Noah
Making love to Lanie was the easiest thing in the world to do, because I loved her with everything that I was, or ever would be. But bringing her pain for the sake of my pleasure was torture.
I had wanted it so badly. It was forbidden, and that made it all the more alluring. But when I’d entered her there for the first time and heard her suck in a sharp breath and felt her body stiffen … well, I’d expected it to hurt her at first, but I obviously hadn’t been fully prepared for just how much it would, and I couldn’t do that to her. I had every intention of calling the whole thing off, but then she practically begged me to keep going. It was her plea for me to let her have that moment, that first with me, my first, even though she was receiving nothing but pain in return, that cinched the deal and made me continue on despite my reservations.
I would’ve given her anything she asked for. I would’ve snatched the moon out of the night sky and laid it at her delicate feet, gathered the universe up into a neat little ball and placed it in her tiny hands—anything she wanted. Because she deserved so much more than that, and I would sacrifice my entire life to make sure she f*cking had it all.
But I’d never be able to make up for treating her like a whore, for treating her like she was nothing more than a piece of ass that was solely there to satisfy my cravings for p-ssy, for treating her like she was no more than another toy I’d acquired, a piece of property. For stealing her innocence. How were we ever going to make it when our relationship was born out of the f*cking bowels of impure intentions to begin with?
I had to have faith we would, because if what we had was wrong, then I didn’t want to be right. Yeah, it was a corny line, but the words rang undeniably true. See? I was turning into a total bitch for her, p-ssy-whipped to the extreme.
Let me prove my point …
During the actual deed, I was a nervous wreck. My body shook both from my fear of hurting Lanie and from having to hold back and not plow into her. It felt that good. Not that her p-ssy didn’t; it was experiencing the forbidden dance with her that was such a turn-on. You only share something like that with someone you trust, someone you plan to spend the rest of your life with, someone with whom you have a sacred motherf*cking bond.
What I had walked in on between Julie and David hadn’t been anything like the intimacy of the moment Lanie and I had just experienced together. That was nothing more than two whoremongers f*cking for the sake of f*cking, for the sake of gutting me and leaving me to bleed out onto the floor. They could search the rest of their pathetic lives and never come close to finding what I had with my Lanie. My Lanie.
We needed it, that level of intimacy, before our separation. And although I knew I needed to remain strong for her, it was killing me on the inside to know she wouldn’t be there when I returned home in the evenings, that she wouldn’t be lying next to me naked in my bed every night, that I wouldn’t see that look in her eyes on a daily basis. That look that said more than a thousand words ever could. That look that said I was her world, just like she was mine. Lips were capable of saying anything, but the eyes never lied. And what I saw there reflected what I felt in every fiber of my being. She loved me. She really loved me. Not my money, not my status. Me. And come hell or high water, I was going to make it f*cking work. Somehow.
Delaine moved her ass against me, reminding me that my dick was still inside her, flaccid but becoming more aroused the longer it remained in place, and if she kept moving like that, it was going to be harder and harder to make myself pull out of her. Although I would definitely love to have another round, I knew she was already going to be sore, and I didn’t want to take advantage of her need to give me even more of herself. Her presence in my life was enough, and it was time for me to give her something in return. So before my dick became too engorged and hurt her even more, I pulled out … hoping that the quick movement would make it more bearable.
I felt a stabbing sense of guilt pierce my chest when she winced, and my mind immediately went into caregiver mode. I would worship that woman, show her my appreciation and take care of her for a change, just like she took care of everyone else around her, including me.
“I’m sorry, kitten,” I said, rolling her over and gathering her to me. “I’m so f*cking sorry I hurt you.”
My girl could’ve sobbed into my chest, could’ve beaten the shit out of me with my permission—she could’ve done anything she wanted or needed in retaliation for the pain I’d inflicted on her. But she didn’t do any of that. Instead, Lanie wedged her thigh between mine, wrapped her arm around my waist to palm my ass, and then attacked my neck.
“Shut up, Noah,” she mumbled between kisses. “You’re overthinking this and killing my buzz. And just so you know, I definitely want to do that again.”
I’d said it before, and I’d say it again: I f*cking loved my girl so much it hurt.
She tilted her head back to look up at me, a spark of wicked intent in her eyes. I had definitely created a monster. But I wasn’t an insensitive ass. My girl was hurting, and she was trying to mask her pain so I wouldn’t feel bad about it, which was insane because of course I felt like a douche. How could I not?
I leaned forward and took her succulent lips with mine, deepening the kiss with all the love and adoration I could manifest. It was when I felt myself hardening again that I broke the connection. She would take that as a sign that I wanted her again, which I did. However, her needs were so much more important than mine, and right then, she needed me to take care of her, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
It took a lot for me to do it, but I finally managed to pull away from her and slip out of the bed.
Lanie groaned in protest and reached out to grab my hand. “Noooo. Where are you going?”
I knew exactly how she felt; I couldn’t stand to be away from her for even a second, either. The thought alone made me feel empty inside, and I missed her already. How was I going to tear myself away? My selfish side reared its ugly head temporarily, and I almost asked her not to go. I knew that she’d stay with me if I asked, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’d already taken too much from her.
“Not far. Never far.” With one last tender kiss, I pulled away, severing our physical connection, but the invisible tether that stretched from the bed where she lay to my heart kept us bound across the distance. I’d never felt anything like it before—so connected, so absorbed in just one person—it was an enigma of which I didn’t want to find the solution.
