by Jana Aston
“That’s just it,” I say to this sweet man, cupping his jaw in my hand. “You’re the one person who can replace the memories and free me from my past. Us, being together, will give me a new beginning. You’re my before and after.”
Seth rises up on his elbow, and I turn to lie flat on my back. He gazes down at me, pure devotion in his eyes.
“Are you sure? He searches my face for a trace of hesitancy, but he won’t find any. “Once I touch you, I won’t want to stop.”
“Please.” Lacing my arms around his neck, I pull his lips to mine. “Make love to me, Seth.”
Chapter 11
Seth
The silky black sheets contrast against Seraphina’s creamy skin and golden hair, and her luminous beauty lights up the darkness. She gazes up at me with yielding eyes full of trust, but I don’t trust myself with her.
“Sera. Sera,” I repeat her name like a prayer in thanks to an unknown deity for bringing her to me.
For three years, I’ve dreamt of having her in my bed. Dreamt of touching, tasting, and devouring every square inch of her. I have to fight these base desires, because she asked me to make love to her, not fuck her without any restraint.
She’s giving me her innocence, and even though I’m not worthy of her goodness, I’ll be damned if another man gets this precious gift. I want to make her mine.
I bend down to kiss her lips and trail a path along her jaw to her ear. Pulling the lobe into my mouth, I suck. She gasps and shivers, making me smile.
“I have a confession,” I whisper. “I haven’t been with anyone since you walked into my office three months ago. I couldn’t. It was only you I wanted here with me. No one else.”
“Seth,” she says in a long breath. “So many times, you were the one I danced for. I wanted it to be only you too.”
“It will be now, sweetheart.”
“I’d love that,” she says, a doubtfulness in her voice that pierces my heart.
“Believe me. You’ll never be alone in this world again. Ever,” I say firmly. Wrapping my free arm around her waist, I draw her body to mine and bring my lips to hers.
The kiss is sweet and possessive as I suck on her bottom lip. She opens up to me, and my tongue enters, twisting with hers, but I don’t want to take her like this. Instead, I want to worship her body—every fucking inch of it until desire melts her like putty in my hand.
“Stand up for me,” I say in a soft command, lifting the covers over us and throwing them behind me.
Seraphina doesn’t hesitant. Sliding out of the bed, she rises to her feet by the edge, and twists the material of her pajama shorts, gazing at me tentatively.
I move from the bed and stand in front of her. Our eyes lock as I take the hem of her shirt in my hands.
“May I?” I ask. She bites her bottom lip and nods. “Tell me, Sera. Speak your will.”
Men used her for their pleasure, and I want her to regain the right to her body. No man will ever take that from her again, myself included.
“Please,” she begs, and I grin.
My fingers grasp onto the bottom of her shirt. When I graze the soft skin of her abdomen, her muscles flex at my touch and her breaths become short and shallow, matching mine.
I pull the thin top up her body as she raises her arms. The edge passes over her breasts, and I hold my breath as they come into view before tossing the shirt to the side. They’re fucking perfect, full, perky, and her nipples are rose colored to match her lips. I ache to touch her, and fight the urge to uncover the rest of her. I wanted her to see all of me first, making me the vulnerable one.
Gripping the back of my collar, I pull my T-shirt over my head and discard it on top of hers. She steps closer to me, bringing a hand to my chest and brushing her fingers over me, my skin tingling under her touch.
“You’re so sculpted,” she says, running her fingers downward, stopping at the tie of my sweat pants. My cock has never felt harder.
“May I?” she asks, turning the tables back on me.
I curl the side of my mouth. “I’m yours, but you know this.”
She drops to her knees on the thick rug under our feet. “Sera, I should be the one on my knees,” I say, placing my hands on her arms in an attempt to get her standing again.
“Please?” she insists, her eyes pleading with me to say yes. Unable to say no to her, I pull my hands away and run my fingers through her hair.
“I wanted this to be all about you,” I say, rubbing my thumb across her cheek.
