by Jami Alden
"Yes, God, yes," she cried as her stomach muscles pulled tight.
"That's it," he murmured against her, "make some noise, show me how good it feels."
She couldn't do anything but obey. It felt so good to yell his name, to fully let go. Sounds she'd never even known she was capable of making rang in the air, somehow making the entire experience more erotic after always holding herself back with him.
One last lash of his tongue, one last hard thrust of his fingers and she was flying over the edge, her fingers curling in his hair as she yelled her pleasure.
###
Damon almost came when she cried out his name. He'd heard it on her lips so many times, but in a stifled whisper as they struggled not to get busted. But hearing it loud, laced with passion... it made his cock surge between his legs as he redoubled his efforts to please her, see what noises he could get her to make next.
He sucked her clit between his lips, savoring the salty sweet taste of her, the firm press of her clit against his tongue as he flicked it against her. He'd always loved going down on her, making her shiver and shake and arch her body up to his mouth. Feeling the tight, hot, clench of her pussy around his fingers, making him anticipate the way she was going to feel clenching around his cock.
But now, hearing her unrestrained sounds of pleasure took the experience to another level entirely. He became entirely focused on her pleasure, how good he could make her feel.
And when she came, crying out, shaking in his arms, her pussy pulsing against his lips and tongue, he felt like the savior of the goddamn universe.
He straightened up and gathered her into his arms and pulled her down on the floor with him so she was straddling his hips. He kissed her mouth, her neck, her shoulders, stroking her back as the aftershocks of her orgasm shuddered through her.
She shifted in his lap, and he hissed as his cock brushed against the slick heat of her core. She looked up at him, awareness quickly replacing the blissed-out daze as she adjusted herself so he was pressed firmly against her slit.
"Does that feel good," she echoed him as she slid herself up and down the thick, hard length of his shaft.
"Fuck yes," he stammered, barely able to form words at the sensations coursing through him. Slick, wet heat cradled his shaft, sliding up and down in a relentless rhythm until it was all he could do to keep himself from grabbing her hips and thrusting deep inside.
Christ, how good would it feel to be inside her with nothing in between them? He gave a loud groan and almost came at the memory of how it had felt that first time after she'd gone on the pill. Hotter, slicker, more perfect than anything he'd ever felt before.
It would be so easy, to adjust his angle and slip inside...
He shoved the thought away even as he struggled to hold himself in check. He hadn't been irresponsible as a horny seventeen year old and he sure as shit wouldn't be so as a thirty one year old.
He curved his hands around her hips to stop their mind bending motion. "Let me get a condom,” he said and lifted her off his lap. He started to reach for the faucet but froze at the feel of her body pressed up against his back as her arms wound around his waist.
"Wait, I haven't washed your back yet." Slim, soapy hands slid up to his chest, then back down to his abs. He groaned, his muscles jumping and flexing as her slick fingers traced every ridge.
"That's not my back," he said in a strained voice as her hands slid lower.
"I know," she said and gave him a little nip on his shoulder that sent a zing of pleasure to his balls. "But there are some other areas more in need of my attention, don't you think?”
He wasn't about to argue, not when he was watching her hand slide even lower to wrap around the base of his cock. Every muscle in his body pulled tight as she closed her fist around him in a firm grip and pumped up and down. She paused at the top and swept her thumb across the tip, slicking him with the thick bead of precome. The sensation combined with the sight of her thumb rubbing the head of his cock made his balls pull tight as his legs threatened to collapse underneath him.
She turned and urged him to sit on the bench as he had her. He felt like his skin shrank a size, every cell tight with anticipation as she knelt down in front of him.
Mimicking his earlier actions, she slid her hands up the insides of his thighs and urged his legs apart. Eyes locked with his, she gripped his cock until it stood up straight from his body and bent her head.
"Feel free to make as much noise as you want."
A harsh groan ripped from his chest as he watched her full, pink lips close over the head of his cock. And then, Christ, her tongue circling, flicking and probing against the slit at the top and along the sensitive ridge along the underside.
She pumped him with her fist, stroking him as she sucked him as deep into her mouth as she could take him. His fingers tangled in her long hair, holding it away from her face so he wouldn't miss a second.
"That feels so good," he told her. Nobody ever made him feel like Ellie. And not just the way she used her mouth, tongue, and hands send him to the brink of oblivion.
It was the way she seemed to savor him, like she couldn't get enough of the way he tasted and felt sliding in between her lips. Like nothing in the world was more important than making him feel good.
No one but Ellie had ever touched him like that.
He watched, transfixed, as she slid her lips up and down his shaft, pausing now and then to trace her tongue around the tip or along the thick vein that pulsed along the side. Her other hand came up to cup and caress his balls, and he felt his cock surge in her mouth as his climax hovered closed.
"El, I'm going to… if you don't want me to..." he stammered, unable to form words through the roar in his head.
She sucked him until he could feel the back of her throat against the tip of his cock and stroked him with her hand when she couldn't take anymore. His thighs went tight as he surged in her mouth. As his body shook with release she sucked him deep, not stopping until he was drained of every last drop.
