The couple ended up at Lee’s apartment.
To say Lee was relieved that A.J had decided to come with him would be an understatement. A.J was stubborn enough that he’d expected it to take more convincing to halt her misguided attempt at protecting him. Thankfully, she was here now. In his turf.
“Are you hungry?” he asked as he kicked off his shoes.
“Uh uh.” A.J shook her head right before she walked into his arms again.
Lee was so startled by the unexpected hug that for a second, his arms hung uselessly by his side. However, feeling her warm, lush body against his was enough to bring a smile to his lips. He brought his arms around her waist and tilted his head so he could see her face. “You missed me, didn’t you?”
“Mm,” she readily admitted as she rubbed the side of her face against his chest, like a cat that had found a comfortable spot.
“I missed you too.” He kissed her forehead.
She lifted her head from his chest to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you the truth.”
“It’s okay.” He tightened his arms around her waist. “Actually, now that I know what you were hiding, I understand. Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“You still should’ve told me.” His voice softened as he added, “No matter how painful the truth is, it’s still better than a bunch of lies.”
Immediate regret filled her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He bent to touch his lips to hers. “You’ll still have to make it up to me though.”
Before she could ask how, he slipped his hands beneath her armpits and lifted her. Instinctively, she wound her arms and legs around him. After one last peck on her lips, he carried her to the couch. He settled there with her on his lap.
“How much do you remember exactly?” she asked as her fingertips danced on his arm.
“Almost all of it. The Boltons, the fire, running away…” He frowned. “But I still can’t figure out what happened to you after we ran away.”
“Social Services.” A.J winced. “After the charges against me were dropped, they didn’t want much of a fuss being made about their negligence so I was quickly shipped to my dad here.”
Lee’s eyebrows shot up. “They were that desperate to get you out of town that they sent you to a criminal?”
“Not exactly.” She explained. “No one knew that Casper was a thief. To everyone he was just a wealthy art-dealer. Besides, it wasn’t so bad staying with him at first. He was definitely a step up from the Boltons.”
“You never went back to Arlington again?”
“Actually, I did. Twice,” she confessed. When he gave her a questioning look, she explained, “I convinced my dad to let one of his men take me back there. I wanted to check up on you and make sure you were in a good home. And you were. Your mom and dad were good people.”
Lee couldn’t disagree. Despite how much of his past they’d hidden from him, Victoria and Mason had been amazing parents. They’d more than made up for whatever love he’d been denied in his earlier life.
“What if they weren’t?” Smiling, he asked, “Would you have come back for me?”
“Of course,” she said with no hesitation. The firmness in her voice and determination in her gaze left no doubt that no matter how old she was, she still would’ve done everything to save him.
How could he not love her?
With a happy sigh, he bent his head just as she lifted her head. Their mouths met in a tender, gentle kiss that kindled an unexpected warmth within him.
“What about you?” he asked when they pulled apart. “Are you okay?”
Her perfectly arched eyebrows rose. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Your building just burnt down,” he reminded her.
“Ah! Forgot about that.” She drew a shaky breath. “I guess it’s a fitting goodbye since I was leaving anyway.”
His heart immediately jerked in alarm, and he shot her an incredulous look. “What do you mean fitting goodbye? You’re not leaving.”
“Lee, I-”
“Hell no,” he cut her off. “If you think I’m letting you go after all we’ve been through together then you’ve got a screw loose.”
“Lee, your dad-”
“I already told him to leave you alone.” When she opened her mouth to say something more, he cut her off with a fast kiss. “No, you’re not leaving.”
Even the thought of them being streets apart was enough to make the hairs at his nape rise. What about a city away? Hell no. No way. How could she even think of leaving when he hadn’t had enough of her?
Actually, he didn’t think he’d ever have enough of her. He wanted her close by him so he could hear her sparkling laughter every day of his life. He wanted to wake up every morning to find her wrapped in his arms, and sleep every night after having kissed her. He wanted her close to him so he could watch over her, so he could make sure she didn’t break her pretty little neck while trying to jump over buildings.
