Divine Phoenix (27 page)

As she came down, he gentled her, licking and stroking, but avoiding her oversensitive clit as she caught her breath. He sat up and came to lie over her again, bracing most of his weight on his arms. His eyes practically glowed with desire as he gently stroked tears from her temples.

Tilting his head down, he kissed her lips, and she tasted herself on his tongue. He whispered, “No more sad tears.”

“Only joy.” She arched against him, joining his cock against her slippery cunt. “If you have a clean bill of health, I’m on the pill.”

She burned to feel him slide inside her the first time but let him control the moment as he kissed her again. His lips slid to her collarbone, and he kissed and lapped gently then murmured, “I had a checkup when I got back in the States. I’m all clear. Thank you, Lily Bell.”

He punctuated her name with a smooth thrust, filling her cunt with one hot stroke. He was huge, and she was grateful when he paused to give her a chance to become accustomed to him. He switched to the other collarbone and sucked at her flesh, raising goose bumps all over her body.

Involuntarily, her hips flexed and her cunt rippled with tension at the contact. She wrapped her arms around his back and threw back her head as he began to move in small, gentle strokes. Her heart pounded at his care for her, and she felt more hot tears slip from her eyes.

“You feel so good, Lily. So tight and soft. I love your pussy.”

He thrust harder, and she felt the flickering, dancing echoes of an orgasm as she thrust back against him with each stroke. Her body vibrated with tension, wound so tight it felt ready to explode any second.

Pleasure welled inside her, and she joyfully whispered, “It’s coming, Del, it’s coming! Oh! Del!” She felt immensely powerful as she moved beneath him, taking the pleasure he gave her so freely.

Her pussy convulsed and contracted over and over again, and she cried out in triumph when he threw his head back and howled at the same moment she came a second time. He trembled all over and thrust hard one last time before finally stilling. Their bodies were locked together in a sweaty, undulating tangle of arms and legs. His long, blissful moan was the most beautiful music to her ears, and she held to him tightly as they gasped for breath.

Feeling like a limp noodle, she allowed it when he held her to him snugly and rolled onto his back with his pulsing cock still lodged deep inside her. Both Clay and Del were unbelievably strong to accomplish that move in this condition, and she loved it.

That brought Clay to mind, and she wondered what he was doing at that moment. Hopefully he was at home, asleep in his bed, and she wished he was there with them. The thought made her smile.

Del laid his hands on her damp back and trailed his palms down to her ass cheeks and squeezed gently. She loved his hands on her body.

“I don’t have to ask if that was good. Are you all right?”

She nodded and whispered, “I’m perfect, cowboy.”

Plastered to him, sticky, hot, and breathless, she was completely, utterly satisfied. It was absolutely perfect.

Lily awakened to the sound of the shower starting. The spot where Del had lain next to her all night was still warm with his body heat. When Clay had awakened next to her, they hadn’t left the bed until he’d made love to her a second time. Worries crowded Lily’s mind, and she wondered if Del had awakened with regrets over last night.

She pulled the sheets to her shoulder, rolled to her side, and buried her face in his pillow and breathed in his masculine scent. A lump formed in her throat as memories of the night before surfaced in her sleepy thoughts. They’d shared a lot, and it would be impossible to turn back now. He knew about the mark. He’d told her that he loved her, but men said sweet words in the heat of the moment all the time.

A few minutes later, he returned to the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. She opened her eyes, and he looked over at her. The tender smile that crossed his face spoke so much more than words could have. He made a beeline for her, and her heart leaped at the sight of his semierect state. The fact that he would still want her in the light of day and look at her like that, confirming his words from last night, made the lump in her throat swell.

He sat down beside her and laid a gentle hand on her back as she rested her head on his pillow and sniffled. She felt foolish over the tears of relief but couldn’t stop them from coming.

“Hey.” He stroked up and down her bare back. “None of that. What’s got you upset this morning?” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her shoulder blade.

Certain that her face was now red, her nose swollen, and her eyes bloodshot, Lily replied, “Was it real? Did I dream what happened between us last night?”

