by Lora Ann
As I approached the guestroom, the memory of his almost kiss began to haunt me. What would it feel like to have his sculpted mouth on mine? Better yet, to have those lips on my most private ones. Warm liquid pooled low at the thought. Clearly, I was not going to be able to stay away from him. If he really thought we could live without sex for any length of time, he was sorely mistaken. That smile of his nearly brought me to my knees right there in front of his brothers. Yes, we seriously were going to have to revise that part of our agreement. No way would I keep my hands—or anything else, for that matter—to myself.
It was quite the challenge to avoid touching myself as those thoughts danced through my head. I searched for a diversion and decided it was time to call my parents. The conversation went very well, all things considered. How often did your only daughter call and announce she’d be home soon with a bridegroom in tow? As always, my parents conveyed nothing but love for me, along with respect for my decision to marry a man they’d never even heard of before today. Mom concluded, “We can’t wait to meet the man that’s finally swept our girl off her feet.”
Shoot. How to counter that without giving anything away? “I’ll let you know the details once we have everything hammered out here. I love you both.”
Dad ended our call with, “We love you more, sweetie.”
If they only knew. No, that could never happen. I needed to remind Nik not to inform them of the truth about me. Goodness, they’d never recover from that info. And to think, I would have let Caleb tell the whole world. Truth was, I still would if that was what it took to get him to leave me alone. Well, didn’t make a difference anymore. Yet I wondered for the hundredth time, who did he think I was impersonating? Geez, the look on his face was pure malevolence. Like the devil himself had marked me as his target. Ooh, that thought caused a horrid chill. What I needed at the moment was a hot bath. My mission as I entered the bathroom: locate soothing salts. Before I called Renée or faced off with Nik once more, I definitely had to get my head on straight. After I put my iPod on shuffle, I sunk into the almost too hot tub of water. As I lay back and closed my eyes, Jae Camilo’s “Under My Spell” began to play. Yeah, if only that was the case with Nik. Then my problem would be solved.
I relaxed until the water was cool, then climbed out and wrapped a towel around my body. When I padded into the room to search for something comfy to put on, the song “How To Save A Life” by The Fray began to play. Instantaneously, I lost it. The song always reminded me of Cheryl, even though it didn’t release until four years after her death. Still, after all these years, I couldn’t believe she was gone. While I fell onto my knees in the middle of the room and sobbed for my dear, sweet cousin, I wished with all my heart I had known how to save her life. Lost to my pain and grief, I didn’t hear anyone enter, but suddenly, I was engulfed in thickly hewn arms.
“Hush, now,” Nik crooned gently. “I’m here.”
His words belied his very stature. How did such a large, muscled, dangerous man, speak so softly and with such compassion? Most of the time, he appeared apathetic. Yet there were times—like these—when he was anything but. I sank into his embrace and let go. He sat behind me and pulled me onto his lap while I cried. As the tears began to subside, he kindly asked, “Wanna talk about it?”
Yes, actually, I did. Though I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to share. “Remember when I told you about my cousin’s suicide?”
“Yeah.” He ran the pad of his thumb along my cheekbone, removing the moisture. “Is that why you’re so upset?”
I attempted a watery smile. “Doesn’t ever get easier, y’know?”
He nodded. Whether he ever chose to share the entire story about Rachel with me, I knew he very much understood loss. I gathered the courage necessary and forged ahead, “She was bullied mercilessly. She tried to tell her parents how bad it was, but they didn’t understand.” I shook my head. “I don’t think any of us really had a clear picture of the hell she endured, day in and day out.”
He stroked my back and waited patiently for me to go on with my story. I took a fortifying breath and continued, “You see, it wasn’t only the traditional BS that goes on in the hallways, at the lockers, in the gym, on the bus, and so on. No, those girls were ruthless.” I choked back another sob before I progressed, “They haunted her every waking moment through technology.”
“Did she report them?” The concern in his voice was almost my undoing.
