Keeping His Promise: A When It Happens Novella, Book 2 (6 page)

“Natalie,” he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Do it,” she begged, digging the heels of her sandals into the edge of her mattress for leverage, then pumping her hips against his.
“Please.”

As if that one word was his breaking point, he pulled back until only the fat head of his cock was lodged inside her, then slammed back in so hard it knocked the air from her lungs.

“Shit, are you okay?” His eyes shot open the moment he gave her his entire length, the color so blue it was like looking up into the brilliant, burning intensity of a sunlit sky, as breathtaking as it was beautiful.

“Good, great, awesome,” she panted, barely able to think through the sensations. She was packed full of him, her body stretching so wide around him that it hurt, but she didn’t care. Not when it felt so freaking incredible she couldn’t help but love it. “Just do it again.”

He cursed as he pulled his hips back, paused, searching her eyes for a moment, before he tightened his muscles and slammed back into her so hard it shoved her across the bed. She shouted over the sound of his deep, guttural growl, their bodies so hot she was surprised the rainwater in their clothes wasn’t turning to steam.

“Again!” She reached around his hips and squeezed the upper part of his ass to emphasize her point, loving the feel of his hard-muscled body.

He groaned, pulling back again until just the heavy, plum-sized head was lodged inside her snug entrance, then pushed back in with a deep, hammering thrust. “Christ, that feels so fucking good.”

“Looks good too,” she whispered, holding onto his rigid arms as she stared down at the place where they were joined. It was an explicit, but beautiful view, the dark curls at the base of his thick cock smashing into her red ones with each of his powerful downstrokes. The mouthwatering muscles on his abdomen rippled with each hard, pumping thrust, his cock glistening with her juices, his heavy balls slapping against her.

He used his magnificent body to fuck her so thoroughly it was insane, his corded muscles bunching and flexing beneath his hot skin as he drove himself into her, pumping his cock so deliciously deep, like he never wanted to be anywhere else. Like he was exactly where he belonged, and she couldn’t stop her nails from digging into his broad shoulders, her back arching as heat arced through her body like searing, blistering jolts of lightning.

For the first time since Natalie had moved into the apartment last year, her bedroom filled with the slick, moist sounds of sex, their breathing harsh and fast, her headboard slamming against the wall in a way that was sure to get her neighbors’ attention. Not that she gave a damn. She loved that they were noisy and wild and out of control.

Keeping his weight braced on one arm, he gripped the back of her head and took her mouth again, kissing her like he couldn’t stop, his body still powering inside hers, while his tongue did wicked, carnal things to her. She couldn’t breathe, her skin hot and slick, blood rushing through her veins, and she freaking loved it. Loved having him on top of her, pressing her down, his body hot and hard and stunningly dominant.

God, had she ever known anything as incredible as this? For once, she wasn’t beating herself up for letting go of her fear and need for control, which meant she could actually enjoy the pleasure he was giving her. He made her too damn greedy to worry about anything but how much more she could have and want.

“Come for me,” he growled, his muscles bulging as he fucked her harder, faster. He used his muscular thighs and ripped abs to drive himself into her even deeper, grinding against her clit at the end of each devastating, addictive thrust. “Now, Natalie. ‘Cause I’m about to come so fucking hard for you.”

He leaned down, biting at one of her hardened nipples through the fabric of her dress, and that was it. She literally screamed from the shocking burst of pleasure that suddenly tore through her, and didn’t have any choice but to do exactly as he said.

She came so hard it was like falling into a burning, blinding explosion, her body shaking from the devastating force of the orgasm, it was that violent. That intense. That different from anything she’d ever known before. And when he followed her over, a guttural shout on his lips as he threw his head back and slammed himself into her with a brutal, desperate thrust, it only got better…sweeter…and infinitely more satisfying.

