by Aja Cole
“It’s new for me, but I like it. Let’s use…rhubarb.”
“Rhubarb.” He repeats, amused.
“It shouldn’t come up in sex regularly unless you’re much more of a freak than I know about.”
“Rhubarb it is.” He rises, grinding his hips against mine as he moves back and I groan. The angle puts the base of his cock right up against my lips and he knows it. It’s a tantalizing, teasing feeling, so close but so far away.
Then I feel air as he moves away and I start to protest.
I feel warm breath against my skin and I sigh. The first touch of his tongue against me makes me shudder and press my face to the bed.
He undoes me so easily.
Not being able to watch him frustrates me at the same time as it makes things even hotter. I just feel him. I feel him as he runs his hands over every inch of skin he can reach. I feel him as he brushes his lips over the bottom crease of my ass, over my wet labia and teases my clit with short, firm licks.
“Dane.” I breathe, voice hitching.
“Yes, baby?” He murmurs, distracted because he’s begun to drive me crazy by hooking two fingers into me, fucking me in downward strokes as he rolls his fingers inside me, leaving no part of me untouched.
I push up on my toes, trying to find solid ground, because even though I’m standing - I’m flying for him. Because of him.
He stands and braces an arm over my hips, holding me down so he can rub my clit furiously with one hand while he continues to finger-fuck me.
He presses kisses and bites to my back, and I groan, losing breath and reality.
“Come all over my hand. Let me feel you.” Husky, commanding. I don’t have a choice, I’m too far gone. I grip the sheets and raise against him, unintelligible words tumbling from my throat. Before I have time to even catch my breath, he crowds me onto the bed, making me move forward on my knees.
Like two puzzle pieces, we fit against each other, my arms wrapping back around his neck and his hands crossing around me to grip my breasts.
He flexes his hips gently, needy. The thought crosses my mind that I’m amazed and grateful at how stealthily the man puts a condom on.
I tilt my hips back, breathing hard and heavy, raking one hand through his hair and clutching his left thigh with the other. I feel wild, sensual. Like I was made for this, made for him.
He slides against me, his cock parting my walls as he pushes inside with so much patience that I drop my head back against him, whimpering.
“Please?”
“Please what?” He licks a path up my neck, settling his lips right against my ear. “Are you aching, baby? Hungry for it?”
With every word, he presses and retreats, using the first two inches of his dick to steal every bit of my sanity.
I shudder and writhe, no words enough to express just how much I need this man. Instead, I drop my body forward, and he pulls away as I move to my back, pleading with him wordlessly.
His eyes reflect the nearly drugged with pleasure feeling flaming just under my skin, and he pushes my knees back, exposing my glistening pussy to him fully as he takes his rightful place between my legs.
I cradle him in the space, keening low when our lips melt together. It feels like there’s a…softer edge to the need right now. Still burning just as hot, but it’s almost…reverent. Sacred.
I’ve never felt this before and it almost scares me because it feels so important.
His gaze never breaks from mine when he leans his arms on either side me and surges inside me on a deep, powerful stroke - making my lips part and my breath become choppy.
He cups my cheeks in his large hands, eyes like molten brandy, brushing his thumbs over my jaw, my lips.
I love you.
The air stills around us, and I know the words haven’t left either of our lips, but I feel it clear as if they had. I know he does too.
He presses his forehead against mine, a shuddering sigh leaving his lips and I cover his hands with mine.
Repeating the withdrawal and slow entrance again and again, his muscles hard from the strain, our sweat-slicked bodies rubbing against each other…I unravel in his grip, emotions filling me to the brim. He goes rigid against me as he finishes, burying his hands in my hair and fusing his lips to mine.
Silently, he gets rid of the protection and comes back, dragging me into his arms.
We fall asleep that way, so close that I can’t tell where he ends and I begin.
28
Dane
My phone rings and I jerk awake, the loud tone completely disrupting me. Keyra shifts in his sleep but doesn’t wake, and Nova is snoring softly, curled up to her.
She’s been doing that a lot lately, favoring Keyra. I’d be a little offended if it didn’t warm me so much.
I pull away and sit up, blearily looking at the screen. I take it into the bathroom, closing the door and answering, so I don’t disturb my girls.
“Yeah?” My voice is rough with sleep and I yawn, sitting on the closed toilet.
“Keyra?” A voice hisses, and I realize that like an idiot, I’ve picked up Keyra’s phone. But who’s calling her this late?
“Sorry, this is her boyfriend. She’s asleep.”
“You need to wake her up right now, this concerns both of you.” I hear a door close in the background, and the woman’s voice gets louder like they can finally talk.
“Is it important? If it’s something that can wait, I’d rather not bother her.”
“Well golly gee, I don’t know. Is a rape allegation important enough to you?”
My blood goes cold.
I don’t know who the hell this person is, but apparently, Keyra does so I open the door and rush to the bed, gently shaking her awake. I turn the night-stand light on.
“Hm?” She blinks, wiping a little drool away from the side of her lip. “Wha’ you want?” She opens her eyes fully and sits up straight when she sees my face. “Dane, what’s wrong?”