Del smiled and continued stroking her, his hand straying steadily farther and farther down her back. “If you did, I’m going to be
really
pissed off.” She giggled when he smacked her butt gently. “Now, get this beautiful ass out of bed before I rejoin you and make us both late. I’ll start breakfast.”

“You’re spoiling me.”

Del paused and looked at her for a moment, an indiscernible look on his face. “I’m making it my mission.”

She joined him at the table a little while later, ready for work. This time they set an extra place, knowing that Clay would be there any moment to take her to the shop. It made her feel special that even though he’d arranged for Del to cart her back and forth, he somehow still managed to show up out there. Being missed by somebody was going to take some getting used to.

She poured Del a cup of coffee and asked, “How did you sleep last night?”

A crooked grin curved his lips, and the look in his bedroom eyes spoke volumes. “I had another good night. It’s kind of hard not to when I had you filling my arms, all warm and curvy.” Her temperature elevated at his words and the hot look that came into his eyes. “The last two nights have been needed for a long time.”

“Telling you my story last night helped. I still hate that you know about the mark.”

“Did you know that tattoo can be covered up? I’ve been thinking about getting one. I started to mention it last night but got sidetracked somehow,” he said with a sexy grin.

Lily nodded. “I’ve looked into it. I’ve also considered having it removed but it’s dark and the procedure might not be completely successful. There’s a new tattoo artist in Divine. I don’t know what I’d cover it up with, though. I don’t want to go any bigger than it already is. That’s an awful spot to put a tattoo on a woman. If I have a baby, whatever I do have done will likely never be the same. Why did he have to put it there?”

“My guess is that it satisfied the bastard’s sadistic streak. He gives a bad name to sadists. I’m curious about something. Clay used to call you Lil all the time when we were little. Does that bother you now, since it’s a part of the mark?”

“Knock, knock!”

Lily smiled at the sound of Clay’s voice at the front door and took another sip of her coffee as he poked his head in the kitchen. “Good morning, Clay.” In answer to Del’s question, she shrugged and replied, “JT thought he was being clever when he did that, but his use of Li’l referred more to my size, as in ‘little.’ He never called me Lil like Clay did…” She hadn’t heard Clay use his endearment since the night they’d made love for the first time.

Oh, no. No!

Her coffee cup clattered on the table when she set it down as Clay came to her and pressed a kiss atop her head. She put her face in her hands.

“Lily Bell?”

“Lily? Honey, what’s wrong?” Clay asked, his voice filled with concern. “Are you okay?”

Tilting her head down and holding it in her hands she quietly asked, “Clay, do you know about the tattoo?”

The pregnant silence answered her question, and he verified it when he said, “Yes, honey, I do. Why? What happened?”

She lifted her head and looked up at both men, who were exchanging a worried look. “Del discovered the reason that I didn’t want you to see me naked.”

Clay turned his gaze to Del. “You did? What happened?”

“I woke her from a nightmare. I saw her naked. We talked about it.”

“And?” Clay asked, an expectant, pleased gleam in his eyes.

Lily chuckled and shared an amused look with Del. “
And
we made love.”

“Hot damn! I wish I could’ve been here.”

The thought of Clay being witness to the two of them making love warmed her body with arousal, and she squirmed in her seat, feeling the moisture that flooded her panties in response.

Clay looked between the two of them and rose from the table, a groan leaving his lips as he reached for a coffee mug. “Today is going to be a long damn day. Why in the fuck did we agree to this weekend away?”

She could plainly see the thickened state of his cock inside his blue jeans as he poured a cup of coffee. The desire to rip her dress off and beckon them to join her in the bedroom was nearly overpowering, but they all had responsibilities.

A shaky sigh left her lips. Her gaze locked with Del’s, and she could plainly see the direction his thoughts were taking. The rest of the meal was spent in tense silence. Many scenarios played through her mind as she ate, but they wound up showing admirable restraint when it was time to go to work.

She rose from the table, and Clay slid his hands over her hips. “Damn, you look gorgeous this morning.”

She was wearing a new dress that she’d picked up since losing weight. It was one of those pieces that she felt attractive and comfortable in all day long. His hands were strong but gentle as they slid around to the upper swell of her ass, and she felt a wave of heat shimmer in her core.