With her own heart pounding so hard that it hurt, Natalie couldn’t help but hold onto him as his powerful body shuddered from the explosive force of his release. God, she was holding onto him so tightly, both with her arms and her legs, like she never wanted to let him go. Which should have freaked the hell out of her, seeing as how she was the polar opposite of a clingy woman. But something about holding Sean Cartwright so tightly, as he fucked her through the mother of all orgasms, just felt too good to feel bad about.

When the pleasure had finally mellowed to a warm glow, their lungs no longer working overtime, she gave him another greedy hug, letting him know how much she enjoyed having his weight on her, and then forced herself to ease her hold so that the poor guy could actually get some air.

She felt him pull in a deep, rumbling breath, and waited as he slowly lifted his head, more than a little undone by the breathtaking expression of satisfaction he wore on his rugged face. She couldn’t help but stare up at him, thinking he was the most gorgeous, sexiest man in the entire world. And he had the thickest, most beautiful eyelashes she’d ever seen, making his eyes look even bluer.

“Shit!” she yelped, blinking her way back to awareness, the dreamy spell broken as he started to carefully pull himself out.

“Sorry, baby.” With one hand gripping the base of his cock, holding the condom in place, he did his best to be careful, but her body was clasping him too tightly, unwilling to let him go. “I’d stay inside you forever, but I don’t trust this fucking condom not to split.”

“It’s okay,” she breathed, forcing herself to relax enough that he could pull free. And he was right to take care of it, the condom fuller than she’d ever seen one when he slipped it off. He stood, giving her sprawled body a heated look before he turned and headed into her bathroom to throw it away. He came right back, and crawled right back between her thighs, which she’d been too freaking lazy to even close.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asked in a low voice, stroking his rough palm over her hip and waist, as if he enjoyed the feel of her too much to stop.

Feeling better than she had in years, she heard herself say, “I’m great, actually.”

The smile that curved his lips was pure, provocative sin. “You most certainly are.”

She swatted him on the shoulder as she laughed. “That wasn’t what I meant!”

“But it’s the truth,” he said huskily, the smoldering look in his beautiful blue eyes telling her that
he
meant it. That she could believe him. Believe
in
him.

“That was…” She swallowed as her voice trailed off, then licked her lips. “That was…kinda crazy. The sex, I mean,” she finished awkwardly, feeling her face flush with heat.

“It was fucking incredible,” he rumbled, curving his fingers around her head as he held her in place for the hard, thorough kiss that he gave her. A kiss that was so good it made her toes curl in her sandals, her heart giving another excited flip in her chest. With his warm lips still against hers, he added, “Now pack a bag.”

“What? Why?”

He drew his head back and locked his pleasure-heavy gaze with hers, a small smile tugging at his sensual mouth. “Because I want you to come home with me.”

“Why?” she said again, suddenly thinking about the fact that if they spent the night together, he’d probably want to get her completely naked. And while she wasn’t usually self-conscious of her figure, it was difficult not to be critical of herself when faced with so much freaking male perfection.

There he was, looking like the most masculine, mouthwatering male specimen she’d ever seen. And then there was her, pale and on the short side, and sporting the body of a girl who spent way too many hours enjoying nachos and not enough killing herself in the gym.

Pulling her lower lip through her teeth, she added, “Because I’m, uh, not sure that’s such a good idea.”

“It’s the best damn idea I’ve ever had,” he told her, stealing another quick kiss, before moving to his feet and pulling her up along with him. As her dress fell back down over her thighs, he pulled her close, fingers under her chin to tip her head back, his dark gaze burning with determination. He could no doubt sense she was getting ready to run scared, and had every intention of cutting her off at the pass. “You’re coming home with me because I want you in my bed, Natalie. Yours is too damn small for the stuff I want to do to you.”

His thumb stroked the corner of her kiss-swollen mouth, his deep voice even lower as he added, “And because I plan on spending the entire night packed up deep inside you. Hour after hour, until we’re both so exhausted from the fucking that we can’t do anything but pass out. And even then, I want you close to me, sleeping beside me.”

