by R. S. Lively
I cry out at the force of him filling me, but he doesn't give me a second to get accustomed to it. Instead, he starts to pound into me, slamming so hard I hear our skin slapping together. He smacks my ass, creating a sharp pain that then sends a tingle along my thighs. I arch in response to it, and Christian smacks me again, gripping my hip tighter, and fucking me with a dizzying intensity. Each hard thrust elicits a scream until finally, I can't take any more. His name tumbles from my lips as my body clenches down on him and a blinding orgasm tears through me. My knees weaken, but Christian wraps an arm under my waist to hold me up as his thrusts speed up even more.
Suddenly, he pulls out of me and turns me around, pushing me down to my knees in front of him. I watch him yank off the condom and toss it out of the shower. His hand grasps the back of my head and he pushes forward, his cock pushing between my lips to fill my mouth like my pussy had been just seconds before. I hold onto the back of his thigh with one hand, cupping his balls with the other as he thrusts a few more times into my mouth. He withdraws from my mouth, letting out a loud growl as hot, silvery streams of cum pour out of him and onto my chest. Tilting back slightly, I let it trickle down my body as he moans through the last, shuddering waves of his orgasm.
Chapter Six
Piper
"What are your plans while you're in California?" I ask twenty minutes later.
We left the shower, and are now cuddled in the bed with me leaned back in Christian's arms. His fingers trail up and down the center of my chest and along my collar bones. The touch is soothing and brings me down from the shivering high he brought me to in the shower.
"I don't think I have any," he replies.
"What do you mean?"
"I just chose California because it was somewhere else to go. There's nothing specific I want to see or do there. Maybe having my flight canceled is a chance to change my plans."
I feel a tremor of something move through me.
"What do you have in mind?" I ask.
"Well," he says. "I haven't spent much time in Massachusetts."
"Oh, really?"
His hands move over to brush across my breasts, tightening my nipples.
"Mm-hmm," he says. "I've been so many other places, but never took the time to see much of this state, especially the smaller towns."
I tilt my head back against his shoulder and kiss the side of his neck.
"It just so happens I know quite a bit about the small towns around here, and I do have a few weeks on my hands."
"Is that so?"
"Yep. My next deployment doesn't start for three weeks, and I have all this time on my hands, and all this knowledge about Massachusetts, that, frankly, I'm not doing anything useful with."
"We can't let that happen," he says. Even the teasing tilt in his voice is somehow sexy. "That knowledge needs to be shared. I don't think I have a choice but to stick around until I've learned everything I possibly can from you."
I press back against him, nuzzling his cock with the curve of my lower back.
"Me, too," I murmur.
A few minutes later we reluctantly climb out of the bed, and as I look down at the pile of my clothes from the night before, a realization hits me.
"I don't have any clean clothes," I say. "All my clothes are still in the car."
"Not all of your clothes," Christian says. "You still have those cute little lacy panties in your carry-on."
"I don't think that is enough of an outfit to go out to the car in," I say.
"Why not?" he asks.
There's a teasing look to his eyes, and I know he doesn't think I'd actually do it. I drop the towel I have wrapped around me, and stride over to the desk where everything he poured out of my bag still sits. Grabbing my panties, I wiggle into them, then pick up his shirt from the night before. I slip my arms into the shirt, buttoning the first few buttons, then tie the tails at my waist. I slip on my shoes and look back at Christian.
"Be back in a minute," I say.
"You aren't going out there like that," he says. “No way.”
"Oh, I'm not? Because I really think I am."
I walked toward the door and reach for the handle.
"You're very funny, Piper, but I know you're not going to go walk out in a parking lot in your panties and a see-through shirt."
"It's amazing how much about me you don’t know,” I say.
Before Christian can say respond, I open the door and walk outside. As intense as the storm was last night, the day is bright and beautiful today. It's warm against my skin, and renders what little I am wearing essentially useless as the fabric of both the shirt and the panties become completely translucent. But I'm already out here. I'm not one to back down from a challenge. Lifting my chin high, I head toward the parking lot. I've already ridden the elevator, and made it halfway across the parking lot before I realize I didn't grab the keys to the car. I'm starting to turn around to go back to the room when someone runs past me. It takes me a few seconds to realize it was Christian.
A very naked Christian.
My head falls back, and I laugh so hard it almost hurts. Christians hurries to unlock the door to the car, pulls out my luggage, and holds it in front of him as he makes his way back toward the building. I rush to catch up with him, and we jump into the elevator.
"You are ridiculous," I say.
He shrugs.
"I can’t let you outdo me," he says.
"When did this become a competition?" I ask.
"When you paraded your sexy little ass out here in the panties I've been thinking about since I first picked them up."
I grin. "You've been thinking about them, have you?"
"Yes. Why do you think I upgraded you to sit with me in First Class?"
"To be nice?"
"Baby, I'm not that nice."