It gave me hope.
I quickly ran a bath for her, taking care to be sure the water was neither too hot nor too cold. I was thankful to see that Polly had stocked the bathroom with some girly soaps, and I chose one whose label promised a tranquil, soothing calm. It damn well better or I was going to sue the bastards for false advertisement. Only the best for my girl.
I managed to walk back in to her, only because running might make me look like an even bigger bitch than I already was. My cock was at half staff and flopped back and forth on my thighs as I made my way to the bed where she lay. She was ogling the piece of meat as if it were a sausage link hanging in the front window of a butcher’s shop and she were a stray pup looking for its next meal.
“I’m really trying to show some restraint here. You know, be a caring, gentle boyfriend? A real Prince Charming. But if you keep licking your chops like that, the prince might turn into an ogre. And I really don’t think that would be a good idea right now,” I said, pulling the sheets from her naked body and sweeping her up into my arms.
As I walked with her, Lanie put her arms around my shoulders and nuzzled the crook of my neck. “I can take it,” she said, lifting her chin slightly so that her sultry voice ghosted over the shell of my ear. A shiver shot down my spine and straight to my cock, which was not helping matters in the least.
I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, composing myself. “Somehow I don’t doubt that,” I said, stepping into the bathtub with her weightless body in my arms.
I slowly lowered myself into a sitting position with her resting in my lap. When she started squirming while kissing along the length of my neck and moaning, I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d slip my dick inside her, and that was the last thing she needed at the moment. So I quickly maneuvered her tiny frame so that she sat between my outstretched legs, effectively improving the odds of being able to make it through her bath without f*cking her again.
Delaine was turning into a nymphomaniac. I blamed myself for her corruption, but I wanted her to know that what was between us wasn’t just about f*cking anymore. I thought back to how upset she’d looked in the car earlier, how unsure she seemed to be that we were going to be okay, given the separation and all. I needed her to know that even though we had to be apart for a little while, the way I felt about her wasn’t going to change. She needed to have faith in me, in us.
“I love you,” I whispered into her ear while wrapping my arms around her waist and hugging her to me. “So f*cking much. Do you know that?” Now that those three little words had found their way out of my mouth, I just couldn’t stop saying them.
“I love you, too,” she whispered. Her fingertips caressed my arms beneath the water.
“That’s not what I asked,” I corrected her. “Do you know that I love you? Because if we’re going to have to be apart for any length of time, I need there to be no doubt about how very important you are to me. And if what they say is true about absence making the heart grow fonder and all that other fluffy shit, then the way I feel about you is only going to intensify even more. I won’t let anyone come between us.”
“Are you trying to tell me you’re a closet stalker, Noah?” she joked as she rolled her head to the side, exposing the creamy skin of her neck to me.
“I assure you, I am quite serious,” I said, and then began a trail of kisses along the length of her graceful neck. I stopped when I reached her ear and whispered, “Every moment we’re apart, I will be thinking of you. Every night you aren’t lying in my bed next to me, I will be dreaming of you. Every time I smell f*cking bacon,” I went on, referring to the time I’d had my way with her while she cooked my breakfast, “I’ll have a hard-on for you, and I’ll touch myself while calling out your name. I’ll call you with no purpose at all other than to hear your voice. I’ll drop by unannounced just so that I can see your eyes light up when you catch sight of me. And I’ll steal you away just so that I can have a taste. Because I’ll be hungry for you, Lanie. So very hungry.”
She sucked in a breath and then her lips parted slightly, a soft moan spilling forth. Her eyes closed and her legs opened to me as if my words had commanded them to.
“So if you call that stalking, then yeah, I guess I’ll be stalking you.” I moved my hand over her abdomen to the mound that resided below it, and she rolled her hips into my touch, another soft moan escaping her lips.
“I’m a strong believer in the three P’s: proclaim, protect, and provide. I will give you everything you need. Everything,” I said, slipping my fingers inside her while my thumb applied pressure to her sweet spot. “You are mine to take care of. So if I find another guy sniffing around what belongs to me, I’m going to go after him, and I will inflict pain. Are you sure you’re ready for that level of commitment, Delaine?”
“Oh, God. Yes, Noah.” She moaned as I curled my fingers back and forth inside her.
“I am a god, ruler of my world, and you are my world,” I told her, moving my other hand to her breast and manipulating one taut peak. “I can and will give you everything you need to feel good. But I’m a jealous, vengeful god, Lanie.”
She moved a hand between her legs to cover mine as I finger-f*cked her, and the other palmed the back of my neck. “I’m … shit … I’m yours, Noah. Just … oh, God … yours.”
“Good. I’m glad we agree,” I said, pushing my fingers in further and with more purpose. “Do you want to come?”
She nodded.
“Hmm, I’m not so sure you do,” I said, toying with her. “Beg for it.”
“Please,” she said breathlessly.
“Oh, come on. Surely you can do better than that,” I said, rolling her nipple between my fingertips. “Convince me.”
She arched her back while digging her nails into my neck and pushing down on the hand I had between her legs.
My fingers worked steadfastly, but when her walls began to tighten, I pulled back, halting my efforts. “I don’t think so, kitten. Not until you convince me.”
She whimpered. “Please, Noah. Give it to me. Let me come on your fingers.”
Goddamn, I wanted her. But I needed her release to fill me, sustain me until I could have her again.
