Around: Wrapped Around You (4 page)

“God,” she said on a breath. “You feel so good. Please, I need you inside me. Please.”

Eric slid his hands to her hips and started to move her up and down, thrusting up to meet her.

“Fuck, Julie, you’re so fucking tight, so wet. Touch yourself for me, cher. Make yourself come.”

His words made her sex clench around his cock, and his fingers dug into her hips.

“Fuck,” he groaned, his voice low and hungry.

She slid her fingers between her slick folds, feeling the place where their bodies joined, feeling the slide of his cock inside her. With two fingers, she started to rub circles over her swollen clit. Eric slipped the tip of his finger past the tight ring of her anus, sliding deeper with each thrust of his cock. A second finger joined the first, and the stretch and sting of his fingers moving inside her almost undid her.

“I can feel myself fucking you,” he said, stroking with his fingers in time with the thrusting of his cock. “So tight, so fucking sweet. Come for me, cher. Come for me right now. Let me feel your hot little cunt milk my cock. I’m so hard; I’m going to explode inside you.”

The stream of words, his fingers and his cock drove her on, higher and higher, and when he slid his hand from her hip to her breast to pinch and roll her nipple, she flew. The orgasm shattered her, stars of white light flickering in her eyes while her body convulsed around him, all the tension he’d built layer by layer dissolving in her mind-numbing climax.

Sliding his fingers from her body, he grabbed her hips with his hands and drove up into her, pulling her down to meet him with each brutal thrust. Water sloshed over the sides of the tub and her breasts bounced as wave after wave of pleasure swamped her. She gripped the sides of the tub with white knuckled hands as he slammed into her. Stealing her breath. Owning her body and soul. She felt his thick cock swell and pulse, shooting jets of hot cum deep inside her before she collapsed back against his chest.

~~~~~

Eric woke with Julie in his arms, struck by how right she felt nestled beside him. He curled his body around her, his hand around her waist as she wriggled her ass back against his thickening cock. This is what mornings were supposed be like, the woman he loved, naked in his arms, wet and ready for him to slide into her.

The woman he loved. He let the thought roll around in his head while he fitted his cock into the cleft of her ass. He did love her. Maybe he’d never stopped, but that didn’t change that fact that for as often as he’d woken with her in his arms, he’d also woken to find her gone. Or come home to find her gone. Eric wasn’t the kind of man to over analyze things. He looked at a situation from all angles, made his decision and acted on it. But there in the back of his head was the quiet, impossible-to-ignore voice that asked if he could really trust her not to leave him again.

He didn’t have to decide this morning. They had to get through the day. Figure out the plan for the exchange the next day, and he had to get the money. They could deal with their past and the future he wanted when they’d gotten this crap with her brother behind them. A day and a half, two at most. He could wait that long. Julie stretched in his arms, arching her back and tipping her hips to guide him closer to her core. He cupped her breast and bit her shoulder, gently scraping his teeth over her flesh.

“Morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning,” she said, sounding sleepy and sexy as hell.

Turning in his arms, she threw her leg over his hip, opening herself for him and shifting so the head of his cock nudged her tight opening. Exhaling on a sigh, she hooked her leg around him and pulled him into her. For a moment they froze, bodies joined like pieces of an intricate puzzle, fitting together in a perfect union. Her sweet cunt clenched around him and he lost his breath. Nothing else mattered. He would never be able to get enough of her. It simply wasn’t possible.

And then she shifted, sliding up his length, and he stopped thinking and started to move.

“ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE every angle covered? I don’t want anything left to chance,” said Eric. He hated the idea of Julie making the exchange but she and Luke and Jackson presented a unified front. Nothing else made sense, and if he were objective, he’d probably agree. But there was no way he could be objective where Julie was concerned and putting her in any kind of danger was driving him crazy.

“I’m sure,” said Jackson. “I’ve handled security on Mr. Masterson’s building since it opened. My men have everything covered. We’ll have eyes on her all the time. I’ll wire her myself. There’s no way for anyone to take her.”

“I’ll be okay,” said Julie, laying her hand on his arm in a gesture he was sure she meant to be reassuring, but he felt her nerves telegraphed through her fingertip as if they were his own.

“I fucking hate this,” said Eric, pacing the living room. Jackson showed up after he’d gotten back from the bank to go over the details for exchange and Luke came along for moral support, but the whole thing just pissed him the fuck off. He should be able to do this without making Julie vulnerable.

“Jackson has everything covered,” said Luke. “Nothing is going to go wrong. By this time tomorrow it will all be over.”

“Would you be so sure if Claire was the one making the drop?” Eric saw the answer on his friend’s face. “That’s what I thought.” He pressed his palm against his forehead, dragging his fingers through his hair and then he knelt in front of where Julie sat on the couch, taking her hands in his. “If there is any sign that something’s off, I’m pulling the plug. We’ll find another way to get Caleb back. Do you understand?” Her answering nod did little to reassure him.

“I won’t let anything happen to her,” said Jackson.

“I’m counting on it.”

