July (Calendar Girl #7)(23)
“I seem to recall that rule,” I said breathlessly, leaning further back into him, grinding my ass into his thick erection. Oh, sweet mother of all things good, I missed that steely length. Even though we’d had sex earlier today, we had some serious time to make up for.
Wes chuckled and reacted by pinching each nip just right. Sparks of electric pleasure rippled through my tits on a live wire to my clit where it throbbed and ached to be manipulated. “Rule two,” he continued, “is that we’re monogamous.”
This time, I laughed, only he retaliated by twisting and running the edge of his nail along the over-sensitized peaks. I moaned and shook in his arms. “Remember that one, too,” I choked out. “Only before, it was for the month. How long this time?” My heart clenched; I was unsure if he was feeling the same tension and anticipation that I was. He didn’t know things had changed for me, that my previous views about us had flown out the window wailing like a banshee into the night.
Wes plucked my nips, elongating them to the point that pleasure and pain coalesced in a symphony of heat and need. “Indefinitely.” His voice was hoarse, a rough grumble against my spine. His teeth dragged along my shoulder until he sunk them into the exact same spot Aaron had. I expected to be taken back there. Instead, my body jolted under his capable hands, obliterating all thought except the desire for him. My Wes.
“Does that mean you cut ties with your other friend?” I closed my eyes waiting, holding my breath, too afraid to hope for what I wanted. In the past, I’d never gotten what I’d wanted from a man I fell for. Ever. It seemed to be part of my genetic code. I had the f*ck-over-Mia gene stapled to my heart. With Wes, I wanted so badly for him to demolish that fear of the unknown that would enable me to trust another man again. Trust him. Unlock my heart, break it wide open and let him in.
“Stopped that friendship when I f*cked you over the phone.”
That was a full month ago when we sexted. Holy shit, he really was serious. Chills raced along my spine, and at the same time, longing for more filled me to the brim.
“Rule three: We always sleep in the same bed. We do not want to confuse this with something it’s not.”
I shimmied against his dick until he groaned, placing a hand on my hip and rubbing into my backside, circling. “Mmm. And, uh, what is it this time?” It became harder and harder to finish our chat knowing he was harder than a two by four behind me. My panties were soaked through with the ache he’d built.
He pulled his bottom half away from me and I wanted to sob. I did try to protest, but he held me fast, leaning my head to the side and snuggling into the crook of my neck. That’s when he blew my world wide open.
“Sweetheart. You, me…it’s paradise. From here on out, no matter where you go, what you have to do for the rest of the year, this paradise will be waiting for you with open arms.”
Paradise. Wes did not lie. Our time together, the month we had, the followup in Chicago, all the calls, texts, and then some were all part of the bundle. A place I was able to go where I could be me, live life, be happy.
“And rule four?” The words came out in breathless veneration. This was it, the ultimate question. Over six months ago, we stood, just like this, and he set the rules in stone. Rule number four was never fall in love. My heart was in my throat. I arched like a cat, his hands squeezed and caressed each nip with a reverence I hadn’t felt in too long. Still, he didn’t answer. Worry, panic, and longing built within my soul and I spun around and clutched him around the neck, fingers tugging on his hair, forcing his face down to mine. His eyes were so green, I gasped at the sheer beauty and grace that was Weston Channing.
An adoring smile filled his features, and I held tight. “Fuck rule four. I broke that rule six months ago when I fell in love with you.”
Tears filled my eyes, so much so that he was blurry. I swallowed reflexively around the knot in my throat. “Wes, I…”
“I know, sweetheart. Something changed in you. From my visit in March, to our calls, texts, the shit with Gi—“ I placed a finger over his pouty lips I wanted to gobble up and burn with repeated tugs and blistering kisses; the last thing I wanted to hear from that sexy-as-f*ck mouth was her name spoken here and now, when I was about to confess my love for him.
“Not now, not when it’s you and me.” My voice shook.
He nodded. “Tell me what I want to hear, Mia. What I need to hear. I deserve it.” His voice demanded nothing but honesty.
Want. Need. Deserve.
And he did. All of those things were true and finally, after six months of waffling, trying to deny it, wanting to deny it, I let it all go. For the first time in my life I was going to take something for me. Something good, kind, and all mine.
My paradise.
Looking into his bottomless green eyes, running my fingers through the dirty blond layers of his just-f*cked hair, and stroking my lips along his stubbled jaw, I leaned close enough so that no matter how quietly I said it, he’d hear it.
“I love you, Wes.”
His arms tightened painfully around my mostly naked form as he let the declaration sink in. I could feel the tension pumping off him in powerful bursts of energy. “Not going to let you go this time,” his words came out harsh, though I knew the gruffness was driven by the intense feeling behind them.
“I love you,” I kissed his cheek, and his arms loosened a bit.