CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Eager to get home because I know Marcel’s waiting for me, I’m irritated to find a delivery truck parked in front of my place. As I’m about to drive around the block and look for something else, two guys in gray come out of my building. Marcel follows them down the front stairs, slaps a few dollar bills into one of the guy’s hands before they climb into the truck.
Intrigued, I hurry to slip my car into the spot they vacate.
Marcel swaggers over when I turn my car off and opens my door. “Hey, Sunshine.”
“What were those guys doing?”
“It’s a surprise.” He takes my briefcase from me and captures my hand in his.
“What did you do?” I ask as we step into my apartment. Nothing seems amiss in the living room. I drop my purse on the couch and continue down the hallway.
Then stop dead in my tracks at my bedroom door.
“You bought me a bed?” I’m rooted to that spot, mouth hanging open staring at the monster-sized bed taking up more than half my bedroom. It’s too nice to belong in my apartment. “You threw my old bed away? What if it had sentimental value?” I tease to cover up my surprise.
“It had dust bunnies.” He cocks his head. “You really don’t like it?”
No, I don’t want him thinking that at all. “I love it. I’m surprised. That’s all.”
He lifts one shoulder. “I don’t have a key to give you, so I bought you a bed.”
“Flowers would’ve worked too.”
“This will last longer.” Jerking his chin toward the bed, he invites me to examine it a closer. “See the padded headboard and sturdy wood construction.” He leans down, brushing his lips against my ear. “So I can fuck you as hard as I want without your neighbors yelling at us.”
“Oh.” Desire swirls through me. Everything this man does. Everything he says is just so damn perfect.
Crude, but somehow still perfect.
His arms slip around my waist, and he presses himself against my back. “Gonna tie you to that headboard too.”
I shake my head, unsure of whether I’d enjoy that. “I prefer your hands keeping me in place.”
He growls next to my ear. “I like that.”
Someone rings my doorbell, pulling us apart.
“Fuck,” Marcel mutters, following me to the living room.
It’s one of the delivery guys. “Forgot to have you sign this,” he says, thrusting a paper at Marcel.
He signs the form and slams the door shut. “Where were we?”
“Can we talk for a minute?”
I pull back, studying her face. “I thought we were doing something else.”
She huffs out an annoyed breath and presses her hand against my chest, pushing me backward.
She can’t seriously be pissed about the bed. Can she?
Whatever’s on her mind, she wants to discuss in the living room.
That’s okay because after she pushes me onto the couch, she straddles my lap.
“This works too,” I say, running my hands up under her dress and settling them on her ass. She shifts, spreading her legs wider. Even through my jeans, my dick responds to her heat.
She loops her arms loosely around my neck. “I’m serious here.”
I glance down where our bodies are touching. “Grinding your pussy against my dick kind of negates a serious conversation.”
Judging by the impatient look on her face she’s not amused.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I visited my doctor last week.”
“Are you okay?”
A slight smile tips the corners of her mouth up. “Yes. It was the lady bits doc.”
“Oh. Why?”
“I wanted to go back on the pill. And have some tests…” All the brave sort of drains out of her and her cheeks turn pink.
It finally seeps into my thick brain where she’s going with this and my dick—who had already been excited about Charlotte in my lap, is ready to punch through my jeans.
My fingers trace over her collarbone and down the front of her dress. “What are you trying to tell me?”
“Could you go…”
As her voice trails off, my mouth twists into a wry smile. “Don’t need to.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I had a bunch of tests when I was in the hospital.”
Her head tilt’s cute as fuck.
“Uh, that was quite a few months ago, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
I’m probably being a dick, but I find her discomfort amusing. Instead of straight up asking how many women I’ve fucked, she blushes and stutters. It’s damn cute coming from a woman who makes her living using words as a weapon.
“You really haven’t been with—?”
“Nope.”
“Why?”
“Wasn’t in the mood.” If only she knew it’d been even longer than that.
