SWNOVELS Miss Belief: Chapter 28
“Wow. That was unexpected.”
We lay naked and entangled in the bed as our breathing finally returned to normal. I was in awe. Sex with Reid had been incredible.
“Should I be insulted you didn’t expect it to be amazing?” Humor infused his words.
“No, I meant I had no clue you were interested in, you know, more than a friend and fake girlfriend.” For all I knew, this had only been about sex, and yet every fiber of my being hoped it involved more than a convenient release.
He rolled to his side, so he could face me. “The tongue down your throat earlier didn’t clue you in I might want more than friendship?”
“So your ex could witness it? No.”
His forehead crinkled up. “What are you talking about?”
“The kiss. Vanessa was standing behind us, so I figured it was for her benefit. Although your whispered words were definitely not for her, so I was confused.”
He shook his head. “I had no idea she was there. Hopefully, by now you realize this is real.”
I decided to put a toe into the water to check the temperature of the relationship. “What is ‘this,’ exactly?”
“What do you want it to be?”
Shit. He’d turned my question around. “I don’t— I mean, I’m not sure.” I wasn’t convinced he was completely over his ex. This could potentially be rebound sex for him. Or it could be something more. It wasn’t as if I’d ever been in a relationship and knew what to expect.
“How long have you been thinking about something more physical?”
I decided to share a version of the truth. “Our first kiss was more than I was expecting too. But I thought you were unaffected.”
His eyes went big. “I was the opposite of unaffected.”
“You were af-fected?” I teased.
“To the point of second-guessing this entire idea. Because how do you fake it with someone you’re actually attracted to?”
Blink. Blink. Blink. “Good question.”
Tell him.
Shut up, stupid internal voice. You just had incredible sex, you do not need to go and tell him you’ve had a crush on him for the past year. You don’t know what will happen after this weekend. You need to go with the flow.
I watched him get up to take care of the condom and immediately missed his heat.
“What, um, made you decide to take a chance?” I asked.
“After your slip this morning in saying you were turned on by our snuggle, I remembered the psychic’s clue that you were too shy to make the first move. So I thought I’d take the chance you might feel the same as me.”
“I’m glad you did.”
He got back into the bed, gathering me close and kissing my lips. “Me too.”
Finding myself in Reid’s arms in the morning was like a dream, one I didn’t want to wake up from. I feared the AM would bring about some degree of regret on his part or a confirmation he’d been acting on the rebound.
So much for going with the flow. So much for being content to see this through one step at a time. Dammit, I was overanalyzing it.
“Mm, for a non-morning person you are awfully awake already.”
I grinned into my pillow. “I was thinking this is déjà vu of yesterday morning.”
He pushed against me. “Except we’re quite naked, and I don’t have to go take a shower to relieve myself in secret, and you won’t have to play with your toy once I’ve left. By the way, I have plans tonight for you and your little toy.”
I loved how hot he was in the bedroom. It was so unexpected. “You positive we need to attend the wedding today? I can concoct much better activities to keep us busy.”
“Me too. At least we have a few hours before I need to be anywhere.”
I gasped when his fingers came around to play with my clit, the hardness behind me making me wet with anticipation.
“Shit,” he cursed when I moved so he could notch himself between my thighs.
“Keep saying that, and a girl is bound to get a complex.”
He chuckled in my ear. “We used my one and only condom. I’ll need to go find a shop that’s open at this hour.”
“Shit,” I echoed, making us both crack up. “I suppose it’s been awhile since you’ve had to use condoms?”
“I always used condoms. Vanessa had a thing about taking the pill, so I always wore them. Honestly, I don’t think she enjoyed the idea of me coming inside of her.”
I started coughing for the same reason I’d choked on my drink last night, prompting Reid to thwack me between my shoulders yet again this weekend.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you have quite a problem with swallowing.”
We faced one another now. “But you do know better.”
“I do know.” He pulled away. “Give me a few minutes to, um, deflate the situation so I can go downstairs. Unless you’re on birth control and want to talk about going without?”
My eyes widened at the magnitude of the conversation. It was one I’d never had with a man. “I’m on the pill, and I have absolutely no opposition to you coming inside of me. You’d be the first.”
His eyes went dark with desire. “I’m clean. To be safe, I got tested after Vanessa cheated. But I’ve never not used a condom, not with anyone.”
