Sapphire Universe (The Universe Series)

by Herrera, Devon

  “Wait right here.” I tell him.

  I step on to the floor and weave my way through the bodies till I find Lo and Drake. I spot her signature wavy golden locks and she has her arms thrown around Drake’s neck and is giggling while he whispers in her ear. Well then! I tap on her shoulder and she jumps and unhooks herself from Drake faster than I can blink. I smirk at her and she looks a little embarrassed which is not an emotion familiar to Lo. Interesting.

  “What’s up Nins?”

  “Connor and I are going to head out.” I say throwing a thumb over my shoulder.

  “Everything okay?” She asks looking worriedly over in Connor’s direction.

  “If by okay you mean, Connor taking out some drunken frat boy who was hitting on me in less than ten seconds than yea everything is peachy.” Lo’s eyes widen.

  “Damn. He in a lot of trouble for that one?” She raises her eyebrow and her lips quirk up. She knows me all too well.

  “Oh yea you could say he’s in for it.” Lo laughs at me and makes her hand into a pistol and cocks her thumb.

  “Well go get him tiger.”

  “Count on it.” I don’t say another word as I drag Connor to the car and he actually looks a little nervous. “Take me home, Connor.” I say finally without looking at him.

  He sighs and starts the engine. Connor glances in my direction a couple times throughout the drive but I never acknowledge him. Once he gets to my apartment building and parks, he cuts the engine and runs his hands through his hair. He gets out of the truck and walks around to open my door and closes it behind me after I get out. I start walking toward the steps but he grabs my arm and stops me.

  “Listen Nina, I’m really sorry about everything. I wanted this night to be perfect. That guy was just…”

  I grab the back of his neck midsentence and pull his head down to crush my lips to his. He freezes for a second and when what I’m doing finally registers, he starts moving his lips against mine. Connor wraps one large hand around my waist and tangles the other in my hair, tilting my head to get a better angle. I open my mouth and run my tongue over his bottom lip then pull it between my teeth. Connor groans and pushes his tongue against mine, exploring every inch of my mouth. I have never been kissed this way. It’s the kind of kiss you dream about. He tightens his grip on my waist and pushes me till my back is up against the side of the truck. His hand trails down over my hip and when it reaches my thigh he pulls my leg up and hooks my knee around his waist. When he pushes deeper against me I can feel how much he wants me. Somehow, my brain manages to send me a reasonable thought through my lust fogged mind.

  “Connor, I don’t really want to give my neighbors a free show.” I say when I can finally pull away from his mouth. He continues to trail his lips across my jaw to my ear and makes his way back to my mouth, giving me one last deep searing kiss and releases me. He reaches into my pocket to take my keys out and laces our fingers together. After pulling me to the door and unlocking it, he opens it wide to let me go in first. I squeal when he playfully smacks me on the rear and when I flick on the light and turn around he’s right behind me wearing a wide smile.

  “Not that I’m complaining Princess, but I thought you were pissed at me.” He says when I smile back at him and grab his hand to take him to the couch.

  “Are you kidding me?” I ask him. I can’t ever remember feeling more alive than I am in this moment. It almost makes me dizzy. “You took that guy down faster than a trained navy seal, without even really hurting him. Not only that but you didn’t spend the usual five minutes talking about it first. It was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” I push my fingers into his hair and smile seductively. When did I learn to be seductive? I ignore my shock at my actions and just roll with it. “I couldn’t get you out of that place fast enough. It took a lot of control not to jump you right in the bar, but I thought you might like some privacy for our first kiss.” Connor just stares at me with his mouth open when I finish and I wink at him.

  “Why you little…You just…” Connor can’t seem to finish a sentence. Just when I think I broke him, he throws his head back and laughs harder than I’ve ever heard him. He pushes me back into the couch and leans over me mid laugh, sapphire eyes bright with laughter and hair disheveled from our kiss. He is by far the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. I tell him so and he stares down at me and shakes his head.

