Love Him Back

by Kris Nacole

  He pulled my shirt and bra off and threw them on the bench, hot water now flowing over our bare skin. I clenched my thighs and threw my head back as his lips trailed down to my breasts. With my eyes closed, I relished the feeling of his warm lips and tongue exploring my body making me squirm with anticipation.

  Breathing heavily, he eagerly unbuttoned my skirt and peeled it down my legs. I hastily pulled my feet through and kicked it to the side. With my back firmly against the wall, he reached down and grabbed my thighs, lifting my legs, so I could wrap them around his waist.

  “I want to be inside of you,” he growled as he pushed his pelvis into mine.

  With his face in my hands, I kissed him along his cheek to the erogenous spot below his ear and nipped the rim of his earlobe. He moaned deeply and dug his hips into me even more.

  He let go of me and propped both arms on the wall behind me. Without the support, my body slid slowly against his as gravity pulled me down to where my feet were back on the ground. I could feel every inch of his hardness as I descended.

  Deciding I wanted to take control, I spun him around, so his back was against the wall, and I kissed and nipped a path from his neck down to the top of his shorts. Unbuttoning his shorts, I tugged them down his legs, licking trails of kisses along the way. The pronounced V-shaped lines pointed straight down to the area I wanted the most. I lightly traced each line with my fingertips, making him shiver. I wanted so badly to see what was causing the substantial bulge under those boxer-briefs.

  “Alright, screw it,” he said, yanking me out of the steaming shower.

  The cool air prickled my skin as he pulled me toward the bed.

  “Zane, I’m all wet.” I laughed, afraid to ruin his expensive-looking comforter.

  “I was counting on that,” he teased, making me gasp in response as he took off my panties. Finally, I was naked in front of him. Wait. I’m naked in front of him. I grabbed a pillow and covered myself with it.

  “Don’t,” he demanded, grabbing the pillow. “No more covering up your body around me,” he said, making me feel more comfortable in my own skin than I’d ever felt.

  He reached into the bedside drawer, retrieved a foil packet, and threw it on the bed. I swallowed hard. He kissed me and walked me backward until my legs touched the edge of the mattress; then, he eased me back onto the bed.

  I pushed my way up to the top and slid under the cozy comforter. Zane’s eyes never left mine as he slowly crawled up toward me. Every part of my body was aching for him. I was no longer thinking about my insecurities, about how Ian hurt me. I was moving on—letting go of the past and living in the present.

  He slipped under the covers next to me and rolled over, so he was on top. Pushing my legs open with his knee, he settled his hips between my thighs. Then he bent down to kiss me, softer than it had been in the shower, yet still demanding. I could tell he’d been serious when he’d said he liked to be in control.

  His tongue tangled with mine, and he sucked gently on the tip. A moan escaped with my breath. I wanted more. I loved the way he tasted. Sucking his bottom lip into my mouth, I bit it indulgently.

  Two can play this game.

  He groaned and then sat up to take his underwear off. I watched as every muscle flexed on his body. Stopping for a moment, he looked at me with such adoration I thought my heart was going to explode.

  “Are you sure you want this?” he asked.

  “I’ve never felt more confident about anything in my life. I want this. I want you. All of you,” I said, in a pleading tone.

  Zane moved me in ways I’d never experienced. We could never be close enough. Even now, I wanted more. I had a feeling I would always want more with him...

  He took the foil packet in his hands then tore it open. My heart quickened. I was feeling light-headed as he took the condom from the package and tossed the foil to the floor. Every nerve inside of me stung with anticipation as he touched himself and rolled it down.

  My body trembled as he settled between my legs and entered me slowly. Grabbing the sheets with both hands, I closed my eyes, moaned passionately, and arched my back, wanting to savor every moment.

  “Look at me, Chesney,” he said, catching my attention. “Open your eyes.”

  His demand turned me on even more. And as I opened them, I gazed into his eyes and saw so much depth my breath caught. The hard exterior he’d worked so hard to build was definitely crumbling. He was letting me in.

