Miles for Love Series Box Set, page 103
When our lips finally part for a split second, I’m breathless. “I need you.” I gasp, almost in a cry for mercy. His touch is the cure for me for everything. He kisses me deeper, sweeping his tongue fully into my mouth, and as we continue kissing like it’s our last kiss ever, our lips don’t part. Tyler is a master in the art of kissing, with a technique that touches me in all the right places, sucks, nips at my lips and tongue, all the while guiding me and delighting me with his hands and fingers. I can’t get enough of it.
I pull away, begging. “I need you now.” I can feel the lump at the back of my throat as I say this, and I hear the crack in my voice.
He hears it, too, and pulls back. With ragged breaths, his face is so close that our noses are almost touching. His voice is low, sultry, yet tender. An odd combination that only Tyler can pull off. “You sure?” his eyes are so unsure, and I get it. He doesn’t want to feel like he’s taking advantage of a vulnerable woman, so to speak, considering that my husband just died today. He probably feels like he’s added to the whirlwind of emotions by the visit to this potential future house for us, but in truth, if it weren’t for Tyler, I’d be a serious mess. He’s my salvation. He’s exactly what I need. He is my guardian angel.
I nod and kiss him deeply, feeling my eyes wet with tears. His hands slide over my face, and he feels a tear with his thumb. Pulling back, he kisses my tears, all the way down my face, to my neck, to my chest, as he lifts my shirt, gaining access to my bra. He stops for a moment, only to remove his shirt, pulling it over his head, and then he proceeds to pull mine over my head. His lips find mine again, as my hand reaches down to the button on his pants, and I undo them, forcing them and his underwear down to his ankles, and then hooking my toe in, pulling them all the way off, until he steps out of them.
He does the same with mine, as I unhook my bra. We make quick work of getting naked, and then I pull myself close to him, while he kisses me voraciously. With the skin-to-skin contact, it’s making me so needy I can’t stand it. “I need you.” I say desperately, as my voice cracks again. Another tear falls down my face as Tyler kisses down my neck, and cradles my buttocks with his hands, lifting me onto the back of the couch. The leather is soft and warm against my skin, as he trails kisses down my chest, and begins sucking my nipples, making my head rear back.
Reaching his girth, I pull the head to my entrance, and guide it in. I’m so desperate for him it’s like his cock is my oxygen supply. As he enters me, I groan, feeling my eyes roll back into my head. I need him so bad. “Oh…God…fuck me.” I breathe, so hungry for him I don’t know who I am right now. With that, he moves in and out slowly, deeply.
“Mmm…” I moan in such a tenor voice I don’t recognize it. “Tyler,”
“Mm hmm…?” he says, drawing my nipple in and out of his mouth, elongating it.
“What did you mean when you said that we’ll fill the house over time…you…sidestepped your answer…” I breathe, wondering why the hell I’m asking him this at such a time.
He doesn’t hesitate when he answers. He pulls my nipple out again before answering in a sultry, low voice, “Babies…lots and lots of babies…” he says, and continues sucking while filling me deeply.
“Oohhh…” I mewl. “God, Tyler…where have you been all my life?”
“I’ve been here the whole time, my love.” He whispers against my breast, and then he pulls out and drops to his knees, burying his head in my folds, making me hang on to the back of the couch for dear life. He takes my flesh into his mouth and sucks it back, in and out, and I’m guessing that it feels to me exactly how it feels to him when I suck him like that. When he pulls back, he asks. “Can you hang on up there, or do you want to move to the seat?”
I answer by moaning, as he buries his head again, not waiting for me to respond verbally. When my clit is sufficiently standing up, engorged, he licks it with the tip of his tongue, driving me insane. Thank God we’re in the basement. If we were upstairs, I’m sure that the neighbors could hear me roar. He lifts slightly, caressing my rear with his hands, I’m guessing to ensure that I don’t fall off, and also so he can pleasure my rear, pulling me close.