“Oh, you will come, Lanie, but not on my fingers.” I released her, only to pick her up and turn her so that her ass was perched on the edge of the stone-tiled wall surrounding the bathtub. A nice, fluffy towel was already there, so she wouldn’t be too uncomfortable, given what I’d just done to her a little while ago.
I was so anxious to give her what she wanted, to taste her, that I wasn’t quite as careful spreading her knees apart to allow me access to her pretty little kitty. But there were no cries of protest, only a cry of pleasure as I buried my face between her thighs and began to lap at her silken folds with the flattened part of my tongue. She fisted her hands in my hair—damn if I didn’t f*cking love it when she did that—and then she hooked her legs over my shoulders with her knees falling to the side, giving me full access.
I looked up at her and she was watching me, so I made a big show of letting her see my long, thick tongue work her juicy little *.
“F*ck,” she whispered, and then bit down on her bottom lip. She lovingly pushed her fingers through the locks of hair on the side of my head. “That feels so unbelievably fantastic. Do you like the way I taste, Noah?”
I closed my eyes and let out an “Mmm …” before giving her slit tender kisses.
I heard her suck in a breath of air, and I looked back up at her, making sure she was still watching me. She was. Reaching my arm around her thigh, I used my fingers to pull back the hood of skin at her apex to reveal the fleshy meat hidden beneath. She needed to have the full view to really appreciate what I was doing, and I gave it to her.
I leaned forward again and sucked her engorged bud into my mouth, pulling back my head and letting it go before doing it again and again.
“Jesus,” she said in a hiss. “Come up here and f*ck me, Noah. I need you inside me.”
I ignored her, completely enthralled by the effect I was having on her not just physically but mentally and emotionally. My eyes were trained on her face, watching every little detailed expression of pleasure, because knowing I was making her feel good … it just f*cking did things to me.
She was enthralled by what I was doing to her as well, her eyes following with rapt fascination every move I made. I bared my teeth, scraping her * with them before the pointed end of my tongue slowly flicked back and forth over the delicious little nub. She sucked in a stuttered breath, her grip tightening in my hair as I encompassed the pert bud with my lips and gave her a wink.
I meant to drive her insane, and apparently I was on the right track.
“Oh, God. You have to stop, baby. You’re going to make me come, and I want your cock inside me.”
No way—no f*cking way was I going to deprive myself of the sweet nectar I knew awaited me as my reward. I didn’t stop. Instead, I drove her to the edge, flicking my tongue back and forth over her little pleasure bud with lightning speed, sucking it into my mouth and stroking it with my lips, coaxing her orgasm out.
“No. Don’t,” she said, cursing under her breath while pulling on my hair in a vain attempt to make me stop. I ate that p-ssy like I’d never have a chance to again, although I knew damn well that I would. I’d make sure of it.
“You’re going to make me …” She pushed and pulled on my head, trying to get me to release her, but I didn’t give an inch. Her body was going to give me the result I was looking for, and I wasn’t going to stop until I got it.
“Damn it! No …,” she half moaned, half growled, then she pushed on the back of my head so that my face was completely buried in her treasure trove. Her thighs slammed shut, putting my head in a viselike grip as her body stiffened and her juices gushed onto my awaiting tongue. I licked, I sucked, I swallowed. All of it. Mine, all mine.
As the orgasm I gave her subsided, the grip she had on my hair loosened and her thighs became lax. She cupped each side of my face in her hands and forced me to look up at her. “You are so infuriating,” she said between labored breaths.
“I’m pretty sure we’ve gone over this before, Delaine. I’m insatiable. Don’t ever try to deny me what I want, because I’ll always get it in the end,” I said with a smirk as her chest heaved and I pulled her back into the bath.
Lanie surprised me by pushing on my chest until I was flush with the opposite wall of the tub. “And don’t you ever try to deny me what I want, Noah Crawford. Because in the end, I’ll take it,” she said, and then she climbed into my lap, grabbed my dick and …
“Lanie, don’t. You’re—”
Too late. She sank down on top of my cock, which was hardened to titanium strength, and took all of me in.
“Goddamn,” I growled, my head falling back as I felt her tight walls envelop me.
Lanie giggled at my reaction, a cocky sort of sound, and I snapped my head up only to be met with a cocky grin to match. My cocky grin. It was almost like looking into a mirror, and I wasn’t sure how the f*ck I felt about that, but I supposed I was to blame. Yeah, I had definitely created a monster. Tit for motherf*cking tat, just like I had suspected from that very first time we had been together in that respect, the night I took her virginity. I knew then that I’d have my hands full, and she was proving me right. She was impossibly stubborn, always having to prove me wrong. I couldn’t fault her for that, because I was the same damn way, and she had been learning from watching me. So I let it go, let her do her thing, let her make me feel good, because in the end she would have her way anyway.
And that was just fine with me.
The smell of hyacinths surrounded me, a cool breeze twirling the fragrance around my body. I could hear the sounds of a string quartet and the buzzing laughter of friends and families as they gathered. The sun was warm on my face and hands. It would have been stifling had it not been for the light breeze.
I was happy. This was a momentous occasion, even if I couldn’t quite put my finger on what exactly was happening.
“Oh, Noah, she’s spectacular. Just the type of girl I’d always hoped you’d meet,” a soft voice cooed from behind me. I knew that voice. I turned quickly, and there she stood: my mother, amid the tall grass, sprigs of purple, white, and yellow flowers blooming up around her red gown. Her arm was linked through my father’s, who was standing by her side with a proud grin on his face, his hair still black on top, white along the temples. My mother was right; it did make him look very distinguished indeed.