  “Nina Ryan, you are complicated, unique, adorable and real. I’ve never had more fun with another woman. You also happen to be sexy as hell and the most naturally, devastatingly beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” He leans further down and presses his face to my hair and inhales. “I’m not going to survive you.” Oh wow.

  I kiss his neck and try to process what he says. The most amazing man I’ve ever known thinks I’m the most amazing women he’s ever known. Connor doesn’t let me think on that too long. He pulls back up from my hair to capture my lips again. This kiss is light and teasing. He nips at my lips and then leaves them to feather kisses on each part of my face. My nose, my eyes, my cheeks my chin, my forehead, nothing is left untouched. It feels like he’s learning my face, by trying to memorize what each part of me feels like. When he reaches a sensitive spot on my neck, I release a groan and move my hand from his nape to grip his hair. He laughs and lingers there.

  “So, does this mean you’re ready for more than friendship?” His breath cools the spot on my neck that he just warmed with his lips, giving me goose bumps.

  “Yea you could say that.” I breathe on a shiver.

  Connor sits up and looks me straight in the eye. “I don’t want there to be any confusion here Nina. You’re my girlfriend now. We’re in an exclusive relationship. Your mine and I’m yours. No turning back.”

  I return his look and cup his face, “I don’t know if I’ve ever had a choice in this Connor, I’ve been yours from the beginning. Maybe I hit my head too hard. My brain hasn’t worked right since.” I smile, but Connor’s face is still serious.

  “You always have a choice Nina.”

  I know what he wants to hear so I say, “I choose you Connor.”

  He closes his eyes and when they open, the blue of them shines through me. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

  Now that we have declared our relationship, I realize I need to have “the talk” and it’s like being doused with cold water. I get up from underneath him and walk into the kitchen pulling Connor with me by the hand. I’m going to need some cider for this. I know this is the 21st century, but I have some pretty hard rules regarding sex. I’m not really a “no sex till marriage” kind of girl, but having sex with someone I’m not in love with has never appealed to me. More importantly, having sex with someone who doesn’t love me terrifies me. My one time mistake taught me that. How can you trust someone not to hurt you when you’re at your most vulnerable if they don’t love you? I will never do that to myself again and even though I was falling hard for Connor, I wasn’t even sure how long he would be here. I finish making the two cups of cider and hand Connor his. Sitting across from him at the kitchen table seems way too formal for this conversation.

  “Let’s go back into the living room.” I stand and nod towards the couch.

  “Sit down Nina. I can practically hear your mind whirling. Why do you always do this as soon as I think we are finally getting somewhere? You can tell me anything.” I sit back down and sigh. How does he always know?

  “I can’t have sex with you right now.” I blurt, eloquent as usual.

  Connor raises his eyebrows and I can tell he’s trying to process this information. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not trying to tell me that it’s your time of the month.”

  Now it’s my turn to be shocked. Nothing is off limits with this man. “Um…no its not.” I say embarrassed. “I wish it were that simple. I just want to wait till its right. It’s important to me to be sure it’s something I’m ready for and it’s a deal breaker.”

  Connor takes a deep breath and reaches across the t
able for my hand. This is where the convincing starts. But baby, I just want to show you how much you mean to me. I promise it will only hurt for a second. You’re making this a big deal. It’s just sex. But when Connor speaks, it’s nothing like what Ricky said.

  “Nina, I’m not going to lie and say I don’t want you, because I do. Desperately. But, that kiss you gave me earlier, I could live off those kisses. Actually, I’m sort of impressed. Most girls these days are more eager than I am. As long as you let me kiss you and hold you and call you mine, I can wait for the rest. You call the shots on this Nina. Your rules, your pace. I meant it when I said I was patient. Especially when something is worth waiting for.”

  It’s a good thing there’s a table between us, or else I might have forgotten all about my rule and thrown myself at him. Either there are a lot of really stupid women in New York, or this is all an elaborate scheme to get me on my back and he’s doing one hell of a job.

  “The women in New York are idiots.” Is my reply and my guess. I hope I’m right.

