Chapter Twenty-Four

AARON

This feels like a dream, a dream that’s going to be snatched away if I make one wrong move, if I’m not careful enough, if I jerk too fast and wake myself up.

This was the end goal, to have Amelia believe in us, be in my arms again, but now that it’s actually happening, I fear she’ll second-guess her choice. Am I a rebound or does her heart and soul want a second chance for us?

She left me . . . us . . . last Thursday to be with Trey. I haven’t pressed her for information about why she broke up with him, but it is reasonable to wonder if I’m her convenient friend, lover, wanted for comfort while she tries to figure out her future. I don’t want to be that man; I want to be the man she calls her forever. I want to be the man she kisses goodnight and the man she shares a cup of coffee with in the morning. I want to be the man who holds her hand while walking down the street. I want to be the man who takes her to our bedroom and makes love to her.

But there is no guarantee she wants me as that man. She might want that now, living on a high from her visit with her father, but what about in the morning, when she wakes up, her actions from last night being emotionally charged rather than thought out properly? As we walk into my house, ready to make love, what does she want?

Worry etches my features, and she notices right away.

She presses her hand against my face. “What’s wrong? What happened to that handsome smile of yours?”

I grip the back of my neck, shut my front door, and turn toward her. “I don’t know if this is a good idea, Amelia.”

“Aaron, stop overthinking everything. Just feel this, us.” She presses her hand against my chest and my hands itch to pull her closer.

“I want to, baby, I really do, but I can’t help but wonder what tomorrow will bring. Are you only acting on emotion instead of what you really want? I can’t live through another breakup with you; there is no way I’ll survive if you walk away from me. I don’t want to rush anything. I can wait, I have all the time in the world to wait for you, Amelia.”

Her eyes soften and her mouth stretches across her face in a sweet smile. “Aaron, my handsome man, I feel this pull between us. It’s real. It’s not me acting on emotion. It’s me thinking clearly. I want you, I need you, and I’m ready. I’m ready to give us a second chance. I’m ready if you’ll give me a second chance. Stop trying to deny the inevitable.”

I emulate her smile. The inevitable. That used to be such a negative word in my vocabulary, a countdown to disappointment, but with one simple sentence, Amelia changes the meaning and use of that word.

And there was no way in hell I want to deny that inevitable.

Taking a leap, my heart on my sleeve, I link my hand with Amelia’s and take her to my bedroom, not bothering with lights.

I place her in front of me, her legs pressing against my large bed, and slowly start to unbutton my shirt. Her eyes are glued to my fingers, watching every flick of the button, and with each reveal of skin, her breathing gets heavier. With my shirt completely unbuttoned, I leave it open but don’t take it off. I step forward and grab Amelia’s hand. I press it against my chest, letting her palm feel the strength of my pecs, loving the way her touch makes them twitch. Moving along, restricting the time she gets to spend touching that part of me, I move her hand lower to my abs. She bites her bottom lip as she grazes her fingernails along my skin. I want her to feel the new me, to explore the man I am now, not thinking of the man I used to be.

Moving her hand again, I bring it the V in my waist where her fingers run along the edge. Her other hand grabs my side and with an exhale, she glides her hands up my chest, slowly, leisurely, but methodically, memorizing every contour, every ridge.

When she reaches my heart, she circles her finger around, branding me with her touch before she leans forward and presses a kiss above my rapidly beating heart. Numb, unable to move, I completely freeze as she continues to explore my body, pushing my shirt off my arms. When my upper half is bare, she sighs and moves her hands over my pecs again, her fingers grazing my nipples, causing me to hiss through my teeth.

Shit, that feels good. Not just because I haven’t been with a woman in a while, but because it’s Amelia who’s touching me. The woman I never thought I’d see again is touching me, admiring me, loving me with every scrape of her nails.

“Your tattoos don’t seem to have any rhyme or reason to them,” she whispers, tracing the black ink.

“They’re demons,” I answer on a swallow. I got them after I broke up with Amelia. I needed a way to express myself, to let out some of the pain.

“They wrap around your heart.” She looks up at me.

I nod. “Because that’s where my demons live.” I brush her hair over her shoulder and cup her cheek. “You mean everything to me, Amelia. You were the light in my dark life. You found me when I was lost, and when I had to say goodbye, the light vanished and the demons took over. They took up residence in my heart and ate away at me every fucking day.”

She squeezes her eyes shut and presses her cheek into my palm. “I hate that you pushed us apart. That you loved me so much that you gave me away.”

“I had to. I didn’t want to let you down, to hold you back when you had a huge opportunity in front of you. I did what I thought was best for you.”

