“This is the last of it.”
Calder’s voice draws my eyes up from the bookshelf I’m attempting to assemble. He’s standing in the doorway, holding a cardboard box with the word “Miscellaneous” scrawled across it in Sharpie.
I grin. “Then it’s official?”
He meets my smile with one of his own. “It’s official.”
I leap up and run over to him. He barely has time to drop the box on the counter before I jump into his arms. My arms go around his neck, my legs around his waist. He stumbles back a step, laughing as he holds me up.
“We live together,” I whisper. “We really and truly live together.”
And before he has the chance to respond, I’m kissing him. It seems only right; after nearly six months of dating, Calder Cunningham and I have finally decided to take things to the next level. A week ago we signed the lease on an apartment together, and tonight, for the first time, we will be calling the same place home.
“Mm,” he says against my lips. “What do you say we christen this place?”
He doesn’t wait for my answer. He carries me across the room toward the one corner of the apartment that isn’t covered in boxes or disassembled furniture. I kiss his cheeks, his jaw, his neck as we move, not even bothered that I’m sweaty and smelly from a long day spent hauling everything we own up three flights of stairs. It doesn’t matter where we are or how disgusting I feel—one touch from Calder and I’m lost.
He lowers me to the floor. I dig my fingers into his hair as he presses me down against the carpet.
“Aren’t you tired?” I tease.
“Exhausted,” he says between playful nips at my neck.
“Or hungry?”
He bites me a little harder. “Starving.”
I laugh and tighten my legs around his waist. Oh, yes—I can feel exactly how starved he is.
“You know,” I murmur against his ear. “I bought a housewarming gift for you…”
“Did you now?”
He captures my mouth with his own, sucking my bottom lip between his teeth. I shiver and dig my nails into his back, abandoning myself for the moment to the taste of him, the smell of him, the feel of him. How is it possible to want him this much even now? Wasn’t this fluttery, head-over-heels sensation supposed to fade months ago?
I pull away from him, panting.
“Your present’s in one of the suitcases,” I breathe. “I was going to wear it for you tonight.”
“Mm,” he says, his eyes darkening in pleasure. “Sounds promising.”
“It’s completely sheer.”
“Very, very promising.”
I draw in a breath as his lips find my ear. “You know, you’re going to have to get off of me if you want to see it.”
“Get off? When I already have you right where I want you?” He grinds against me, drawing a gasp from my lungs. “The way I see it, this place has four rooms—”
“Five if you count the bathroom.”
“—and I plan on having you in every one of them before the night is over.” He moves against me again, then leans down to whisper directly in my ear. “Bathroom last. I have a feeling we’re both going to need a nice long shower.”
I shiver. My hands are already clawing at his shirt. Screw the lingerie. There will be plenty of nights to dress up for him.
Calder chuckles and helps me pull the T-shirt over his head. His chest is slick with perspiration, but I don’t care. It only enhances his natural scent, and I bury my face in the place where his neck meets his shoulder, placing kisses along the muscles there.
“I have a present for you, too,” he says.
“You mean the one between your legs?”
He grins. “That too. But I meant something else.” His hands are sliding down my body, over my breasts and toward my waist. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to give it to you.”
I pause in my explorations of his neck. “Is it that complicated?”
“You have no idea.”
I bite my lip. Now I’m extra intrigued.
“It can’t be that difficult,” I say lightly. “Just bring it here and hand it to me.”
“Oh, I plan on it.” His eyes gleam, and the corner of his mouth quirks up. “But not yet. Right now, I have something else in mind.”
I laugh, but the sound twists into a moan as he grinds his pelvis against me yet another time.
“Tease,” I say. “Do you have a gift for me or not?”
“I do.” He slides one of his hands between us. “But you’re going to have to earn it first.”
His fingers work the button of my tattered jeans. I loosen the grip of my legs slightly to give him easier access. My knee hits one of the cardboard boxes beside us, but neither of us stops. I press my fingers against his back and groan as his hand finds its way down inside my pants. His finger brushes against my clit, and my leg jerks. My knee slams into the cardboard box once again, toppling it over, but I don’t care. I’m not sure Calder notices at all.
“Welcome home,” he whispers as he slides his finger between my legs.
Home. We’re both home. After all the ups and downs we’ve encountered, I can hardly believe we’re here. There were times I thought that despite our undeniable passion for each other, we’d never be able to get past our differences. But here we are. Home.
Calder watches the emotions play across my face. His lust-darkened eyes soften slightly.
“What are you thinking?” he asks.
I close my eyes. “That I’m so lucky to have you.”
