When he stretched me out by the fireplace, I gasped. Something buttery soft was against my skin and I looked down at the blanket spread out beneath me. I looked around. There was a bucket of wine chilling. Roses.
As I pushed up onto my elbows and watched, Ash picked up something from the edge of the blanket. He pushed a button, and I gasped as a fire roared to life.
“Wow. Way to go, Casanova. Firelight, wine and roses. You’re going to get me thinking I’ll get this all the time once we’re married.”
Ash went to his knees and crawled to me.
“And now you’re on your knees for me.” I grinned at him.
“I told you once before, you’re the only woman I'll ever go to my knees for.” He hovered over me on all fours, leaning down to brush his lips against mine. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Curling my arms around his neck, I tugged him down closer.
He came, but only for a moment, giving me another quick, teasing kiss.
When he pulled away, he went up on his knees and stripped away his shirt. Eyes on his chest, I didn’t notice the cloth he’d pulled from his pocket until he brought it up in front of him.
“I asked you this once before.” His voice was soft. “And I'm hoping that, now, the answer can be different. Do you trust me?”
My chest tightened as I caught my breath. I knew what he was asking, what it meant. We'd been dealing with communication and with trust, both in and out of the bedroom. I'd given him control in ways I'd never done before, had sex in ways I'd never dreamed.
But I hadn't let him blindfold me.
My eyes met his. “I trust you.”
His entire face lit up and my heart skipped a beat. He leaned down over me and fastened the blindfold in place. My pulse fluttered. I held my breath, wondering what he had in mind.
I heard a pop.
“Open your mouth,” he said softly.
I did and he pressed something to my lips – a wineglass.
“A toast, Toni. To the rest of our lives.”
I sipped the wine and the sweet red rolled down my throat.
“Like?”
I nodded.
“Let me know when you want more.”
“I get to ask for things tonight?” We were still working out the rules when it came to how this dynamic worked.
He cupped my face and lifted my mouth until I felt his lips brush against mine. “You can ask me for anything any night.”
Another deep kiss and I felt like I was going to melt. He eased me back onto the blanket. A moment later, I gasped when something velvety soft stroked down the outer curve of my breast.
Then came the scent.
The rose.
He stroked the petals along my breast, down across my belly, across the curls.
“Spread your legs,” he said.
I did, whimpering in need.
He teased me lightly, giving me only the barest hint of a touch with the petals before stroking my leg from the crease of my thigh all the way down to my ankle before switching over and doing the same to my opposite leg, but going from bottom to top this time.
I found myself lifting my hips when it drew close again.
Ash chuckled softly and cupped me between the thighs. “Want more?”
“What do you think?”
He slid a finger inside me. I would have clamped my thighs around his hand if he hadn’t pressed down on my right knee and stopped me.
“I think you’re lovely.”
He twisted his wrist and curled his fingers inside me. My back arched and I cried out. Then he stroked his thumb over my clit, and I came hard and fast.
By the time I came down, he was naked and I could feel his body hovering over mine.
“Now,” Ash breathed against my lips.
I didn’t have the air to answer, but it didn't matter. It wasn’t like I was going to argue. Grabbing onto his shoulders, I arched up to meet him. We came together, bodies sliding together with a perfection that made me moan. My nails dug into his back as I rocked against him. It was as if every cell in my body was on fire, every nerve blazing. I'd never been so aware of him as I was at that moment.
He twisted his hand in my hair and pulled my head back. He kissed me, his hunger matching mine.
“Tell me you love me,” he said against my lips.
I didn’t say it. I whimpered it.
He slammed into me harder and I was shaking from the force of the climax building inside, as he demanded it from me again.
“Tell me you love me.”
My hand found its way into his hair and I fisted it, pulling it until he growled. I held him in place until I could put my mouth against his ear.
“You're mine.”
He rolled with us, pulling me on top of him. My spine arched and I cried out at the new angle of penetration. I couldn't take it anymore. I reached up and tore off the blindfold, looking down at him.
He stared up at me, eyes dark with desire. As I watched, he reached over and dipped his fingers into the wine. He pinched my right nipple, fingers wet with the rich, red liquid, and then did the same with the left. I shivered as he sat up, holding me in place on his lap. The shift put pressure on my clit and my eyelids fluttered. When his mouth closed over my nipple, I gasped. He sucked hard, sending jolts of pleasure through me.
“Delicious,” he murmured before turning his attention to the other one.
He urged me into motion, and as I rocked down, he thrust up, meeting me with every perfect stroke. Staring into each other’s eyes, we rode each other straight into climax.
It was breathless, beautiful and perfect, and I knew that it was more than pure physicality. I loved him.
I trusted him.