“You’re what’s best for me, Aaron.” Her fingers caress my skin, her thumbs kneading my muscles, but those words tend to my aching heart. “Promise you’ll never lie to me like that again. That you’ll never put us through something like that again.”

“I promise,” I answer.

Nodding, she removes her hands from my body, and I feel the loss immediately, but before I complain, she starts removing her clothes. She unties the wrap of her dress and it parts open, revealing a black lace bra, her breasts ample and heavy in the cups. Fuck, I’ve forgotten how perfect she is.

She takes her time and pulls down her leggings. She pushes them to the side, leaving her in a bra and matching black thong. Her curves are endless, her hips swell at just the right height for me to grab, her breasts ache to be free of her bra, and her chestnut hair drapes over her delicate shoulders. She’s a fucking vision, and I can’t stop myself from staring. She’s everything I remember and so much more.

Three years not only changed me but changed her as well. She’s fuller in places, her flat stomach is accentuated by her hips, and her toned legs look stronger than ever, like they’re ready to grip me when I bury myself deep inside her.

I run my hand over my mouth as I stare at her in disbelief. “You’re so goddamn sexy, Amelia. Always have been.” I bring her close to me, my hand on her lower back, my fingers tracing the top of her thong. “You have no idea what you do to me, how you make me feel. Being able to hold you again—a fucking dream come true.” I slip my hand under the fabric of her thong and splay my hand over her ass, giving it a light squeeze. Her breath hitches, and her mouth slightly parts. “Your reaction to my touch, the look in your eyes when you memorize every contour of my body makes me so goddamn hard.” I move my hand a little, cupping her ass in my palm, digging my fingers into her skin. “I’ve missed this, I’ve missed this so fucking much, being able to have my hands on you, to be able to feel the goosebumps over your skin when I talk about what you do to me. It was my constant dream.” I lean forward and kiss her neck, her jaw, and her ear. “And now it’s my reality. I can’t decide what I want more, to taste your sweet pussy, reminding myself how much I love having you come apart on my tongue, or driving my cock so deep inside you that neither of us can catch our breath.” I bite down on her earlobe, moving my hands up her back to her bra where my fingers play with the clasp. “I think I’ll do both.”

I snap her bra open, lift it, pull the straps down, and watch it drop to the ground. Shit. She’s so beautiful, and I’m so fucking in love with her.

“Sit on the bed,” I say, a little demanding, but with a hint of love in my voice.

The surprised look on her face doesn’t escape me. She should be surprised. I’m a different man now. Our sex was always phenomenal, the best I’ve ever had, but over the past three years, I’ve become more demanding, and I wonder if it was because I was always chasing the high we felt when we were together. Now, I don’t know how to act any other way.

From the way she sits on the bed, I guess she doesn’t mind.

I tip her chin up with my index finger. “You’re so beautiful, Amelia, so goddamn sexy. Feel me, feel how fucking hard you make me.”

Cautious at first, she moves her hand up my thigh; her tentativeness makes my cock throb even harder for her touch. When she pauses at the zipper of my jeans, her fingers barely touching the fabric, I have to bite my cheek to keep from thrusting into her hand. I’ve waited so long for this moment, but I want to take my time.

Scooting forward on the bed, she brings her other hand to my jeans and starts to unbutton them. Christ, I want her to feel me, not strip me down, but I’m not stopping her, not with the confidence she shows. I wait as she slowly unbuttons my pants. She pulls down on the zipper, inch by inch until my burgeoning cock has more room to breathe.

Licking her lips, she looks at me briefly and pushes my jeans down, leaving me in my boxer briefs and a with very blatant hard-on. I step out of my jeans and push them to the side along with my socks that I quickly remove.

Placing her hands back on my thighs, her fingers inch toward my cock when I freeze her hands. “Don’t tease me, Amelia.”

She eyes me and says, “What do you want me to do then?” And fuck if my cock doesn’t leap forward.

“Grip me, through my briefs. Just feel what you do to me.”

Nodding, I release one of her hands and in one swift movement, she grabs my dick, and her eyes pop open in shock.

Looking at me, her chest rising and falling rapidly, she moves her hand to the tip, and given the only thing between her hand and my cock is the thin fabric of my briefs, this just about kills me. Her fingers circle the swell of my cock, and before I can tell her to stop, she slips her hand inside and connects her palm to my sensitive skin, dragging it to the root of me.

I lurch forward and grab her shoulders. “Fuck,” I mumble, loving how this woman’s squeeze can bring me to my knees. In a deep voice, I whisper, “Let go and lie on the bed.”

