say, watching Samara as she wanders aimlessly around the penthouse. She picks up a vase and then sets it down before moving to the bookcase. Her fingers trail along the spines of a row of books. Her mind is a million miles away.
It has been since we left the hospital an hour ago. She’s anxious about tomorrow. I haven’t told her yet that my brothers are coming. I’m not sure it’ll help ease her mind any. Springing it on her is probably a dick move, but I’d rather pull a dick move than give her one more thing to fret over tonight.
She needs people in her corner tomorrow. If anything goes wrong, I want her surrounded by a wall of support until I can get to her. Between Troian, Gage, and my brothers, she’ll be in good hands…and I need them there so I can do what I need to do. It’s the only way I’ll be able to focus on Scout and doing what I need to do to keep my promise.
There’s a reason why surgeons don’t operate on family. This is it. If there were anyone else capable of performing this surgery tomorrow, I’d step back and let them take over. But everyone else is hesitant to even try because Scout is so fragile. At this juncture, I’m her best hope…her only hope. So I’m performing the surgery in the morning. Once she’s through it, we’ll find her another doctor to take over, someone who knows what the fuck they’re doing. But for now, that’s me.
‘Angel.’ I pace across the room toward Samara, linking our fingers together. ‘What are you thinking about?’
‘You,’ she says, surprising me.
‘Me?’ I bring her fingers to my lips, kissing the pad of each one.
‘You got Gage and Troian special approval to stay with Scout tonight,’ she says, staring at me with wide eyes. ‘You brought them here for me.’
‘I didn’t want you to be alone tomorrow.’ I nip the pad of her thumb.
‘You did it because you love me,’ she says, her voice strong, confident.
My lips tip up into a grin. ‘You’re just figuring that out, huh?’
‘No.’ She shakes her head. ‘I knew. I think I just found the courage to admit it to myself though.’ Her gaze flits across my face, her golden eyes filled with awe. ‘You love me.’
‘Yeah, I do,’ I whisper, tugging her closer to my body. ‘So if that freaks you out, I’m going to need you to get over it. Because it’s not going to change anytime soon. My heart beats for you now. Whether you want me or not, I’m yours. I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth if that’s what it takes to make you see that you belong with me.’
‘What if…’ She trails off, licking her lips. ‘What if…?’
‘What if what?’
‘What if I already see it?’ Her breath trembles against my lips. ‘What if I already know I’m yours, Tate?’ She pulls her hand from mine, lacing both of hers together around my neck. ‘What if I already love you back?’
‘Fuck,’ I growl, gripping her hips in my hands. ‘Don’t say it if you don’t mean it, Samara.’
She lifts up on her toes, her lips skimming across my jaw toward my ear. ‘I love you, Tate Grimes,’ she whispers in my ear. ‘I love you. I love you. I love—’
I cut her off, covering her mouth with mine. She topples into my chest with a soft cry, allowing me to lick my way into her mouth. I steal her breath, pulling her air into my lungs, swallowing her sounds down my throat. My hands flex around her hips as I fight for control. Every part of me wants to sweep her up into my arms, carry her into the bedroom, and make her mine. But it’s a purely selfish desire…and I can’t be selfish with her.
‘Come on,’ I murmur, reluctantly breaking the kiss before I lose what little willpower I have. With her, it’s so fucking easy to get carried away. As soon as I get my hands on her, the rest of the world falls away, narrowing to her and the feel of her beautiful body against mine. I forget everything else. But I can’t do that tonight. She needs me to take care of her tonight, to be strong for her and Scout.
I lift her into my arms, carrying her through the penthouse into the bedroom. I stop long enough to hit the button to close the blinds over the windows, and then continue on into the bathroom. She settles against the vanity with a soft murmur.
‘Easy,’ I say, brushing my lips across her temple.
I leave her long enough to start the shower. Hot water pours from the shower heads, steam billowing through the room.
‘Jesus,’ I mutter, my heart rolling when I turn back to her. She looks like a water nymph perched on the vanity, wisps of steam dancing around her flushed face.
‘What are you doing?’ She watches me through slit lids, a soft, adoring smile on her face as I undress. Her golden eyes kiss my skin like a brand everywhere they touch. I feel them on me, searing me with her possession, with her light.
‘Loving you,’ I say, prowling across the heated floor toward her. My mouth meets hers. We kiss once. Twice. A third time. I’m addicted to her mouth. As soon as I stop kissing it, I want to start all over again. No one warned me about this part of falling in love, the constant craving for contact. It’s enthralling, consuming. I love every fucking thing about it.