  We move into the living room and Connor pulls me into him as the movie starts playing. It’s the most comfortable I have ever been on my couch. I try to keep my eyes open but Connor’s warmth and the rhythm of his heartbeat lulls me to sleep. I wake up a while later to strong arms carrying me. I snuggle closer to Connor’s warm chest and nuzzle his neck.

  “What time is it?” I say softly, still half asleep.

  “Late. Go back to sleep Princess.” Connor kisses my hair and sets me on my bed.

  The mattress is cold compared to him and I already miss his arms around me. I glance at the clock on my night stand and notice it’s already three am. Despite the time, I can sense that neither one of us is ready to leave the other after such an important day in our relationship. I look back at Connor as he brushes my hair off my forehead and I lean into his touch.

  “Night Princess.” He says kissing me softly. He seems reluctant to break the kiss, but he does and then stands to walk out of the room. I think about all the nights I have slept alone wishing that I had someone who could hold me through the night to keep my dreams at bay. I was never able to have that before because the risk of letting someone that close was too great. I have already gotten that close to Connor and I know that all I have to do is ask and he will give me whatever I need. He is worth the risk. I open my mouth and say one word.

  “Stay.” Connor turns and looks at me, waiting. You call the shots. “Just stay the night with me. I just want you hold me. I’m not ready for you to leave yet.”

  Putting my feelings out there like that isn’t something I normally do unless it’s with Lo. It’s one of my rules. If no one but you knows how you feel, then they can’t use those feelings against you later on. He just stares at me for a minute and I’m wondering if he knows how big of a step this is for me. It may have seemed like something simple, but Connor knows how hard trust is for me. He reaches into his back pocket without removing his eyes from my face and dials a number.

  “Hey Tony. Yea I know it’s late I’m sorry I woke you up… I need a huge favor… Can you please go check on dad and maybe stay there tonight?.. I know I know, but it’s important… You know it…Yea, I figured as much…Thanks cousin. I owe you one.” He ends the call and strips off all but his boxers. Boxer briefs actually. Lo usually exaggerates, but in Connor’s case it was all an understatement. Calvin Klein would make a million off of Connor Wright. “Move over baby.” Connor slides into bed and his arms surround me once more. Before I fall asleep, I hear a faint, “I’ve got you Princess.” My last thought is yes, you do.

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  CHAPTER 7

  For the first time in ten years, my nightmares don’t plague me. I sleep a peaceful deep sleep. When the morning sun shines in through my window, I wake up refreshed and warm. Remembering the reason for my warmth I smile. Connor. I open my eyes and look up into his beautiful face.

  At some point in the night we changed positions. He is now on his back with me at his side and my head on his chest. My arms are around his waist and his are on my back with one hand in my hair. Our legs are tangled in the sheets and he is still sound asleep. I can’t help but feel as if he’s the reason my nightmares have taken a hiatus. I have more important things to do than think about that though. Like use this chance to check out my boyfriend. Boyfriend!

  My first thought when I saw him on the bus was that he was an Adonis. Looking at him now I realize how true that is. I use the word beautiful in reference to him in my head all the time and I know that it’s not really a term used to describe men, but in Connor’s case its true. All 6 ft. 4 inches of him is lean and strong. His chest and stomach are toned and hard with muscle. His arms and legs look like a professional fighter’s and with his moves last night I wonder if there may be some truth to that. With thick dirty blonde hair in disarray and a dusting of stubble on his face he looks almost roguish. His skin isn’t golden but it’s darker than mine. I notice he has a few faint scars here and there and wonder if I can get him to tell me those stories. I let my eyes travel one last time over his body and feel his chest shake with his laughter. My eyes shoot to his, but they’re still closed. Huh?

  “I can feel your eyes on me Nina. For someone with a “no sex” rule, you sure know how to get a guy riled up.” He says with his eyes still closed. I can’t help it that my eyes shoot down to where the proof of his words is indeed “riled up” and he groans. “Nina.” I look back up at him and the sapphires in his eyes are on fire.

