THRITEEN

I throw my head back and laugh. “You’re kidding, that’s soooo cute.”

Slade’s lips twitch. “Yeah, he was a funny kid when he was little. He always had such a great personality. Always joking around with me.”

“You did a great job with him, it’s so nice to see a little boy with such a great outlook on life. He’s a pleasure to have around.”

“Yeah, he is. Don’t know what I’d do without him.”

I smile, feeling more than warm and fuzzy inside after more than eight beers over the afternoon with Slade. We got to talking, and the beer flowed, and before we knew it, it was evening and we were sitting on his sofa, laughing over stories about Ryder, and how adorable he was as a little kid. The poor boy didn’t want to eat dinner after our big lunch, and fell asleep half an hour ago, exhausted from the day out.

“What about you, you never wanted kids?” Slade asks me.

I shrug. “I wasn’t overly focused on kids, I had a career I really wanted to pursue, and so that’s what I did. Then time started getting away from me, and I thought about it, but I never met anyone, you know?”

“Shame, you’d make a great mother. You’re good with Ryder.”

I flush. “Well, he’s a great kid.”

“Yeah, he is,” Slade murmurs, staring at me in a way that makes me squirm.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I say, my voice soft.

I clutch my beer close, like it’s going to protect me from the lusty looking man sitting next to me, staring at me like he wants to slowly take my clothes off.

“I’m just wondering if your body tastes as good as your lips.”

I shiver, and squeeze my legs together. God.

“I, ah,” I stammer, sipping my beer to hide my nerves.

“I like you, Rachel. You drive me fuckin’ crazy, but that’s what I like about you. Been a fuckin’ long time since I’ve wanted to spend time with a woman outside of fucking and leaving. You intrigue me.”

God.

Oh, God.

I swallow and hold his eyes. “Well, ditto,” I whisper.

He reaches over, curling his big hand around my beer bottle and tugging it from my hands. My heart races as I stare at his big form as he places them town, and then turns, reaching over and curling a hand around the back of my neck. “Goin’ to kiss you again. I can’t spend another second lookin’ at those lips and not tastin’ them.”

He leans forward and captures my mouth with his, kissing me softly at first, little pecks over my lips, cheeks and down my neck. My entire body tingles and begins a slow burn from the inside out as his mouth moves back to mine and he kisses me for real, deep and long, tongues and lips. It feels so good, so incredibly good.

I reach up, tangling my fingers into his hair and tugging him closer, whimpering as he pulls me onto his lap. My knees fall either side of him, my arms go around his neck, and I kiss him as deeply as I can, not seeming to get enough of him. I need more. My fingers trail down his bulging biceps, and down to his chest. With great difficulty, I pull my lips from his and lean down, pressing my mouth to the little dip at the base of his throat as my fingers massage over his chest muscles.

I can feel his rigid cock beneath me, getting harder and harder by the second. The thick length rubs right up against my sex, turning me on far more than I’d like to admit in such a short time. Slade makes a groaning sound in his throat, and I arch into him, desperate to get closer.

“Can’t keep doin’ this here,” he murmurs against my throat.

With one quick movement, he lifts me into his arms and carries me into his bedroom, locking the door behind us. The fire is already running, so Slade takes me over to the bed and places me down before moving to the corner and grabbing a big blanket that he places on the floor in front of the fire. My heart flutters as he turns, glancing at me and crooking a finger in my direction.

I stand and walk with shaky legs over to the blanket, lowering down until I’m sitting on it. Slade takes the hem of his shirt and lifts it up, pulling it over his head and revealing that incredible body. Then he kneels down in front of me, tucking a strand of hair from my face as he reaches for my shirt. Holding his eyes, I lift my arms and he slides my top off.

I’m not nervous.

I’m always nervous, but with him, I’m not.

He makes me feel ... safe. Beautiful.

Slowly, the rest of our clothes come off, and then Slade pulls me onto his lap again. His cock presses against my bottom, but he does nothing to push it any closer. Instead, his hands travel down my body, sliding up and down my back, cupping my bottom. His mouth drops and finds my nipple, and he sucks it softly into his mouth. Moaning, my head falls back as he devours it, sucking and nipping.

“You’re fuckin’ perfect, Rachel,” he growls, releasing my nipple and running a hand up my spine.

