by SJ McCoy
“You are.” She nodded happily.
“Anyway, back to you liking my muscles, and me offering them for your service.”
Her eyes widened and she choked on her coffee as she laughed.
“Err. I was talking about helping you move into your new place. Want to tell me what you were thinking?” He waggled his eyebrows, and she slapped his arm.
“You know damned well what I was thinking.”
He nodded. He did. And he loved that she wasn’t afraid to admit it.
Chapter Twelve
Skye was beside herself with excitement when she saw Donovan in the hallway at Jackie’s with Elle.
“Dondervan!” She squealed and ran at him, wrapping her arms around his legs, then holding them up to him as she did a little jig.
Elle’s heart felt like it might explode in her chest as she watched him pick her up. He looked just as happy to see her as she was to see him.
Jackie cleared her throat, and Elle turned back to her. “Jackie, this is Donovan. He’s …” She hadn’t called him her boyfriend out loud yet—not even to herself. She didn’t get the chance to decide if she was ready to, either.
“Dondervan’s Mommy’s boyfriend,” Skye declared, nodding emphatically as she spoke. She looked up at him with a big goofy smile on her face and added, “And he’s my best friend.”
Jackie put her hand over her heart and looked at Elle. “Aww. I heard a rumor that you were seeing someone. But I didn’t know …” She looked at Donovan. “It’s nice to meet you. I want to be all stern and warn you about treating them both right, but …” She jerked her chin at Skye, who was resting her head on Donovan’s shoulder. “She’s a good judge of character. And that right there says it all.”
Donovan smiled. “Don’t worry. I know how lucky I am. And I promise, I plan to take very good care of them.”
Jackie fanned herself with her hand and looked at Elle. “Where did you find him, and are there any more like him?”
Elle smiled at him and couldn’t help putting her hand on his arm. “Cal found him for me. But I’m afraid there aren’t any more like him. He’s a one-off, special edition, and I got him.”
That dimple!
“Oh, my goodness! I’m loving this, Elle. It’s so cute seeing all three of you so in love with each other.”
Elle inhaled sharply. In love? Yeah, he was awesome but … She looked up at him. He didn’t seem put out by what Jackie had said. She managed to smile and nod.
“Are you coming home with us, Dondervan?”
Elle was relieved that Skye moved things on from that awkward moment.
“I am. Want to read me a story?”
Skye laughed. “I can’t read, silly. You have to read to me, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.”
“You can teach me to read. Miss Jackie says I’m smart.”
Jackie laughed. “Because you are. You’re very smart, young lady.”
“We’d better get going,” Elle said. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’ll be here.” Jackie smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Donovan. I hope I’ll see you again.”
Donovan smiled back at her. “I hope so, too.”
As soon as they got home, Skye started tugging on Donovan’s hand. “Do you want to color with me?”
“Skye,” Elle frowned. He’d been at work all day, too. He probably wouldn’t want her …
He raised an eyebrow at her, and she nodded. It was up to him.
“I’d like to color with you. But I think we need to see what Mommy wants to do first, don’t you?”
Skye looked up at her. “You want cuddles, don’t you, Mommy?”
Elle laughed and scooped her up, burying her face in her neck and nibbling her soft warm skin as she wriggled and giggled. “Yep. I want cuddles. And I’m hungry. I want dinner. I might have to eat Skye!”
Skye wriggled harder. “Help me, Dondervan! Mommy’s starving. She’s going to eat me.”
Donovan laughed as he watched them. “I don’t know if I can save you from Mommy.”
“You have to! Tickle her!”
Elle joined in with the giggling and wriggling when he closed his arm around her from behind, holding her against him while he tickled her with his free hand. Skye tickled her, too. She closed her eyes and laughed, wanting to capture this moment as a memory to treasure. It was so full of fun and … love.
