36. Katie

CHAPTER 36

Katie

T here are so many nerves thrumming in my body that I won’t even come close to falling asleep before Nolan comes home. It’s as if I drank six cups of coffee this afternoon. My body is practically vibrating.

I’ve practiced, rehearsed, and subsequently changed my mind about what I want to say to Nolan when he gets home. Now that I’ve had time to calm down, I know what he did was in my best interest. However, I am still a little pissed that he went behind my back to do it. I can acknowledge that if he’d asked me first, I’d have said no, but I still need him to know that I did not like feeling deceived, even if it was for the right reasons.

I’ve been pacing the living room for the past half hour. He should be home any minute now. He said we should save this conversation until tomorrow, but I don’t think I can wait.

A door shuts outside, and I turn to the door. He walks in, looking down at his phone. When he puts it in his back pocket, he lifts his head and startles a little when he sees me standing there.

“I didn’t think you’d still be up,” he says.

I shrug. “Couldn’t sleep. ”

He nods in understanding. His blue eyes take me in, assessing me. Every word I’ve been practicing has dried up in my throat. He looks tired. His shoulders are tight, the tension in his body obvious. I’m not sure what he sees on my face, but his features soften just enough to tell me he’s not as mad as he was.

“Come here, little dove.” That deep voice could tell me to drop to my knees and I’d do it in a heartbeat. Instead, I dash over to where he’s still standing by the door and crash into his chest. My arms go around his waist while he wraps his around my shoulders. I press my nose into his neck, and it feels like coming home.

“I’m so sorry, Nolan,” I say, my words muffled.

“I know.” He squeezes me tighter.

I pull back from him, wanting to say more, but he kisses me instead. It’s a slow, reconnecting kiss. No passion or lust is building between us. This is solely to get us back to where we were.

When he finally pulls back from me, he pushes his forehead to mine. “I know you have things you want to say. I do, too, but I can’t. Not tonight. I just want to hold you. I want to be with you without the bullshit that’s been sitting between us for days.”

I nod my head, understanding exactly what he’s saying. We need time to just be for a minute before we dive into the shitstorm that is our life right now.

“Come shower with me.” He slides his hands to my thighs and lifts me up to carry me down the hallway, not giving me a chance to answer either way. It makes me laugh. “What?”

I grin down at him. “You didn’t give me the chance to accept your offer. You just took off.”

“That’s because I wouldn’t have accepted any other answer besides yes.”

My eyebrow arches. “Is that so?”

Nolan steps into the bathroom and leans into the shower to turn the water on. He still hasn’t put me down, and I can’t say I’m sad about that.

“It is. You’re finally back in my arms, where you belong. I’m not about to let you go now.”

My belly flip-flops at his claim. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, even when I’m being a raging bitch.”

Nolan’s breath puffs out as he laughs. “I’m not touching that one right now.” He looks down at us with a frown.

“You’re going to have to put me down unless you want to shower with clothes on.”

“I’m gathering that,” he grunts. His annoyance makes me giggle. Until this moment, I hadn’t realized how far apart we’d drifted. We have so many things to talk about, but I’m glad he put his foot down on any conversations. The levity this moment is bringing us will do us more good than any conversation.

Nolan sighs as he sets me down on the counter. He lifts my tee over my head, then proceeds to divest me of every other piece of clothing I have on until I’m sitting there stark naked while he stands in front of me, still fully clothed. The heat in his eyes sends a bolt of lust straight to my core. That one look has me ready to beg for him.

“This wasn’t my plan. I wanted to shower with you and then go to bed, but fucking look at you. You’re more tempting than a glass of water in the desert. Jesus.” Nolan swipes his hand down his face.

Something about the way he’s trying to hold himself back emboldens me. When he catches my gaze again, I lean back onto my hands and spread my legs as far as possible. My ass is hanging off the edge of the counter, showing him exactly what he’s doing to me.

“Goddamn, woman.” Before I can react, Nolan lunges. He grips my face and seals his lips over mine. The kiss is bruising, as if he’s mad at me for derailing his plans. I’m not sorry about it. This is what we need: an outlet for every pent-up emotion we’ve been dealing with alone over the past week. Fighting with each other only leads to shitty feelings. This has to be a better option.