His technique is apt as he sucks and licks in all the right spots, making me climb within a couple of minutes. While on the edge, I groan loudly, begging him not to stop, and he licks faster, driving me over the edge, as I dig my nails into the back of the couch. I’m shouting aloud on exhale, absorbing the explosive pleasure that my love is bringing me. Even after the initial, volcanic wave passes, the aftershocks are extraordinary. As I slowly enjoy the gradual letdown, I softly place one hand on his head, letting him know to stop. He slowly comes to a stop, and then he kisses the insides of my thighs.
“Feel better, sweetheart?” he asks, kissing my neck, and then my lips.
“A hundred times better.” I pant, pulling him close, so his cock is at my entrance. With my hand, I guide him inside, and watch his face as he enters. His eyes are on mine, and it’s such a sultry yet loving look in his eyes, I’d like to pin it to memory. The way he looks at me, no matter when, is something to behold. Tyler tells me he loves me with his eyes. All. The. Time. As he starts moving, he grunts softly. “Feel good, baby?” I ask him in a whisper, loving how he looks when he makes love to me.
He leans in and kisses me semi-chastely. “So good, baby. I love making love to you.”
The way he says that gives me delicious shivers. He drives into me faster, with his hands on my rear, which gives me thrills. The more he thrusts, the more ragged his breathing becomes, and when he begins kissing me, deliciously forcing his tongue inside my mouth, I know he’s getting close. I love it that he wants to kiss me as he gets there. It’s a sexy way to communicate, and it makes me feel it more. He lets out a soft grunt against my lips, and I feel his cock turn to steel, as my insides lock up, feeling my release with him. His thrusts turn less rhythmic as he absorbs his orgasm, holding his breath as his eyes shut tight, making me cry out as the waves of pleasure overcome me.
As he thrusts a final time, his arms embrace me, and our hearts beat fast together. His head snuggles into my neck as he comes down with me. My arms snake around his neck, holding him close, feeling so close to him it’s almost unimaginable. “God, I love you to heaven and back, baby.” He whispers.
“I love you, too. All of me.”
He lifts his head and kisses my lips once, twice, a dozen times. “Is your butt numb yet?”
“No. I’m fine. Couch sex is underrated.” I giggle.
“Really. Well, we’ll have to keep that in mind.”
After we clean up and get dressed again, he takes my hand in his. “God, we didn’t even make it to the bedroom.”
“That’s the effect you have on me.” I wink.
He chuckles warmly. “You tired after that? You want to go and snuggle by the fire?”
“Sounds wonderful.” I gush.
We go and bring our stuff to the bedroom, getting settled in, and then we head out to the living room, and start the fire. We’re laying on the couch, listening to the cracking of the wood, fingers interlaced, enjoying laying in each other’s nakedness, when my cell phone rings. “I should have known that I would have to turn back into a pumpkin some time.” I comment, as I rise from the couch.
“You don’t have to answer it, Ripley.” Tyler suggests.
“I can’t keep running away from my problems.” I contest, looking at the phone. “It’s Paul’s mother.”
“Let it go to voicemail.” He says warmly, with that loving look in his eyes.
“I can’t. She’s so sweet. Believe me, if you knew her, you would understand.” I explain, answering the call. I go to the bedroom, grabbing my robe, so I don’t feel so exposed talking to my mother-in-law. Five minutes later, I know what I need to know, and she ends the call. Joining Tyler in the living room, he rests his head on the couch, giving me an expectant look.
“She wanted to tell me the funeral details.” I say reluctantly.
Tyler takes my hand in his and gives it a kiss. “Are you okay?”
I shrug. “I suppose.” I bite my lip, staring at a spot on the wall.
Tyler sits up to face me. “You know, Ripley, you don’t have to go. I’m sure Paul’s family will understand.”
“No. I should go.” I say, trying to convince myself. “Give some closure.”
“Whatever you think will help, babe.” He says, stroking the inside of my palm with his thumb.
I look at him, thinking I must be crazy to ask him this question, but I do anyway. “Will you come with me?”
His eyes look like dinner plates when he answers. “Ripley, I’d do anything for you.”
