“I think I’m ready for you to show me how you want to ring in the new year,” I told him, lowering my lashes flirtatiously.
“I’ll warm up the car.” Before he could move towards the door, he leaned and kissed me full on the lips. My mouth parted in welcome, a happy sigh escaping me as he pulled away with a smirk. “Consider that a sneak preview.”
I made my way back to our table to find my wrap and my clutch, scanning the room to say goodbye. Jane and Hughes were tucked in a corner, their heads close together talking. I hated to interrupt them. Instead, my eyes found Edward. He had just finished a dance with Tomas and gone to the bar to get another glass of wine. Maneuvering my way through the crowd, I joined him. Before I could stop him, he poured a glass for me, too. “Actually, we’re leaving.”
Edward frowned, his eyes narrowing in concern. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I think we just want to be alone,” I said, biting my lip. It occurred to me that maybe I should stay with my best friend, so he didn’t have to face the new year alone. But Edward didn’t seem concerned over my departure, instead he gave me a swift kiss and a smile. “In that case, happy early new year.”
I tapped my glass against his in a toast. “To a new start.”
“To a new start,” he echoed. I saw the same hope I felt in his eyes. This year had to be better than the last one for both of us. I downed the drink quickly as Smith reappeared in the doorway.
“I think your Prince Charming has arrived,” Edward said with a grin.
I wouldn’t consider Smith my Prince Charming. He was my dark knight, my savior, my protector, and my haven. At his hands, I’d found the beautiful pleasure darkness could bring. I found myself in places I’d never expected to go. And even now, walking through this shadowed path with him, I knew. He might not be a Prince Charming, but he was my happily ever after.
9
Smith
Belle’s hand stayed in mine as I drove through the wintery streets of Briarshead. The village was still filled with boisterous celebration, drunken crowds weaving with pint glasses, singing off the new with exuberance. The festive atmosphere faded along with the village as we took the country road that wound to our estate.
“It’s lovely,” she murmured watching the snowflakes fall out the window.
“I was thinking the same thing.” I raised her clasped hands and kissed the back of hers.
“I wish we didn’t have to go home,” she admitted in a soft voice.
“Beautiful,” I began, searching for the words that might remind her that the darkness would pass. It always had before. But I didn’t want to color this evening with its shadow, so I pasted a cocky grin on my face. “I thought you wanted me to take you home to ring in the new year.”
Belle twisted in her seat, dropping her free hand over my groin. She brushed the bulge there and my dick leapt to attention. “I do want to ring in the new year—with you. Only you.”
There was no mistaking the invitation behind her words. We were halfway to Thornham with few other properties nearby. The road showed no signs of other cars in the freshly fallen snow. It seemed we were among the few who had bothered to leave the comforts of their home for the holiday. We were alone, and it had been a long time since I’d had Belle entirely to myself. Turning the wheel, I pulled the car off the road near a small grove of trees. “Let’s not go home, then.”
I left the lights on and the engine running to ensure the cabin stayed warm and we could enjoy the winter scene outside. My wife bit her crimson-stained lip, her eyes fluttering as though a dozen wicked thoughts had just flown through her head. I reached down and put my seat back before crossing my arms behind my head to relax. It wasn’t an invitation or an order. I’d seen exactly what she wanted in her eyes, and I was more than happy to give it to her. Belle unfastened her safety belt and gathered her skirt so she could kneel in her seat. Her expert fingers had my trousers undone and my zipper down in seconds. She pulled my cock out, wrapping her soft fingers around it, and pumped the shaft as she lowered her lips to its crest. My eyes closed, savoring the pop of her lips over its tip and the velvet heat of her mouth wrapping around me. She took her time, stroking my shaft as she licked and sucked. I felt my balls tighten, but this time I was prepared.
I lifted her head away to find her lipstick smeared under her lower lip and her cheeks flushed with excitement. “Part of me wants to finish the job,” I told her in a low voice. “I wouldn’t mind seeing that perfect face of yours covered in me. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Tell me how much you want to feel it on your skin, dripping down your neck.”
“Please, sir,” she whispered, her words panting from her.
“Not yet,” I said and her face fell. “I want to fuck you first.”
Her eyelids shuddered at the promise of my words, then she started to push up on the console. I placed my index finger on her lips. “No. Sit in your seat and be patient.”
Belle returned to the leather seat and I opened my car door, not bothering to stuff my cock pack in my pants. Shrugging off my jacket, I left it in the driver’s seat, knowing I wouldn’t want it restricting my movement. Snowflakes hit my rock hard dick, melting on contact with the hot skin as I circled to her side of the SUV. Opening the door, I offered her my hand. She stepped carefully out, her heels sinking into the snow before I lifted her off her feet and slammed her into the side of the Range Rover. Our mouths met in a tangled collision as my hand searched for the car handle behind her. I found it and spun her carefully, so I could open it wide enough to deposit her on the backseat.
She’d lost her shoes in the snow, but she didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she lifted her hips to allow me to hike the hem of her dress to her hips. I groaned when I saw the delicate lace garter holding up her sheer black stockings. It criss-crossed under her navel, forming an arrow that pointed to her bare pussy below.
“Has this been naked all night?” I asked, stroking a finger down her wet seam.
“Yes,” she purred. I wasn’t entirely sure if she was answering my question or if she was about to explode. I stepped between her open thighs, unable to wait any longer, sinking inside her with one deliberate thrust. Belle cried out, arching in the seat, as her legs circled my waist. Her hands reached to grab hold of my vest and she clawed up my front, bringing her lips to mine, as I drove into her. She hooked an arm around my neck so that her lips brushed lazily against mine and our eyes locked. Belle’s hips circled around my cock as I rocked in and out of her, bringing us both to the edge.
Snow had managed to blow through the open door, but she showed no signs of being cold. The flakes caught in her hair and lingered for a moment before melting to glistening drops. There was no sound in the silent night except our frantic breathing and the slap of skin against skin as I fucked her under the moonlight. Belle gasped in shallow bursts and I felt her clamping over my cock, inviting me to join her. She cried out as I spilled inside her, her fingers gripping me for strength as we left the past behind us and moved forward together.
When she collapsed against me, I smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Happy New Year, beautiful.” I slanted my face over hers and kissed her lips. “Any resolutions?”