She blinked up at him, mesmerized not only by the things he’d said, but by the way he was looking at her. She could see his strength and need and desire, and even a hint of his vulnerability. God, she’d be lying through her teeth if she said she didn’t want to go home with him. That she didn’t want everything he’d just told her would happen.

She wanted it so bad she could freaking taste it.

But if she went home with him, she had to accept that there was a chance that Sophie and Chris would find out. Hell, they could run into them in the parking lot, or walking to Sean’s front door.

Was she willing to take that chance? To risk getting caught by her best friends, when she hadn’t even planned on telling them about tonight, knowing it would only complicate the issue. Sophie’s little romantic heart would forever be trying to match them up, thinking Sean would be her happy-ever-after, when it was probably nothing more than a hot night of wild, wicked sex.

Would it be worth it?

Apparently she thought it would be, because as she held his hot, intense gaze, she heard herself say, “All right. I’ll go.”

Before she could second-guess herself or change her mind—or get lost in the beautiful look of male satisfaction on his handsome face—she stepped around him and got to work. From the corner of her eye, she watched him refasten his jeans and belt as she snatched a new pair of panties from her underwear drawer and pulled them on. Then she grabbed her overnight bag from her closet, threw in a pair of panties and its matching bra, her favorite jean shorts, and a pretty blouse, before exchanging her killer sandals for a cute pair of leather flip-flops.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, where she collected her toothbrush, hairbrush, and make-up bag, she was done. Without uttering a single word, Sean grabbed her hand and pulled her with him toward the door, acting as if he couldn’t wait to get her out of her apartment…and into his bed.

Biting her lower lip to keep from grinning like a sex-crazed fool, she grabbed the small umbrella she kept in the hallway closet, since the storm was raging even harder than when they’d arrived. They stepped outside, into the violence of the wind and rain, and suddenly her heart was pounding in her throat, her breath hitching as she realized just how far out of her comfort zone she was going for this guy.

Am I crazy?
she wondered, huddling close to his side under the umbrella as they made their way to the truck, and loving the way he’d wrapped his arm tight around her waist.
Or is this the best freaking decision I’ve ever made?

Needing to focus on something normal, so that she didn’t freak out over the giant leap she was taking, and the questions that kept spinning through her head, she said, “Won’t your brother need his truck back?”

“We’re going to stop by his place real quick and grab my SUV,” he told her, opening the passenger-side door and helping her up, before tossing her bag in the backseat. “Then I’ll give him a call and let him know his truck is in its parking spot.”

She gave a completely girly sigh after he took a moment to give her another deep, toe-curling kiss, her lips tingling as he pulled back with a groan, followed by a low, shaky laugh. “You’re fucking addicting,” he rasped, shaking his head a little as if to clear it, before shutting her door and jogging around the front of the truck.

He climbed inside and started the engine, and just as she expected him to reverse out of the space, he turned toward her and reached out, taking hold of her jaw in a firm but gentle grip. “You won’t regret this,” he told her, stroking his thumb against the corner of her mouth again, her skin hypersensitive to his touch. “You won’t regret giving me a chance.”

This time, her heart flipped so hard it was all she could do not to gasp from the sensation. “Is…is that another promise?” she whispered shakily, the quiet words barely audible over the pounding of the rain against the windshield. But she could tell by the heat in his eyes that he’d heard her.

“Yeah, it is.” He tossed his arm over the back of her seat, a sinful, gorgeous smile on his lips as he turned his head to look out the back window, before reversing out of the parking space. “And I never promise anything I can’t see through.”

S
ince his freshman
year in high school, nearly twenty years ago, when he’d gotten lucky with one of his friend’s older sisters, Sean had been to bed with a lot of beautiful women. Experienced women. Smart, funny, talented women. But he knew, with unwavering certainty, that he’d never wanted a single one of them the way he wanted the tempestuous Natalie Richards.

