“No!” she snapped, although her breathing had quickened along with her movements. He knew she was getting close, and he was selfish enough to want her first orgasm of the evening to be on his dick. “I want you-your cock inside of me . . . please.”
Her need struck a match inside of him, and he had barely removed his fingers before his cock was pushing inside of her. They both moaned as this position made her impossibly tight. He took his first few thrusts slowly, letting her adjust to his intrusion before he began moving in earnest. He used a hand on each of her ass cheeks to keep her parted, affording him a view that he could barely tear his eyes from. His cock glistened as it moved smoothly in and out of her sex. “You look and feel so amazing,” he gasped out as his pace quickened.
“Dom—harder!” she yelled, almost making him blow. “You’re so hard—so big—and hard,” she said with something between a wheeze and a shout.
What little control he had left was gone as he raised her hips to meet him. His balls smacked against her ass with each thrust until he felt her clenching and releasing around him. He was helpless to stop her orgasm from triggering his own. His body released until he couldn’t imagine having anything left inside of him. “Damn, I think your ass has supernatural powers or something,” he mused against her damp back.
“What?” she asked as she tried to turn her head to look at him.
Kissing the soft skin between her shoulder blades he said, “I’m serious, babe. I lose my freaking mind when I get my hands on your behind.”
She sounded a little nervous when she asked, “Do you have some kind of anal fantasy or something?”
Dominic chuckled as he pulled his heavy weight from hers. As she stood, he drew her into the loose circle of his arms. “Babe, I hate to break this to you, but every man has some kind of fantasy about that, whether he’ll admit it or not. It’s just that caveman desire to own all of you. Add to that the fact that it’s so close to the pleasure pool in front of it, and hell, it’s just a natural thing.”
Resting her head against his chest, she asked curiously, “Have you ever—done that before?”
He seriously wished he had kept his mouth shut now. In his experience, no good had ever come out of discussing past sexual encounters. He didn’t want to brush off a direct question, though, so he just simply said, “Yes,” and hoped she’d leave it at that.
Instead, she fired back a question immediately. “With more than one woman? I mean, was it just with one person, or were there others?”
Well fuck, he really needed to stop with the chattiness after sex. This whole awkward conversation could have been avoided if he hadn’t mentioned his ass hang-up. She didn’t sound upset, though, still just curious, which he could live with.
“There were others through the years—but not everyone I dated,” he added hastily least she think that he was only interested in that. If she was never comfortable with anal sex, then that was fine with him. She had more than enough to keep him satisfied.
“So—you want to do that—with me?” she asked, starting to sound nervous. What he wanted to do was run away from this conversation like a coward, but he was screwed now. He’d let it go on too long.
Sighing, he just went the honest route and hoped he didn’t scare the hell out of her. “Babe, of course I’d like to, but that doesn’t mean that I need it. If you’re ever curious and feel that it’s something you want, then let me know. Otherwise, it’s off the table. I’d never try to force that on you because not everyone enjoys it. You set the boundaries here, Gwen. I have nothing but respect for you, and if you’re not comfortable, then neither of us would enjoy it. I own your pleasure, baby, and you own mine.”
When she sagged against him, he knew he’d given her the answer she needed to hear. “I—thank you. No one has really cared about my—needs before.”
Dominic felt his hair standing on end at the thoughts of her with another man. He led her into his bathroom for a shower before commenting on her last statement. “Honey, anyone who could neglect you isn’t a man. If your needs weren’t being met, and he didn’t care, then he never deserved you to start with. I lose my mind when you’re near. If I didn’t make you come, the experience would fall flat for me. I need your orgasms more than I need my own and I’d never stop until it happened.”
In what seemed like a lightning change of mood, Gwen stepped away from him and turned on the shower. Giving him an impish grin, she said, “I’m going to need another of those orgasms you just promised me because I’m hopelessly turned on again.”