“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” I asked, confused. While part of me felt it only natural for them to be, another part registered that they shouldn’t have been.
“She’s a sassy one, too. Kind of reminds me of your mother.” My father looked at his wife adoringly.
My mother laughed, then kissed him on the cheek. “That’s a good thing. You Crawford men need a strong woman to keep you in line.”
Suddenly they were right in front of me. I hadn’t even registered the movement. My mother turned to me and smiled gently as she cupped my face with one hand. “She’s one in a million, Noah. Don’t ever let her go. Remember: From mud and murk, the red flower blooms, overcoming all to stretch toward the moon.”
I remembered her saying that all the time when I was younger, but back then I’d had no clue what it meant, and I still didn’t.
“The scarlet lotus,” I whispered.
She nodded once and grinned widely, obviously happy that I remembered. “We love you, Noah. You’ve made us so proud.”
My father cleared his throat beside her, and I turned to him.
“We have to go now, son. We can’t stay.”
Go? Go where?
“We just wanted to give you our congratulations.” He reached one arm around my shoulder and hugged me. “Oh, and thanks for the drink,” he whispered into my ear.
My mother kissed my cheek and I closed my eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of her floral perfume. When I opened them again, they were gone. I turned back and forth, all around in a circle, looking for them, but they were nowhere to be found. I stopped dead in my tracks when off in the distance I saw a woman dressed in white, her back turned toward me. Her hair was swept up and a veil fell over her face as she turned her head to the side and fidgeted with her dress. A bouquet of red flowers was in one hand. The breeze picked up again, carrying her scent toward me, confirming what I already knew to be true. I could tell who she was by the way my heart swelled in my chest as if it were about to burst. A huge smile spread across my face in anticipation. It was her.
“Delaine?” I called out, but she didn’t answer. She looked up at me, and although I couldn’t see her smile, I felt it warm my heart. But then she turned back around and ran away, her ghostly giggle tickling my ear.
“Lanie!” I called out, and then started to run after her, confused. “Why are you running away from me?”
I ran and ran, my legs heavy, my feet weighed down with what felt like cement bricks. When I thought I’d caught up to her, my hand reached out, but the fragile fabric of her dress slipped through my fingers and she was gone again.
She let out another ghostly giggle, playing with me, challenging me. “Come on, Noah. Catch me.”
With all the strength I could muster, I leaped forward, catching Lanie around the waist and pulling her into my arms. Even through the filmy veil, I could see her eyes, alight with childlike joy when she looked up at me. Her head fell back and a joyous laughter bubbled up into the warm air around us. Her body was soft and supple as it melted against mine. “Just where do you think you’re going, kitten?” I asked, holding her to me.
I could feel the warmth of her hand on my biceps and the delicate tickle of her fingers as she ran them through my hair. “Kiss me, Noah. Make me yours forever,” she whispered.
I reached for her veil, lifting it to gaze upon her unadulterated beauty and seek out my prize. When my lips brushed against hers, she disappeared.
“Noah, wake up. Wake up, Noah, you’re dreaming.”
I was jostled awake, still feeling the remnants of sleep in my partially paralyzed body. My eyes snapped open and she was there, her body pressed against mine, one hand on my arm while her fingertips gently massaged my scalp at the side of my head.
It was just a dream.
She looked down at me with a warm smile lighting up her flawless face. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I croaked in a sleepy voice. I rubbed at my eyes. “I’m good. Did I wake you?”
“You could say that,” she said with a playful grin. “You were holding me so tight I was finding it a wee bit hard to breathe. Lack of oxygen kind of has a tendency to wake you up. I think it’s called survival instinct.” She laughed.
I swept a stray lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, then kissed the tip of her button nose. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, I’m not complaining. I kind of like your possessive side,” she said, petting the scruff of my jaw. “Want to tell me about your dream?”
It wasn’t that there was anything terrible about the dream; it hadn’t been a nightmare. But it felt real, and that freaked me out a little bit. I needed time to process it for myself before I shared it with her, if I ever shared it with her. No use in freaking her out, too. So however noncommunicative it might have been, I shook my head, choosing to hold on to the dream for myself a little while longer.
Just then the alarm clock on the bedside table went off, its deafening screech piercing through the silence of the room and effectively ending the moment. Lanie pressed her forehead to my chest and we both groaned in protest, knowing it was symbolic of our separation. I had to go to work, and she had to go be with her family. Neither of us was happy about it, but it was what we had to do until we could be together on a more permanent basis.
I smacked at the alarm clock, shutting it the f*ck up as it fell to the floor with a thud. We didn’t need the reminder, but it was there, looming like a guillotine in front of a prisoner on death row. Because that was what it felt like. To be without her would be just like having my head severed from my body. Or maybe having my heart ripped out would be a more apt description, because she was definitely taking it with her.
“I love you,” she mumbled into my chest as I rubbed the satin skin of her naked back.
“I know,” I answered, kissing the crown of her head. “I love you, too.”
She looked up at me, her eyes set on mine with a look of conviction. “I know,” she said, and the weight of the world melted away as we sealed our declaration with a kiss.