She had to beg for mercy before they stopped. She leaned back against Donovan, weak from laughing. He took Skye’s weight and held them both to him. Elle’s heart felt as though it might melt in her chest when he dropped a kiss on top of Skye’s head and then another on top of hers.
“I think we need to feed Mommy so that she doesn’t eat you. So, how about we get your coloring book and sit here at the counter? That way we’ll be here to help if she wants us.”
Skye’s eyebrows knit together. “I’m not allowed to sit up there when Mommy’s in the kitchen.”
Donovan shot Elle an apologetic look. Damn, she didn’t want him thinking he’d done wrong—he was doing so wonderfully.
“That’s only when it’s just you and me, sweetie,” she explained. “I can’t keep a close eye on you when I’m cooking, and I don’t want you to fall off the stool.” She smiled. “If Donovan’s there with you, it’s fine.” She met his gaze. “He’ll take care of you. I know he’ll keep you safe.”
His big brown eyes held hers for a long moment. It felt like he was reassuring her that of course, he’d keep Skye safe. But it felt like more than that, too. He proved her right when he spoke. “I’ll take care of you both and keep you safe.”
Damn! He was unbelievable. She didn’t think that guys like him really existed. He was like the walking embodiment of everything she’d ever wanted in a man but didn’t think she’d ever find all wrapped up in the same person—and in such a sexy body, too.
After they’d eaten, she let Skye stay up an extra twenty minutes. She adored Donovan just as much as Elle did, and it made Elle’s heart happy to see her daughter so happy—and so loved. There was no other word for it. Donovan acted like he loved her. It might just be who he was—that he was that kind and sweet and considerate. But it wasn’t. He was all of that and more, but he loved Skye. She could just tell.
She smiled as she came back down the stairs. She’d left him in the living room while she got Skye settled. It’d no doubt have taken even longer if he’d gone up there with them. It was eight-thirty now, and Elle didn’t know how long he planned to stick around. Last time he’d been here at Skye’s bedtime, he’d left. This time he’d waited. A shiver of anticipation ran down her spine. She was hoping that he planned to stay a while.
On Sunday afternoon, they’d made out on his sofa like a couple of teenagers while Skye took her nap. His hands had stayed on the outside of her clothes the whole time—and it had nearly killed her. She could feel him through his clothes; his chest was so warm and solid through his shirt—and his cock was so hot and hard through his jeans. At one point she climbed on top of him, sitting up as she straddled him and rocked her hips, rubbing herself against the impressive bulge in his pants. She’d been trying to convince him that yes, they could. She thought she’d persuaded him, too, when he’d flipped them so that he was on top of her. He thrust his hips, pressing himself between her legs, sliding his hands under her ass and making her moan as he rocked into her. But he’d shook his head sadly before sitting up and pulling her up with him, explaining that he didn’t want to rush.
The look on his face when she went back in the living room told her that she might have better luck persuading him tonight. He looked—hungry. There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes.
“Is it time for me to go?”
She went and sat down on the sofa beside him. “No.”
His hand closed around the back of her head and drew her closer until their noses were almost touching. “I think maybe I should.”
She rested her forehead against his
and looked into his eyes. “I think maybe you shouldn’t.”
His fingers tightened around the back of her head. “Elle, you don’t understand. I—”
She rested her hand on his thigh. She did understand. She could see the evidence of what he meant straining against his slacks. “I think you’re the one who doesn’t understand, Donovan.” She slid her hand a little higher, and his eyelids closed as he drew in a deep breath. “I don’t want you to go. Not yet. I can’t ask you stay over because of Skye and because my mom will be here early and …” She bit down on her bottom lip, hoping that he didn’t think she was … she didn’t even know what the word might be. “But I don’t want you to go yet. We’ve officially told people that you’re my boyfriend now. And before you leave, I’d like you to be my boyfriend.”
He smiled and curled his arm around her, pulling her closer until she was pressed against his chest. “I’d like that, too, Elle. And this is the last time I’m going to be able to hold back; to tell you I can wait. Because we both know I’m struggling here.”