Somehow, I manage to strip her between kisses. I run my hands down her body, touching her everywhere. I’ve held the smallest, most fragile hearts in my hands, and felt awe that something so small could be so powerful. I’ve been humbled and overjoyed, fought for the impossible and somehow prevailed. But nothing compares to the softness of her skin against my fingertips. Nothing compares to knowing this incredible woman trusts me with her heart.
I boost her into my arms, her legs around my waist. Our mouths meet again, tongues dancing together as I carry her into the shower. My dick is hard enough to hurt, but this isn’t about him. It’s about her.
The sound of pure bliss that tumbles from her lips when the hot water envelopes us will haunt every dream I have for the next five decades. She turns to putty in my arms.
I slide her down my body to her feet, anchoring her to me with one arm. ‘Relax,’ I whisper against her temple. ‘Let me take care of you tonight.’
She hums a wordless agreement, practically purring in my arms. Fuck. I can’t wait to spoil her like this every day. She’s been on her own for so damn long, far longer than she should have been. She was just a kid, worrying about when she was going to eat or where she would sleep, seeing horrors no child should ever see.
No more, I vow, reaching for the shampoo. Never again. For the rest of her life, she won’t have to worry about shit like that. She’ll know every day that she and Scout are wanted, needed, and loved. She will never be alone, ever again.
‘I love you,’ I say, digging my fingers into her scalp to massage the shampoo in. ‘You and Scout are going to be my whole world, angel.’
‘Yeah?’ She turns to face me, tipping her head back into the shower spray. Shampoo cascades down her curvy body, covering her with soap. Her satisfied, womanly smile has my balls throbbing for release. She reaches between us, running her knuckles over my dick. ‘Show me what it means to be yours, Tate.’
‘Samara, angel,’ I groan. ‘You don’t owe me this. I can wait.’
‘I can’t,’ she whispers, wrapping one perfect hand around my shaft. ‘We both know you won’t be able to drag me away from the hospital after tomorrow, Tate. Not until Scout’s okay. I don’t want to wait weeks to be yours when I know part of me will die a little every day without you. I need you to make me whole now so I can be strong for Scout later.’
‘You’re already the strongest woman I know,’ I groan, my willpower crumbling. If she wants this, who the hell am I to tell her no? She can have anything. Anything. I’d crawl through hell on my knees to give it to her. ‘Are you sure?’
‘I’ve never been more sure of anything,’ she says.
‘Fuck.’ I tip my head forward, letting my resolve fall to ruins. It lands at our feet and then swirls down the drain, washed away like papier-mâché. I take her mouth in a deep kiss, claiming her, possessing her, ruining her too.
She moans, pressing her tits up against my chest. I reach blindly for the soap, using it to slick up my hands. We kiss again and again as I wash her, touching her everywhere. I pay extra attention to her hard little nipples, playing with them until she’s whimpering my name.
She’s soaked when I slip my hand between her legs to clean her there. I play with her, exploring every fold, learning every one of her secrets. The soap is gone long before I push her up against the wall and throw her legs over my shoulders.
She screams in shock, clutching handfuls of my hair like she’s afraid I’ll let her fall. That will never happen.
I make a mess of the pussy I just cleaned, using my lips and tongue to drive her wild. Her cries echo around the bathroom, growing louder and then louder still. By the time I work the tip of my tongue into her tasty little asshole, she cracks with a shrill scream of ecstasy, coating my face with her cream.
She’s still coming when I stand upright, yanking her into my arms. I barely stop long enough to turn off the water before stepping out of the shower and reaching for a towel. I dry her carefully, running the fluffy towel all over her still trembling body.
‘Tate,’ she moans.
‘I know, angel.’
‘You…’
‘I know.’
‘That wasn’t my vagina,’ she whisper-hisses.
‘I’m well aware, Samara.’
She huffs at me.
‘Don’t pretend you didn’t scream the roof down around us when I had my tongue in your tasty little asshole, Samara,’ I growl, tossing the towel toward the hamper. ‘We both know you loved every second of it.’
She’s quiet for a second. ‘Well, yeah,’ she finally mumbles, too damn cute for words. ‘But I don’t think you’re supposed to say that.’
I laugh quietly, dropping her gently on the bed. ‘On your back, baby. Legs spread. I want to see what’s mine before I take that sweet cherry.’
‘Bossy.’
‘I already told you, I’m the boss. Now, be a good girl and do what you’re told.’
‘Yes, Doctor Grimes.’
I narrow my eyes and growl, making her laugh. She does what she’s told though, scooting up the bed and then flopping down on her back. She shyly parts her legs until her glistening pussy peeps from between her thighs. Her clit is hard and swollen.
‘Damn,’ I breathe, fisting my cock. Once Scout is better, I’m taking her to Angel’s island paradise. Gloria can babysit for a week while I keep this woman naked and on my cock. If I’m lucky, I’ll plant my kid in her, give her another baby to love just like she loves Scout. ‘I don’t know where to start with you.’
