by Nikki Ash
Her legs quiver around me as the slide in and out of her becomes frantic and full of purpose.
“Rio,” she cries out, tugging at my hair. “Rio. Rio. Rio.”
With my name falling from her lips like a chant, echoing around us, I feel her whole body tightening one last time before she cries out in pleasure, coming and pulsating on my mouth and around my fingers.
“Oh my God,” she expels, trying to catch her breath. “Oh my God.”
Untangling myself from the lower half of her body, I try to ignore the almost painful throb of my own arousal and crawl up and over her. Resting on all fours, I look down at her, and she throws an arm over her face in embarrassment.
“Hey,” I say with a chuckle, moving her arm and bringing her face back into view. “You okay?”
Disregarding my question, Blake’s eyes roam down my body, stopping at my hard-on and then making her way back up to meet my gaze.
“Are you okay?” I repeat.
“Are you?” she asks, extending her arm and palming my cock.
Even though I want nothing more than for her to touch me, I place my hand over hers and stop her. “I need inside you.”
It’s probably the most truthful thing I’ve ever said, because I do need inside her. Not only because I’m desperate to fuck her, but because I need to carve my own little spot inside her, so she remembers me just the way I’ll be sure to remember her.
A look of understanding washes over her as she drops her hand. The mood shifting to something a little more tense. A little more palpable. A lot more necessary.
Raising herself up on her elbows, she lifts her mouth and presses her lips to mine.
“Condom?”
Still kissing her, I reach for my wallet, dragging it out of my back pocket and throwing it on the bed beside her. Like we’ve done this a million times before, our lips are still locked as Blake finds the condom in my wallet.
When I hear the familiar tear of the foil, I pull away and stand to my full height. Naked, Blake scoots to the edge of the bed, just as I let my dress pants and boxers fall to the floor. Enamored, I watch her gaze take me in. She wraps her fingers around my stiff cock, and I feel myself jolt in her grasp. Her thumb circles the wet head of my dick, smearing my pre-come, and it takes everything in me not to stop her. Gazing up at me, she gives me a mischievous wink before teasing my crown with her tongue.
“Blake,” I growl in warning.
“Okay. Okay.” Laughing softly, she stops and tips her chin up at me. “Taste yourself.”
Greedily, I do, just as she so delicately rolls the condom down my length. Ready, I feel her falling back onto the bed, and my lips and my body chase her.
With my mouth melded to hers, I settle between her legs and gently sink myself inside her.
“God, Blake,” I breathe out. “I knew you’d feel good, but… fuck.”
Good was an understatement. Being inside Blake was phenomenal. It was no short of life-changing. And I didn’t care that I couldn’t explain why it felt so right; all I cared about was making it last.
Making it memorable.
Making her mine.
Not knowing what to do with the unexplainable need to have this woman, I bury my head in her neck and let myself get lost in her warmth instead. While my hips rock back and forth into her, I kiss and taste every stretch of skin within reach, my lips refusing to break the connection and my body begging to make it last.
Wordlessly, Blake hooks her legs around my waist, and we fall into a wordless rhythm of push and pull, our bodies tangled in a web of longing and lust that I feel in the echo of every stroke.
“Rio,” she pants. “It’s never…”
Her voice trails off, the words turning into a breathy moan, and I don’t need her to finish the sentence to know exactly how she feels. Because I’m right there with her, having this out-of-body experience where I can hardly recognize myself and the tidal wave of unexplained emotions coursing through me.
Our eyes connect as I pick up my pace, thrusting inside of her, long and deep. I refuse to look away, and from the way she’s staring back at me, she doesn’t want me to either. I piston my hips almost aggressively, panic and greed consuming me.
As if she can sense my frantic energy, she places a palm in the middle of my chest, as if to soothe me. And like magic, it does.
She calms my racing heart and we move in unison, our bodies rocking in a deliciously slow grind that has me wanting to make promises and declarations that have no business between us. Instead, I lower my mouth to her skin, licking her neck, nipping on her collarbone. I let my hand caress her plump breast and tease her hard nipple while my body tries desperately to climb inside hers.
"More," she cries out, her hands gripping my biceps. “Fuck, Rio. More.”
“Show me what you want,” I tell her, reluctantly sliding out of her and rolling onto my back. “Ride me, baby. Take everything you want.”
Effortlessly, she straddles me, one hand around my sheathed cock, eagerly guiding me into her, and the other pressing into my chest. I groan as her wet heat envelops me while the shock that everything I feel for this woman rises at a rapid rate, causing me to grip her hips and thrust into her relentlessly.
With her tits bouncing in my face and her copper-colored hair dancing around her, I’m certain I’ve only got a handful of minutes before my body explodes.
She’s a vision.
She’s everything I didn’t know I would want in one sweet, delectable package.
A familiar tingle starts to spread in my veins as Blake rises and falls on my cock. Together, our bodies are making memories, carving out this one moment, and writing this single chapter in the story of our lives.
“Fuck, Blake, I’m going to come,” I tell her.
I slide my hand between us, finding her clit and expertly rolling it between my fingers, determined to bring us both to orgasm at the same time.