She slid her hand all the way up his thigh and rested it over his erection. “I don’t want you to hold back. I don’t want to.” She slid her fingers into his hair and pulled him down into a kiss, nipping his lips and teasing him until he took over and claimed her mouth. His tongue made her long for his body to mirror its actions as it thrust deep.
~ ~ ~
Donovan crushed her to his chest as he explored her mouth. Her kisses were so sweet. The way she invited him in took him to the edge. He’d been with his share of girls, but he’d never felt the way he did with Elle in his arms. She felt fragile and yet strong. She was like the ultimate prize—he wanted to claim her and protect her and at the same time prove that he was worthy of her.
She moaned into his mouth as he ran his hand down her back. Her hands closed around the back of his neck, the caress of her fingers sending electric currents shooting down his spine. He wanted to lie her down, but he knew that if he did, they wouldn’t be getting up from the sofa again until they were done. And he wasn’t sure that the sofa was where she wanted this to happen.
He reluctantly lifted his head but had to kiss her again when he saw her green eyes shimmering up at him. The next time he came up for air, he forced himself to sit back a little way.
She was, apparently, thinking along the same lines he was. She got to her feet and offered him her hand. “Want to come upstairs?”
He swallowed, hard, and nodded. Standing, he closed his arms around her again and leaned back to look down into her eyes. “Will it be okay? Should we wait until we’re sure Skye’s asleep?”
“She’s fine. She was out like a light when I put her down. She hardly ever gets up in the night. I’ll bring the monitor in case she wakes up, but if she does, she’ll shout for me.”
“Okay.” He closed his hands around her ass. He couldn’t help it. Her eyelids drooped, and she let out a sigh. “Donovan,” she breathed.
Damn. The way she said his name had him rock hard, wanting to hear her scream it as he lost himself inside her. “Elle ...”
She looked up into his eyes again, and he nodded. He’d been about to ask one last time if she was sure, but her eyes gave him all the answer he needed.
He followed her up the stairs, her ass taunting him the whole way as it swayed from side to side.
When they reached her room, she closed the door behind them and then leaned back against it.
She let out a low nervous laugh, and he went to her, tracing his fingers over the bare skin of her shoulders.
“Have I told you yet that you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known?”
She looked up at him and shook her head.
“It’s not just words, Elle. You really are. You’re gorgeous.” He ran his hands down her sides and then slid them under the hem of her shirt.
They both inhaled deeply when he touched her skin. “That first time I saw you, when you arrived at my house, you took my breath away.”
She smiled and rested her hands in the middle of his chest. “You did the same to me. I tried to blink you away.”
He raised his eyebrows.
She laughed. “I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me and that you were some kind of mirage. That I was seeing the hottest guy I could imagine, but that if I blinked, you’d turn out to be just an illusion and turn back into some normal guy.”
He couldn’t help smiling.
She reached up and touched his cheek. “Did you know that you get a dimple when you smile big?”
“Yeah. You can imagine what that was like growing up with three older sisters. Apparently, it’s cute.”
She laughed. “It is! Maybe that’s why you’re so confident and happy. I bet you had them doing whatever it took to make you smile, just to see that dimple.”
He nodded, but he didn’t want to think about his sisters right now. He didn’t want her thinking he was cute.
She took his breath away when she spoke again. “I’m glad I couldn’t blink you away, that you didn’t turn into just some ordinary guy.” She looked around and then looked back at him. “I can’t believe that the hottest guy I’ve ever known is right here in my bedroom and that he’s about to …” She covered his erection with her hand again and he clenched his jaw so that he didn’t moan out loud. “He’s about to undress me and let me undress him. Then he’s going to …”
She didn’t finish. She was too busy lifting her arms as he pulled her top up over her head and off, then he unhooked her bra and she let it fall to the floor. He closed his hands around her full, perfect breasts and dropped his head to tease her taut nipples with his tongue. She was perfect.
