Breathe You In (19 page)

He set up a steady rhythm, fucking my mouth. I
held his root with one hand, applying firm pressure, and slid the other round
to clutch at his tight bum.

His cock bloated; a drip of pre-cum coated my
tongue. His breaths grew faster, several moans released on exhales.

“Stop,” he said, pulling out. “Or it will be
over too early.”

My mouth felt empty. I looked up and pouted.

“Don’t give me that look,” he said.

“I was having fun.”

“Me too, too much fun.” He wrapped his hand
around his cock. “Besides, I thought you wanted me to fuck you.”

“I do. I want you to fuck me hard and fast and
don’t stop until your balls feel like they’re coming out of the end of your
cock.”

His mouth dropped open, his eyes widened, and he
shook his head. “And here was my parents saying what a lovely, charming girl
you are.”

“Sod charming.” I knew he was loving my filthy
words; his eyes were bright, his cock looked ready to explode. I sat back,
pushed off my knickers and spread my legs. “Give it to me, big boy.”

He grinned and stared at my pussy. “Fuck, I’m
the luckiest man on Earth.”

“You’d better believe it.”

He was over me again, and we were flat on the
sofa. In one sharp thrust he pounded into me.

I cried out. The speed of him, he was so hard,
it was a stitch of pain but also wonderful.

“Sorry, are you all right?”

I thumped his shoulder with my fist. “Yes, oh,
don’t stop, give it to me like that, Ruben. That’s it.”

It was as though I’d flicked a switch in him. He
withdrew, powered back in, shunting me up the cushions. I clung to him and canted
my pelvis to get maximum connection against my clit.

“Ah, yeah, I’m fucking you now, is that how you
want it?” he said into my ear.

His deliciously sinful words nearly pushed me
over the edge. “Yes, oh, yes, take me, I’m yours.”

If I thought we’d been wild before, now we
cranked up a level. Ruben was no longer the mild, gentle lover he had been. He
was throwing solid male muscle into blasting his dick into me.

I couldn’t control my breaths as our chests
banged together; I didn’t try to, I just let the air huff and groan from me. It
felt so good, the pressure mounting so fast. I shut my eyes, absorbed
everything about him; his scent, the feel of his skin and body hair against my
chest and belly, the way his breaths were also erratic and thundering into my
ear and down my neck.

“Ah, ah, I’m coming…” he gasped.

“Me too, oh, don’t stop.” I dragged my nails
down his back, gripped his legs with my ankles and pushed up to meet his
thrusts.

“Fuck…ah, yes.” He tightened his grip around my
shoulders, held me so tight my ribs could hardly expand. “Come, baby, come with
me.”

“Yes, yes…”

I let the power of my climax grip me, throw me
every which way, hanging on to Ruben for support so I didn’t lose myself
completely. I was aware of his deep, guttural groan in my ear and let it swirl
with my own moan of ecstasy. We were holding nothing back. Our pleasure,
physical, vocal and emotional, was all out there to be celebrated. The ride was
spectacular, and I pulsed through my orgasm, completely surrendered to Ruben
and the exquisite sensations owning my body.

He slowed his frantic pace, lifted his head and
stared down at me. His hair was mussed and his eyes sparkled. “My God, that was
amazing.”

“Tell me about it,” I said breathlessly, then
shivered as my pussy contracted around his cock in another orgasmic tremor.
“Ah, yeah.” I let my eyes roll back in their sockets. “So amazing.”

He ground into me one last time, and I wrapped
my arms around his neck as our mouths connected. I was hot and tingling, and
being held so tightly and kissed so sweetly made me feel like everything would
be all right forever.

Eventually he broke the kiss and withdrew his softening
cock. “We got a bit wild there,” he said, looking down at my naked body that
was red from friction, damp from sweat.

“I think it was the dirty talk that unleashed
the beast.” I giggled.

“Damn, I’d forgotten how much I liked a pretty
girl with a gutter mouth.”

I drew my legs together but stayed flat on the
sofa, my body heavy and suddenly weary. “I don’t usually, only in the bedroom.”

“Or living room.” He smiled and reached for his
boxers.

I enjoyed the view of his bum as he bent over.
“Oh, bugger,” I said when he straightened. “Your back.” He had several long,
red scratches across his shoulder blades.

He pulled up his underwear and twisted his neck.
“What?”

“I’m afraid I’ve…” I waved my finger at him. “Left
my mark.”

He grinned. “And I’ll wear it with pride.” He
touched his lips to mine. “Do you want a drink?”

“
Mmm
.” I stretched my
arms over my head, squirmed lazily. “A cup of tea would be lovely.”

“Coming right up.”

I shut my eyes and listened to Ruben moving
around the kitchen. The breeze seeping beneath the curtains was a lick of cool
on my hot, naked body, and I sighed and let contentment weave deeper into my
soul than it had in a long time.

The noise of the festival mixed in with my easy thoughts,
as did the first rumbles of the kettle. My mind flashed back to Ruben’s face
when I’d asked him to fuck me, and a smile balled my cheeks. That was a moment
in time I’d come back to over and over.

Soon my contemplations overtook the sounds around
me. My body was heavy, slumber had stolen me. I let myself drift into a dreamy
world.

K
isses as soft as
kitten’s whiskers were tickling up my belly, fluttering, floating, spreading
into the dip of my waist and onto the curve of my breast. I sighed and
squirmed, just a little, inviting more of the blissful sensations.

A fingertip meandered down my side, from
just below my breast into the indent of my navel. So light it was barely a
caress, so gentle it was hardly there. It tickled, but in a good way, and I
smiled and turned my head on the cushion.

A sudden panic gripped me, like a fist
around my heart. Damn, it was happening again. I was alone. There was no one
kissing me. I’d wake up any second and that weight would plunge me to the
bottom of the cold, dark ocean of grief.

