Текст книги "Love Hate Relationship"

Автор книги: Jessica Prince

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

I lied.

I didn’t have anything to do; I just needed some space from Rowan. It felt like things were moving at warp speed, and I needed a chance to process everything without the risk of him twisting me into knots.

I’d put up a valiant effort to convince him I could take a cab home. It was New York, for Christ’s sake; people cabbed it everywhere. But he wouldn’t hear of it. When we pulled up in front of my building, he planted a bone-melting kiss on my lips before I even had the car door open. I was so hot and bothered by the time I finished the climb up the stairs to my apartment, it was a miracle I hadn’t spontaneously combusted.

High-heeled sandals hanging from my fingers, I unlocked the front door of my apartment and crept in, trying my best not to wake Harlow. No such luck.

“And where have you been, missy?”

“Ah! Shit!” I yelled as I spun around, hand to my thundering heart. Harlow stood in the space between the entryway and living room, arms crossed over her chest, one hip popped out, a stern-mother expression on her face. “Crap on a freaking cracker, Har. You just scared a few years off my life! I thought you’d be asleep.”

“Thought or hoped? Seeing as you never came home and are sneaking in wearing your gown from last night.”

“Uh… hoped?”

A wicked smile spread across her lips as she rushed me and pulled me into a hug. “You dirty little ho! You’re totally doing the walk of shame, aren’t you? Eeeeeeeeeep! I’m so happy for you! Tell me all about it. Who was the guy? How was he? Are you seeing him again? You totally have hump hair right now.” She leaned in and sniffed. “And you still kinda smell like sex.”

“Ewww, gross!” I shouted, swatting at her. “Get away from me, weirdo. I haven’t had a chance to shower yet.”

As I made my way to my room to change out of my dress and take that aforementioned shower, she followed behind, yapping like a month-old puppy with ADHD the entire time. “Sooooo? Are you gonna spill the beans on who you banged?”

I turned to look at her over my shoulder. She was propped against my door, obviously not planning on moving any time soon. “Don’t say ‘banged’,” I told her as I dropped the gown to the floor and reached for the plush, terrycloth robe I kept draped over my desk chair. I’d changed in front of Harlow so many times, it was nothing.

I received an exaggerated eye-roll. “Fine. Who’d you play hide the salami with? Stuff the chicken? Plow the field? Slob the sausage?

I felt my cheeks heating as I slapped my hands over my face. “Oh, God! If I tell you, will you stop?”

“Yep.”

“Fine. Please, just… Stop. Talking.” She mimicked locking her lips together and throwing away the key. Taking a big breath, I spit my words out quickly. “It was Rowan.”

The atmosphere in the room shifted and when I uncovered my eyes, Harlow’s face was flooded with concern. “Oh, babe.” She sighed. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

My body went stiff just as I finished tying the belt on my robe. “What do you mean? I thought you were all for this?”

“I was. I am. I’m just… worried. I know something has been going on between you two and I know I’ve been teasing you, I just didn’t think you’d give in.”

I tried not to be insulted, I really did, but I couldn’t help it. “So, you think I’m being stupid?” I asked, offended.

“No! No, I don’t think you’re being stupid. It’s just… you lead with your heart. I want to make sure you’ve thought about this. That you can handle whatever happens between you two. I don’t want you to get hurt.” The frown that marred her beautiful face melted some of the ice that had formed in my bones. But what she said next thawed it completely. “You’re important to me. You hurt, I hurt. I just want you safe.”

I wrapped Harlow in a tight hug, squeezing with all my strength. “I know, babe. And you’re just as important to me, too. But I walked into this thing with Rowan with my eyes wide open, I swear. I know his reputation, but I also know him. This may work out, it may not, but I’m prepared for whatever the outcome may be.”

I was proud of how confident I sounded, because the truth was, I had no idea what I was doing. And that scared me. But I didn’t want Harlow to know that. She’d known me when I was the shy introvert who hid away from everything in order to guard myself from more pain. I could see it in her eyes; she feared I’d revert back to that. I did, too, but I couldn’t let myself think that far ahead.

