Tate turned on his heels, leaving the bedroom again. He wasn’t gone long before he came back with several foil packets in his hand, which he placed on the bedside table.
At her questioning look, Tate gave her a grin. “Greer put some in the bag he brought with my clothes.”
“Isn’t that convenient.”
“I thought so.” His hands went to his zipper again.
“I’m kind of thirsty.”
He left again, coming back with a bottle of water then watching as she drank half of it before taking it and setting it on the bedside table.
Again, he went to remove his pants.
“Wait!”
Tate paused.
“Could we have some music?” She pointed at the old-fashioned radio on her dresser.
He went to the radio, fiddling with it several minutes before he found a station she liked.
“Anything else?”
“No … I think that’s it.” Sutton ran her trembling fingers through her wet hair, looking down at her lap as she listened to the sound of Tate removing his pants. She was going to disappoint him; she just knew it.
All the feelings of anticipation had disappeared, leaving behind a feeling of sick dread.
“Sutton …?”
She lifted her tear-filled eyes to his compassionate ones.
“I don’t think I can,” she admitted, keeping her gaze steady despite the gorgeous body that was wreaking havoc with her breathing.
Tate sat down on the bed next to her, reaching out to smooth her hair away from her face. “Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?”
“No. I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you, and you won’t want me anymore,” Sutton replied.
“What happens when we make love is only going to be a part of what makes our relationship a whole. If the rest of it is good, this will be, as well.”
She nodded.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I guess I do.”
“Let me show you how good it can be. Trust me; I don’t let anyone I love down.”
He leaned over her, pressing her gently back into the soft mattress as he placed a kiss on her mouth that was achingly beautiful. The bedroom wasn’t dark, but the only light came from the cloudy sky outside the bedroom window. The summer storm had turned into a drenching rain with lightning and thunder shaking the house.
“Are you afraid of storms?” Tate broke the kiss to whisper into her ear.
“No.”
Tate got up from the bed to go to the window, shoving the curtains farther apart and raising the window until it was half-open before he came back to the bed to lie down next to her. He made no effort to touch her, just lying still next to her.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting.”
“For what?”
“For you to make love to me.”
Sutton rose up, looking down at him wonderingly. Scott had always had her on her back or told her what to do. She didn’t know how to take the initiative.
“I like to kiss.”
“I do, too.” His laid-back attitude gave her the reassurance no words could have.
Her mouth pressed against his and when he opened to her, she let her tongue slip inside, kissing him the way she had fantasized about during the dark years she had been alone. She brought her hands to his hair, holding on to him as his arms circled her waist.
At first, he let her take the lead until he tugged her to lie on top of him, and then he began to play and torment her with the flicks of his tongue. It was like ‘catch me if you can’.
She rose up higher over him so she could get better access to him. Then she slid her hands down his chest, enjoying the feeling of the curly hairs there. Scott had waxed his sparse ones off. Tate’s made her feel as if she had a man under her hands.
His hands went between them to untie the belt at her waist. Then he pushed the robe off her shoulders. His mouth went to her neck then brushed against her shoulders. She shivered as the lightning filled the room.
Her mouth went to his neck. An instinct she didn’t know she possessed took over, and she bit down. His groan made her feel strong and possessive as she played with him.
“I’m leaving my mark on you.”
He took one of her hands, placing it over his heart. “You did that a long time ago.”
His admission removed her final misgivings and she lost herself in sensations as her hands slid over his body. Her lips traced down from his neck to his chest as his thigh parted hers, pressing upward until it rested against her pussy. Then he began to move it back and forth until it rubbed against her clit. An empty ache had her pressing herself down on his thigh.
Tate raised her slightly as he scooted himself up higher in the bed until his back was against the headboard. Sutton felt weightless as he held her hips in a tight grip, holding her poised over his cock. With exaggerated slowness, he lowered her until his cock nudged at the opening of her pussy, entering her in a way that had her holding her breath. Expecting the tight dryness she had always experienced before, she was surprised when Tate’s cock slid easily into her as if they were made for each other. When he was completely inside of her, she arched, trying to take every inch of him.
“Take it easy,” Tate soothed.
She had been unaware of the small whimpers of pleasure that had been escaping her.
“Don’t stop!” she pled, wiggling herself on his cock.
He took the edges of her robe, pulling her face to his. “I’m not stopping,” he growled. “Ride the storm, Sutton. Ride me.”
She moved on him, his cock sliding in and out of her. The room illuminated with the lightning, and she wasn’t sure if it was the thunder or her heartbeat that was increasing in intensity, driving her to frantically try to catch the eye of the storm before it disappeared.
He pulled apart her robe, taking her nipple in his mouth as she moved faster, her body spiraling into a series of explosions that had her feeling as if a thousand rockets were going off inside her body.
Tate shoved his cock higher inside her as he felt her clenching, making her soar again as she was about to come down to reality.
When she was able to focus again, she blinked, seeing Tate staring at her with a satisfied smile as he held her steady on him.
“For the first time in my life, I feel like a woman.”
“Give me ten minutes, and I’ll make you feel like a goddess.”
Sutton laughed, dropping her head onto his chest. “I’ve laughed more in the last two weeks than I have in years.”
“A man doesn’t want to hear that when his dick is still in you.”
Sutton laughed harder. “I think you can handle it.”
“I can handle anything but losing you.” Tate’s expression turned serious. “I’m never going to let you go.”
“Promise me.” She snuggled more tightly against him, and his arms surrounded her. “Promise me you’ll never let me go.”
“I promise,” he vowed.
For one blissful second, she allowed herself to believe him. She was sure, when he returned to his everyday life, he would get tired of her like the other women he’d had in his life over the years. But tonight, for now, Tate was hers.
The most painful lesson she had learned from Scott and losing Valentine was the present was all there ever was. If he changed his mind tomorrow, she would have the memory of this one perfect night. Therefore, she was going to toss her worries out the window and let tomorrow take care of itself.
Sutton glanced out the window and saw the rain had stopped, and the clouds were moving away.
“Tate, I see a rainbow.” She pointed excitedly. It was practically outside their window.
“I do, too.”
She glanced back at him. “You’re not even looking.”
“How could I not? I’m holding the pot of gold.”
“That’s so sweet.”
“I’ve told you, I’m not sweet. Men don’t want women to think of them as sweet.”
“Okay … Now you’re being an ass.”
“That I can handle.”
* * *
“How much longer we have to wait here? I’ve got shit to do.” Greer grumbled.
“Like what?” Tate didn’t take his eyes off the door of the grocery store, he and his brothers had been waiting for over an hour. They weren’t leaving until he sent a message, a strong one, not to fuck with him or his ever again.
“I don’t know, anything’s better than standing around twiddling my damn fingers waiting for her to come out. Why don’t we just go inside and talk to her?”
“Because I want the bitch to get my message without anyone overhearing, I didn’t keep my ass out of jail, just to have her put me there.”
“Personally I like you better in jail, at least then you’re not bothering me to do dumb shit like stand around here. I’m going inside, I’ll give her the message for you.”
Tate shoved Greer back nodding toward the entrance of the grocery store. “There she is.” He stated grimly.
“Thank fuck. I thought I was going to have to break you two up, I didn’t want to get my suit dirty. I’ve got a date tonight.” Tate and Greer both turned to look at Dustin.
“You won’t be getting any pussy tonight in that getup. Who you going out with?”
Tate paid only half attention to Greer as he picked on Dustin.
“Kaley.”
“Should have saved yourself the trouble of getting dressed up. She put’s out to anyone who has a dick. She’s older than you isn’t she? She might be able to teach you a thing or two or three…” Greer smirked.