Finally, her embarrassment is overtaken by her curiosity and the sass I love about her returns. “What are you trying to tell me? You’ll look back and remember me as the one who put the snap back in your turtle?”
I don’t laugh at the silly way she puts it. Because she’s implying there will be other women after her. Which is crazy.
There’s no future for me that doesn’t include her.
I wrap my hands around her upper arms and squeeze gently to get her attention. “No. I’ll tell our kids their mom brought my dick back to life.”
Her jaw drops and she sucks in a breath while she absorbs the meaning behind my words. Then another teasing smile lights up her face. “That seems a little inappropriate.”
I trace my fingers over her cheek. “I’m a whole lot of inappropriate.”
“Marcel?”
Cupping the back of her head with my hand, I pull her down for a rough kiss. “I love you, Sunshine.”
She sucks in a deep breath. “Why sunshine? I’m not blonde.”
Laughter flows out of me at the unexpected question. The answer pops in my head and my laughter fades. My words are serious as I explain, “You’re my sunshine. Your light has a way of reaching into even the darkest parts of me.” I take her hand and place it over my heart. “Has reached the darkest parts.”
“Marcel,” she whispers. “There’s nothing dark about you. You’re such a good man. I have trouble believing you’re real sometimes.”
“I’m as real as it gets.” I cock my head. “You’ve witnessed first hand what an asshole I can be.”
She slips her arms around my neck and leans down to kiss me. “I love you too.” Her kisses turn deeper. Hungrier. “I never expected to feel this way about anyone.”
Neither did I. Because any feelings I thought were love in the past can’t compare to what I feel for Charlotte. Figured my brothers who turned into fuckin’ teddy bears around their women were flawed somehow. Now, it’s clear. I was the one who was flawed.
Incomplete without her.
She keeps kissing me, throwing her whole body into it, rubbing herself against me. Practically panting, I pull away and reach under her dress to grab her underwear, ripping it, shredding it until it falls to the floor.
“I would’ve taken them off.”
I growl and hook my fingers in the belt around her waist, loosening it and tossing it aside. She sits back and undoes my belt and lowers my zipper, freeing me.
“Get over here.” My hands grip her ass cheeks, lifting her, so my cock grazes her slick lips. That small touch has her moaning and grabbing my shoulders for leverage. I slip my hand between us, rubbing two fingers over her slit.
“Please,” she begs.
I’m ready to explode, still I flash an evil grin. “Please what?”
“Give me your cock.”
Considering she’d been blushing five minutes ago when she told me she was ready to go bareback, the bold request makes me chuckle. “Take it, Sunshine.”
I slide down, giving her more room and she eases herself onto my throbbing dick.
Christ, she’s fucking hot, slick, tight, wet. Jesus, every fucking sensation is a million times stronger like this. She doesn’t stop until she’s taken all of me, gasping when I’m balls deep inside her. Her fingers dig into my shoulders as she slowly slides herself up and down.
“I need your tits in my hands,” I grumble, pawing at her dress. Trying to figure out how the fuck to get it off. She reaches under her arm and slides a hidden zipper down. She lowers the top of the dress. “Oh, that’s even better, dirty girl.” My hands work her bra loose, and it drops to the floor.
“Grind that pussy against me when you come down,” I mumble against her breast, sucking her nipple into my mouth. My free hand grasps her hip, guiding her movements.
Her breath stutters. I move my hand between her legs, rubbing her clit.
“Ohh.” She squeezes her eyes shut. “Yes, yes. There.”
Her whole body quivers, pussy tightening around my cock and I’d love to hold out. Take her into the bedroom to work out that new mattress, but all her tight, slick heat undoes me. She hangs on, clinging to me, kissing my neck, my chest and finally my lips.
I press my palms against her cheeks and kiss her hard. “Wanted to get you in that bed.”
“You’ll be ready to go again in a few minutes.”
My mouth twists into a wide grin. “Love your faith in me.”
Gingerly, she extracts herself from my lap, wincing at the mess we’ve made. “Guess I owe you a new couch too.”