The storm was in full force, lightning arcing through the sky as they headed to his condo in his SUV. They’d already dropped off Paul’s truck, and left the key in his mailbox, since his brother was still out. Considering the weather, Sean’s demand that they go to his place had probably been a bit crazy, when they could have just stayed warm and dry in her apartment. But he could hardly be blamed for not thinking straight after what had happened between them.

Jesus, the sex…it had blown his fucking mind and left him reeling, his dick demanding he get back inside her as soon as possible.

He’d suspected she was different to him, but until he’d been buried balls-deep inside her and felt her clenching around him, he hadn’t truly understood just how strongly she affected him. He was off balance, his heart thudding in his chest like he’d just finished a damn marathon. He’d known the chemistry between them was potent, but shit, he hadn’t been prepared for the full impact. For how intoxicating it was to have her in his arms, his to touch and please and explore.

He couldn’t do anything now but follow his gut and listen to his instincts, which were telling him to hold onto her. To somehow keep control of a situation that he didn’t really have any control over at all. Her apartment, his condo, any goddamn high-priced hotel room. In the end, they were all the same. The only control he’d gain by having her in his bed was an illusory one. He knew that, damn it. And yet, it didn’t matter.

He wanted her there, in
his
fucking bed, where she’d be surrounded by his scent. Wanted that beautiful body naked in his sheets, until they held her warm, mouthwatering scent as much as her own did.

Fuck, he just wanted her. Period. Wanted to keep her in his bed, drowning her in multiple orgasms, until he’d finally smashed his way through those goddamn walls surrounding her, and reached her soft, tender center.

Until he’d reached the very heart of her.

They kept the conversation light on the drive to his place, chatting about simple things, like the Chargers and how he’d come to love surfing as much as he did. There was also a heated discussion about whether the new Star Wars movies were going to be better than the old ones, with her claiming J.J. Abrams was a genius and him arguing that the classics could never be improved.

When they reached the condo, the rain was not only coming down so hard it looked like the heavens had opened, but it was practically sideways, which made the umbrella fairly useless. Sean tried to cover her as much as he could, but by the time he had his front door closed and locked behind them, she was shivering from the cold, her clothes more soaked than ever.

“Come on,” he told her, after taking off his waterlogged boots. “Let’s get you out of that wet dress and into a warm bath.”

She smirked as she glanced up at him from where she stood by the door, and he watched as she set her purse down and slipped the flip-flops she was wearing off her pretty feet. Her toenails were painted a dark, midnight gray that matched her eyes and her dress, the color somehow managing to look both beautiful and edgy. “You gonna give me a bath now?” she teased, drawing his gaze back up to her beautiful face.

He flashed her a crooked smile. “Since I plan on being in it with you, you bet your sweet little ass I am.”

She clucked her tongue as she shook her head. “Little ass? I think you obviously have me confused with someone else.”

He laughed as he grabbed her hand and tugged her in front of him, smacking her right butt cheek as he herded her toward the master bathroom. She jumped from the playful pop, his smile growing wider as he leaned down and spoke near her ear. “Compared to me, everything about you is little. Including your perfect, biteable ass.”

“You bite my ass, I’m biting yours right back.”

Another husky laugh rumbled up from his chest. “I’ll look forward to that.”

“Pervert,” she quipped, snickering softly.

He couldn’t stop the twitch of his lips, loving it when she got feisty. “When it comes to you, absolutely. You inspire me, Miss Richards.”

There was actually a faint blush on her cheeks when they reached the bathroom, which he found entirely adorable. He couldn’t resist pressing a soft kiss there, against her smooth skin, before heading over to the massive bathtub that could have probably fit a small army.

As he turned on the taps, careful to get the water the right temperature for her, Sean realized this was the first time he’d ever used the thing. It’s not like he’d use it on his own. And if he was honest with himself, now that he’d been inside Natalie, he couldn’t see himself sharing it with any woman other than the fiery redhead standing over by the granite-topped counter, a beautiful blush on her cheeks as she unzipped her sodden dress and let it puddle on the floor around her feet.