Doing his best to sound annoyed, Dominic huffed dramatically before he moved under the warm spray and extended a hand to her. “Woman, don’t you ever get enough?” When she stepped into the shower and dropped to her knees to grip his rapidly hardening length, all thoughts scattered to the wind as he threaded his hands through her hair and gave himself over to the mind-numbing pleasure that only she seemed to invoke in him.
Chapter Nine
Gwen hit the SNOOZE button on the annoying and relentless alarm clock. She rolled over, seeking Dominic’s warmth only to find the other side of her bed cold. Then she remembered him saying that he had to leave early for a trip to Charleston today. She must have been more tired than she realized because she hadn’t woken up when he left.
He had gone into the office for a few hours yesterday morning as was his usual routine and then they’d spent the day on the beach just being lazy. It had been a perfect weekend and she’d been sad to see it end. She was on the verge of dozing off when her alarm went off once again. She grudgingly left the warmth of her bed and stumbled into the bathroom to start the shower.
When she stripped her clothing off and tossed it on top of her already full laundry hamper, something caught her eye. Her heart pounded when she saw some spotting on her sleep shorts. Didn’t she have a few days until her period was due? She was normally always a few days late and rarely ever early. She dropped down onto the closed seat of her toilet and dropped her head in her hands. It seemed so silly that she was upset when she should be only relieved. She wasn’t ready for a baby, and she doubted that Dominic was either.
So why then did she feel such a crushing wave of sorrow rising up to choke her? She had a nagging feeling that it was very little to do with not being pregnant and a lot to do with her fear of losing Dominic. He seemed to genuinely enjoy being with her and the sex, well, it was nothing short of earth-shattering. But what if he had just been making the most of their time together while waiting to see if he was going to be a father? Gwen didn’t think she could handle him telling her something along the lines of, “It’s been great. I’ll call you sometime.” Despite her misgivings, she had allowed herself to become attached to him. How could she not—he was every woman’s dream.
Unlike other men she had dated, she’d never once caught Dominic looking at another woman when they were together. Even on the beach yesterday, when scores of women walked by in skimpy bikinis, he’d acted as if no one existed but her. Then there were all of the little things he did each day to make her feel special. The morning coffee delivery, the texts checking to see how her day was going, his Googling of baby information to see what was and was not safe for her to do, and of course, the water class that he had taken a few more times in the morning with her. A sob escaped her throat as she imagined all of that going away as if it had never existed.
He was going to be gone until late this evening so she had a small reprieve from talking to him, and she needed every minute. She wasn’t sure what his reaction would be if she broke down crying when he would probably be swooning in relief. She had to keep it together and not look like some clingy basket case. They were mature adults and if he moved on, then she would have to accept it. After all, she’d done it before—many times. The problem was that she had allowed herself to care for Dominic more than she had other men whom she had dated much longer.
Wiping her eyes, she got into the shower with a heavy heart and then dressed with much less care
than usual for work. Actually, that was being kind. Her slacks were wrinkled, her hair a disheveled mess slung in a lopsided ponytail, and to top it off, she hadn’t realized until she reached work that she had put on her tennis shoes instead of dress shoes. Oh well, she could hide behind her desk and no one would be any the wiser, or so she thought.
That hope was shot-to-hell when she saw Mia leaning against the door of her office, looking more polished than usual. Without preamble, the other woman looked at her in surprise before asking, “What in the hell happened to you?”
Gwen looked down quickly and noticed that her blouse was hanging out of her slacks, except for one small corner. Without answering, she quickly opened her door and flipped on the lights before running for the cover of her desk. Mia moved into the office as well and shut the door behind her. Gwen was surprised to find herself blurting out, “My period is coming early.”
Mia looked momentarily confused before asking, “Isn’t that good news?”
“Yes.” Gwen sniffed as she dropped her head to her desk.
She felt a hand on her shoulder before Mia asked tentatively, “Did you want a baby, after all, Gwen, or is something else going on? Are things okay with Dominic?”
To her horror, tears began falling as she sobbed, “Fine—for now . . .”