“She’d changed her passwords, user names, cell numbers, et cetera many times. Still didn’t change a damn thing. Somehow they always got a hold of her info again. Everyone’s hands were tied. The police couldn’t help, no one could. It was unbearable. I tried every way in the world to help her, but she slipped further and further into depression.”
“What’d your parents have to say?”
“Well, as much as anyone else. You know things like: ‘Stay positive.’ ‘This too shall pass.’ ‘You’re better than them; don’t stoop to their level.’ ” I tugged on the towel that was precariously slipping to an indecent position and sighed heavily. “Looking back now, it was stupid. We should’ve done more for her. Got her some kind of help.” I shrugged. “I don’t know, something.”
“Hey, don’t blame yourself. You were just a kid. Even the adults didn’t know how to handle the situation.”
“Didn’t change the outcome.” Tears began to slide down my face once more. “She called me right before she took those pills. She told me how she couldn’t live one more day like that. I just didn’t understand.” The sobs began again.
He soothed me with his hands and kissed the top of my head. I courageously let the rest out. “The call came around midnight. My parents rushed me up to the hospital. By the time we arrived, it was too late. She was gone.”
“I’m so sorry, Aimee. Really, I am.” When I looked up, his brows were furrowed, as if he couldn’t quite grasp how much he understood my loss. Why was that?
I exhaled loudly. “Like I said, it was a long time ago. That song just brings back the memories.”
“Is that really the only reason?”
No. But did I feel the need to confess that? “I doubt you want me to bear my soul here.”
A ghost of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I asked for it.”
I did grin at that. “Fair enough. I confess, I’m overwhelmed by all of this.” I waved my hands for emphasis.
“You mean the wedding?”
“Well, yeah. That and”—I squirmed figuratively—“the expectations of our marriage.” There, it was now out in the open.
“I see. Are you referring to the no sex agreement?”
I petulantly replied, “I don’t recall being in favor of that.”
His brow arched. “What exactly would you suggest?”
As I bit my lip in consternation—in for the penny, in for the pound—I persisted, “I’m not asking you to fall in love with me, Nik.” When he tried to speak, I placed my fingers over his mouth. “I think we could be great friends. We already have a level of respect for one another. Thus, adding sex to the equation shouldn’t be a big deal.”
He actually chuckled. “Honey, having sex with you will most definitely be a big deal.”
I blushed, which made no sense whatsoever. “So what are we waiting for?” To make my point perfectly clear, I wriggled on his lap. The greeting I received against my bottom was all the invitation I needed. I turned into him and kissed the sinews of his shoulders, working my way across his clavicle. There was just so much of him. He was gloriously muscled. After a few moments, his hands fisted in my hair and pulled my mouth from his body, then, he descended. His lips unfortunately did not meet mine. Instead, he reciprocated my moves. He licked and nipped his way along my neck, then suckled the hollow spot beneath my throat. I mewled in response. The next move he made caught me completely by surprise. He stood with me in his arms, like I weighed nothing at all. Once he placed me on my feet, he slowly backed away from me.
“It’s late. You’ve had a long and trying day. Get some rest,” he commanded softly as he made his way to the door.
I shook my head in disbelief, but I’d be damned if he’d see my disappointment. I pivoted and walked away from him to put as much distance as the room would allow between us. While I stood in front of the window, over my shoulder I called, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Not waiting to see if he was gone, I dropped my towel and sighed. Would he ever touch me intimately again? Or were those last couple of times all I would ever get of him? I ran my hands through my hair out of pure frustration and tried to get lost in Snow Patrol’s “Just Say Yes” as I swayed to the music. I startled suddenly when I felt a presence behind me. I peeked through my hair, and there he was. Hunger blazed in his eyes. I could see his arousal pressed painfully against the seam of his jeans. With half hooded eyes, he closed the distance between us. As I began to turn fully towards him, he stayed me with his huge hands. “Don’t move,” he demanded.
No worries there, I was his.
There was no denying it.
Not now.
Not ever.
