When he finally stepped out of his black boxer briefs, his last remaining item of clothing, he licked his lips and wrapped his fist around his long hard shaft. In the low light, I could make out the shimmery wetness on his tip and a shiver raced down my spine. I did that to him.
Or rather, what he’d done to me had. Whatever the technicalities, I had been involved and I loved seeing the evidence of how much he wanted me.
Feeling bold and wanton, I sat up and whipped my dress over my head, throwing it into the depths of the darkness beyond his bed. In only my bra, I sat up on my knees and beckoned him over.
Cyrus muttered a string of curses but came to me as if I had him tied to the other end of a string I was holding. He walked over to me and got on his knees, the mattress dipping and moving as he did.
I had plans for what I wanted to do to him now, but his big hands cupped my face as soon as he was near enough, and he pulled me in for a deep kiss as he pressed his hard body to mine. We made out just like that, both on our knees on his bed as we devoured each other and touched wherever we could before he finally lay down on his back and brought me with him.
“Ride me, baby. I want to watch you come all over my cock as many times as you can.” His voice was so rough that the need in it was almost palpable.
Moaning as I tugged my lip between my teeth, my head fell back and I wasn’t even on him yet.
“Yeah,” Cyrus grunted. “Just like that, only I want you to do it on top of me.”
“Smartass,” I mumbled, but I couldn’t really muster any heat behind the words. I was too far gone to care about his smart mouth, except of course for whatever dirty things were going to spill from his lips next. “Condom?”
“Nightstand.”
Surprisingly, the box I found was still closed. I didn’t want to think about it right now, though, so I just tore it open as fast as I could, extracted one of the ragged-edged packages, and bit it open before rolling the latex down his length.
As I sank down on him, my hands found my breasts and I pinched my nipples as I heard him moaning beneath me. His muscles were tense and his jaw was clenched so tightly, I’d have thought he was filled with red-hot rage if I hadn’t known it was red-hot lust instead.
Encouraged by his expression and the feel of him stretching me out and filling me up in the best way, my hips started moving and didn’t stop until I was falling apart around him just like he’d told me to.
“Fuck, Luna. Baby. Yes. Fuck.” Cyrus gripped my thighs in a vise, his voice strained before I felt him pulse deep inside me. His entire body shook and his eyes screwed shut as his neck arched.
Sexiest view ever.
I collapsed on top of him when my muscles relaxed, staying like that until he finally rolled us over.
He kissed my forehead, then hovered above me. “I’m just going to go get cleaned up. Be back in a minute.”
After taking care of the condom, he came back to bed and arranged us so I was lying against his side.
“I didn’t get to see much of it, but your house looks awesome,” I said when my breathing finally returned to normal and my heart no longer felt like it was flying out of my chest. “Want to give me a tour?”
Cyrus shook his head against the pillow. I felt more than saw the movement from where I was cradled with my head in the crook of his neck. I was using his arm as a pillow, but the bottom of his actual pillow rested against the top of my head.
“Let’s do it in the morning. I’m really not in the mood to get up right now.” He burrowed deeper into his mattress and draped his dark charcoal sheets over our naked bodies.
I looked up at him, his strong profile illuminated only by the moonlight filtering in between his bamboo blinds. “Do you mean you want me to sleep here?”
“Sure. If you haven’t got any other plans, why not? I mean, I’ll take you home if you really want to go, but you need to tell me soon. I’m about to fall asleep.”
“No, it’s fine. Go to sleep. I’ll get the tour in the morning. Then I’ll go home.” I felt his breathing even out a minute later, but I didn’t fall asleep quite as fast.
Instead, I let my mind drift to the day we’d had together, to everything I’d learned about him and the events that had led us to sleeping in his bed together. I wasn’t entertaining any delusions about what this may mean or whether he’d changed his mind, though.
Cyrus was very vocal about what he wanted, and it wasn’t a relationship. What we had together was fun, and I wasn’t going to let his willingness to have a sleepover blur those lines for me.
Just because I was a romantic didn’t mean I was naïve. Cyrus was a good guy underneath all the asshole. It felt like he was becoming a friend and the benefits weren’t bad either. I couldn’t start thinking that he was going to become anything more than that, and besides, all that was more than enough for me.
For now anyway.
When it ever stopped being enough, that would be the day I walked away.
Chapter 18
Cyrus
Luna stirred in my arms, a slight smile on her lips even in sleep. God, she’s beautiful.
She lay on her side, facing me with her pitch-black hair spread out over the pillow and comforter behind her. Her legs were entwined with mine and one of her arms rested over my abdomen.
Not wanting to wake her and still too lazy to move anyway, I rested my head back on my pillow.
In between watching her sleep and relishing having her in my bed, I made mental notes of everything I had to get done today.
There were no meetings on my calendar, but I had several ventures to check in on and a few others who had sent proposals I needed to sift through. None of it was too pressing, though, so I also ran through my kitchen inventory and wondered what we could make for breakfast.
Before I reached a decision, Luna’s eyes blinked open. She stretched out like a cat, lazily pressing her breasts into the air and lifting one arm high above her head. For a beat, confusion marred her brow and then she remembered where she was.