I watch in fascination as her breasts spread across her chest, her pretty, dark-colored nipples poke up like little pebbles, enticing me to bring my mouth to them.

Catching my breath and trying to calm my raging hard-on, I step in front of her and hover, my hands gripping her shoulders. Her hair fans across my bed, her heady eyes wait for my next move. “Slide your thong off.”

With her eyes trained on mine, she moves her hands to her thong and wiggles it off. I feel her legs kick it to the side and pure joy rips through me knowing my woman is completely naked beneath me.

Running my nose along her jaw, trailing kisses in its wake, I speak to her softly as I pepper her with kisses. “This body is mine, Amelia.” My hand trails up her stomach, which contracts from my touch. “These lips”—I press my mouth against hers briefly—“are meant for my mouth.” I slowly roll her nipple between my fingers, causing her chest to hitch. “These nipples, these perfectly pebbled nipples, they were meant to be squeezed, plucked, and bit by me and only me.” I lower my mouth to her collarbone and lick and nibble. Her hand goes to my hair, her fingers twisting through my strands. Loving how she’s losing control, I grip her breasts and squeeze hard while I take one of her nipples into my mouth. She grips my head tightly and moans, her pelvis pushing against mine.

“Yes,” she drawls out. “Yes, Aaron.”

My name coming from her pliable lips . . . it’s my fucking dream.

I move to the other breast, giving it the equal attention it deserves. But on this nipple, I bite down hard. She screams in pleasure, her hips now rocking against mine.

I place a kiss of comfort on her nipple and move to her stomach where I slowly kiss her skin, lowering my head with every move. When I glance up, her eyes are shut, her cheeks are rosey pink, and her teeth are biting her lower lip.

I reach her pubic bone and stop my trail of kisses, pulling away from her, leaving a wave of cold, causing her to open her eyes and look at me.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” she asks, her eyes hazy from lust.

I place a kiss just above the juncture between her thighs. “This Amelia, this pussy, this perfectly sweet pussy, this is meant for me and only me.” The tension in her shoulders ease and she nods. “I want to hear it from you. I want you to tell me this pussy is mine, I’m the one who was made to lick, suck, and fuck this pussy. Tell me, Amelia.”

Her hands move over her breasts, and I watch in fascination as she slowly starts to pinch her nipples. A low growl pops out of me.

“Tell me,” I repeat.

Instead of answering right away, her hands move from her stomach to her already wet center, where she cups herself and starts to move her fingers. My mouth goes dry, my cock throbbing to the point of pain as I watch her finger herself in front of me.

“This pussy,” she whispers, her voice a little shy but her movements brazen, so out of character from the woman I used to know, “belongs to you, Aaron, and only you.”

A warm and pleasant hum warms my body. Amelia is claiming herself as mine.

“Mine,” I rumble, leaning forward to place kisses on her inner thigh. I remove her fingers and carefully place them in my mouth and suck on them. Her breath catches in her throat, and her legs fall farther apart. “So fucking good,” I whisper.

Draping her legs over my shoulders, I spread her lips, exposing her arousal. I stay still, letting the air hit her, watching in fascination at how much she’s affected by this, by me being so close.

“God, Aaron, touch me,” she moans, her hands gripping the comforter beneath her. “I want your mouth on me.”

“How bad?” I ask, lowering myself so my lips barely graze across her skin.

Almost as if she’s about to cry, she says, “So bad. So fucking bad, Aaron.”

Every time my name rolls off her mouth like that, like there is so much pressure building inside her she doesn’t know how to react, I nearly come.

Not being able to keep myself away any longer, I lower my head and press my tongue along her slit. She moans, her neck arching up and her tits shooting to the sky. Fuck, that’s sexy. Fuck, I need release. But it’s not my time yet, its Amelia’s.

Not moving too fast, wanting to slowly edge her out, I gently run my tongue up her slit not pushing too hard, only grazing her. When she wiggles beneath me, I move my hand to her stomach and press down, keeping her in place.

“More,” she pants. “Please Aaron, I want more.”

How can I deny her that?

Flattening out my tongue, I apply more pressure. Stroke after stroke, I harden my tongue, watching as Amelia grips the comforter tighter and tighter, her knuckles turning white.

“More?” I ask.

“God, yes,” she cries out.

“Are you throbbing, Amelia?”

“So hard, please don’t stop.”

Smiling, I press my tongue back on her slit and hold it there for a second before I dive in and press my tongue on her clit where I flick her rapidly, still holding her stomach down so she can’t buck up like she wants to.

“Fuck,” she breathes out. “Oh fuck.” Sweat coats her skin, her legs slip on my shoulders, her body shudders.

