"Well?"
His lips stayed shut and my frustration and fury skyrocketed. I wanted to grab him and shake him apart. Make him admit to something, anything. Make him tell me what the h.e.l.l was really going on.
I crawled onto the bed, getting in his face. "David, talk to me!"
Nothing.
Fine.
I pushed back with trembling legs and tried to clamber off the mattress. He grabbed at my arms, trying to hold on. And like f.u.c.k he was. I pushed back hard. All brawling limbs, we tumbled off the bed and rolled onto the floor. His back hit the hardwood floor. Immediately, he rolled us again, putting me on the bottom. My blood pounded behind my ears. I kicked and pushed and wrestled him with all the hurt he"d inspired. Before he could get his bearings I rolled us again, regaining the uppermost position. He couldn"t stop me, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Escape was imminent.
But it didn"t happen.
David grabbed my face in both hands and mashed his lips to mine, kissing the stuffing out of me. I opened my mouth and his tongue slipped in. The kiss was rough and wet. Breathing was an issue. We both had anger management issues and neither of us entirely refrained from biting. With his bruised mouth, he definitely had the most to lose. It wasn"t long before the metallic taste of blood hit my tongue.
He pulled back with a hiss, fresh blood on his swollen top lip. "f.u.c.k."
He grabbed my hands. I didn"t make it easy on him, struggling for all I was worth. But he was stronger. He pinned them to the floor above my head with relative ease. The press of his hard-on between my legs felt exquisite, insane. And the more I bucked against him the better it got. Adrenaline had already been pouring through me, amping me up. The need to have him sat just below the surface, p.r.i.c.kling my skin, making me hyperaware of everything.
So this was angry s.e.x. I couldn"t bring myself to hurt him, not really. But there were other ways to a.s.sert myself in this situation. He came back to my mouth and I nipped him again in warning.
A mad smile appeared on his face. It probably matched my own. We were both panting, fighting for air. Both as stubborn as h.e.l.l. Without another word he released my wrists and drew back. Quickly, he grabbed my waist and turned me over, pulling me up onto my elbows and knees. Arranging me how he wanted me. Rough hands tore at the b.u.t.ton and zip on my jeans. He yanked down my denim and crazily overpriced thong, body poised over mine.
His hands smoothed over my a.s.s. Teeth dragged over the sensitive skin of one cheek, just above the tattoo of his name. A hand slipped beneath to cup my s.e.x. The press of his fingers against me had me seeing stars. When they started stroking me, working me higher, I couldn"t hold back my moan. He nipped me on the rump, a sharp sting of sensation. Then he pressed kisses up my spine. Stubble from his chin scratched my shoulder.
The lack of words, the absolute silence apart from our heavy breathing made it more. It made it different.
One finger slid inside me. Not nearly enough, d.a.m.n it. He slid in a second finger, stretching me a little. Once, twice he slowly pumped it into me. I pushed back against his hand, needing more. Next came the sound of the bedside drawer sliding open as he searched for a condom. His fingers slid out of me and the loss was excruciating. I heard his zipper being lowered, the rustle of clothes and the crinkle of a condom wrapper. Then his c.o.c.k pressed against me, rubbing over my opening. He pushed in slow and steady, filling me up until there was nothing left that wasn"t me and him. For a moment he stopped, letting me adjust.
But not for long.
Hands gripped my hips and he began to move. Each thrust was a little faster and harder than the last. Labored breathing and the slap of skin against skin swallowed the silence. The scent of s.e.x hung heavy in the air. I pushed back against him, meeting him thrust for thrust, spurring him on. It was nothing like the sweet and slow of this morning. Neither of us was tender. My jeans shackled me at the knees, making me slip forward a little with each thrust. His fingers dug into my hips, holding me in place. He stroked over something inside me and I gave a startled gasp. Again and again he concentrated on that spot, making me mindless. I felt superheated. Like fire burned through me. Sweat dripped off my skin. I hung my head, closed my eyes and held onto the floor with all my might. My voice called out without my consent, saying his name. d.a.m.n it. My body wasn"t my own. I came hard, awash with sensation. My back bowed, every muscle drawn tight.
David pounded into me, hands slipping over my slick skin. He came a moment later in silence, holding himself deep. His face rested against my back, arms wrapped around my body, which was lucky. I"d lost all traction. Slowly I slid to the floor. If he hadn"t been holding me I"d have face-planted. I doubt I"d have even cared.