I don’t know what I look like, but if it’s anything like I feel, then I imagine it’s pretty alarming.
The first thing I think about is Addison. What if I never get to see my little girl again?
I just found her. I can’t lose her so soon.
I can’t.
I swallow what feels like sandpaper in my throat and pass her the phone, rooted to my spot. She puts it to her ear and I’m too busy running through the past few months in my head to hear what she’s murmuring, but she slides off the other side of the bed and runs to the living room.
I follow numbly, just standing in the middle of the room, a montage of every time Addi smiled at me running through my mind.
Keyra’s at the desk, scribbling something on a sheet of paper, and she clicks off the phone and turns to me.
Her face is as somber as I’ve ever seen it.
“I’m going to ask you something, and I don’t want you to think about how I might feel.” She lifts her chin, clearing any emotion from her eyes. “I need you to be honest with me. Okay?”
“Okay.” I brace myself, hating the closed off look she has. This is Business Keyra, no doubt about it.
“At any point, were you and Natalie sexually involved while she was staying here?”
“Never.” I straighten, rigid because I realize right then that Natalie hadn’t changed at all.
“You didn’t touch her. You didn’t have sex with her. Nothing sexual in nature ever happened?” She asks, voice flat and clear.
“Never, Keyra. Not before you got back and not after.” I move towards her, but she puts a hand up and I stop cold. Is she upset with me? God, does she not believe me?
“Don’t. Not…just…I can help you.” She ducks her head, taking a breath. “But I need to be clear right now. I need to know that I’m not about to go to bat for a man that’s not worth it.”
“How can you even ask me? How do you not know?” I walk towards her again, stopping about a foot away. It’s close enough to see the pain in her eyes that
she’s trying to hide and I realize that it’s no easier for her to ask me than it is for me to hear it.
I put my pride aside and humble myself in that moment, meeting her gaze and hoping she sees the conviction in mine.
“I never touched Natalie for more than a hug. We never kissed, we were never intimate. I never had any kind of sex with her.”
She searches my face for a long moment and I never blink. In the space of a second, it’s as if she wilts. She braces a hand on the desk and turns away from me, rubbing her chest and her breath huffing out.
“Baby.” I put a gentle hand on her back and she stands and shakes her head.
“I’m okay. I just…it’s a lot.” She pulls her lips between her teeth, looking up. “Uh, put a few things together and pack a bag.”
“A bag? Where are we going?”
“Anywhere but here. I need more time.” She mumbles, rushing back to the bedroom. She’s a whirlwind, but I know when she gets like this, not to bother her with questions. “I’ll put things together for Nova.”
I do as she instructs.
I trust her. I trust her judgment, and there’ll be time for me to get all the details later.
When all that’s done, we turn off all the lights and leave. We take Keyra’s car and drop off Nova at Leo’s because he’s awake and on the way to wherever she has in mind. I don’t know when they talked about it, but he hands her his keys and tells her the tank is full when she hands him Nova, and we leave in his black Jeep Cherokee.
We leave the city lights behind and she directs me to drive for however long, I don’t really know. Everything’s a big blur of time to me. Keyra’s been on and off the phone, on her computer. I know we pass water a lot.
We’re in Vermont when she starts giving me smaller directions. A right here, a left there. We turn onto West Shore Road and stop in front of a large lakefront house. I pull onto the gravel and stop the car, raising my brows.
She looks up from her laptop, closing it. “My mom’s grandfather left this place to her. We come up when we need a break from home. It won’t look suspicious that we came after the team lost.”
“Won’t they check here?” I grab our bags, and follow her around and up the stairs. She puts a code into a lockbox and it pops open, revealing a set of keys. Unlocking the door, she motions me in.
“We’re not on the run, I just couldn’t deal with you being taken in for questioning while I figured things out. My friend only found out because she caught a glimpse of some paperwork. She’ll let me know if things get set in motion quicker than I’m anticipating.”
“You have a lot of friends.” I take in the light spilling through the windows and the endless expanse of blue water over the back deck. I wish I could appreciate it fully, but the only thought repeating in my head is I don’t want to lose Addison.
“I’m not a good enemy to have.” She rubs the back of her neck like it’s bothering her and I close the space between us, smoothing my hands down her shoulders, over her arms.
I feel guilty.
“I’m sorry you have to deal with this. I didn’t mean to bring extra stress to your life. I’m supposed to be your relief from all of that.”
She wraps her arms around my waist, tipping her face up to look at me with clear brown eyes.
“Honestly, if I wasn’t taking care of the people I love, I don’t know what I’d do.”
I massage her nape with my hand, kissing her lips tenderly and she closes her eyes, sighing.
“You love me?” I pull back, searching her face.
“Yes, Sire.” She smirks. “Even though you’re bad at keeping roleplay going.”
“Wow, am I being penalized for wanting you and not some wench?” I kiss her again, this time deeper. Harder. “I love you too.”
“You better.” She whispers. Pausing, she pulls away a little. “You know I didn’t think for a second you’d done that to Natalie, right? I just…I had to ask. There’s a lot on the line if this goes south, and not just for you.”