Chapter Twenty-one
Nik
When I stepped into Aimee’s room, I had every intention of conveying—lock, stock, and barrel—what I had just learned, as well as our suspicions where Reynolds was concerned. But all preconceived notions left my brain once I saw her there sobbing. My only concern at that moment was consoling her anyway possible. She was so caught up in misery. It broke my heart. Wait! Heart? WTF is happening to me? Yet nothing could have stopped me from enfolding her in my arms. Did I actually think her merely beautiful? She was beyond that, utterly and completely stunning. And, right then, so damned vulnerable. After she had poured her heart out, I knew I had to get away from her. For if I stayed one moment longer, I was going to make her mine. She was pissed; that was clear. But she didn’t want me to know it. Worse…I’d hurt her deeply. Had she begun to care for me the way I do her? No, surely not.
When I turned to close the door behind me, I could not believe my eyes. The towel fell with such ease, and I doubted she was aware I was watching. I strode up behind her with deliberate purpose—she was mine.
Mine to have.
Mine to take.
And, damn it all to hell, I was done holding back. The song that played on her iPod vaguely caught my attention. The irony not lost on me as I commanded her not to move. Question was, where did I start? My dick throbbed. There was nothing I wanted more than to push her onto her hands and knees. Then take her with the violence rising in me rapidly. With all of my self-control, I leashed the beast. Barely.
I placed my hands on her shoulders in an attempt to maintain some form of sanity. Thanks to the considerable height difference, I had full view of her luscious body. Ah, those incredible tits begged for my mouth. And the sexy as hell landing strip beckoned for pleasure. Holy shit! I was going to blow my load, right there, just from the peepshow.
Without any forethought, I began to rock my hips into her curvy ass to the beat of the music. She moaned as my hands ran down the sides of her body and rested on the flair of her hips. We began to dance, slow and rhythmic. A prelude to what was yet to come. I interlocked my fingers just above her pelvic bone and pulled her as close to my groin as possible with jeans on. In case there was ever a doubt to how much experience she had, she ground into me with precision and caused pre-ejaculate to wet my fly. Crap. Any minute I would fully come. Not going to happen. Yet.
I decided, then and there, that until she screamed my name in pleasure I wouldn’t take mine. Against her ear I directed, “Get on your hands and knees for me.”
She groaned, “Can I take your clothes off first?”
“No,” I growled.
I could smell the onslaught of her arousal as she said, “There’s something sinfully naughty about that.”
I chuckled, low and dark. “Baby, you have no clue as to how dirty I can be.”
“Oh,” she gasped while she obeyed.
The sight before my eyes was a wet dream come true. I fought the urge to yank down my zipper and pound into her dripping sex. I went to my knees and leaned over her perfect ass. Then I licked and nipped her nape, shoulders, and back as I worked lower. Before I ravished her rounded globes, I moved to her tiny feet and mapped my way up one, and then the other leg. I purposely avoided any of her hot spots and focused on the neglected erogenous zones. Behind the knees was one of my favorites.
While I was not a man that frequently dined on a woman, something about her made me want to overindulge. I kissed each cheek of her ass and suckled where they met the backs of her thighs, occasionally blowing along her seam. Awarded with her mewls of pleasure, along with the juices which slid along the inside of her upper legs. There was no more restraint left in me. I moved my head into position between those lovely thighs, and then, with a growl of possession, I pulled her slick pussy onto my face.
Ah, she was sweet. Like nothing I’d ever tasted before.
The little voice inside my head reminded me that’s not true. Hold on. I took one long lick from her perineum to her clit. Sure enough, her flavor was an awful lot like… No, it couldn’t be, could it? Her thick honey was distinctly similar to the mystery woman from a few years ago. Was it possible for two women to taste the same? Wouldn’t seem feasible, yet there was no denying it. At that moment, I couldn’t have cared less. No way would I ever get enough of Aimee and her sweet, sweet nectar. I buried my tongue in as deep as possible, plunging in and out of her wet core. She didn’t let me down and rewarded me once again with her cream. When she began to writhe against my mouth, I lost it and ravished her with: nose, chin, lips, tongue, and teeth.
