The Beauty Within (25 page)

“How much is this costing me?”

His lips kissed the nape of her neck. “How much is it worth?”

Tyler sighed and stretched, feeling his lips move down the column of her

spinal cord. His hands slid along her sides before moving beneath her and

cupping her breasts. She felt him slip between her legs as he moved back up

her body, and she opened her legs wider instinctively.

“It’s worth this much?” Gunnar asked with an amused tone.

“Don’t tease me,” Tyler begged.

He moved his hand between her legs and played with her, dancing along

the puffy, moist nether lips. Tyler undulated her hips in time with his caresses,

and she vaguely heard a drawer opening and closing. She was so close to her

climax she completely missed the sound of a foil package being torn open, and

just as she was about to fall over the edge, he entered her smoothly.

“Fuck.”

“Love,” Gunnar corrected, draping his body completely over hers and kiss-

ing her cheek.

Her body shook through her climax and his thrusts, his moans accelerating

her arousal again. Her hands stretched over her head and he linked their fingers

together, his hips pumping against her behind and his shaft stretching her

woman’s channel so wonderfully. Gunnar buried his head in the crook or her

neck and made slow love to her, whispering in Norwegian, his breath hot and

tantalizing against her skin.

“Baby,” Tyler whined.

“
Kjære
,” Gunnar whispered, kissing her clavicle.

“
Oh
…”

He pulled back and slipped out of her, causing her to mew in protest, but

he turned her so she rested on her back. His eyes locked with hers, he re-

entered her body, both of them moaning low at the reunion.

“I love how you feel surrounding me,” Gunnar said lowly.

“I love you inside me,” Tyler admitted, unable to do nothing but be truthful

as he looked at her so intensely, thrust into her so deeply.

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135

Chest met chest as Gunnar framed her face in his hands, dropping kiss af-

ter gentle kiss along the planes of her face. Tyler held him close, wrapping her

legs around his waist and keeping him in a vice. Soon, Gunnar began twisting

his hips, not withdrawing at all, and Tyler’s eyes rolled to the back of her head.

“You love this,” Gunnar panted, nipping her bottom lip.

“Yes…”

“You
love
this,” he repeated, thrusting harder than he had in a while.

“Yes!”

“I love this,” he said, slowing back down and rocking his hips. He kissed

her forehead. “I love everything about this, Tyler.”

“Gunnar…”

He kissed her, his mouth and eyes open as he mated his tongue with hers.

Tyler caressed the angles of his face, the muscles in his arms, neck, and shoul-

ders, and sighed when he pressed his lips over the space where her heart beat.

Suddenly he flipped them over again, this time with him on his back and

her on top, and he gave her a wicked smile.

“Ride me.”

Tyler nearly came from his command, her arms nearly too weak to support

herself. She braced them on his sweat-slicked chest and closed her eyes, lifting

her body off his length slowly before sinking back down even slower.

“Damn.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, and repeated the motion a little faster.

She soon found a slow and steady rhythm, her eyes still closed as she tried

to focus to prolong the pleasure. She felt his eyes on her, then his hands as they

cupped her breasts. She squeezed his member with her internal muscles when

his thumbs thrummed her nipples, followed by his tongue and mouth.

“I’m so close,
kjære
.”

“Come for me, baby,” Tyler murmured.

“God, Tyler.”

“I want you to come,” she repeated, kissing the tip of his nose. “Come with

me, honey.”

“Tyler…”

“Feel me squeeze you,” Tyler said against his cheek before nipping at it.

His hips were furious now, and her breath came in and out in spurts. As

before, Gunnar linked their fingers together and kissed the back of her hands

before letting out a guttural yell with one final, hard thrust. Tyler’s release

came a second after his, and her body collapsed atop his, relishing in another

mind-numbing climax.

Gunnar cuddled her close, his mouth skimming her hairline. Tyler drifted

her fingers along his collarbone and sternum, her eyes stinging as she was

painfully close to tears again. She’d never felt so connected with someone in all

her life, and that scared her. What did a person do after experiencing such

intense emotions?