It wasn’t a kiss to say goodbye, and it wasn’t a kiss meant to arouse each other, although I was most certainly sporting a hard-on of epic proportions. That kiss was a promise. It said we knew we’d be together, that we meant all the words we’d uttered, that we were in love, and that we would overcome any and every obstacle that stood in our way, no matter what life threw at us. Because however f*cked up things between us might have started out, from mud and murk the red flower would bloom.
I finally got it.
Lanie
I did my best to hold the tears at bay as I finished packing up the last of my things. I knew I’d be back, but it was still hard. I had made yet another trip into the closet to get the last of my jeans when the white shirt I’d worn the night Noah decided to have me for dessert caught my eye. I let my fingers dance along the sleeve, remembering the look on his face when I’d walked in wearing nothing but that. I’d hated him at the time, but even I couldn’t deny the sexual attraction that hung thick in the air between us. The Cooch fully agreed and encouraged me to swipe the shirt off the hanger and pack it, too. I did. Noah would never miss it. He had a ton of clothes, and to him, that one shirt was like a single snowflake among an avalanche of others. To me, it was priceless.
Noah came out of the bathroom wearing a V-necked T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and sneakers. His hair was still wet from our morning shower, sticking up in every different direction. He’d obviously decided to forgo the shave, but I wasn’t complaining. I loved his scruffiness.
“A little underdressed for the office, don’t you think?” I smiled at him as I stuffed his shirt and the last of my clothes inside my bag and zipped it.
He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and hugged me close. I could smell the light scent of cologne and body wash, and I inhaled deeply, committing every little nuance to memory. Like I’d ever forget.
“Yes, but it’s the perfect attire for taking my girl back to her folks’ house.”
I covered his arms with mine and turned my head to look at him. “You’re playing hooky?”
“Mmm-hmm.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I want to spend every last second I can with you. They can do without me for another day.” Noah rested his chin on my shoulder and looked down at my bag. “How in the world did you manage to fit all of your clothes in there?”
“I didn’t pack everything,” I said with a shrug. “Fancy clothes aren’t exactly a necessity in Hillsboro. It’s just a little town. We don’t even have a mall. Can you see me walking around the grocery store in spike heels and a short skirt?”
Noah hummed dreamily and pushed his hips into my backside. I took that as a yes, as did the little hoochie between my legs. The Cooch purred and tried like hell to get me to rub up against his cock like a kitten searching for attention. He would’ve given it, too, which would have been counterproductive to ever leaving the bedroom again. Not that I had any qualms about having yet another round with the Wonder Peen, but my mother needed someone at home to help out, and my dad deserved the break.
“We’re never going to make it out of here if you keep doing stuff like that,” I warned.
The Cooch was all, Yeah that’s sort of the point, dumbass. Scrogg his ever-loving brains out for Christ’s sake!
Realizing that I really hadn’t packed much, and wanting to mess with Noah a bit, I exaggerated a sigh. “I will eventually have to go shopping, since you discarded all the things I brought with me originally.”
Noah buried his face in my neck and groaned, which made me giggle. He clearly felt like a jerk for doing it, which I happened to find incredibly cute. I turned in his arms and cupped his face in my hands.
“I love you,” I reminded him.
Noah looked at me adoringly. “And I’ll never get tired of hearing you say those words. Here,” he said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. He plucked a little black metal card out and handed it to me. “I want you to have this for clothes or anything else you might need or want.”
“A credit card, Noah? Don’t you think you’ve given me enough already?”
“Hey,” he said, taking my chin in his fingers. “I thought we already went over this. You’re my woman to take care of, and I intend to do so quite thoroughly. I don’t want to hear any complaints about it.”
He gave me a chaste kiss and then grabbed the strap of my bag and hooked it over his shoulder. Holding his hand out for mine, he said, “Ready?”
I took his offered hand because I always would. I had no idea what was ahead for us, but I knew that as long as he was holding my hand, I’d follow him through the darkest of nights, because somewhere at the end of our journey, there would be light.
Noah stopped dead in his tracks at the door and turned around. “What?” I asked when he gave no indication of what he was up to.
He walked to the bedside table, opened the drawer and then reached inside. With a disapproving scowl he held up the vibrator he’d given me, which we’d nicknamed the “Crawford bullet.” “Forgot something, didn’t you?”
“Well, I didn’t think I’d need it,” I answered, confused.
He smirked and stuffed it into my bag. “Oh, you’ll need it all right.”
He was happy, and I was reminded that I did that for him. The Cooch reminded me she had a little something to do with that also, which was probably true, but I mentally reminded her that it wasn’t just about sex between Noah and me anymore. Not that I was demanding she hang up her hooker heels or donate the Super Cooch outfit to Goodwill or anything. They’d come in handy someday soon. Of that I was positive.
Once my bag was loaded in the trunk of the car and Noah and I were settled in the backseat, we were off. I watched the house disappear from sight. Sensing my sadness, Noah wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his side so that I could rest my head on his shoulder.
He kissed the top of my head. “It’ll be nothing but a vast waste of space until you return, and then it’ll feel like home again.”
I felt the same way. Home was wherever Noah was, whether it was in an enormous mansion surrounded by Edward Scissorhands sculptures or a cardboard box in an alley. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was whether or not he was with me.