Gripping her ass and lifting it off the bed, I press even harder with my tongue, massaging her clit in the most delicious way possible.

“Oh God, yessss,” she moans as she comes on my tongue, her taste so sweet, so addictive. I lap her up, sucking her clit into my mouth, riding out her orgasm, not allowing her once to move her hips against my mouth, taking her pleasure entirely into my own hands.

I continue to flick her as she pulses, her head moving from side to side, her knuckles still white from her grip. Seeing she’s still very much on edge, I move my fingers inside her and start curving up, filling her while my tongue continues to move along her clit.

Her stomach falls and she shoots up on the bed to her elbows only to fall back onto the mattress. Her spine arches, her tits reaching for the sky, her moans coming at a rapid rate. She’s so damn vocal, so responsive, so sensitive. Fuck, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed this so much.

Stroking, thrusting, sucking, nibbling, I take her higher and higher, her legs clamping onto my shoulders, her hands now gripping my hair, pulling.

“I can’t, I can’t,” she says on repeat, her features in disbelief.

“You can,” I say. “Let go, baby, just feel.”

I flatten my tongue and stroke her with long presses, matching the curve of my fingers with what my mouth is doing, bringing her to the edge.

“Oh my God,” she shouts just as her walls contract around my fingers, and I feel a fresh new wave of wetness on my tongue. I soak it all up, smoothing it over her arousal, once again riding out her orgasm, loving every second of it.

While she floats down from her orgasm, I snag my wallet from my pants and sheath myself with a condom. Rolling it on is painful as fuck since I’m so damn hard. I need to steady myself so I don’t immediately explode the minute I slip myself inside her.

Her eyes are heady, lazy, barely open. Her hair is fanned out on the bed, a little sweaty around her forehead and neck. And her nipples are still pebbled, begging for my touch once again.

“Watching you come like that, like you were about to cry from pleasure, fuck, it turns me on so much, Amelia.”

She glances at my cock, her eyes widening from my girth. It’s nothing new, she should be used to this. At least she should remember what it was like to be with me.

She scoots up on the bed and eyes me. “You’re bigger than I remember.” She bites her lip. “Will you go easy on me?”

“Always.” I crawl onto the bed and sit against the headboard so I’m propped up, my dick aching to be touched. Wiggling my finger at her, I say, “Come here, Amelia.”

Smirking, she straddles my lap, my erection in front of her heat, where I was just buried. Pressing my fingers into her hips, I move her forward so my cock is pressing against her pussy. “Rub yourself on me . . . slowly.” To help her understand, I guide her hips at first and once she gets the hang of it, I move my hands up her ribcage to her breasts where I palm each of them. Leaning forward, I take her mouth with mine, molding our lips together. She rocks back and forth on my cock, easily sliding over my length while I plunge my tongue in her mouth, stroking relentlessly, enjoying the feel of her mouth against mine, her breasts in my hands, her wet pussy rubbing against my hardened dick.

“God, yes,” she says, starting to move her hips a little faster now as I pinch her nipples, rolling them between my fingers. “Ah, yes.” She picks up her speed, gripping my shoulders for support. She breaks apart our kiss and looks at our connection, her hips shooting back and forth. She tenses on me, and I know that look, that sensation. She’s about to come and to hell if she’s going to do it without me being buried deep inside her.

I still her hips, and she protests with a squeak. “What are you . . . doing?” she asks, out of breath.

“I want you riding my cock when you come. I want to feel your pussy milk me while my name rolls off your tongue.” Reaching between us, I position my cock so she can lift up and take me in. “Ease yourself on me, take your time, baby.”

Looking at my cock, she eyes it for a second and then lifts up on her knees, her breasts brushing against my face. I can’t help it. I suck one into my mouth, biting her nipple. She hisses between her teeth and her forehead falls to my shoulder.

“Amelia, I need you to straddle me, baby. I need to feel your warmth.”

“Stop . . . distracting me then.” She takes a deep breath and lifts her head so we’re both staring into each other’s eyes. Those irises, they’ve lived in my dreams for three years, reminding me of everything I pushed away, but now, with her straddling my lap, those eyes convey nothing but love and lust, I can’t imagine anything more perfect.

Gently, I move my hand to the nape of her neck, pull her closer, and lightly kiss her lips. Soft, enticing, light, I move my lips across hers as she lowers herself onto my cock. The initial touch has me wanting to slam her down on top of me, but instead, I focus on kissing her, on enjoying the simple act of making out.

