CHAPTER THIRTY
Early morning sunlight filtered through a crack in the drapes. A quick glance at the bedside clock told Paige it was barely seven in the morning. They had flown back to London from New York yesterday and she was feeling every bit of the jet lag. She wasn’t someone who jumped out of bed all smiles ready for the day like Nate but for some reason she was wide awake with no hope of going back to sleep. Her mind was already whirling, thoughts and emotions making it hard to drift back to dreamland. A new book was beginning to take shape and her imagination wasn’t going to let her rest easily until she put it on paper.
She sat up carefully, not wanting to wake Nate and allowed herself the luxury of looking at him. Really looking. He was so full of energy, like a little puppy, that he rarely stood still. At this moment he was at peace, his expression one of sweet repose.
With his mouth open – snoring and drooling.
Okay, he wasn’t the most serene of sleepers, but he was all hers. Her gaze started at the top of his head and those adorable curls that she loved to run her fingers through. Nate would joke that she needed to be careful or his hairline would recede even farther. She didn’t care about his hairline or if he was completely bald. He’d be just as beautiful either way.
Her fingers itched to trace the elegant lines of his face – his nose, his scruff covered chin, and those impossibly high cheekbones. His head was turned to the side so the cords of his neck were exposed, his Adam’s apple tempting her to kiss or nibble. She restrained herself and let her gaze wander lower.
His lean but muscular torso, his flat male nipples that she’d traced with her tongue so many times. And those abs. Sweet baby Jesus, she wanted to lick every ridge of his stomach and then follow that treasure trail…
Ooooh! What do we have here?
Nate’s morning wood didn’t have a damn thing to do with her but that didn’t mean she couldn’t give him a lovely wake up call.
Easing the sheet down, she licked her lips at the bounty she’d exposed. He was long, thick, and half-erect. She could work with that. Bracing her weight on her palms, she leaned down to give the head a lick, then swirled her tongue around and around before sliding down and then up. He let out a grunt but didn’t wake and she watched in fascination as his cock grew longer and harder before her eyes.
She wrapped one hand around the base and her mouth around the head, moving them in unison as the fingers of her other hand played with his balls, already pulled tight to his body. This wasn’t going to take long.
Flicking her tongue, she tightened her lips determined to make him come even as his hips lifted up from the mattress and he pushed deeper into her mouth, nudging at the back of her throat. He was moaning now, his fingers tangled in her hair, and guiding her exactly where he wanted her to be. Even half asleep, the British bastard had to be in control of their sex life. Luckily she was happy to let him do it.
“Baby,” he choked out. “I’m going to–”
Of course he was. That was the whole point of this. She doubled her efforts and he thrust faster, his breathing more like gasps. With one last final stroke he pushed himself deeply into her mouth, his entire body bowed and tensed as his hot seed hit the back of her throat.
The one thing that she loved was watching his face as he orgasmed, his cock buried in her mouth. His eyes were squeezed shut, his head thrown back, his teeth gritted together as a string of expletives fell from his lips. Nate could talk dirty with the best of them but his language took a real turn for the gutter when she gave him head. If he’d been awake the entire time, he would have been talking nasty to her and loving every minute of it. She’d never known anyone who could mix Shakespeare with limericks from Nantucket, but he could.
Wiping her chin, she slid up beside him as he struggled to catch his breath. He finally opened his eyes and a grin spread across his face.
“That was quite a wakeup call, love. What did I do to deserve that?”
His long arms enfolded her, his chin resting on the top of her head while his fingers began caressing her spine. It appeared he had more on his mind than a morning run.
“Just being you,” she replied cheekily, pressing a kiss to his chest. “Isn’t that enough?”
“I won’t argue. When a day begins like that, you know it’s going to be a good one.”
Paige decided she’d have a little fun with this.
“Absolutely. I thought it might be a good way to send you off for your morning run.”
She scooted away from him and sat up as if she expected him to get up and get dressed and really go for that run. If he did, she’d never forgive him.
His forehead wrinkled and he propped himself up on his elbow. “Run? I can do that anytime today.”
“You should get it over with. Get it out of the way.”
His fingers trailed up the calf of her leg, a mischievous smile on his face. “Later.”
Paige shook her head but was swiftly losing this game. One touch from him and she was well and truly lost. “I don’t want to be the reason you get out of shape. You should go now.”
