“Dax, please…”
He didn’t respond, merely continued his exquisite torture, keeping me on edge until I was panting in frustration.
“It’s a long time until December,” he murmured, lifting his eyes to mine. “What we do tonight is going to have to last four months.”
“Oh, god.” I was holding myself up by gripping the edge of the cabinet, and Dax nudged me back until my arse was resting on it. Then he lifted my legs and brought them over his shoulders. I fell back a little, resting on my elbows as he moved back between my legs. His mouth was hot against my sensitive folds and he added a finger, pressing it inside of me. Then two.
I was on the verge again, pleasure sliding down my spine and starting to coil low in my belly. He slowly pulled his fingers out of me and moved them toward my bum. I started when I realized what he was doing. We hadn’t done much in the way of ass play, though we’d talked about it. I was okay with just about anything he wanted to try, but I wasn’t prepared, and when he pressed the tip of his finger in my back hole, I instinctively moved away.
He leaned in and sucked my clit between his lips, biting down lightly. The slight sting of pain made me forget all about what he was doing in my ass, and then everything exploded white. I didn’t know which hole the pleasure was coming from, but it was so strong, it was all-encompassing, and I had no choice but to ride it out.
When I could focus again, Dax had turned off the bathwater and gently lifted me off the counter, putting me into the tub. I held out my hand to him and he removed the rest of his clothing before taking it. He sank in behind me and I rested against his chest.
“That was lovely,” I said in a sleepy, sated voice.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“But you tricked me,” I teased. “Doing all that nonsense with your tongue so I wouldn’t notice what you were doing in my bum.”
“Didn’t you like it?” he asked quietly. “I thought you wanted to try?”
“I did and I do, but I thought we’d discuss it first.”
“We did. You said you wanted to try it at some point, and since you’re leaving tomorrow, I figured that point was tonight.”
We chuckled together and then I sighed. “I’m going to miss this. Miss you.”
“Me too.”
He wrapped his arms tighter around me.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered softly. “Us, I mean. We’re going to be okay.”
“Who are you trying to convince?” I asked. “You or me?”
“Both of us,” I replied. “Because I can’t imagine a world where we go back to being just friends.”
“That’s not going to happen, babe. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
It was a long, passionate night, filled with champagne and cannoli and tender intimacy. Everything that had brought us together in the first place came to the forefront, like a glaring reminder that we had something worth fighting for. Despite the uncertainty of our future, we were so damn good together. And I thought about it all night, long after he’d fallen asleep. I rested in his arms and drank in everything about him. His handsome face, the dark curling hair on his chest, and even the big strong hands I loved so much.
I dozed a little but I could sleep on the flight back to Edinburgh. Mostly I wanted to look at him so I could memorize every single detail that would have to keep me warm the next four months. Maybe longer. There were a lot of questions to answer and none of them were forthcoming. Not now anyway.
“Why are you staring at me?” he asked as dawn was just beginning to break over the horizon.
“I won’t be able to watch you sleep for months,” I whispered. “So I’m enjoying it.”
“I can FaceTime you and let you watch me sleep any time you want,” he chuckled sleepily.
“Not the same as doing it while you’re holding me,” I said.
“Any time you want to come back,” he said, pulling me tighter against him, “I’ll be right here waiting.”
I desperately wanted to believe him, but deep down I was terrified this would be the last time we ever slept together.
22
Dax
With Isla gone, I threw myself into getting my body back in shape for hockey and working with Chains and the martial arts trainer at the gym. I missed her, but the intensity of my new routine kept me far too tired to think about it as much as I’d thought I would. We texted a little each day, but she was back in her lab twelve hours a day and the time difference made it difficult to connect.
She’d only been gone a week when I got a call from Chains.
“I have a job for you,” he said in his clipped British accent.
“I didn’t think I was ready for any jobs,” I responded curiously.
“Well, generally speaking, you’re not, but this is a special thing. Lexi and the new band are playing a show in L.A., and we’ve been hired to provide extra security because Casey is going to make a surprise appearance. It’s not being advertised, of course—she’s simply going to show up—but this is their first show since the showcase they did back in June and I believe tickets sold out within a few hours.”
“And you want me to do what?”
“Obviously, with Casey there, the Royal Protectors are in charge of her protection, as well as King Erik’s since he’s going to be in the audience, but I’ll be providing extra security for the band as well as for Casey’s older daughter, Sasha. I’d like you in the audience. Lexi is going to do a crowd-surfing thing during one of the songs, so your job