To think that I once hated this man—that I blamed him for so many things without knowing the true depth of the struggles he faced. We’ve learned, with time, to find strength in each other, to trust each other and work through the rough times together. Not that there aren’t still bumps now and again. I’m still waiting for my dad to come fully around; he’s had a harder time forgiving Calder for what he did to the Frazer Center for the Arts—and for what he believes Calder did to me. I still catch Dad eyeing him sidelong from time to time, for all that Calder treats me like the most precious thing in all the world.
He traces the line of my nose. I can feel his gaze on me even through my closed eyes.
“I think you have it wrong,” he murmurs. “I’m lucky to have you.”
I don’t have to see his face to know what he’s feeling. I was the only one there to see him fall apart after his father’s death. His own sister—the only flesh-and-blood relative he still has on this earth—took off to the other side of the world after the funeral. I watched him struggle with his grief and the loss of the only world he’d ever known. I watched him crumble beneath the weight of it, and I watched him climb out again, all the stronger.
Family quibbles notwithstanding, I wouldn’t change a thing about our relationship. I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my entire life. Calder’s seen parts of my soul that I’ve never shown anyone else, and I know the same is true for him.
I open my eyes, looking up into a face so full of adoration and vulnerability that it makes me want to cry.
“I love you,” I say, reaching up to touch him on the cheek.
He leans down and presses his forehead against mine.
“I love you, too,” he says. He continues to stroke me between the legs, but he’s taking his time now—as if he’d rather savor the task than rush on to the main event. His nose brushes against mine, and his warm breath washes across my cheek. I could stay like this forever, tangled up with him. The way things are going, I doubt we’ll get around to setting up our bed tonight, and it doesn’t even matter. Wherever he is will be the sweetest bed I’ll ever know.
I kiss him again, and he meets my mouth with equal feeling. His hand stills as our lips mingle, and for a moment there’s nothing but shared breath and dancing tongues and the delicious taste of him. Our bodies know each other so well at this point that I swear our hearts beat in time without even trying.
After a few moments, though, things turn heated again. I feel Calder’s muscles start to flex once more beneath my hands, and his limbs go rigid with restraint. I shift slightly, rubbing myself against the hand still between my legs, and he smiles against my mouth and resumes his explorations. One flick of his finger, then another—he knows exactly which touch makes me squirm and which one makes me moan, which one brings me to the edge and which one draws out my pleasure.
I know him, too. And before this is over I’m going to drive him as wild as he’s driving me.
I arch my back, pressing against his hand, and he flicks his fingers, drawing a whimper from my throat. I tug at the waistband of his pants, determined to put him at an equal disadvantage, but I only manage to move it an inch before the buzzing starts.
I jump, startled by the sudden vibrations oscillating dangerously close to my exposed flesh. Calder’s cell phone is ringing, and it’s in his pocket, wedged between our bodies.
And he takes all too much pleasure in my reaction to the interruption.
“This is an opportune little surprise,” he says wickedly, shifting his hips so that his phone is right against me. I gasp as the next set of vibrations pulses right against my bare skin, and my core clenches in response to this new source of stimulation.
“Be… careful…” I manage. “It might… accidentally… pick up…”
His grin deepens as he thrusts his hips again. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
The next time the cell vibrates, I moan and grip him harder. I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. I was already worked up, but this makeshift sex toy is drawing me to the edge very quickly. My entire body quivers with the phone, and my clit is so sensitive now that there are tears forming in my eyes.
When the call finally goes to voicemail, I nearly sob in relief.
“Bastard,” I rasp. “That was unnecessarily cruel.”
He chuckles. “If you think that was cruel, then I have a few surprises for you later.”
I tug his face back down before he has the chance to taunt me further. Every nerve in my body is super-charged. I need him in me. Now.
This time he doesn’t resist my efforts, but I only manage to get his pants to his hips before his phone goes off again.
“Dammit!” The source of the vibrations is lower now, but the pulse is still close enough to the delicate area between my legs to make my muscles quiver and contract. I whimper and writhe beneath Calder. Every pulse is a jolt straight to my core, so intense that the sensations ripple up my belly and down my legs as well.
“Do you really want to escape?” he asks, his voice thick and low in my ear. “Or do you want me to let you come?”
“I… I want…” I can’t even form coherent thoughts anymore. The phone buzzes again, and my nails press deeper into his flesh. “Please… please…”
“Please what? Maybe I should make you wait. I think I’d prefer to feel you come around my cock.”
“Please… ah, fuck!”
The phone vibrates again, and I almost climax… but Calder shifts away at the last minute, denying me my pleasure.
“Fuck you,” I say. “Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you…” One tear manages to spill down over my cheek, but I can’t do anything but shake my head and mutter.
