Taking It All(13)

She reached for his shoulders, digging her fingers into his solid flesh.

"That's it, baby. Give it to me," Tate said in a soothing tone.

And then she simply burst. Pleasure bloomed and exploded around her. Her   body seemed to fly in a hundred different directions all at once.

She was panting, trying desperately to draw air into her starved lungs.   And then Tate tensed above her, his brow creased into an expression  that  bordered on pain. He thrust hard and then again and then he  stilled,  his hips pumping spasmodically against her body.

His release flooded her, hot and silky. He moaned as his hips twitched, each surge of cum causing another spasm.

Then he finally lowered his head to hers, so their foreheads touched and their noses bumped.

"God, I've missed you, baby," Tate said in a voice full of regret. "I'm so sorry. So damn sorry."

"Shhh," she whispered. "Not now. Not when everything is so perfect.   Let's put the past behind us where it belongs. We have so much to look   forward to."

He kissed her lingeringly, their tongues dancing and teasing.

"I'll always put you first from now on," he vowed. "You'll never question your place in my heart or soul."





SEVEN


KYLIE Breckenridge stared at her cell phone, her brow creased with   indecision as she fixated on Chessy's contact number. She vacillated   between calling Chessy directly or calling Joss to see if Chessy had   been in touch. But she knew if Joss had heard anything at all, she would   have called Kylie by now. And, well, Kylie didn't want to risk   interrupting Chessy if things had gone really, really well and the two   were even now in anniversary bliss. Even though her gut told her that   months of accumulated unhappiness wouldn't be fixed in a single night's   time.

She sighed and resisted the urge to hit Send to call Chessy.

Warm hands slid over her shoulders and an instant shiver that never   failed to comfort her skated over her skin. Heated lips followed the   hands, sliding deliciously down her neck until she moaned softly,   arching into Jensen's mouth.

"What has you worried, baby?"

She turned her head to look back at Jensen as he sat up in bed next to   her. She was angled toward her nightstand where the phone had rested   until a few moments ago, one leg pulled up on the edge of the bed while   the other dangled to the floor.

Biting her lip in consternation, she lowered her gaze back to the phone   before allowing it to slide from her hands onto the mattress.

"I'm worried about Chessy," she admitted. "She was so excited about her   anniversary last night and I really expected to hear from her this   morning but  …  nothing. Not a word. I thought about calling Joss, but   surely if Joss had heard something she would have let me know. We're   both worried about her and not hearing from her  …  well, it concerns me."

Jensen's smile was sweet and full of understanding. He leaned in and   rested his forehead to hers, the corners of his mouth tilted upward in   amusement.

"If it were my anniversary, I'd still be in bed with my wife, either   making love to her or just having finished. You worry too much, baby. If   I had to guess, they're making up for a lot of lost time and if Chessy   laid out her concerns like you told me she planned to, I can't imagine   Tate not having a serious come-to-Jesus meeting with himself and   reprioritizing his life to make Chessy front and center. You not hearing   from her is a good thing. Think about it. If things had gone bad,  you'd  have heard from her by now. Her silence likely means that they're   focusing on each other as they should. As Tate should."                       
       
           



       

Kylie sighed again but relaxed, some of her tension and worry easing under the matter-of-factness of Jensen's reasoning.

"You're right. I know you're right. I just can't help but worry. Chessy   has been so miserable lately," she said quietly. "And I hate that.   Chessy just  …  shines. Except when she's not happy. Joss and I have   worried ourselves sick because we can see how unhappy she is. And it has   to be hard for her. I mean look at Joss. So gloriously happy. Pregnant   with her first child. The love of Dash's life. And then there's  …  us."

Jensen's eyes flickered, his expression growing intently serious. "Us? Now this I want to hear."

Kylie flushed but smiled at the gentle teasing in his tone. "It's just   that we're all so  …  happy. And then there's Chessy. It has to be so hard   for her, seeing all of us, and being so unhappy herself."

His gaze grew even more gentle. He tipped up her chin and brushed a kiss   across her mouth and then followed it with his tongue, lapping gently   at her lips. When he drew back, his gaze was hooded, eyes dark with   desire that elicited a prickle of chill bumps over her skin.

"And are you happy with us?" he asked, his tone serious.

She melted at the slight insecurity she heard in his tone, which he   tried to hide, but she knew every aspect of this man. Was still learning   to a degree, their relationship still young and on the fringes of   something new and exciting.

"I'm very happy," she whispered. "I never thought I was unhappy before.   Resigned, yes. But unhappy, no. I thought I'd accepted my place in  life.  Just a few best friends. My head in the sand, never moving  forward,  always stuck in the past. But you taught me to look ahead. To  feel  optimism for the future. I'll always love you for that."

Fierce satisfaction lit his features and he curled his hand behind her   neck, pulling her down to him as their lips met in a heated rush. She   went down on top of him, her hands splayed over his muscled chest,   fingertips pressing deep into his flesh.

He kissed her hungrily, his mouth feeding ravenously from hers. His free   hand slid up her side and around to cup her breast until her nipples   were taught and rigid, tingling, wanting his touch, his mouth.

"You have no idea what your happiness means to me," he said as he pulled   his mouth from hers. "That I make you happy  …  Kylie, you can't  possibly  know how much that humbles me. That you trust me. After what I  did  … "

Pain and regret immediately swamped his features and Kylie fiercely put her fingers to his mouth.

"Jensen, no. That's behind us. You'd never hurt me. I know that. You   have to know it too. You have to believe it like I believe it. Trust   yourself as much as I trust you. I love you," she added softly. "No one   believes in you more than I do. I just wish you'd have that same faith   in yourself. I don't want to tie you to the bed at night because you're   afraid you'll have a nightmare and hurt me. Having to do that hurts  me.  Seeing the look on your face when I tie your hand to my headboard.  It  guts me. Because I know it's unnecessary. But until you believe  that,  until you can have the same faith as I do, I'll do whatever it  takes to  keep you with me. In my bed, my life, my heart."

Her impassioned words rendered him speechless, his lips parting, the   unfurling of hope-real hope-in his eyes. Had she finally been able to   reach him? To cut through his blinding fear of ever lashing out at her   in an unguarded moment and causing her physical hurt?

"I'll work on it," he said hoarsely. "We have that appointment with the   counselor. I know how hard that was for you. What a monumental step it   was for you to be willing to bare your soul to someone other than me or   your best friends. I can only be willing to do the same, Kylie. If you   can do so much, if you can work up the courage to seek help, then I'm   going to be right there beside you every step of the way. I swear it."

She curled into his side and threw one arm over his body as he gathered   her closely against him with his arm. She turned her lips into his  chest  and pressed a kiss right above his heart.

"I'm still worried about Chessy, but I'll give it another day before I   call her. If I know Joss, she's every bit as worried about Chessy as I   am, but maybe you're right. Maybe they're working it out and having a   glorious anniversary weekend. I'll get all the juicy details later," she   added with a smile.

Jensen groaned. "Just don't venture into the TMI stage. There's only so   much I want to hear about another woman and her husband. I'd much  rather  focus on what I have in my arms."