by Shayla Black
“You know it’s not that simple,” I murmur.
“Ah, Derek the dipshit.” He scowls, expression harsh. “Take it off.”
“The lingerie?”
He shakes his head. “We’ll get there soon. Right now, I mean that rock of his.”
I didn’t even realize I was still wearing the engagement ring. It has become second nature.
Slowly, I slide it off my finger and set it on the coffee table. “This doesn’t mean I’m not marrying him. Or that I’ll sleep with you.”
“That’s exactly what it means.”
I raise a brow at him. But it’s hard to be angry when his stare rakes down my body with a visual caress that leaves me aching. My nipples turn hard. My pussy softens and floods. I ache for him.
Somehow I manage to shake my head. If he wants me, he’ll have to prove it. A few words and gifts won’t suffice. “We’re just having a conversation.”
He scoffs. “Before I take you to bed and prove you belong to me.”
“You’re assuming.”
“You’re wearing the lingerie I chose, knowing damn well I intend to seduce you.”
“That’s not true.” But it is. “I was just curious.”
Suddenly, he smiles. “All right. We’ll play this your way. But the Perrie I know would never go back on a promise.”
What’s he talking about? “Exactly. I promised Derek till death do us part.”
“You haven’t yet. Besides, you made a solemn vow to me four years ago.” He reaches into his pocket and extracts something that pings with a metallic clink when he tosses it on the coffee table beside me. “You promised I could return that to you when and wherever I wanted, and you would show me that you’re all the woman I need. I’m cashing in—right here, right now. Come here so I can finally kiss you the way I’ve wanted to.”
I glance down to find the final token from the water park’s arcade, which I impulsively shoved in Hayden’s hand the night of our last visit there. “You kept it?”
It’s probably silly, but I’m stunned and touched.
He nods. “You told me to look at it, feel it, and remember you. I have—every fucking day.”
I’m way more thrilled than I dare let on. “A girl said those stupid words.”
“No. A young, incredibly wise woman told me to give this back when I wanted not just her pussy but her. So here I am, admitting I want all of you. I always have.”
“Your timing is lousy. I’m getting married tomorrow.”
“Not to him. I’ve got all night to make sure of that.” He takes a half step closer and points to the ground in front of him. “Come here. Meet me halfway.”
How can I resist?
On bare feet, I tiptoe toward Hayden and find myself staring up into his familiar beloved face. I’ve fantasized about him making love to me for longer than I should admit. Is it really going to happen now?
“Good girl.” He cups my face in his hand. “Are you taking the token? Are you saying yes?”
I blink, staring up into his devilishly dark eyes. This is my decision point, my make-or-break moment, but what else can I say? “Yes.”
“Thank fuck. I feel like I’ve waited a hundred years to touch you.”
“I’ve waited longer.” I wrap my arms around his neck and press myself against his body, lips a breath away from his.
Hayden is already impatient, fists wrapping around the gossamer fabric as he closes the final inch between us and covers my lips with his. He doesn’t waste time seeking or searching. He plunges deep to prove that he can, that I’ll let him. That he owns me. It’s the kiss of a man staking his claim.
I sway and swoon into him, eyes closing as I dissolve into instant bliss. His throaty groan tells me he’s every bit as impacted as I am. We melt into each other as if we were always meant to share this moment.
Dragging in a heaving breath, he pulls away and peers deep into my eyes. “Jesus, Perrie. You kiss exactly the way I remember.”
Is that a good thing? “Yeah?”
“How is that fucking possible?”
I have no idea what he’s asking. “Will you kiss me again?”
“Oh, yeah. And this time I won’t stop until I know the feel of you gripping my cock as you shout how much you love me.”
“What if I don’t?” I can’t resist teasing him. The truth is, I’ve always loved him, and all it takes for me to dissolve into a puddle of need is to look at him.
