“Why- why not?” she sputters indignantly. Her shaky voice giving away her tension. She’s afraid to hear what I have to say, and I have a lot, but for now I will give her the one reason that she won’t be able to argue with. I know it will scare her, but I won’t lie to her.
“Because Dominic’s men have been watching Lumin0so, and they know that you are friends with Analise. That means you could be in danger.” Her eyes reflect shock at my words. “Just like Ana. Just like Faye. Until that danger has passed, you stay here, where I know you’re safe!”
I’m vaguely aware of Ana and Faye quietly moving toward the door behind me, wisely choosing to let us have this conversation before I tell them to leave us alone.
“What about my family?” she cries, genuine fear in her voice. “Auggie?”
I’m glad I already thought of this and planned for it. “I already have someone watching your house, angel. Nothing will happen to them. I swear.”
A shuddering breath escapes her lips. “Thank you,” she whispers, her voice finally trusting and sweet again, and I won’t wait any longer to have her in my arms.
Wrapping my fingers around the delicate bones of her wrist I tenderly draw her toward me until she is just a breath away and I can feel the tremors she is fighting to hide wracking her slight body. I hate that my words scared her but letting her leave now could put her in jeopardy. I know it’s unlikely, but we already know that Dominic isn’t above taking women to use for nefarious purposes, whether it’s for profit or strategy. I’m not about to let Ellie be used as a pawn in a fight that isn’t mine or hers.
Before Ellie there wasn’t anything that mattered to me more than K&S and my brothers in arms. I will always be here for Travis and my business, but I’m discovering that there are limits to what I’m willing to risk. I will always choose to keep Ellie and her family safe from any of the shit that could blow back at them because of my work, no matter what the repercussions. There is no job more crucial to me than doing anything within my power to guarantee that nothing bad touches them. They’ve had enough of tragedy to last several lifetimes.
“Don’t worry, Ells.” I close my arms around her, my world righting itself instantly as I rub soothing circles on her back until her trembling stops and she softens in my embrace. “I’m not ever going to let anything bad happen to you or your family, babe.”
“I know.” She whispers against my chest, pressing a feather soft kiss over my racing heart. Her arms slide around my waist with a shuddering sigh.
“I’ve missed you,” I admit, somehow knowing that she needs me to say it first. Nuzzling my lips against the cool satin of her cheek I whisper against her skin, “So much, Elinor.”
She turns her face slightly, the corner of her mouth brushing against mine as she murmurs back, “I’ve missed you too,” her voice wobbles a little and she sighs my name.
I don’t need anything else. She just gave me everything. Sliding my hands slowly up her arms I trap her cheeks between my rough palms, resting my forehead against hers and capturing her watery, topaz gaze with mine. For long moments time stands still. There is nothing but the two of us. No friends in the next room, no kidnapped people needing rescue. No unspoken words between us. None of it exists while my girl is in my arms for the first time in days.
A small moan crosses her lips, the only sound in my universe, spurring me to move, to capture and inhale it. To make it mine for eternity. So I do, slanting my parted mouth across hers, my tongue riding the seam of her lips until they part, welcoming my invasion with a tentative stroke of her own. With one careful touch the precarious wall she hastily erected comes tumbling down around our feet.
I don’t hold back as I groan into her mouth, still holding her face carefully in my
hands. I want to devour. To claim. An electric thrill explodes through me when she moans my name urgently, the syllables muffled against my kiss. Her fingers twist into the soft cotton of my shirt, the perfect ovals of her nails biting through the thin fabric and into my skin like a kitten. The tiny pain fuels my need for her. Without a care about where we are, I grip her hips and lift her onto the counter spreading her toned thighs around me, her uniform dress bunching up between us as I press as close to her heat as I can get. I need this. I need her.
“Blake,” my name tumbles from her lips, a litany of need, repeated over and over as she grinds her heated core against the tense muscles of my abdomen, lost in the sensations flowing between us. Slipping my hands up her legs and under the elastic of her panties I dare to go further than I have with her, sliding the tip of one finger along the slippery seam of her sex.