I collapsed onto his chest as all the strength went out of me and his arms wrapped around me. We lay there together for several minutes, catching our breath, until I finally rolled off him. I didn't go far, snuggling down against his side as I rested my head on his chest.
I wasn't sure how much time passed before I finally broke the silence. “You know, I think this room could do with a makeover.”
Ash snorted, his laugh more relaxed than I'd ever heard him. “I just went out of my way to fuck you blind, and you’re thinking about redecorating?”
I rolled onto my stomach and shoved up onto my elbows, grinning at him. “Well, yeah. I mean, it's my professional opinion that this room is totally depressing.”
Ash raised his head and kissed my chin. “Dr. Lang, if you want to redecorate, then knock yourself out.”
“I love you,” I murmured.
He pulled me down against his chest again. “I love you too.”
I closed my eyes as he pulled me close, his arms tight around me. The fire behind us crackled and popped, warming our bare bodies enough that, for the moment, we could just lay there and enjoy the feel of skin on skin.
Fabric brushed against my fingers and I opened my eyes to see that my hand had found the blindfold I'd tossed aside. I smiled as I rubbed the soft fabric between my fingers.
I'd always thought I needed to be in control, have a plan. Now I knew the truth though.
Sometimes, letting go was the best thing I could do.
The End
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FREE BONUS: Casual Encounter Vol. 5
Casual Encounter
Vol. 5
By M.S. Parker
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 Belmonte Publishing LLC
Published by Belmonte Publishing LLC.
Chapter 1
I really wasn't having the best of weeks. After a shitty Saturday night, the rest of my weekend had sucked almost as badly. Monday hadn't been any better...with one exception. When I'd gotten home from school, I'd run into – literally – a new neighbor in my building.
Finn Colson was a nice guy. Good-looking, polite and sweet. He was exactly the kind of guy I'd always been looking for. So, when I happened to see him coming down the stairs on Wednesday morning while I was rushing to get to school on time, I smiled and asked him out to coffee.
I spent the rest of Wednesday being nervous as hell. So nervous, in fact, that I actually dropped my chalk twice while lecturing on Heathcliff and Catherine. I finally had to finally tell my students to take the rest of the class to work on their homework. I saw the kids exchanging looks and knew they were all wondering why I was acting so weird. Hell, I was wondering it. I'd been the one to ask Finn out, after all. And it wasn't like I was trying to seduce him. It wasn't about sex or power. Just coffee.
At least that's what I told myself when I left the school and headed for the café where we'd agreed to meet. My palms were sweating as I stood outside the building, trying to work up the nerve to go in. This was what I'd wanted, to be able to ask out men, to have men desire me. I wanted to be able to rely on myself when it came to romance, not to need my friends to set me up because I was so socially awkward and unsure of myself that I couldn't take matters into my own hands. So why, if this was what I'd wanted when I'd agreed to Cade's proposal to teach me, wasn't I jumping at the chance to prove myself?
Because it wasn't about not wanting to prove myself or being nervous that I couldn't do it, I was forced to admit. It was about the who. As perfect as Finn Colson seemed to be, he wasn't the person I wanted to be with. A pang went through me. I shouldn't want Cade, I knew that. He was one hundred percent the wrong guy for me, and that would be true even if he felt anything for me. Which he didn't. I still couldn't figure out why he'd lied to me that last time, but I knew it had to have been a lie. He couldn't care about me and still want to be an escort.
“Forget about him,” I muttered under my breath. “You can do this.” I took a deep breath and walked across the street.
Finn beamed when he saw me, a genuinely pleasant smile without expectation. Still, I saw the admiration on his face when I walked towards him. Someone liked my teacher clothes, I thought smugly. Mr. Know-It-All had been wrong about my wardrobe.
I didn't want to consider that, maybe, it wasn't my clothes that had truly been the problem but rather the way I'd worn them before. I could feel the difference in how I walked, how I carried myself. Even though I'd worn this outfit numerous times since I'd bought it, it wasn't until now that I felt comfortable in it. And that, I realized, was because I finally felt comfortable in my own skin.
“You look nice,” Finn said as he stood.
“Thank you.” I gave him a polite smile. I was proud of myself for not blushing or brushing off his compliment. Granted, it hadn't exactly given me the warm fuzzies like I would've gotten from one of Cade's compliments, but that was because he hadn't generally just said that I looked nice. Anyone would blush at some of the things he said. It had nothing to do with how the sound of his voice could turn me on, no matter what he was saying.
“I have to admit,” Finn spoke, drawing my attention. “I was surprised when you asked me for coffee.”
“Really?” I asked. “Why's that?”
“You backed off so quickly when I suggested you show me around. I figured you weren't interested.” He gave me a wry smile. “Unless I completely read this wrong and you're only trying to be neighborly.”
“And what would you do if I said that was the case?” I asked.
