He hoped the dimness hid the parts of him he didn’t want her to see. Like the darkness had in the elevator.
“Need you,” he said again, diving back into the kiss. He pulled her with him as he walked them haltingly toward her bedroom. They were a tangle of hands and kisses and shedding clothes. By the time they’d reached the bed, Caden was hard and aching and desperate to bury himself inside her.
“Condom. Hurry,” she said.
He couldn’t have agreed more. He had it on in a flash and then he turned her to face the bed. “Kneel,” he rasped.
Makenna crawled onto the bed, her back arching so fucking beautifully, her ass right there and waiting. Her tattoo flashing at him from under the protective plastic wrap in the ambient light coming in through the window.
He couldn’t wait.
He couldn’t.
Taking his cock in hand, he found her opening and pushed home.
She took all of him. Just like she always did.
Buried deep, her body accepting every bit of him, her moans proclaiming her pleasure, all the noise between his ears ceased. Just fucking went quiet.
And it was such a relief that all he could do was give in to the goddamned incredible perfection of it.
His hips started moving, slower at first, but quickly faster, chasing, needing. He grabbed hold of her hip with one hand and her shoulder with the other, his focus centered on her tattoo—on his C. On the way she’d claimed him when he couldn’t even—
No.
He slammed his eyes shut and focused on the slick friction of her body accepting his, on the softness of her skin against his. The sounds of harsh breathing and colliding bodies and the stream of moans spilling from her lips filled the room, and he focused on those, too.
It did the job. Too well. Because out of nowhere his orgasm was an unstoppable force. “Fuck, I’m coming,” he gritted out. His cock jerked with each spasm, his hips moving in punctuated thrusts as it played out. He was almost numb from the intensity of it. “Shit, I’m sorry,” he said, easing out of her. It was the first time in all the times they’d been together that he hadn’t taken care of Makenna first.
Because you weren’t really with her just then, were you?
She turned onto her side, her smile apparent in the dimness. “Why would you apologize? That was freaking hot.”
He disposed of the condom, then returned to her on the bed. “Let me make it up to you, Red,” he said, slipping in behind her, his hand sliding over her hip.
“Caden, maybe you can’t see the blissed-out expression on my face in the darkness, but trust me, I’m not complaining right now.” Humor was plain in her voice, which meant she hadn’t clued in to how out of it he was.
“I want you to come,” he whispered in her ear, making sure he didn’t press against her tattoo. It would be tender for a few days. He pulled her thigh over his, opening her core to his touch. “I always want you to come.” She was wet and hot, and her hips pressed into his fingers as they swirled in a firm circle over her clit.
On a long, low moan, she pressed her face back against his, enough that he could make out her expression. Eyes closed, she did look blissful, happy, trusting. And instead of that making him feel better, it suddenly made him feel like a fraud. Because he couldn’t give her all of him, could he? He wouldn’t reveal all of himself to her, would he? He shouldn’t burden her with all the doubts and fears and uncertainties that had been building up inside him lately, should he?
Eyes tightly shut, he leaned his forehead against hers and concentrated on stroking her just like she liked it. He needed to give her this. At least this. If not everything she deserved.
She deserves better than you.
“Oh, God, I’m coming,” she said, her hips surging. “Oh, God.” Her body shuddered through the climax, and then she sighed on a long breath. “Wow. Appetizers rock.”
Caden had to clear his throat to get his voice to sound half normal. “Yeah they do.”
She chuckled and turned over, burying her face against his chest. They lay there for a long moment until she finally yawned. “I’m so tired.”
“Me, too,” Caden said, though probably not for the same reasons.
“Can we just fall asleep like this?” she mumbled.
“Anything you want,” he said, wishing it was true. Because he wasn’t dumb. A woman who wanted you to meet her family and who tattooed your initial onto her body wanted more. Maybe wanted everything. And he felt so amazingly privileged that Makenna James maybe wanted all that with him. But he also felt undeserving.
Always.
“I guess I gotta take care of the tattoo first,” she said, pushing herself up. She stroked her fingers along the tribal tattoo on his calf. “Will you help me?”
“Of course,” Caden said, scrubbing at the scar on the side of his head. “Be right there.”
“Okay.” She threw him a small smile over her shoulder before she got up. The light came on in the bathroom, sending a stream of brightness into the bedroom.
Which meant it was time to shake the fuck out of it. Because just like in that elevator, the darkness was only going to hide him for so long.