SUNDAYS ARE USUALLY my days to sleep in. With my internal clock set to work the opening shift at the shop, it’s not unusual for me to wake up before the sun. However, one day a week, I normally force my body to ignore the instinct to rouse myself and roll over before falling back into a doze. Except, I don’t normally have a six-foot-five, giant of a man in my bed slumbering next to me. Now that I do, the moment my body registers the warmth of his presence at my back, sleep is the last thing on my mind.
Sensing that he’s still fast asleep, I roll over gently, wishing not to disturb him. With no prior knowledge of his arrival, I was forced to work my usual shift yesterday. I hated knowing that he was in town and that I wasn’t with him, but he managed to occupy himself just fine without me, exploring the mountain in his rented Jeep. Also, just as he said he would, by the time I returned home, there was another lock installed on my door. Thinking about it even now makes my stomach clench and my chest warm. I won’t lie. It feels good, having him worry over me.
In all actuality, after the night we had, I shouldn’t even be capable of anything other than sleep right now. We stayed in for dinner, and I made him spaghetti. He devoured it, but it wasn’t until he took me to bed that I really understood just how much he enjoyed it. That said, I’m not surprised that he’s still out, even in spite of his minor jet lag.
As I peer at him through the last of morning’s darkness, I can’t contain my smile. He’s been here for two days, and it still feels too good to be true. I know we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of what this relationship could be—but the mere fact that he’s here, that he wants to give us the chance I begged for—it makes me think that what Corie said about us, the hope that she fed in me, that it wasn’t far off from the real thing. His warm body next to mine is proof that what we have is worth fighting for, even if it’s new.
Thoughts of Corie remind me that while Leo is here, Ashley and Corie are in New York, taking care of last minute details before they leave the country. I imagine that they’re pretty busy, both of them out and about, all without Ashley’s most trusted bodyguard. Leo told me that he not only took this time off because he wanted to, but at the insistence of Mr. and Mrs. Hicks, which incidentally only makes me love them more.
Suddenly wishing to hear Corie’s voice, I roll out of bed and tiptoe around to the foot of the mattress. Spotting Leo’s discarded t-shirt, I pull it on over my head, then carefully and quietly as possible, I go on a hunt for my phone. Finding it on my dresser, with just enough charge left to make a quick phone call, I silently leave my room, headed for the kitchen.
Upon arrival, I flip on the small light above the sink and help myself to a glass of water straight from the tap. After I’ve gulped half of it down, I find Corie’s number amongst my short list of favorite contacts and hit the call button. It rings so many times, I’m afraid she won’t answer. Yet, before it clicks over to voicemail, she picks up.
“Hello? Jill? I was in the shower! Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe I almost missed you. I’ve only been waiting days to hear from you. Is everything okay? Have you spoken to Leo? Wait—it’s just after five there. What are you—?”
“Corie! Corie, slow down,” I insist with a groggy chuckle.
“Sorry,” she squeaks. “I’ve just—I’ve been worried. We haven’t heard from either of you, and I didn’t know whether I should be celebrating or mourning or what.”
“Mourning?” I ask with another laugh.
“You know how I feel about you two,” she murmurs. “I told him that he needed to talk to you and either work it out, so you could be together, or clear the air and leave it at that. But he’s Leo. I had no idea which way he’d go.”
“Well, he kissed me within the first five minutes of seeing me, so I’m thinking clearing the air was never his plan.”
“You made up?!” she practically shouts.
“I’m a taken woman, babe,” I confess, not even trying to suppress my wide grin.
She squeals, making me giggle, and then I listen as she fills Ashley in on the news. He says something I can’t hear, and she hums her amusement before shifting her attention back on me.
“I’ve been instructed not to pry, but I just want to know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Are you happy?”
I turn to look down the dark hallway that leads back to my room, thinking about the man who sleeps in my bed. He’s nothing like I ever thought I’d want for myself—mysterious, guarded, and dominant—and yet, in the short time we’ve known each other, he’s proven to be more than I’ve ever dreamed I could find. In his own way, he cares for me more passionately than anyone ever has before, and it’s one of my favorite things about us. What we have doesn’t just make me happy. Being with him makes me feel alive. Our relationship might not always be easy, or pretty, or romantic, but that’s what makes it unique.
With Leo, my feelings for him take me to this place deep within myself. He compels me to be strong, brave, and raw. And as hard as he is on the outside, as much as he tries to hide it, and as conditioned as he is to keep himself closed off, I’ve felt the depths of his emotions. In the way he kisses me, in the way he fucks me, even in the way he fights with me—I know that what I have in him is better than anything anyone has offered me before.
“Jill?”
My voice hardly above a whisper, my reply tumbles out of my mouth before I can think otherwise, and I admit, “I’ll fall in love with him, if he lets me.”
Maybe even if he doesn’t…
I FEEL HER absence in bed as sleep starts to fall away from me, the sheets cool in the place she once occupied. I roll onto my back, freeing a heavy sigh as I run my hand down my face, and then I prop myself up onto my elbows as I start to sit up. I pause when I see her—her small, delicate frame swallowed up in my t-shirt as she leans against her shoulder in the doorway. Her hair is wild and sexy as fuck after a night of sex and sleep, but her face is soft and contemplative as she stares at me.
When she doesn’t speak, not so much as even muttering a good morning, I marvel at the exceptional being before me. Never have I met a woman like her before. A woman who doesn’t feel the need to fill the silence with useless chatter. A woman who can look me dead in the eye without squirming uncomfortably or impatiently. I’ve done nothing to deserve her. Absolutely nothing. Regardless of that truth, I intend to take all that she’s gracious enough to offer me. I intend to enjoy her, all of her, for as long as she’s mine. It might be the biggest mistake of my life, but I’m beyond giving a fuck. She belongs to me. It’s done.