He sends me a smug smile. “You better understand right now, princess, that I’m going to be relentless. I have a little more than twelve hours to prove to you that you’re engaged to the wrong man. I’m going to use every second. I’m going to leave you so boneless and sated. And I’m not going to leave your bed or your side until you admit that you love only me.”
I’m willing to admit that now, but I don’t. There’s no way I’ll let myself miss out on Hayden turning all his determined focus on me.
“You’re welcome to try.”
That makes him laugh. “You never did know when to stop baiting the bear, did you?”
Probably not, but his resolve makes me downright giddy.
I push him against the wall. “Shut up.”
Before he can respond, I tighten my arms around his neck and leap into his embrace. He catches me, both hands gripping my ass, and lets out a stunned oomph. I plaster my body against his and seize his lips.
His grip tightens. He moans, encouraging me. I should let him show me what he has in mind, let him prove how badly he wants me. But I can barely tamp down my brimming anticipation, especially when I wriggle and rub my clit against his steely cock.
“Fuck.” He ends the kiss with the gasped curse. “I can’t be patient right now. Have you fucked Derek in your bedroom?”
“No.”
He looks puzzled by that. “Not even once?”
“No.” That’s all I dare say now.
Resolution crosses his face. “I’ve dreamed so many times of having you on your bed…”
Still holding me tight, he makes his way down the hall, his lips skimming up my neck, over to nip at my lobe, before dropping to nibble on my shoulder.
At the foot of my bed, he releases me to slide down his body. I feel every hard inch before my feet finally touch the hardwood floor.
Everything in this room looks exactly the way it did when I was a teenager. The walls and tufted headboard are similar shades of pristine white. My black-and-white polka-dotted sheets shout youth and happiness. The blush comforter with its coordinating lace-trimmed shams seem so innocent. The leopard pillow and bold chandelier break up all the sweetness with attitude.
This room was a perfect reflection of me. In many ways, it still is.
This is exactly where I want to make love to Hayden, too. None of my fantasies included him seducing me with the afternoon sun slanting through my window, tossing golden rays all over his strong face and lighting up the fire in his eyes. But this is way better than any shadowy midnight I envisioned.
“I’m nervous,” I admit.
“Don’t be. This is for us. Tell me everything you want and feel. I will, too. We’re not just fucking; we’re joining. And after this, I’m never going to let go, Perrie. You understand that?”
So far he’s made me hot, but his words now touch me deep.
As I nod, he skims my cheek with his knuckles, brushing his way back to cup my nape and lift my lips to his. Then I’m falling, dissolving into him, losing myself in his kiss. One bleeds into the next, then another, until my lips feel swollen, bruised, and tingling.
His hands aren’t still, either. It’s as if he’s intending to sensitize me to his every touch, starting with a drag of his fingertips over my shoulders, then down my arms, across my collarbones, before slowly drifting up my throat and under my jaw. Finally, he swipes his thumb across my bottom lip again.
“So that’s what you look like when you’ve been well kissed.” He smiles, terribly pleased with himself.
“Are you
going to make me blush or kiss me again?”
“You should know the answer to that.”
I do, and I brace for more of both. Instead, he surprises me by easing the strap off my baby doll. His lips follow in a seduction so slow and patient it makes me want to cry. He does the same with the matching strap on the other shoulder until the garment is barely clinging to my breasts. Not that it matters. He can see through it anyway, especially with the sun beaming across our bodies.
“You have the prettiest fucking nipples.” Finally, he drags his knuckles across one.
The sensation is so instant, so hot, I gasp. “Hayden…”
He’s barely touched me, and I’m panting. Every inch of my skin is on fire. God, how will I feel when he’s surrounding me? On top of me? Inside me?
“Hmm, princess.” Through the fabric, he does the same to the other nipple. “These are so hard. I love how sensitive you are, the way you respond to me.”
I barely manage a nod before he grips one rigid tip between his thumb and forefinger and squeezes. My instant yelp has nothing to do with pain and everything to do with pleasure.
