“Amazing,” I muttered, one arm thrown over my eyes. My body still trembled from his heated touch when he stood up and wrapped my ankles around his back. I popped my eyes open, dropping my arm to see Tyson grinning at me.
It was full of arrogance and cockiness.
I grinned. “Yes?”
One side of his lips twitched up. “You didn’t think we were done, did you?”
“I don’t know if I can take more,” I admitted, my cheeks flushed from my orgasm and embarrassment. He laughed softly, reaching into a drawer of his nightstand. I watched every moment as he tore the foil with his teeth and rolled on a condom.
Excitement began to build all over just from watching his fluid movements.
When he was done, he pulled me toward him until my backside hung off the edge of the bed. Standing to his full height, he adjusted me, moving my ankles behind his back, lifting my hips off the bed.
He wrapped one hand around his hard and thick shaft, his gaze focused on my center.
“You can take more,” he assured me with a teasing glint in his eyes.
He proved it by sliding the tip of his erection against my entrance, gathering moisture before sliding inside.
“Tighten those ankles around me,” he said, leaning forward to grab onto my hips with both hands. He pulled my bottom up to meet him until my body was angled for him. He slid in all the way, filling me and stretching me until he was fully sheathed inside me. Everything inside me ached for more, even though I felt overwhelmed.
“Wait,” I gasped, as a sharp bite of pain hit me deep inside. “Give me a minute to adjust.”
Opening my eyes, I stared up at him and saw perspiration beading on his forehead. His forearms were trembling with restraint and I couldn’t help but grin. He was holding back on my account and it was killing him. I liked that I could make him lose control in the same way he did to me.
“Okay,” I nodded as the pain receded, and began squirming, loving the feel of him. “Move.”
“You sure?”
I wrapped my hands around his and tugged. “Please. I need you.”
The cocky grin reappeared. He pulled out slowly and slid back in; both of us tossed back our heads and groaned out loud. Tyson continued moving slowly, until he picked up the pace, his hips beginning to piston in and out, signaling his strong desire for me. Every thrust and every groan of his caused a delicious ripple of anticipation to bloom inside of me.
We continued, both of us cursing and moaning, until he sped up again. I cried out his name as he dropped down, bracing himself on his hands next to my shoulders, and thrust harder. Faster.
“Fuck!” he groaned. It couldn’t be helped.
He drove me crazy, completely out of my mind.
It was then I realized what he was doing. He was marking me. Claiming me.
It was possessive and primal.
It was completely beautiful.
I wanted every single thing he could give me, and if he needed to expel his frustrations of the night using my body, I would take it until he was done.
My second orgasm began building at the thought and I dug my fingers into his lower back, holding him to me. It took two more pumps of his hips before I began thrashing beneath him, the climax coming fast and strong. So fast and strong that as I began screaming out his name, I leaned forward and sunk my teeth into his shoulder.
“Holy shit,” he cried, dropping his head. Two more pumps of his hips and then he was groaning my name, wrapping an arm around the back of my head. He held me to his shoulder as my name fell from his lips in glorious, wicked abandon.
“Shit,” I gasped when he pressed into me, sinking me further into the bed.
“Incredible,” he murmured. He rubbed his temple against mine slowly, and I couldn’t care less that he was transferring his sweat to my body. We were both covered.
“Shower with me,” he said, extending his hand toward me when he’d reclaimed his breath.
I could barely move, much less walk. “I’ll stay here,” I muttered, my lips curving into a soft smile.
“You’ll feel better when you’re sleeping next to me and we’re clean.”
He had a point. Plus, a shower meant being able to run my hands down his body some more. I lifted my hand limply and rolled my eyes when Tyson laughed at me. Instead of grabbing my hand, he leaned down, wrapped my arms around his shoulders and my legs around his waist, and carried me into the bathroom. He set me down and I watched as he unrolled the condom and tossed it in the trash. That shouldn’t have been sexy, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Tyson as he touched himself.