  The moment I realized he’d let his guard down was the moment I realized I’d truly fallen in love with him.

  I wanted so badly to be exclusive and for him to love me back, to fall for me, too. There was something about him that made me crave more. Not just sexually, but emotionally, as well. When I was with him it was pure, raw emotion. Apparently we were both done fighting it. What we had was real. In some ways, Zane was changing me. Healing me, even.

  And I knew I’d never be the same again.

  A SMILE CROSSED MY LIPS as I awakened thinking about last night. Rolling over in bed, it hit me…

  Holy shit, Chesney slept in my bed!

  But the spot next to me was empty. Where was she?

  Quickly jumping out of bed, I threw on some shorts and headed for the kitchen where I found her standing there. Cooking breakfast.

  Oh no.

  If I thought I was in trouble before, it was nothing compared to seeing her in my kitchen wearing nothing but one of my favorite t-shirts.

  “Good morning.” She grinned up at me.

  She tugged on the bottom hem of the shirt. “I hope this is okay. My clothes are still wet, and I needed something to wear.”

  Okay…was it okay?

  I think the better question was ‘was I gonna be okay?’

  “Sure. No problem.” With my shoulder against the wall, I propped myself up and watched her.

  I didn’t think it was possible to be more turned on than I was last night, but man, was I wrong. She looked mouthwatering standing there with her flush cheeks and nervous smile.

  She turned and reached up into the cabinet to grab some glasses, and I could see she was definitely not wearing any underwear. I had to bite back a groan.

  “Ahem. Do you wanna help me?” She raised her eyebrows expectantly as she stirred the eggs and then pulled two pieces of toast out of the toaster.

  Walking over, I stood behind her and slid my arms around her waist. “Smells delicious,” I whispered into her ear.

  I placed my hand on top of hers as she stirred the scrambled eggs in the pan. She stilled for a moment, and then she shivered. Rubbing her arms gently, I could feel the goosebumps prickling on her skin. I was about to come unglued if she kept this up.

  She wiggled her body against mine and turned to face me. Wrapping both arms around her, I leaned in and gave her a kiss. She tugged on my bottom lip with her teeth and whispered, “I bet it tastes delicious.” She pulled away and walked over to set the table.

  I shook my head and chuckled. “Oh, I know for a fact it tastes delicious,” I said, making her blush, again. She looked up at me with those bright, brown eyes and bit her lip bashfully. “You’re evil, Chesney, pure evil,” I said, laughing as I went over to join her.

  We sat and talked for about an hour at breakfast. It was nice getting to know the real Zane and see how carefree he could be when nobody else was around. He looked so uptight and unhappy at times, but not now. Not with me.

  He’d told me about his mom, dad, brother, and sister who all lived back in California. As the baby of the family, Zane was really close to his siblings. I loved hearing stories about them since I was an only child. It was obvious family was important to him. His face would light up just talking about them.

  “Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able to meet your brother and sister. If they’re as awesome as you are, then they have to be pretty cool,” I said, taking a bite of my eggs to stop my lips from moving.

  He nearly choked on his orange juice after the words left my mouth.
>
  Oh gosh, did I really just talk about meeting his family?

  Luckily, he played it off and didn’t make a big deal about it. “Oh, I’m the coolest sibling, for sure, but they’re a close second and third to me,” he said with a grin. I sat back in my chair and relaxed.

  When his phone rang, he got up to answer it, and I walked over to load the dishes into the dishwasher. A part of me wondered if the call was one of the many girls he’d been hooking up with. We weren’t dating, so technically he could do whatever—or whomever—he wanted. Maybe I was just going to be another hookup for him, too. All of the color drained from my face and tears began to well in my eyes. I blinked the tears away and tried to think of something else.

  After he hung up, his face was serious. “Hey, Chesney. I have to go into work. We’ve been recalled. I’m sorry, but I have to take you home now.”

  Great, recalled. The military was so unpredictable. Being called into work with little or no notice was commonplace.

  As he went to get his uniform on, I wiped down the counter and the stove then went to grab my still-damp clothes.