“Hush,” she says, tugging the tie at my waist and pushing the pants over my hips. Uncovered, my erection defies gravity and juts outward. She encircles me with one hand, and my needy dick twitches at her touch.
She places her small hand on my thigh and leans forward. When her eyes meet mine, she kisses the tip and sucks the head into her mouth. Up and down, she draws me in to the back of her throat, then releases without gagging.
“Have you even done this before?” I ask, wondering how someone so innocent learned these skills.
She pulls her mouth from my aching cock and says, “Never.”
“Fuck,” I mutter as an unspeakable pleasure blasts through me. I grit my teeth, using all my effort not to come like a sixteen-year-old schoolboy.
I’m about to lose my fucking mind. I want to close my eyes and relish the feelings, but I can’t take my eyes off her.
Needing to connect with her, I run my fingers through her soft blonde hair, brushing it aside when it falls into her face. She blinks at me with wide eyes as her cheeks hollow with each suck. My muscles tighten, my release only seconds away. I try to pull myself from her lips, but she wraps her free arm around my leg and grips my ass with her hand. Knowing she’s going to let me come in her mouth is my undoing. The building pressure explodes, and pulse by pulse, hot cum spills down her throat.
Chapter 12
Seraphina
“Sera,” Seth moans over and over again. Lacing his fingers in my hair, he tugs on the strands, and shivers run over my skin.
I gaze up at his handsome face, his eyes emanating a wild desire. For once, I’ve turned on a man who makes me feel, unlike the private rooms where I numbed myself to survive.
He sucks in a deep breath, and his jaw tightens. I know he’s close, and when he begins to jerk against my tongue, I suck even harder, tasting his salty release as he comes with a guttural cry. I clench my thighs together. It’s so damn hot to see this polished man lose control.
He removes himself from my mouth and places a finger under my chin. His lazy smile and dazed eyes make me happy. I’ve given him something in return for all he’s given me.
“Hell, Sera,” he says on a laugh. “Where did you learn how to do that?” He crouches down next me, and I sit back on my heels.
“Porn,” I say, looking down at the rug. It’s suddenly become super interesting. He cups my face in his hands, drawing my attention back to him.
“I’m very thankful you’re a quick study,” Seth teases, taking my hands in his and helping me stand.
He wraps one arm around my middle and leans into me. When I arch my back, he takes my nipple into his mouth.
“God,” I moan, craving more.
I’ve never wanted anyone like Seth. Never. When he gently bites my nipple, I lose myself in the sensations and toss my head from side to side.
He pulls away from my breast, and I huff. I want him back there now. He laughs at me. “You sound ready,” he says.
“I’m three years past ready for you,” I say, and he answers with a growl from somewhere low in his throat. The next thing I know, I’m caught up in his arms. I giggle at the sudden change and lace my arms around his neck. Looks like I flipped the caveman switch. Lucky me.
He pulls me closer to his chest and kisses me. Hard. It’s different than before, so much more intense and demanding, like he’s trying to devour me with his lips and tongue. His possessive assault leaves me breathless.
Continuing his sweet onslaught of m
y lips, he takes a couple steps toward the bed and sits me down on the edge. My legs hang over the side, my feet dangling, and I stare up at him, waiting for his next move. I want his hands and lips all over me, but he just scans over my body, and I squirm under his perusal.
“You’re so damn beautiful.” He rubs over my legs in a featherlike touch, and goosebumps spring to life across my skin.
“Lie down,” he says.
I ease back, propping up on my elbows, because I want to see him. He toys with the waistband of my sleep shorts, and I hold my breath, flinching when he runs a single finger under the elastic.
“Please?” I’m a mumbling mess, and may die from this slow torture. Finally, he eases the shorts over my hips and down my legs.
“Fuck,” he says in a long breath, seeing I have nothing on underneath. Focusing between my legs, Seth runs his hands up my inner thighs, then back down to my knees. He pushes them apart and freezes. I wonder if he can see how wet I am in the dimly lit room.
“I want to taste you so damn bad. Can I?” he asks in a raspy voice.
“Yes, please.” I quiver.
