“Is this what you want?” he asked, a teasing note to his voice. Deliberately denying me of what I was so close to.
I put my hands down, feeling his thickness. His cock jerked, and he groaned as I pressed down tight, stroking him.
“Yes,” I breathed. He kissed me again deeply as he entered me, and I gasped, feeling every inch of his cock as it stretched my walls. Desperate, I tilted my hips up, letting him adjust the angle of my bottom as he slid in deep. Wrapping my legs around him, slowly, desperately, I moved in sync with him.
He sped up the rhythm breathlessly, matching the urgency I felt, sending blood rushing to my core. I gasped asI felt every stroke, every plunge, as intensely as I felt my love for him in this instant.
“Oh,” I said, my hands gripping his back, “Desmond,” I whimpered, “Faster. I’m close.”
He released one hand from my bottom as his thrusts became harder. His free finger moved to rub my clit in tight circles, making me writhe with need. He took my lips in his, biting down on my lip while he pushed, his strokes hot and deep.
“Yes,” I moaned, feeling closer to the edge. I closed my eyes, digging my fingers deep into his shoulders as I arched my back. The desire he’d built up so far reached its peak, and I gasped with pleasure, feeling overwhelmed.
And then, all of a sudden, my body froze, and I clung to him as I went over the edge with a cry. My inner walls tightened around his length while he pumped into me in a heated passion as I climaxed.
In a few seconds, he came, with a deep groan as he spilled into me.
Moments later, breathless, he set me down, holding me as I leaned into him, spent, tired and happy.
“How’s that for an early start to your morning?” he asked, putting a languid kiss on my cheek while I ran my hands over his hard chest, taking in his washboard abs.
I loved being naked with him, letting my guard down and seeing the tender ferocity with which he worshipped my body. Sex with Des stirred up overwhelming feelings of joy, contentment, and a very primitive desire to take care of him.
Desmond bent his head and pressed his lips to mine in what turned out to be the most exquisite kiss we’d ever shared. I closed my eyes and let this man—this towering hunk of a man—take over.
And then he took his time, letting his lips savor mine with soft, feathery kisses. Then he built up the crescendo, his lips puckering and kissing me with urgency while his hands moved up my back in tantalizing sweeps.
I was putty in his hands, and I loved every moment of it.
45
AVA
Three Years Later
Istood by the window of my restaurant in Lower Manhattan, looking out into the street. It was dusk, and the road out there was dark, only to be lit up by the occasional car driving past.
The interior of the restaurant was cleared up, leaving just one table standing. The table was lit up with spotlights and had a beautiful orchid in the center.
Luke Walters, an executive at a top investment firm, had reserved my restaurant—all of it—for the night. He was bringing someone special to dinner and wanted it all to himself. I had decided to wait a little to greet the guests and then leave the restaurant in the hands of my very efficient staff.
I felt Desmond’s warmth as he shifted in his spot next to me, his arm around my waist while I gazed out at the road. He’d been picking me up every night from the restaurant and taking me home himself. Around my neck was the samelocket that Desmond had once given me when we were teenagers.
It had a new picture in it now. One of Desmond and me, his arm around my shoulders. It had been taken at a party at Sean’s house on the day that Desmond and I had finally gone public to the world about our relationship.
It had been the start of a wonderfully different phase of our relationship. Dinners out and about town; walking in broad daylight, hand in hand; and sharing kisses at parties while we mingled with work friends and other business partners. It had been like a breath of fresh air to see Desmond turn and wave with ease at a business associate while we were dining out. To make introductions when they came over. To hear the wordsgirlfriendandpartnermentioned along with my name.
We had no reason to hide our love for each other anymore.
Des leaned in close, wrapping me in a warm embrace. He kissed my hair. “We’ll be home soon, I promise,” he said. “And you can lie down on the couch with your feet up while I bring you dinner. I bet Betsy made gnocchi tonight.”
I laughed. Even though Desmond wasn’t on his feet all day, he understood how sore and tired my feet were at the end of the night.
Betsy still worked for us, even after we moved to a bigger apartment on the Upper East Side. It was a change from Desmond’s penthouse in Lenox Hill, but it was right across the street from Central Park, where Desmond and I loved going for walks. Perhaps it would someday be the place where we’d teach our future kids to learn to ride their bikes.
I looked around the classy, sleek interior of the restaurant.
Our years had been profitable. Alex Sterling, the newCEO of Luxe Hotels, had been so pleased with us he got the board to approve of another round of investment.