Inch by slow inch, she relaxes on top of me. When she bottoms out, I feel her wince and I pull away, cupping her cheeks, I ask, “Are you okay?”

She nods. “So full, Aaron. I’m so full right now.”

“I know, baby.” Her walls contract around my cock, and I hold back the slew of swear words that want to escape. Christ, I need to move. I need a bit of relief, something to ease the pressure building in my balls. “Rock on me, Amelia.”

She shakes her head. “If I move, I’ll come.”

That makes two of us.

“I need you to move, baby. So fucking hard right now. Need release.”

“I’ll come,” she repeats, her voice sounding almost like a cry.

“Then fucking come. Come all over my cock.”

Running my large hands up her small back, I pull her close and press my lips against hers, more demanding now, my tongue thrusting in and out of her mouth. It’s so erotic, the strokes of her tongue, the scrape of her nipples against my chest, the tight heat of her pussy wrapped around my cock.

I can’t hold back. I roll her so she’s underneath me and spread her legs far apart. The look on her face is pure innocence, pure shock, and it’s fucking hot.

I lean on my elbows, encasing her head, and bend to kiss her while I start to piston my hips in and out of her; my veins immediately start to spark, igniting my body.

“I love this, I love being inside of you. There’s no one else, Amelia, no one else I would rather be wrapped up in.”

She places her heels on my back, grinding into me with every thrust I give her. “Me either. This is what I want, Aaron. All I ever want. You, Aaron.”

“It’s just you and me, baby,” I groan, my voice turning horse with each passing thrust, with every contraction around my cock. “Fuck, just me . . . and . . . you.” I grind my teeth together.

“Yes, only us.” She swallows hard and digs her nails into my shoulders. “Oh God, Aaron. I’m going to come.”

“Fucking come, baby.” I squeeze my eyes shut, my balls tightening, my cock swelling inside Amelia, my body numbs, starting at the tips of my toes until it gets to my stomach, where it feels like I’m floating.

I’m going to come. Going to come harder than I ever have.

I ram my hips inside Amelia, and she screams my name, her fingers breaking my skin, sending shots of pleasure through me.

I’m so fucking there, higher and higher and higher until I expel a long breath as I shoot everything inside her. I groan, Amelia’s name coming from deep within me, while pleasure rips through me, splitting me in half in the best way possible.

Goddamn.

I collapse on top of Amelia for a second then roll off her and pull her into my chest. I know my size, and I don’t want to squash her.

“Oh my God,” she whispers while her hand instinctively goes to my chest. She takes a few breaths and then partially sits up, her hand on my chest propping her up. She studies me for a second. It’s always so good between us.”

“You meant what you said?” she asks hesitantly.

“That you’re mine?” If I had my way, I would be dropping to one knee right now, begging this woman to be mine forever, but I know I have to take baby steps. I hate that I have to take baby steps. I shouldn’t have to feel hesitant around her, and I hope that stops soon. “Yes, Amelia. You are mine. This is us, babe.”

“So we . . . are we a couple?” She’s nervous asking the question, and it makes me smile. Hell, if she only knew.

“Yeah. I want us, Amelia. More than anything. You should know that. But what about you? Is this our second chance? Our place where we start again?”

She thinks about her answer for a second, her silence shaking my confidence. “I want to give us another chance, Aaron.” It feels like there’s a “but” at the end of that sentence so I decide to help her.

“But . . .”

She shakes her head. “No but. I want to give us another chance.”

My heart stills, as a wave of pure euphoria washes over me. The alpha who controlled the bedroom quickly evaporates and in his place comes a very grateful and emotional man.

“You’re fucking serious?” My body tingles with the hope that what she says is true, that for a second time in my life, I’m being given the opportunity to hold her heart in my hands. I will never fuck this up. I know that now.

“Yes.” She nods, a smile spreads across her face right before she grows serious. “Just don’t hurt me again. I don’t think I could take it.”

Needing her to know my intentions, I push her on her back and cup her face while my thumb strokes her cheek. Staring down at her, trying to convey through my touch how much I love her, I say, “I won’t, Amelia. You have to know how much you mean to me, how much this second chance means to me. There is no way I would do anything to jeopardize it.” I press my lips against hers lightly and say, “I love you, Amelia, always have, never stopped, never will.”

Her eyes grow soft, and her hand wraps around my neck, keeping me in place. She presses her lips to mine, and we once again are lost in each other.

It doesn’t bother me that she didn’t say she loves me back. I’m glad she’s not running away, that right now, she’s in my arms. I’m one grateful mother fucker. My girl is back, the bright light in my life—the woman I want to worship in every way possible—is home.

Once again, Amelia is mine.