Nolan’s hands slide down my neck to cup the weight of my breasts in his palms. “One of these days, I will fuck these beautiful tits until I come all over your chest.”

I whimper at the image his words bring to mind. “Is that a threat?” I can’t stop egging him on.

“It’s a fucking promise.” He steps away from me. I feel the loss of his body heat all the way to my soul. When he shuts the water off in the shower, I raise an eyebrow. “I need inside you more than I need a shower right now.”

Nolan grips my ass in a bruising hold and lifts me off the counter. He carries me into my bedroom, dropping me onto the foot of the bed. His clothes come off next in a strip tease I would pay good money to see every single day. All he needs is Ginuwine playing in the background, and he’d be rolling in it.

“What’s that look for?” He stalks closer to me, his tattoos drawing my attention, as they do every time.

“I was just thinking you could make damn good money as a stripper. Women would come from all over to see you.”

Nolan stops right in front of me. His fist is wrapped around his shaft in that sexy way men do when they’re absentmindedly getting themselves off. “The only woman I’d want to put on a show for is you.”

I lean forward and lick around the head of his cock, where his fingers are sliding. He takes the hint and drops his hand. Without warning, I suck him back as deep as I can take him. A curse falls from Nolan’s chest. His fingers slide through my hair, fisting the strands at the back of my head. I grip his thighs and open my throat, giving him permission to fuck my mouth as hard as he wants.

To my surprise, his thrusts are slow and measured. I look up at him as he moves. He’s staring at me with so much love in his eyes, tears threaten to fall.

Nolan pulls away from me, only to drop his head and kiss me with every ounce of love shining on his face. He wraps an arm around my waist, keeping his mouth fused to mine, and lifts me until I’m lying flat on my back in the middle of the bed.

My knees fall to the side, giving him plenty of room to settle his hips between mine. His cock slides through my slick folds. Every thrust hits me right where I want him, yet I need so much more than this.

“Nolan, please.” My hips grind against him, both to get off and to get him where I want him.

“I love it when you beg for me.” Nolan moves down my body, and I groan in frustration. It only makes him chuckle against my skin. He swipes my nipple with a teasing lick and continues moving until he’s nestled between my legs. His fingers spread me open, baring me to his open stare. The sheer want in his eyes stops me from feeling too exposed.

Then he’s pressing his face into my pussy as if he’s devouring his favorite meal. I moan long and low. My body is on a hair trigger.

“You’re going to have to be quiet, little dove,” he says, yet he does everything he can to make me cry out as loud as I can.

I’m at my tipping point, my body primed and ready to fall off the edge when he pulls away. I open my mouth to protest when he slams his cock deep inside me.

I come instantly. I didn’t even know I could do that. My body shakes as the orgasm crashes through me. Nolan presses his palm over my mouth. I didn’t realize I was making noises until they were suddenly cut off.

For some reason, his hand over my mouth does something to me, and I climb again. Nolan’s thrusts are punishing in their intensity. They’re a reminder that I’m his. He owns me, body and soul. No matter what I throw at him, he will always be here.

“Come on my cock, little dove. Show me who you belong to.” His words are said into my ear in that low tone that drives me crazy. I have no problem following his order. If he was anyone else, I’d be irate at his claim, but the thing is, I know that he belongs to me just as much as I do him. He shows me every single day how he feels, even when I’m taking advantage of it.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Nolan curses as he follows me over the edge.

It takes us both a moment to gather our wits after the overwhelming show of possession. Nolan has kept his arms wrapped around my shoulders. His body is still pressing me into the mattress, but I couldn’t care less. I’d take being crushed by him over the distance I’ve put between us this week.

“I love you so fucking much, little dove,” he whispers into my ear. The emotion in his voice clogs my throat, but I force out a response.

“I love you, too, Nolan. More than I could ever express with words.”

He kisses me softly. “We’re going to get through this. As long as we do it together.”

I nod, knowing he’s right. I’ve never had someone at my back when I needed them there. Now, I have a whole family behind me, and I’m finally ready to trust them to take care of me.