One day at a time, that’s what Rowan had said. That was what I had agreed to. I just hoped I wasn’t crushed in the process.

The lid of my laptop slammed down, nearly taking off a couple of my fingertips in the process. “What the hell?” I snapped, lifting my gaze to find Rowan hovering over me, one hand on my computer, the other resting on the back of the couch by my head, caging me in. “I was working on that!”

“It’s 5:30,” he said between clenched teeth.

“So?”

“So… it’s quitting time.”

“Rowan,” I sighed. “I’m not done yet. Just give me another fifteen—”

“No,” he cut me off, pulling the computer from my lap and setting it on the coffee table. “I’m not giving you another five minutes. You said we couldn’t do anything while you’re on the clock, and I’ve held up my side of the bargain.” His hand wrapped around one of my ankles, using it to pull me down the length of the couch so I was lying on my back, his weight coming down on top of me so I had no other choice but to open my legs to him. “Now it’s time for you to live up to yours.” I giggled as his lips came down, trailing whisper-light kisses against my neck. “Jesus, I need to be inside you, Navie,” he groaned as I wrapped my legs around his lean hips, reveling in the feel of him against me, already hard and ready.

I nipped at his lower lip, earning myself a growl. “I’m starting to think you have a problem.”

“I agree. You aren’t naked. That’s a huge fucking problem.”

Heat flooded me as he ground his hips against mine, drenching my panties as his hard-on rubbed against the perfect spot. “Rowan,” I moaned, my head falling back against the cushion. It had been five days of pure, unadulterated sexual bliss. It was as if we couldn’t get enough of each other. The moment the workday finished, we were on one another like animals, ripping clothes, ravishing each other. It was insanity. But the strangest part of all of it was that the sex hadn’t changed the nature of our relationship. I’d expected things to be different between us once intimacy entered the picture, but we still joked, we still teased, we still laughed and argued. The only difference in our relationship was that we now had a detailed knowledge of what set the other person aflame.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he spoke softly as he pulled my earlobe into his mouth and bit down, drawing a sharp gasp from my lungs. “Drive me fucking crazy,” he continued. “Can’t think about anything else.” His fingers dug into my hips impatiently, his demeanor turning somewhat manic in his desperation for me. It drove me wild. “Want you all the fucking time.”

“I want you, too,” I breathed, lifting my head, eager to feel his lips against mine as I circled my hips against his over and over.

“Can’t get enough. Never get enough of you.”

Something inside me snapped. I needed to feel him like I needed air. Sliding my hands between our bodies, I went for the button and zipper of his fly with quick efficiency. The moment my fingers wrapped around his cock, his forehead dropped to my shoulder. The power that coursed through me was a heady thing. I pumped my fist, circling the head of his erection with my thumb, spreading the beads of precum that had formed. I did that, me. I held Rowan in the palm of my hand, figuratively and literally, and I got off on the fact that I could make him react in such an animalistic way. My name came through his gritted teeth as he thrust into my fist.

“Fuck me, Rowan,” I whispered against his lips.

With another growl, his weight was gone. Our clothes went flying and I barely had time to blink before he flipped me over, propping my belly over the arm of the couch. I braced myself, waiting, praying for him to pound into me. But he was in the mood to tease. I whimpered as he slid through my folds, drenching himself in my wetness. “Rowan,” I cried.

“What, baby?”

“Please.”

He kept his rhythm between my thighs, the head of his dick hitting my clit with every upward stroke. “Want me to fuck you?”

I couldn’t speak; all I could do was nod.

“You want me hard, Navie?”

I nodded again.

“I want to feel you,” he spoke against my ear. My confusion must have come through with my lack of response so he continued. “Want to fuck you bare, baby. Nothing between us. Please tell me you’re covered. I’m losing my goddamned mind.”

“Rowan…” I trailed off, not sure how to answer. Part of me craved feeling him inside me with no barriers. But that small voice in the back of my head spoke up just then, warning me. It was too personal, too close. I was risking too much.

“Please,” he pleaded in a low, gravelly voice. “Tell me it’s okay, baby.”