If she thought she could just walk out on him, then she was damn wrong. She’d have to drive over his dead body first. Even then, he’d still follow her so he could haunt her wherever she ended up.
A.J watched him for an uncomfortably long moment, then she made her decision.
She smiled. “Okay.”
It was only one word but it sent happiness soaring through Lee. With a grin, he lowered his head to seal his lips to hers. It was a tender and ardent kiss, yet it felt different. It was richer, deeper and sweeter. As if filled with unsaid promises; promises of forever.
Still kissing her, he stood with her in his arms then carried her to his bedroom. How he managed to kiss her and walk at the same time was a mystery, but somehow he did it. After turning down the covers on the bed, he settled on it with her on his lap. If the kiss wasn’t hot enough, then having her wiggle around on his lap to get comfortable would’ve heated him up. His cock grew beneath her, rising to jut against her thigh.
The kiss got hotter, more frantic, more desperate. As if it had a mind of its own, his hand moved up her body to settle on her breast. He squeezed the firm flesh and got a needy whimper for his efforts. Smiling against her lips, he squeezed her other breast then pinched the sharp point that was already jutting against the fabric of her t-shirt. She whimpered again and shifted erotically on his lap, making him even harder. The desperation that immediately spiraled through him was enough to make him draw her t-shirt upwards and over her head.
Once more, he was reminded of how beautiful his lady was. Even though A.J was still covered by her teal bra, the fleshy, dark brown orbs peeking above the fabric were enticing enough that his mouth watered. With a deft snap, he unclipped the bra. It went flying across the room right before he lowered his mouth to the delectable apple that was her breast
She tasted as amazing as she looked. Lee sucked on her breast hard before nipping her nipple lightly. By the time he moved to her other breast, A.J was moaning and her fingers were pushing through his hair as she held him to her breast.
All the squirming she was doing on his lap was driving him crazy. If he didn’t find a way to stop her, he’d end up ripping her shorts off and fucking her before she was even ready. His mouth still on her breast, he shifted her off his lap and onto the bed. Once she was lying back on the bed, he reached for the button of her shorts. With one flick, the button was undone. He drew the zip downwards before using his hands to drag the shorts down and off her legs.
A.J was an arousing sight. Every inch of her was slim and sleek. He couldn’t help licking his lips as he took in her small pert breasts, tight tummy and firm thighs. Even though she was still in her panties, the fabric was sheer enough that he caught a glimpse of her shaved pussy beneath.
His. All his.
He lowered his lips back to hers and yanked her in for a long, deep, intoxicating kiss that left them both breathless and panting. Before she could catch her breath, Lee slipped his hand down her tummy and below her panties.
“Lee!” Her eyes flew open as she whimpered his name.
One more slide and he was touching her. Damn, she was already wet for him. If Lee wasn’t already hard as steel, feeling her so ready for him would’ve taken him there. With one finger, he flicked her clit.
“Aaah!” Her lips parted and her eyes widened. That moan turned into a silent scream when he started to circle and play with her clit.
Despite how turned on he was, Lee had to smile. He loved how passionate she was. He loved how receptive her body was to his touches. And most of all, he loved her little cries whenever he played with her. Still teasing her pussy, he lowered his mouth back to his breast. He suckled her flesh firmly even as he forced one finger into her tight, wet cavern then began to pump in and out.
“Oh… Lee… ah!” Her cries echoed in the room as she jerked upwards into his finger.
Even though her cries grew louder and sharper, he didn’t let up. In fact, he pushed a second finger into her. Holy Hell! She was tight. He couldn’t wait to get in there. Feeling more desperate than expected, he tore his mouth of hers. Once he was seated on his haunches between her thighs, he grabbed the waistband of her panties. He yanked her panties off, almost tearing the fabric with the force of his actions.
Then there she was.
Completely naked and open for him.
Was there a more beautiful sight? Delicate, brown, petal-like lips that were wet and swollen with longing. A hooded tip that was practically calling his name. Lee lowered his head to answer its call.