For some reason, getting her in there, in
his
bathtub, just seemed…
right
. Plus, she needed it. She was so fucking tense and skittish at times with him, a chance to sit back and relax would no doubt do her some good. And hell, having her naked body sliding under his hands was something he wanted. Badly.

She was still standing by the counter, wearing her bra and the new pair of panties she’d put on, since he’d shredded the first pair. Jerking his chin toward them, he said, “All of it, Nat. I want you bare, so don’t stop.”

“I’m not stopping,” she shot back with a little snort, pulling her panties over her curvy hips and revealing the dark red curls on her mound. Her skin was beautifully pale, a perfect contrast against all that gleaming red hair falling over her shoulders and the tidy patch hiding the lips of her cunt—and Sean was pretty sure he’d just swallowed his fucking tongue at how perfect she was. Then she reached behind her back, unhooked her bra, letting it slip down her arms to the floor, and he was pretty sure he’d just died and gone to heaven.

Christ, that body of hers was going to be the death of him, it was so fucking breathtaking. She was plump and silky. Cushiony and soft. Not a flat plane on her. All curves and lush, decadent swells. He wanted to press his open mouth to every inch of her creamy skin and lap at her with his tongue. At the delicate base of her throat. Between those mouthwatering breasts. He just wanted to bury his head between those feminine thighs and devour her. Fucking consume her.

“Um…Sean?”

Clearing his throat, he shook himself from his trance and moved to his feet, quickly shedding his own clothes. Then he climbed into the tub, and turned toward her, holding out his hand for her to take. Her big eyes looked huge as she ran her gaze over every inch of him, the blush in her cheeks getting pinker when she reached his erection, his cock so fucking hard he probably could have gone up to bat with it.

“It isn’t gonna get any smaller, so you’ll just have to ignore it,” he murmured, hoping to make her smile.

When she laughed and walked over to the side of the tub, taking his hand and letting him help her in, he felt like a fucking god. Like he could do anything he set his mind to, so long as he had this woman by his side.

And if that wasn’t some serious shit that required further contemplation when all his blood was no longer rushing to his dick, he didn’t know what was.

Sinking down into the tub, he couldn’t help but stare as she turned around and joined him, the warmth of the water turning her pale skin a rosy pink. She reached forward and turned the tap off, then wrapped her arms around her bent knees, her long hair falling down her back in a cascade of damp, silky curls.

Sensing that there were some deep thoughts filling her head as well, he reached for her tense shoulders and pulled her between his legs. With her back plastered against his front, he leaned down to her ear, and whispered, “What are you thinking about, Miss Richards?”

“Just that it’s…kind of intimate, you know? I mean, sex is about as intimate as it gets. But this,” she murmured, fluttering her hand out to the side, “it’s not really the kind of thing you do with someone you don’t know very well.”

Because it was
romantic.
That’s what she was trying to say. And he liked that she was thinking that way—just not that it was making her uncomfortable. Because if she let him, he planned on romancing the hell out of her.

Pressing one hand against the gentle swell of her belly, he sank back against the edge of the tub as he ran the fingertips of his other hand over her pale hip, just beneath the surface of the water. “You’re wrong, Nat. I know a hell of a lot about you.”

“You don’t.”

“I do,” he countered, mesmerized by the way her breasts gently swayed with her breaths, her nipples small and pretty and beautifully pink.

“Like what?” she asked, sitting up and twisting a bit so that she could see his face.

Staring into those dark, curious eyes, he answered her question. “Well, I know that you’re incredibly beautiful,” he said in a low voice, the husky words making her breathe a little deeper, while desire smoldered in her gaze. “I also know that you’re stubborn, strong, funny, feisty, and smart-as-hell. And all of that I got just from talking to you.”

“Hmm,” she murmured, sounding a bit embarrassed—which was fucking adorable. She also sounded more than a little turned on—which was just fucking hot.