How was I ever supposed to deny him anything when he spoke to me so lovingly, so reverently, like I was everything? I couldn’t. I knew it was a major blow to my protective armor. I knew the moment he slid into me with nothing between us that another piece of my heart was going to be lost to him. I just couldn’t say no.

“Yes. God!” He filled me so perfectly, so completely, in one quick thrust I nearly went over the edge.

“Oh, Jesus!” he ground out as he picked up the pace, pulling out quickly just to slam back in. “You feel so good, Navie.”

Each slam of his hips pushed the air from my lungs. I was a panting, writhing bundle of nerves ready to shatter. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, Rowan proved me wrong. Twisting my hair around his fist, he pulled me up, his strong, sweat-slicked chest pressed firmly against my back. “Is that good?” he rasped in my ear as he licked and bit at my neck.

“S-so good,” I responded, tilting my head further to the side for better access as I pushed my ass back into him, my body setting a perfect rhythm with his.

“You love it when I’m inside you, baby? When I’m fucking you so deep, so hard, I’m all you’ll be able to feel for days?”

“Row—” I choked on a near sob building up in my throat. It was so fantastic, so blissful that I became overwhelmed by the sensation of everything. I was frantically pushing toward release at the same time I feared the intensity of what was about to happen.

“Only me,” he continued. Using the hand that wasn’t tangled in my hair, Rowan pried my fingers from the death grip I had on the arm of the sofa, leading our joined hands down my stomach, not stopping until we could each feel where his body connected with mine. “This pussy’s mine, Navie. All mine. Everything about you is mine.”

I dropped my head forward, lost in what he was doing to me, only to have him jerk my hair back, the sting in my scalp a perfect combination of pleasure and pain. “Say it. I want to hear you admit it.”

“Please,” I whimpered, too far gone.

“Tell me everything about you belongs to me, and I’ll give you what you want.”

I remained silent, my body at war with my head. One screaming at me to say the words while the other fought to keep me guarded.

“You’re so close. I can feel you squeezing around my cock, baby. You need to come, don’t you?”

I nodded, tears prickling the backs of my eyes.

“Just say it. Tell me and I’ll let you come. I’ll make it so good for you, Navie. You can trust me.”

“Yes!” I screamed, barreling closer and closer to the edge, needing nothing more than to fall over.

“Yes, what?”

“I belong to you!”

With that, he moved, guiding our interlocked fingers to my clit and applying just enough pressure to send me hurtling into the abyss, yelling his name over and over like a plea. He followed after me only seconds later.

And just like that, I’d given over that last little shred of my heart I had left, placing it in the palm of his hand, all the while praying I hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of my life.

It had been three days since I took Navie on my couch. Three days since something significant changed between us. It was a shift I knew she felt just as well as I did, despite the fact that she refused to acknowledge it. My head was muddled, but I was bound and determined not to fuck this up, consciously pushing the concerns and lingering anxiety to the deepest, darkest recesses of my mind and locking them in a steel, reinforced box. Things were good between us, I’d be a fool not to acknowledge that, and I was determined to do exactly what I told her I would—take things one day at a time. And so far, everything had been great.

Except for one little thing.

Like every night for the past week and a half, Navie climbed from my bed and began getting dressed. And like every night for the past week and a half, it pissed me off. It was completely foreign to me, wanting a woman to stay the night in my bed with me. Yes, my past one-night stands had sometimes stayed the night, but that was mainly because I was so exhausted afterwards, I passed out before I had a chance to send them packing—something I rectified early the following morning. But I wanted Navie to stay. And not only because I wanted her over and over again, but also just because I wanted her there.

I’d finally had enough.

“Where are you going?”

She was in the middle of pulling up her jeans when her head turned and those dark blues hit me. “Home,” she answered mid-yank, her voice coming out bewildered, as though she couldn’t understand why I’d even asked. That just pissed me off more.

Pulling my hands out from behind my head, I pushed up on my elbows to see her better. The movement caught her attention, and I couldn’t help but grin at the dazed look in her eyes as she stared at my abs like she wanted to lick every inch of them, something I was totally okay with. “You know, you don’t have to run out of here like your ass is on fire the moment I’m done fucking you.”