I run my fingers all over him, not getting enough of him, no matter how close I am. I nestle my face into his neck, and breathe him in, loving how he smells, loving how he feels. The fire crackles beside us, creating a scene that I couldn’t imagine in my wildest fantasies.

“Slade,” I whimper, when his hand drops down between my legs, finger gliding through my already wet sex.

“So fuckin’ wet,” he growls into my ear before sliding one finger inside me.

I gasp and squirm, his hands are big, his fingers equally so. It takes a few moments to adjust around him, but he swirls his finger inside me, and then thrusts it in and out slowly. I groan and find his lips, kissing him with a ferocity that I’ve never felt before. He kisses me back with equal passion, until his fingers are lighting a fire inside me.

“Slade,” I gasp as my orgasm builds higher and higher until I can’t take it anymore.

I come—hard, long, and perfect.

“I need to fuck you now babe,” he rasps, reaching over to the left of him and shuffling around. He comes back with a condom, ripping the packet with his teeth and pulling it out, reaching between us and sliding it over his dick.

He has an impressive dick, too.

Long, hard and thick. I stare at the sheer size and swallow.

Not moving me off his lap, Slade lifts me up and then gently begins lowering me over his cock, inch by inch he fills me, stretching me, making me burn in the best kind of way. I whimper and clutch his shoulders, hanging on as the pain slowly turns to incredible pleasure.

Reaching down, Slade takes my backside in his hand and starts rocking me back and forth on his cock. My gasps turn into low moans as pleasure unlike anything I’ve ever felt starts building deep inside me. My fingers graze down his biceps, before I reach up and curl my arms around his neck, finding his lips and kissing him some more as my rocking becomes more frantic.

It feels so good.

So fucking good.

“Slade,” I whimper against his mouth. “Oh, God.”

“You feel so fuckin’ good,” he growls, nipping my bottom lip. “Fuck.”

His words build me higher until I’m hanging on the edge, my entire body wound up tight, my back arched, my mouth open as little moans of pleasure escape. I’m going to come, and there is nothing that can stop the intensity of it. I already know it’s going to blow my mind.

“Slade,” I cry out as an explosion unlike any explosion I’ve ever experienced takes over my body. Pleasure, unlike anything I’ve ever felt grips my body and Slade smothers my screams with a deep kiss that takes my breath away.

“Goin’ to come too, fuck,” he hisses against my mouth, before his entire body goes still and he exhales against my cheek, thrusting upwards just slightly as he relishes in his release.

I drop my head into his shoulder, catching my breath. His big arms go around me and he holds me there for a few minutes, both of us connecting in a way that scares me. I can feel it radiating off him and into me. There’s something here, a bond that I don’t think even we understand.

“That was incredible,” I finally murmur, pulling away and looking into his eyes.

“You’re incredible, babe,” he says, pressing a kiss to the end of my nose.

God.

There is no backing away from this now.

He’s under my skin.

~*~*~*~

Slamming my car door, I let out a frustrated growl as soon as I know nobody can hear me. It’s been over a month now, and Terrence isn’t letting up. It doesn’t matter what I do, or what I say, he just doesn’t like me. Today, he made my day a living nightmare, and for no good reason. The stress is finally taking its toll, and I don’t know how much more I’m expected to take. Honestly.

The drive home I fight my tears, knowing Slade will pick up on it as soon as I walk in his front door for dinner later. He can read me in a way that sometimes freaks me out, and other times flatters me. The slightest shift in my mood, and he can pick it up. Things between us in the last few weeks have been incredible. Every chance he gets, he takes Ryder and I out to explore the area, and without fail he fucks me until my head spins afterward.

I’m not even willing to think about how attached I am to the man.

When I arrive at my cabin, I get out and glance next door. I’m meant to be going over there for dinner, but my mood is not good and I know I’ll only make everyone miserable. I pull out my phone and flick Slade a text, telling him that I had a really bad headache and am going to bed early, so I’ll see him tomorrow before work. Then I go inside and stand in a hot shower for half an hour, trying to calm myself.

By the time I get out, Slade is sitting on the end of my bed, staring. I jerk a little when I see him, but it shouldn’t surprise me. Of course he wasn’t just going to take a text message and leave me be. No, he’s too smart and has to come and check to make sure I’m actually telling the truth. Nothing slips past him. Nothing at all.

“You’ve been crying.”

It’s not a question, but a statement. So, I don’t answer it.