Curving his hand around her hip, he went on. “And then there are all the things I’ve learned from listening to you hang out with Sophie and Chris.”

“Hmm,” she started to murmur again, before giving a soft gasp and blinking at him. “Wait—what? How did you do that? Your condo is across the way from his!”

“His patio faces the beach. Mine does too,” he explained, smirking at the too-cute-for-words expression of outrage that was spreading across her face. “So when I have my patio doors open, I can pretty much hear anything you guys are saying.”

“You sneaky eavesdropper!” she huffed, smacking his chest.

“Hey, I can’t help it if you’re loud,” he shot back, laughing as he blocked her next playful hit.

“I’ll show you loud,” she warned, going for a clump of his chest hair. He stopped her just in time, capturing her wrists in his hands.

“Good.” He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he pinned her wrists behind her back, while she wriggled against him, her gorgeous breasts pressed hard against his chest. “Be as loud as you want. I love it when you’re coming and screaming your head off.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, and he swore he could feel his hunger for her roll through him like a physical thing, his cock giving a hard pulse against her hip that had her eyes going wide.

Voice low and rough, he said, “You have a sexy little pink tongue, Natalie Richards. I’ll put it to good use if you don’t get it back in your mouth.”

She licked her lower lip, and he sucked in a sharp breath, feeling every muscle in his body go tight with anticipation. Christ, if she ever sucked on his cock, he’d probably enjoy it so much it stopped his heart.

Bringing her captured wrists up to his chest, he held them there, his heavy gaze locked tight with hers. “As I was saying, I know a lot about you. And I like it all. You’re sharp. Classy. Beautiful and exceptionally sexy. And despite what you want people to think, you’re kind.”

“Kind?” She shot him a skeptical look from under her lashes. “Where did you get
that
?”

Stroking the pulse points at her wrists with his thumbs, he said, “I’ve watched you while you were working, remember? You talk to the sad men and women who find themselves sitting at your bar. You listen, and when they’re genuine, you care. Hell, you’ve even personally kicked out a group of asshole frat boys when they started messing with one of the servers who’s homosexual.”

Confusion creased her brow. “How could you possibly know that?” she whispered.

The corner of his lips twitched. “You aren’t aware of how much Sophie likes to brag about your awesomeness when you’re not around?”

She drew an unsteady breath, then caught her lower lip in her teeth, and he thought she looked too fucking beautiful for words. Her face was free of make-up, what little she’d had on washed away by the rain, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the delicate line of her nose. Then across the innocent freckles that dotted her cheeks.

“So, yeah, I know a lot about you,” he murmured, releasing his hold on her wrists as he leaned back again, wanting to give her some space. To give her the chance to come closer to him, if that’s what she wanted. “And when you take it all and combine it with how fucking sexy I think you are, it should be fairly clear that I’ve wanted to touch you, any way I could, for a while now.”

She turned her head, looking away from him, and he could feel a subtle thread of tension seeping into her. “There’s still a lot you don’t know,” she said quietly, her tongue flicking nervously across her lower lip. “Stuff that might not have been a big deal to some people, but…” She trailed off with an awkward lift of her shoulders. Then she sighed, and brought her shadowed gaze back to his. “But it was a big deal to me, even though I wasn’t the one it happened to. I don’t trust easily because of it.”

“Tell me,” he said simply, wanting to know what had shaped her. What had hurt her.

“It isn’t easy.”

He lifted his hand, smoothing her hair back from her brow. “Neither was telling you about my demon ex. But I did it. Because as new as all this is, you’re already important to me. Even when you were trying to push me away, I just wanted to throw you over my shoulder and bring you back here. I’ve tried, but I can’t stop thinking about you. And now I don’t even want to try. I just want to keep doing exactly what we’re doing.”

A tremor moved through her as he spoke, but she didn’t pull any farther away from him. Instead, she turned and curled up against him, pressing her cheek against his chest, right over the heavy beat of his heart.