“What do you want?” Calder prompts. “Do you want me to give you release right now? Or would you like me to fuck it out of you?”
I try to respond, but I’m not sure I’m forming real words. He must take pity on me, though, because the next time the phone buzzes he grinds against me. And I completely lose it. Like screaming-and-crying-and-tearing-into-him lose it. I throw my head back against the carpet and let the orgasm overtake me, and I clutch him so hard that I’m sure I draw blood.
I’m not sure how long I lie there afterward, just struggling to see straight again.
“How’s that for a welcome?” Calder says, more than a little amused.
I try to look pissed, but I imagine that the best I’m managing is somewhere between “deliciously satisfied” and “still incredibly aroused.”
“If you think I’m going to let you get away with that,” I say when I can speak once more, “then you don’t know me very well.”
He laughs, but he doesn’t resist when I push him off me and onto his back. He knocks over a garbage bag full of sheets, but that only makes him laugh harder.
“So you think this is funny?” I tease, straddling him. “Just wait until I’m done with you.”
I lean down to attack his mouth, but the minute our tongues meet, his phone goes off again.
“Who the hell…” he says, tearing his mouth away from mine. He slides his hand between us and pulls the buzzing electronic from his pocket. His brow creases slightly when he reads the name, and I sit back.
“What is it?” I ask.
He’s frowning. “Unknown number. But they’ve called me three times.”
That’s weird. “Could it be a client?”
“Perhaps. But I usually keep those numbers on my contacts list.” His frown deepens. “Unless I forgot one. Or maybe Hafford passed my number along to someone.”
Calder has been working for a consulting firm right here in town, and he’s been doing so well that they promoted him last month. His workload is pretty intense, but he’s happy—as happy and fulfilled as I’ve ever seen him. He told me once that he had a knack for numbers, but it turns out that he has no shortage of love for them, too.
Still, he’s not the sort of guy to spend his free time glued to his phone, especially when we’re, erm, in the middle of things. But he looks concerned.
“Do you want to call your office?” I say. It took a little wrangling for him to get today off, and I don’t want him to get in any trouble. “Maybe something important came up.”
I can see the war waging in his eyes, the responsibility fighting the desire. But I kiss him gently on the cheek.
“Go on.” I climb off of him. “We can continue this in a few minutes.”
He nods, resigned, though I can tell he’s as disappointed as I am.
“When I get back,” he says, leaning toward me and brushing his thumb across my bottom lip, “I expect that revenge you promised.”
I grin. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Calder stands and helps me to my feet, then retreats into the second bedroom to make the call. Curious as I am, I resist the urge to follow and eavesdrop. I trust him to tell me if anything serious is going on. It’s probably just an anxious client.
Besides, this little interruption has given me the perfect opportunity to whip out that new lingerie. We’ve spent nearly every night together for the past few months, but we’re no longer bouncing between his place and my place. I want the first night in our place to be extra special.
It takes me several minutes to find the right suitcase among the piles of stuff all over the floor—especially considering how weak my legs still feel beneath me—but I finally spot the purple battered bag behind the door to the kitchen. It’s right next to the carefully packaged Ludlam painting that Calder and I have passed between us over the course of our relationship. Back at the beginning, after seeing how much I loved the piece, Calder tried to give it to me, but I claimed that I could never accept such a valuable gift from him. I don’t have any excuses anymore. It doesn’t matter who “keeps” the painting. It belongs to both of us now.
But I don’t have time to stand here and reminisce. I flash the crate a final smile and slip behind the kitchen door. I’m halfway undressed already, so it only takes me a minute to tug the rest of my clothes off and pull the lacy, slinky babydoll over my head.
I’m adjusting the straps when I hear Calder return.
“Just a minute!” I say. “I want it to be a surprise.”
Calder laughs. “I leave you alone for two minutes and you’re already up to trouble.”
“You’ll enjoy it. I promise.” I untwist the second strap and then run my hands down the length of the garment, ensuring that the sheer fabric lies flush against my body. It clings to me from my barely concealed breasts to the soft curve of my upper thighs. This lingerie certainly doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
“You ready?” I say finally. I peek out at him, then slowly ease my body from behind the door.
Calder’s eyes widen the moment I step into view, but as they sweep down my body—quickly the first time, then with a lingering appreciation the second—they darken and the lids droop into barely concealed lust.
“What do you think?” I ask, shifting my weight so that the lingerie presses against the round shape of my hip.
He responds with a sound very much like a growl.
“Definitely worth the wait,” he says. Then in three strides he’s across the room, grabbing me, crushing his mouth against mine.
I wrap myself around him, inviting him in. His lips blaze across my cheeks, my jaw, my neck.
