“Tate is wonderful, sweetheart. After he saw you arrive home safe and sound, he was excited to go to Sylvie’s for a few days. He was worried you would try to do too much if they were home.” I smile and feel it in my heart. Even little Tate is worried about me.
“Then, what made you so upset?” I ask him, seeing nothing but pain in his eyes.
One tear, then two, falls down his lovely face. “I’m so sorry, Lanie. I keep failing you. I want to be the one you can count on, the one you can lean on, and I keep failing you. You keep getting hurt because of me.”
“Dex, you can’t be serious? Nothing that has happened to me has been your fault.” I tell him, shocked by the emotion I see in his face.
“I should have been there yesterday. I should have been with you so he couldn’t ambush you like that,” his words are angry. He’s angry at himself.
“There is no way you could have known he would be there. It was a coincidence that he took advantage of. If he was out to get me, he would have found me at a grocery store or the school parking lot. For whatever reason, he was at the pool, saw me, and took advantage of an opportunity,” I try to reason.
“An opportunity that I allowed,” Dex’s voice rises in volume. “Had I just been with you, you wouldn’t be here in pain.”
“Dex, you have to stop thinking this way. I don’t blame you for this, and you can’t either. You won’t be helping any of us if you do.” I say truthfully.
Staring up at me with a vulnerability that reminds me of Tate, he moves to lay his head in my lap. When he is settled, he asks with a trembling voice, “Are you going to leave?”
I feel like a thousand-pound weight just hit my chest. “No, Dex. I’m not going to leave. I can’t promise what will happen when our contract is up, but this will not make me run,” I say, shocking myself with that truth.
He exhales an audible breath, I find myself running the fingers of my able hand through his hair. When have I ever given and received comfort like this? When have I ever felt safe and content in the presence of a man like this? Never, Lanie. You’ve never had this before.
Turning to face me, he grins. “Lanie, you swore, out loud.”
“I guess I did.”
Is that one more demon this man is helping me slay?
“No one messes with my Tate—mother or not,” I tell him, wondering if it might be possible to break free from my past after all.
“I love you, Lanie. We are lucky to have you.” I’m not able to speak, so I don’t, and we both eventually fall asleep.
“Lanie? What do you think you’re doing?” Dex asks, alarmed.
“I need to take a bath, Dex, I feel gross,” I tell him, trying to make my way to the bathroom.
Coming up behind me, he grabs my breast, “You feel anything but gross, sweetheart,” he says in that low, sexy voice of his.
Argh, this damn arm. I’ve never felt horny before, but since experiencing Dexter Cross, sex with him is the only thing I seem to think about.
“Seriously, Dex. I need to get cleaned up,” I tell him. Without missing a beat, Dex takes off his shirt and pants, standing beside me in navy blue boxer briefs.
Holy shit, he is so hot.
“Then I’ll help you,” he says with a grin.
Giving him a skeptical look, he holds up his arms in mock defense.
“Lanie, you’re going to need help. You’re telling me you can wash all that hair with one hand?”
I groan because I know he’s right.
With a wicked grin, he turns to me with a husky voice, “Alright, sweetheart, let's get you naked.” He watches me because he knows I’ll shiver at his words and like a Pavlovian dog, I do. Turning away from me, he draws the bath.
I’ve been wearing Dexter’s button-up shirts because they are the easiest thing to get on and off. Once he has undone all the buttons, he ever so gently slides it down my arms, one at a time. “Come on, I’ll help you step in so you don’t lose your balance,” he tells me.
Usually, I would hate feeling like an invalid, but for some reason, here, with Dex, it makes me feel cherished. Once I’m in, Dex guides me to the bench in the tub big enough for six people.
“Why do you have a bathtub this big anyway?” I ask him.
Shrugging, he tells me, “It came with the house. It’s never been used before now.”
Stepping out of his boxer briefs and into the water, I eye him curiously. I’m not entirely sure how he plans for this to go. I should have known he would have a plan, though. Sloshing through the water on his knees, he reaches over the side to grab a loofah and some shower gel. It smells like lilacs.