136

Savannah J. Frierson

“Sleepy,” Gunnar mumbled, bringing her closer.

She nodded, grazing her nose against the pulse point in his neck. Sleep.

That actually sounded like an excellent idea.

It was a quarter to nine when Gunnar woke up; and when he felt the

warm, nude body snuggled atop his, he smiled.

So it
hadn’t
been a dream…

Clearly not, for the reality had been a million times better, gone thousands

of miles higher than he’d ever imagined. Tyler’s hair was a tangled afro about

her head and he chuckled silently, pushing down the mass of hair only to have

it fluff back up slowly.

She muttered something incoherently and pressed closer to him.

It was when she shifted did he realize he was still inside her, and he felt

himself stir. This was madness! He really needed to let the poor woman rest! If

he had his way, they would have plenty more opportunities to make love—no

need to cram them all in one night!

As much as he was loath to leave her, Gunnar eased out her body and the

bed anyway, successful in not disturbing her. He cupped her cheek and

nuzzled her nose briefly before grabbing clean boxer shorts from a drawer and

padding downstairs.

They needed to eat, and he hummed a nameless tune as he figured out

what to prepare. Though it was late, he was ravenous, and guessed Tyler

would be as well.

How completely right did she look in his bed just a moment ago?

Smiling to himself, he pulled out some food and began cooking, hoping she

wouldn’t be adverse to the menu. It was by pure luck he’d gone grocery

shopping recently, or else most of the food would have been stocked in the

freezer and unfit for use tonight. Besides, it had been a while since he’d cooked,

genuinely, if he didn’t count this morning; and he had it on good authority,

namely his mother, sister, and aunts, that he wasn’t all that bad at it.

It was about an hour later before dinner was done, and he set the food,

glasses of water, and utensils on a tray and carried it carefully up the stairs to

his bedroom. Once he reached the door, he stood there for a moment, breath-

less at the sight of Tyler in his bed. The covers had worked their way down her

body, leaving her bare back completely exposed, and her arms were wound

tight around his pillow. She shifted her legs and moaned, the covers lowering

even more to show him the beginning curve of her bum, and Gunnar hummed

low in his throat in approval.

He saw Tyler open her eyes with a frown, looking around the room dis-

oriented.

Gunnar smiled. “Hello, Sleeping Beauty.”

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137

Tyler gasped and twisted to him, frowning and moaning once more. Both

heard the loud growl of her stomach, and Gunnar laughed outright while Tyler

whined and hid her face in a pillow.

“So embarrassing!” she said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

“I think it’s adorable, actually,” Gunnar admitted, walking to the bed. He

moved some things off the nightstand and put the tray upon it before sliding

into bed behind Tyler. He ran a gentle hand along her back. “How are you

feeling, baby?”

“Stiff, sore, and hungry,” she muttered, pulling her face from the pillow.

The back of her head was to him.

Gunnar grinned and kissed her shoulder. “I have food.”

“I know. It smells good, actually. Did you fix it yourself?”

“I can cook,” he said smugly.

“Get outta town,” Tyler said, snuggling into the pillow. Gunnar bent over

her so he could see her face. Her eyes were closed, but a tiny smile graced her

lips.

“You look perfect in my bed,” he whispered in her ear.

“You’re sweet talkin’ me.”

Gunnar laughed lowly and kissed the center of her back. “I’m also telling

you the truth. Sweet talking and truth telling aren’t always mutually exclusive,

kjære
.”

“Oh. Learn somethin’ new every day.”

Gunnar laughed again and turned her to her back. Her eyes were soft and

unguarded as she looked at him, and he was once again rendered breathless.

She was so beautiful to him, and the emotions she saw in her eyes made the

anxiousness in his heart disappear.

Their lips connected briefly, and his hand caressed her from her neck,

down her right breast, and to her hip.