“I’m clean too, so we’re okay without a condom?”
His face heated. “If it’s too soon—”
“It’s not.” He’d never gone without a condom, not even in his long-term relationship. But he wanted to go bare now, with me.
Gah, don’t read into it. The best way to keep from more overthinking was to straddle the gorgeous man beside me. Judging from his expression, he was a fan.
“You going to do all the work?” he quipped, bringing up my joke from yesterday.
“Sure, baby, you just lie there and enjoy,” I purred, wrapping my fingers around his cock and squeezing.
“Jesus, is it wrong to find that kind of hot?”
I giggled, loving his playful side in the bedroom. “No, but it does mean I’d miss out on you grabbing my ass as I ride you.”
“Fuck,” he muttered, his eyes widening as I rose up above him, notching the head of his cock against my opening.
But it was my turn to curse as I fed him inside of me and felt a twinge of pain from his size. Maybe this wasn’t the best position given how large he was.
“Are you wet enough?” he asked, moving his fingers to my clit.
“Maybe not.” I let out a shriek when he flipped me on my back and dove between my legs. “You can’t do that— We had sex last night, and I haven’t showered.”
“As if I care,” he murmured a split second before my clit went between his teeth. I whimpered when he plunged his fingers inside of me.
He teased me until I was practically clawing at the bed. His fingers moved in and out of my slick entrance while his talented mouth traveled south. I inhaled when his tongue speared into me while his thumb rubbed my clit with diabolical attention. “Come for me now.”
The gentle demand was all it took. My body went taut, melting from the scorching wave of heat that rolled through me from head to toe. I came with an explosive cry.
My muscles were still spasming when he flipped us back into our previous position with me straddling him.
“Put me inside of you,” he panted, holding my hips so I had leverage to impale myself on his shaft.
His eyes closed, and he heaved a hiss between his teeth.
“Too tight?”
“No. God, but the sensation is so fucking good to be inside of you bare.”
My eyes met his, heightening the intensity of the moment. I placed my hands on his chest and sank down to take him to the root, reveling in the fullness for a moment before I rose up and began to ride him.
I controlled the rhythm at first, but soon he was thrusting up as I ground down. We were both chasing an orgasm, but it was me who got there first, detonating atop him. I felt his fingers grip me close as he thrust up one last time, holding me still as he emptied himself deep inside of me.
Jesus. I knew without a doubt I was ruined for any other man. But now wasn’t the time to freak out about it.
There was a delicious soreness between my legs and a permanent smile on my face by the time we dressed for the wedding. Although I cringed at the amount of money Reid had spent on my dress, I had to admit the floral print wrap dress looked great. I twisted my hair up in a simple updo and put extra effort into my makeup.
As I fastened my earrings in the bedroom mirror, he came up behind me to drop a kiss on my bare shoulder. “You look beautiful. The Marc Jacobs was a good choice.”
“Who?”
He chuckled. “The designer.”
The fact he remembered when I did not should have been a reminder of our different worlds.
“I forgot how nice it is you don’t care about stuff like that.”
“Is it?” My question sounded casual, yet the meaning behind it wasn’t as I could feel my insecurities threaten to take over.
He only smiled. “Of course. Now then, you ready to go downstairs, so we can get this evening over with and return to the room?”
I turned around to smooth my hands down the front of his tuxedo. “Seeing you in this tux makes me wish we could skip the wedding altogether.”
He smiled. “Me too, but we’ll cut the night short and be back up here in no time.”
Twenty minutes later, pictures of the bridal party were underway. I didn’t miss the way Vanessa stood closer to Reid than necessary, and touched him incessantly. When he murmured something to her, she laughed as if they’d shared a private joke. My stomach clenched, jealousy a tough emotion to tamp down. Too bad there wasn’t a pre-wedding open bar. At least Ellen provided a great distraction.
“If you ever end up in the Washington, DC, area, Phil and I would love to see you again. Or, hey, Phil said Reid might be moving to Sydney. So maybe we’ll make a trip down under to visit you two.”
Her words reminded me that I probably wouldn’t see them again in the future, and also how my days with Reid were numbered if he did take the job. “It would be great to have you visit.” I meant the words even if they weren’t going to come true. Reid and I hadn’t talked about a future. Beyond tonight, there might not be one.