He hauled her up to the bench with him and slumped back against the tile wall as the now cool water continued to rain over them. Noticing the goose bumps prickling along Ellie's skin, he forced himself up and shut off the water.
He retrieved two blanket size bath towels and wrapped her in one and wrapped the other around his waist. She was shivering a little as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Sorry you're cold," he murmured against her wet hair. He closed his eyes in pleasure as she burrowed against his chest.
"I'm sure you'll find a way to warm me up again."
The warmth of her breath, along with all of the varying ways to warm her that immediately popped into his mind sent a surge of heat through him that almost had his cock making another rally.
Soon, he told himself.
For now he would content himself with tucking them both under the thick down comforter and the thousand thread count sheets he'd splurged on after he bought a new mattress.
He lay back against the pillows, feeling a rush of contentment as her head rested on his shoulder with a little sigh.
Quick on its heels came a feeling of unease as he acknowledged that Ellie was the first woman to ever sleep in this bed. While he'd never consciously made a decision to not bring the women he'd dated back to his place, there was always an under-riding feeling that he wanted to keep this place as a haven. Uncomplicated.
He didn't want a parade of women coming through here, knowing his home, knowing his business. It would have to be someone really special for him to bring her here.
He hadn't hesitated to bring Ellie here tonight. Hadn't hesitated to invite her over earlier in the week for their failed day date. It hadn't occurred to him that he shouldn't bring her into his house.
His haven.
His heart.
###
"Do you want me to go?" she asked softly. She could feel him tensing up beside her, and her stomach clenched as she realized that while she could hav
e stayed here for the rest of her life, he was probably ready for her to leave.
"What?" he asked, sounding startled. "No. Why?"
"You just seem tense, that's all." She squeezed his rock hard bicep to emphasize her point.
He took a deep breath, and she could feel him force himself to relax. He propped himself up on his elbow and tipped her chin up so she had to meet his gaze. "Believe me, the last thing I want is for you to leave."
Nevertheless, as he bent to kiss her there were shadows in his eyes, hinting at a turmoil he seemed to have no plans to share. She wondered if her own gaze had matching shadows.
Then his mouth came down over hers and it was impossible to think of much else, not with his lips moving over hers, his tongue tangling with hers like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever tasted. He groaned and pulled her tighter against him until her breasts were pressed tight against the hard wall of his chest.
Under the covers she felt his hair-roughened thigh slip between hers, and unbelievably, the hot surge of his erection against her stomach.
Even more unbelievable was the way her own body reacted. Against his chest, her nipples hardened into tight peaks. And between her legs was a rush of wet heat as she was immediately eager and ready to take him once again.
"You're a machine," she whispered against his lips as his hands slid down to cup her ass, holding her tighter against him.
"Like I said before, it's all about the inspiration," he muttered as he reached out, one handed, to open the drawer of the bedside table. He pulled out a box of condoms—unopened, she noted, then told herself she shouldn't read anything into that.
She took the box from him and opened it herself to retrieve the foil packet.
She pushed the covers down and quickly sheathed him. She knelt astride his hips and wrapped her hand around the base of his cock to hold him in position.
She bit her lip, her gaze locked with his as she pressed him against the opening of her sex. Even after two of the most mind blowing orgasms of her life, her body immediately surged with heat at the feel of the thick head easing inside her tightness.
As wet as she was, she felt stretched tight, filled to capacity as he went deep, deeper than anyone had ever gone.
"That's it baby," he said in a rough whisper, as his hands circled her hips. "Take me, take all of me."
He slid his hand up to cup the back of her head and drew her down until her lips met his. They fed each other slow, deep kisses, their tongues tangling and thrusting in a rhythm that matched the gentle rocking of her hips against his body.
Where before they had both been wild, out of control, now their bodies moved languidly against each other. She felt like she was reaching a new level of awareness as they transcended the frantic urgency that usually surrounded them. As her body moved against his in a slow, sinuous rhythm, his cock sliding in and out of her in deep, steady strokes, she felt hyperaware of every touch, every breath, every shift of his body against hers.
She moaned against his mouth as she felt the pleasure building inside her. She sat up, bracing her hands against his wide chest. A harsh cry erupted from her throat as the motion sent him impossibly deeper inside her.
Knees spread wide, she sped up the rocking of her hips as her body strove for release with sudden, shocking urgency.
His groans echoed hers as he gripped her hips and thrust up to meet her on the down stroke. Ellie cried out, her head flung back as every muscle in her body pulled tight.
Damon slid one hand over to her mound, his thumb finding the eager bud of her clit. One brush had her orgasm erupting.
"That's it, baby, I love the way you feel, coming around my cock," he rasped.
Ellie didn't know if it was the continued stroking of his thumb as he continued to rock his hips under her, or the hot, dirty things he was whispering, but her orgasm seemed to go on and on, endless waves washing over her until she collapsed against him, a boneless puddle of pleasure.
She was vaguely aware of him stiffening against her, a strained groan as he reached his own pleasure.