“Ready to eat, baby?”

Her eyes flicked to the food and she smiled. “What have we got?”

He helped her recline against the headboard on the bed and placed the tray

in her lap. “Baked chicken, wild rice, green beans, and to top it off, a wheat

roll.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled. “Baby, this smells wonderful!” She was

about to pick up the fork, but Gunnar moved it away from her. “Gunnar!”

He smirked at her and began cutting up the chicken. The suspicious look

never left her eyes, even as he presented a forkful of chicken to her.

“Open,” Gunnar said silkily.

“I
know
you ain’t—!”

“You’re stiff and sore, right?” Gunnar reminded her.

“My
arms
are fine!”

He couldn’t have stopped his smug smile if he had tried. “I gave you a ri-

gorous workout, didn’t I, Ms. Carver?”

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Savannah J. Frierson

Tyler was unsuccessful in keeping the grin from her face. “Give me the

fork, Mr. Daniels!”

“Open your mouth, Tyler,” he coaxed, bringing the fork closer to her lips.

With a roll of her eyes, Tyler complied, and he gently slid the food between her

lips. The look of pleasure that overcame Tyler’s face as she chewed made

another smug smile appear on his.

“Good?” Gunnar asked knowingly.

“Bastard,” Tyler muttered without venom, and reached for the fork again.

“Oh,
no
. Name calling gets you fed more.”

“Gunnar!”

“Open up, baby! You’re my baby; I have to feed you,” Gunnar said, scooping

up rice this time.

She did absently, as if her mind was still too busy dissecting his last com-

ment to tell her mouth not to give into his whims.

“A few hours ago you said I was your woman,” Tyler said after she swal-

lowed.

“Again, the two aren’t always mutually exclusive.”

She tilted her head to the side. “You’d want children?”

Gunnar nodded, this time feeding her green beans. Tyler dropped all pre-

tenses of being annoyed and accepted the food automatically. “I love kids.”

He didn’t miss Tyler absently move her hands to her stomach, and he

gripped the tray and the fork to keep him from doing the same. It was entirely

possible he would have one of his own in the next nine months, and instead of

the dread that had usually come whenever a partner had given him the scare,

though to be fair, that hadn’t ever been often…twice wasn’t often, was it?…he

felt anticipation at the prospect with Tyler. Besides, he would be thirty-five,

soon. It was time for him to start settling down anyway.

“What about you,
kjære
? You want babies?”

Tyler took a sip of water and stared at the tray. “I’ve thought about them,

of course.”

“And?”

Her eyes darted to his briefly. “I’ve wondered.” She broke off a piece of

bread and ate it, sighing as she did so.

Gunnar felt his eyes narrow. Of course she’d wondered, and he knew with

whom she’d wondered having them. Quincy Lucas.

Gunnar cupped her cheek and made her look into his eyes. “Had you and

Quincy ever talked about it?”

She gave a half-hearted shrug. “Future plans had been discussed, yes.”

Gunnar licked his lips, unsure if he should ask the question he was about

to ask anyway. “Marriage?”

She nodded, eating another piece of bread. He saw her face begin to crum-

ple and he sighed, cupping her other cheek.

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139

“
Elskling
, look at me,” he commanded gently. She did as told, her eyes so

sad, and his heart broke. This was further proof the idiot hadn’t deserved Tyler.

“If we created a child today, would you regret it?”

“It is what it is—”

“No, Tyler,” Gunnar said, brushing his thumbs against her cheek. “Would

you regret it?”

“Would you?”

“No.”

Her eyes widened at that, apparently not expecting the firmness and finali-

ty with which he’d spoken. “Oh.”

“I regret nothing about what’s happened between us,” Gunnar said sin-

cerely, and finally dropped one of his hands from her cheek to her abdomen.

“Or the consequences.”

“I might not be pregnant,” Tyler whispered.

“Is it wrong that part of me actually hopes you are?”