“Please don’t stop,” she cries out. Closing her eyes, she tips her head back and begins to vigorously rock against me.
“Couldn’t if I tried,” I growl out. “Couldn’t if I fucking tried.”
Blake’s thighs clench around me, the telltale sign her orgasm is approaching, as I let myself give in to the inferno of heat that’s curling around the base of my spine. In a frenzy, her mouth descends onto mine, all tongues and teeth, granting us both the permission we’re so desperately seeking.
Our bodies detonate; unrivaled pleasure and ecstasy exploding like fireworks and live wires.
Blake drops her body to mine in a clammy sated heap, and my arms don’t hesitate to wrap themselves around her. I want her close. I want her near.
I want very much to do that all over again.
“Oh my God,” she says breathlessly. “I can’t believe I just did that.”
I maneuver my head to get a better view of her. “Was it that bad?”
“So bad.” She shakes her head. “So bad, I want to do it again and again and again.”
I laugh in relief, grateful we’re somewhat on the same page. “Doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” I muse. “I mean, I’m down if you are?” I look at her, hopefully, watching a myriad of thoughts and emotions cross her face. “Just tell me,” I urge. “Whatever it is you’re thinking, tell me.”
Getting comfortable, she rests her head on my chest, and my fingers trail up and down the knobs of her spine. “It’s weird to want more, isn’t it?”
“Depends what more is.” I respond cautiously, not wanting to get my hopes up.
“Like, maybe, you’d want to go out on a date sometime?”
Taking hold of her chin, I tip her face up, so her gaze meets mine. “Are you saying I convinced you?” She shrugs nonchalantly. “Admit it,” I insist. “You want to see where this goes too?”
She presses her lips to mine. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You just have a really nice dick.”
Chapter Five
Blake
After
Unlatching
the clip on my maternity bra, I rest my body on the millions of throw pillows supporting my back and rest Alessia on the feeding cushion. She searches for my breast, and I can’t help but watch as her head lolls from side to side and her mouth widens desperately, trying to find my nipple.
“Here you go,” I coo. “Mommy’s got the goods.”
Cradling the back of her head, I guide her to me and, like a pro, her mouth expertly latches on to me. Sighing with relief, I lay my head back on the headboard and close my eyes, grateful for the moment of extended silence.
We’re almost three months into the mommy/daughter thing and I think we’ve finally found our groove. No more cracked nipples, no more colicky baby, no more excessive screaming. For now, she just eats and sleeps enough that I can manage to function.
My phone vibrates on the nightstand beside me and I reluctantly open my eyes and maneuver my arms underneath Alessia so I can stretch and reach for it.
It’s Chad.
I’ll be over in twenty minutes with groceries. See you soon. Love you. xx
Love you?
If I had the energy, I would throw my phone across the room in frustration. Ever since Chad found out I was pregnant, he’s been by my side.
The man who, after three years together, broke my heart and told me he was in love with my ex-best friend, came running to try and win me back.
And while I haven’t taken him back, I haven’t exactly told him to leave me alone either.
The thing that makes this all worse is the only person I miss when I see him is my best friend.
When he came back into my life, I realized I didn’t feel a thing for him except sadness. And not because he and I were over, but because he stole my best friend. He ruined everything I shared with her. Tainted my past. My memories.
And while I’m very aware that she too played a huge role in my betrayal, when I held Alessia for the first time, none of that mattered.
Since Rosario wasn’t there, she was the one single other person I wanted to share that moment with.
Instead, I have an ex-boyfriend crowding my space and a heavy conversation I’m not ready to have weighing on my shoulders. I cringe every time he’s around.
At him. At myself. At all of this.
It’s a complicated mess of epic proportions, and I’m just too focused on Alessia to deal with it.
My phone vibrates again and I see my sister’s name flash, and I feel my lips tip up in a small smile. This is a phone call I’m always more than happy to answer.
“Hello,” I greet.
“Hey,” she responds cheerfully. “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing really well.”
A soft chuckle fills my ears. “The word really wasn’t necessary, Blake. You only brought more attention to the lie.”
I’m not surprised she noticed. My sister Evie spent years hiding and pretending and lying to herself after her first husband passed away. She could spot that type of behavior from miles away.
“How’s Lior?” I ask, trying to distract her from me and my problems.
“Good. As Always. Being married to your sister looks good on him.”
Even though she can’t see me, I roll my eyes and shake my head at her antics. Love looks so good on my sister. It wasn’t always easy for Evie. She’s lost so much in her life, but hearing and seeing how happy Lior makes her proves that the heartache is sometimes worth it.
I think of Chad.
Nope. Not going there again.
“Talk to me,” Evie persists, bringing me back to the conversation. “Lior and I want to come and spend time with you.”
“No,” I argue, knowing what they really want to do is check on me, and I don’t need them to see me and my million moods. Or for Lior to see Chad. “I’m doing fine. And,” I add, “I’ve got Mom and Ray visiting any chance they get.”
