Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Autumn

B efore I make it to the first step, I’m being spun around.

Zane pulls me close and our lips slam together.

“You have no idea how much I want you,” he says between greedy kisses. Our mouths and tongues tangle and I’m breathless.

“Your eyes have always given you away,” I say, threading my fingers through his messy hair.

Seconds later, he’s lifting me into his strong arms and carrying me up the stairs.

Moon rays beam through the high windows, creating the perfect amount of light for me to admire how beautiful he is with his chiseled jaw and plump lips. He kicks open the large, historic doors to his room and sets me on my feet. I unbuckle his belt as he walks me to the edge of the bed. As he pushes the thong from my body, he never once takes his eyes from mine.

We hold a silent conversation. This is right.

His mouth is on me and he kisses up my stomach, between my breasts, until he's back to my ear. A strong hand rests on my ass as he whispers. “There is no uncrossing this line, Autumn. I don’t fuck and forget.”

“I want to take risks with you,” I admit as his hand wraps around my waist and he turns me until my back is against his chest. I feel his rigid cock and think it might actually break me in two.

He gently guides me forward until my knees are on the mattress, then guides me down onto my palms. I’m on all fours with my ass upright as he stands behind me. I glance over my shoulder, catching a peek of him, and he smirks as he admires me.

“Arch that back for me a little more, Pumpkin, and show me that beautiful pussy I’m devouring tonight.”

I do exactly what he says, widening my hips, giving him views of all that I am, all that I’m offering. Typically, in the past, had I been in this position, I would’ve been timid, maybe shy. Not under his gaze, not when he smiles at me like the man in my dreams.

I crave him like I crave cooler weather, bonfires, and crunchy leaves. I need him at the core of my essence, burying himself deep inside me.

Seconds later, he’s kissing, sucking, and biting my left cheek before moving over to the right. Sparks ignite, and by the stroke of midnight, he’ll have burned me to the ground with his touch. His warm breath gently brushes against my skin.

My pussy clenches in anticipation as his fingers tease my clit. Then there I am, on all fours for this man that I want, that I need, that I’ve craved since the very first word he ever spoke to me.

“You’re already so fucking wet for me,” he says, rubbing my ass then barely dipping the tip of his large finger into my entrance. I grab onto the silk comforter with my fists, nearly crumbling by a single touch. It’s been so long since anyone other than myself has touched me.

“Dripping fucking wet like a goddamn needy girl.”

“ Your needy girl,” I say, my body springing to life with anticipation as he moves closer. I am needy, almost desperate for him. A part of me believes this is what his sister was talking about tonight. Maybe this is the right moment. It seems like it. My heart says it is.

A ragged breath releases from my throat when he kisses my pussy then slowly inserts his fat tongue inside me.

“Mmhmm,” I hum and sink into him, the scruff on his face creating the perfect amount of friction.

“Fuck, I love the way you taste,” he whispers against me, sucking on my clit.

“Oh yes,” I moan out, nearly coming on his face, but he stops.

Unpredictably, he flips me over, sliding his hands under my ass to move me to the edge of the bed. When I’m there, he drops to his knees like he’s ready to worship me. Tonight, he will.

“Zane,” I whisper, and he looks up at me like I’m his. “No one has?—”

I try to find my words and push my embarrassment aside. If we’re doing this, I have to be honest with him. He deserves to know.

“No one has gone down on me.”

He meets my gaze. “If you’re uncomfor?—”

“No, it’s not like that. It feels incredible . It’s just…no one has ever wanted me so intimately. Only you.”

A fire erupts behind his eyes as he gently guides me back then parts my thighs, burying his face back between my legs. “Enjoy it baby girl.” He slowly licks down my slit to my clit, down to my cunt, lapping me up.

“Oh. My. Fucking. God,” I growl out, writhing against his face as my eyes roll into the back of my head.

His tongue twirls around my hard nub and flicks. My pussy clenches tight. He’s working me up so fast and if he doesn’t slow down, I’ll come within the minute because I’m so damn horny for him.

When he reaches up and twists my peaked nipple, I can barely take the sensations coursing through me. It’s never felt so intense, so incredible, like he knows my body.

I want him buried deep inside me. I need him to fuck me into oblivion until nothing is left but the two of us.

As if he reads my mind, he slides one of his fingers to the first knuckle, then the second. He curls them, adding the perfect amount of pressure as he slowly sucks and teases my swollen clit.

A guttural groan releases from me as my back arches with anticipation.

“I can taste how close you are,” he whispers.

“Yes yes yes,” I breathlessly moan, teetering on the edge.

“You want to come so fucking bad, don’t you?” he growls, continuing the war he will absolutely win.