“I'd try to convince you otherwise.” Finn's eyes met mine.
They really were a pretty shade of gray...green. Finn's eyes were green. I didn't want to think about dark gray eyes.
The waitress came by and took our order, giving me a couple minutes to get myself focused again. It wasn't fair to Finn that I was thinking about Cade, comparing him to Cade. In all the ways he and Cade were different, there was one that was more important than the rest and the only one that matter. Finn chose to be here with me. Now, granted, with my luck in men so far, he probably had dates with half a dozen other women from our apartment building, but there was always the off chance that he really was a good guy. And it didn't matter if he was going out with other women. There were no expectations here, no commitments. Just coffee and conversation. If either of us wanted something more afterwards, we'd bring it up then. And if one thing led to another, then that'd be fine too. I wasn't looking for a relationship. Not after the back-to-back beatings my heart had taken. No matter how perfect Finn seemed to be.
“So, Bree Gamble of three E, are you a transplant like me or a native to the windy city?” Finn asked as the waitress walked away.
To his credit, he didn't even glance at her ass as she passed.
“Native,” I said. “Born and raised in the suburbs. Moved into the city when my parents decided they wanted to retire to Florida.”
“Your parents retired already?”
I nodded. “My mom always says that I wasn't an afterthought or late in life kid. I was the 'oh shit how did that happen' kid.” I laughed, remembering all the times my mom had said that to get a rise out of people. “My brother was the late in life kid and she was almost forty when she had him. She was forty-four when I was born. My dad was forty-eight.”
“Wow,” Finn said. “My parents were the exact opposite. They were high school sweethearts, married right after graduation because Mom was already pregnant with my oldest sister. Had the rest of us one after the other.”
“The rest of you? How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
He grinned. “I have one older sister, two older brothers, three younger brothers and two younger sisters. Lisa's a junior in high school.”
I stared at him. “Nine kids?”
He shrugged. “What can I say? Very devout Catholic upbringing.”
I really hoped he wasn't saying all this because he thought he was going to try to get into my pants and claim he couldn't use a condom for religious reasons. I'd been on the pill since Ronald and I had started sleeping together, but that had been because I knew the failure rate of condoms. Plus, there'd always been the off chance that we'd get caught up in the moment and forget. Neither one of us had wanted to risk an accidental pregnancy.
“Myself,” he continued. “I'm more of a C&E Catholic.”
“C and E?” I asked.
“Christmas and Easter.” He glanced over to where the waiter was bringing our drinks.
I blew on my coffee before testing it. Perfect.
“What about you?” Finn asked. “Were you raised religious?”
“Pretty much just Christmas and Easter Baptist,” I said. “More spiritual than religious.”
Finn nodded and took a sip of his coffee. “You said you have a brother?”
“Ian. He and his wife live in Texas.”
“Do you have any other family in the city?” Finn asked. He laughed. “I just realized how completely serial killer that sounded. Totally 'will anyone notice if you go missing?'” He sho
ok his head. “Sorry.”
I laughed. As much as Cade's confidence had been attractive, I had to admit that it was a bit refreshing to see someone who wasn't the perfect conversationalist. “You said you were from Sacramento? Is your family still there?”
“I moved here from Sacramento,” he said. “But I was actually raised in Boston. Business took me to California and then brought me here. Most of my brothers and sisters are still in Boston, but my oldest brother works an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.”
“What business would that be?” I asked as I took another drink. At least I knew whatever Finn's answer was, there was no way it would be anything like Cade's.
“I'm a journalist,” he said. “Technically, the business meeting I told you about the other day was me meeting a source about a story.” He took a drink. “What about you?”
“I'm a teacher.”
I felt myself starting to relax as Finn and I fell into small talk, the typical getting to know each other kind of thing that came with a not-quite-but-maybe-it-is-kind-of-a-date moment like this. Halfway through, he reached out and brushed his fingers against mine. The gesture was deliberate, but definitely the kind that was meant to feel out how someone felt rather than a promise of things to come. My skin tingled from where it had touched his, but it was a mild sensation, not the sort of knee-jerk reaction that my body had every time Cade had touched me.
No. I wasn't going to think about him. Or the way it had felt when his hands had run over my body...
Dammit, Cade!
Finn was a great guy and I should've been enjoying myself more than I was. I wasn't disliking the conversation we were having or his company, but I should've been more attracted. He wasn't anything like Cade or Ronald, which should've been what I wanted. It was what I wanted.
But I couldn't stop my thoughts from wandering to Cade. Wondering what it would be like if it was him sitting across from me. What he would say and do.
I had to get him out of my head. Had to do something to make myself stop thinking about him.
“Which apartment did you say you were in?” I asked at the next break in conversation.
“Four C,” Finn answered as he drained the last of his coffee.