She released while she screamed my name, which did nothing more than ramp me up another notch. No, I wasn’t letting her go with only one orgasm. By time I finished, she would be well past spent. The desire to erase all men that’d been here before me was a force to be reckoned with. I intended to make damn sure no other man would ever bring her the pleasure I could. So I dove deep with two fingers, all the while I sucked her tight bundle of nerves at the top of her slit deep into my mouth. I had to hold her hips with my other arm—tight—to keep her from bucking away from the erotic torture. As I growled approval, she screamed again.
“That’s right, little one,” I encouraged. “Let me hear you. Tell me how good it feels.”
“Omigod, Nik. You feel amazing.” Her breath suddenly hitched with a ragged “Y-yes!” Then she squealed, “Just like…that,” while she squirmed to get more friction. Finally, her voice broke on a sob of ecstasy.
Party time.
The action, along with her response, had inflamed me to the point of no return. I was on edge, a hairsbreadth from losing all control. Something I hadn’t done since my first time. Annnnnd that thought began to sober me, bringing me back to the here and now. What was I doing? Tongue fucking the sweetest pussy known to man, dipshit. Yeah, there was that. Before I knew it, I was lost once again between Aimee’s feminine folds. As I devoured her, images of that night at the masquerade began to flash in my mind’s eye. Holy hell, Aimee even sounded the same. Talk about coincidence.
She pulled me from my musing when she pleaded, “Please. Nik, I need you inside me.”
I shook my head. “Uh-huh,” I purred, causing her to come yet again. Oh, hell yeah.
Without any forethought, I arched my hips and came on a guttural grunt. Where I should’ve felt embarrassed, all I could feel was the need to be inside her. The longing to feel her wet heat milk my still semi-erect cock was not something I could ignore any longer. I slid out from underneath her and then turned to caress and kiss her lovely ass, as I worked my way up. She collapsed onto the bed with a delicious whimper of a well pleasured woman.
Unable to fight my grin, I whispered, “I want to be inside you.”
“Mm,” she replied.
But before I could strip off my clothes and bury myself deeply, she was lightly snoring. Maybe I
should’ve been pissed; instead, I curled up next to her while I pulled the blanket up to cover us. I lay on my side just watching her sleep, which brought an ache to my chest I couldn’t name. Although, try as I might, on a soul deep level I had recognized her from the get-go. Why was that? Could this be the woman from the masquerade I had searched high and low for? If so, how? As she nuzzled my chest, I encircled her. My final thought was, I never, ever slept in the same bed with any woman I had gratified. Not since Rachel. Yet for whatever reason, Aimee felt right. I tugged her in closer and inhaled deeply. Mine.
*****
The dream was as vivid as the actual event:
“Give me your hand, Niky.” Rachel beamed while she tugged my free arm over to the slight bump in her belly.
“Oh my God, is that her?” An awe I’d never known before swept through me as I felt my daughter move inside her mother’s womb.
“Uh-huh. Amazing, isn’t it?”
“You could say that again.”
She bit her lip. “Yes, simply amazing.”
I gave her a sidelong glance, not wanting to take my attention from the road for too long. The storm blew in with a fury unlike any I’d seen in the two years I’d lived in the Sierras. I looked back over and held my wife’s gaze as a tear trickled down my cheek. At the same time Celine Dion sang, “Because You Loved Me.” Rachel joined in with her angelic voice and held on to my hand while she serenaded me.
Unable to hide my joy or my love, I teased, “Bit sappy, don’t y’think?”
She wiped the moisture on her cheeks and confessed, “Not at all.” Then she continued to sing.
Grateful for Rachel and our baby girl on the way, I sang right along with her.
All of a sudden, there was a doe standing right there in the middle of the curve. Rachel screamed, “Watch out!”
I swerved and pumped my brakes, but they wouldn’t catch. I tried not to panic, as I continued to hold the slide of the truck. It was no use. Without my brakes, we had too much speed. When we hit a patch of black ice, I lost my hold. The truck pummeled until it hit the huge pine tree. I blinked several times and tried to clear my vision, realizing there was blood running down my face. I looked over to the passenger side and saw my broken wife fighting to breathe. I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned over to her.