She nodded but she did it scrunching her nose. She had to do it, she knew it but she didn’t have to like it.
“He’s good now, Faye,” Chace said quietly. “Family. Food. Movin’ his fingers and toes. All the books he can want on that thing Silas bought him and to hold in his hands. He’ll be all right.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, leaning into him, her expression clearing.
He dipped his face closer to kiss her nose and when he moved back, he murmured, “I gotta go.”
“Okay.”
“He says he wants somethin’ else, call me and I’ll pick it up when I go out.”
“Okay.”
“See you here later tonight.”
She grinned and whispered, “Okay.”
“Your bed or mine?”
Her face got soft, her body melted into his and she asked back, “Which one do you want?”
His mattress was better. Her sheets were the softest sheets he’d ever felt in his life. Therefore, a tossup.
But her place was closer to La-La Land which meant he had more time with her in her bed and her shower before they headed for coffee.
“Yours,” he answered.
“’Kay,” she breathed and that was so cute, he bent his head and kissed her quick but open-mouthed, sliding his tongue inside to taste her before he broke the kiss and again lifted his lips but this time to kiss her forehead.
Over her head, he saw Malachi watching them from his hospital bed. And, fuck him, Chace would never have guessed, not in a million years, that Malachi would watch Chace holding Faye, talking to her, whispering with her and kissing her and that would buy him what it bought him.
But when his eyes caught the boy’s, it was slight, it was hesitant but it was there.
The kid smiled at him.
Thank fuck.
Chace smiled back.
Then he gave Faye a squeeze and looked down at her. He saw that she was looking over her shoulder into Malachi’s room and she looked back at him, hesitant too but happy, her lips parted, a bit of her cute wonder shining through and then she smiled huge.
Chace smiled back, gave her another squeeze and a, “Later, Faye.”
“Later, honey.”
He glanced at Malachi before he let her go on another smile and walked away.
* * * * *
Chace felt Faye’s hand run lightly down the skin of his side, he blinked sleep away and saw, strangely, the light was on and she was turned to him.
She’d been reading. She read most nights and he loved that. Loved the fact that for years, he saw her, nose in a book and now he had her in bed with him in one of her little nighties, close enough to touch, her nose in a book. The time he spent knowing she was going to be his, the years he spent knowing she never would, he’d not thought of that. Being in bed beside Faye while she read. But having it felt like a gift. It was maybe whacked to think about it like that but he didn’t care.
He liked it.
But she usually turned off the light and settled in. When he felt it, he pulled her into him.
Now the lights were on and she was facing him, her hand on him.
His hands moved so his arms could curve around her and he pulled her to him.
His voice sounded sleepy when he asked what he always asked, “Done?”
“Uh…” she hesitated, “yeah.”
Her hesitancy and the change in normal circumstances made Chace focus on her.
“Everything okay?”
Her body shifted against his, her legs moving restlessly and all sleep left him because she did this and often. But usually she did it when his mouth was on her, his hands on her.
She was turned on.
What the fuck?
“Faye,” he called and she bit her lip.
Then she pressed her body against his, tucking her face into his neck and she whispered, “There was… uh, in my book, you know,” her legs moved against his and she finished so low he barely heard her, “a really good sex scene.”
Chace smiled.
Oh yeah, she was turned on.
And now he was too.
“Hook your leg over my hip, baby,” he ordered and she instantly complied.
He instantly slid a hand over her hip to her belly, down, between her legs then he shoved his thigh up, trapping his hand against her.
Dripping.
It must have been a good sex scene, she was totally primed.
He shifted a finger and her hips jerked as a small, low, sexy noise drifted up her throat.
Totally primed.
His dick started getting hard.
Then something occurred to him.
“You read sex scenes a lot?” he asked quietly.
“Um…” she didn’t answer which was her answer.
She did.
He pressed his finger in tighter and her hips started moving with it.
His dick got hard and started throbbing.
“What’d you do before me?” he whispered into her hair. She pressed her tits into his chest, her face deeper into his neck and ground her hips down on his hand and thigh.
What she didn’t do was answer.
“You got in this state, Faye,” he pushed gently, “what’d you do before me?”
Her hips undulated with his finger and he heard her breath come faster.
She still didn’t answer.
His finger stopped moving and he cupped her between her legs.
She whimpered, pressed closer and pushed her hips against his hand.
Phenomenal.
“Faye,” he growled.
“Toy,” she whispered then quickly, “Chace, your finger.”
But he was caught up in visions of Faye touching herself with a toy.
Good ones.
Really good ones.
“Where is it?” he asked, his voice low, gruff.
Her hips kept pushing and now her hands were moving with agitation over his skin.
“What?” she asked.
“Your toy. Where is it?”
Her head tipped back and oh fucking yeah.
She was turned on. Huge.
“Why?” she whispered.
“’Cause I’m gonna use it on you,” he whispered back.
“Nightstand,” she answered immediately, so hot, so cute, she wanted that and she wanted it bad.
Fuck. Amazing.