“Jesu… ah.. oh… Lee.” Her sharp gasps and cries over-shadowed the slurps of Lee’s tongue against her core. Her fingers wove through his hair, pulled, dug into his scalp as she spread her thighs further apart, opening herself more to his mouth.
He could never get used to her sweet taste. He used his fingers to part her lips so he could taste her better, tempt her more. With his tongue, he drove her to the edge of insanity. When that wasn’t enough to tip her over, he added his fingers to the party, stabbing them inside her even as his tongue flicked against her clit
He pumped his fingers into her glove-like depths until she could only cry his name, until she started trembling, until her core started convulsing over her. With a scream, she tumbled into the brilliant abyss that was her release.
Still stroking her nub with his fingers, Lee came up her body to fix his mouth over her parted lips. If he didn’t already know that she was insatiable, the way her arms came around his shoulders and the sensual way her lips moved over his would’ve left no doubt. For a while they just kissed, but Lee’s cock kept pushing against her thigh, demanding satisfaction. Lee ended the kiss and sat up.
“Just a second,” he soothed the instinctive protest that flickered in A.J’s eyes. With one smooth move, he got rid of his t-shirt. However, when he reached for his belt, A.J sat up to stop him.
“Let me.” She pushed his fingers away from his buckle.
What man could refuse a request like that? He watched her as pulled the belt apart, unbuttoned then unzipped him. He expected her to go slowly, maybe drag out the moment. Instead, she reached inside the slit of his boxer-briefs, grabbed then pulled him out.
“A.J.” His breath hitched and every nerve in his body lit up in immediate awareness. Her hand was warm and her touch firm enough that it sent all the blood rushing from the rest of his body straight to his dick.
For a while she just stared at him; as if measuring him, trying to decide if she liked him. Did she? Lee didn’t have to wait long for his answer. The way she bit her bottom lip was all the answer he needed. A groan of pleasure rumbled up his throat when she slowly rubbed the head of his cock with her thumb and middle finger.
“Am I doing this okay?” She looked up at him, her pretty brown eyes wide and curious.
“You’re definitely doing okay,” he said through suddenly dry lips
“And this?” She stroked her fingers from the root of his cock to its mushroom tip.
“Yesss,” he hissed and pushed his hips forward so she could do it again.
A.J did it again, then again and again. Her every touch sent electricity and heat zipping through him. She may have been a newbie at this but she was better than any expert who’d ever touched him. She suddenly stopped.
Lee was about to protest, until she asked, “Can I taste it?”
“Yes.” He nodded. Hell, yes.
As if preparing to do some major damage, A.J knelt on all fours in front of him. Her pert ass was hitched high up in the air in such an erotic angle that Lee’s shaft jerked in immediate appreciation. Then she flicked her tongue over his head.
Naked grandpas playing baseball. Naked grandpas playing baseball. Naked grandpas playing baseball. Only picturing those naked grandpas kept Lee from erupting right then and there. Having her tongue on him felt that good.
But she wasn’t done torturing him.
If he thought the touch of her tongue was the best thing that could happen to him, he was sorely mistaken. It took everything in him to keep from cumming when she slid her tongue up then down his cock.
She looked up at him with those wide innocent eyes to ask, “Am I doing it right?”
Fuck! He couldn’t even push out the words yes without risking an unmanly whimper. So he just nodded.
A.J smiled right before her moist lips opened over the purple head and she drew him into her mouth.
“Jeez…” Lee groaned as he covered his face with his palm. The way those lips felt around him, the tightness, the warmth… and when she started moving them up and down. It was beyond any pleasure he’d ever felt. Every inch of him tightened. His lungs, his muscles, his balls…
He pushed more of his length into her delightful mouth, and she took it all in. She sucked him, bobbed over him, took him deeper than he thought was possible into her mouth. But it was when she reached beneath him to cup his balls that he decided he was done.
It was enough. It was too much.
