Never Giving Up (Never #3)

The bedroom was bathed in candlelight and there were vases with all different kinds of flowers scattered around the room. Hanging on the door to the bathroom was a hanger on which hung a new and very expensive piece of lingerie. I walked over to it, fingering the soft silk, trying to think of when Porter had enough time to orchestrate this without me knowing anything about it.

I took the silk and lace off the hanger and went into the bathroom. If he’d gone to all the trouble of setting this up, the man sure as hell was going to see me in a sexy piece of lingerie. The fabric felt wonderful against my skin and I made a note to myself that I needed to wear sexier things to bed more often. Just having the silk trailing against my thighs made me instantly feel sexier. I should try not to wear the flannel nightgown all the time.

When I came out of the bathroom I was met with the sight of my husband carrying a tray with plates of cheesecake and wine glasses. He stopped as soon as he saw me and I watched his throat constrict as he swallowed, his eyes roaming all the way from my head, down to my feet, and back up. His eyes lingered on my breasts and between my legs longer than any other area and I felt the heat pooling there, as if his eyes made it happen.

“You found my gift,” he said, his voice low and gravelly, his eyes still roaming over my body.

“I love it,” I whispered softly. He finally found his senses and set the tray down on the dresser. He turned back to me and my heart rate picked up as he slowly stalked towards me.

“You look . . .” he paused and I stopped, waiting for him to find his words. “Beautiful.” He took another step towards me. “Perfect.”

I was lucky in that Porter never seemed dissatisfied with my body after having a baby, but that didn’t stop the insecurity from seeping in from time to time. My body was different than it use to be—not worse or better—just different. And even though we never had a problem being intimate, having a child in the house changed things between us. When before we would make love throughout an entire night, now we were lucky if by the time we were done we hadn’t woken the baby. The frequency of sex and the ability to really let ourselves enjoy one another, gave way to naptimes and trying to be quiet so that we could get some sleep afterwards.

We were parents. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but life was different now.

When he was just inches from me, I held my breath and closed my eyes, anticipating his touch. I could feel his eyes on me and I knew he was enjoying looking at me as much as I enjoyed having his gaze burn over my skin. I slowly let out a sigh when his hand finally landed on the curve of my hip, and I leaned into his hand when I felt it gently cup my cheek. His thumb grazed over my cheek and I worried my bottom lip between my teeth.

“God, Ella, you have one sexy mouth.”

Before I had a chance to respond, his mouth was on mine, covering it, melding to my lips. A soft moan escaped me and I wound my hands up behind his neck, running my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck that had grown long in the summer months. I pulled him into me, used my tongue to beg him to let me in. His hands both found my face and he angled me perfectly against him and took everything. The kiss went from tentative to scorching in one instant and I was more than willing to risk being singed from getting too close to the flame.

There was nothing between us—no space, no air, no fear. Whatever he was, I was that too. We were the same in that moment. He walked me backwards until my legs bumped up against the mattress. I sat down, breaking our kiss, only to peel away his belt and pants, shoving them to the ground around his ankles, needing him to be free of any obstacles. I needed access. I needed connection.

My hands slid up his chest, fingers rippling over hard muscle as I pushed his shirt up, urging him to remove it. He was free of all his clothes quickly, crawling over me with a growl. His mouth chased mine all the way to the head of the bed where his lips finally caught me, kissing and breathing and taking everything from me. His hands were everywhere, skimming over my thighs, moving around to grasp at the swell of my bottom, covering my breasts, palming them, thumbs brushing over my nipples, causing me to cry out.

My body woke up, no longer submissive to his seduction. My hands wandered over his arms, my leg hiked itself over his calf, my hips rolled up to find him.

He placed wet kisses along my collar bone, moving in towards the valley between my breasts. I felt him pull the silk and lace away from my body as he continued down, his mouth capturing my breast, taking my nipple in his mouth hungrily.

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