Chapter 9

I hop from one foot to the next with nervous anticipation. The flight schedule says he landed ten minutes ago, but he hasn’t shown up yet. The escalators run down, and he’s nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, the air is thick and his scent surrounds me. He’s here. I try to turn around, but strong hands grab my waist and yank me into a hard body. His mouth to my ear relieves any doubt.

“Looking for someone?”

My excitement takes over, and I turn and jump into his arms. “You!” I scream and plant my mouth firmly to his.

“Why didn’t I see you?” I huff when I break away.

“Once again, strategic planning. I took the back stairs.”

“I missed you.” I sink into him, soaking in his warmth. He holds me close a few minutes and then pulls away, kissing the tip of my nose.

“Ready to go?” he asks, linking our hands together.

I tug him behind me, leading us out of the terminal and to my car.

He caresses my hand the whole way to my place, and I purposely take the long way around campus to show him everything. I’d love to walk around tomorrow morning and give him a proper tour, but we’re expecting more snow.

When we get to our apartment, I show him around, making sure he knows the general layout. Once we get to my room, he whistles. “Finally, I get to see it in person and not on a screen.” He glances around and walks directly to my bookshelf.

“God, these turned out good. Can I have a copy?” His eyes are glued to the two pictures I had framed of us from Christmas.

I told him how great they were but refused to send them to him because they are a gift for Valentine’s Day. Little does he know, the photographer took over twenty of us spinning, laughing, and kissing. I have all of those saved as a rotating screensaver.

Yep, I’m a bit obsessed.

“Umm, yeah, we’ll get them printed while you’re here.” I try to sound nonchalant.

He sets them back and comes to me, pulling one of my arms to his chest and wrapping the other around his neck. “I’ve missed you.”

His scent surrounds us, and I sink into him, inhaling deeply. “You too.”

“What are our plans tonight?”

“We have about three hours until Quinn gets back. Then she’s going to be in complete freak-out mode about Dean flying in tomorrow for the weekend.”

“Three hours, huh?” He kisses a trail down my neck.

“Uh huh.”

“Babe…” He bends down and lifts me gently, walking us to the edge of my bed. “I’ve really missed you.” He lowers me down and lays partially on top of me. His hard length presses against my hip, and I grind against him.

“Bryce, I missed you, too. Almost too much.”

His eyes meet mine, but he doesn’t say anything. The longing and passion are evident in his stare. I reach down and yank my sweater off. He licks his lips and lifts off me, throwing his own sweater over his head. As he undresses, I push my jeans off. His eyes rake over my body, and he grins seductively.

“I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated black lace as much as I do right now. You’re a fucking vision, Devon.”

Flush creeps up my cheeks at his stare. He lies partially on his side and leans into me, claiming my mouth with his own. What started as soft and sweet turns sexual and hot. He rolls over, covering my body. Our chests are pressed so tight that I can feel his heart racing along with mine. He slowly ends the kiss and rests his forehead against my own.

“Babe, you attached to this?”

“Huh?” I question.

“Bra, panties—you attached?”

“Not particularly,” I breathe against his mouth. My head is swimming.

“So, should I rip or peel them off?”

“You decide.”

He unlatches my bra and removes it slowly, licking each nipple, then travels down my body. When his mouth reaches the lace strings, he kisses each hipbone and slowly drags the material off.

“I’m not gonna wait to taste you.” He kisses his way up my thighs. The first stroke of his tongue sends a jolt of electricity through me.

My legs fly apart, and I welcome him. He grips my thighs and goes deeper. As his mouth works me over, I squirm, begging for release. I rock against his mouth, creating a rhythm. When he inserts a finger, my muscles tighten.

“Come for me baby.” He touches my clit gently, and I scream.

Black spots cloud my vision as I drown in pleasure. I can’t think straight as he kisses his way up and braces over me.

“For the rest of my life, I will never get tired of hearing you scream my name.”

“Ummhmm,” is the only response I can muster in my orgasm-induced state.

“Speechless?” He laughs.

Without talking, I run my hands down his torso to the waistband of his boxers and slide them over his hips as far as I can. He helps pull them off and then props himself on his side.

The sight of him naked beside me burns into my brain. He’s gorgeous. I want to feel all of him, on me, in me. When I try to urge him back on top, he stops me and links our hands together, kissing my knuckles.