The doors open, and we nearly walk into three people standing just outside. They eye us, but Christian gives a confident smile.
"Good morning," he says. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"
My cheeks are burning, but I try not to show it as I follow him out and back toward the room. He puts my luggage on the bed, and I dig through it to pull out a pair of pants and a clean shirt. I pulled the pants on over the panties, and look up to see Christian watching me intently.
"You're going to wear those?"
"Absolutely," I say. "I'll be wearing these all day."
He looks me up and down for a few seconds before heading for his own luggage.
"That's what you think."
After twisting and turning our way back through the convoluted path we took last night, Christian and I finally get to Westover a little over four hours later. He peers through the windshield as we pull up in front of the house my father left to me.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay in a hotel?" he asks.
"Why?" I ask. "The house has four bedrooms. I mean, if you'd rather stay in a hotel, that's fine. I can show you a couple of historic ones not too far from here."
Christian shakes his head emphatically.
"Definitely not," he says. "I don't want to be any further from you over the next few weeks than I have to. When I get back on that plane to Cambria, I want to know I made the most of every single second I was here."
He leans across the center console toward me, and I meet him in the middle for a kiss. Even that innocent touch sends a shock of heat down my body, all the way to my toes. If we keep it up at this rate, he's not going to see any more of Massachusetts than he already has. He'll head back to Cambria with a very thorough and intimate knowledge of my bedroom, however.
I unlock the front door, turn the handle, and walk into the foyer. I inhale deeply, savoring the feeling of being home. The house is spotless, as usual, and smells of lavender and mint. Now that it sits vacant for months at a time, a top-rated local cleaning service comes by two times a week. I never come home to a dirty or dusty house. That’s too depressing, even for me. I snap out of my reverie at
the sound of the home phone ringing. I walk over and pick it up off the console table without even glancing at the caller ID. I already know who it is. She's the only person who ever calls this number.
"Hi, Tabitha," I say. "You could call my cell phone, you know."
"I know," she says. "But if I call you on this number, and you answer, I know you're home safe."
I smile.
"It's good to know someone still wonders about that," I say.
"I do," she says. "I'm not the only one, but you can at least rely on me always worrying about you."
"I've missed you," I say.
"I've missed you, too," she says. "I'm really glad to have you home. Even if it's just for a little while, it's nice to know you're here. That's kind of why I'm calling you, though."
Uh-oh.
"I'm really sorry, but I'm not going to be able to see you much this trip. Glenn just found out his father Ben is really sick, and we have to go help him. We're leaving the day after tomorrow. I'm so sorry, Piper."
I shake my head even though I know she can't see me.
"It's fine," I say. "Really. Of course, I want to see you more, but he needs you. I completely understand. He's really lucky to have someone like you guys who are willing to do that for him."
It goes unspoken that Tabitha’s not only worried about her father-in-law’s condition, but also how this is going to affect her husband. We went through my father's death together, and it was the worst thing either of us had ever experienced. I sympathize with Glenn, and how he must be feeling right now. My father's death was sudden and unexpected, but the few hours between the crash and when he was finally taken off life support were indescribably difficult. The fear of losing him, combined with my desperate desire to save him, even though nothing could be done, and the dreaded reality of trying to move forward, was like nothing I've ever experienced before. I only had to deal with it for a short time. I can't imagine enduring it for weeks, or months. I can only hope Ben pulls through. I will have more time with Tabitha next time I'm able to come home.
"I still want to see you tonight," she says. "Glenn has to work, so I'm alone. Just the two of us."
I glance over at Christian. He must be able to hear Tabitha because he gestures at me to go ahead and go.
"I'll be over around six?"
"That sounds perfect," she says. "I can't wait to see you."
"Me, too."
I settle the phone back on to the cradle hanging on the kitchen wall.
"Do you want me to get a hotel room after all?" Christian asks.
I think this over for a few seconds. Trying to remind myself that he is still essentially a stranger, I know it makes more sense to just go our separate ways now. We had fun together, but this isn’t logical. What am I doing?
"No," I say. "It's fine. I'm going to have dinner with my stepmom and hang out for a while. I won't be late. She's not that great at staying up. She's awesome at vacuuming bedrooms before the sun comes up, though. You go ahead and hang out here. There are some takeout menus in the drawer. Relax. Make yourself at home."
What did I just say? Did I seriously just tell this man it's fine for him to stay at my house alone while I go to my stepmother's house for dinner? Is this what it means to be fucked senseless?
I look at Christian again and bite down on my bottom lip as he runs his fingers back through his hair. What is he doing to me? He's cocky as hell, and there is literally an expiration date on things between us. Two weeks from now. Now that I’m thinking about it, that actually might be a benefit. Settling down isn't something that's ever been on my mind, and I’m certainly not going to start reconsidering it for a man I've known less than two days. Both Christian and I know we have a limited, set amount of time together in the same place, but want to make the most of that time before we have to return to our normal lives. This will just have to be enough.