~~~~~

Julie watched Eric move around the room like a caged lion. His barely restrained energy made it hard for her to concentrate on what head of security was saying, but she had to. She wanted to get her brother back and get on with her life. The more time she spent with Eric, the clearer it became that there was no way she’d ever be able to live without him. She had no idea what he was thinking or feeling but she knew with every fiber of her being that she belonged with him.

They’d get Caleb back and then she was going to shove aside every bit of fear and insecurity and do whatever it took to build a life with Eric, including convincing him if necessary. She was done holding back and waiting for her life to start. It was pacing the room in front of her.

“You’ll need to drive your car to the parking garage,” said Jackson. “If you give me your keys I’ll have one of my people pick it up and bring it here. We’ll also put a tracking device on the car as a precaution, and one on the money and you, of course.”

She heard Eric growl under his breath, but she forced herself to concentrate on what Jackson was saying.

“Follow the kidnapper’s instructions to the parking garage and give them the money. Caleb should be there waiting for you when you make the drop but if he’s not there or if something goes wrong, give them the money anyway. I’ll put a tracker on the case. You are important, not the money.” He leaned toward her, his expression serious but kind. “Because the building belongs to Mr. Masterson, we have access to the cameras all over the garage, and I will have my people everywhere. I’ll be watching you the entire time. We will not let anything happen to you Miss Blake. You have my word.”

She’d feel better when this was over, but Jackson’s promise reassured her. She felt certain he didn’t give his word unless he was absolutely sure he could back it up.

“Thank you, Jackson,” said Julie. “I appreciate your help with all of this.”

The man nodded and rose. “I should leave you for the night. You need to get some sleep, and I still have a few loose ends I want tied up tight before tomorrow. May I have your keys, please?”

“Of course.” Julie hurried to the kitchen to grab her purse. She heard Eric grilling Jackson for assurances behind her and Luke trying to calm him down. God she hated that she’d brought any of this mess into his life, not to mention the hundred grand he was coughing up to save Caleb. She had no idea how she’d every repay him, but she was perfectly content to spend the rest of her life trying to figure it out.

When she turned to give Jackson her keys, Eric was showing him and Luke to the door. She handed over the keys with her thanks and good-byes and then they were gone and she and Eric were alone again.

“Are you hungry?” Eric asked.

“Not really.” Her stomach was so knotted up; she didn’t think she could eat a bite of food, not even Eric’s cooking.

“You need to eat.” He strode to the kitchen and slipped an apron over his white dress shirt. He’d dressed in a suit for his trip to the bank, ditching his coat and tie when he got home. The only thing sexier than Eric in a suit was Eric in slacks and a dress shirt open at collar with the sleeves rolled up to show off his strong tanned forearms.

“Why did you ask if you were going to ignore my answer?” She meant the question to be playful, but he turned to face her, his gaze hot and laser focused.

“Because you obviously don’t always know what’s good for you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” The last thing she wanted to do was pick a fight with him, not when he was doing so much to help her. But she absolutely didn’t need another man acting like she didn’t know what she was doing, She’d gotten more than enough of that from Caleb and her dad.

“Never mind. Forget about it. Tonight is not the right time to talk about any of this.” He looked uncomfortable, almost sheepish. Not a look she was used to seeing on his normally confident face.

“Did I do something to make you angry?” She watched expressions war across his face and decided to push. “Tell me. There isn’t anything you can’t tell me.”

“I don’t want to deal with it now. Let me feed you and take you back to bed. We can talk about it tomorrow after all this shit is over.”

“Why wait? I’m worried enough as it is. I don’t want to be trying to figure out what’s going on between us while I’m dealing with the situation with Caleb tomorrow. If you have something to say just say it. Have you changed your mind about helping me?” Her voice sounded small, and she hated it, but she didn’t want anything standing between them.

“Fuck no,” he said, scrubbing his hands through his hair. The muscle at his jaw tightened, and she could see he was wrestling with something. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, her heart leaping. She took a step toward him, but instead of moving to meet her he held his ground. “Is that a problem?”

“Fuck yes, it’s a problem. I love you. I loved you when I was nineteen, and I love you now. You are the only woman I’ve ever loved, Julie.”

As happy as the words made her, it didn’t look like they were giving him any pleasure.

“I don’t understand. Loving each other.” God, she loved saying the words. “That should be a good thing, right. So what’s wrong?”

“I love you, Jules. I want you all the damn time. I will never get enough of you.” He looked at her, his hazel eyes intense. “I’m just not sure if I can trust you. You have a nasty habit of leaving me.”

She wanted to shout at him, insist that he was wrong. Of course he could trust her, but he looked like he was in such pain. He wasn’t saying it to hurt her. He really wasn’t sure, and that destroyed her.

“I explained to you why I left – both times.”
Christ, no wonder he was worried
.

“I know you did,” he said, his voice softening a fraction. “I know, but how I am I supposed to know that it won’t happen again? Running seems to be your default response.”