In silence, he picked me up and carried me into the bathroom, sat me on the sink. Without fuss he dealt with the condom, started running a bath, holding a hand beneath the faucet to check the temperature. He undressed me like I was a child, pulling off my sneakers and socks, my jeans and panties. He tugged off my shirt and unclipped my bra. His own clothes were ripped off with far less care. I felt curiously naked with him now, the way he was treating me. Being so careful with me despite my biting and big boned unwieldiness. He treated me like I was precious. Like I was a china doll. One he could apparently have rough s.e.x with upon occasion. Once more, he checked the water, then he picked me up again and into the bath we went.
I huddled against him, my skin cooling off fast. My teeth chattered. He held me tighter, resting his cheek against the top of my head.
"I"m sorry if I was too rough," he said finally. "I didn"t mean it, accusing you of s.h.i.t like that. I just ... f.u.c.k. I"m sorry."
"Rough wasn"t a problem, but the trust issue ... we"re going to need to talk about it sometime." I rested my head against his shoulder, stared up into his troubled eyes.
His chin jerked as he gave me a tight nod.
"But right now, I"d like to talk about Vegas."
The arms around me tensed. "What about Vegas?"
I stared back at him, still trying to think everything through. Not wanting to get this wrong, whatever this was.
Marriage, that"s what it was.
s.h.i.t.
"We"ve covered a lot of ground in the last twenty-four hours," I said.
"Yeah, I guess we have."
I held up my hand, my sparkly ring. The size of the diamond didn"t matter. That David had put it on me was what made it important. "We talked about lots of things. We slept together, and we made promises to each other, important ones."
"You regretting any of it?"
My hand slid around the back of his neck. "No. Absolutely not. But if you woke up tomorrow, and you"d somehow forgotten all of this. If it was all gone for you, like it had never happened, I would be furious at you."
His forehead wrinkled.
"I"d hate you for forgetting all this when it"s meant everything to me."
He licked his lips and turned off the tap with a foot. Without the water gushing out the room quieted instantly.
"Yeah," he said. "I was angry."
"I"m not going to let you down like that again."
Beneath me his chest rose and fell heavily. "Okay."
"I know it takes time to learn to trust someone. But in the meantime, I need you to at least give me the benefit of the doubt."
"I know." Wary blue eyes watched me.
I sat up and reached for the washcloth on the edge of the bath. "Let me clean you up a little."
A dark lump sat on his jaw. Blood lingered beneath his nose and near his mouth. He was a mess. A big red mark was on his ribs.
"You should see a doctor," I said.
"Nothing"s broken."
Carefully, I wiped the blood from the side of his mouth and beneath his nose. Seeing him in pain was horrible. Knowing I was the cause made my stomach twist and turn. "Tell me if I press too hard."
"You"re fine."
"I"m sorry you got hurt. In the bar tonight, and in Vegas. I didn"t mean for that to happen."
His eyes softened and his hands slid over me. "I want you to come back to LA with me. I want you with me. I know school will start back eventually and we"re gonna have to work something out. But whatever happens, I don"t want us apart."
"We"re not going to be."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
Morning light woke me. I rolled over and stretched, working out the kinks. David lay on his back beside me, fast asleep. He had an arm flung over his face, covering his eyes. With him there, everything was right with my world. But also, everything was on show. He"d kicked off the sheet sometime during the night. So the morning wood thing was true. There you go. Lauren had been right on that count.
Waking up beside him with my wedding ring back on my finger had me grinning like a loon. Of course waking up beside a bare-naked David would have made just about anybody smile. Between my legs felt a little sore from last night"s efforts, but nothing too bad. Nothing sufficient to distract me from the view that was my husband.
I shuffled down the bed a bit, checking him out at my leisure for once. He didn"t have much of a belly b.u.t.ton. It was basically a small indent followed by a fine trail of dark hair leading down across his flat stomach directly to it. And it was hard, thick, and long.
It being his p.e.n.i.s, of course.
Gah. No, that didn"t sound right.
His c.o.c.k. Yeah, much better.
We"d sat in the warm bath for a while last night at his insistence, soaking. We"d just talked. It had been lovely. There"d been no mention of the woman who"d obviously cheated on him and/or left him at some time in his past. But I"d felt her presence lurking. Time would kick her out the back door, I was sure of it.