Her head jerked back in surprise, I just wasn’t sure if that surprise came from what I’d said, or the hint of agitation in my tone.

“I don’t run out of here like my ass is on fire,” she objected as she finished with her jeans.

I scoffed. “Bullshit.”

“What the hell’s your problem?” she snapped, her hands propped on her hips, all fired up and sexy as hell wearing nothing but her jeans and a white lace bra. My dick twitched under the sheet as I took in every sinfully sweet curve.

“I don’t have a problem,” I argued just for the sake of arguing. There was no denying I loved getting her riled up.

“You have to be the only man on Earth who can be in a bad mood after sex.”

“You could always stay and try to put me in a better mood,” I added with a smirk.

Navie let out a small laugh and looked at the clock on my nightstand. “It’s already after nine. I hate taking the subway home at night, and I’m not a fan of paying the fare it costs to get from here to my place. You offering to pay for my cab?” she challenged, and I knew she expected me to either pony up the dough or tell her goodnight.

“Or you could always just stay the night.” She just stared in slack-jawed silence. Obviously, I’d just shocked the hell out of her. Using that to my advantage, I sprung up and wrapped my hand around her wrist, jerking her back into my bed. “Stay the night,” I said against her lips as I reached for the clasp of her bra. I wasn’t above using sex to get my way. Every time I touched Navie, she melted into me, and I was planning on taking full advantage of that. The girl heated up for me in a way that had me in a constant state of arousal. I loved it.

“I don’t think—”

I cut her off with a deep kiss. “Don’t think, just stay. I want to be able to slide into that warm pussy in the middle of the night.” Her eyes glazed over and she licked her lips. I just about had her. “Just think about me waking you up with my fingers or my tongue, playing with you, getting you wet before you’re even fully awake so I can fuck you when you’re all sweet and sleepy.”

“Mmm,” she hummed.

“Stay the night with me,” I demanded softly, knowing I had her.

“Okay.”

With a shit-eating grin, I took her mouth, silently communicating what was soon to come.

Rowan and I had fallen into a routine over the past four nights. He’d yank me from my work at 5:30 sharp. Some evenings, he’d pounce on me like a mad man, but sometimes it was slow and sweet. It was impossible to pick which was my favorite. We’d clean up, eat dinner—usually something already prepared by Rosa—then we’d spend a few hours lounging around before going to bed, spending the next several hours not sleeping before finally passing out from exhaustion.

I’d stayed the night with Rowan four times, four times, and not once did things grow awkward once we woke up. I would wake up before him and try to climb out of the bed to no avail. He’d pull me back to him, either grumbling that it was too early, or in the mood to go again—usually the latter. I’d fight him off, climb into the shower, and by the time I was done, he’d be passed out once more, sometimes emitting the most adorable tiny snore as he slept. I’d go about my morning prep before heading to the kitchen to make coffee. The smell of caffeine usually woke him up and he’d come trudging into the kitchen, sleep-mussed and sexy as all get out. Then we’d get into another argument when I informed him my workday started approximately five minutes before he’d pulled his ass out of bed.

Needless to say, I was beyond elated with the way things were progressing. Day after day, my fears lessened with each sweet kiss or heated look Rowan gave me. After a lifetime of not being good enough, of being tossed aside, I finally felt like I had someone in my life who wanted me. And not in the way a man seeks to protect a woman he feels needs it, but in the way a red-blooded man wants a woman. It was something I’d never experienced before. Rowan liked me for me. I was finally good enough.

And if I hadn’t already been head over heels in love with the man, that most certainly would have done it.

As it had quickly become our ‘thing’ after a heated, hard round of kitchen sex the moment the clock hit 5:30, Rowan and I were currently in his living room. He was engulfed in some game on TV—I couldn’t tell you what it was—while I was stretched out, feet in his lap, having changed into a pair of comfy lounge pants and a t-shirt from my overnight bag, with my e-reader in hand, feeding my romance habit. I was just getting to a good part—as in a reeeeeeeeeally good part—when Rowan decided he wanted my attention since his game was on a commercial break.

