Pieces of Him (23 page)

She kills me. She and the kid just kill me. It’s the best kind of death, though.

“I love you too.” Not able to help myself, I push a strand of hair behind her ear and claim her mouth with a kiss. When I pull away, she has this dizzy, sated look on her face that makes me want to forget all about taking her out.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here before it’s too late.”

Hand in hand, we walk out of the building and through the parking lot to my car. As always, I open her door, and once she’s secured in the car, I round the hood and get in the driver’s side.

“Where are we going?” she asks, unable to hide her excitement.

“I want to show you something.” I pull the car out of the parking lot and moments later, I’m merging onto the highway and heading toward the shore. As I drive, Emelia tells me all about the conversation she had with her sister, Hannah, moments ago. How Hannah, who lives in London, has been seeing a man for the last year and is now engaged. She mentioned that she’s thinking of coming home to surprise their father for his birthday and at the same time spring the news of her engagement on him. I like hearing her talk about the people she loves, who mean something to her, because she does it with such enthusiasm. I can only hope she talks that way about Xander and me one day.

I pull up a recently paved driveway and turn the ignition off.

“What is this?” she asks looking around.

“This is the current house my team and I are building. I wanted to show you where I go every day,” I tell her before I angle out of the car and walk over to the passenger side. She’s already out of the car by the time I get there, and she’s looking around and up and down the street.

“Are you responsible for all these houses?”

“Yeah, we’re the home builder for this entire development.”

“They’re all so beautiful, Max.”

“Thanks. What I like about them is that they all have a different floor plan. They’re not all cookie cutter, so it gives the neighborhood some character.”

“Are they expensive?”

“They can get up there. This particular model is pricier because the beach is right across the street. The ones we’ll be building up the street are less expensive.”

“I can’t believe you can do this. This is so cool,” she says, looking up at me with genuine awe in her eyes.

“Come on, let me show you,” I tell her, leading her inside the house. I give her a tour and take her out onto the upstairs porch, which overlooks the ocean. In the center of it, I’ve set up a small table for two with a bouquet of flowers on her chair and a flameless candle in the center.

“What is all this?”

“We’re having dinner out here. I thought it would be …”

“Perfect. It’s perfect,” she says, walking over to the table and picking up the flowers. “These are my favorite,” she says, bringing the bouquet of fresh peonies to her nose.

“I know. You told me.”

“You remembered?”

“I remember everything you’ve ever said to me.” It’s true. She could talk for hours about nothing on end, and I retain it all because she fascinates me. I’ve never met someone with such a capacity for love. I don’t know if she’s a rare breed or I’m just used to dealing with shitty people, but it doesn’t matter either way. She’s in my life now, and every day I spend with her, she inspires me to want to be better. If not for myself, then most definitely for her and Xander.

“That’s very impressive,” she teases, taking a seat in the chair I’ve pulled out for her.

“Wine?” I ask and she nods. I open the bottle of chilled wine that I’ve set on the table and pour her a glass. “You start with that and I’ll be right back,” I tell her, setting the bottle down and heading inside to the kitchen. I picked up dinner and brought it over here earlier, so it just needs to be heated. I transfer the salad onto plates and bring it outside, placing hers down first and then mine as I sit across from her.

“I can’t believe you did all this.”

“It’s just a meal.”

“It’s thoughtful,” she persists, picking up her fork and spearing a piece of her salad.

“I know that we’re not alone a lot. I thought this would be a good way to get out and still spend time alone together.”

“I love it here,” she says looking out over the water.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

“I’ve been thinking about buying one of these for myself.” I toss out there, testing the waters.

“You have?” she questions, her gaze returning to me, and I can’t help but to notice that she looks disappointed.

“Yeah. I can’t stay in that apartment forever. Xander’s going to need his own space and his stuff is already taking up so much room. It’d be good for us to get into a house, and since we’re the contractor on this development, I’d be able to get in for a decent price.”

She points at the floor and tilts her head to the side. “This particular house?”

“No. I don’t think I can afford the waterfront properties, but it’ll be nice to be a block or two away.”

“I’ll miss you when you move,” she tells me honestly, and I know it costs her something to give that to me. That level of trust and honesty that she hands over to me doesn’t come easily for her. She’s used to being guarded.

“You don’t have to miss me. The reason I brought you here is so that you could see if you like it because I figure by the time it’s done, you might be ready to move in with me.”

“Max.”

“It doesn’t have to be right away if it makes you uncomfortable. I know we’ve only been together six months but eventually?”

“Max.”

“And I’m not moving tomorrow. The house hasn’t even been constructed yet, and if, by the time it is built, we’re not ready to move in together, you can spend as much time there as you want.” Jesus Christ, I’m rambling like a fucking idiot. I stop myself and brace for her reaction. I’m not going to deny that I’m shocked when she says what she says next.

“I’ll move in with you.”

“Really?” I’m unable to hide my skepticism; we’ve been dancing around this issue for months. “Because I thought you were going to try to get out of it.”

“No, I just wanted to know if I could help you pick the options out, floors, colors, you know.”

“Baby, you can design the entire thing. I don’t care.”

“Then I guess I’m moving in with my boys.”

“You don’t know how badly I want to drag you home and fuck you right now.”

“We don’t have to go home for you to fuck me, Max. I’m right here.”

Shit. She’s going to be the death of me.

“Don’t start things you’re not willing to finish, Em.”

