A Million Guilty Pleasures (Million Dollar Duet 2)

I felt a stabbing sense of guilt pierce my chest when she winced, and my mind immediately went into caregiver mode. I would worship that woman, show her my appreciation and take care of her for a change, just like she took care of everyone else around her, including me.

“I’m sorry, kitten,” I said, rolling her over and gathering her to me. “I’m so fucking sorry I hurt you.”

My girl could’ve sobbed into my chest, could’ve beaten the shit out of me with my permission—she could’ve done anything she wanted or needed in retaliation for the pain I’d inflicted on her. But she didn’t do any of that. Instead, Lanie wedged her thigh between mine, wrapped her arm around my waist to palm my ass, and then attacked my neck.

“Shut up, Noah,” she mumbled between kisses. “You’re overthinking this and killing my buzz. And just so you know, I definitely want to do that again.”

I’d said it before, and I’d say it again: I fucking loved my girl so much it hurt.

She tilted her head back to look up at me, a spark of wicked intent in her eyes. I had definitely created a monster. But I wasn’t an insensitive ass. My girl was hurting, and she was trying to mask her pain so I wouldn’t feel bad about it, which was insane because of course I felt like a douche. How could I not?

I leaned forward and took her succulent lips with mine, deepening the kiss with all the love and adoration I could manifest. It was when I felt myself hardening again that I broke the connection. She would take that as a sign that I wanted her again, which I did. However, her needs were so much more important than mine, and right then, she needed me to take care of her, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

It took a lot for me to do it, but I finally managed to pull away from her and slip out of the bed.

Lanie groaned in protest and reached out to grab my hand. “Noooo. Where are you going?”

I knew exactly how she felt; I couldn’t stand to be away from her for even a second, either. The thought alone made me feel empty inside, and I missed her already. How was I going to tear myself away? My selfish side reared its ugly head temporarily, and I almost asked her not to go. I knew that she’d stay with me if I asked, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’d already taken too much from her.

“Not far. Never far.” With one last tender kiss, I pulled away, severing our physical connection, but the invisible tether that stretched from the bed where she lay to my heart kept us bound across the distance. I’d never felt anything like it before—so connected, so absorbed in just one person—it was an enigma of which I didn’t want to find the solution.

It gave me hope.

I quickly ran a bath for her, taking care to be sure the water was neither too hot nor too cold. I was thankful to see that Polly had stocked the bathroom with some girly soaps, and I chose one whose label promised a tranquil, soothing calm. It damn well better or I was going to sue the bastards for false advertisement. Only the best for my girl.

I managed to walk back in to her, only because running might make me look like an even bigger bitch than I already was. My cock was at half staff and flopped back and forth on my thighs as I made my way to the bed where she lay. She was ogling the piece of meat as if it were a sausage link hanging in the front window of a butcher’s shop and she were a stray pup looking for its next meal.

“I’m really trying to show some restraint here. You know, be a caring, gentle boyfriend? A real Prince Charming. But if you keep licking your chops like that, the prince might turn into an ogre. And I really don’t think that would be a good idea right now,” I said, pulling the sheets from her naked body and sweeping her up into my arms.

As I walked with her, Lanie put her arms around my shoulders and nuzzled the crook of my neck. “I can take it,” she said, lifting her chin slightly so that her sultry voice ghosted over the shell of my ear. A shiver shot down my spine and straight to my cock, which was not helping matters in the least.

I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, composing myself. “Somehow I don’t doubt that,” I said, stepping into the bathtub with her weightless body in my arms.

I slowly lowered myself into a sitting position with her resting in my lap. When she started squirming while kissing along the length of my neck and moaning, I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d slip my dick inside her, and that was the last thing she needed at the moment. So I quickly maneuvered her tiny frame so that she sat between my outstretched legs, effectively improving the odds of being able to make it through her bath without fucking her again.

Delaine was turning into a nymphomaniac. I blamed myself for her corruption, but I wanted her to know that what was between us wasn’t just about fucking anymore. I thought back to how upset she’d looked in the car earlier, how unsure she seemed to be that we were going to be okay, given the separation and all. I needed her to know that even though we had to be apart for a little while, the way I felt about her wasn’t going to change. She needed to have faith in me, in us.

“I love you,” I whispered into her ear while wrapping my arms around her waist and hugging her to me. “So fucking much. Do you know that?” Now that those three little words had found their way out of my mouth, I just couldn’t stop saying them.

“I love you, too,” she whispered. Her fingertips caressed my arms beneath the water.

“That’s not what I asked,” I corrected her. “Do you know that I love you? Because if we’re going to have to be apart for any length of time, I need there to be no doubt about how very important you are to me. And if what they say is true about absence making the heart grow fonder and all that other fluffy shit, then the way I feel about you is only going to intensify even more. I won’t let anyone come between us.”

“Are you trying to tell me you’re a closet stalker, Noah?” she joked as she rolled her head to the side, exposing the creamy skin of her neck to me.

“I assure you, I am quite serious,” I said, and then began a trail of kisses along the length of her graceful neck. I stopped when I reached her ear and whispered, “Every moment we’re apart, I will be thinking of you. Every night you aren’t lying in my bed next to me, I will be dreaming of you. Every time I smell fucking bacon,” I went on, referring to the time I’d had my way with her while she cooked my breakfast, “I’ll have a hard-on for you, and I’ll touch myself while calling out your name. I’ll call you with no purpose at all other than to hear your voice. I’ll drop by unannounced just so that I can see your eyes light up when you catch sight of me. And I’ll steal you away just so that I can have a taste. Because I’ll be hungry for you, Lanie. So very hungry.”