“What’s going on, Rach?”

I shake my head, clutching the towel closer and avoiding eye contact.

“Three seconds to tell me, babe, or I come over there and make you.”

I flush and look over to him. “Honestly, I have a headache.”

“I call bullshit, last chance.”

“Slade ...”

He moves quickly, catching me around the waist and pulling me onto his lap. My towel drops and I scramble for it, but he slaps my hands away, curling his big arms around my naked body and holding me to him.

“Now, tell me what’s goin’ on.”

“Slade, honestly ...”

“If I have to slap your ass, Rachel, I will. Your choice.”

I bite my bottom lip for a second, and then whisper, “Terrence is being horrible again. It’s getting old now, I don’t know how much more I can handle, honestly, I don’t. I love this job, but the joy is slowly being sucked out of it. It’s wearing me down, Slade.”

Slade makes a deep rumbling sound in his throat, and then says, “I’ll sort it out.”

“What?” I cry out. “No! Slade!”

“I’ll sort it, Rachel. Trust me.”

“No, I’ll lose my job, I will and—”

“Shhh,” he says, cupping my breast and rolling my nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

“Slade,” I whimper, hating that it feels so good when I’m trying to be serious.

“Hush, baby.”

He squeezes my breast, before his hand drops between my legs and he starts stroking there.

“Dammit, Slade, listen,” I gasp.

“After. Right now, I’m going to put my mouth on your pussy and relax you. Then you’re coming to my house for dinner, as we planned. Later, I’ll fuck you before you go to sleep.”

I shiver. “You’re a stubborn ass ...”

He moves quickly, throwing my body down onto the bed. I bounce a little but he catches my thighs in his big hands and jerks me toward the end of the bed before dropping to his knees and hitting me with those smoldering brown eyes. “Don’t fight me, baby, I’m hungry.”

I shiver and my mouth drops open, but nothing comes out, so I simply nod and swallow.

Then Slade drops his head.

And he eats my pussy until I forget all my problems.

~*~*~*~

Walking into the office late the next morning because I had a training course before I started, I see Terrence right away standing at the end of the hall outside his office. The moment he notices me, he starts striding over to me. God, here we go. I don’t need any more crap from him. He surely knows that I was training this morning as part of my job. If he wants to fight me this morning, I may very well quit; I’ve had enough.

“Rachel, if you will come into my office for a moment,” he says, his voice tight, but not it’s usual snippy tone.

“Of course,” I say and even I can hear the exhaustion in the way I sound.

I step into his office and walk over, taking a seat and looking over at him as he sits down across from me, and holds my eyes.

“I called you in here today, because I wanted to,” he pauses and looks away for a moment, “to apologize for the way I’ve been treating you. It is classed as harassment, and you’ve done nothing to warrant it.”

I blink.

Say what?

“Ah,” I begin, but I’ve got nothing. At all.

“I’ve been treating you more than unfairly, and if you wanted, you’d have every right to make a complaint against me. However, I ask that you give me a second chance. I’ve been under, ah, high stress and was taking it out on you. I apologize for that.”

I’m hearing things.

This is a dream.

This is ...

Slade!

Oh, God. Slade.

“I, ah, I appreciate that, Terrence. I really like working here, and I’m grateful for the chance, so I hope we can start getting along.”

I really want to tell him to stick it up his ass, but whatever Slade has done, has worked. I’m a little nervous as to what he may have said for this change in attitude, but I have no choice but to roll with it, and hope it sticks.

“I appreciate that,” Terrence says. “Thank you for understanding, and once again, I apologize. You may go back to work now.”

May.

I may go back to work.

No demands, just perfect manners.

I stand and offer a lame smile before heading out of the office and into my own. Then I pull out my phone and text Slade.

R – What did you do.

S – What I had to.

R – Slade! Seriously! Tell me!

S – I just reminded him of company rules, very fucking nicely, and told him if it continues, we would find proof of harassment and have his ass.

My heart pounds as I text back.

R – I don’t know if I should thank you or throttle you. He could have fired me and gotten you into trouble.

S – Trust me babe, he wasn’t going to fire you. I can find dirt on anyone, and I found enough on Terrence to make sure he treats you with the upmost respect from now on.

God.

This man.

R – Well, thank you. He apologized and was very nice.

S – Anything baby. See you this afternoon.

God.

Yes.

This man.