‘Right here,’ she says, lifting her arms in silent entreaty.
I stalk toward the bed, hers to command. I may pretend to make the rules, but we both know she has me by the balls here. I’m her willing subject, her helpless acolyte. I prowl over her gorgeous little body, her lips curving into a smile.
‘Beautiful,’ I whisper, kissing my way up her legs. My breathing picks up when she moans my name and spreads her legs further in invitation. I kiss and nibble on her thighs, breathing in her sweet scent. When I die, if it’s not buried face first in her cunt, it’ll be a waste.
‘I need to taste you again, angel,’ I say, tossing her legs over my shoulders. Before she can respond, I lick from her ass to her clit. As soon as her taste hits my system, I growl. Jesus. I’m addicted to this pussy. I swear, it gets sweeter every time I eat it. Wetter too.
I take my time with her this time, eating her like I have all night. Every drop she spills, I lick up, savoring it. My tongue runs in circles around her clit before teasing along the hood of it. I pull each juicy lip into my mouth and suck on it before thrusting my tongue into her opening. She whines, grinding her pussy against my face.
Fuck, I need her to come.
I work two fingers inside her, fighting like hell the entire time. She’s virgin tight, her body making me work for it. By the time I finally get them in, I’m grinding my hips into the mattress, trying not to lose my damn mind. I curl my fingers up to rub her g-spot, sucking her clit into my mouth at the same time. As soon as I do, she shouts my name, coming all over my face.
I lick up every drop, working her through it. My dick leaks cum all over the comforter, leaving a sticky mess. I don’t fucking care. This right here…this is as close to heaven as I’ve ever been. I don’t stop what I’m doing to her until she’s writhing beneath me again, well on her way to another orgasm. Once her pussy starts fluttering again, I back off, prowling up her body.
‘You stopped,’ she pouts, her golden eyes dilated, and her cheeks flushed.
‘I need in you,’ I murmur, kissing the pout from her lips. ‘Are you ready for me?’
‘Yes. No.’ She squeezes her eyes closed and swallows hard. ‘Yes.’
‘I’ll fit,’ I remind her, touching my forehead to hers as I pull her leg up over my hip. And then I freeze. ‘Fuck. I don’t have a condom.’
‘Oh no,’ she whispers. ‘Are you…? Have you been tested?’
Have I been tested?
‘I haven’t been with anyone else, angel,’ I say, a little surprised she doesn’t already know. I thought she knew what I meant when I told her that no one else touches me.
She blinks wide, startled eyes at me. ‘You’re a virgin?’
‘You’ll be my first and only,’ I murmur.
‘Tate,’ she whispers, her voice soft.
‘I was waiting for you.’ I nudge my nose with hers. ‘I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my entire life, Sleeping Beauty.’
‘Me too,’ she says, reaching up to touch my cheek. ‘Um, I’m on birth control.’
A growl starts in my chest.
‘It’s not like that.’ She rolls her eyes. ‘Calm down, bossy. My periods are weird. I take it to help regulate them. That’s all. I haven’t even been on a date since I was in high school.’
‘Angel, stop talking before you piss me off,’ I growl, pressing my lips to hers. ‘Other men don’t exist to you. I don’t care if it was in elementary school. It never happened.’
‘Tate? Stop being crazy and make love to me,’ she demands, smiling at me.
‘Kiss me,’ I order, not sure how to make this more comfortable for her. It’s going to hurt no matter what I do. She’s tiny and I’m…not. I send up a quick prayer that I manage to last long enough to make it good for her. As badly as I want her right now, it’s entirely possible this ends before it even begins.
She chases my lips with hers, seaming our mouths together. We kiss for several long moments, sinking into one another slowly. I run my hands up and down her sides, trying to relax her as much as possible. My dick slides through her soaked folds, bumping against her clit with every pass. I’m dying the sweetest death with every second that passes, but I don’t rush it. I take my time. I make her take hers. Only when she’s pliant beneath me, moans leaving her lips in little puffs of sound, do I line up at her entrance.
‘Ah, fuck,’ I groan, pushing my way into her wet heat. Her pussy surrounds the head of my cock, burning hot. She’s so damn soft and warm. So tight. I push forward slowly, my eyes locked on her face, watching for any signs of discomfort. At first, all I see is awe swirling through those golden depths.
The head of my cock slips in.
I writhe, fighting not to come. Christ, she feels good. Too good, maybe.
I push forward again, meeting resistance.
Awe turns to hesitation, anxiety flitting through her expression.
‘Kiss me, angel,’ I demand.
‘Tate.’
‘Kiss me, Samara.’
She offers her mouth up like an obedient little sacrifice.