Christian
When my phone rings a little after nine at night, it startles me. Since Piper left to have dinner with her stepmother a few hours ago, I've been draped over the couch in her living room, mindlessly flipping through a seemingly never-ending cycle of TV channels. I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the screen, letting out a sigh before answering.
"Hello, Mother," I say.
"Christian Hesse. Don't you think it's about time you come home?"
"I'm doing wonderfully, thank you, Mother. I appreciate you checking on me."
"Stop being silly, Christian. We've been extremely patient with you, but it's time for your little trip to end. It’s time to grow up."
"What are you doing calling me at this time?" I ask. "It's the middle of the night there."
"I'm well aware of what time it is, thank you very much. I haven't been able to sleep since you left home. I can't even begin to tell you how worried I've been about you."
"You make it sound like I ran away from home," I say. "You knew very well I was planning on coming to the States for a few weeks sometime this year. I just moved up the dates. I sincerely doubt you've been that worried about me."
"Why would you say something like that? You're my… child. Of course, I’m worried."
There's a hitch in her voice, and I know she tripped over almost saying 'only child'. It's technically true. I am the only child she has now. We're still trying to get used to it, and the devastation it has caused our family. It's hard on both of us, but in different ways. She doesn't understand that my own struggles with Nicholas’ death, and everything resulting from it, is what pushed me over the edge into coming on this trip.
"I meant that I don't think there's been a point since I've been away from home that you actually thought I could be in any danger. I just need some time to myself."
"It seems that all you ever care about is time to yourself," she says. "That's been all well and good, Christian, but the time for that is over now. You have responsibilities. Responsibilities no one else can fulfill."
"I know that," I say. "But they are not my responsibilities quite yet. I just need some time."
"Christian, there is still so much for you to do before you take on your role. We don't know when that time is going to come. You need to be prepared."
"Don't put Papa in the grave before his time. That's not going to help anyone. I'll be home in two weeks, Mother. We'll talk about this then."
"Please don't hang up angry with me. You know I only want what's best for you, and for Cambria. I know it's a lot to think about. Keep in mind that I was much younger than you are now when the responsibility of ruling was thrust upon me. I'm not saying it's easy, but this is your birthright, Christian."
I feel myself bristle.
"No, it's not. it's Nick’s birthright. I have to go. Goodnight, Mother."
I end the call, barely resisting the urge to throw my phone across the room. I can't really blame her for worrying about me or wanting me to return to Cambria. As much as I resist what she says, I understand where she's coming from. The future has been unstable and frightening for her since Nicholas died. Things were always supposed to be a certain way. From the day he was born, Nicholas was destined to take the throne and rule our beloved country. My mother took comfort in that security. When everything changed, it was like her life shattered, and she hasn't been able to piece it back together since.
She thinks I'm trying to avoid what's ahead of me. That I don’t care. But that's not the case. I know that crown will be on my head one day, whether I like it or not. For now, however, I’m still free. I can still indulge in the ‘now’ and pretend my life will play out the way it was supposed to from the beginning.
The door to the house opens, and Piper comes in. She's smiling at first, but her cheerful expression fades when she sees me.
"Are you OK?" she asks. "Did something happen?"
"I'm fine," I tell her. "You're back early."
"I told you Tab can’t stay up late. She fools herself into believing she can, so when Glenn isn’t around, she eats dinner late. By the time we got
to dessert, though, she was falling asleep."
She walks toward me, and I reach for her, taking her by the hips to pull her down into my lap.
"Are you telling me you didn't get to have dessert?" I ask.
Wrapping her arms around my neck, Piper shakes her head.
"Tabitha nodded off before the brownies were even finished baking."
"That's not fair," I say. "You shouldn't have to go without."
She looks at me with a devilish glint in her sparkling green eyes.
"I do have a sweet tooth," she says.
"I think I can help you with that."
I capture her mouth with mine, plunging my tongue between her lips, and reaching for the button on her jeans. I need to be inside her. Right now. I need to lose myself in Piper and not have to think about anything else.
Chapter Seven
Christian
Five days later…
"I still don't think I understand what we just saw," I say as we drive away from the tourist attraction of the day.
Since we first arrived at Piper's house, she's dedicated herself to giving me the true tourist experience of Westover, and the surrounding towns. I hadn't been lying to her when I told her I didn't know much about Massachusetts. I really hadn't spent much time in the state. The truth is, I never felt the compulsion to. Somehow, though, Piper had convinced me I needed to see all these points of interest, and historical sites. I'd be just as happy to continue my intensive tour of every inch of her body, but Piper seems so delighted to show me these things, I'm willing to give up a few hours of nakedness with her each day. Kind of.
"What don't you understand?" she asks. "It was the King Candle. The biggest candle in the world! If someone lit it, it would burn for seven years. Can you imagine that?"