Mia stuffed a tissue in her hand, giving her a minute to collect herself before continuing. “Honey, I’m not sure I’m following you. Tell me what’s got you this upset. If Dominic has done something, I’ll go down and put these four-inch heels to good use. His ass will never be the same again.”
Gwen gave a choked laugh, grateful for Mia’s attempt at humor. Of course, she was pretty certain that the other woman wasn’t making empty threats either. She could easily see her nailing Dominic to the wall. Wiping her nose, she took a couple of deep breaths, and then settled back into her seat. “I know this is going to sound crazy,” she began, “but I started spotting this morning and instead of being relieved, all I could think was that now I’ll lose Dominic.”
Mia took her hand, and then grimaced as she ended up with a wad of wet Kleenex. “Has he said something to lead you to believe that your relationship will be over if you aren’t pregnant?”
Shaking her head, Gwen said, “What relationship? We’ve only been doing whatever we’re doing for a couple of weeks, and that all began because of a bottle of wine and a broken condom.”
“That’s total bullshit,” Mia scolded. “The man wouldn’t have had you on every surface in his apartment if he wasn’t attracted to you. And he sure wouldn’t be spending every available moment with you since then just to find out if you are pregnant or not. He could have just as easily told you to let him know. You’ve been the happiest that I’ve ever seen you since that night and the man who I’ve witnessed bringing you coffee and speaking to you in a restaurant didn’t look like someone desperate to run. Has he even asked you when you’re taking a pregnancy test?”
“No,” Gwen admitted, “he hasn’t mentioned it.”
“Well, there you go.” Mia smiled. “If he was so desperate to end things, he’d be counting the moments until he could break ties with you. Has your period officially started?”
“There was just that spotting this morning. I’m sure it’s coming.”
“Why don’t you buy a pregnancy test so you’ll know?” Mia suggested. “Then you can go ahead and tell him and you can stop torturing yourself.”
“I will,” Gwen agreed. “I just need a day to get myself together. I’m glad Dominic’s traveling on business today because I’d probably make a fool out of myself otherwise.”
With an impish grin, Mia said, “You, my dear, need a distraction. I’m going to lunch with Suzy and a few of her friends, and I want you to come with me.”
“No,” Gwen shook her head frantically. “I can’t do that. Isn’t Ava friends with Suzy?”
“I’ll check to make sure she’s not coming first,” Mia conceded. “If I get the all clear, you’re coming. They’re a lot of fun. Crystal’s probably going since her sister Ella will be there.”
Gwen looked down at her clothing before looking back at Mia. “I can’t go like this. I look like a mess. I even wore the wrong damn shoes.”
Mia looked her up and down before saying, “I’ll come to your office a few minutes early and we’ll get you all spiffed up. I’ve got an extra pair of shoes in my desk.”
Gwen could only imagine what kind of shoes those were, but teetering around in impossibly high heels had to be better than the pair of New Balance shoes she had mistakenly picked to wear with her dress clothes. She knew by the determined set of her friend’s shoulders that it was useless to argue. Nothing short of divine intervention was going to get her out of lunch today. “All right,” she conceded, “but you better have a miracle in your makeup bag, because I’m going to need it.”
* * *
True to her word, Mia had transformed her into someone more presentable in less than fifteen minutes. But the shoes that Mia had lent her were about a size too small, so she was grateful when they reached the restaurant. Her toes had lost feeling shortly after she had squeezed them into the too tight leather pumps. Sometimes you had to suffer for fashion and this was one of those times.
When they walked through the door, Crystal ran over, seeming surprised, but happy that Gwen had come along. “You came! When Mia told me that you’d agreed to our group lunch, I didn’t think you’d show up.” Lowering her voice, Crystal added, “Ava’s not coming, I already double-checked that.”
