This was a new side to her that I wasn’t used to quite yet. She’d always been beautiful, always been exceptional since the moment I’d laid eyes on her, but the softness was just exquisite. Her eyes were no longer guarded, her lips were always ready for my kiss, and she looked at me with her heart on her sleeve, like I was the only man she wanted to give herself to.
How did I get so lucky?
I knew it was a hard road to get here, but it was worth it every step of the way.
When my stare lingered for a long time, she asked, “What?”
I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “Nothing.” I moved her hand back to the table and continued to hold it.
I hadn’t been looking for anything serious before this. If I’d never met her, maybe I always would’ve felt that way. But listening to her tell off that guy in the bar the night we met made me connect with her emotionally before even seeing her. I respected her fire, respected her for using it against an opponent. She was the kind of woman I’d been looking for without even knowing it. I hadn’t even been divorced for a year then, but I felt like I was already ready for something great. “I’m just…in love with you.”
She stilled at the admission, but she wasn’t afraid, just deeply touched by the unexpected confession.
I didn’t miss the one-night stands. I didn’t miss the strip clubs. I didn’t miss being single. I was never as happy then as I was now. Finding one incredible woman to be committed to with my entire soul was nirvana.
“I’m in love with you.” She glanced down at our joined hands before she gave me a squeeze and looked back up, her eyes so soft and gentle.
I could stare at that beautiful face forever, look into those green eyes and never get bored. I pitied anyone who didn’t have this. I actually pitied Rose because she was too evil to ever find this. She had half my money—but she didn’t have this.
Her hand cupped my neck, her fingers reaching into my hair. With her brown hair all over the place underneath her, she looked up at me with eyes bright like Christmas ornaments. When we were together, it wasn’t about getting off, about only good sex, it was about being together, so her eyes were always on me, always soft, always pulling me directly into her heart.
Her legs were wrapped around my waist, ankles locked together against my lower back, and I slowly rocked into her, felt her so intimately that I could map out her body with my mind. She was always ready for me, always tight, always anxious. I breathed deeply with her, sometimes dipping my neck so I could kiss her collarbone or her shoulder. When we made love, I didn’t just want her lips. I wanted her soft skin, her deep breaths, her bright eyes. My tongue wanted to taste her everywhere. I wanted to feel her heartbeat against my chest and have her feel mine.
I’d never felt more alive than when we were close like this, our bodies slowly moving together, high off the connection between our souls rather than the lust between our flesh.
Her hand slowly dragged down my chest, her claws out, and her thighs squeezed my hips tighter, like she was about to descend into pleasure. “Dax…” Her hand moved back to my neck, and she fisted my hair, gripping it tightly as her entire body began to writhe.
I started to thrust into her harder, grinding my body right against her clit so she could fall apart in ecstasy.
When she came, her nails nearly sliced into my skin, and she moaned uncontrollably into my face. Her mind went elsewhere as her body took over, riding the high that made all the neurons in her brain fry.
I thrust harder and harder, catching on to her coattails and descending with her, groaning in mutual pleasure, her body accepting what I gave her.
It was so fucking good.
Damn.
When we finished, we were still two single bodies wrapped together, still two people who didn’t want to break apart.
If sleep weren’t essential to function, I would skip it and just keep doing this—all night long.
I moved off her and lay on the bed beside her, feeling the sweat start to evaporate from my body the second we broke apart. The heat from our mutual desire faded as soon as we were finished, and the room felt cold.
She didn’t get up to clean up in the bathroom. She closed her eyes and took advantage of all the good chemicals that had released in her brain so she could drift off to sleep.
I lay beside her and stared at her, the most beautiful woman in the world in my bed. I was so used to sleeping with her at this point that it was hard to sleep without her. There were some nights a week when we were apart—and it never felt right.
The only time the world felt right was when she was with me.
8
Dax
We warmed up on the court and passed the ball around to make our shots. We were already sweaty with our hearts pumping before the game even begin.
I noticed Carson and Charlie walk through the double doors and join us, both with towels over their shoulders and water bottles in their hands. They were talking to each other, engaged in conversation.
Carson was in a pair of little black shorts and a blue tank top, the color beautiful on her. She had the nicest legs, perkiest ass, and when her hair was pulled back from her face, it showed just how beautiful she was—without makeup.
They took a seat on one of the benches and continued their conversation.
I broke away from the guys and joined them. “Hey, sweetheart.”
Carson rose to her feet, a breathtaking smile entering her lips, and she greeted me with a kiss that was not rated PG-13. Her hand went to my bare stomach, and she gripped my strong abs. “Hey, babe.”
I gave her ass a tight squeeze before I pulled away. “I like it when you call me that.”
“Yeah?” she asked. “I like it when you grab my ass like that.”
“I already knew that.” I winked before I greeted Charlie with a handshake. “Hey, man.”
He returned the gesture and gave me a nod. “Ready to lose again?”
“I don’t plan on losing today.”
“Well, Carson is pretty fired up, so you don’t have much of a chance.” Charlie took a drink from his water bottle.
I turned back to Carson. “I know how to keep her distracted…”
“Give me your best shot.” She started to saunter onto the court.
I smacked her ass as she walked away before I turned back to Charlie. “Where’s Matt?”
Charlie turned to look at the entryway just as Matt and Denise walked inside. “They got into an argument and fell behind.”
“An argument about what?”
“NSYNC or Backstreet Boys.”
I chuckled. “Aren’t they old?”
“Well, then it segued into a discussion about One Direction… I don’t think Matt will be able to focus now.” He turned to look at Denise as she came closer, wearing a long-sleeved dress and boots. He gave a really deep sigh before he turned back to me. “I don’t think I will either.” He stripped off his shirt and joined us on the court. Matt took a little longer.
Charlie shouted back at him. “Get your ass out here!”
Matt walked onto the court and turned around to shout back at Denise once more. “You know Harry carried the whole band! Don’t even lie.” He put up his hand to silence her before he joined us in the middle of the court. “She has terrible taste.”