The Critic (25 page)

My body heated when the word “relationship” rolled off his tongue. “We won’t, but I can tell this is really bothering you.”

“I just miss him. We don’t see each other often. A lunch or a drink here and there just isn’t enough.”

Bentley’s voice broke my heart. “Is that why you want to come back sooner than later? Because of Brett’s situation? Maybe he should go visit you there.”

Bentley looked toward the bar and nodded. “Yeah. If this baby is his, he won’t have time for God knows how long, and he needs a break.”

I gave him a chaste kiss and licked my lips. “Ya know what?” I trailed my finger from his earlobe, over his delectable scruff, to his chiseled chin.

“What’s that?” The right corner of his mouth rose as he looked at my lips.

I whispered in the sultriest voice I could muster, “My boyfriend is extremely sexy.” My tongue grazed his earlobe as I blew a soft breath on him.

“Is that so?” His voice was so deep my thighs clenched together. Before I could answer, his mouth was on mine, and his hand under my shirt, teasing my back. “Let’s get out of here.”

He grabbed my hand and practically dragged me from the booth. We walked to the dance floor to tell Gina and Seth we were leaving. Bentley squeezed my hand, pulled me into an embrace, and swayed to the music. His hands were on the small of my back, and my fingers played with his hair.

“One dance, we say our good-byes, then we’re out of here.”

I smiled. “Sounds great.”

We practically fell into my apartment as we ripped off each other’s clothes. I couldn’t seem to get enough of her. I lifted her, and her denim-clad legs wrapped around my waist. I pulled her shirt over her head, tossed it away, and then lowered the cups of her bra with my teeth. Her back was pressed against the front door as we grinded our hips together. She tightened her legs, applying just enough pressure to my already-hard cock.

“I need to be inside you.” I continued tasting her skin from her neck to her breasts.

She rested her head on my shoulder as I carried her into my bedroom. Once I set her on the bed, her bra was the next thing to hit the carpet. She unbuttoned her jeans and lifted her ass so I could slide them down, taking her panties with them. She sat up, unbuttoned my jeans, and slid them off, her hands caressing my ass.

“Naked, Bentley. I want to see my boyfriend.” She licked her lips in what appeared to be anticipation.

I smiled. “I love the sound of that. I never thought I’d have you as my girlfriend. Shit, just having a real girlfriend is surreal to me.”

Her brows furrowed. “You haven’t had a girlfriend?”

My lips found the pulse on her neck as I grumbled, “Not one that lasted very long.”

She grabbed my boxers and lowered them. With my hand between her legs, I teased her in the most tantalizing ways until she bucked her hips against my palm.

“Bentley . . . I. . . .”

She was ready to come apart, but I pulled my fingers out of her then licked them one at a time. Her mouth formed an O as I left her wanting, staring at my glistening fingers. Andi rose to her knees and placed her hands on my torso.

“You look like a statue.” She studied me as her words made my heart skip.

“A statue?” My brows rose slightly as the left corner of my mouth lifted.

“Yeah. If I were going to carve a flawless body, it’d look like yours.” She bit her top lip. “I can’t wait to lick every inch of you. I’ll start here . . .”

She brushed my pecs with her lips. The warmth of her breath on my cool skin made me harder—maybe teasing her hadn’t been my best plan.

Her eyes became darker as she continued. “Then I’ll continue down . . .”

Her tongue slid down the center of my abs as I tried to contain myself and not spread her wide and give her what I wanted to—what I needed to.

“Until I have all of you in my mouth. I can’t wait to taste you”—she peered up at me—“again.”

I picked her up and laid her on her back. My arms held her legs apart while I pushed into her, relishing her wetness against me. My pace increased with want.

“Oh my God, Bentley.” Her voice was heady with need.

The desire in her eyes captivated me as I pushed in and out of her. Not wanting this to end, I shifted us so that she was straddling me. I could think of nothing hotter than seeing her slide up and down my slickened shaft. We moved in unison as I grabbed her ass, controlling her speed.

“You feel incredible. Ride me, sweetheart.” My hands moved to her hips.

She picked up her pace, and just when I thought she would fall into orgasmic bliss, I flipped us around, regained control, and stopped moving.

“Please don’t stop.” Her chest heaved as her back arched.

Resting on my elbows, I slid her hair behind her ears and took in her beauty. “I’m glad you’re mine.”

She sounded sexy as fuck when she said, “Me too.”

We moved together, savoring each other until we came apart. I rolled off her and turned to my side.

I smiled at her. “You’re pretty spectacular, ya know that?”

She nodded. “I’d say we’re spectacular together.”

I couldn’t help but agree, but panic set in as I realized we hadn’t used protection. “Andi, I didn’t wear a condom.” All I could think of was Brett. Unlike him, I was with my girlfriend, but we weren’t ready to be parents.

“I’m on the pill.” Her brows lowered.

The relief I felt came out in a sigh. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fantastic.” Her eyes met mine. “I’ve never had unprotected sex. Have you?”