He settled back against the pillows, breathing hard as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his side.
She glanced at the clock on the bedside table, wincing when she saw that it was after one am. She should go soon, she knew.
But she couldn't pull herself away. Not yet. It felt too good, nestled up against Damon's big, hard body, his callused fingers running up and down her back like he couldn't get enough of the feel of her.
Like she couldn't get enough of him, her hands tracing over the thick ridges of muscle in his chest and down his arms, her cheek burrowing against his chest so she could hear the slowing beat of his heart.
She couldn't stifle the sigh of pure contentment that slipped from her lips. This was so good, she thought, her eyes drifting closed. Better than good. Perfection.
They used to hold each other like this all the time, she thought, fighting the tightness squeezing her throat. Damon would take her to their special spot, and after they'd succumbed to their raging teenage lust, they'd snuggle up in his sleeping bag and look up at the stars. Talking about everything and nothing.
It had always felt somehow more intimate even than sex. And it did now.
They'd had no moments like this since she came back to Big Timber. Before tonight it was all about sneaking around, trying not to get caught, as Damon seemed focused purely on sex and eager to leave as soon as that part was over.
But tonight, with his arms wrapped around her, cradling her close, he seemed in no rush for her to leave.
And though she knew it was dangerous to let herself get sucked in deeper when everything was still so uncertain, she was helpless to do anything but revel in the feel of lying close to him, having him hold her like he never wanted to let her go.
She ran her hand up his chest, over his shoulder, pausing when she encountered a patch of puckered skin. "What's this?" she asked, as much to distract herself from the direction of her thoughts as because she was interested.
"I got that my last tour in Afghanistan. We were escorting a supply convoy when an IED went off. I got a hunk of shrapnel lodged in my shoulder."
"It must have been awful."
He shrugged against the pillows. "A lot of other guys got it a lot worse than me that day." There was an edge to his voice, hinting at a darkness that hadn't existed in the Damon she'd known.
"And this was when you got shot, right?" she said, her hand drifting down just below his ribs, to the knot of raised skin where a bullet had struck through.
"One of the times," he said, and covered her hand with his.
She looked up, startled. "My mom told me it only happened once." And even though she'd reassured Ellie over and over that it wasn't serious, that the bullet had passed through without doing any serious damage, Ellie had had nightmares for weeks about Damon lying wounded, helpless, his blood staining the sand.
At the time she'd taken it as sign she'd made the right decision. If she reacted this way when they weren't even together, how could she possibly handle it if they were married?
But now, all she could think about was everything that had happened to him that she didn't know. Everything he'd gone through, so many scars on his body, and she hadn't been there to help him get through any of it.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice thick as she leaned up to kiss the scar on his shoulder.
"Not your fault. Wasn't you holding the MK48," he chuckled softly.
She propped herself up so she could meet his gaze. "I'm sorry I didn't understand how important it was for you to enlist. I should have been there for you. Through all of it."
He stroked her hair, his eyes somber. "And I shouldn't have sprung it on you like I did, and just expected you to take it. Not when you'd been so clear on the subject." He was silent a few moments, then he shook his head, a rueful expression on his face. "We were so young, we were all but guaranteed to fuck it up."
But maybe we wouldn't have.
Just because her mother had been miserable as an army wife didn't mean she would have been. Yet at age seventeen she hadn't been able to see past her own fear, her own selfishness, to believe otherwise.
And now... was it possible for them to have another chance? Something was happening between them, something real. But still too fragile for her to give voice to all of the emotions and questions brimming to the surface.
Tonight is not the night to start a discussion that could last for hours.
Besides, even as amazing as it felt lying here in Damon's bed, she was still very much afraid she wouldn't like the outcome.
So she leaned down and kissed him, trying to convey every ounce of love and fleeting hope coursing through her with that one caress. Then she asked him to take her home.
Chapter 15
The next day dawned gorgeous and bright. A post card perfect day with the skies so blue it almost didn't look real and white, puffy clouds hovering over the mountains. Though it was cooler than it had been earlier in the week, Ellie knew the guests would be grateful for the shade the tent provided for the first few hours of the party.
Though her thoughts had been twisted and conflicted when she got home, sheer exhaustion had sent her into a deep, dreamless slumber the second her head hit the pillow. She slept soundly until Anthony burst into her room at eight thirty.
"Today's the party day, right?" Anthony said as soon as her lids cracked open.
"It is," she said. Smiling, she reached up to give him a squeeze, but it was only a few seconds before he was squirming out of her embrace and bouncing around her mattress on his hands and knees.
"And I get to go, right?"
"For a little while," she said around a yawn as she sat up and stretched her arms to the ceiling. Though most of the guests had been encouraged to leave the kids at home, when the party was in full swing, it would be all hands on deck serving food and drink, including Anthony's babysitter Cindy, who was helping out through dinner, and would take Anthony home after. "But you have to remember, Auntie Molly, Mimi, Cindy, and I will all be busy running the party, so you'll have to be on your very extra special best behavior, OK?"