  My breath caught when I walked in and saw him in his uniform. Even though I’d seen him in uniform before, this time was different. The man standing before me was stunning. The best part was I no longer had to imagine what was under that uniform.

  I cleared my throat and glanced down at his t-shirt I was wearing. “Zane, I’m sorry, but my clothes are not dried.” I held up a pair of his shorts I’d grabbed off of the pile of folded clothes on the dresser. “Can I wear this home, and I’ll wash them and return them later?”

  It was kind of embarrassing that I was still standing there in his baggy t-shirt with him looking so sharp in his uniform. I looked like a hot mess. Well, maybe not the hot part.

  “No. You have to go naked,” he said with a sexy grin. “Of course, you can. It’ll give me another reason to come see you again.” He winked and walked by me, slapping me hard on my ass, making me jump.

  I was a little disappointed that our time was cut short, but as always with the military, duty called. He did say he’d see me again, so I guess I had to trust that.

  “YOU LOOK SMOKIN’ HOT CHESNEY!” Ashley squealed as she looked at me in my short, black dress with red heels.

  Dresses weren’t my thing. I usually didn’t wear them, except for special occasions, but I wanted to dress up and ditch the cowboy boots tonight.

  “Thanks. Are you sure it isn’t too much for a dorm party?” I asked reluctantly.

  Earlier, she had invited me out to a party. Since Zane hadn’t made any plans with me, I’d said yes. Maybe I was feeling a little insecure about where we stood, but either way, I decided I wasn’t letting him keep me from having fun. And I wasn’t going to wait around for him all night either.

  “No! It’s perfect!” She grinned and dragged me out the door.

  Collins was throwing the party. When we arrived, the entire second floor balcony was packed with people. His room was so full that I understood why so many of the partygoers had moved outside. Music was blaring, and I wondered how long it would take for security forces to come shut this thing down.

  “Greene! Ward! You made it!” Collins yelled as he saw us walk up. “Damn, you girls look hot!” He stalked toward us.

  “Been drinking much, Collins?” I laughed.

  “Nah. Okay, maybe just a little.” He threw his arms around our shoulders and ushered us inside his room. “Make yourselves at home. Grab a beer and mingle away.” He tripped over his own feet as he turned to talk to a short blond.

  Poor guy. I’m sure that’ll get him laid. I laughed.

  “I’m gonna go get a drink. You want anything?” Ashley asked, walking into the kitchen area of Collins’ room.

  “Sure, surprise me,” I said back when a guy with dark hair and dark eyes stumbled up behind me.

  “Hey there, sexy. I’m Liam. What’s a girl like you doing here by herself?” He grabbed my hips.

  I wiggled away, and my heart pounded. “Do I know you?”

  “No, but I know you want to,” he slurred, licking his lips and bending down as if he were going to kiss me. The smell of cigarettes and beer on his breath made my stomach churn.

  Creep.

  “Come on, darlin’, I won’t tell. We can leave right now and head to my room.” He started pulling on my wrist.

  Was this guy serious?

  “I don’t think so.” I yanked away from him, trying not to take him seriously. The guy was drunk.

  Once again, my past was haunting me. Ian’s face flashed through my mind. His angry eyes staring down on me as he grabbed my wrist and threw me to the floor. My chest tightened. I could feel the color drain from my face.

  Air, I need air.

  “Here, Chesney, I got you a hard lemonade. Your favorite,” Ashley said as she handed the drink to me.

  Liam gave me a sloppy grin. “Chesney, a sexy name for a sexy woman.”

  Ashley eyed the two of us. “Everything okay here?”

  Trying to make the best of it and not have a panic attack in front of everyone, I scooted away from him and headed for the door. “Yeah, I’m okay. Let’s go outside. I need some fresh air.”

  On our way out, I heard Liam holler, “See ya around, Chesney.” I didn’t turn to look at him, but the way he said my name made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

  “That guy was creepy,” Ashley said as we walked outside to join the group.

  “So you noticed,” I replied, laughing it off. “Let’s dance.”