“You… look… breathtaking…” he murmurs against my throat.
I tilt my head and flick my tongue across his ear. “They’re not making you go in to work, are they?”
“No. No one at the office has any idea who might have called me.” He pauses to suck at the hollow right above my collarbone. “It was probably just a sales call.”
I inhale sharply as Calder’s hand creeps from my lower back across my ass. Before I’m even aware we’ve moved, he’s backed me against the wall, his body hovering over mine.
“Even if they had called me in,” he says, his voice low and rough, “there’s no way I could have torn myself away from you. Not after seeing you in this.” He grabs the bottom edge of the lingerie between two fingers and slides it up over my hip. “There’s only one thing I plan on doing tonight, and that’s fucking you senseless.”
He presses his knee between my legs, forcing me to part them, and I willingly submit. My hands fly to the front of his pants, and in three seconds they’re undone and I have his hard length in my hand.
Calder groans as I rub him, but neither of us has the patience for any more foreplay. I guide him between my legs, then throw my arms around his neck as he lifts then lowers me slowly onto his cock. I curl my fingers in his hair as he fills me. His breath is ragged against my ear, his hands blazing hot against my thighs.
When he begins to move, it’s not with careful, measured strokes. We’re past the point of restraint. Instead, he drives into me again and again until the world is spinning around me. My head slams into the wall with every thrust and the lingerie bunches and chafes around my waist, but I don’t care. There’s only Calder wrapped around me and the pleasure building between my legs. The rest doesn’t matter.
The muscles are tightening inside of me, and I twist my grip on Calder’s hair. He moans, but if I’m causing him any pain he doesn’t complain. If anything, my desperate clutching only seems to spur him on, and he moves against me with greater force. I gasp and cling to him, until finally my body can’t take any more and the pleasure explodes through me. I throw my head back against the wall as I hurtle over the edge, and my orgasm seems to bring Calder very quickly to his own. He grunts and thrusts into me once, twice, three more times—and then I feel a rush of warmth as he fills me.
Afterward, we lean against the wall for some time before either of us manages to speak.
“I think,” Calder murmurs, “we might have to apologize to all of our new neighbors.”
“What?” It takes my sex-addled brain a minute to grasp his meaning. “Oh. Oh.”
My cheeks go hot, and I should be embarrassed, but all I can do is giggle. Calder joins in, wheezing and laughing right along with me, and I can only imagine that our neighbors on the other side of the wall must now think us insane as well as sex crazed.
When we calm down, Calder pushes my hair back from my face and looks down into my eyes.
“I love you,” he says softly.
“I love you, too.” I lean up and kiss him on the lips. My body feels languid and heavy and satisfied, and after a long day of moving and our recent exertions, I just want to sink into him and go to sleep.
“I take it you liked your present, then,” I say, sliding the lingerie back down over my hips. Not that it covers anything.
“I think you already have your answer to that,” he says, amusement playing about his eyes. “But yes, I liked it very, very much.”
“Didn’t you say you had something for me, too?”
The corner of his mouth curls up. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Well?” I poke him playfully on the chest. “Are you going to give it to me?”
“Hm.” He takes my hand and lifts it to his face as if inspecting the fingers one by one. “That’s a good question.”
“Don’t tease me.”
His smile broadens. “Tease you? Where’s the fun in that?” He flips my hand and presses a kiss against my palm, but he offers nothing else.
“I see what you’re doing,” I say. We’ve played this little game often enough. “You want me to beg for it.”
“Not precisely.” He plants another kiss at the base of my wrist. “I was rather thinking you might play for it.”
“Play?” I find that I’m smiling in spite of myself. Why am I not surprised by this turn of events?
“Nothing complicated,” he says. “And I’ll play fair, I promise.”
“Since when was trusting your promises a good idea?”
He grins and kisses my hand again. This time, though, he slips his tongue between two of my fingers, sending a shiver all the way up my arm.
“What if I lose?” I say.
He gives another flick of his tongue before looking up at me again. “You’ll just have to make sure you don’t.”
“What if I don’t want to play?”
That gets a raised eyebrow from him. He straightens and drops my fingers, then cups my face between both of his hands.
“Oh, you want to play. You can deny it all you want, sweet one, but I know you. And you never turn down a challenge.” His eyes gleam devilishly. “Our little games excite and arouse you as much as they do me.”
I’m about to argue that the response of my body has less to do with his proposal than it does with the fact that we’re still mostly naked and pressed up against each other—but even I know that that’s a lie. I don’t have to say anything. He reads the truth on my face.
“Trust me,” he says in a honey-sweet tone that turns my insides to mush. “This will be a game that you’ll never forget.”