Chapter 23
Tyler
Grant helps me with the last of my stuff. I only bring my clothes and my gym equipment. Plus a few sentimental things I’ve kept over the years, packing it all into the back of my truck. Surprising me, Grant was kind of upset that I decided to move out. Like me, he doesn’t like to live alone, either. So he says that he’ll consider having a roommate. “You sure you two don’t want to just move in with me?” Grant suggests, making me feel even more guilty.
“Na, Ripley and I love Jeff’s old place. Plus, we’d like to…I guess…start our life together, you know? I suppose that’s more the reason why we wanted to live together. She needed to get out of that house. It wasn’t healthy for her staying there.”
“No, I get that, man. Totally.” Grant raises a hand for emphasis. “So, was it weird going to the funeral?”
“No, not really.” I admit. “Paul’s family is really nice. Plus, Frankie went, too. I think her family thought that me and Frankie were an item. That’ll be a shock if they ever find out.”
“Do they know that the place is up for sale?”
“Yeah, and they figured as much. Who would want to live there after that?”
“True.”
“So, I guess you’ll have yourself a little bachelor pad here, huh.”
“Maybe.” He frowns. “It was never a problem, anyway.”
Grant walks to his bedroom, and I go into the bathroom, making sure that I got all my toiletries, and there’s a small bracelet sitting under the toothbrush cup. I pick it up and notice that it has an insignia with an ‘ST’ on it. “What’s this?”
He takes a few steps my way, and recognition comes to his face. “Oh, that. That’s um…” he searches for the lie.
“’S. T.’ wouldn’t be Stacey, would it?”
“Yeah,” he admits.
I give him a look. “Are you out of your fucking mind?” my voice is low, angry.
He scratches his head. “Look, just…stay out of it.”
“Do you forget what kind of shit she put you through? What are you…that fucking desperate? You dumped Frankie for her?”
“You don’t fucking understand, man.” He shouts, shocking me. I had no idea he felt this passionate about her. I figured it was just a fling with an old flame. I figured he’d say that it was a one-night stand with her and now it’s over. Not so much. “I never stopped fucking loving her, man. It’s complicated as shit, I know. But she’s here, and I’ve never been able to stop thinking about her since she left. Yeah, I ditched Frankie because of her, fine. There, I admitted it. I didn’t want Stacey knowing about her. I wanted the first thing she saw when she saw me was me. I know it sounds fucking twisted and stupid, but you don’t understand.”
He takes a second to catch his breath. He’s so adamant his chest is heaving. “If Ripley ever left you, and then came back, you’d understand.”
“Not if she was fucking around on me, I wouldn’t.”
“You say that now, man, but you don’t know. Love is love. You know that. You forgive and forget when you love someone enough. If Ripley did that to you and came back, saying that she’d pined for you for all those years, you’d be back with her so fast your fucking head would spin.”
“And how do you know that you’re not just another stepping-stone for her, man. How do you know that she isn’t going to fuck around on you again? And…let me ask you this…did she fuck around on her husband, too? Is that why he divorced her?”
His arms flail in the air. “I don’t fucking know! It’s none of my fucking business! I’m not about to ask her, man…all she does is fucking cry when the subject comes up! I’m not going to make her cry, man!”
“It’s an act, Grant. I’m telling you.” I warn.
“Ty…I was away in Afghanistan when all that shit went down.”
“I was there, too, remember?” I point out.
“So…how could I have asked her to stay faithful to me all that time?”
“If she loved you, she would have, man. Lots of couples do that.”
He rakes a hand through his hair. “Well, I love her, man. You should understand that. You’re in love with Ripley, aren’t you.”
“I think you’re playing with fire, man.” I say honestly, handing him the bracelet. “I don’t think she ever loved you, not the way that you loved her. I think you’re going to get hurt again. It took you how many years to get over her—”
He cuts me off. “I never did get over her, man. That’s the thing.”
“I think you did. But I think that you just never met a woman you could really love since then. And I also think that you didn’t give Frankie a fighting chance.”
“Fuck you.” He whines. “Me and Frankie were together longer than you and Ripley were, and look at the two of you.”
“That’s different. Ripley and I became close friends first. Then we fell in love. I think you were just afraid to get close to Frankie. I think that’s the last part of getting over Stacey; letting someone else in.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m getting close, aren’t I?”
“Fuckoff.”