He dipped his head and took her mouth in a long, wet, deep, wild kiss then twisted just his torso to hold their position, hoping to Christ it was in the nightstand at his side.
It was.
He didn’t hesitate to turn it on and position it.
Like he expected, she reacted violently to this but in a good way, pressing her tits deep in his chest, holding on tight, her nails scraping the skin of his back, her face soft, lips parted, hips jerking against the vibrator.
And he got to watch.
It was fucking brilliant.
His voice now hoarse, when she was close, he asked, “How’d they do it?”
“Wh… what?” she gasped, her hips now jerking.
Christ.
Hot.
“In your book, baby,” he prompted and she tried to focus on him but failed. He pressed the toy harder to her clit, rolling it and growled, “Faye.”
“All fours,” she panted.
Jesus.
Fuck yes.
“You want that?” he pushed. They’d never done that. She could definitely get wild but he was still initiating her to sex slowly.
“Yes, please,” she breathed, her hips bucked, her head shifted back, lips parting and she came for him.
He didn’t delay, turned off the toy, threw it aside, rolled her to her belly then pulled her hips up and positioned, thanking Christ she’d done what she’d done only once before and that was start reading without putting her panties back on.
Then he drove in.
He was so far gone, she was so slick and still pulsing with her orgasm, it didn’t take him long. Still, she’d just
found it but, all Faye, all his, she could get wild. So as he pounded into her, she lifted one hand to curl her fingers around the iron of her headboard and found it again. Her head jerking back, her hair flying, her ass tipping to the ceiling, she came hard and loud, crying out with it, it sent him over the edge and he joined her.
Coming down, he took her slow, gentle, his hands moving over her sweet ass, her hips, the smooth skin of her back, her sides, her ribs under her nightie. Then he pulled out, dropped to her side and hauled her over him so she was on top. He shifted, yanking her covers over both of them then he rounded her with his arms.
She breathed against his neck, her body so loose and sated, she gave him all her weight.
He took it because it felt fucking great.
Finally, she whispered, “I don’t get it.”
“Don’t get what, darlin’?” he asked quietly.
“I’ve been doing that for a while and you still do it better than me.”
For a second, Chace’s body tensed just thinking yet again of Faye touching herself.
Then his arms got tight around her and he burst out laughing.
When he was done, he noticed her head pressed tight into his neck just as he noticed her body was no longer loose but taut in his arms.
His laughter died but his arms stayed tight when he called, “Faye?”
She didn’t answer.
His hand slid up her spine to glide into her hair and he called again, “Faye, honey? You okay?”
“You know I have a toy,” she whispered.
Fuck, she went so wild for him sometimes he forgot this was all new to her.
“Lots of women have toys,” he told her quietly.
She didn’t answer.
“Nothin’ shameful about it,” he went on.
She was silent.
He used his arm around her to pull her up but even when she was forced to take her face out of his neck, she avoided his eyes.
“Faye, baby, look at me,” he whispered and it took her a couple of seconds but she did it. When he got her eyes, he reminded her, “You do not have to be embarrassed with me.”
“I –” she started and, his hand in her hair, he pulled her face closer to his.
“That was hot,” he kept whispering and she bit her lip. “Really hot.”
Her eyes went side to side before lighting on his again and she whispered, “But, I –”
He rolled her to her back, his chest pressing her to the bed and kept his face close to hers when he went on, “Seriously, Faye, honey, that… was… hot. I came within minutes of gettin’ inside you and I made love to you before I fell asleep. I love makin’ love to you, baby, fuckin’ love it. But we just fucked and I gotta tell you, I love that too. I like takin’ you sweet. I like takin’ you slow. I like fuckin’ you hard. And I like thinkin’ of you touchin’ yourself. I like knowin’ all that wild was layin’ in wait for me and you kept it under control by takin’ care of yourself. That’s hot too. Unbelievably hot. Everything about you is hot, honey. You got nothin’ to be embarrassed, ashamed or worried about because you’re the best I ever had. All of you. All we share. The best kiss. The best orgasm. The best lovemaking. And seriously the best fuck.”
She was staring up at him, eyes wide when he finished and she whispered with disbelief, “Really?”
“Oh yeah,” he whispered back with feeling.
“But… how?”
“I don’t know how, you just are.”
“That’s… it’s… I –”
He pressed into her and said firmly, “Faye, it’s true.”
“But… when?”
He felt his brows draw together before he asked, “When what?”
“When was uh… you know, your best orgasm?”
“The first time with you.”
She blinked. Cute but also kind of annoying. Annoying because he gave it to her then, showed it to her straight out so she had to fucking know.
“Seriously?” he asked.
“Seriously seriously?” she asked back breathily which meant doubtfully.
“Faye,” he started, “first, no one had been in there and you’d just come. I’d never been inside a woman that tight and wet which in and of itself meant it was gonna be good for me and it really fuckin’ was. But also, no one had been in you. That meant you were mine. I didn’t take it. You gave it to me. You couldn’t miss that meant somethin’ to me so yeah, seriously, comin’ inside you the first time you took me was the best orgasm I’ve ever had.” He hesitated then finished firmly, “By far.”
