It took too long to get rid of the crew.
Trick wanted to kick them out the minute Lyla slammed the bedroom door, but they lingered. They kept on filming for quite a while, probably trying to catch Lyla coming back out of the bedroom.
She didn’t.
Good.
He didn’t want her to.
He wanted her to stay in there. Safe away from the lens that scrutinized them. But he’d never felt like this, so hollow and sick and disgusted. It was difficult to push her at the best of times, now he’d just pledged to be a decent guy and he’d gone and done… that.
Lying in the dark on his back on the couch, he covered his eyes with the back of his wrist. He probably wouldn’t be getting much sleep, he just wished he knew that she was sleeping. If she was sleeping, she was relaxed, and there was a chance she didn’t hate him.
A small chance.
A tiny one.
Paul had spoken about setting up a static camera in the room, luckily, they hadn’t brought any because no one had assumed that the couple would be getting it on. The couple being first on that list.
Lyla hadn’t eaten. She hadn’t gotten her shower either. She’d been locked up in that bedroom for two hours.
Paul and the others eventually left after he assured them he’d call with any developments or if there was a chance of sex. He wouldn’t. But it didn’t take much to persuade them that Lyla was pissed.
She usually pushed away from him and often squealed his name with outrage, but she never threw any comments at him, not like she had tonight.
Trick couldn’t help but replay the words in his mind. Had she meant them for the show, or had they been for him? If he’d hurt her, really hurt her, he’d never forgive himself. He just wouldn’t. He wouldn’t even argue if she wanted to dump his ass and split, he’d deserve it.
When the bedroom door opened, he didn’t move. If she needed the bathroom or wanted to go for a shower, he wasn’t going to start up with her. The woman deserved some breathing space and that meant he’d live with his own torment and give her peace.
“Trick,” she murmured.
His arm slid away from his head, but with him on his back on the couch, they couldn’t actually see each other. “Yeah?”
“Come to bed.”
What?
Sitting upright, he looked over the back of the couch, but she was already gone. The bedroom door was open but vacant. Had he just dreamed that? Leaping up from the couch, Trick wasn’t about to take the risk that it hadn’t been real.
Rushing to the bedroom, he saw her there, sitting up in the middle of the bed, scooting over to the opposite side as she pulled the covers back on the empty side. “Babe?” he asked, staying near the door in case she decided to throw something at him.
“Come to bed,” she said, sliding down beneath the comforter to rest her head on her folded hands on the pillow.
She was wearing the baggy white dress thing she’d been wearing when she slathered that lotion stuff all over her body, driving him crazy with the same scent of coconut he recognized from the shampoo that infused her hair.
“You… you want me to come to bed with you?”
“It’s got to be more comfortable than the couch,” she said. “You don’t have to touch me if you don’t want to.”
She sounded serious enough. Damn, his woman just kept surprising him over and over. Dashing to the bed, he leapt onto it and shifted over, right to the middle and dropped his head onto her pillow with hers. She laughed. Oh, that sound… He loved making her laugh.
“And if I do want to?” he asked, his hand hovering over her hip.
“Did they leave cameras or audio—”
“No,” he soothed, lifting his hand to her face to brush the back of his fingers over her cheek. “I’m sorry I was a prick, babe. I—”
“I know why you did it,” she said, taking his hand and directing it around to her back so she could move against him. “You did that so we could do this… alone.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Trick didn’t lose his guilt, but was washed by relief. “How did I get with such a smart cookie?”
“I felt… nervous… but I knew you’d never really expose my body to anyone… would you?”
“What? No! Of course not, baby. I can’t share you. I can’t do it… As soon as I heard Paul coming I knew I’d do whatever I could to protect this… I’m sorry if I scared you. Babe, I know I go too far, but I get into that—”
“I think a part of me liked it.” Wow, ok, so this was what stunned silence felt like. “Is that… bad?”
“Nothing that turns you on is bad,” he said and was stoked that she was sharing her sexual feelings with him so openly. “What was it you liked about it?” Because if he knew, he’d be sure to do it again.
“Mean it?” he asked, pulling her closer to him in hope that she might feel the boner pulsing between them and react in a way that would give him the green light… or not. “I do mean it. I don’t want any guy trying to move in on you. That bastard snuck up here when he knew I wouldn’t be here, ‘cause he knew you were alone and vulnerable.”
“I wasn’t actually sick,” she said and when she opened her mouth on his throat, he had to close his eyes and remind himself to be patient.
She wriggled even closer. “Give him your number?” she asked and laughed. “How would that work?”
“Easy, I’ll tell him I’m your pimp and organize somewhere to meet.”
“Why would I want to meet him?” she asked.
This was exactly why she was vulnerable, she just didn’t get it. “You wouldn’t,” he said, rubbing his mouth in her hair. “I would. Me and my boys.”
“I can’t condone violence,” she said. “You shouldn’t be hitting people.”
“Sometimes a scare is enough,” he said. “But I reserve the right to do whatever I want if any bastard pushes me too far.”
As he felt himself getting angry about any guy who might try to touch his precious Lyla, he felt something damp against his chest.
Damn, was that her tongue?
Green light.
Skimming one hand down her back, he let it settle over the rise of her gorgeous ass and began to gather up her nightdress. “How do you feel about sleeping naked?”
“I might get cold.”
“In my bed?” he asked and sniggered. “Not gonna happen.”
“You’re not naked,” she said, and when her hand skimmed his hip to curve around his ass, he swore under his breath.
Lyla didn’t usually touch him. Her confidence was growing and that meant he was in trouble. The more they did this. The closer they got. The more she’d touch him. His control was frayed enough already without her exploring him.
Flipping onto his back, Trick wanted to whip off his underwear as fast as possible so she didn’t have to be out of his arms for a second longer than was necessary. “Am now,” he said, flipping to his front, he scooped her beneath him.
It felt so good that her legs opened automatically for him and settling between them was like coming home. But he wasn’t going to bury himself inside her yet, they had unfinished business. He’d figured out that kissing her made her relax. So he occupied her mouth with his and went to work lifting her nightdress up over her hips. He’d keep on going and pull the damn thing off, if it didn’t mean he’d have to stop kissing her.
“Nairn,” she whispered, when he slid his fingers through the seam of her body.
Because she was pushing and stroking his chest, he deduced that she liked his torso. Good. The more things she liked, the more likely she’d be to stay with him. He wasn’t beyond manipulation or blackmail. If he needed to use either to keep the woman he loved, he’d do it.
“Love?” he asked and her eyes slipped up to his, why did she look so grateful? “I do love you, Lyla.”
“I know,” she said. When she smiled, he began to massage her clit again and tried to kiss her, but she inhaled and gave him another push. “I’m a bit… sore…” Hell, he’d hurt her, exactly what he didn’t want to do. “It’s ok.” Smoothing her hands up his body, she stroked his face. She was just so delicate, so gentle with him. Everything she did felt so tender, like he was precious to her. No one touched him like that. “I like it. It reminds me of what we did, but… can we go slow?”
Slow? If she was in pain, his dick wasn’t going anywhere near her pussy, not until she was completely ready for him again. He wouldn’t cause her pain, wasn’t capable of it.
“How about you trust me to make you feel good?” he asked and stole a kiss before crawling down her body, kissing his route south.
Her whole body tensed when he kissed her clit, but he slid his hands up over her torso, beneath her nightdress to her breasts. Massaging and reassuring her, he carried on with his feast. She’d get used to having him down here, and she’d learn that even when sex wasn’t an option, he could make her feel good because he was dedicated to her in every way a man should be dedicated to his wife.