“Have you always had lilac scented shower gel?” I ask him playfully.
“No, Lanie. I have not, this was purchased just for you,” he says seriously. My playfulness vanishes as I look him up and down in the water. “Lanie, don’t stare at me like that. What did you expect? We are in a bathtub together, naked, you can’t seriously think I’ll be able to control him with you sitting there looking at him like that.”
I’m not sure what to say, so I just watch as he moves in the water, his cock thick and long, bobbing around the tub as angry as I’ve ever seen it. Dex comes closer and gently runs the loofah over my injured arm, carefully gliding it across my collar bone, and down my right arm. My breathing is becoming more labored as I stare up into Dexter’s eyes.
“O-oh Lanie, don’t look at me like that,” Dex says, closing his eyes and aiming his face towards the ceiling. I can’t help but mess with him a little.
“Like what, Dex?” I ask coyly just before I reach out with my good hand and wrap it around his base. The groan that erupts starts in his belly, working its way up to his chest until it rumbles out his throat.
“Good Lord, Lanie. You have to stop,” he says, placing a hand over mine.
Instead of stopping my movements, though, he guides them, showing me the pace he prefers. For a few minutes, he allows me to stroke him, right until he is about to lose control, then he backs up out of my reach. Looking at me, he laughs at the pout I’m sure is appearing on my face. “I have to get you cleaned up, sweetheart, remember?”
Reaching behind me, he grabs a shower hose I hadn’t noticed. Turning it on, he starts to wet my long blonde hair. Walking behind me to sit on the ledge I was resting on, he straddles my body. My back to his front, I’m resting between his legs. Feeling the cold gel of shampoo being squeezed onto my head, followed by strong fingers massaging my scalp, I moan. I cannot control the sounds coming out of me. Unless you have ever had your scalp massaged by thick, sexy fingers, don’t judge.
After a few moments, I feel him lean into me. “Lanie, if you keep making those noises, I am going to come all over your back.”
I suck in a breath, letting it hiss out my teeth. He takes the hose, again rinsing out my hair. Once clean, he adds the conditioner and comes back to kneel in front of me. Reaching for my leg, he runs his hand from my ankle to my thigh. Just when I think he’s going to touch me there, he places my leg back in the tub.
Turning to grab something on the sink, I get the perfect shot of his ass. I never thought I would be attracted to an ass, it’s an ass after all, but good Lord, his is perfect.
“Did you get a good enough peek, Lanie?” He asks, making eye contact with me in the mirror.
Shit, he totally just caught me ogling his ass.
Leaning down to whisper in my ear, he says, “It’s okay, sweetheart, I love looking at your ass too.”
He starts to lather my leg with shaving cream.
“What are you doing?” I shriek.
“I’m taking care of you, Lanie. All of you.”
Mesmerized, I watch him as he gently runs the blade of his razor from my ankle to my knee, then starts the path all over again. With my lower legs complete, he takes my ankle and lifts it to rest on the edge of the bathtub. It is not lost on me that, in this position, I am completely and totally open to him. By the heated smile in his eyes, he isn’t missing it eit
her.
Gently, he lathers my upper leg, moving it how he pleases to shave whatever he deems is in need. On his last pass, he grazes my pussy with his knuckles and we both groan.
“Dex, please,’ I beg with a voice hardly recognizable as my own.
“What, Lanie? What do you need?” His nose grazes the side of mine.
“I need you, Dex. Please, I need to feel you,” not at all shy about the need emanating from me.
On a low groan, he speaks, “Lanie, we can’t, I’ll hurt you. We have to wait for your arm to heal.”
“I can’t wait, Dex. Please,” I look for my reflection, not entirely sure the person begging for this man right now is me.
“Fuck, Lanie, do you know what it does to me when I hear you beg for me like that?”
He pulls away, searching the bathroom. His eyes are slightly crazed, which makes me laugh. I know his brain is working overtime, trying to find a solution that will allow him to touch me without hurting my arm.
“Stand up,” he commands, and I do so without hesitation.