  Trying to concentrate at work was a bitch. I kept thinking about last night and how Chesney’s body felt under mine. Just remembering her face while we had sex had me hard. Good thing I was sitting in a chair behind a table, so no one could see.

  In the past with a woman, it’d been more about me and my needs. With Chesney, things were different. Last night I didn’t care about myself, I just wanted to make her feel good and watch her come unglued.

  Jones entered the conference room and sat down beside me. “Hey man, what’s up with you lately? You’ve just disappeared outside of work.”

  Weston Jones, or Sergeant Jones, was my best friend. He was like a brother to me. We’d been on two deployments together, and both times we’d saved each other’s asses more than once. I knew he’d always have my back no matter what. He knew me probably better than my own siblings did.

  I turned toward him. Thank goodness my excitement had subsided. “I don’t know, man. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. This girl I met has really gotten under my skin.” I crossed my arms on the table in front of me.

  His eyes widened, and he looked at me curiously. “Dude, what the hell?”

  “Yeah, I know.” I shook my head. “I’m as shocked about it as you are.” I took a breath. “Jones, she slept in my bed last night,” I blurted, then dropped my head.

  “Wait, what?” His eyes widened, and he sat forward in his chair.

  “Yeah man, I’m not even joking. No couch for her.” It was hard for me to admit that it happened because I’d wanted it to—not by accident.

  “Oh, this is classic,” Jones said, laughing hysterically.

  “Dude, really?” I scoffed. “It’s not funny.”

  “I’m sorry, man. It’s just that this is blowing my mind right now.” He leaned forward even more and placed his hands on the table. “Look, I used to be a player like you until I met Aribella.” He hesitated briefly.

  Player. I groaned internally at the word. I wouldn’t call myself a player—just a man who liked having options. I wasn’t a player because each woman knew up front that I didn’t do relationships. I’d never lied or led them on.

  At the name of his wife, he got serious. “Sometimes a woman makes you change your ways. Stop fighting so hard and let it happen. It killed me to admit I’d fallen in love with Ari, but since I did, I’ve never once regretted it. Give this girl a chance. She has to be something special to be able to handle your controlling
ass.” He gave me a cocky grin. “Besides, look at it this way—now we can double date. Ari would love that.” At that, he laughed.

  I couldn’t help but laugh along. “Thanks for always finding a way you can benefit from my problems, asshat.”

  “No, but really, Thomas, you’re not getting any younger. Not every woman is like your crazy ass ex, either,” he said, standing up from his chair. “I think we’re all done. Let me go ask, so we can get the hell outta here. I’m ready to go home and have crazy monkey sex with my wife.”

  I chuckled as he left.

  Maybe he was right. Maybe I could do this with her. Damn it would be so hard, but I’d rather swallow my pride and have Chesney in my life than risk losing her forever.

  I could barely hear my phone ringing in my purse. Pulling it out, I saw that it was Zane, and a feeling of relief rolled over me. “Hey you,” I crooned into the phone.

  “Hey yourself,” Zane said in his sexy deep voice.

  “What’re you doing?” I asked.

  “Getting ready to leave work. I was going to stop by to see you for a while. Why is it so loud? Where are you?” His playful tone disappeared, and he sounded annoyed.

  “Sorry, I’m at a dorm party two dorms down from mine. I’m outside, but it’s still kind of loud. Of course, you can come by.”

  “You have to be careful at dorm parties, Chesney,” he said, now sounding a bit angry. “Who are you with?”

  I frowned, feeling annoyed. He had no right to treat me like a child. “I’m a big girl, Zane. I can take care of myself. I came with Ashley.”

  He paused, so I broke the silence. “Anyway, when will you be at my dorm, so I can make sure I’m there?”

  “Ten minutes.”

  “Okay, I’ll leave now. See you soon.” I hung up the phone, not wanting to deal with his big brother act but also not wanting to ruin a night with him.

  Trying to find Ashley in the sea of people was nearly impossible, so I sent her a quick text to let her know I was going home.