Twenty-one

TWENTY-ONE

Aria

"Paxton."

I barely recognized the sound of my own voice—a breathy whisper filled with need, dripping with desire.

We were finally back at my place. The drive here felt entirely too long; the urge to crawl over the center console to get my mouth on him anywhere I could had been undeniable. Somehow, I succeeded in keeping myself restrained, but that might have been because I was slightly distracted by having Paxton's fingers linked with mine, his thumb stroking gently along the side of my hand, throughout the entire ride from the restaurant.

That simple movement shouldn't have done what it did to me, but with each stroke, I couldn't stop imagining the feel of his fingertips on other parts of my body. It took superhuman effort not to let out a moan at the fantasy that had built in my mind .

Fortunately, the made-up scenario in my head wasn't far off from the real deal. Because now that Paxton and I had made it to my bedroom, he was making it clear he intended to explore.

And luckily for me, that exploration wasn't only happening with his hands. He was using his mouth, too.

Paxton had started kissing me right about the moment we stepped into the house and closed the door. With our mouths connected, we moved through the house and toward my bedroom.

His hands had been in my hair and around my waist. I was hanging on just as tight to him, my fingers wandering up over his solid chest toward his shoulders before linking behind his neck and drifting into his hair.

We'd stopped several times along the way, the first time when we bumped into a decorative table I had in the foyer. The second time we'd stopped had nothing to do with the furniture, though. Despite having been willing to prolong us getting to this point by suggesting we go dancing somewhere, Paxton had lost his battle with patience. We'd gotten about halfway up the stairs when he stopped us from climbing farther, and he pressed his body firmly against mine, pinning me between him and the wall.

My body shuddered as I stared up at him in silence for several long moments before his fingers gripped my hair firmly at the back of my head and angled it back to give him better access to my mouth. He took my mouth in a bruising kiss, his tongue dipping between my parted lips.

Our tongues danced, the moment built, and when Paxton's opposite hand slid up my side and over my breast, I stopped fighting. The moan tore up my throat, my mouth disconnecting from his .

Paxton didn't like not having his mouth on me, because it immediately dropped to my neck and kissed up the side of my throat before moving along my jaw.

His hand on my breast, squeezing and kneading, floated back down to my hip and slid around to my ass, where he squeezed just as his teeth nipped at my earlobe.

Another shiver.

Another moan.

I was desperate for him, for anything he could give me. So, I begged, "Paxton, please."

Paxton pulled back, looked down at me, and noted the need in my expression. "Lead the way, Aria."

So, I did.

I reached for his wrist and dragged him behind me, leading the way to my bedroom.

Within seconds of entering the space, I was standing in front of him in nothing but a pair of sexy lacy underwear. I'd gotten Paxton down to his jeans, but I hadn't managed much beyond that, because he was simply staring at me and appreciating the view.

I hadn't realized it was possible to feel so powerful and helpless all at the same time. Given the way he was looking at me, I believed I could have easily gone after what I wanted—to get him at least as naked as I was—and he would have welcomed it. But there was a part of me that believed I'd be rewarded by giving him the time he very obviously wanted to just appreciate the sight of me nearly naked.

It was that part which won out.

And I was thrilled to learn I hadn't been wrong.

Because now things had gotten arguably better.

Paxton had eventually moved from his spot, closed the distance between us, and gotten his hands on me. His touch started off sweet, light, tender, and soft. And there wasn't a single exposed part of me he left untouched, whether with his hands or his mouth.

He'd gotten me on my back in the bed, yanked my panties down my legs, and had used the last few minutes to touch and tease me with his fingers between my legs.

I'd been squirming and panting, feeling like a fire had been lit inside me. Paxton's long fingers were talented, pressing in, plunging, and circling precisely where I needed and wanted them. But he'd build me up, get me so close, and he'd stop.

He'd done that several times already, and each time he refused to push me over, I cried out his name.

"What do you want, Aria?" he asked, his hand still teasing gently between my legs, rubbing my sensitive clit while his lips were mere inches from my mouth.

"I can't wait any longer. Please," I pleaded with him.

The corners of Paxton's mouth tipped up into a victorious smile. I didn't know why. Surely, he knew this is where things were going to go anyway. Maybe he liked that I'd gotten to the point of begging him.

With his hand still between my legs, he brushed his lips against mine. Then he got up and stripped himself down to nothing.

It was one thing to see him half naked, when he'd been wearing just those joggers and came to my defense, or even tonight in just his jeans. But it was something else entirely to see this man in nothing. Every perfectly sculpted and symmetrical muscle on his body was just as gorgeous as I imagined it would be. And what Paxton had been hiding beneath his pants was even more enticing than I had suspected.