Words hang in my throat as I race toward the end. “Yes,” I hiss.

His pace slows and it’s agonizing. Sweet fucking torture.

“Then come for me.” His voice is a sexy rasp as he adds another finger, stroking my G-spot.

“Please let me,” I beg, knowing he has control as he teases me with his breath. My ass clenches as I rock my hips on his fingers. “I’m…”

I can’t even form comprehensive sentences. Everything is tense, every muscle is seized and I just need more of him. I need it all and he’s holding me at the edge, teasing me.

I’m suspended in the air waiting for the cards to fall.

My heart rate increases and I don’t know how long he holds me back. Seconds, minutes, hours? Time doesn’t exist with him.

“You’re mine, Pumpkin,” he growls, kissing my inner thighs.

“I’m willing to negotiate,” I desperately plead. “If I can have you. All of you.”

His mouth is back on my pussy and he smiles against my folds. “That’s a damn good deal.”

Then he peels me open with his tongue and gives me exactly what my body begs for. I run my fingers through his hair, holding him close.

And then the thread snaps and I come so hard I don’t recognize the sounds that escape from me. The orgasm tears me to pieces and I’m nothing but shreds. He doesn’t move his mouth from me, adding just enough pressure to my clit. He milks my g-spot as I pulse and throb.

Just when I think I’ve fully come down from my high, the intense pleasure creeps up again as Zane laps up every drop, like he’s starved for me. And that’s when I realize this isn’t over.

Heat rushes through me. Coming once is a miracle, twice is an act of God. I’m convinced he is one.

“Mm, I want to worship this pretty little pussy all night. Be a good girl and come for me again.”

“Za-shit,” I whisper, my back arching as I dig my fingers into the comforter.

This time he doesn’t stop. Euphoria surrounds me and I feel as if I’ve been catapulted to another planet where Mr. Dreamy actually fucking exists.

“I need more of you,” I beg.

He peppers kisses along my inner thighs then towers over me, shirtless, with a monster cock tight in his pants. Zane slides open the drawer and pulls out a foil wrapper.

I shake my head, pushing up onto my elbows to get a better view of him as he removes his belt and undresses. “Nothing between us. I’m on birth control.”

He meets my eyes, staring me down, before setting the condom on the dresser. “Okay.”

I scoot up the bed and Zane moves to me, hovering above me, kissing me as he patiently waits at my entrance. His thumb brushes across my cheek as we kiss. The anticipation is almost too much.

“I’m never in a rush with you,” he says gently, sucking the softness of my neck, giving me another inch as I widen my hips to adjust to him.

“It’s like time freezes,” he mutters against my lips.

The pressure fills me so full that I think he’ll split me in two. I want him to.

He nibbles on my shoulder as he gives me every last inch. Then we stay connected, neither of us moving as I suck in ragged breaths.

“You feel so good,” I whisper, nearly drowning in the sensation of being with him. It’s so damn right, everything about this. “Like…”

The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I feel them in my core.

“I was made for you?” he whispers.

“Yes,” I say as he meets my eyes and finishes my thought. Goosebumps trail over my body and I can’t explain the sensations swirling inside me. It’s pure bliss, something I’ve never felt with any of my partners. It’s too intense as I gasp for air, lost in the moment.

“Fuck,” he says in a low growl. “You feel like you’re mine.”

His words exhilarate me as he slides in and out, so deep, but gently as he brushes against my g-spot. It’s too much and I’m scared he’ll split me in half.

“Oh, oh,” I groan, scratching my nails down his back.

Zane moves to his knees, sliding his hands under my ass, easily lifting and guiding me on and off of his cock.

“Harder,” I whisper, racing for more of this sensation. As I suck in more air, he grunts, fucking me so damn good.

“Zane, yes, cum in me,” I breathe out, noticing how his muscles tense. He’s close. “Please. I want all of you…”

My eyes roll into the back of my head and I’m flooded with heat as he pumps deeper, a tidal wave rushing through me. My pussy pulses around him and he moans out.

“You’re squeezing me so tight,” he huffs as my back flies off the mattress. We are nothing and everything all at once as our sounds fill the room. I’m breathless and my body is useless.

We stay connected and he kisses me. It’s hard for me to imagine a time when I didn’t know he existed. How do either of us come back from this?

With his eyes closed, he sucks in a ragged breath and nuzzles into my neck. “It’s never felt like that before.”

I swallow, blinking up at the ceiling and the constellations painted from one side to the other. “For me either.”

Maybe, just maybe, Zane broke the curse, or our souls bonded. Either way, I'm convinced the entire world shifted on its axis and I’m already craving more.

I wake to a heavy arm wrapped around my body and let out a content sigh. I squeeze my thighs together and I can feel everywhere he’s been, like he carved the shape of him inside me.