“Seriously?” she whispered, still dubious and now he was getting pissed off.
“Yeah, Faye, seriously,” he replied shortly and she stared.
Then he watched as wet filled her eyes.
Fuck.
“Faye, what the fuck?” he asked.
“I… I…” she stammered, “I want to be good at it. For… for you so you… you’ll keep liking me.”
He stared down at her.
Then his torso collapsed on hers because he couldn’t hold it up due to the fact that he was roaring with laughter.
He heard her wheeze and, still laughing, he rolled them so he was on his back again and she was up top. He kept laughing as he lifted his hands and pulled her hair away from her face as she studied him, a look on her face he couldn’t quite read but didn’t give a fuck he couldn’t.
“Shit,” he muttered, still chuckling, “that was fuckin’ funny.”
“I’m being serious,” she whispered.
“I know, honey, that’s why that was so funny.”
Her stare turned to a glare and he started chuckling again.
So she snapped, “Chace!”
When she snapped, he snapped. His hands in her hair at the sides of her head cupped her so he could pull her face to within a half an inch of his.
“First up,” he began, his tone deadly serious because he was deadly fucking serious, “I’m not lyin’ or handin’ you a line. I’ll say it one more time. You’re the best I ever had. I don’t know why and I don’t care why. It’s just true and I figure it’s because it’s you. Second, and a lot more fuckin’ important, you don’t bury shit like this, concerns you have, fears that run deep and not talk to me about ‘em. You don’t go about life with me like all is good and you’re settlin’ in and harbor shit deep that eats at you. You lay it on me so I can help you let it go.”
“Do I get to return that favor?” she asked instantly.
“What?” Chace asked back.
“You’re harboring stuff deep that eats at you. Do I get you laying it on me so I can help you let it go?”
Fuck, how did she maneuver this?
Fuck, he’d walked right into it.
“Faye –” he started and she yanked her head back, pushing up.
“I get it. The answer to that is no,” she muttered but he rolled with her so he was again on top and when he had her contained, he saw it was Faye now who was angry but he also saw she was hurt.
Fuck.
“Give me time,” he whispered.
“I am,” she whispered back.
“It’ll all be yours, Faye, I promise when the time is right, when I can face it, when we’re strong and you can face it, I’ll give it to you.”
Her head gave a slight jerk and she was still whispering when she asked tentatively, “You’re not testing me?”
He blinked then asked back, “What?”
“You, it’s… whatever it is, is uh, deep and if you don’t, um… intend for there to be a, um… future for us then you wouldn’t want to –”
Christ, he was a fucking idiot.
He dipped his head, touched his mouth to hers and stopped her talking.
Then he lifted his head so he was a breath away and he shared softly, “Faye, I’m fallin’ for you.”
Her hands were at the sides of his ribs and he felt her fingers dig in as her eyes got big. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Chace –”
>
“Straight up, this is the man in your bed. I want in there, Faye, and when I get in there, I’m gonna dig in deep so when I share my shit that’s so dark you’ll be blinded by it and you’ll wanna run to the light, you can’t because I’m so deep, you can’t let go.”
She was breathing heavier as she stared at him before she said quietly, “Nothing about you can be that dark, Chace.”
“It can ‘cause it is.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe that.”
“Good, keep not believin’ it so I can dig in there and when I give it to you, you can’t let go.”
“It’s not that dark,” she pushed quietly.
“This is the only warning you get, Faye, ‘cause you don’t kick my ass out right now and you sleep beside me tonight, tomorrow I just keep digging deeper but it’s no lie. It is. It’s as dark as it can get. Dark and ugly.”
“That isn’t true.”
“It is.”
“It isn’t,” she stressed, Chace opened his mouth to speak but her hand shot up between them and she pressed the tips of her fingers against his lips and went on. “I’ll tell you why I know. Because what you just told me you were doing, you wouldn’t do. Not to me. Not to anyone. You wouldn’t make me care for you only to hurt me. You know whatever it is, I can handle it. Because if you didn’t know that, didn’t believe it, you would not be here right now. That isn’t the type of man you are, Chace, and I don’t care what you think, I know who you are. I don’t know who you think you are but I know who you are. I also know nothing you can tell me will make me think differently.”
Jesus, he fucking hoped so.
She wasn’t done but she moved her fingers from his mouth to cup his jaw before she kept talking.
“I’m glad you like me. I’m glad to know you’re not sharing with me not because you’re testing me but because of why you explained you aren’t though that’s crazy but, whatever. Take your time. I’ll be here and after, I’ll still be here. And I’m glad you thought that was hot. Because I read a lot of romance novels and my toy got a lot of um… uh… you know, use before you so, um… you’re going to get a lot of um… use now too.”
Chace Keaton stared down at Faye Goodknight, her head against the pillows of her bed, her body under his and he wondered how in the fuck six years of misery led him to all the promise that was her.
He’d wanted her for years not having any fucking clue how much of her there was to get, how deep it ran or how sweet it was.