I fell asleep sometime during the long drive to Hillsboro. All I remembered was Noah petting my hair lovingly and then encouraging me to put my head in his lap. At first I thought it was his way of hinting for a blow job, and so did the Cooch, but it turned out he just wanted to get cuddly. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice, but I felt like he was holding back a part of him, the domineering, forceful side that made the Cooch go all fangirl for the bad boy. Maybe it was because he thought it was what he was supposed to do since we’d gotten all sticky sweet with our declarations and all. I would’ve protested against his insistence that I get some rest—or been a little more assertive with my offering of the blow job—but truth be known, he’d worn my ass out the night before and I really could have used a little more sleep. I guess my tired brain won the battle after the Cooch threw down the gauntlet, because before I knew it, I was out like a light.
Noah woke me up quite a while later. He complained that having my face in his lap had given him a major hard-on, and his balls just couldn’t take it anymore. Served him right. He adjusted himself in his jeans while I looked around to see where we were. We were on the outskirts of Hillsboro—I recognized the surroundings because I’d traveled that road with my folks so many times. When I was a kid, I used to stare out the window and make up all these different stories about the landscape. My favorite was pretending I was a poor maiden who had been locked up in a little cottage, forced to pass the days alone while waiting for my Prince Charming to ride up on his white stallion and sweep me off my feet.
I snorted at myself internally. What little girl didn’t have that fantasy?
That memory was so vivid in my mind that I still remembered most of the details. In fact, just around the bend there would be a …
“Stop the car!” I yelled, and then started pounding on the glass divider that separated us from Samuel.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Noah asked in a panic.
“We have to stop! Please, Noah, we have to!” I said, a little louder than was necessary since he was sitting right beside me. Even though he winced at my shrieking, he got the urgency.
Noah pushed a button and the window rolled down. “Samuel, pull over.” He was all business, and normally that would kind of turn me on while simultaneously pissing me off, but now was not the time.
Once the car rolled to a stop on the shoulder of the road, I fumbled with the door handle until I finally pushed it open and jumped out.
“Lanie!” Noah called out from behind as he followed me out. “Why are you running away from me?”
I couldn’t stop to answer him. It was there, the little country cottage that I’d always pretended was mine. It had a stone chimney, flower boxes filled with hyacinths under the arched windows, and a door of knotty wood, and it was sitting in the middle of a meadow to boot. The grass was tall and green, littered with little purple, white, and yellow flowers, and the air smelled crisp and clean. It was perfect—and, as I’d just noticed, it was for sale.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I had to touch it, to know that it was real and not merely a part of my imagination. The wind blew through my hair, and I suddenly felt like that little girl again, alight with childlike joy. Seriously, my cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.
I felt Noah’s fingertips when he reached out and barely skimmed the skin on my arm, but I kept running, giggling like a fool. I turned to look over my shoulder at him and with another giggle called out, “Come on, Noah. Catch me!”
Just as I reached the porch of the cottage, his arms hooked around my waist and he pulled me to him. I laughed—oh God, I laughed. Everything was perfect. I was standing in front of the little cottage, and I was wrapped in the arms of my very own knight in shining armor.
My knight smiled down at me. “Just where do you think you’re going, kitten?”
His head, with its fantastic sex hair, blocked out the sun in the sky behind him, creating a halo effect and casting a soft shadow across his face. He was beautiful. I reached up and softly ran my fingers through his hair, my heart swelling with everything that was good and right in the world. “Kiss me, Noah.”
His eyes widened and his body stiffened. “Whoa … déjà vu.” His voice was barely a whisper, and the expression on his face was weird.
“What?”
Noah shook his head slightly. “Nothing.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across mine.
Usually our kisses were full of fire and passion, hungry. But this one? This one was sweet and delicate, controlled. And it made me horny as hell.
“Mmm,” I sighed in perfect contentment, and then opened my eyes to see him staring down at me with this look I’d never seen before. I’d always heard the eyes were the doorway to the soul, and right then I believed it.
“What are you thinking?” I asked him.
Noah smiled and shook his head. “About mud and blooming flowers. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Well, that certainly was an odd thing to say, but Noah was quirky in his own little way, and I was bouncing like a little girl on the inside, so I didn’t question him any further.
“Come on,” I said, taking his hand and pulling him behind me to peer into the windows.
“What are we doing here? What is this place?”
“When I was a little girl, I used to pretend I lived here,” I told him as I looked through the window and found the room on the other side empty. I tugged on his hand to drag him around to the side of the house so I could do the same thing there. “It’s magical, don’t you think?”
“Magical?” he asked.
“Yeah, like straight out of a fairy tale.” I cupped my hands around my face to block the reflection of the sun on the window and gasped when I finally achieved a clear view. “Oh, the fireplace is breathtaking!”
Nothing on the inside looked modern. It had more of a quaint, rustic appeal, like it belonged in the pages of Country Living rather than Modern Home: arched doorways, wooden floors, wavy glass windows. I could just imagine Noah and me snuggled up on the couch, or making love on a soft rug in the glow of the fireplace. Of course I was getting way ahead of myself, lost in my own world of make-believe once again. Such a dreamer you are, Lanie Talbot.
Noah surveyed the place with his brow furrowed. “It’s a little run-down, don’t you think?”
“Noah Crawford!” I smacked his arm. “How dare you talk like that about my dream home? Besides, it’s nothing a little love and elbow grease couldn’t fix.”
He was right, but it wasn’t that bad. Some of the shingles on the roof were missing, everything was caked in dust and grime, and judging by the way the wind whistled through the panes of the windows, they’d probably need to be replaced as well. But all in all, it was still picture perfect.
“Oh! I’ve always wanted to see the backyard,” I squealed and tugged him along yet again.
