Hardwired (The Hardwired Series 1)(53)

“Thank you.” My voice wavered. I admired the bracelets, which were simple and elegant. Knowing Blake, they had no doubt cost a small fortune, but the meaning behind the gift was what took my breath away. I had been running his words from this morning over in my head all afternoon, wondering if he’d said he loved me on a whim, or just to make his point in the heat of the argument. But the gift solidified the sentiment. He’d known it before he said it.

My voice caught in my throat. I wanted to say more. I loved Blake too. Trying to convince myself that I didn’t was beyond ridiculous. The words, and everything they meant, were tearing me up inside. I wanted him to know, but something kept me silent.

I toyed with the bracelets—the cool metal on my skin and the faint clinking of the charms that would always remind me of him, even when we were apart. Before I could say anything, he cupped my cheek and bent to kiss me. I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed him back with every ounce of passion I felt, telling him the only way I knew how. He met my intensity, holding me tight and lifting me to him with his strong arms.

“Erica—”

“Shh.” I pressed my fingertips to his lips before he could say more. I couldn’t bear hearing the words again, knowing I couldn’t say them back right now. Instead I kissed him gently, closing my eyes to avoid his.

He stepped back before we could go further, holding my hand and leading me back to the living room. Relieved, I got comfortable in the nook of his arm as the movie started. We settled in and I relished the moment. I couldn’t remember feeling so completely content with anyone else. No words, no expectations—we spent the next two hours unwinding together, forgetting the drama that had surrounded us the past few days until I fell asleep in his arms.

The apartment was quiet and dark when I woke. Blake carried me into the bedroom as if I weighed nothing. He sat me down on the bed and helped me out of my clothes. Feeling rested from my recent slumber, a quiet energy stirred in me. My skin came alive under his touch.

“I thought you’d be tired.”

“I’m not anymore,” I murmured. I started undressing where he’d stopped. Naked, I shimmied back onto the bed where I waited for him. In the soft light of the room, he undressed slowly, revealing his thick arousal. I bit my lip hard at the sight of him.

He crawled onto the bed and went right for the tender flesh between my legs, licking me with expert finesse. He moaned, vibrating the sensitive tissues as he teased them lightly with his tongue.

“I love it down here, baby,” he said, his breath gusting on my wet flesh. “I could lick your sweet little cunt all day long.”

His words set my nerves on edge. I quickened, the promise of release brewing like a storm inside me. He dug his fingers into my hips to keep me still as I bucked against him. I held on, gripping the sheets beneath me, as the orgasm crept closer. I cried out, my body reacting beyond my control, but before I could ride out the last of the aftershocks, he’d nestled his hips between my legs and pushed into me, angling my hips to hit the deepest part of me on his first thrust.

My breath caught as I stretched to accommodate him, my body exquisitely tight.

“It’s so good,” I breathed.

He moved slowly, easing into a rhythm that I eagerly met. Intense. Nothing felt so right. Like coming home. This was where I wanted to be every night, in his arms where I could savor the pressure of his body over me, around me, inside me, filling me completely and f*cking me tirelessly until we disappeared into each other—until we felt that magic that Marie missed so much.

“God, Erica. You’re so tight,” he murmured into my neck. “Perfect.”

I pulled in a sharp breath and a blinding love rushed in with it. Chills erupted on my skin. I was crazy to think I could go on without him, without this. I was his, in every conceivable way. I’d never wanted him so badly, and I never wanted this moment to end. Today had been intense, and I wanted to end it lost in him.

We made slow love, though it was no less profound for its lack of kink. Wrapped in his smell and his lingering caresses, I clung to the rigid curves of his muscle bound body and to the promise that he would sate the burning hunger that consumed me every time our bodies met. He held me tight as another orgasm built inside me, slow and steady, pleasure taking me over. Overwhelmed by the emotions ripping through me, I closed my eyes, but Blake stilled.

“Look at me,” he whispered.

    My body responded to the smallest of his commands. I opened my eyes into his, and the passion and love I found within them made my chest ache. There was no denying that I loved this man.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN





When I woke, the sun was up and Blake had gone, but he left a note.





Morning, boss,

Made you fruit salad for breakfast, in the fridge.

Love, B





My tummy did a little flip, like the bottom had dropped out on one of those theme park rides. I shuffled into the kitchen and found a single serving of fruit salad in the fridge. I smiled and brought it downstairs with me, along with the note, which I stuck on the corkboard in my bedroom. I showered and dressed, trying to focus on the mountain of work I had to do.

A few hours went by, and I was finally beginning to make some progress, when Sid walked into the apartment unexpectedly. He stopped when he saw me.