“I know.” I nod my head. “I respect it, and I appreciate you more than I’ll ever be able to express.”
She takes a deep breath, giving me another quick kiss and moving out of my arms.
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road. I want her story dismantled in time for me to watch Quantico baby-mama drama free.”
29
Keyra
I watch Dane do another tricep-dip on the stairs, through the glass that shows the back deck.
He just got back from a run, and he’s been working out on the deck for what feels like an insanely long time.
I finish talking to Marissa and jot down the address and phone number she gives me, then tell her I’ll talk to her soon.
I’m worried about Dane. He’s not used to this, not used to compartmentalizing. I know he’s scared that this will affect him building a relationship with Addi.
I saw the worship in his eyes when he looked at that little girl.
If I’m not able to fix this for him, when it matters, I don’t know if I’ll be able to look at myself.
This is my love language. I want the people in my life to know they can count on me.
I reach for another stick of trident and realize the pack is empty.
Fuck.
Tears spring to my eyes and I blink fast, taken aback. What the hell? It’s empty gum, not the end of the world.
Tell that to my goddamned tear ducts, because they spill over and I’m hiccuping and trying to pull myself together when the sliding door opens.
“I’m thinking steak for dinner.” He steps in, toeing off his running shoes and wiping his face with the short towel hanging around his neck.
I admire the ridges on his abdomen and his well-shaped pecs glistening with sweat through unfortunately blurry eyes.
“Baby-cakes, are you…crying?” He drops to his knees by the couch and takes my face in his hands, wiping his thumbs under my eyes. “Hey..hey…what’s wrong?”
My gaze slides to the empty gum package on the table and he looks at it, then looks back at me. I can tell he’s trying to school his face to not look as he surprised as he feels.
So damn sweet.
“You ran out of a gum?”
I nod.
“And that made you cry?” He raises his brows, stroking his thumbs over my face still. Dammit, I feel the tears welling up again.
“It’s the only thing that makes me not feel nauseous during the day with this stomach bug and now I don’t have anymore.” I sniffle, mad that something so small is making me so upset.
“Okay.” He smoothes a hand through my hair. “I think you’re a little overwhelmed and we need to get you some more rest.”
“I can’t rest.” I shake my head. “I’ve been trying to find out where Natalie is staying because she obviously didn’t go back to Minnesota if she just filed this, and Maris—.”
“No.” He says firmly.
“No what?”
“I’m putting you to bed, and you can work on this when you wake up.”
I frown, folding my arms.
“We don’t have time for that.”
“Well we’re making the time or I’ll call and confess to it right now.” He rises to his full height and crosses his arms, the most forbidding look I’ve ever seen on his face. Jaw tight, brown eyes dark and burning and body taut.
I squint, not believing what I’m hearing.
“You wouldn’t jeopardize your relationship with Addison like that.” All tears are gone. I’m shocked.
“I won’t need to if the woman I love heeds my warning and lets me take care of her. What’s it gonna be?”
We stare each other down for an indeterminate amount of time and the conviction in his eyes is so strong that I’m scared the fucker will actually do it.
People never call my bluff this way.
This is…not a good feeling.
“Okay.” I close my computer where it’s sitting on the couch and stand with my phone,
at a loss. Damn.
He takes my hand and leads me toward the master bedroom. Pushing me gently down to sit, he takes off my socks one by one and my sweater. When I’m in just my bra and panties, he pulls the covers back and I crawl in.
“You’re not gonna nap with me?” I ask, tucking my arm under my face and looking up at him.
“After I shower. I’m grimy, baby.”
“I’ll wait for you,” I say softly, and he gives me a small smile, going to the bathroom and leaving the door open.
When he leaves, I roll to my back and unlock my phone, opening my apps.
I’ve dealt with more than this and more at once. This isn’t me. I know they say love changes you, but I don’t know about changing this much.
A stutter when I’m overwhelmed? Sure. Bawling over a pack of gum? No fucking way.
I’ve always been irregular. I’ve also always protected myself so pregnancy isn’t something I’ve thought about.
A few months ago, I was at the end of my five years for Mirena and I had it taken out. I’ve been thinking about whether I want to replace it, get a copper IUD or try something like the implant.
I wasn’t on anything when Dane and I slept together, but unless I’m going fucking crazy…we used a condom.
I haven’t had a period since that first time except for some light spotting, but I figured my body needed time to readjust after being on hormones for so long.
But I can’t think of any other explanation for earlier.
Me needing to chew gum or I feel like throwing up. Probably not a prolonged stomach bug.
My nipples have been more sensitive, but hell, Dane pushes all my buttons and that didn’t seem weird.
My phone buzzes and I open the message thread, where Kaija has sent a gif of Miss J from America’s Next Top Model with a shocked face and a hand over his heart.
“What do you mean you think you’re pregnant?” ~ Mickey
“I don’t know.” ~ Me
“We’re on the way.” ~ Kaija
What?
“It’s not that serious. I’ll confirm when we get back. There’s enough to do right now.” ~ Me