“I forgot to tell you something else,” I said, the thought popping into my head out of nowhere. “But it’s not bad,” I added when his eyes began to narrow and his body started tensing.
“What is it?”
He stepped around me and turned on the water, adjusting the levers and checking the temperature.
I grinned at his back. “I got a job today. And an apartment.”
He turned and tugged me inside the shower with him and moved us under the spray.
“That is good news,” he said, brushing my wet hair back from my cheeks.
“My apartment is in Latham Hills.”
His answering grin was wicked and full of carnal intent when he said, “I think that means we should celebrate.”
We did.
When we were back in his bed, dry after another round of lovemaking in the shower, I curled my leg over his and rested my head on his chest.
“I’ve never felt more cared for, or safer, than when I’m with you,” I admitted, brushing my lips across his pec.
He froze for a moment, his body beneath me tightening a fraction before he replied, “I’ve never felt better in my life than when you’re in my arms.”
It wasn’t an admission of love. I didn’t know if it needed to be. Based on my feelings for Tyson now, I didn’t think I’d ever fallen out of love with him. I still loved him, just as deeply as I did when I was eighteen.
I just needed to find the courage to tell him.
It was the last thing I thought before I closed my eyes and surrendered to sleep, putting the best and longest day I’d had in a long time behind me, choosing to remember only the good parts—especially the parts that included Tyson.
—
“You didn’t have to come,” I reminded Tyson as we stepped into the third home furniture store.
I’d received a call back from Nancy just after lunch this afternoon informing me that my application for the apartment had gone through. After recovering from the shock of hearing back so quickly—realizing the speed of approval was one of the benefits of being a Galecki—and because the apartment was currently vacant, I made immediate plans to move in that weekend.
I didn’t have to be ready for the benefit until six on Saturday, which meant I had three days to find furniture and schedule a weekend delivery. For the first time ever, I was dipping into my trust fund in order to furnish it, and while I hated the idea, I promised myself I’d pay the money back with my first few paychecks. Tyson had spent the past two hours with me after work, shopping for all that “shit” as he called it. When I told him I couldn’t see him because I got the apartment, he insisted on coming with me.
He’d been moaning ever since.
“But you already got a bed, a dresser, and a couch.”
I eyed him, my grin full of mirth. “And I need tables. Lots of them.”
“Lots of tables,” he muttered. I laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him along with me as we weaved through the massive furniture store. It took one trip around the store to realize I didn’t like any of them. None of them would go with the curved sofa with a chaise longue at one end that I bought earlier. None of them would look good next to my wrought iron bed and gunmetal gray dresser.
“Okay.” I sighed and began heading toward the exit. “I’m done here.”
Tyson tugged on my hand until I turned to look at him. “Done? You haven’t bought anything.”
“I know. I’ll just have to look more later.”
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling in a heaven-help-me gesture.
“Not tonight,” I clarified. “Right now, I want to go eat. I’m starving.” I laughed as the worry that I would drag him to another store eased from his shoulders.
“Thank Christ,” he muttered.
“You didn’t have to come,” I reiterated when we were outside and in his black truck.
“Maybe I just wanted to see you. But next time I offer that, remind me of how I feel this very minute.”
“And how’s that?”
“Like I’d rather be put through a blender.”
I laughed, shaking my head. I wasn’t that bad. I thought three stores in two hours was pretty good. But all of the stores were filled with traditional or overly elegant furniture. I wanted something country. Chic. Simple lines with dashes of muted color to make my apartment feel warm and comfortable. I sighed and rested my head against the headrest as I realized why those things were so important to me.
“What is it?” Tyson asked, glancing at me before he pulled onto the freeway.
“I just realized that I’ve been trying to find furniture similar to what I used to have at my aunt’s place.”
“Miss her?”
“Yeah, although I don’t think I realized how much until just now.” My voice was wistful and a little sad. With all the work I’d been doing since I moved back home, I hadn’t had time to really consider what I left behind. “I need to call her. She’s probably worried about me.”