Authors: Talia Ellison
Hold Me
Copyright © 2015 Talia Ellison
All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior permission in writing from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
.
For more information about the author, go to:
http://taliaellison.weebly.com
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Table of Contents
“Do you want me to kiss you?” he asks, his dark brown eyes piercing and filled with curiosity. His short dark brown hair is tousled, a few stray strands falling across his forehead. His full lips are slightly parted and drawn into a smile.
I nod. All I know about him is that he calls himself Caleb and that he is much more handsome than any guy I might have run into in some club. If things go terribly wrong, at least I can walk out of this hotel room as if nothing happened, and I wouldn’t be embarrassed until the end of time or break anyone’s heart. Hell, I even checked the room for any cameras.
He bends his head and brushes his soft lips against mine. I stop breathing for a moment, expecting him to deepen the kiss, but he tucks a strand of my long, light brown hair behind my ear and places feather-like kisses on the hollow of my neck. A small gasp escapes my mouth as his touch sends hot shocks through my skin. How can the touch of a stranger feel so good?
Afraid my legs will give under me, I place my hand low on Caleb’s back. I lean my head into his chest and inhale his scent of sandalwood, pine, and sea. Closing my eyes, I slide my hand up his back and rest it on the nape of his neck. It’s so easy to pretend I’ve known him my whole life. It’s so easy to pretend that he loves me.
I open my eyes and pull him closer. He glances up at me and I press my lips against his, catching him off guard. All I know, all I can think of, is that I want him. My body wants him.
Caleb’s fingers find the zipper of my dress. “Tell me if you want me to stop,” he whispers into my ear, his warm breath tingling on my skin.
My dress falls to the floor, revealing my silky blue underwear. Caleb’s lips crash against mine in an almost bruising kiss. I fiddle with the buttons of his shirt, but then I lose patience and just tug on the shirt until the last button pops out. As he shrugs out of it, I run my hand across the hard muscles of his chest.
He is mine. All mine. At least for the next hour.
His finger hooks under the clasp of my bra and I flinch away. His dark brown eyes regard me for a moment, as if he wants to see through me. I take a shaky breath, trying to push the memories of my ex boyfriend out of my mind, but I can’t.
Mark’s handsome face turns into a sneer. “Where did you get that stupid bra? It won’t unclasp. Is this another of your ways to push me away? Tell me, you stupid bitch!” His nails dig into my arm, his green eyes flashing with fury.
I’m not sure what to say to such a ridiculous assumption, so I don’t say anything, which only angers him more. How is it my fault that he can’t unhook a bra in only one attempt?
“Hey, princess, am I boring you?” Caleb’s amused voice breaks through my troubled thoughts.
“Sorry, I just...” I’m not even sure why I’m apologizing.
Caleb only shakes his head at me and, with no warning, drops to his knees. “Sit down on the edge of the bed.”
My eyebrows shoot upward, but I do as he says. He crawls toward me, his eyes filled with hunger. I let out a little gasp as he nudges my legs apart. Running his hands up and down the bare skin of my legs, he slowly licks his lips. Heat spills all over my body as he lowers his head and trails his tongue across my inner thigh.
His warm tongue makes another circle on my thigh, then he lightly sucks on my skin, creating tingles of pleasure and pain. Unable to sit straight, I lie down on the bed. My breath hitches in my throat as he moves his head between my legs and presses his hot mouth against my panties, teasing me.
“We need to get you out of these,” he says, tugging at the silky material. The chuckle that comes out of my throat doesn’t sound like me at all, but I don’t care as I roll into the middle of the bed. Reaching for Caleb’s shoulder, I pull him toward me until he’s on top of me. He smiles down at me, trailing his hand down my stomach, and his fingers slip into my panties.
I make the mistake of closing my eyes.
Mark is on top of me, his hand roughly pulling at my panties. “Show me how much you love me, babe. Don’t be shy.”
I push at Caleb’s chest in panic, my eyes flying wide open. My heart is thudding loudly in my chest, my throat constricting. When his weight leaves me, I roll over to the other side of the bed and sit up, drawing my knees to my chest. Tears sting my eyes and I’m afraid to look in Caleb’s direction. “I can’t do this,” I whisper to myself.
Fuck you, Mark.
I bury my face in my hands and realize my fingers are shaking. The bed shifts and I expect Caleb to leave.
“Look at me,” he says softly.
I peer at him through my tears and roughly wipe them off with the back of my right hand. My makeup must have smeared all over face by now.
“What’s wrong?” He tentatively covers my hand with his own, his eyes shining with concern. Is he only pretending to care or is it real? Does it even matter? Even if it’s fake, he’s shown more concern than my
wonderful
ex.
“Nothing.” I pull my hand from under his because his touch suddenly feels too intimate.
“Have I done something wrong?”
I look up at him in surprise and shake my head. “No, it’s not your fault. It’s mine.”
“It’s you, Lilith. You’re the problem. You’re always the problem.” Mark rolls his eyes.
Caleb gets to his feet and opens the drawer of the nightstand next to me. He takes out a box of tissues and offers it to me.
“Thank you.” I take a tissue and dab at my eyes. “I probably look like a puffy-eyed panda.”
“I don’t know what a puffy-eyed panda looks like, but you’re beautiful.” He flashes me a wide smile, making me laugh.
“Thanks, but you have to compliment your clients, don’t you?” I crumple the tissue into a ball and throw it in the trash can that sits next to the nightstand.
His face grows serious. “No, I’m not lying. I really mean it.”
I just watch him for a moment, then run a hand through my hair. Maybe coming here has been a mistake. Maybe I should just stop wasting Caleb’s and my time and leave. But how would leaving help me get my ex out of my head? God knows I’ve tried everything. “You’re probably wondering why I pushed you...”
“You don’t have to explain anything.” His dark eyes are intent on mine. “Unless that’s what you want. Maybe I can help. And whatever you say or do won’t leave this room.”
I chew on the insides of my cheek. Maybe he’s right. “My ex-boyfriend... He thinks there’s something wrong with me because we couldn’t... We couldn’t have sex.” My mind flashes back to the day Mark broke up with me.
“You lied to me! You don’t love me at all,” Mark yells, getting up from the bed.
“What?” I choke out, my mouth going slack. “How can you even say that? You know I do!”
He snorts. “No, you don’t. Of all the girls I slept with, none had this problem.” He curls his lip in disgust. “You’re no good for anything. I’ve been very patient with you, but after three times... It’s time to finish this farce.”
I grit my teeth, clutching the sheets to myself. “Then you better fucking leave!”
“Oh, I will.” After hastily putting on his clothes, Mark opens the door, then looks over his shoulder at me with a sneer. “You’ll see. It’s all your fault.”
I pick the vase up off the nightstand and throw it across the room, but it crashes against the door. Mark is gone.
I rub my eyes and look at Caleb, whose attention is focused on me. “He broke up with me after our third failed attempt to have sex, and the things he said to me... I knew he was wrong and not right in the head, but then I met another guy and... I just froze.” I shake my head. “It’s crazy. I even went to a doctor for a check up and she assured me I was probably just scared and not ready because my ex was pushy, but... I don’t remember feeling scared and I know I wanted him. He was the first of my boyfriends I was sure I wanted to have sex with. It’s just...” I look down at my hands in my lap. “I don’t know. It didn’t work out, and now every time I... get intimate with someone, all I can see and hear is him. I even talked about it with my therapist, and nothing.” I shrug. “Everything seems fine until a certain point when I just panic.”