He quickly rinses the conditioner from my hair, wraps me in a towel, and carries me to the foot of his bed. Once I’m on my feet, he makes quick work of drying me, his knuckles once again grinding lightly where I need release. He then places me on his bed.
“We cannot have sex, Lanie,” he says, sounding wounded. “Not until your shoulder is more stable, but if you can keep it still, in your sling, I will take care of you,” his words are filled with dark promises.
Not understanding what he means, I say, “You always take care of me, Dex. I want you to touch me.”
“Lanie,” my name a painful groan. When he speaks again, it is torturously slow. “When I say I’ll take care of you, it means in every way. Emotionally, he kisses my temple. Physically, his hand tweaks my nipple, rolling it leisurely. Mentally, he licks a line from the base of my neck to my earlobe, where he bites down gently, making me squirm. And sexually, Lanie. Lay back and let me take care of you, sexually.” He all but growls.
Once he has me supported on both sides with pillows, he makes good on his word. “Do you want my hands, Lanie? My lips? My tongue?”
Unable to choose one, I simply reply, “Yes,” making him chuckle.
“Your wish is my command, sweetheart. Hang on.” Slowly, he makes his way down my body. Sucking my right nipple in his mouth, he uses his tongue to flick the hardening peak. “Oh, sweetheart,” he moans against my skin. “I can’t get to your other tit tonight because of your arm, looks like this one here is going to get all the attention,” he tells me devilishly.
“Th-that’s okay,” I pant.
Dex smirks against my heated skin. He releases my breast with an audible pop and kisses down my scars. True to his word, he does this every chance he gets, and I notice that I cringe less each time he does. Reaching my hip bone, he nips it with his teeth, making me squeak.
“Stay still, sweetheart. We can’t do this if you’re moving, I’m afraid we’ll hurt your arm.” He runs his nose along my pubic bone, inhaling deeply, and I blush, everywhere. I try to twist away but he gives me a warning growl.
“Stay still! Got it?” I stupidly give him a thumbs up with my one working hand and want to smack myself. He laughs and lowers his mouth to my mound.
“Oh, Dex.”
“You like this, Lanie?” he asks, his warm breath adding extra sensations to my swollen nub. Reaching up with one long arm, he finds my nipple without even trying. He rolls my nipple in time with his tongue.
“Yes, yes, yes, I love it, I love…” I break off quickly, realizing what I was about to say.
Dex smiles like he knows what almost slipped out and roughly sucks my clit between his teeth. With methodical movements, he flicks, licks, and rolls my clit with his tongue. He knows when I am about ready to explode, and he backs off, once, then twice.
“Dex, please, not again, I need to come. Please…” I’m saying when he goes all in.
“Fuck me, Lanie, you taste so damn good,” he says while lapping at all my nectar.
I feel the stubble of his chin against my core, his face moving side to side against my most sensitive area. Slowly, Dex strokes me with his fingers while his tongue does wicked things to my clit.
Spreading me, Dex slides a finger into my heat. Making eye contact, I decide I’ve never seen anything so erotic. Smiling up at me, he asks, “Do you trust me, Lanie?”
I don’t have to think, “Yes, yes, I trust you.”
“Stay still, sweetheart, and relax,” he tells me.
I’m not sure how I could be more relaxed, but then I feel pressure at the entrance to a hole I wasn’t expecting. “Dex,” I tense.
“Shh, Lanie, just trust me. I won’t hurt you,” he promises.
Lying as still as I can, Dex continues to lick and suck, moving his magical fingers in and out of me when I feel the pressure again.
“Just relax, Lanie, let me in,” he says.
His tongue flicks my clit, and I feel my stomach fluttering, I know I’m close. His fingers are working my pussy at a pace I can’t keep up with. Propping my head to watch his mouth on my clit, he gives me a naughty grin just as he slips the tip of his other finger into my ass. The carnal sensations overwhelm me. Pleasure I have never known ripples through every inch of my body and I erupt, hurtling through space.
