Overwhelmed by You (Tear Asunder 2)

He was talking softly to Clifford, his hand resting on his thick neck and Clifford was arching around with his head tilted as if he was listening to him.

It was so unusual for Clifford to not nip and play and nudge. He just curled around Ream with his neck, head low, lips lazy, and ears flopping out to the side listening. I knew it was a moment I wanted to capture in a painting. I’d hang it across from my bed so I could wake up to it every morning. My two men.

Ream took me out for dinner nearly every night, and he admitted it was selfish because he wanted me all to himself. He came with me to my nutritionist appointment Matt had set up. Ream did most of the talking, adamant that the diet was doing more detriment than good by the way I was eating. He went on about needing more proteins and different ways to get more weight on me without compromising the specific diet of very little fats. I sat back silently listening because really it was amusing and I was getting a kick out of it.

I was thankful the woman wasn’t a push over under Ream’s badgering, and she smiled at me kindly before she put him in his place and told him he’d be uninvited to the next appointment if he refused to tone down his attitude and be quiet.

I laughed, which made Ream scowl and had the nutritionist looking at both of us like we were crazy. Then Ream listened while the nutritionist and I figured out a plan where I would hopefully stop losing weight, but still keep the fat content to a minimum.

Finally, it was the night of my gallery showing and I was excited, nervous, and a little apprehensive at seeing Lance again with Ream there. Okay, very apprehensive. I’d spoken to Lance a few times, although always when Ream was at the recording studio, and he was cool about everything and nothing was awkward between us. Although when I asked him about why he called Ream when we were at the cottage, all he said was that he was looking for me to discuss a sale. The thing was, the sale never came through. Lance said the guy changed his mind.

I finished putting on my lip gloss then stood up straight. The reflection staring back at me was the same, except for the two scars that were fading but still visible even with cover-up. But it wasn’t that which made me look different, it was the lightness in my eyes. I felt it. Telling Emily had lifted a huge heaviness off me, even more so when nothing changed between us. And Ream … Ream was sweet, but most of the time he was bossy and possessive. I thought I’d get annoyed at all his texts, but when I heard my phone beep, I smiled and couldn’t wait to see what he wrote.

“Jesus.”

I spun around in my six inch red heels and black low backed dress. Ream stopped in the doorway to our washroom and stared. It made me feel beautiful; shit, he made me feel that way.

“Baby, you look fuckin’ hot.” He strode over to me, his hands on my hips as he yanked me into him so we both faced the mirror. He bent his head and kissed the naked spot just between my neckline and my shoulder. “God, I love you.”

Tingles sprinkled my skin at his raspy whisper. His hands ran up my sides to my ribs and back down again to settle on my hips. He nibbled my ear, taking the pearl earring into his mouth. “I can’t wait to strip you out of this tonight. Keep on the heels though, hot stuff. I want to fuck you wearing those.”

I clamped my legs together because I wasn’t wearing panties and I so didn’t want to have to get changed after hearing what he wanted to do to me. The no panties was a surprise for later.

His hand reached down lower and I could feel the edge of my dress inching up. I grabbed his hand before he discovered the no panties and had me up on the counter and forgetting that I had a show to get to before the guests arrived.

“I have to go. I need to make sure everything is set up.” I turned around in his arms and he groaned with frustration before he kissed me. His mouth fused over mine, tongue pushing past my teeth and tasting of toothpaste and apple. I sagged against him for a few moments, melting in his arms, feeling like I could just stay here forever and be kissed by him. When his hand went down between my legs again, I smacked him on the chest, pulling away.

He chuckled and I loved the sound of it. It made me giddy that I could do that to him because Ream was too serious most of the time. I loved that we could play and laugh, and I suspected I was the only one who really got to witness that as often as I did.

“I’d love nothing more than for you to go down on me and have me screaming your name …” He chuckled again because we both knew it wouldn’t be that. It would be him inside me and taking me on the counter against the mirror. “But I’m meeting the caterers in a half hour.”

“Lance going to be there?” His body went stiff and the playful look vanished. “I don’t like the idea of you being alone with that fuckhead.”

“No, he’s coming later. But he knows I’m with you. He was cool at the hospital. And I talked to him the other—”

His eyes narrowed. “You saw him at the hospital?” Ream’s lips tightened.

I sighed, running my fingers through his hair. “Baby, he just wanted to make sure I was okay. It was no big deal.” Ream’s face relaxed as I continued to stroke his hair and the back of his neck. “You have nothing to worry about. I’m with you.”