When we made it around to the back of the house, I stopped dead in my tracks. The view was breathtaking. There was a little pond about fifty yards or so from the house with a family of ducks paddling through the water. A small gazebo sat beside the pond with a white wooden swing swaying to and fro in its center. A circular flower garden surrounded it, and a stone walkway led to the house. And since it was facing the west, that meant it was the perfect place to view the setting sun.
Without warning, Noah pushed my back to the stone wall of the house. One hand landed on the stones to my right, while the other cupped my ass and pulled me to him. Our bodies pressed together, our foreheads touching, Noah looked into my eyes and said, “That look on your face … I want you so f*cking bad right now.”
He kissed my neck while kneading my ass and grinding his hips into me. He wasn’t kidding. I could feel his hardened length against my abdomen, and I wondered how in the hell he was able to keep it from busting through the tight denim of his jeans.
His hand was suddenly at my waist, and he popped the button of my pants before slipping his hand inside. When his fingers found the Cooch, we both moaned and my head fell back against the house.
“Noah, we can’t,” I said unconvincingly as I pulled at his arm in vain. “Samuel …”
“He’s at the car. He won’t come back here,” he mumbled against my neck as he continued to assault it with hot kisses.
“Neighbors,” I tried again, seeing the house through the trees on the east side of the house.
“Let them watch. I want you. Now.”
I heard the unmistakable sound of metal against metal as he lowered his zipper. “It’ll be quick. I promise,” he whispered against my ear. “Turn around, kitten.”
I took another look at the house across the way and, seeing no one out and about, I did as he asked. Admittedly, I was excited about the precarious position we’d found ourselves in, our need for instant gratification taking precedence over the possibility we could get caught.
The chilly air nipped at my bare skin when Noah lowered my pants down my thighs. His body covered mine and his hand drifted over the swell of my ass and between my legs.
“Goddamnit, Delaine. Always so wet for me,” he said, and then he sank to his knees.
My hands were pressed against the side of the house, my legs ensnared by my jeans, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. He pulled my hips out and away from the wall as his tongue sought out my p-ssy.
“Oh, God, Noah.” I moaned, closing my eyes and biting down on my bottom lip.
Just a taste was all he wanted. His tongue snaked its way through my soaked folds, finding that little pleasure bud and teasing it only for a moment before he directed his attention elsewhere. He gave my p-ssy one long lick from front to back, but then he kept going until …
“Holy shit!” I felt his tongue swirl around my rear opening, lapping at it with an unbelievable pressure. Moaning like a shameless hussy, I arched my body and pushed back against his mouth, begging for more. Noah gave my new favorite body part a sensual open-mouth kiss before he stood back up.
His husky voice was at my ear. “Liked that, did you?” I felt him rub the head of his dick back and forth between my legs in search of my opening.
Was I supposed to like that? Oh, God, I really liked that. “Uh-huh,” was all I managed.
Noah entered me, his cock slowly sliding inside my core until he was fully sheathed. He rolled his hips, pulling back a bit before pushing forward again. He was merely getting the feel of the angle, but it drove me absolutely insane.
“Ready, kitten?”
“Uh-huh.” Obviously my vocabulary had decided to take a hike, and my voice sounded like the wind had been knocked out of me.
Noah chuckled at my reaction and kissed the spot just below my ear. Then he held my hips and started a steady rhythm of in and out thrusts. “F*cking A,” he moaned. “It’s like dipping my dick in the honey pot. So soft, so warm, so sweet. What did I ever do to deserve you?”
Of course I knew I should’ve been the one to ask that question, and he should’ve already known the answer to his own, but even if I said it a million times, I’d never make him believe it.
“You saved my mother’s life … and mine,” I answered him. Feeling a little wicked, I tacked on, “Plus I love how you lick my p-ssy.”
I heard that growl I loved so much rumble from his chest. A hand latched onto my shoulder to keep me steady and his thrusts increased in pace and roughness. “In that case, I guess I do deserve you.”
I turned toward the thicket of woods to the east in time to see a man step out of the sliding glass doors of the house next door. He carried a tray of something toward what looked like a barbecue and lifted the lid.
“Noah,” I whispered. “A guy just walked out of the neighbor’s house.”
“Then I guess you better be quiet, huh?” His grunts were quieter than normal, but he continued to f*ck me without so much as a pause in his stroke. “You make a sound, you’ll draw his attention. Unless you want him to hear you.”
Noah found my * and began to work the little oh-my-God-that-feels-so-f*cking-good spot with an expert rhythm. He sucked the lobe of my ear into his mouth and bit down on it. I couldn’t stop the resulting moan and my head fell onto his shoulder.
“Shh, he’ll see you.” It helped matters not a bit that Noah’s voice was all sexified. “And once he sees how good you look being f*cked from behind, he’s going to want you for himself. Remember what I said about not making me hurt someone, Lanie?”
Turning my head to the side, I bit into the flesh of Noah’s hand at my shoulder to stifle my sounds. He’d do it; I really believed that. Noah was possessive and ruthless, and judging from what he’d gone through in his past, there was no doubt in my mind he’d do whatever he felt necessary to make sure he never had to endure that type of heartache again. And I wasn’t a bit spooked by it. In fact, I coveted his possessive nature because I wanted to be possessed. Screw anybody that said it wasn’t a healthy relationship. If it worked for us, what business was it of theirs anyway?
“Just a little bit more, kitten. Just a little … bit … more,” Noah whispered into my ear as his hips met my backside.