Not finished discussing his knowledge of the tattoo, she put her hands on his chest. “You’ve known about the tattoo for how long? Since the beginning? Did the doctors tell you?”

Looking like a little boy whose hand had been caught in the cookie jar, Clay replied, “No. Since the morning after the storm. I…peeked. I’m sorry.”

Lily sighed. “It’s moot now. I can’t very well be mad at you, can I? You still told me you loved me even though you knew.”

“I can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t love you if I knew about it.”

“I didn’t think you’d be able to look at me if you knew.”

“It’s in the past and we’re going to find a way to fix it. No more making love in the pitch-black darkness.”

Lily nodded and shivered when Del made an approving growly sound. And when would they find time for this lovemaking in the not-so-pitch-black darkness before they parted ways for the weekend?

Del kissed her and whispered, “I’m going to get done as quickly as possible. If you have pressing tasks at work, get them done early.”

She nodded at the unspoken command in his words and hoped the workday wouldn’t be so long after all.

* * * *

Clay checked his phone when it buzzed with an incoming text message from Del right before three o’clock that afternoon. He gazed at Lily as she rushed through the workroom doors, grabbed a tool from her workbench, gave him a hot look and heated whimper. He watched as she rushed back through the doors, admiring the swing of her shapely ass.

He watched in the monitor as she moved within the ring of showcases. She was wearing a snug-fitting dress that reached just below her shins. The angle of the security camera showed her in profile from head to toe, and he liked the hell out of the way the black-and-red print accentuated the smooth transition between her curvy hips and breasts. It was possible she’d worn those black heels for the sole purpose of distracting him because his eyes had been on the monitor watching her more than on the ring he was crafting.

He thought of the ring design he was working on as he looked at her and it knowing now why the design suddenly had new life. It was because he knew who the ring was for. It was
hers
.

That was what made all the other custom-made rings he’d designed so special. Each ring had been designed at the request of one of his friends for someone they were deeply in love with. When any of them had talked about the woman the ring was intended for, the words and emotions they shared had breathed life into the design. Making jewelry like that had been his intention all along in becoming a jeweler and in going to art school. He was able to create jewelry for them that became a symbol of their love. That was the reason he’d had difficulty. The design he had struggled with had no intended wearer, or at least it hadn’t until recently.

Of course there was little time for the contemplation of this realization as he watched her graciously greet a new customer who’d just come in the already crowded store. Shoppers were taking advantage of after-Christmas promotions, and his shop was enjoying a huge increase in sales compared to past years.

He had to wonder if Lily’s presence encouraged people to return to shop again. The little old lady she was waiting on held Lily’s hand in hers and patted it before moving toward the door. The smile on Lily’s face at the gesture made his heart ache.

He burned with lust for this beautiful woman, but she was also worthy of everything else he could give her. He wondered what she’d do if he offered her his ring…if they both did.

Remembering the reason for the pause in his work, he flicked the touch screen on his phone and read the text from Del.

“I’m done here. Please tell me you’re coming.”

Clay ground his molars and shifted the hard-on that had persisted for most of the day. The satisfied look Lily had worn that morning at breakfast had changed into an aroused, needful look as they’d talked. He’d wished like crazy that it was Sunday so they wouldn’t have had to be up at the shop at all. But it was the first Friday in January and they were getting hammered, even with the help from his “temp trio,” who were all out front with Lily and Tabitha. He wondered at one point if he should send Tabitha home because she seemed so “off,” but he needed her help and she didn’t complain of being sick.

He replied to the text message reluctantly and gave up the dream of an afternoon spent in Lily’s arms.
“We’re packed to the rafters with customers. No way we’re getting out of here before six. Sorry.”

A juicy, unsatisfying curse word slipped from his lips as he heard the doorbell out front ring again. He glanced at the security monitor, watching as another customer walked in. His phone buzzed right back at him. Pulling his apron over his head and tossing it on the workbench, he groaned in commiseration when he saw Del’s single word response.

“Fuck!”

“Yeah, I’m feeling it, too, bro,” he whispered as he took a deep breath, willed his half-erect cock into submission, and joined the ladies out front.