“I want you, Bryce.”

“I want you, too, more than you’ll ever know. But not tonight.”

“Why not?” I ask, stunned.

“Because it’s not the right time.”

“What’s wrong with the timing?”

“I have a plan, Devon. Go with me on this.”

“Your plan sucks,” I groan.

A smile spreads across his face, and he lowers his mouth to nibble on my neck. Instantly, my body reacts, folding into him. One hand slides around my stomach, cupping my ass, and presses me as close as possible.

“How long is this ban on sex going to go on?”

He chuckles against my skin. “Not really a timeline.”

His vague response irritates me, but when I feel his thick, hard erection pressed against my hip, the irritation vanishes.

“Let’s see if I can make you speechless, then maybe you’ll rethink this plan of yours.” I push back and slither down his body.

Right before I take him in my mouth, our eyes lock and he grins. “Give it your best shot, baby.”

Quinn’s loud cursing wakes me, and I silently vow to kill her. Last night was the best night’s sleep I’ve gotten since leaving Bryce in Miami. His naked body is curled tight around mine, and I snuggle into his warmth. After ten minutes of trying to fall back asleep, it doesn’t work. I quietly extract myself from his embrace and throw on some pajamas.

The morning news is playing quietly in the living room, and Quinn is sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee. After getting my own mug, I join her and give her a dirty look.

“What?” she asks.

“Your loud ass woke me up. What the hell were you yelling at?”

“I did it on purpose. Apparently, you were in a coma. I’ve been making noise for an hour, trying to get you up.”

“Why?”

“Because I need moral support before Dean’s plane gets here in an hour.”

“An hour? I thought his flight was this afternoon.”

“He hopped an earlier flight.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Yeah, I’m just nervous and excited.”

“I can understand that. I resembled a jackrabbit waiting for Bryce.”

“But you guys are official. I’m not sure what Dean and I are.”

“We’ve gone over this. He’s obviously interested in you.”

“Think it would be too much to get special lingerie for Valentine’s Day?”

“No, as a matter of fact, I may have some for you. Looks like mine is a wasted effort.”

“Why?”

“Bryce has put a ban on sex. Every time we get close, he stops it.”

“Even now?”

“Apparently.”

“I could understand in Miami. You two had just gotten together, but now, it’s been like six weeks.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well, let’s come up with a seduction plan. Make it so he can’t resist you.”

“I want him to want me. I’ve loved this guy for almost eight years. Getting shot down really screws with my confidence. He knows I’m not a virgin so what’s the problem? Is sex—”

“So should I wear the purple or black?” Quinn’s eyes grow wide as she interrupts me. She nods her head and glares over my shoulder.

I turn around and see Bryce scratching his head, looking confused. He’s in a pair of flannel pajama pants and nothing else, and my mouth waters at the sight. Then I inwardly panic that he overheard our conversation. His face is unreadable, but then when he smiles at me, I relax.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” I joke.

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You were peaceful, and besides, Quinn needed me. Want me to grab you a cup of coffee?”

“Nah, I’ll get it.” He walks over and kisses my forehead before going to the kitchen.

“Shit! Do you think he heard me?”

“No, but I guess we can’t really come up with a seduction plan with him in the other room. I’ll think on it and get back to you.” She gets up. “Now, I need to get dressed and go to the airport.”

“Good luck. Want us to wait for you and all go to lunch?”

“Yes, that sounds good. Thanks for helping me get my mind off Dean. Your drama is always much juicier than mine.” She winks and then closes her bedroom door.

Bryce comes to sit down and pulls me into him. “What are we doing today?”

“Dean’s coming in early, so we’ll go to lunch with them later. With the traffic, I think we should leave for D.C. no later than three.”

“So, technically, how much time do we have until we need to be ready for lunch?”

“Few hours.”

“That’ll do.” He stands quickly and bends to pick me up. “I’m taking you back to bed for a proper good morning. We have six weeks of ‘frustration’ to work on.”

“I like the sound of that.” I giggle.

“Hopefully, you’ll do more than like it.” He gives me a look that sends a shiver through my body.

Two hours later, I come to the conclusion that if not having sex with Bryce is this good, finally having sex will be amazing.