Her fingers tangled in his hair as he took his time, worshipping her breasts.
“Donovan.” Her voice was like a siren call to his cock, and he closed his arms around her, turning her and walking her back to the bed until they both fell back on it. She unbuttoned his shirt and he shrugged out of it before pulling her against him. The feel of her soft, warm skin against his chest had him tugging at the button and zipper on her jeans. She struggled with his belt, and they switched, each shedding what remained of their clothes.
Donovan knelt over her and kissed his way between her breasts, down over her ribcage and then circled her navel with his tongue. He was working his way down, intending to taste her and make her come first before he finally—Shit. He froze. He didn’t have a freaking condom. He’d bought some not long after he met her, but he’d deliberately been leaving them at home—thinking that would help him to take it slowly.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
He tilted his head to look up at her but didn’t lift his chin from her stomach. He planned to continue his journey southward, but it was only fair that he should explain to her first why he’d frozen like that.
“Sorry. It’s ...” He could hardly say it was nothing. He was desperate for her, and she’d made it clear that she felt the same way. He drew little patterns on her thighs with his fingers while he spoke. “I messed up. I’m still going to take care of you, but …” He dropped a kiss on her stomach. “I can’t make love to you. Not tonight.”
She looked scared. “Why?”
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t look like that. I’m an idiot and I didn’t think to bring condoms.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “In my defense, I didn’t know I’d need them. I thought at best I’d get to see you for five minutes in the salon when I finished work. But I can’t …”
She stared at him for a long moment, and he wondered if he’d blown it. It seemed he had. She held her arms out to him. “Come back up here?”
He went reluctantly. He couldn’t make love to her, but he could still please her—if she’d let him.
She turned on her side and lay face to face with him.
“I’m sorry.”
She touched his cheek. “Don’t be. It’s okay.” She slid her arms up around his neck and kissed him. The way her body moved against him was torture—the k
ind of torture he’d endure for eternity if she’d let him.
Her hands moved over his chest, and he let his rove over her. She had the most amazing body. He squeezed her ass, and she threw her leg over his hip, curling it around him and drawing him closer. He clenched his jaw as his cock pressed closer, trying to find its way deep inside the heat that was so tantalizingly close.
“How long’s it been for you?”
He leaned back to look at her, not sure that was a conversation he wanted to have right now. “About six months.” He hoped she wouldn’t want more detail than that.
She nipped his lip and reached down between them curling her fingers around him and making him feel like he might lose his mind. Was this his punishment for not having condoms?
“Have you been checked since?”
It was hard to focus on the words. She was stroking herself with him, moving his sensitive head up and down her slick entrance.
“Uh. I …” Checked? What was she ...? “Oh! Yes! Of course.”
She smiled. “And you’re good?”
He nodded.
“Me, too. I’m all clear and …” He closed his eyes as she dipped the tip of him just inside her. If she kept that up much longer, he was going to blow. “I’m on the pill.”
“You …” His heart pounded harder, sending what was left of his blood supply to throb in her hand.
She nodded and claimed his mouth, her tongue seeking his at the same time her leg tightened around his waist.
He was already lodged at her entrance. There was no conscious thought involved in the way his fingers tightened on her hip and he thrust hard, impaling her on him.
He bit down on his cheek as her inner muscles fluttered around him.
“Donovan!”
“Elle.” He turned her onto her back, moving with her to not break the connection. She kept her leg curled around him, clamping him to her as he pressed her down into the mattress. Her hands came up to scrabble at his shoulders as he pushed deeper inside her. He wanted to give her time to adjust, time to stretch around him and take all of him. He looked down into her eyes and thrust hard. She felt like coming home, every sensation so intense. He was bare inside her, and when she looked up at him, it felt like she was baring her soul to him. There was such trust in her eyes.