He’d already explained to her that his fitness routine for the play he had coming up in the new year was much more relaxed than for some of the other roles he’d had in the past. He had to stay about the same weight so the costumes would fit – which was why he ran five days a week – but he didn’t have to bulk up and eat massive amounts of protein either. He simply needed to be sensible.
Those devilish fingers slid to her inner thigh and she couldn’t hold back the squeak of pleasure and surprise when they brushed over that most sensitive spot between her legs. This was the great thing about sleeping naked and the worst thing. Every part of him was available but every part of her was too.
He chuckled and delved those long digits deeper, finding her quite wet and ready. “My lady, I think you doth protest too much.”
Time to give in and let him think it was his idea.
“Well…if you insist.”
The next thing she knew she was flat on her back, her legs thrown over Nate’s shoulders, and his face buried between her thighs. Half giggling and half moaning, she thrust her fingers in his curls as his tongue circled her clit, scraping the sides with his teeth and making her hips buck. He teased and tormented her until her voice was hoarse from begging to be allowed to come. This was one of his favorite games – keeping her on the edge until she couldn’t take it anymore. No matter how much she swore she wouldn’t plead, he always won. But she won too because her orgasms were always bigger and stronger when he did.
A white-hot bar of arousal had taken up residence in her abdomen as she sought her release, chased it desperately. Her fingers clawed at the sheets and she said his name over and over like an incantation, a spell of witchcraft.
Because he was so much bigger than she was, he could simply lift her and place her where he wanted her to be. He did that, rolling her to her stomach and lifting her up onto her knees. They’d never used this position before but it was hot to be manhandled in such a way, firmly but gently, his own desire for her so strong that he had to have her right now, this minute. Positioning himself behind her, he leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“Brace yourself, darling. This might get a little rough.”
* * *
Nate buried himself balls deep in one stroke, the sensation rocketing through his spine and straight to his cock. His fingers tightened on Paige’s hips and despite coming only minutes before he was ready to blow again.
So much for more control as he got older. This sexy little woman was going to be the death of him. Every time he had her it only made him want her more. He imagined it would be like this for the rest of his life.
He was one lucky bloke.
With each stroke he bottomed out, her walls clutching him greedily, like wet, hot velvet. He’d kept her waiting, not letting her fall over the precipice so she was already close to climaxing, those muscles milking him.
The pressure was beginning to build in his lower back and his balls, a shimmering tide of pleasure blurring his vision. He reached back and landed his palm smartly on Paige’s creamy bottom cheek, leaving a vivid red handprint behind. Her body jumped and she moaned as her channel clamped down on him, sending shocks through his overloaded system. With his other hand, he landed another blow to the untouched cheek, leaving another handprint on the pillow of her bottom. If the gush of honey that followed was any indication, his naughty girl liked her spanking.
He leaned over her back to whisper words of encouragement right in the shell of her ear. “Do you like that, baby girl?” He gave her another smack. “Answer me or I won’t let you come.”
He would let her come, of course, but this was part of their game. She looked over her shoulder, her expression contorted with a mixture of pleasure and pain.
So fucking gorgeous.
“Yes,” she replied, her words breathless and soft. “Yes, I like it.”
He couldn’t hold back any longer, the pressure was too strong.
“Such a good girl,” he praised as his fingers found the swollen bundle of nerves that would send her into the stars. “Come now. Come.”
Paige screamed his name as she climaxed, every muscle in her body tightening. His own orgasm roared through him like a freight train and he thrust in one last time, holding himself there until he was spent and empty. They fell together in a damp tangle of arms and legs, Paige already giggling as he pulled her close. At moments like these, he needed to feel every inch of her beautiful body pressed to his. He could feel her heartbeat thumping in time to his own as the musk of their coupling hung in the air.
This was how it was supposed to be. This wasn’t the sex that he was used to with the other females of his past. This was mating, claiming. Deeply primitive, his instincts firmly in control. This was more and it was everything. He prayed she felt it as well. Every cell in his being was crying out to make her his and his alone. To protect her from harm. To bring her happiness every day. To give her everything in his power and then give some more. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
He wanted to make her his wife.
He needed to be her husband.
He brushed her hair back from her face and pressed a kiss to her nose. “Paige, love. I have something to ask you.”
She nodded. “Hmmm…okay.”
He gathered his courage and the words tumbled out. “Will you spend Christmas in London with me and my family?”
Her lids fluttered open and for a moment he was lost in her emerald green eyes, but then she smiled, her fingers caressing his jaw. “I will.”
For now it would have to do.