“Yes,” he croons as he pinches the other, then slides the baby doll’s straps down my arms, one after the other, exposing my breasts to his hungry stare. “So fucking perfect.”
With firm, hot fingers, he cradles a breast in his hand and lifts it as he leans in.
Oh, god…
The first touch of his tongue is like a jolt from a live wire, somehow unexpected and shocking. But then his lips close around my sensitive tip. He gives it a tug and draws it into his mouth with a strong pull.
I’m a goner.
Without any conscious thought at all, I sink my fingers into his short hair and wrap my hands around him to yank him closer. He obliges me with another tug of suction, a follow-up caress of his tongue, then a little bite that has me digging my nails into his scalp.
“You like that,” he murmurs against my skin. It’s not a question. “Oh, Perrie, I’m going to be at these nipples all the time. Holy fuck…”
When he switches to the other bud and all but inhales it into his mouth, I cry out again and realize that I’ve not only lost my heart to this man for the rest of my life, but I’m about to lose my body, too. By morning, every part of me will belong to him. I’m both thrilled and terrified by that notion.
As he continues to nip and sip at my tips, pulling, tugging, pinching, laving, they grow tight and pleasantly sore. I didn’t know such a state existed, but I feel my body. My skin is alive. My blood races. My heart is full. I’m all woman right now. He’s like a drug, and I want more.
Heat swamps me. My head buzzes. I’m dizzy, disoriented. On fire.
Hayden’s scorching palms skim the baby doll down the bare skin of my torso. The way he exposes my body to his singeing gaze leaves my chest tight. I’m breathless, achy. And so ready.
“You’re beautiful.” He thumbs my navel, palms the curve of my hip, eats at the hollow of my waist. “And you’re mine.”
“For tonight.” I’m not giving in easily.
“Keep thinking that if it makes you feel better.”
I’m still trying to rub two brain cells together to form a snappy comeback when he skims his knuckles across the gauzy fabric covering my pussy. I’m shocked to realize it’s clinging wetly to my flesh.
“You’re soaking, princess.” Hayden groans as he drops to his knees in front of me and plasters the sheer sodden fabric to my skin. “Look at you…”
I tremble as he leans in and fastens his mouth over the saturated triangle and laps at me with the flat of his tongue.
Sensations jolt through me. The immediate shock of pleasure burns my veins. Tingles cascade behind that, leaving me reeling and staggered. It’s twenty times more agonizing when Hayden slips his thumbs under the elastic front of the tiny panties, spreads my lips apart, and prods my most sensitive spot with the tip of his tongue.
“Hayden!”
“Jesus, you’re sweet. Has any man ever made you come in his mouth?”
“N-no.” I can barely gasp the word out.
Against my flesh, I feel him smile. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy the fuck out of this.”
When he wraps his arms around my hips and stands, lifting my feet off the ground, I squeal. I don’t have long to be startled since Hayden quickly drops me flat on the mattress. With impatient jerks, he drags the itty-bitty thong from my body and kneels beside the bed.
My heart pounds as he drags my hips to the edge and positions my thighs over his shoulders. Then he plows his tongue through my folds, letting loose a deep, satisfied groan.
“Oh my god!” My back arches. I fist the comforter. My eyes roll back in my head.
How can I possibly keep from shattering into a million tiny pieces?
The way Hayden devours my pussy, centering all his attention on my clit with the most skillful nips and licks, makes me realize it’s impossible. He’s fracturing me, tearing down all the barriers he thinks I’ve erected between us, making me his.
I can’t stop him…and I don’t want to.
He’s merciless and unceasing, swiping, licking, sucking. He manipulates my reaction, my body, my mind, until I’m twisting in agony and chanting his name. Until I no longer care about anything except Hayden, how he makes me feel, and finding a way to make this ecstasy last forever.
Suddenly, he backs away and presses an almost chaste kiss to the pad of my pussy. “No, princess. The first time you come for me, I’m going to be inside you.”