“Once, but I’m clean, I swear.” I cringed at the thought of that night.

“Oh.” Her eyes fell, along with my heart. “Then I guess we’re in the clear.”

My arms opened in invitation. Andi scooted closer and laid her head on my chest.

“So, Mr. Chambers, tell me more about you.”

“What would you like to know, Ms. Jordan?” Andi’s sweet giggle made me smile as I played with her hair. I held her hand on my chest so she could feel my heartbeat. She seemed to want to cram all she could into the time we had left together, so I obliged, resigned to the fact that she most likely wasn’t coming with me.

“Let’s see . . . where do you like to go on vacation? Are you a cold weather guy, or do you like sunshine and heat?”

“My family has a place on the beach in the Outer Banks. I’m not one for the cold, so Aspen is out.” I laughed. “Do you ski?”

“Me? Hell no! I hate the snow, and the last thing I want to do is go Mach 20 down a mountain on a pair of narrow boards.”

She was completely serious, and my laughter turned into a roar.

She propped herself up. “What? Mach 20 is fast, isn’t it?”

“Um, yeah, babe, if you’re a fighter jet.”

“Oh, well . . . you know what I mean.” We both laughed.

“Got it. No skiing or winter-weather activities.” The tips of my fingers grazed her spine. “Andi?”

She looked at me. “Yeah?”

My eyes closed then opened slowly, drinking her in. “Thank you for being here.”

A smile graced her face. “My pleasure. Let’s get some sleep.”

“Okay. Sweet dreams.”

She leaned up and placed a faithful kiss on my lips. “How could they not be? You’re in my arms.”

Waking wrapped in Bentley’s arms was definitely something I could get used to, but sadly, it would be ending soon. I took a deep breath and smiled. I also enjoyed feeling his morning happiness on my lower back. I’d never been this close to a man before. The idea of finding someone to truly love me hadn’t even been a blip on my radar before him.

He kissed the top of my head. “Good morning, gorgeous.”

I sighed and turned in his arms, relishing in his warmth. “Hi.”

“This is nice.” He pulled me closer. “I don’t want to leave this bed.”

Our bare chests pressed together, making me not want to let him go either. I knew we’d eventually need to get up though. A sigh escaped me. “I don’t either.”

“My calendar is a little lighter than usual.” His soft lips peppered my skin with tender kisses. “Scott hired a new guy to take over for me, and he’s taking him to some shows I would normally review, so I’m covered. Plus, Scott knows I need time to wrap things up here.”

My heart skipped a beat when I thought of him getting ready to go. I was doing my best to support him with a smile rather than with tears, but letting him go was so hard. We’d moved quickly over the past weeks, but he was in my heart. I needed to trust him with it. I didn’t want us to be that couple who avoided talking about things that scared them or that they might disagree on. We’d both been learning to be more open with each other. I supposed after being alone for so long, it was easy to dismiss the obvious.

“Bentley?” His eyes found mine, and I continued. “What about
Together Again?
Don’t you need to be here for that?” Losing my part in that show no longer upset me, but I couldn’t ignore the sting I felt when I thought about it.

“I went to opening night.”

“Oh. I haven’t read your reviews lately. I’ve been busy.” I shrugged. “How was it?”

“Babe, what does it matter?” His index finger grazed my cheek.

I stared into his eyes. “Just tell me. She was good, right?”

“Yes, she’s doing very well. My mom and the ladies in the guild were quite impressed with the entire production.” His tone was steady and impassive.

“That’s good. I’m glad their investment is paying off. It’s a really great story.”

He rolled us so his body hovered over mine, and he rested on his forearms. His hand moved my hair behind my ears. “I’m thankful for that show. It brought us together, which is funny. I never really thought about that before.” He tilted his head.

“Thought about what?”

“
Together Again,
the title. That’s what it did for us.” He continued twirling my hair while smiling at me.

“Well, it did bring us together, but not again.”

He smiled. “It was always you, Andi. It has been for years. So, yeah. Again.”

He leaned down and kissed me. My fingers threaded into his hair, holding him to me. His kisses made me feel alive. Bentley had become my reason for happiness and made me feel alive. It wasn’t acting, the thrill of the curtain rising, or my name on a marquee. It was him. I’d fallen hard for him. I couldn’t tell him that yet, so I said the next best thing. “Make love to me.”

No more words were needed. His hands skimmed my naked body as mine glided over his taut back and firm ass. I spread my legs and bent my knees, giving him access to my most delicate place. His tip grazed me in a controlled, sweeping motion, gently teasing me. I arched my back to encourage him to enter me. He shifted lower, took my nipple in his mouth, and nibbled it.

“Bentley, please.”

His lips curled into a smile on mine as the tip of his cock teased me. “Do you want this?” I nodded, and he chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

He slid inside me with a groan, and my body reacted. I felt my pulse in my ears, and the heady feeling of making love to the man I loved was surreal. We moved in slow, fluid motions, as if music were playing. Our bodies danced to our own rhythm.