  Before I can be embarrassed about being caught ogling his package, Connor brings his lips to mine and devours me. I finally pull away from him as a thought occurs to me.

  “Connor, I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet.” I say covering my mouth and leaning away from him. Connor rolls us over so I’m on my back, pins my arms to the bed gently and hovers inches above me. He leans down and nips a path from my neck to my shoulder.

  “I just woke up with my girl wrapped around me and checking me out like I was a banquet. I really couldn’t give two shits about your teeth right now.”

  Oh. Well, okay then. I crane my neck up and take his mouth with mine in a deep kiss. I tangle my tongue with his and pull his bottom lip through my teeth remembering his reaction to it last night. Connor is the one to break free this time.

  “Princess, I’m not pressuring you, but I need clarification on the “no sex” thing.”

  I freeze. “What’s there to clarify?” Connor traces my lips with his finger and it thaws me. Trust him.

  “Well I know you meant no to the actual act itself, but does that go for all the other stuff too?” He asks carefully.

  Hmm. “I’m not sure. You’re my first relationship in about nine years, so I’ve never really implemented the rule. I’d have to think about that.” Connor’s eyes widen but he doesn’t comment on the nine years.

  “I think I can help you with that. Just tell me when to stop.” He says and picks up where he left off kissing me.

  My mind registers what he means when his mouth reaches my collar bone. He nibbles and presses open mouth kisses across my chest to my other shoulder as his fingers toy with the hem of my shirt. He moves to kneel on the bed and grabs the edge of my shirt and tugs me into a sitting position. The only other time I have been in an intimate position with someone my shirt stayed on and I’m a little nervous, but Connor’s nothing like Ricky so I force myself into the here and now and let him pull my t shirt over my head. Connor tosses it to the ground and his nostrils flare when his eyes hone in on my bare chest. He reaches down and covers one breast with his hand, cupping its weight.

  “So beautiful.” He says and presses feather light kisses on my other breast everywhere but where I want him. My breathing picks up and just when I’m about to scream in frustration, his lips close around the tip and he takes a deep pull and flicks the tight bud with his tongue.

  “OhmiGod!” I tighten my hand in his hair and arch my back pressing into him as a jolt of pleasure zings th
rough my body down to my toes. Connor brushes his thumb over one nipple and grazes the other with his teeth and I groan. Holy hell! This is what I’ve been missing? My skin is practically vibrating and my nerves come alive on the surface. I’ve never felt so much all at once and it’s frightening and thrilling all at the same time. Yup, this is going on the approved any time list. I always thought the allusive “O” that girls always talked about was an urban legend, but Connor is quickly turning me into a believer. The sensation makes me frantic and Connor seems to approve, because every time I moan and arch my back to push harder against him he gives an encouraging murmur.

  I’m writhing beneath him as he plucks and strums my body like an instrument and he’s the world’s most talented musician. He trails one hand further down my body and I don’t think, don’t even want to try to stop him. He slips his hands into my pants and groans when he finds me bare there as well as soaking wet. The second he comes in contact with my sensitive flesh, I know I’m close. The rope that’s building inside of me is coiling tighter and tighter to the point of snapping. When he finds the little bundle of nerves that’s practically humming with tension my body bows off the bed and I feel his words against my skin.

  “Let go, Princess”

  The coil snaps at his words and I shout out his name as the most intense feeling tightens and releases all through my body. I keen and whimper and shake violently for what seems like hours. When I come down from the high and my senses return, I feel Connor pressing kisses across my face. I feel boneless and warm and positively delicious. God bless the “O.” I think with a satisfied smile.

  “That was amazing.” Connor says sapphire eyes on mine. Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.

  “I had no idea.” I breathe and his eyes narrow.

  “You’ve never..?”

  “No Connor. That was definitely a first for me.” One of many so far.

  Connor closes his eyes and seems to be counting to ten. He opens them and says, “I was sure that you had been with someone. That there had been someone else at one point.” He looks confused and although I’m not ready to tell him everything, I can give him something after what he just gave me.