“Good morning,” he whispers, and I turn my head to look at him as our bodies stay molded.

“Morning.”

He meets my eyes. “What did you dream about?”

I shake my head and stretch my legs. “It was wild. I had dinner with Mr. Dreamy and then, for some reason, my gross ex was there. But then we left and…” I waggle my brows. “All night long.”

He laughs. “Sounds like one hell of a dream.”

“It was incredible .” That word doesn’t fully cover it. Just thinking about it has me smiling wide.

His phone buzzes on the floor, temporarily pulling our attention away. Mine is still in my tiny designer purse downstairs where I left it last night. I can only imagine the text messages I have waiting for me, considering I never updated my friends.

“Ignore it. I want five more minutes just like this.”

“Mm. Do you like to snuggle?”

“With you. You’re warm,” he says, eliminating the remaining space between us. His phone stops vibrating and he lets out a contented sigh. I close my eyes and almost drift off before the buzzing begins again.

This time, I roll over and face him, propping myself up on my elbow. A small, boyish grin touches his lips as he admires me. “I want to remember you like this forever; with a sleepy smile on your gorgeous face, and messy, wavy hair.”

Zane reaches forward and wipes his thumb across my bottom lip, focusing on it before meeting my eyes. “You wake up pretty.”

My heart flutters and I believe I’ve lost my ability to speak because Mr. Dreamy has said the same thing to me before.

“What?” I ask as he places his palm on my cheek and our mouths slide together.

I can’t explain the electricity humming through my veins or the way I magnetize toward him. He tugs and sucks on my lip. Want quickly takes over and I know where this is going. I want it to continue what we started because it all still feels like a dream.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

“You should answer it,” I whisper, knowing I have morning breath. “I’ll brush my teeth and use the bathroom”

“Okay,” he tells me, and I straddle him to take a short cut and he digs his fingers into my hips. I’m still naked and his eyes trail over my body in the glow of sunlight. I grind against his hardness through his boxers and want to go for round two after I empty my bladder. But damn, he feels so good.

I gasp, my head falling back on my shoulders as his cock grazes my clit, creating just enough friction to make my heart rate increase.

“Shit,” he whisper-hisses and we almost lose ourselves again.

I place my hands on either side of his head and hover above him. “I’m not going to disappear.”

“I’ve heard that one before,” he says. “But go pee.”

He lets me go and watches me walk to the bathroom door. I’m sore from the inside out and will be feeling the evidence of his presence for days.

I glance at him over my shoulder and smile before I disappear.

Seconds later, he answers the phone and I try to listen to what he’s saying. His tone changes and his voice grows mumbled before the main door to the bedroom clicks. Then I’m alone.

After I wash my hands, I search for my toothbrush and see it sticking out of the golden holder next to his electronic one. I sneak into his closet the size of my loft and look for some clothes.

I find a pair of running shorts and a T-shirt that doesn’t look like it would fit half of him, then I head downstairs. I'm convinced these were his teenage clothes, but I don't mind.

Zane is pacing the kitchen in jogging pants. My eyes slide down the cascade of muscles on his back and he turns around and spots me. When our eyes meet, I smile and move closer to him.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” he says and ends the call with furrowed brows.

“Everything okay?”

He sets his phone on the counter. “I have to return to New York immediately.”

The free bird he was this morning has vanished. Now, he’s back to the man I met in the coffeeshop—all business.

“You should come with me.”

My lips slightly part and I study him, like I’m waiting for him to say I’m kidding. I don’t think he is, though. The thought exhilarates me, but I don’t think it’s possible.

“I can’t,” I mutter, and it almost pains me. “I have to be at work and I’m using my last bit of vacation to attend your father’s wedding.”

“What if those things didn’t matter?”

I pause, staring at his chiseled face. This man is unreal. He has to be a figment of my imagination and that’s the only reason he’s…perfect for me.

“There would be no question. I’d say yes.”

He claps his hands together. “Great. After I pack I’ll take you home so you can grab whatever you need.”

“Zane,” I say with a laugh, pulling him toward me. “I really can’t.”

He moves forward, lifting my chin upward so he can easily steal a kiss. “You said yes.”

“Hypothetically, if those things didn’t matter.”

He smiles wide. “They won’t. Can you text me the owner's phone number?”

It’s almost easy to fantasize about going on adventures with him. Isn’t this what I’ve wished for? “There’s no one to cover my shift.”

“Do you trust me?”

I smile and nod, then send him Julie’s parents’ contact information. “Good luck,” I say.

He reaches inside his pocket and pulls out the four-leaf clover I gave him. “I’ve got all the luck I need.”