“What are you doing?”

“Reading,” I answered shortly, not wanting to take my eyes away from the screen and risk losing my place.

“What are you reading?”

I huffed out an annoyed breath, slightly irritated at the interruption. “A book.”

“What book?”

Seriously?

“The Fall Up.”

“Who’s it by?”

“Aly Martinez.”

“Never heard of her.”

“Your loss. She’s fantastic.”

“Is it any good?”

“Jesus, Rowan!” I shouted, plopping my e-reader on my lap and glaring in his direction. “I didn’t interrupt you when you were watching basketball.”

“It’s baseball.”

“Whatever,” I harrumphed with a roll of my eyes. “Can you please be quiet so I can read?”

He didn’t say another word, so I went back to where I’d left off, eager to see what was happening between Sam and Levee. Just as it was getting really good, the tablet was snatched out of my hands.

“Hey!”

Rowan began reading out loud.

“Levee began a frenzied task of undressing me, not even glancing back up into my eyes until she was satisfied with my jeans, boxers, and socks all laying on the floor at her feet.

“Jesus, Sam,” she breathed, dropping to her knees and once again gripping my impossibly hard cock.

“Wait,” I sat up and tried to pull her back to her feet. “I go first. I mean, you go… Son of a…. fuck!” I lost all conscious thought as she dipped her head and circled her tongue around the tip.

“Your dick’s pierced.” Her hand stroked a relentless rhythm from base to tip.

“I… fuck… Ugh.” My muscles tensed as I glided through her hand. “Is it? I thought they all looked like that.”

“So fucking thick.” She went back down for another lick. Collapsing back on the bed, I gave up on my objections.”

“Holy fuck, woman!” he exclaimed. “What the hell are you reading?”

“Shut up!” I squealed, climbing to my knees in an attempt to get my tablet back. “Give it back, Rowan!”

The asshole just kept reading in a poor impression of a phone-sex operator voice.

“Her fingers continuously circled her clit and I dropped my hand to join it. She was soaked and couldn’t help bringing it to my lips for a taste. “Mmmm.” I purred as she lifted her wet fingers to my mouth offering me a second course that I was more than willing to accept.

“I fuck you. Then we’re taking a shower. Then I’m eating you until I get hard again.” I glided my cock through her folds. Her head pressed back into the pillow as she arched off the bed. Bending down, I grazed my teeth roughly over her nipple. “Then we’ll start the cycle over again.”

He was so engrossed in mocking me that he’d left himself open to retaliation. Lucky for me, he’d decided on basketball shorts instead of jeans. Going for the tiny hairs on his legs, I grabbed hold of as many as I could and yanked.

“Oww! Mother fuck! Son of a bitch!”

I snatched my tablet out of the air just as it fell from his hands and jumped from the couch, hoping to escape before he fully recovered. No such luck.

I let out an oof as his arm caught my waist and jerked me back. I sailed through the air before landing with my back to the cushions of the couch, Rowan’s large body hovering over me, pressing into me.

“You’ll read that but you won’t read my book?” His voice held humor, letting me know he wasn’t really upset.

“Well.” I grinned, loving the idea of pushing his buttons. “If you’d write something interesting, maybe I’d read it.”

Rowan’s fingers dug into my sides. I fought against him as hard as I could, in peals of laughter so loud I was sure the neighbors could hear us.

“So, that’s the kind of shit you like?” he asked once he was finished tickling.

I was breathing heavy as I looked into his icy blue eyes. Shrugging nonchalantly, I replied, “Maybe you should consider piercing your…” I trailed off, shooting a knowing look at his crotch. “It could spice things up. You know, make it less vanilla.”

“Oh, I got your vanilla,” he growled, taking the bait perfectly.

I latched my limbs around his body as he pushed up, hefting me off the couch. “Where are we going?”

“Bedroom. I’m about to show you shit you’ve never even imagined. Then we’ll see who’s talking about vanilla.”

I let out a sharp yelp when his palm came down hard on my ass. The moment the sting subsided, all I could think was, Yay, me!