I have no clue what’s gotten into her, or maybe this is just a side of her I haven’t seen before, but I’m yet again shocked tonight when she gets up and walks over to me. Looking up at her with a whole lot of lust, I push my chair back. It’s an invitation for her to do something about what she’s just initiated. Never breaking eye contact with me, she reaches down and unbuckles my belt. Her hands work on my pants and I open my mouth to tell her she’s proved her point when she takes hold of my cock and all rational thought goes off with the wind. My head falls back as she begins to stroke me, but nothing, I mean
nothing,
can prepare me for the feeling of her lips taking over. My head shoots up as, wide-eyed, I take her in, kneeled before me, hands on my thighs as she works me with her mouth.

“Oh, shit, baby.” Those are the only functional words I manage to articulate. I want to tell her to get up, that she doesn’t have to do this, not here, not right now at least, but honestly, it feels too good for me to even attempt to stop her. Instead, I do the best I can and sweep her hair off her face and into my fist, holding it loosely, careful not to make it seem like I’m trying to control her actions. She keeps up her pace; it’s almost relentless and I’m not complaining. She does this well, but at the point where my eyes roll to the back of my head, I decide I need to stop her. Coming in her mouth out here when she looks like that is not how I want to end this. My hands go under her armpits and with a tug, I lift her up and onto my lap so that she’s straddling me. Her lips immediately go to my neck where she begins kissing me there.

“Baby,” she calls as I run my fingers through her hair and give it a gentle tug.

“Yeah?” I reply, watching her head fall back right before I attack her neck in return.

“Fuck me.”

Done. I’m gone for; I’ll do just about anything she wants right now. My sweet Emelia has never uttered those words to me, certainly not like that. I know at that moment she’s mine—I own her, she owns me, game over.

“Ask me again and make it nice,” I command, moving her underwear to the side so that I can rub her clit. She whimpers when my finger connects and her forehead drops to mine. The blue in her eyes dancing like an approaching storm.

“Fuck me, baby, please.”

“You want it?”

“I need it,” she whispers. That’s all I need to hear. I’m all for giving her exactly what she needs. Lifting her up, I guide my cock inside and slam her down … hard.

“Yes.” She breathes. Her arms tighten around me, and she holds onto me as if she’s drowning and I’m her life preserver.

“Is this what you need, Em. Huh?”

“Yes, baby. Harder, please.” Holy shit, this is hot. Too hot to let it end just yet, and if Emelia wants to be my bad girl tonight, I’m going to help her be just that. She cries when I grab hold of her waist, halting her movements. I help her up and off me, stand up, and turn her around so that her back is pressed against me.

“You want to be a bad girl?” I question, earning me another whimper from her. I slide a hand up along her torso, stopping once I’ve wrapped it around her neck. Giving her a gentle tug there, I practically growl in her ear.

“Answer me.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“I want to be a bad girl, Max.”

So. In. Love. With. This. Girl. I release my hold on her, giving her back a gentle shove.

“Bend down and hold onto the balcony.” She loves taking my direction, and fuck me, but I love giving it to her. In the past, it was a way to assert my control over my partner, but with Emelia, it’s different. As I take in the sight of her positioned for me, I push her dress up and pull her panties down her legs. She steps out of them, and with a tap of my hand at her inner thigh, she spreads wide for me.

“I owe you for being sassy earlier, don’t I?”

“Yes.” Her response is immediate; she comes alive when we play like this. She gets off on it big time.

The sound of my hand coming down on her ass mixes with her cry; it echoes through the night sky making this even more exciting. I know that the majority of these houses are empty, but it’s not entirely impossible for someone to happen to walk by. Right now, I don’t give a fuck if anyone sees us; nothing could stop me at this point. I lose count of how many more times I spank her, loving the feeling of connecting with her backside. It’s a beautiful ass.

“Have you learned your lesson, Emelia?”

“Yes.”

Wrapping a fist around her hair, I give it a tug.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, Max.”

“Good girl.” I praise her using my free hand to massage the spots I’ve just hit; even in the darkness, I can see that her backside is pink. “Can you take me now, baby?”

“Yes.”

I position my cock at her slick entrance but go no further.

“Take my cock, baby. Show me how bad you want it.” Jesus, I don’t know where I come up with this shit, but it ignites us both so I just go with the flow. I groan as she pushes back, taking my cock inside and slowly beginning to move.

“Oh yeah, that’s my good girl.”

Wrapping an arm around her waist, I maneuver my hand so that I can play with her pussy, rubbing her clit exactly the way I know she likes it. Once I have a good rhythm going, I take over for her, thrusting in and out of her like a crazed man.

“Hold on, baby.”

“Fuck, Max, please don’t stop,” she begs. God, I love my girl. I increase the pressure from my finger, needing her to come soon because I know I can’t hold off much longer. I know she’s close when her cries become less quiet and more uninhibited. I apply a bit more pressure, and she’s gone. I barely register her orgasm as mine hits hard, burning through me and leaving me totally spent. Holding onto the balcony for leverage, I take a minute to catch my breath, listening as Emelia does the same. When I’m sure I won’t collapse onto the floor, I straighten up and make myself decent again. Emelia is straightening her dress and turning into me by the time I’ve finished. She walks right into my arms; the way she always seeks me out after things between us get intense. It’s almost as if she’s looking for my reassurance after we’ve done something that might be considered taboo. I lock my arms around her and pull her into my lap as I sit back down in my chair.

“How’s my girl feeling?” I whisper into her hair.

“Good,” she replies quietly.

“Did you have fun?” I question, needing to make sure she feels okay. She nods her response, but she smiles shyly at me and I take that as a good sign.