"Well, I know you can work it out."
"You honestly, seriously believe in me, don't you?"
"Without hesitation. You are one hundred percent my first choice."
"What are we going to do with each other?"
His smirk broke into a full grin as he slid his hands from the counter to my hips and then pulled me forward. "How about we start with loving each other? I am so foolishly in love with you, and I fucked up not telling you before now. I was trying to keep you safe, but I recognize that all that says is that I don't trust you. Which probably reminds you of before. That's not my intention, and that's not what I want. I do trust you. And I'm going to do my best to show you that from now on."
"I appreciate it. And I love you too."
His kiss was easy and soft, and everything that I wanted. What we'd done earlier tonight was hurried and frenetic. This kiss… this was more of a caress. One that my bruised heart desperately needed.
East
She was giving me another chance, another shot to get this right.
I didn't know why it was so difficult. My whole life had been about what I could control, and obviously that wasn't Nyla. I didn't even want to control her. I liked her better when she was sassy and telling me what for. I liked it better when she showed some spunk.
You're a masochist.
Probably. Either way, I tugged her onto my lap and reached up to ghost a soft kiss over her lips. "You're amazing, you know that?"
"Yes. I do. I was wondering if you knew that."
I sighed, bringing her head down gently so our foreheads would meet. "I do know that, and I should probably tell you more often."
"Yes, yes, you should." She adjusted her hips over mine, and I groaned at the contact. "Jesus, Ny. I'm not going to make it. You are legitimately killing me. And I am so happy about it."
She giggled softly. "I'm not trying to kill you." Her gasps and moans as she rocked ever so slightly over my erection told me she was slowly killing herself too. We both needed this. We both wanted this.
It was a stark contrast to what had happened at the restaurant. This was a slow seduction of light kisses, nuzzled noses, and soft, breathy pants.
My hand tightened ever so slightly on her hip, and I lifted my face up so our lips would meet. "I'm a prick. You'll have to forgive me. I just want to keep you safe. And the only way I know how is to make you comply. But I know that's wrong."
"Uh-huh. Wrong. So wrong."
She adjusted her hips again, this time rotating around and around and... "Oh, fuck."
The zinging electricity up my spine told me I was in trouble.
Any moment now, I was going to need to come.
I had already come once tonight. And in mere moments she had me on the brink again. What alchemy was this? Who was this woman who so completely owned me?
It wasn't long before we found our rhythm. My hand gently guiding her hips back and forth and over. As her hips undulated over mine, our lips caught every now and again. And I would slide my tongue into her mouth, gently fucking it with my tongue the way I wanted to use my dick. Against my lips, she murmured my name and little whispered declarations of, "God yes. I love this."
I loved it too.
You love her.
And that was what this felt like. Love. Something I had zero experience with and was more than a little terrified of fucking up. But Nyla Kincade felt like love. Like the thing I had denied myself for so long, and damned if I didn't want to hold on to her forever.
My hand snuck up the hem of her sweater again, and my fingertips skimmed over her skin, lighting up her nerve endings. I loved to watch her. To see what I was doing to her control. To see how much she needed me. And there was such a satisfaction in that that I hadn't anticipated. That I was the one who made her feel like this.
It didn't matter how many times she would go running headfirst into danger chasing her own adrenaline rush because nothing else made her feel like this, like I did.
When I palmed her breasts, she choked out a cry. "East, God, I'm so damn close."
"And I haven't even gotten to the good part yet."
"There is no need to be cocky, sir."
I chuckled, and lifted my hips so she could feel just how cocky I was.
We both choked out laughs then. When was the last time I had been able to laugh with somebody during a shag? When was the last time I was on the brink of orgasm from essentially making out with someone?
It had been so long, so damn long. That the sheer pleasure of having her over me grinding on top of me with all her clothes on was somehow nearly just as pleasurable as what we'd done in the pub earlier.
"Oh my God, East. I just… I want you so much."
When I palmed her full breast in my hand, I could feel it, the flood of blood straight to the tip of my cock, and I wanted to come. Jesus Christ, I wanted to come so bad. Just explode, in my trousers, like a bloody teenager.
Nyla's breathing was in short, breathy pants. "Oh God, East. There's just something about being with you. Why is it always this good?"
"It always will be." I whispered those words against her lips, and I knew she was mine forever. I was just going to have to convince her. And I was going to do my level best to keep convincing her until she believed me. And then I could see it. Her eyes widening, her pupils so dilated that her eyes were black with only the whiskey brown of her irises around the edges. And I could feel her shudder in my arms, her climax taking over, forcing her whole body to arch and buck against me. "Yeah, that's it. God, I love to watch you."
And that was it for me. Even though, we were fully clothed, had a bedroom ten steps away where I could come inside her where she was warm and slick and wet. But I was too far gone. Watching her over me, completely giving herself to me in this moment, I couldn't hold back anymore. My climax seized hold of my balls, shooting an electric lightning bolt straight through them, up my spine and into my head, and all I saw was the edges of my vision go gray, and her dark eyes as she watched me fall over the cliff with her.
Chapter Six
East
I licked the cream off of Nyla's belly, causing her to giggle and say, "That tickles."
"Sorry, but you looked delectable. Besides, I can't have you going to bed with whipped cream on you."
She laughed. "We're on the living room floor. I sort of counted on a shower before bed."
I frowned. "Well, I suppose you do get your stitches out tomorrow. It won't be the end of the world if that shoulder gets a little wet."
She reached up and pulled me close and our lips slid together. God, it was so fucking easy with her. Such an ease of movement, an ease of living. I could do this forever.
Easy now. Don't scare her. No need to run her off yet.
She might not know where this was going, but I knew. I'd just let her warm up to the idea first. She’d only just forgiven me.
When she pulled back, she smiled up at me. "So, are you going to tell me?"
I feigned ignorance. "Tell you what?"
"How beautiful I am?"
I laughed and then nuzzled my nose with hers before kissing along her jaw. "You are stunning, but I think I already showed you how gorgeous I think you are."