Gwen felt herself relax, glad for the confirmation from Crystal. After her lunch with Ava, she didn’t harbor any bad feelings toward her, but it still felt uncomfortable. Plus, these were Ava’s friends and Gwen didn’t want to barge in on that. “That’s good,” she said under her breath as the three of them walked over to the four women waiting a few feet away. Gwen recognized Suzy Merimon and Claire Danvers immediately. Anyone who worked for Danvers had seen Suzy with her gorgeous husband, Gray Merimon. She was also willing to bet that many of the females at the office had been heartbroken when their CEO Jason Danvers had married his assistant Claire. Both men were powerful and gorgeous, but also approachable and friendly.
She had also seen Crystal’s sister Ella and Suzy’s sister Beth around the office, although she’d never formally met any of them. Ella was married to Ava’s brother Declan, who had also served in the military with Dominic. Beth was married to Nick Merimon, who was the brother of Suzy’s husband, Gray. It seemed that Gwen’s family wasn’t the only one who liked to live and work together.
Before the introductions could be made, the host announced that their table was ready. They all took a seat around a large, round table. Gwen was grateful to be sitting between Mia and Crystal until she realized that it put her directly across from Suzy and Claire. They both seemed friendly but curious.
When they had ordered their drinks, Mia cleared her throat, saying, “Let me introduce you guys to Gwen.” Pointing to each woman, she said, “This is Beth, Ella, Suzy, and Claire.”
Everyone said an enthusiastic hello, allowing Gwen to relax even further until Suzy spoke up. “I’m really sorry about what happened with Mac. Sitting here with you now, I, for one, feel kind of like shit-on-a-shoe for not considering your feelings in the whole scheme of things.” As all of the other women gave her guilty looks, Gwen found herself trying to swallow a lump the size of a robin’s egg.
When no one added anything further as if waiting for her to speak, she finally cleared her throat and said, “I . . . um . . . don’t really know how to take that.” Under the table, Mia squeezed her knee in support. Gwen had no idea what she could possibly say to Suzy. She was certain that as friends, the other women had known about Ava’s attempts to win Mac when she thought she was losing him to Gwen. Sitting here now as the woman scorned, she had two choices. She could tuck her tail between her legs, make an excuse, and leave, or she could show them that she was more than okay and didn’t need anyone�
�s pity. Before she knew it, she found herself saying, “I’m with Dominic now—we’re sleeping together.”
Every mouth around the table dropped as her words seemed to hover larger-than-life in the air. Even Crystal and Mia, who knew about her relationship with Dominic, seemed surprised. They’d probably never expected her to announce it so abruptly to near strangers. God, why had she done that? Wouldn’t a smile of reassurance have been better than a summary of her love life? The silence was broken as Suzy started grinning. “Good for you, girl. That man has a body like a big ole tree that you just want to climb.”
Claire started fanning herself before chiming in. “If any of you mention this to Jason, I’ll swear you’re lying, but I go the long way around the office sometimes just to walk past East Coast Security’s door. Those guys are just so hot.” When everyone stared at her in shock, she wagged her finger. “Don’t you dare judge me. I’ve run into all of you at one time or another in the same area, and none of you have an office near there.”
Looking demure and innocent, Ella said, “I just drop by sometimes to say hello to Declan’s old military buddies.”
Holding a hand over her mouth, Beth let out a cough that ended up sounding like “Bullshit!”
Suzy rolled her eyes, saying, “Oh, come on, there’s nothing wrong with appreciating a fine piece of prime hottie. I guarantee our men do it. I’m more than happy with my hubby, but the day I stop noticing a hot guy is the day I give up on life.”
Crystal shook her head, looking as if she was pouting. “But look at the men you’re all married to or dating. I was married to a man who wore knee socks for years and had perpetually pale, white skin. If I’d have been married to a man who looked anything like yours, I’d have been so happy I would have never looked twice at another man.”
Ella gave her sister a look of sympathy before saying, “You’ll find your Mr. Perfect, and then you’ll just be a married pervert like Suzy.”
Instead of being offended, Suzy seemed to take Ella’s statement as a compliment. “Ah, my little innocent one, you’ve come so far. It seems like only yesterday you were carrying around the big V-card and praying that Declan would punch it for you. Now, you’re ogling other men and insulting your friends—honey, I couldn’t be prouder.”
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