As much as I want the orgasm now, I nod. I’d rather we be joined, me feeling him deep when I come apart for him.
“Hurry.” I attack his zipper.
“Wait, Perrie. Princess. Just a— Holy shit!”
Yeah, he probably didn’t expect me to shove his pants and underwear around his knees and swallow the crest of his cock between my lips. But I groan because I’m so glad I did. He’s salty and musky. Manly. And he’s built big. I’m stretching my lips as wide as I can, but within seconds, the hinge of my jaw begins to protest. Still, I don’t care. I want to taste this man. I want his flavor on my tongue. I want to please him.
I lick him like an ice cream cone, reveling in his hiss as he fists my hair and guides me up and down his rigid length. “Oh, fuck. Yes. Princess, hmm…”
Since my mouth is otherwise occupied, I smile on the inside as I suck him deeper, molding my lips to his shape and pressing him to the roof of my mouth as I work him. Then I rear back, graze the underside of his crown with the tip of my tongue, worrying a spot that instantly sends him reeling.
He pulls free with a snarl. “Did Derek teach you that?”
“No.”
“Then where the fuck did you learn to give head?”
I gape, so glad in that moment that a few of my former college roommates proudly called themselves whores. They hooked up a lot, with anyone who interested them. And they weren’t shy about sharing details. I listened…
“No one.”
He frowns. “Are you saying you’ve never given a blow job?”
“Never,” I whisper.
I wonder how long it will take for him to figure out the rest of my secret.
Hayden’s suspicious stare tells me he’s already puzzling his way to the truth.
“But it doesn’t matter. I just want to please you.” I lean back in.
He’s too fast and gives my hair a tug, stopping me before he urges me flat onto the mattress again, then covers my body with his. He stares deeply, intently. I can practically hear his mind working, so I lurch up and press my lips to his.
Instantly, he uses his own to pry mine open wide and sweeps inside, chest rumbling with need, as he forces himself into the deepest recesses of my mouth—and my soul.
Finally, he wrenches away and takes my face in his hands. “Do you want me?”
“Yes,” I gasp. “So much.”
“Do you need more proof that you belong to me?”
“No.” I don’t
want to play games anymore. I just want Hayden. “I’m yours.”
“You’re not marrying Derek, right?”
“I’m not.”
He sighs with visible relief, then caresses my lip with his thumb. “You going to marry me instead? I’ve already talked to your dad. He’s given us his blessing.”
My heart catches in my throat. “Really? You’re seriously asking me?”
“I’m not letting you go again. The first time was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“Oh my god…” This is real.
“Is that a yes?” he demands.
“Yes.” I nod as it sinks in. I’m going to be Hayden’s wife. “Yes!”
“Oh, princess. Thank fuck. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He skims his kiss across my jaw, seals our bond with a sweet press of lips, then reluctantly releases me to meet my gaze. “Do you want kids?”
“Of course.” I didn’t love being an only child, so I’ve always pictured three or four little ones I could nurture and spoil.
“Me, too. I want them with you.”
I smile. “I’d love that.”
His expression turns serious. “I want them now.”
Suddenly, I grasp what he’s saying. “Right now?”
“We’ve already waited years. You really want to wait more?”
A million thoughts flit through my head. We’d be newlyweds. I’m trying to start a new career. We need to adjust to living together. I’m still pretty young.
But we’ve known each other forever, so how much do we really need to get to know or adjust to one another? I can still work and be a mom; lots of women do it well. And worrying about age is for people who don’t know what they want out of life. I totally do.
“You’re right. Let’s start now.”
He laughs, then smacks a kiss across my mouth that’s meant as a celebration. It soon lingers, then worships. I’m sucked back into a vortex of passion I can’t escape. I have a feeling that’s how it will always be between Hayden and me.
When I’m melting, panting, and red-cheeked, he settles his body between my splayed thighs and peers deep into my eyes. “The night you gave me that token, you said you’d be saving yourself for me. Perrie?”