Beautifully Awake

“No, that was three.”

Oh. He was keeping count. Holy shit. One night with this man and I could safely say he just completed my hat trick. He crawled back up my body leaving trails of kisses along his way. He smiled and pressed his lips to mine. A deep possessive kiss. As if he knew exactly what I needed and exactly what he had just done. Completely rocked my world. I tasted myself on his tongue and it only added to this amazingly raw and erotic moment.

My hand snaked between our bodies in pursuit of my craving. Chase stopped me. I was confused and suddenly self-conscious.

“One more truth.”

“What?”

“How long has it been? And please don’t lie to me.”

My cheeks flamed.

“Um, about thirty minutes, give or take a minute,” I retorted with my feeble attempt at dodging the question.

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

Yeah, I knew. But why did it matter now?

“Why does it matter now? I think we’ve established I’m a sure thing at this point.” Please don’t push this.

“Because I don’t want to hurt you. Baby, you are so incredibly tight and you’re already swollen. Tell me.” His concern rocked me.

“Um. Three years.”

“Fuck, Blue, you should have said something. I could have hurt you.” He oozed sincerity.

“You didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.” Better than fine. My groin throbbed for more than one reason. A dose of Motrin would deal with that later. I tensed my thighs around his hard length, hoping to urge him on and end this conversation.

“Baby, I want nothing more than to drive into you again, but I don’t trust myself ... you have no idea what you just did to me, watching you come in my mouth, screaming my name. I’d tear you in half. Not an option.” Damn. “Besides, I need this,” he cupped between my legs, “in good health to reach my goal.” This man was going to be the death of me.

“Goal … care to share?”

“How high can you count?”

My eyes widened. “So tell me, in your professional opinion, what’s my, um, projected recovery time?”

“Hard to tell. Don’t worry. I’ll be keeping a very, very close personal eye on the situation.” He flashed a mischievous grin and gave me a quick, gentle kiss. I could definitely get used to this.

He rolled on his back and pulled me tight against his chest, planting the sweetest kiss on my head. “Time to sleep, Blue. Speeds the healing process. Doctor’s orders.”

Mmm. Sleep. Physically spent and beyond sated, sleep sounded blissful. Especially wrapped in the warmth of this man’s strong arms. Two weeks of five AM wake ups, extra long runs and sleepless nights—I was exhausted. Tonight I did something I’d never done, I lived in the moment, succumbing to desire and giving in to my anger. I was still not okay with the cold shoulder he gave me all week with no explanation, but I realized I hoped in time he would trust me enough to explain why he walked away. I felt something tonight and realized I missed feeling. I greedily wanted more. I suddenly wanted to take a chance on anything and everything this man had to offer. Yes, he was confusing as all hell, but now I’d seen a side of him that I never expected. He was intense and dominant, but he was also playful and gentle. He physically took me to places I had begun to doubt existed outside a hot romance novel. More than anything, he made me feel sexy and desired. Part of me wanted to fight to stay awake and never let this night end. What if I woke up tomorrow and this was just a dream? What if either one of us woke up second guessing what we had done, tainting the memory?

As if he read my mind and wanted to put my doubts to sleep as well, he said in a low whisper, “I hope you didn’t have any plans this weekend. After tonight, I have no intention on sharing you. If ever.”

“Mmm. Sounds good and you’re in luck. It just so happens, I’m free until Sunday night.”

“Really. And what’s Sunday?”

If I wasn’t mistaken, I thought I heard a hint of jealousy.

“Oh, I go to bed early. My boss can be a bit of a hard ass. I have to be at work at an ungodly hour.” I chuckled, snuggling in tighter, taking in all of his scent. Crisp soap mixed with musk, mixed with sex. Delicious.

“Sounds like a real prick. Should I have a word with him?” He smiled against my temple.

“Nah ... turns out he’s not that bad ... just doesn’t enjoy sleeping in like the rest of the world.”

“Maybe his bed has been too empty.”

Yeah. He definitely knew the right things to say.

He held me closer. “Sleep, beautiful.”

I closed my eyes and contentment washed over me. A quick vision popped in my head. Tired and now a little giddy, I couldn’t resist. “You really fell off the stage?”

“Flat on my ass.”

“You have to tell me what song you were doing, so I don’t accidentally play it in the OR. I wouldn’t want you to have an embarrassing flashback while operating,” I teased.

“Baby, you can play any music you want. I usually like it silent, but I let you pick because I love the way you look when you’re singing along in your head, nodding along, thinking no one’s looking.” He lifted my chin and kissed my lips one last time. “Now sleep, gorgeous. Sleep.”

I took a deep breath and followed doctor’s orders. Good night, Dr. Sweet.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee permeated through my apartment. I opened my eyes. It was early. I slipped my tiny tortoise-shelled glasses on and jostled the edge of my sheer pewter drape to see a perfectly clear blue sky. The sunlight filtered through my room, creating tiny prism rainbows on my ceiling. Discovering the source, my heart skipped, a beautiful stainless steel watch sat so casually on my night table. A perfectly indented pillow nestled close to mine. Both subtle reminders that I wasn’t dreaming. The perma-grin etched across my cheeks and my sated, sore body was more evidence of my reality. Like a child on Christmas morning, I was giddy with excitement. I quietly slipped out of bed to look for my present, naked. Mmm. I put on the first thing I saw and peeked my head out of my tiny bedroom alcove. Thank goodness last night was definitely not a dream. Chase leaned against the tiny kitchen island, coffee in hand, thumbing through the morning paper. Shirtless and barefoot with last night’s slacks loosely hanging right below his hips, accentuating those insanely sexy V-cuts and his tattoo. His hard chest and biceps flexed each time he brought the mug to his lips. This was a sight I would never tire of.

His eyes lifted. “Did I wake you?” he asked in a deep and velvety morning voice.

I shook my head no. “Do you ever sleep in?” The clock on the wall read ten to seven.

“This is sleeping in.” He shrugged and opened his arms like an invitation. “Come here. I have an idea I think you’re going to love.”

I walked toward him in my tiny white tank and loose cotton shorts. Typical early morning weekend attire. He pulled me against his hard chest and buried his head in my neck, breathing me in.

“Baby, you smell so good, I just can’t get enough of you.”

“You got in my pants, Chase, you can stop with the flattery.” I grinned wryly and looked in his eyes. I just can’t get enough of you.

“Never, you’re stuck with it ... in and out of your pants.”

I smacked his arm and he playfully tickled me, throwing me over his shoulder.

“Put me down,” I squealed, looking at a perfectly defined ass.

“I’ll put you down right where I want you.” He placed me on the cold bathroom tile and stripped me bare. Dazed by clothes being tossed about and still giggling from his tickling escapade, I was surprised at how quickly his jovial eyes turned purposeful. “Spread your legs a little, let me see.”

Oh no, he isn’t. “See what?”