He kneels on the ground in front of me, and puts his hands under my bottom. Scooting me forward, he leans in and tongues my slit in one long motion.
I moan and arch my back, then he does it again. Needing an anchor, I grab ahold of the soft sheets, holding them tightly in my fists.
“So fucking sweet,” he says between licks.
When he begins to kiss my inner thigh, I sigh in hopes he’ll return to where I need him. “More,” I beg. “Please more.”
He chuckles. “The things I want to do to you … and will, if you let me.” With his hands still under my bottom, he spreads my cheeks apart, rims his tongue around a forbidden place, and I nearly jump off the bed.
Holy shit! I felt that everywhere.
“Another time, beautiful.” He places a hand on the bare skin above my pussy, keeping me in place. “I want to own all your firsts.”
He sticks a finger inside my pussy, and then another. I feel the pull as he stretches me. “So fucking tight. I need to get you ready, sweetheart.”
He continues to lick and finger me, and I gasp when he rubs a spot deep inside. My legs start to shake as I get closer and closer.
“Seth,” I cry.
“Come for me, love,” he says as he continues to drive me wild with his talented tongue and fingers.
His gentle command coaxes me over the edge as glorious waves of tension unleash within me—three years of want released in a powerful rush. As the sensations fade, I feel and likely resemble Jell-O. The thought of moving my limbs seems next to impossible.
“That was,” I utter between short breaths, “amazing.”
“You’re amazing,” he says while softly kissing the inside of my thighs.
Moving to the nightstand, Seth opens the drawer and pulls out a bottle of lube and a condom, and I can’t help but wonder how many other times he’s reached in that drawer. I don’t judge him, though. How could I after my time at The Exchange? It’s more that I’m jealous of others who’ve been lucky enough to make love to this man.
“Move up to the middle of the bed.” His voice sounds serious, but he winks at me once I’ve settled into position.
He tears the foil pack with his teeth and eases the condom over himself. He’s long and wide, and a lot of man for my first time, but I can’t wait for him to fill me.
“Touch yourself,” he says while flipping the top of the bottle and squeezing a generous amount of lube onto his hard cock. The second my finger makes contact with my clit, he strokes himself from base to tip. I can’t move my eyes away from him. I’ve never seen something so erotic.
“Pinch your nipple,” he says, still moving up and down his length. I bring my free hand to my breast and squeeze my nipple between my thumb and forefinger, wishing it were him touching me.
Climbing on the bed, his fingers replace mine again. “I can’t wait to be inside you,” he says, stretching me in a back and forth scissor action with his thumb pressing circles over my clit. My hips buck upward, wanting more of him.
“Yes, please. Don’t make me wait,” I say in a needy whimper.
He removes his fingers and I feel the head of his cock against my opening. I close my eyes for a second. Finally.
“You ready to be mine, Sera? And only mine?”
“Yes,” I say, nodding my head.
“Open up for me, baby.” Spreading me wider, he inches inside me. He’s so much bigger than a couple fingers, but there’s no pain … yet. My eyes flutter closed as he moves deeper.
“Eyes on me, Sera. I need to gauge what you’re feeling.”
When I look up at him, even in the dark room, his face is strained, like he’s picking up a two-hundred-pound rock.
Cupping his face, I bring his lips to mine. “Give me all of you, Seth.” I wrap my legs around him and press my feet against his firm ass.
He hovers over me, resting on his forearms. I feel his breath against my skin as he sighs. He pushes forward until he’s deep within me, abandoning his careful control, and it fucking hurts. I grit my teeth and take a deep breath in hopes the pain subsides.
Stilling for a second, he gazes down at me, and a tear trails down my cheek. “I’m so sorry,” he says as he kisses the wetness from my face. “I don’t want to hurt you, baby.”
“I’ll be okay,” I say in a shaky voice. “Please don’t stop.”
Seth sneaks his hand between our bodies and presses against my clit. It feels so good, and my muscles relax. “I’m fine,” I whisper, trying to convince this beautiful man to let go and fuck me silly.