Drawn to him, I sat up and reached out to touch him. The second my fingers curled around him, Paxton's hands balled into fists at his sides, and he let out a low groan. I looked up at him and felt my own victorious smile wash over my expression.

Then I stroked him.

His eyes darkened, the look in his expression clearly a promise to deliver something extraordinary.

The kind of man he was, I expected as much. So, I figured I'd take the opportunity to build him up before he took over.

Keeping one hand firmly around his cock, I continued to stroke while my other hand came to his hip before drifting lightly across his skin. His fists were so tightly clenched, they turned white.

And though I found myself growing more and more turned on by watching the way he reacted to what I was doing, I didn't get to play nearly as long as I would have liked.

He eventually pulled his hips back, forcing me to lose purchase on his hard length. I wanted to groan with frustration, but when he was rolling on a condom a moment later, I got over it and scooted back on the bed.

Paxton joined me, my thighs parting as a silent invitation. With one hand on the mattress beside my body, Paxton's other hand went between my legs. His mouth immediately sought out mine as his fingers began working their magic again.

God, was there anything this man couldn't do well?

It took him almost no time to build me up to a writhing mess of limbs. And when I could take no more teasing, I begged, "Please."

That single word didn't even sound like it came from me. It was hungry, desperate.

Paxton seemed just as greedy for me as I was for him, because he didn't take his time. Almost as soon as I lost his hand, he was driving himself inside me, thrusting deeply.

"Fuck, Aria. You're so wet. So tight."

"Paxton," I moaned.

A deep growl filled the air around us, the sound sending a flood of desire right between my legs.

With each merciless thrust, I fought against the building pressure. But Paxton was just that good; he made it impossible.

I had no choice but to accept whatever he wanted me to have, however he wanted me to have it.

Once I accepted that, things only got better. I became lost in him, in the utter pleasure he was delivering. Between his roaming hand, the sight of his muscles flexing, and the feel of being so full of him, there was a lot to be lost in.

The feeling built, the ache between my legs mounting.

"Oh God," I panted.

My moans became whimpers, my breath quick and shallow.

Driving his hips in hard, Paxton shifted his weight into one hand while the other drifted from my hip, up my side, and toward my breast. He tweaked my nipple, sending a jolt of electricity through me.

And three more thrusts later, it happened.

I was coming apart, crying out his name as my body writhed between him and the mattress. Wave after wave washed over me, and it felt never-ending. I wasn't sure I could survive much more.

But then I heard his grunts and groans become more pronounced. And as he picked up his pace, I returned to reality and watched with avid fascination as Paxton's orgasm tore through him. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

The power and strength in his body, the way his muscles flexed, and the sounds that escaped from somewhere deep inside him made the moment something extraordinary to witness.

He collapsed on top of me, careful to keep his weight in his arms. I could feel the rapid beat of his heart against my chest. I swore I could hear it, too.

Minutes passed, both of us struggling to regain control of our breathing. And eventually, Paxton pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered, "Be right back."

He pulled out of me, and I had to bite my lip in an effort not to cry at the loss of him there. I had a feeling he was experiencing something similar, because when he stood beside the bed and looked down at me, I could see it in his expression.

Despite what we were both feeling, Paxton took off toward the bathroom and disposed of the condom, returning with a warm cloth for me.

I wasn't quite sure just how long Paxton and I had been curled up in my bed after we'd gotten ourselves cleaned up, but I knew it had been long enough for me to memorize the rhythm of his heartbeat. Paxton was on his back, my body curled into his, and my head was resting on his chest.

I'd been tracing random patterns, allowing the reality of what we'd just shared to settle inside me. While the physical aspect of it had been wonderful—better than I could have hoped for—there was something about the emotional connection I felt to this man that meant so much more to me.

And I wondered if that was what made it possible for me to speak as freely as I did. As my fingers continued to drift lightly over his skin, the sound of his heart beating steadily beneath my ear, I said, "This was a surprise."

"A surprise? You were the one who wanted to come right back here after dinner," he reasoned.

"I didn't mean what we just did was a surprise. I was talking about you," I clarified.

Paxton's arm was wrapped around my body. He'd been holding me close to him, his fingertips drifting lightly across my skin. But at my declaration, his hand stopped moving. "I don't think I understand."

Inhaling deeply, the scent of him something I was finding I couldn't quite get enough of, I took half a second to reconsider what I was about to share. Then I realized it was ludicrous to even consider that and said, "You make me do things I wouldn't have normally done."

"Is that a good thing? I feel like after what we just shared, that might not be the best thing to admit. I don't know how I feel about it."

I smiled, recognizing that he had mistaken my words. "That's not what I'm referring to, Paxton. I just… well, all my life I've been so accustomed to holding back my emotions and the way I feel about just about everything. When I made the move here to Steel Ridge, I was looking for this fresh start. I expected I would find some of what I wa s looking for, but I never imagined so much would change about me the way it has."