Without warning, he pulled himself out of her mouth. When she looked up in question, he grunted, “I need to be inside you.”
Desperation and need nipping at him, he crawled to nightstand, pulled open a drawer and grabbed one of the square foils in there. He tore it open with his teeth before strapping up.
A.J was waiting for him. Even before he’d come back to her, she was already lying on her back with her legs spread tantalizingly.
Just the way he liked her.
He came over her and bent down for a long, kiss. Her arms came up around his shoulders as her mouth moved sensually beneath his. When he lifted his head to take a breath, she murmured, “I love you.”
What? He stiffened as he stared down at her in wide-eyed shock. He must’ve heard wrong.
A.J arched upwards to press another kiss to her lips to his again before repeating, “I love you.”
This time there was no doubt. He’d heard right. She loved him.
Keenly studying her, he asked, “Do you mean it?”
A.J frowned. “Why would I say something I didn’t mean?”
Well, damn. Though every little thing she did said that she loved him, he’d never expected her to be the first one to say the words. I love you? That wasn’t every A.J-like, was it?
A.J COULD TELL that she’d shocked Lee. It was clear in the way he was staring at her and the way he held himself stiff above her. Truthfully, the first time those three little words had slipped out, it was by accident. But the second time was deliberate. Yes, she loved him. There was no reason to hide or deny it.
“I love you,” she repeated.
Still hovering over her, he asked, “When did it happen?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It just did.”
Lee studied her for a moment longer before he came down for a hard, toe-curling kiss that had her whimpering into his mouth. She tightened her arms around his shoulders so she could bring his body back to hers. Oh, how delicious! She loved how the hard planes and muscles of his chest felt against her breasts. She loved how his thighs were bracketed so firmly between hers, and how his cock danced so enticingly against her mound.
He separated their lips so they could both draw badly-needed breaths before ordering, “Say it again.”
She obliged. “I love you.”
“Again,” he demanded.
“I love- oh.” Her words ended on a squeak when she felt him shove the head of his cock into her. Her lips parted in a silent as scream as he entered her. His gaze was as unwavering as his shaft as it slowly pierced her. So thick. So hard. So long.
Goodness! Was all that going to fit into her?
“Ah.” Whimpering, A.J clung to his upper arms as she lifted her upper body slightly. Her new position allowed her to lower her gaze to the space between their bodies. What an erotic sight. The visual of his thick shaft slowly parting and stretching her was enough to force another whimper from her.
Each inch he shoved in filled her until she felt completely stuffed, like he was right in her stomach. Then finally, he was inside her completely.
Her wide eyes met his. His gaze was shadowed with wild desire as he slowly lowered his mouth back to hers. He kissed her deeply and tenderly before whispering, “I love you too.”
Then he began to move.
She’d thought that making love with Lee couldn’t get any better. She’d been wrong. This was beyond anything that had ever happened between them before. More intense. More pleasurable. His strokes seemed designed to drive her further into pleasure and to put his claim on her. It was almost as if each stroke was a reminder and a promise that she was his and he was hers.
Her tits bounced with every long, hard thrust as her pussy contracted over him to keep him in for much longer. Lee pumped in, pulled out, shoved in, dragged out. And she loved every second of it. The moment was made even more intense by the fact that they never once looked away from each other.
“You like that?” Lee asked as he pumped into her with a slow thoroughness that left her breathless.
“Mm.” A.J nodded. She liked it very much.
Again and again he did it until he’d developed a rhythm of hard, long strokes that left her crying his name each time. Over and over, he came back in and pulled out until she was trembling and gripping the sheets.
When he swiftly turned her over so that she was lying on her stomach, A.J lifted on all fours. Lee slapped her ass before gripping the globes tightly and opening her up for a deeper invasion.
“Oh… my! Lee! Yes,” she cried, shivering at the incredible sparks that seared through her. She threw her ass back to meet his strokes and wound her hips so he could go even deeper.
“Shit!” With a low groan, he sped up until he was practically hammering into her.
