Three Sweet Nothings (Blindfold Club 5)

Her voice was uneven, but the words powerful. “I . . . love you, too.”

Breath left me in a loud burst. Her words wrapped me in warmth, and before the desire could register, she was in my arms, her legs folded around my waist. Her kiss was ferocious.

Her hands threaded through my hair as I stumbled forward, striding toward the couch without breaking our connection.

“Please,” she whispered between kisses. “Say it again.”

Her plea was the sweetest thing ever; how could I not? “I love you.”

I lowered her down and she cried out, as if my words were the relief she’d been desperate for her whole life. A different kind of pleasure burned through my veins. I’d been so nervous to tell her, I’d never considered how much I might actually like saying it.

“I love you,” I said again, stunned at how good it felt.

She moaned as I settled her back on the couch and trailed kisses down her naked body. I moved my lips over her trembling belly and worked lower.

Each time I said it, my voice was stronger. “I love you.”

“Wow,” she whispered. “You feel strongly about it.” A soft smile broke on her lips.

I nodded. “I do, Ruby. It bears repeating.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing it.”

Tariq Crawford’s counter offer of alimony was so low, it was offensive.

I stared at my email in disbelief. Crawford was making millions a year, and Courtney only wanted a fraction of that. She wasn’t greedy, but if she was going to go back to school and get her master’s, she’d need financial support.

Her husband had dragged her around with his career. He’d been drafted to one team and traded to another a year later, before ending up with Chicago. He’d also been on injured reserve with a torn ACL once, and she’d been the one to make sure he went to all his rehab sessions. She’d helped him get back out on the field. So in my mind, Courtney was owed her fair share of the Crawford assets.

It annoyed me this hadn’t already been settled. There weren’t children. Both parties wanted to dissolve the marriage. Division of assets shouldn’t take this long; no one was fighting over spoons. Fucking hell, a lengthy divorce wasn’t fun for anyone involved.

And the sooner Courtney put Tariq in her rearview mirror, the sooner she’d hopefully be able to see Julius as more than just a friend.

I couldn’t talk about the divorce with Ruby, even in generalities. She’d know instantly which case I was referring to. She wasn’t helping on Tariq’s case anymore, but she was still working for opposing counsel’s firm. Neither of us spoke about it, not wanting to accidentally put the other in an awkward position.

It was one of the only things I didn’t talk about with my girlfriend. That, and the blindfold club.

After our failed dinner at Celeste, Ruby and I ordered Thai food, talked about everything, and then I’d fucked her on my ridiculous blue couch. My dick couldn’t get enough of her. Actually, all of me couldn’t get enough.

It’d been two weeks since I’d dropped those three crucial words, and I hadn’t had an issue since. She stuttered at times of stress and perhaps I had something similar, like a stutter block whenever it came to her. But I’d discovered when I put my lips on her, it disabled the block and I could open up.

Her text message came through at a quarter to five as I was finishing up at the office.

Noemi and Joseph were coming over for drinks tonight. Potentially more, if everyone was comfortable with that.

I was beyond fucking excited. Not just at the idea of watching her with another woman, but to give her an experience she’d been interested in for a long time. Getting to peek behind the curtain and watch Joseph interact with his sub was also something I was looking forward to.

Ruby and I had been wading in the waters of a D/s relationship, going a little deeper every few days, but tonight could be the plunge we needed to make it official.

She arrived at my place at six thirty, bringing in a box of macarons and two bottles of wine. “I didn’t know if red or white was better.”

She handed them to me, put her coat in the mudroom, and then looked lost. Unsure of what to do.

“You look fucking amazing.”

Although her sand-colored top was loose-fitted, the way it hung flattered. The neckline was low cut, showing off her excellent cleavage, and her tight, shiny black leggings ended in a pair of fuck me black stilettos. The thought of bending her over the counter and fucking her right now was very, very tempting.

“Thank you.” She slid up to me and laced her fingers together behind my neck. “So do you, counselor.”