In four day’s time, we’ll be saying goodbye again. Four goddamn days. It’s not enough. With us, it’s never enough. Now, in spite of the fact that I fucked her all night long, I don’t hesitate to lift my hand and beckon her toward me with a crook of my finger. Knowing how I like her best, she sets her phone aside and steps into the room. As she walks closer to the bed, she reaches for the hem of my shirt, pulling it off her body and over her head. My dicks starts to harden as she comes closer, completely bare to me. I grunt when she climbs into bed, immediately straddling my lap.
I sit up just enough to yank the sheet down from between us. Her lips part open as she presses her hands against my abs, steading herself as the fabric is thrown from the bed. Laying on my back, I slide my hands up her thighs, slowly making my way to her hips. With my fingers wrapped around her, I press her warm pussy down over my dick and begin to rock her back and forth. She picks up on what I want right away. As she teases herself, I let her go, folding my arms behind my head.
By the time I’m fully erect, her wet cunt has me coated in her arousal. Even without me being inside of her, I can tell she’s on the brink of an orgasm, and the sight makes me ache for her.
“Put it in,” I grunt, pressing my hips up.
She doesn’t hesitate, lifting up onto her knees as she reaches down to take hold of my cock. A long groan sounds from the back of my throat as she envelopes me completely. She smiles at me coyly as she walks her hands along my abs and up my chest. Flattening her body over mine, she kisses and sucks at my neck. I let my eyes fall closed. When she reaches my chin, she grazes her teeth over my jaw, teasing me before she lifts her head to brush her lips across mine.
“Careful, baby,” I mumble against her mouth. “You fuck around, and I’ll have you on your back before you can even blink.” I dart my tongue out, licking her top lip before I grunt, “Ride me.”
Her eyes darken at the challenge, and she nods before giving me a short, wet kiss. She pulls away, propping herself up with her hands resting in the middle of my chest. At first, she doesn’t move; but just as I start to lose my patience, she runs her teeth over her bottom lip and tells me, “We’ve never done this before. Don’t laugh, okay?”
A smirk plays at the corner of my mouth as I move my hands from behind my head and rest them on her thighs. “There’s nothing funny about a woman who isn’t afraid to take what she wants.” She nods, but her lack of confidence causes her to hesitate. I clap my hand against the side of her ass and she gasps, then moans, her eyelids drooping as she stares down at me. “Ride, baby.”
“Okay,” she whispers, finally thrusting her hips forward.
She starts slowly, and I let her get a feel for it, running my hands up and down her sides in encouragement. I know when she starts to feel more comfortable as she grinds down on me harder. When she stops gliding her hips and starts bouncing them, a small, proud smile spreads across my face.
I’m completely captivated by her as she surrenders to her body’s needs. Pushing herself completely upright, she uses her legs to lift and lower her pussy over me. My dick grows even harder as I watch her raise her arms over her head, her hands reaching back to lift her hair away from her neck. With her in control, her rhythm and pace is gentler than what we’re accustomed to, but I don’t mind. Not yet, at least. She feels good. With the perfect view of her bare tits and narrow waist in front of me, I’ve got nothing to bitch about.
“Lee,” she whines, her head tilted back as her eyes fall closed. “Lee, touch me. Please—touch me.”
Fuck. I like it when she begs.
Wishing to play with her a little before I make her come, I reach for her breasts first. As soon as my hands are cupped around her, massaging her soft flesh, she drops her hands to take hold of my wrists. Leaning into my touch, she thrusts her hips forward with a new sense of urgency. I pinch both of her nipples simultaneously, and she moans, her grip around me tightening as her movements become frantic.
“More. Shit, Lee—you feel so good. Give me more—I want more.”
A wicked grin tugs at my lips as I’m once again reminded of all the ways in which I possess this woman. Even when she’s in control, she begs for more of me. She knows as well as I do that I am the one who will see to her needs. I’m the one in charge of her pleasure. I’m the one that’ll get her off, every damn time.
“Please!” she cries, her nails digging into my skin as her gaze locks with mine, her eyes on fire with her hunger.
Her desperation breathing fresh life into my own need, I don’t waste any time giving her what she wants. Letting go of one of her tits, I reach down and pinch her clit. She immediately sucks in a sharp breath, her hips jerking in small, erratic movements as her cunt clamps around my cock. Before she’s even had a chance to recover, I sit up, grabbing hold of her ass in one hand, holding her to me as I start to shift.
She claps each of her hands around the back of my neck as I flip us over. She lands on her shoulders—her hair going everywhere, and her knees pressing into my hips. I kneel on the bed, one hand still gripping her ass, the other planted on her pillow. I pound into her relentlessly, staring into her big, blue eyes as I grit my teeth in concentration. It doesn’t take much to bring forth my own climax, and I plant myself deep, digging my fingers into her tight ass as I spill my release inside of her.
Breathless, I ease her down onto the bed before dropping myself onto my back beside her. I stare up at the ceiling as I take a few deep breaths, then turn my head to look at Jill. She smiles at me drowsily, curling up on her side before she murmurs, “Good morning.”
Chuckling, I reply, “Fuck yeah, it is.”
She giggles, and the sound goes straight to my gut. I lift my arm in silent invitation, and she’s quick to eliminate what small distance was between us as she curls around my side, hitching her leg over mine.
“Are you hungry? I could make us breakfast.”
“Yeah, baby. In a minute.”
I drape my arm around her shoulders, and she hums a contented sigh, snuggling deeper into my side. This—what she’s giving me now—it’s hers. It’s Jill. For the first time in a long time—for the first time in a lifetime—whatever this is, I’m not pushing it away. It feels good. She feels good.
Fuck, she feels good.
Four more days. It’s not enough. It’s never enough.