Ah! That felt amazing. The trembling started deep within A.J. It felt like if she didn’t do something, if Lee didn’t do something soon, she’d break. Crying, she bucked her hips back to him. Lee’s hands tightened around her waist, holding her steady as he drove her unerringly towards the cliff.
With a loud scream, she tumbled. Sparks and stars exploded in her brain and body. Like volts of electricity, sensation spiraled through her. Overwhelmed by the intensity of those sensations, she collapsed face into the pillow. Lee followed her down. His upper body slumped over hers even as he continued to thrust and pull out of her.
Faster. Faster. Faster….
“Amara.” He groaned her name as he surrendered to his own pleasure. Shuddering tremors rippled remorselessly between them as he held himself deep inside her.
Afterwards, Lee’s strong body slumped boneless over hers as primal pleasure coursed through him. His breathing ragged, he lay there, hot and heavy, still joined to her. They stayed like that for quite a while as they caught their breaths.
Lee was the first to recover. With a long shuddering sigh, he moved off her then stood up to go and get rid of the condom. When he came back, A.J still had her face buried in the pillow. What could she say? He’d tired her out.
Chuckling, he clambered in beside her. He dragged her closer until she was tucked into the side of his body then brought the covers over them. For a while they lay silently, enjoying the feeling of being so close to each other. Then Lee chuckled again.
“What’s so funny?’ A.J asked without opening her eyes or moving her head off his shoulder.
“I can’t believe you said it first.”
“Said what first?”
Using two fingers, he tilted her chin upwards. When she opened her eyes, he murmured, “That you love me.”
“Why are you surprised?” She arched her eyebrows. Was there something in her DNA that said she was too proud to admit her feelings?
Lee stared at her for a long while, his lips curved in a soft smile, before he shrugged. “Just surprised.” Before she could demand that he explain himself better, he changed the subject. “You never told me what happened with your father.”
“Casper?” She grinned. “I gave him his painting back, and he gave me my money.”
Disbelief widened Lee’s eyes. “Just like that?”
“Not just like that.” She chuckled. “Let’s just say that there was some intense negotiations involved.”
Lee tilted his head to study her. “Was there fighting involved?”
“Not much,” she said. When worry flashed in his expression, she quickly added, “Very little in fact.”
But it wasn’t enough to reassure Lee. Cradling her cheek and frowning, he asked, “Did you get hurt?”
“Nah!” She shook her head. “I did all the damage.”
The incredulous gaze Lee gave her was enough to make her pull away from him and draw the covers away from her body. “See, I’m not hurt at all.”
Lee’s gaze lowered down to her body to give her a slow and lingering once-over that reawakened her still-recovering nerves. Before the heat could fully settle in, she pulled the covers back over body. “I’m not hurt.”
He cupped the back of her head with his hand and brought her closer for a kiss. When their lips separated, he was smiling. “I’m glad it’s over now.”
“Me too.” She heaved a relieved sigh. “At least I don’t have to deal with Casper anymore.”
“He’s still your dad though,” Lee reminded her.
“Yeah!” A.J’s mood instantly plunged. With a sigh, she cuddled back against Lee, “I wish he wasn’t. You’re lucky to have Mason.”
“I know.” He added, “You’re lucky too.”
When A.J met his gaze with a questioning look, he reminded her, “You’ve got me now.”
She smiled. “That’s true.”
“I love you.” There was so much intensity and feeling in the way he said those three words that it left A.J breathless. There was no doubt that he meant them.
Her heart warmed as did the rest of her body and she arched her head upwards to touch her lips to his. “I love you too.”
Smiling, A.J wrapped her arms tightly around Lee and surrendered fully to his embrace. Who would’ve thought that she, Amara Justice Nixon, would not only fall in love with someone but would in turn find someone who loved her just as much? It was as surprising as it was amazing.
Lee was everything she wanted in a man. Actually, he was more than anything she’d ever dreamt of having. She couldn’t even imagine giving him up. Never.
He was hers forever.
And she was his.