“Blake.” Her tone is all-knowing and laced with concern. Since our father left us when we were younger, Evie and I have always been thick as thieves—a bond not even distance could dampen. While it’s hard not having her around, it’s also the exact same reason I’m glad she isn’t.
I don’t need her coming to my rescue.
I really don’t need anybody to come to my rescue.
Contrary to popular belief, a woman can take care of a child on her own, especially when she went ahead with the pregnancy knowing being a single parent was very much what was in the cards for her.
I don’t have any regrets about Alessia. I have regrets about Chad, and I have regrets about lying to Evie.
But not about my daughter.
“Fine, I’ll let it go,” Evie concedes. “How’s my favorite niece?”
“You mean your only niece,” I correct.
“Whatever. Is she awake? Can we FaceTime?”
“She’s on my boob,” I tell her. “Let me finish feeding her and I’ll call you back.”
“I don’t care about seeing your boob,” she protests.
“Just give me a second.”
She huffs, and it’s the cutest sound. For reasons of their own, Evie and Lior don’t have kids and don’t plan on having any, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to be the best aunt and uncle that ever lived. They’re obsessed. And since they left New York and moved to Colorado to be closer to Lior’s family, they’re constantly asking for updates and sending her stuff in the mail.
They were here for a week after I gave birth, and I won’t be surprised if they come back again under the guise of checking on me, just like Evie implied.
It takes just under forty minutes for me to finish up feeding, burping, and changing Alessia. I lay her down in the middle of the mattress and I lie beside her. Extending my arm, I raise my phone above our heads and FaceTime Evie.
Surprising me, both Evie and Lior’s faces appear on my screen, and my lips split into a grin.
“Oh my God, look how much she’s grown,” Evie squeals. “She’s even trying to find where the voices are coming from.”
I move the screen closer to her, moving me out of the view while they “ooh and ahh” and murmur between themselves about how they just want to squish her cheeks or smell her skin.
They’re ridiculously adorable.
“B,” Evie calls me. “Move the phone so we can see your face.”
“Give me a sec.”
Maneuvering around Alessia, I stretch out and build a wall of pillows around the empty side of the bed and place one underneath my head, getting comfortable.
“Hey, Lior,” I greet, realizing I didn’t give him a proper hello earlier. “How are you doing?”
A mischievous smile plays on his lips. “I’m really good. Just waiting for my sister-in-law to move to Colorado. You know how it is.”
A laugh bubbles out of my mouth. “You two don’t really think that’s going to happen, do you? I don’t know anybody there.”
“Mom and Ray would move too,” Evie tells me, her voice a lot more serious now. “She said if you moved, they would come too.”
“What?” Shocked, I straighten up, causing Alessia to whine. I turn to face her and lower my lips to her forehead. “Sorry, little one.”
I look back at my sister and her husband. “Can you two just stop beating around the bush and tell me what it is you’re getting at?”
“You don’t want to talk about Alessia’s dad or tell him about her, so I don’t understand why you can’t come here and we can all be a support system for you.”
“I’m totally capable of taking care of her by myself,” I snap.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. Is it such a bad thing if we all live close by and I can see her anytime and she’ll grow up around a tight-knit family?”
I know what she means, and I know her intentions come from a good place, but my own insecurities of not being able to do this rear their ugly heads, making me wonder if everyone else can see my failings too.
“Tell me about her dad,” she presses. We seem to have this conversation almost eve
ry week. And the truth is, it isn’t an elaborate story.
I ran out of that hotel room that night faster than I've ever run from anywhere, because he scared me. I woke up and he was just lying there, asleep, and I saw our whole lives mapped out.
The kids. The house. The happy ever after.
And it terrified me.
Rosario is the most passionate man I’ve ever had the pleasure of being with. The way he spoke, the way he touched.
The way he fucked.
I feel my face heat up at the memory alone, and I have to look away from my sister’s gaze.
Swallowing hard, I recall that overwhelming fear that engulfed me when I imagined our life together, knowing just like my relationship with Chad, whatever Rosario and I had could end too.
And I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn’t survive it the same way I did with Chad.
And then I found out I was pregnant and I couldn’t find him.
I tried. I asked Liza for his contact details, and when I called, nobody answered, and when I emailed, nobody responded.
What else am I supposed to do? Troll the internet and hope I stumble on someone who knows him?
“Like I’ve told you a hundred times,” I start. “There’s nothing to tell. He was a one-night stand, and despite my efforts, I haven’t been able to get in touch with him.”
I watch Evie give Lior a side look that clearly says, “I don’t believe a word she’s telling me,” but thankfully, he gives his head a little shake, telling her to just let it go.
And, reluctantly, she does, but not before adding, “I could get you a job here when you’re ready to go back to work.” I open my mouth to object, but she just raises her hand, silencing me. “At least think about it.”
I give her a small nod at the same time Alessia begins to fuss. “I’ve got to put her to sleep, and I might try to catch some z’s with her. I’ll speak to you guys soon?”
“You know it,” they say in unison.
We say our goodbyes, and I switch out my phone for Alessia, checking her diaper and getting her all bundled up for a nap.