He smelled faintly of soap, a little musky, perhaps. Warm wasn"t something I"d ever registered as having a smell before, but that"s what David smelled of. Warmth, like he was liquid sunshine or something. Heat and comfort and home.
I quickly checked his face. His eyes were still closed beneath the length of his arm, thank goodness. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. I really didn"t need him catching me sniffing at his crotch, no matter how poetic my thoughts. That would be embarra.s.sment on a scale I"d prefer not to experience.
The skin looked super smooth despite the veins and the head stood out distinctly. He was uncut. Curiosity got the better of me, or maybe it already had. With all of his front half at my disposal, look where I"d wound up. I gently laid the palm of my hand atop him. The skin was soft and warm. Carefully, I wrapped my fingers around him. His c.o.c.k twitched and I jerked back, startled.
David burst out laughing, loud and long.
b.a.s.t.a.r.d.
Embarra.s.sment was a dam that had burst wide open inside of me. Heat flashed up my neck.
"I"m sorry," he said, reaching for me with his hand. "But you should have seen your face."
"It"s not funny."
"Baby, you wouldn"t believe how f.u.c.king funny it was." He wrapped his fingers around my wrist, dragging me up and onto him. "Come here. Aw, the tips of your ears are all pink."
"No they"re not," I mumbled, lying across his chest.
He stroked my back, still sn.i.g.g.e.ring. "Don"t let this scar you for life though, hey? I like you touching me."
I huffed noncommittally.
"You know, if you play with my d.i.c.k things will always happen. I guarantee it."
"I know that." The crook of his neck was handy for burying my hot face in, so I took full advantage. "I just got a surprise."
"You sure did." He squeezed me tight then slid a hand down to cup my bottom. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay."
"Yeah?"
"A little sore," I admitted. "A lot happy. Though that was before you callously mocked me."
"Poor baby. Let me see," he said, rolling me over onto the mattress until he was on top.
"What?"
He sat up between my legs with a hand holding my knees open. With a practiced eye he checked me over. "You don"t look too swollen. Probably just a bit sore inside, yeah?"
"Probably." I tried to pull my legs up, to close them. Because I heartily doubted having him look at me there in that way helped the color of my ear tips.
"I have to be more careful with you."
"I"m fine. Not that breakable, honestly."
"Mm."
"Takes more than a round of rough s.e.x on the hardwood floor to worry me."
"That so? Stay still for me," he said, shuffling back to lie down at the end of the mattress.
This situated him distinctly between my legs, face to face with my girl bits, guaranteeing I wouldn"t be going anywhere. I"d heard good things about this, things that made my embarra.s.sment levels redundant. Plus, I was curious.
He brushed his lips against my s.e.x, the warmth of his breath making me shiver. My stomach muscles spasmed in antic.i.p.ation.
His gaze met mine over the top of my torso. "Okay?"
I gave him a jerky nod, impatient.
"Put the other pillow behind your head too," he instructed. "I want you to be able to watch."
My husband had the best ideas. I did as asked, settling in to watch though my legs were aquiver. He kissed the inside of my thighs, first one, then the other. Everything in me focused on the sensations emanating from there. My world was a small perfect place. Nothing existed outside our bed.
His eyes closed but mine stayed open. He kissed his way over the lips of my s.e.x and then traced the divide with the tip of his tongue. That worked. Warmth suffused me inside. Hands wrapped around the underneath of my thighs, fingers rubbing small circles into my skin. His lips never left my s.e.x. It was exactly as if he was kissing me there. Mouth open wide and tongue stroking, making me writhe. The grip on my thighs tightened, holding me to him. Even the brush of his hair and the p.r.i.c.kle of his stubble against me were thrilling things. I don"t know when I stopped watching. My eyes shut of their own accord as the pleasure took over. It was amazing. I didn"t want it to end. But the pressure inside me built until I couldn"t contain it any longer. I came with a shout, my body drawn tight from top to toe. Every part of me tingled. He didn"t pull back until I lay perfectly still, concentrating on just breathing.
"Am I forgiven for laughing at you?" he asked, crawling up the bed to plant a kiss on my shoulder.
"Sure."
"How about the rough s.e.x on the hardwood floor? Am I forgiven for that too?"