21 Days (Time for Love 2)

I pulled back slightly and reached down to the hem of his shirt so I could pull it up. When I had it up, over his chest, TJ took over and whisked it the rest of the way off, throwing it to the floor at our feet. I ran my hands along his chest and shoulders as my mouth found his throat. I licked his salty skin and my heart raced when he moaned deep in his chest. His hands ran over me, the feel of his rough hands through the silky material wreaking havoc on my body. I brought my hands down to follow the soft dusting of hair that trailed down his abdomen, his muscles contracting as I got closer to the top of his jeans. I snapped open the button and his lips found my jaw. As I unzipped his jeans slowly, he ran his teeth just as slowly along my jawline, pausing to nip my earlobe before changing course to follow the line of my throat.

When his pants were finally undone, I reached my hand inside to caress the length of him over the fabric of his boxer briefs. Taking his quick intake of breath as a sign of encouragement, I pushed his jeans down and quickly grabbed the waistband of his briefs to push them to the floor as well. When TJ stepped out of his clothes, I brought my arms around him and swayed gently, enjoying the feel of his hard, warm body against the satin of my gown. He growled roughly and brought his hand up to fist the back of my hair, pulling my head back and up, so he could access my mouth. Our lips fused and our tongues danced as I pressed myself into him.

He began to walk me slowly backward until the back of my knees hit the bed. He broke the kiss long enough for me to sit down and scoot back, then he was upon me, his body covering mine as his lips and hands caressed every inch of exposed skin. My body arched when his lips found my taunt nipple through my nightgown and he sucked it into his mouth. I was torn between wanting to pull the gown over my head, or just hike it up and let him have his way with me.

TJ must have been feeling the same frustration, because in one swift move he shifted away from me and brought the nightgown up and over my head. I lay before him, as naked as he, my body burning as he ran his eyes over every inch of me. He lifted my foot and kissed it softly, then trailed his hand up my thigh, causing me to squirm as my blood seamed to liquefy. He leaned his head to my breast and began to kiss me sweetly as his fingers continued their ascent. I was awash with pleasure, and I wasn’t sure what to focus on: his mouth, or his fingers. His fingers won out when he slowly pushed one inside me.

I became aware that TJ’s mouth had made its way back to the sweet spot under my ear when his rough and sexy voice said, “I love that you’re so fucking wet for me.” I whimpered as a second finger joined the first, and he began to pump them in and out of me slowly. I turned my head to kiss his swollen lips and look into his hooded eyes. “I want you inside me,” I pleaded softly in between kisses.

I cried out in dismay when his fingers left my body, but was quickly rewarded with TJ’s strong, lean body, wonderfully heavy on top of mine. I opened my legs wider and tucked them around TJ’s as he teased me with the tip of his cock. He grasped my hands in his, linking our fingers as he brought them up over my head. I watched as his muscles flexed, then kept my eyes on his as he entered me, inch by inch. My breath caught as pleasure flowed through me and he began to move inside of me. It was like stoking a fire, and watching his face as he thrust in and out of me brought forth feelings and a fullness that I’d never felt with another man before. As my passion began to build, I threw back my head and closed my eyes, then TJ bent his head and asked, “Keep your eyes open for me, Red. I want to watch you.”

I bit my lip and nodded, then when he shifted up and I felt him hitting my g-spot with each thrust, I moaned, “Right, there, TJ,” over and over again, until I came with his name on my lips. I kept my eyes on him as my body contracted around him; he pumped faster, in and out, his eyes never leaving mine, his hands holding mine tightly, as I watched him reach his release. He’d never looked more beautiful to me than he did in that moment.

His head dropped to my shoulder as his body continued to shutter, and when he let my hands go, I brought them to his back and caressed him lazily. We lay there for a few moments before he rolled over to his side and pulled my back against his chest. I listened to his breathing even out and surrendered to the feeling of peace and contentment that led me to sleep.

Chapter 25 – TJ

I zipped up my bag and looked around the room to make sure I had everything. Satisfied that I did, I walked out of the bedroom and took my bag out to place it by the door before turning to go find Sasha. I found her standing in her robe at the kitchen counter, a steaming cup of coffee in hand.

“Morning,” I said softly when she lifted her gaze to meet mine.

“Good morning,” she replied, then asked somewhat sadly, “You all packed?”

“Yeah.” I walked over and placed my arm around her waist, suddenly feeling awkward and unsure. “Thanks again for taking me in, I really appreciate it.”

“Of course, TJ,” she leaned into me and sighed. “You can come to me whenever you need anything.”

I stroked her hair and was surprised at how much I didn’t want to leave. The last few weeks had been nice … better than nice. I’d been content, and happy to come home to Sasha every night. I’d gotten to know her in ways that I never would have imagined, and I knew our relationship was stronger because of it.

Sasha leaned back to look into my face, and breathed in deeply before asking, “What if you stayed?”

I don’t know what I’d been expecting her to say, but it hadn’t been that. I looked down at her, and she looked so open and hopeful that I wished I could tell her what she wanted to hear.

“Sasha,” I began, “the plan was for me to stay for twenty-one days while I got on my feet. Well, I have, luckily, and now I need to get my shit together and support myself. I’m tired of living like a transient. I need to grow up.”

“You’re grown up,” Sasha argued. “You can stay here and still be self-sufficient. I love having you here.”

I dropped my hand and backed up a step.

“I’m not looking for a roommate, Red. I need to have steady work and a roof over my head, so that I can build a life for myself. I won’t be able to do that living in your guest room.”

“You’re opening the shop with Cal, so you will have a steady job. Why does it matter where you live? You can build your life here, just as easily as you could in the apartment. Aren’t you happy here?”

“Yes, Sasha, I was happy here, but you’re not getting it.” I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated and not sure how to make her und

erstand. “Look, you’ve never had to worry about having a roof over your head, or where your next meal was coming from. You’ve always had those things, and that’s wonderful, I don’t begrudge you that. But I haven’t always had those things, and I’m working really hard to make sure that my future is stable. I need to do these things for myself, and I can’t live with you like some charity case. I won’t.”

Sasha stood tall and placed her cup on the counter with a thump. I could see her face getting red and knew she was getting pissed at me.

Good.

Pissed Sasha was much easier for me to handle than sad Sasha.

“Charity case?” she sputtered angrily. “I don’t think that. And I know you had a rough time as a kid, and that I can’t even imagine what it felt like for you, but what I don’t understand is why you view living here as an act of charity. We get along great, and I have the room. Would it be so bad for you to stay here and save money, rather than go spend it on an apartment that you don’t need?”

“Like I said, Red, I’m not looking for a roommate,” I spat out the words as my level of anger rose to match hers. “This isn’t me,” I said, waving my arms around the room. “I’m not the kind of guy who would live off of another person. Man or woman. I’d think you’d know me well enough by now to know that. I can’t afford to live in a place like this, and still afford to buy food and pay my bills. It wouldn’t work.”

“But I don’t expect you to pay anything …” Sasha put in quickly.