Page 132 of A Better Place

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

James

I wake up slowly, my arm wrapped around Carly’s soft body, keeping her close. Her breasts are pressed against my chest, and her arm is wrapped around my stomach. The light sounds of her breathing and soft puffs of air hitting my skin give me a sense of calm I never knew before.

She’s really here. And she’s really mine.

Last night was… well, every single word better than good describes it. And last night happened long into the morning hours. After we ate our fill of chocolate cheesecake in bed, we raided the fridge for anything else we could use for… dessert. And of that type of dessert, I’ll never have my fill.

Once Carly gave herself over to me, she completely surprised me, showing me parts of herself I’m certain she’s never shown another person.

And for that reason alone, I should let her sleep. But I’m not going to. I have bigger plans for her today.

“Beautiful,” I murmur into her hair, letting my hand slowly drag down her back to her ass, squeezing one of her butt cheeks. My middle finger makes a trail down farther, between her thighs, and she squirms under my touch. She moans my name in her sleep, and I roll us over gently, not wasting a single second to put my lips on her body.

I begin at her neck, kissing lightly, making a trail over her collarbone, over the swell of her breast, paying special attention to her nipple before continuing my path. She whispers my name, and I glance up. Her eyes are trained on me, and a soft smile covers her face. She bites her lower lip and wrinkles her nose. Adorable.

I cover her stomach with butterfly kisses until I reach my destination, kissing, licking, and sucking on her tiny bundle of nerves. Her moans get louder, and I wrap an arm over her stomach, holding her in place.

Her taste. Her smell. Her sounds. I’ll never get enough. And I never plan to. She’s mine. She has been all along, but last night just solidified it. Every word I’ve spoken to her has been truth.

I take her to the brink and pull back, not willing to give her what she wants just yet.

She groans. “James, please,” she begs, and damn if I don’t want to give in, give her everything she’d ever ask of me. And the crazy thing is, I would.

“Tell me what you want, beautiful,” I murmur, my mouth not leaving her sensitive skin. Her thighs squeeze against the sides of my head in response, and unintelligible words are muttered from her mouth.

“What’s that, baby?”

“Please,” she repeats.

“Please what?”

“James! Stop messing around!”

“Not messing, beautiful. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you. Come on, I want to hear the words.”

“I… I don’t think I can,” she whispers.

I release her tiny bundle and move up her body, kissing my way to her face. Morning breath be damned, I kiss her hard, letting her taste herself on my tongue.

“Yeah, you can. You trust me?”

“You know I do,” she tells me without hesitation, and hell if it doesn’t make my heart squeeze.

“I’m damn glad to hear that, baby. Now, what do you want?”

The look she gives me will be one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It’s the last of her worries, the last of her hesitation crumbling around us, giving over her everything to me.

I feel myself grow harder at the knowledge and can’t help myself but to press closer to her. I rub my tip over her center, causing her eyelids to shutter as she throws her head back into the pillows.

“Tell me,” I murmur, kissing her neck.

“I want you.”

“Good start.”

“Inside. Inside, James. Make me…”

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