I shake my head as he walks away. I’m about to say something else, but I leave it alone. When he’s pissed like that, it’s best to just let it go. He’ll figure it out. Grant is surprisingly sensitive when it comes to women. Aside from Stacey, he’s never been in a serious relationship, and it seems like every time there’s potential for one, he pulls back. I head out the door, hoping that Grant will show a little sentiment at my departure, seeing as we’ve lived together for as long as I can remember, even in Afghanistan, but as I wait, taking way longer than usual to tie my shoes, he doesn’t appear.
“I’m outta here, man.” I say loud enough for him to hear.
He ignores me. I leave. When I get to the house, Ripley is putting all the dishes away in the kitchen. She’s brought her stuff from the house. Frankie is there helping her. “Hey,” Frankie says, smiling at me.
“Hey there. Thanks for lending a hand.” I say, giving Ripley a kiss hello.
“Ripley sucks at packing and unpacking. Someone had to help.”
“Did you get all the rest of your stuff?” Ripley asks me.
“Yeah.”
“Was Grant upset when you left?”
I sigh, raking a hand through my hair. “No, not really. But mostly because we had a fight.”
“Uh oh.” Ripley says. “Was it anything serious?”
“No. We’ll get over it. We always do.” I shrug, taking a casserole dish from Frankie, who nudges my leg as she kneels on the floor, unpacking a box.
“He’s not pissed that you’re moving, is he?” Frankie asks.
“Pissed, no. But he was a little upset.” I admit. “He’s going to get a roommate. He’s like me; he hates living alone.”
“Aww…” Ripley frowns. “I feel so bad.”
“Please don’t.” I say, kissing her. “He’s a big boy. He can handle it.”
“He’ll get a roommate in no time. That house is nice.” Frankie comments. “Shit, if it weren’t for us breaking up, I’d live there. I’m getting sick of living with my mom. I’ve got to get my own place.”
“What’s stopping you?” I ask.
“Waiting for my divorce settlement to come through.” She explains. “It shouldn’t be much longer. But there’s no point in me moving forward until that’s all clear. I mean, I have a bit of a nest egg, but not enough to even put a down payment on a house.”
“I could loan you some cash until it goes through.” I offer.
“Thanks, but, no…Grant offered me the same, but I’m serious, it won’t be long. Another month or so, max.”
“You want to stay with us until you get a place?” Ripley offers.
She guffaws. “Yeah, right. Like I’m going to be the one to interrupt your little love nest here. No.”
“Please.” Ripley says flatly. “Do you see how big this house is? We wouldn’t even know you were here.”
“Yeah, you could even live in the basement. We’d never know.” I add.
“Seriously, guys, I appreciate it. But in all honesty, my mom is begging me to live with her permanently. I’m actually considering buying a bigger house for her, and getting one with an in-law suite, so we can live together. I haven’t thought it out completely yet, but I’m thinking about it.”
“You sure you can handle living with your mother permanently?” Ripley barks. “I’ve been around you long enough to know that that could be a problem. Remember, your mother is very nosey and overbearing.”
“Why do you think that me and Grant did all of our canoodling at his place?”
I can’t help but smile. “Canoodling?”
“Shut up.” She rises, smacks me on the shoulder with her hand, and I feign hurt, making her hit me again. “Besides, any guy I meet better have his own place, or forget it.”
“Says the girl who’s currently cohabitating with her mother.” I point out, which receives yet another smack. “Keep hitting me and I’m hitting back.” I tease. It’s like having my sister Mallorie around again.
“Cut it out, you two.” Ripley warns, smiling.
“Not that there was a ton of canoodling going on, anyway.” Frankie adds. “We did it like five or ten times, that was it.”
“T. M. I.” I say, covering my ears with my hands.
She hits me again, and I grab her like I’m going to do the dip with her on the dance floor, giving her a noogie. She squeals playfully, and Ripley comes over and tickles her belly, helping me out. “You traitor!” she shouts at Ripley. When I let her go, she hits me again, and I raise my finger at her in warning. “You don’t scare me.” she comments, and I flex my arm, teasing her. “Please.” She scoffs.