I could feel my walls tightening, squeezing his cock while that unbelievable pressure in the pit of my stomach continued to build and build, ready to snap. I knew I needed to get off quick because Noah would hold out on getting his until I came first, increasing the odds that we would get caught. He was such a selfless lover. And he didn’t mind if we got busted, but I did.
I held my body away from the unforgiving stone exterior of the house with one hand, and maneuvered my other down to join Noah’s. We worked together to bring me to my boiling point, and then the lid rattled on the pot.
I bit down harder on Noah’s hand with a moan that was nowhere near quiet, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances. The neighbor apparently heard something, as he looked around, but never in our direction. I supposed the fact the house was empty played to our advantage, as he obviously hadn’t expected the noise to come from the cottage.
“F*ck, I love it when you get dental. Harder, kitten,” he urged me, and I complied with his request. I could hear his grunted breaths at my ear, the urgency of his thrusts matching the intensity of my bite. He was ready, his control slipping.
“Come on, kitten,” he growled into my ear. “Give it to me. Come on my cock.”
That was all it took. My walls clamped down around him and constricted rhythmically with my orgasm, and I couldn’t say for certain that I wasn’t drawing blood with the force of my bite. Noah came, hard but silent. His hips jerked to and fro and I could feel his cock pulse inside me with each wave of orgasmic release. And then the weight of his body fell against my back.
“Hey! What are you two doing over there?” I heard a male voice call out. Both Noah and I snapped our heads in the direction of the neighbor’s house to see the man starting in our direction with his hand poised over his eyes to shield them from the sun.
“Oh my God!” I shrieked.
“Guess it’s time to go.” Noah laughed as he quickly pulled his dick out of me and we both scrambled to pull our pants up.
Once I had my jeans over my butt, I took off toward the safety of the limousine, adjusting my clothes as I ran along and hoping I didn’t fall flat on my face. Noah was laughing his head off as he followed behind. If I hadn’t been terrified the neighbor would catch up to us and see who we were, I would’ve turned around and tackled him for almost getting us caught.
It was a good thing the other house was so far away. Hillsboro was a very small town, a town where everyone knew everyone else. That meant the neighbor guy very likely knew my father. I didn’t really think Mack would appreciate the fact that Noah was scrogging his daughter in broad daylight. And in public to boot. My mother would probably be all teen-girl squealy, but my dad? He had lots of guns in the house—guns that went boom and made your heart stop beating.
So there I was, running for my ever-loving life without the ability to clean up after our quickie, which probably meant my jeans would be stuck to me like glue and I’d have to peel them off later. Samuel was standing at the opened door to the limousine with an I-know-what-you-two-little-slut-puppies-were-just-doing look on his face. Noah was laughing behind me, and a man who was perfectly capable of ratting me out to my father and ending Noah’s life as we both knew it—or at the very least, causing the beheading of the Wonder Peen, which I was definitely not cool with (the Cooch seconded that)—was potentially chasing after us. My heart was beating a gazillion miles an hour, and I was pretty positive that wasn’t normal. As soon as I reached the car, I avoided Samuel’s knowing eyes and dove into the backseat. My hand flew to my chest in a vain attempt to calm my wildly beating heart.
I needed to exercise more, and a little bit of Jesus in my life probably wouldn’t have hurt either.
Noah plopped down in the seat next to me, unable to catch his breath because he was laughing like a stupid hyena. I smacked his shoulder, and he crossed his arms to shield his face like he knew that was target numero dos, all while still laughing.
“Stop it! It’s not funny, Noah!”
“I’m … sorry,” he managed to get out between deep breaths. “You were so scared … and running … and it was just so damn cute.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and turned away from him. Yes, I pouted, a fact I was not very proud of, but I did it nonetheless.
“Aww, come here, kitten,” Noah cooed as he wrapped his arms around my unforgiving body and pulled me into him. “I love you.”
“My dad would cut your balls off and eat them for breakfast, and I’m a little partial to them,” I whined.
Yep, that’s right, whined. But it was Noah Crawford and his colossal cock. Do the math and tell me you wouldn’t have whined at the prospect of it going bye-bye.
“Yeah, I’m sort of attached to them, too.” He chuckled again, but cut it off abruptly when I gave him the evil eye.
“Hardy-har-har,” I deadpanned. “Maybe I should tell Mack what you just made his precious baby girl do. I bet you wouldn’t find it so funny then.”
“Hmm, I don’t recall forcing you to do anything you didn’t want to do,” Noah countered. “You wanted it, Lanie. You wanted my cock.” He emphasized the last word, which made my still-racing heart skip a beat. “Admit it.”
“No.”
“Admiiiiit it,” he drawled out playfully as his fingers found my rib cage and gave it a tickle.
I laughed involuntarily and tried to squirm away, but Noah pulled me into his lap and locked his arms around me so I couldn’t move.
“We’re two consenting adults, Lanie. And one day soon your daddy is going to have to let his baby girl go,” he said with a serious look on his face. His long finger caressed my cheek delicately and he sighed. “Because you’re my baby now.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Who wouldn’t be happy to have Noah Crawford murmur those heart-stopping words to them?
Pleased with my reaction, Noah tilted his head up and kissed me sweetly.
There was never a dull moment between the two of us, and I prayed there never would be. But even if we grew old and gray together, sitting on a little white wooden swing in a gazebo, feeding a family of ducks as the sun set before us, I’d still be happy.