The easy thing would be to scream at him. She could call him a judgmental bastard and bolt, buoyed by righteous indignation. It was much harder to deal with the truth. She had good reasons for leaving him – both times. That didn’t change the fact that she hadn’t trusted him with what was going on. She hadn’t given him a chance.

No wonder he was worried. He had every reason to be. They’d spent the Christmas holiday reconnecting – making love. Falling in love. And she’d left him again, sneaking off in the middle of the night with a two word note as her only explanation. She never intended to leave him again, but she hadn’t really intended to the first time either. In the heat of the moment, leaving simply seemed like her only solution.

“You’re right,” she said, hating herself. “I haven’t given you any reason to trust me and lots of reasons not to.” Closing the distance between them, she reached for his hands, grateful when he didn’t pull away. “I didn’t tell you what was going on. I didn’t trust you. I am so sorry, Eric. You didn’t deserve that. You’ve never given me a reason to doubt you.”

She couldn’t stand the way his face was closed to her, his expression so guarded. She was left trying to puzzle out what he was thinking, her only clue his hands warm and solid in hers. It was time to put her money where her mouth was. He said he loved her; she was choosing to believe it.

“I have to get Caleb back and make sure he and my dad are safe, but after that, I’m done. I won’t disown them. They’re still my family, but it’s long past time I stopped letting them dictate my actions. I’m tired of running away, and I want a chance to prove it to you.” She let go of his hand to cup his face, the sandpaper of his five o’clock shadow rough against her palm. He turned his head into her caress, and something inside her unclenched. They could do this. She could do it. “I will do whatever it takes to show you I trust you and to earn your trust in return.”

“Cher.” Eric pulled her to him, pressing her against the long hard length of his body. His hand cupped her head, fingers tangling in her hair and then he kissed her. What started as a brush of his lips over hers morphed quickly into something much hotter, much deeper. She opened for him, taking him in, teasing, tasting, claiming him as he claimed her.

His hands slid down her back, branding her through her T-shirt, leaving heat in their wake. Grabbing her butt, he lifted her, fitting her to him as she wrapped her legs around his hips. Never breaking the kiss, his lips moving over hers in bruising demand, he carried her to the couch. He gently laid her on the soft cushions and then he was on her, covering her with his body as he drank from her lips.

Slipping her hands between them, she ran her fingers up his chest, thwarted by the apron hiding his shirt buttons. She found the tie behind his back, tugging until the ends came free and she could slide the apron out of the way. She went to work on the buttons, desperate to get her hands on his bare skin, but he pushed up her shirt and cupped her breast, his hand hot on her through the lace, his thumb brushing the tight bead of her nipple. She lost her breath and her place, drowning in the feeling of his hand and mouth.

Julie yanked on his shirt, not bothering with the buttons, needing his flesh under her hands, growling when she didn’t make any progress. Eric broke the kiss, shifting just enough to shed the apron and strip off his shirt. Her mouth watered at the sight of his bare muscled chest, strong shoulders and defined abs with the thin line of hair leading below the waistband of his slacks.

Before she had a chance to let her hands roam over all that masculine perfection, he reached for the hem of her T-shirt, tugging it over her head. He flipped the front clasp on her bra and raised her just enough to slip it free from her body. Then she was bare from the waist up, her breasts aching for him, and he was bending to cover her, careful not to crush her, but close enough that she felt the wiry hair on his chest tease her pebbled nipples. He brushed a quick kiss over her lips before he cupped her breast and claimed her nipple with his scorching mouth, suckling her until she lost her mind.

Her legs parted wider, and she tipped her hips, desperate to have the hard thick length of his cock pressed against her swollen sex. Even with the denim and fabric between them, the feeling was exquisite, his body hard to her soft. Pressing her heels on his butt, she urged him closer, bowing her back, desperate for his mouth and cock.

He released her nipple and stood, peeling off her jeans and panties before stepping out of his slacks. His hard cock extended up his stomach past the waistband of his boxer briefs, and she propped herself up and reached for him. Wrapping her fingers around the velvet covered steel length, she slid her thumb over him rubbing a bead of pre-cum over the head of his cock. He tightened his ass, flexing his hips and surging into her hand.

“Enough, cher,” he said when she started to stroke. “I need to be inside you. Now.”

He pulled out of her grasp and shed his briefs before planting one knee between her splayed legs. With his hands cupping her ass, he angled her hips, positioning her at the perfect angle and then he slid home, filling her, stretching her, owning her.

She gripped his forearms and he started to move, driving into her. The long, hard slide of his cock drove her wild, taking her higher and higher, but still it wasn’t enough. She didn’t want to just take what he gave her, she wanted to give it back to him. Sliding her hands up his arms, she clutched his biceps and pulled herself up off the sofa.

“Closer, Eric, I want to be closer.”

His hands went to her back, lifting her to straddle him. With his knee on the cushion and his other foot on the floor, he drove into her, surging up while he pulled her down, impaling her on his cock. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs his hips as he thrust deeper, and she rode him, taking everything he gave her and drawing out more.