“Good morning,” she said, her voice thick and scratchy from sleep. She slid a hand under her cheek and brought her eyes to mine. “Have you been awake for long? You should have just kicked me in the shin or something to wake me up.”
“I’ve only been awake a few minutes,” I assured her, dipping my head down to catch her lips in a soft kiss.
She kissed me back, obviously not minding morning breath so much either. “Good morning to you, too.”
Chuckling as she sat up and rubbed her eyes, she looked around the room. “What’s the time? I should probably get ready to leave.”
“Not yet.” I wound my arms around her waist and put my head down in her lap, facing up. “I owe you a tour of the place, right? I’m also pretty sure I can manage to rustle something up for breakfast.”
Looking down at me, her long lashes fanned out over her cheeks from this angle. “So you cuddle and you make breakfast? You’re terrible at this one-night-stand thing. Aren’t you supposed to kick me out before I’ve even had a chance to open my eyes properly?”
“One problem with that. It isn’t a one-night thing. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten our first time already?” I smirked and reached for the soft skin of her inner thigh. “I’d be happy to jog your memory.”
She squealed when my fingers tickled her, and wormed her way out from underneath me. “I may not know what the time is, but if you’re serious about breakfast and a tour, I don’t think we have time for memory jogging this morning. Sadly.”
“Okay then.” I shrugged one shoulder against the warm mattress before rolling over. “Your loss. Up and at ‘em it is.”
Luna grabbed my shirt from the floor, slipped it on, waited for me to grab a pair of pajama pants from my dresser, and motioned for me to lead the way. I paused at the door, eyes raking over her bare legs and my shirt covering up her curves. “You look sexy as fuck in that. It’s really not fair, considering you just told me we don’t have time for another round
.”
Laughing as she ran her hands up and down the length of her torso, she batted her eyelashes. “What? This old thing? I guess I could go shower and cover up properly before breakfast if you insist.”
“Don’t you dare.” I grabbed her hand and led her out of the room before she could make good on her threat. “Stop talking crazy. I enjoy starting my Mondays with a case of blue balls.”
“In that case, remind me to shimmy later. Unless twerking is more your thing? Personally, I don’t think it’s super sexy, but I’m happy to help you start your week out right, however you prefer.”
I groaned. “Trust me. None of those extras are necessary.”
We stepped out of the hallway into the main room and she stopped dead in her tracks, pulling me to a halt as well.
“This is the billionaire’s version of a bachelor pad then, huh?” she asked as her eyes tracked around the room. “A TV half the size of my bed, couches, a bar and one rug.”
“It’s one hell of a rug,” I said, eyeing the navy blue and light gray monstrosity that covered a generous portion of my open-plan living area.
The bar, TV room, dining room, and kitchen were separated only by weight-bearing pillars placed evenly throughout the room. Jenny had insisted that I needed something to give the place some warmth and, when she saw the rug, had declared that it would be a great start.
“It is. I feel like the gray floors and white walls would have felt a bit stark without it.” Luna gave me a playful nudge with her foot. “Tell me, is there a Bachelors-are-us store somewhere that sells these dark leather couches and giant TVs?”
“Yeah, there’s one right around the corner actually. You should pop in sometime. They have great specials on hardwood bar counters and stools.”
She laughed, the light and melodic sound amplified by my high ceilings and lack of general decor.
Peter had helped me choose some artwork shortly after I’d moved in and there were mirrors with thick black frames that had been here when I bought the place, but other than that, the walls were bare.
One entire wall was made of stackable glass doors and opened up onto a large balcony. Luna headed toward it, trailing her fingers just about an inch away from the glass as she walked from one side to the other.
“Is that a hot tub out there?” She shot me a look over her shoulder, eyes lit with excitement and maybe a little bit of heat again. “Can we try it sometime?”
“If we do, it’ll be the first time it gets used since I bought this place.”
“Really?” She frowned, wrapping a lock of loose hair around a finger and twisting it absently. “Why?”
I shrugged. “I'm just not a big fan.”
“But you’ve got such a beautiful view. I mean there’s the city, park, and water. What could be better than relaxing in your private hot tub with a cold drink on a warm summer night?”
“Uh.” I flicked my finger toward the air conditioning unit. “Lying on the couch underneath that with a cold drink in my hand. No water, no humidity.”
“Do you have zero sense of adventure?” She turned away from the window and came to stand in front of me. Instead of putting her hands on my chest, purring, or attempting any of the other methods of seduction I’d been treated to the morning after, she simply crossed her arms.
With her eyes on mine, she seemed to contemplate something before holding out a pinky finger to me. “If you and I are still friends by the time summer is in full swing, we’re having a beer under the stars in that hot tub.”
I linked my finger with hers, even though I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been made to pinky swear on something, and added a condition of my own. “Fine, but only if you’re naked for the duration of our dip.”
Her lips parted in surprise and I practically saw the objections running through her mind before she shrugged. “Only if you’re naked too and all the lights are off.”
My hands snaked around her hips and I tugged her closer to me. “Now who doesn’t have a sense of adventure?”