I gasped, clenched my fists.

“Your tea is getting cold, sleepyhead.”

I opened my eyes. Stared at the checked
pattern on Ruben’s curtains and then down at his face. He was peppering kisses
on my belly, just to the right of my navel.

“I found a bit I hadn’t kissed,” he said
with a soft smile. “I felt it important to rectify the situation.”

I touched his face and felt his stubble on
my palm. I ran my other hand through his hair, letting it drift through my
fingers. Ruben was here. I wasn’t alone. Those kisses were real.

Ruben was real.

I dragged in a deep breath. Fear was a
powerful thing, and it took an even stronger emotion to beat it into
submission.

Love.

I realized then, in that moment, that I
was head-over-heels in love with Ruben. There was no question about it. I
wanted him, needed him, he’d become my everything, and I wanted it to stay that
way.

“Shall I pass your tea?” he asked,
seemingly satisfied that he’d kissed the neglected square inch of my flesh
sufficiently.

The curtains shifted, creating a slash of
daylight across the room. His face came into bright sunlight, and he squinted
and slanted his head, shifting the shadows angled on his face.

The face I now wanted to start and end my
days with. And if I didn’t? Goodness only knew what would be left of me.

“We’ll be late,” I said, glancing at the
clock. “We only have fifteen minutes until it starts.”

“It’ll be fine,” Ruben said, looking in
the mirror and doing up his tie. “It’s not like we have to go anywhere, they’re
getting married here, in this hotel.”

“I suppose.” I slipped my feet into high
silver sandals and then straightened my dress. “Can you do me up?”

I turned, and he reached for the zipper
and tugged. As he did so, the pale lilac dress hugged me, the silky lining
pressing against my flesh.

“You look very pretty,” he said when I
studied myself in the mirror.

“Do you think?”

“Yes, perfect.” He touched his lips to my
hair and then he, too, glanced at the clock. “Shame we really, really have to
go.”

I smiled and ran my hands over my hips.
I’d put on some weight, I was sure of it. I filled the dress out much better
than when I’d worn it several months ago to a christening. Not loads of weight,
but there wasn’t a gap between the neckline and my breasts now, and my hips had
a hint of curve to them that had been lacking for so long. I touched my hair,
carefully pinned in a twist on the crown of my head and then, happy with my
finished look, I grabbed my clutch. “Let’s go.”

Ruben snapped down the hem of his suit
jacket, straightened the cuffs and scooped up the room key. He hesitated.

“What’s up?” I asked.

He frowned, looked down at himself. “Will
I do?”

“You look very smart. That new suit fits
you lovely.”

He fiddled with his red paisley tie again.
It had been perfectly straight but he’d knocked it to the left.

I went up to him, re-aligned it. “You look
smart and gorgeous, and I can’t wait to show you off.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” I touched my lips to his.

He pulled in a breath. “We’d best get going
then.”

“Yes, we don’t want to be the last in.”

I slotted my hand through Ruben’s forearm
as we walked across the hotel foyer toward the orangery where Felicity and
Neil’s ceremony was to be held.

“This is a seriously nice place,” Ruben
said, letting out a low whistle.

“
Mmm
, very posh.
Must have cost a fortune to hire.”

Grand marble pillars supported an ornate
ceiling, gigantic bunches of flowers were set on the long reception desk, and
staff in neat navy suits and peaked caps were discreetly going about their
business.

A white sign on a stand directed wedding
guests to the orangery. As we approached the glass-paned doors, the tinkle of
gentle music grew louder.

I steeled myself, not because I was
nervous of seeing my friends or that I wasn’t beyond proud to have Ruben at my
side, but just because he wasn’t Matt. All social events, up to this point in
my life, I’d always been with Matt, or alone these last two years, but now that
had changed.

My friends were happy for me, I knew that.
This was good change, but still, happiness lined with sadness was a complex
maze to navigate. I would do the best I could and hope that I didn’t bang up
against too many dead ends.

We went into the beautiful, sunny
orangery. Lemon-colored flowers had been arranged on huge pedestals in each
corner and at the front of the aisle. The white seats had big yellow bows on
the backs of them. Most seats were filled, and people were chatting quietly
amongst themselves. Neil and his best man were talking to the registrar. Due to
heavy motorway traffic, we’d arrived with only a few minutes to spare before
the bride made her entrance.

I spotted Melanie, halfway down. She
turned, as if sensing me there, and gestured.

“Melanie has saved us seats,” I said to
Ruben. “Look.” I stepped ahead of him, felt his hand on the small of my back.

Melanie stood and kissed my cheek. “You
look fabulous,” she said.

“Thanks,” I turned. “This is Ruben
Strong.”

Ruben held out his hand, but Melanie
ignored it and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Hello, Ruben,” she said. “I’ve
heard all about you.”

“All good I hope.”

“Oh, yes, all very good indeed.” She
smiled and gestured to her boyfriend of several years. “This is Andy.”

Andy shook Ruben’s hand, too, and I gave
him a kiss. He was quiet and easy going. I’d always presumed he just liked
Melanie’s efficiency and was happy to go along with whatever she organized.

We took our seats, and I waved hello at
several other friends, all of whom were casting sneaky glances at Ruben. And
why not, he looked incredibly handsome. If I’d seen him across a room, I, too, would
have a second, third and fourth look.

He was winding his thumbs around each
other, so I took his hand, squeezed gently. “Felicity has been dreaming of this
day for years,” I said. “It took Neil a while to get around to popping the
question, but once he did that was it, she was a force to be reckoned with when
it came to planning this day.”

“It has a nice feel to it.” He nodded at
the huge expanse of glass that domed out into the manicured gardens of the
hotel. “It’s light and airy. The outside coming in.”