at seven. And he didn’t let me down.
At two minutes to seven, he walked through the doors of my bar. His eyes came straight to mine, and he strode to where I stood waiting near the door that would take us upstairs. “Evening,” he murmured as his strong arm slid around my waist. It was like our bodies’ memories
took over as we moved into each other, claiming the other as our own. Donovan had only one arm around me, one hand placed firmly on my ass, but in that one move, he’d signalled his ownership. I knew it, and anyone who was watching us would know it.
And damn it felt good.
Even my independent side lay down and let him take over.
As his presence assaulted all my senses, I barely managed to form a thought, let alone engage in conversation. “How was your day?” I finally asked.
His body shook gently with a chuckle and his mouth moved closer to my ear. “I really don’t think you’re up to conversation, so let’s talk later.”
I’d barely nodded my agreement when he took hold of my hand and led me upstairs to my bedroom. And I’d hardly managed to gather my wits when he pushed me up against the wall and dropped to his knees in front of me, his hands going straight to my skirt so he could yank it down. Tossing it aside, he then focused on the only other thing denying him access to what he wanted, and a second later, my panties joined my skirt. And then, his hands spread my legs before they took hold of my ass so he could pull my pussy to his mouth.
Shit.
Fuck.
Oh God.
My head rested against the wall and I swayed a little as he pressed his tongue inside me while his lips kissed me.
Donovan was making love to me with his mouth.
The sight of his broad shoulders flexing and his head moving while he did this only made me want him more.
My strong man.
I couldn’t even count the number of times he’d done this, but each time only got better than the last. The more we grew to know each other, the better everything became.
He continued to lick and suck me, and the pleasure rolled through me and over me in beautiful waves I never wanted to end. Donovan loved my pussy. He’d told me that enough for me to know it, but his actions spoke louder than his words.