‘I love you,’ I whisper, covering her mouth with mine.
I push forward. Her hymen resists for a split second before tearing around my cock. She cries out in shock, going completely rigid beneath me. I sink into her to the hilt. My stomach churns with regret, my balls with relief.
‘I’m sorry,’ I breathe, kissing her lips again and then again. ‘I’m sorry.’
She whimpers into my mouth, the pained sound breaking my heart.
‘Never again,’ I vow, kissing all over her face. ‘It’ll never feel like that again, angel.’
‘Good because that hurt,’ she says, sniffling. ‘I told you that you wouldn’t fit.’
‘Angel, baby.’ I groan, trying not to laugh because I’m pretty sure that will just piss her off. ‘I’m inside that juicy cunt right now, buried all the way to the hilt.’
Her pussy spasms around me.
Interesting.
‘You’re taking all of me, Samara,’ I say, placing my mouth near her ear. ‘And as soon as you’re ready, I’m going to ride that pretty pussy until you’re coming all over my cock.’
Her pussy spasms again.
Oh, angel. I know your number now. She likes the dirty talk.
‘I think I’m ready now,’ she whispers.
‘Yeah?’ I nip at her ear and then wrap my tongue around the lobe to ease the sting of my bite. ‘Maybe I should keep saying filthy shit to you just to make sure. I could tell you how good you taste when you’re coming all over my tongue. Or how much you’re going to like it when you’re on your hands and knees next time with that ass in the air and I’m drilling you from behind.’ I nuzzle my face into her neck, kissing and nipping at her skin. ‘Or maybe I should tell you how fucking hard I got when you were gagging on my cock last night.’
Her pussy clamps down on me hard this time.
‘Tate,’ she moans, her hands drifting down my back.
‘Yeah,’ I chuckle. ‘You’re ready.’
‘Then f-fuck me already!’ she cries.
‘Nu-uh,’ I whisper, shaking my head against hers. ‘When I’m in you, I’m making love to you, Samara. It doesn’t matter how filthy my mouth is or what kinky shit I do to you, I will never take you with anything less than complete reverence.’ I brush my mouth against hers, hitching her leg higher up my hip. ‘When I’m in you, I plan to worship you. Every single time.’
‘Oh my gosh,’ she whispers.
I rock my hips back and then push forward, taking her slowly. She needs to know this isn’t fucking. It doesn’t matter how dirty it gets, there’s nothing casual about this for either one of us. This woman is my soul, the one I’ve been waiting for my entire life. I fully intend to spend the rest of it loving her the way she deserves. She doesn’t know what it’s like to be loved unconditionally, to have a place in this world and people to call her own. She will with me.
‘Oh,’ she gasps, grasping onto my shoulders. ‘Oh my god.’
‘That’s right,’ I croon, kissing a trail down her throat. ‘In this bed, I’m your god. You ride my cock to heaven.’ I pull her nipple into my mouth, raking it through my teeth. ‘It’s yours anyway. Every part of me is yours.’
‘Tate,’ she cries, writhing beneath me.
I make love to her slowly, pumping my hips like we have all night. I feel her walls dragging against my cock with every thrust, feel the way they clench and flutter and grip me tight. She’s heaven around me, the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced. And still, I want to go deeper, until I’m imprinted inside her, a permanent piece of her.
I flip her to her stomach, coming down over her. My thighs spread hers wide, my body caging hers in on the bed. She melts into the mattress, her wet hair tangled in my fist. I kiss all over her neck and shoulders, grinding my hips against her round ass. I’m deeper this way, the head of my cock nudging against her cervix with every thrust.
My name leaves her lips in an endless chant as she undulates beneath me, arching and bowing, giving herself over to me and the sheer pleasure of it. Her sweet cries of ecstasy spur me on. I fuck her harder, my lips never leaving her skin as my balls tap against her ass in steady smacks.
‘I love you, Samara,’ I whisper. ‘My Sleeping Beauty. My warrior angel.’
‘Tate,’ she cries. ‘I…I…’
Whatever she was going to say gets lost as her body bows…and breaks. Her pussy clamps down on my cock in a stranglehold, my name echoing from the rafters as she shatters apart beneath me.
I roar her name, my own orgasm ripped from me by the force of hers. I don’t stand a chance of holding it off. Cum shoots up my shaft, my balls emptying into her in pulses that leave me trembling above her.
For one perfect moment, we find eternity together.
It’s better than I ever imagined it could be.
When it’s over, I fall beside her, dragging her into my arms.
‘I’m keeping you,’ I whisper, holding her close to my heart. ‘You and Scout are mine to love now, mine to protect.’
‘Okay,’ she breathes, already sinking into sleep. ‘Whatever you say, bossy.’