I know he said not to move but holy fucking hell. It’s too much, all the stimulation at once. My arm could be broken in a hundred places, and I wouldn’t feel anything but this wonderful man currently fucking me with his mouth. I’m panting and screaming incoherently. My body goes taut, my thighs are shaking. He doesn’t stop until he has drawn every last spasm out of me with his naughty mouth.
Crawling up my body, kissing a path, he finally lands on my lips and asks, “Do you taste yourself, Lanie? Do you see how we taste together? Your pussy on my lips?”
I almost come again just from his words. “Oh Mylanta, Dex. How? How does it keep getting better and better?”
“That’s the way it's supposed to be, baby.” He says, lying down beside me, taking my hand in his and kissing across my knuckles with one hand, his other gliding over my sensitive flesh.
If that’s true, I don’t know I’ll survive another round with this man.
“Wait, Dex,” I say, trying to sit up, but he holds me down.
“Don’t move,” he tells me, kissing everywhere he can reach. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“But what about you?” I ask self-consciously.
Kissing my forehead, he whispers, “We have plenty of time for that, Lanie. Tonight, I just wanted to take care of you. I’ll be fine, watching you come like that is my new favorite activity.”
Sliding in as close as he can get to me without fear of hitting my arm, we both fall into a peaceful sleep.
Dex
Chapter 31
MLM Tactical Group
Dexter: Day 190, I have the perfect costumes for Lanie and me. Date 190 (trick-or-treating) and 191 (costume party) will be epic. Pictures to follow.
Trevor: Dude, you know we love you, but we have been getting these messages for 190 days STRAIGHT, multiple times a day.
Preston: If this keeps up, I might be forced to block you.
Julia: How long do you plan to keep this up?
Dexter: As long as it takes.
Julia: And is there a reason you text us your plan and review every single day?
Dexter: Yes. I’m saving them all in Google.doc. When the time comes, they will all be printed in a book for Lanie. I know she will have to come to terms with everything before we can truly move forward. When that happens, I want her to have a reminder of all our days together. I don’t want to leave any room for her to forget how much I love her.
Julia: …
Trevor: …
Preston: Damn, man. If you set the bar this high, us mere mortals will never measure up.
Julia: Thanks a lot, dickhead. You got me to cry. I don’t cry, ever.
&nb
sp; “Lanie? Are you home?” I yell as I walk through the front doors headed toward the kitchen.
“We are in the playroom,” she answers. “I’m helping Tate with his costume.”
Entering the playroom, I see Tate standing there in a full astronaut costume. Lanie spent the past two days making it after he changed his mind at the last minute. “I can’t believe you made this, Lanie. It’s incredible,” I tell her.
“Isn’t it awesome, Dad,” Tate screeches. “No one is going to have a costume like this one. I bet I win the best costume award, don’t ya think?” He is so excited he is bouncing all around the room while Lanie patiently follows him, trying to add the final touches.
“It is awesome, buddy. Lanie did an amazing job, I hope you’ve thanked her, I happen to know she has been up very late the last couple of nights to get this finished.”
Running from the room, he whizzes past me and is back before I can comprehend what is happening.
“I did, Dad, see? I did,” he is waving something around in his hand, but he is moving so fast I can’t see it.
“Hold still, buddy, what is that? What did you make?” He stops bouncing for a second to hand me a card.
“It’s my thank you card to Lanie, I told her thank you, thank you, thank you. Then I told her I love her so much and this is the best Halloween I’ve ever had.”
Opening the card, I see that is precisely what he did. Fatherly pride consumes me. “I see, Tate. I’m so proud of you, buddy. This was a lovely thing you did for Lanie. I’m sure she appreciates it a lot.”
Nodding so fast, I have whiplash just watching him go back to bouncing while talking to me, making poor Lanie contort on the floor to get his left pant leg.
“She does, Dad, she does. She already asked me to hang it on her wall so she can see it every day. She even cried, I might make one every day, so Lanie gets so used to them she won’t cry anymore,” lowering his voice to a whisper he says, “I don’t like it when she cries.”
Cross My Heart: A Waverley-Cay Novel Page 22