Slowly, he starts moving. The pain from before nearly gone, my hips rise to meet each thrust. I feel so full as we become one over and over again. It’s divine—everything I hoped for and beyond.
“I’m coming,” I say into his ear.
“Me too, sweet Sera.”
I get lost in him as he utters my name. It’s my final undoing. The first wave hits me, and I tighten up around him. He moans into my ear, following me to a place where we get lost in our breaths and sighs. It’s beautiful.
He collapses on top of me, still seated deep within me. “I want you every night in my bed,” Seth declares. “Stay with me while your mother is away.”
Another tear falls, and worry flashes across Seth’s face.
“Yes.” I smile at him, hoping he understands these are tears of joy.
Epilogue
Three months later…
Seth
“Sera and Seth,” Mrs. Bishop greets us with open arms in the common area of the rehab facility. The place resembles a Red Door spa perched on the beach in the Hamptons versus a hospital.
“Mom,” Seraphina says while running ahead of me toward her mother. She wraps her arms around her in a tight hug, a smile on both their faces.
“Oh, how I’ve missed you,” Mrs. Bishop says, slightly pulling away from Seraphina. “And Seth.” She takes my hand and squeezes it.
“You’re looking lovely, Mrs. Bishop,” I say, bending down to kiss her cheek. She blushes and shakes her head.
“For the thousandth time, it’s Diana.” She winks at me. “You’re such a charmer. I can see why my Sera has fallen for you.”
“But it’s true, Diana,” I say her first name with extra emphasis. “This place has done you good.” I smile and add a wink of my own. Her fading beauty has been reborn, and she resembles the woman I knew before everything went to hell.
“Come. Let’s sit over there.” Mrs. Bishop points to an area near a bay window. “The view is beautiful.”
Hand in hand, Seraphina and I follow behind Mrs. Bishop—or Diana, as she wants me to call her. Seraphina glances up at me with a beaming smile. I would give every cent I own to make her this happy forever.
The last three months have been a time of healing for Seraphina and her mother. After staying with me the first weekend, Seraphina moved into my townhouse for good. I too
k off the week to spend with just her, which I never do on short notice, and for seven days, we hardly left our bed. I couldn’t get enough of her then, and still can’t.
“Sit here, Sera.” Diana directs Seraphina to a chair. I tap Seraphina’s sweet ass as she passes in front of me. She throws me a stop-it-we’re-in-public side eye.
I take a seat next to Seraphina and give her my standard, make-me smirk. She ends up smiling back at me. It always works.
“My, you two.” Diana waves a hand over her face like a fan. “You sure have some kind of chemistry.”
“Atomic,” I add, the same smirk still gracing my mug. “I love your daughter, Mrs—I mean, Diana, with all my heart and soul.” I bring Seraphina’s hand to my lips and kiss the back of it.
“Awww,” Diana says in a long breath. She tilts her head and looks between Seraphina and me. “You’re a mother’s dream come true.”
“I’m the lucky one.”
“Where would we be without you, Seth?” Seraphina asks.
“I plan on sticking around for … um, life, so you’ll never have to find out.” I glance between the two most important women in my life as they laugh. Well, Diana’s tied with my own mother for second.
“See, Mother,” Seraphina exclaims. “He never takes the credit. Like him helping me get enrolled at Juilliard. It’s a miracle.”
“He’s a saint.” Diana claps her hands together. “When do you start?”
“I’m so excited. The fall semester starts next Monday. Seth rented a house on the beach for us this week. We’ll stay until you’re released on Friday.” Seraphina knits her brow in concern. “Are you sure you’re ready to come back to the city?”
“More than, darling.” Diana reaches out and gently pats Seraphina on the leg. “I want my life back and also to be a real mother to you again. I failed you once…” Diana’s voice cracks.
“Remember,” Seraphina says, “we agreed to let the past be the past.”
“I know, I just can’t forgive myself,” Diana confesses with teary eyes.
“I’ve struggled with this too, but we have to let it go.” Seraphina smiles, and I pray she doesn’t break out into the horrible Disney song. I’ve learned to never say those three words together. Ever.