She’s drenched. Her low throaty moan encourages my exploration and I add another finger, stroking her silken folds and spreading the pooling moisture over the tight little nub of her clit. She moans again, louder this time, and some miracle makes me aware of our friends in the other room. Reluctantly I start to retreat, fully intending to put her back to rights and apologize for losing control.
Her lids fly up and her lust glazed eyes lock on mine. Her small hand grips my wrist holding my hand in place, my fingers still pressed against her wet folds.
“Please…” she whimpers, her cheeks flushing as her pearly teeth sink into her kiss reddened lip. I can’t deny her anything when she begs so sweetly. I really can’t. Giving in to her plea I lower my mouth back against hers, inhaling her small sounds, my tongue thrusting inside to tangle with hers while resuming the slow, steady strokes of my fingers against her wet, swollen pussy lips.
This moment, right here, it’s everything. I will take this memory to the grave with me. She moans again, her head falling back, exposing the long line of her throat. The modest bodice of the ugly dress pulls tight over the round curves of the breasts that I want to worship eternally with my teeth and tongue.
Later.
Later I can have her naked under me. Naked over me. Right now, this is for her, to show her how good I can make her feel, how much I love her.
I love her! Oh shit! There’s no denying it now that I’ve let the words loose inside my mind. I love her, but there is no way I’m going to tell her for the first time while I finger her pussy on Xavier’s kitchen counter. I should stop this now. There will be time later.
Doing the right thing battles with my need to give her pleasure and when she shyly thrusts her pelvis against my fingers while staring into my eyes, I lose the fight. Fuck doing the right thing. I’m going to make my girl come on my hand and then I will do the right thing.
“Shhh, angel. You can’t make a sound.” I breathe the command into her ear before taking the sensitive lobe between my teeth and gently biting. She nods, pressing her lips together to muffle the small startled noise my nipping teeth draw from her.
My dick throbs in my pants. I’m harder than I’ve ever been as I resume my careful exploration of her slick folds, using two fingers to pull the damp fabric to the side. When I look between us at the perfection revealed to me, I can’t hold back a muttered curse. More blood rushes south until I swear I can feel the teeth of my zipper digging into my cock. A small patch of neatly trimmed, dark curls nestles at the apex of her thighs above her plump, glistening folds. She has the I most gorgeous pussy I’ve ever seen. And it’s fucking all mine.
I can’t tear my eyes away from the sight of my big, blunt tipped fingers as they slip into her sweet crevice and stroke upward, shining with her slickness, to make tight circles around her clit, over and over until her breasts are heaving inside her dress with ragged breaths and tiny sounds of pleasure.
It takes everything I have to stop myself from roaring my satisfaction to the world when her eyes squeeze shut and she slaps her hand over her mouth, muffling her pleasured cry as I insert the tip of my middle finger into her wet hole and work it into her tight channel. I stop when I feel the unmistakable barrier of her virginity. Not now. My palm grinds against her clit at the same time my finger finds the small bundle of nerves on the inside wall and she detonates around me. Her eyes fly open meeting mine in shock as her whole body stiffens and shudders with the intensity of her orgasm. The sight of her enormous pupils and her lush mouth open in a surprised O almost makes me bust in my jeans like a teenager. Almost. Gathering my self-control, I carefully remove my soaked finger from her still fluttering pussy and slip it into my mouth, tasting her.
“Mmmm,” I moan, popping it free, “so sweet, angel. So good.” I praise her, carefully putting the gusset of her panties back in place and cupping her there for a long moment before kissing the tip of her nose and lowering her back to the floor. I step back and straighten her clothes. I can’t do anything about the hazy eyes and flushed cheeks, but I won’t take her out of here with her clothing in disarray. She opens her mouth, but no words come out, so she closes them and steps into my arms, hugging me tightly.