"Are you saying there's a different Aria that I haven't met?" he asked.

I lifted my cheek from his chest and offered a smile as my gaze fell upon his handsome face. "Not at all. I think what I'm trying to say is that I've never felt comfortable enough to share how I really feel until I came here, until I met you. It blows my mind, because it's been happening from the start, and I can't understand why."

"So, I think what you're telling me is that if you start keeping things bottled up, I should be concerned, because it might mean you're gearing up to leave," he reasoned.

I continued to smile at him, loving that he clearly seemed to like having me around. "Am I to assume you want to keep me here?"

"I've wanted that since I offered to show you around town. If you think I've changed my mind now that I've gotten a taste of you, you're crazy."

Laughter escaped, my fingertips tracing gently over the skin on his chest. "I like you, Paxton. And I really like what's happening between us."

He lifted his hand to the side of my head, captured a lock of hair between his fingers, and tucked it behind my ear. "I feel the same."

Feeling reassured, I dropped my head to his chest again and draped my arm completely over his torso. He hugged me tightly in response.

The two of us stayed like a while before Paxton asked, "Would you like me to stay the night with you?"

"I'd love that, but… can you? I mean, with the animals."

"I can. I just need to run over to the house quickly to let the dogs out and check on everyone. But I'd really like to come back and stay the night with you."

I lifted my cheek from his chest and arched my back a bit more to give him the space to move out from beneath me. "Do you want, I mean, I don't know how they'd all get along, but if you want to bring them here?—"

"They'll be fine, Aria. I just need to run over for a few minutes, but I've got cameras I can access from my phone to check on them throughout the night."

I nodded my understanding. "Okay."

"I love that you were willing to offer up your place to all of them, though. It's just one more thing for me to like about you. And that's after I learned how much I like how you look, feel, and sound when my cock is inside you."

I bit my lip and looked away.

"And now she's shy," Paxton muttered. "You were begging me not that long ago, and now you're feeling bashful?" He sat up, taking me with him, and brought his lips to my cheek. After pressing a chaste kiss there, he said, "You're a whole lot more fun than I ever thought you were going to be."

"I'm glad I'm exceeding your expectations."

He gave me another kiss, this one on the lips. And the next thing I knew, he exited the bed and had pulled on his clothes. "I'll grab your key so I can lock the door as I leave. This way you can stay in bed, keeping it warm until I get back."

The corners of my mouth tipped up. "I'll do my best."

A moment later, he was gone. And about a minute after he left, Sasha prowled into my room. Apparently, she had a lot to say, too .

When she stopped meowing, I declared, "I think he really likes me, Sasha."

She gave me an unimpressed look in response, clearly upset I'd not only avoided spending time with her by going out with Paxton tonight, but also frustrated with me for being so caught up in him once I returned.

Wanting to make it up to her, I got out of the bed, pulled on a robe, and scooped her up in my arms. "I know you're mad at me, but I needed this tonight. He makes me happy. And I know you know he's a good guy."

Sasha made it clear she could get over it with enough love. I did my best, knowing Paxton likely had to do the same at his place before he returned.

It was a little while later when I heard the front door opening again. My belly flipped just thinking about the fact Paxton was going to spend the night with me. I couldn't wait to be back in his arms again.

Sasha hopped down off my lap and strode out of the room. She must have met Paxton at the top of the stairs, because I could hear the deep rumble of his voice carrying down the hall toward my bedroom.

She might have been giving me a bunch of attitude about how my evening had gone, but I didn't doubt she was out there purring in Paxton's arms.

I decided to stay right where I was and give her the time with him.

When he finally entered the room, I asked, "Was your gang okay?"

"They're all good. Sasha stopped me at the top of the stairs."

"Yeah, she came in, gave me a piece of her mind, and demanded some love. I caved and gave it to her. "

Paxton had started stripping out of his clothes, and I found I no longer had anything else that seemed quite so important to say.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

My eyes had been focused on his flawless torso, but at his question, I lifted my gaze to his face. "Just enjoying the view."

His attention dropped to my robe. "And yet I don't get the same privilege."

My hands flew to the sash around the robe and unfastened it. By the time Paxton had stripped down to his boxer briefs, I pulled the robe open. And once I pulled it off and tossed it aside, Paxton slid into the bed beside me.

I had expected he was going to curl me into his body and tuck me close for the rest of the night, but that's not what he did. Instead, he buried his face in my neck and allowed his hands to start roaming.

The moment his thumb swiped over my nipple and his lips began moving along the side of my neck, I was unable to resist. I parted my legs, and Paxton settled himself between them.

Then he commenced round two, and things got far more adventurous the second time around.