“There’s a difference between having a sense of adventure and becoming an exhibitionist. I mean, to each their own, but that’s just not my kink.”
I freed the lock of hair she was still toying with and wrapped it around my own finger. “Pray tell, what is your kink then?”
Our mouths were so close together now that we were breathing the same air. My cock began hardening again just as Luna’s eyes dropped to my lips. “At the moment, it’s just you.”
“Good. Because you’re mine too. At the moment, like you said.” I captured her lips with my own, drawing her in for a kiss that quickly escalated. It was only when I moved to lift her again that I remembered neither of us had eaten since the last time we’d done this.
Groaning into the kiss, I gently shook my head and lifted it away from hers. “We were going to make breakfast, remember?”
“Right,” she said slightly breathlessly, sounding about as dazed as I felt.
My head didn’t work right around this woman. At times, I could ignore it and focus. Especially when we had to talk about the wedding.
But we hadn’t talked about that at all this morning and she was wearing only my shirt. I couldn’t even blame myself for not being able to think straight.
Inclining my head toward the kitchen, I waited until she was a step ahead of me before adjusting myself and following behind her.
“I’m assuming Bachelors-are-us also regularly run specials on stainless steel appliances and industrial coffee machines?” Luna teased as she ran her fingers across the marble countertop.
Looks like she got her head back a lot quicker than I did. Fuck, I was still waiting for blood to resume a flow in the Northern direction and here she was right back to kidding. “Yeah, it’s a two for one special. Buy a dishwasher, get the coffee machine with it.”
“That actually sounds pretty good.” She laughed, carefree and relaxed. As she settled with her hip against the counter, she looked around the space again. “This is a really nice place, Cyrus. Thanks for showing me around.”
“As long as you don’t go getting any ideas,” I joked, but her face fell and her expression hardened.
“I don’t care about your money or your house. I’m not interested in material things.” She straightened up and jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of my bedroom. “I have to go get dressed or I’m going to be late opening the shop. Thanks for offering to make breakfast.”
She spun on her heel, very clearly offended by my comment. Stalking off to my room without a backward glance, Luna disappeared down the hallway.
I shouldn’t have said that to her, but why do I even care if she’s offended?
Before I could figure it out, Luna was dressed and breezing past me on her way to my front door. She lifted her hand in a wave. “Bye, Cyrus. See you when I see you.”
The door slammed behind her. I was still standing right where she’d left me, holding a pan in front of my stove.
Rolling my lips into my mouth, I realized I wasn’t hungry anymore. I stashed the pan back in its drawer and went to take a shower.
If I’d expected it to clear things out for me, it didn’t work. By the time I was dressed and ready to go, I was still confused.
There was only one person I could think of that might be able to help me make sense of this, and that was my brother. A glance at the watch on my wrist told me he’d be at work by now, so that was where I headed.
Gallagher Plumbing and Electrical where Peter worked operated out of the basement of an old warehouse. I’d always found their offices surprisingly bright and cheerful and the people were so friendly they made me uncomfortable.
I found my brother on the stairs descending into their offices, his toolbox in hand as he chatted with one of his coworkers. His brows rose in surprise when he saw me. Then a frown tugged them together.
“Hey, bro. What’s up? What are you doing here?”
“Brought you some coffee.” I held out the cup I’d
picked up from a truck down the street. “Do you have a minute?”
“Of course.” He said goodbye to the other guy, who gave me a friendly wave before jogging down the last few stairs into their office.
Peter took the coffee from me and sat down on a low wall surrounding a patch of flowers beside the stairs. “Thanks for the coffee, but I’m assuming you didn’t come here just to fortify me for the day ahead.”
I sighed and dragged a hand through my hair before taking a seat next to him. “No, I think I fucked up.”
“What did you do this time?” He gave me a side-eye as he blew into his cup. “And to whom?”
After giving him a rundown of what had happened earlier, I took a sip of my coffee and shook my head. “It was a joke, kind of, but she knows where we stand. I don’t know why she got so offended.”
“Seriously?” His brows knitted so tightly together, I wasn’t sure if he’d ever look normal again. Then he let out a dry sounding laugh. “You’re so full of shit sometimes.”
“Why?”
His light green eyes opened wide and his jaw slackened before it tightened. “Because not everyone cares about money, dude. I know they do in your world, but this chick doesn’t sound like she lives in that world. If anything, she lives in mine, and down here on the working-class level, we care about making ends meet.”
“But—”
Peter held up his callused hand, already showing signs of having had grease on it at some point in the morning. “I’ve never taken you up on any of your offers for money and it doesn’t sound like this girl would either. To her, as someone who doesn’t know what you’ve been through these last few years since you made your money, you just sounded like an insensitive dick.”
“All women want money,” I said. “Just because you haven’t taken mine doesn’t mean they don’t want it.”
His brows jumped up as he got to his feet, his eyes narrowed and his head shaking. “If that’s really what you think, you’re so much more jaded than even I gave you credit for, man. When you really think about it, has this girl ever given you a reason to think she’s just after you for your money?”
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