Ray of Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 3) (9 page)

He moaned his appreciation. She was good. Curiously, it made him both relaxed and aroused.

"Turn around and lie on your back," she murmured.

He did as he was told and enjoyed the smile that played on her lips as she gazed at his erection.

Again, she straddled him and started rubbing his torso.

"Fuck," he ground out as her belly hit his excited cock when she leaned over him.

"What's that, baby?" she asked tantalisingly.

"I said fuck," he repeated breathlessly.

"No. Massage," she teased as she continued her ministrations on his chest, deliberately grazing the throbbing hardness jerking on his belly.

"Yes, good massage," he gasped. "But my stiffest part needs more attention."

"Why, sure," she purred. "Your satisfaction is the measure of my work."
 

She gripped his thick member with her slippery hands.

"Aahh, baby," he hissed through gritted teeth.

She stroked, pulled and tugged while he tried to lie still, grunting softly.

"Hmm. I think you need more." She rearranged herself and bent down, putting him in her mouth and sucking and licking and teasing with her lips and tongue.

He groaned loudly, his breath coming out in quick, loud pants.
"Oh, baby, no … yes … stop. Stop." He was too close. She had to stop or he'd come sooner than he wanted.

But Faye seemed to have other ideas. She ignored his pleas and carried on pleasuring him with her mouth and hands, moaning as she did so.

Through sheer force of will, he sat up abruptly. In an agile motion, he had her lying on her back.

"I think it's my turn to return the favour," he said in a low voice.

"But … but, I'm not finished with you yet." She clearly wasn't expecting this turn of events.

"We can finish together," he replied with a wink. He untied her robe and helped her out of it.

"On your front," he ordered.

She obeyed with a smile.

"Do you like it hard or soft, sweetheart?" he asked as he squirted oil on her back.

"For tonight, soft, please."

For a few minutes, he massaged her shoulders, back and arms. When he was done he gently nudged her to turn around.

This time, he paid plenty of attention to her breasts. He kneaded and palmed her perfect bosom with hot, slippery hands before thumbing her sensitised nipples.

She whimpered in pleasure, sending shivers of delight down his spine.

"Does that feel good?" he whispered as he laved a nipple with his tongue.

"Yea-mmmhh," she acknowledged with a moan, fisting her hands through his hair.

Smiling, he shifted his attention to her legs. He rubbed and stroked, his cock jerking when he noticed how wet she was at the apex of her thighs.

On the next movement of his hands, his fingers delved in between her soft folds.

"Oh yes, there!" she cried.

He stroked her swollen nub, loving the look of rapture on her face, and slid a finger in her wet core.

"Oh God … Ray," she gasped.

He slid another finger, stroking her inner walls and pressing his thumb on her clitoris.

Faye made keening sounds that aroused him even more.

"I want you inside me, baby," she pleaded. "Now, please."

He regarded the imploring look on her face and discovered he was in as much need as she was. In a heartbeat, he shifted and buried himself to the hilt. He moved in and out of her in slow strokes, determined to make her reach her orgasm first.

Faye writhed and bucked underneath him, urging him with her body to go faster.

"Oh fuck, sweetheart," he grunted. Her obvious desire for him destroyed his self-control. He pounded into her, fast and hard, again and again, over and over until he was only a few strokes away from reaching the crest. He placed his hand between their bodies, found her sensitive nub and rubbed it as he continued to drive into her.
 

He felt her tense up. "Yes, come for me, baby," he implored her, his breathing harsh.

With a loud cry of ecstasy, Faye detonated and tightened repeatedly all around him, making him explode inside her as they both reached heaven together.

~~~~~~~

Awareness of his surroundings slowly seeped in as Ray awoke from a deep, relaxing sleep. He was in Faye's bed and he was alone.

He heard a clang from the kitchen and guessed she must be preparing something.

She really is an excellent cook. And a wonderful lover. But more than that, she's just a beautiful person inside and out.

He sighed deeply, knowing how hard he'd already fallen for her.

Smiling to himself, he wondered how he could entice her to get back to bed.

He glanced at the clock and bolted upright when he saw the digital numbers read 9:36. Wow, he didn't realise he'd slept in. He knew Faye had to leave her apartment before lunch. He wondered how long she'd been up.

He quickly showered and brushed his teeth with the toothbrush Faye took out for him last week before padding out to the kitchen.

She had her back turned to him while she whisked something in a bowl. Stealthily, he crept up from behind and slid his arms around her waist.

Startled, she let out a high-pitched yelp.

"God, Ray, you scared me," she said, placing a hand on her heart.

He laughed softly. "That was my intention," he joked.

She twirled to face him and swatted his upper arm but failed to hide her smile.

"Good morning," he continued, placing a kiss on her lips. "Have you been up for long?"

"Only for about half an hour or so. You were still dead to the world and I didn't have the heart to wake you up. You were sleeping so soundly. It must have been from all the activity yesterday."

He smirked.

"I'm making us pancakes for breakfast."

"Hmm, thank you. What time are you going over to your mum and dad's?"

"I have to be there by eleven-thirty but I have to do some grocery shopping first. I promised my oldest brother I'll make him cherry cheesecake today."

Ray nodded his head. He would have loved to go to the shops with her - he needed to stock up on essentials, too - but she might think he was becoming too familiar, even too clingy, too soon. Besides, she didn't invite him to accompany her.

"Do you want me to make us coffee while you make the pancakes?" he offered.

"Yes, thanks. We'll be ready to eat in five."

They'd finished clearing the dishes and Ray knew it was time to leave. He walked over to her. "Well, I better go so you can do whatever you need to do before you go to your family lunch."

"Okay. Thanks for yesterday. I had a really wonderful time," she said with that lovely smile of hers.

"Me, too," he said huskily. "And thanks for breakfast."

"You're welcome."

He gave her a soft, lingering kiss.

"When can I see you again?" he asked when they stopped for air.

She thought for a second. "Friday night? I'm not having dinner with the gang, as Megan's wedding is on Saturday."

"That's my brother-in-law's birthday and my sister's planned a small party for him. Actually, I've been wondering if you would you like to go with me."

She frowned. "To your brother-in-law's birthday party? I thought we're not telling anyone about us yet."

It was his turn to frown. "I thought we're only keeping it from your best friends. They're not going to be there. They don't socialise with my family."

She smiled apologetically. "I think it's too soon to meet your family, Ray. We're not at that stage yet," she replied softly.

He took a deep breath, burying with it a sharp pang of disappointment. "Okay, you're right." He plastered a genuine-looking, fake smile on his face. "As you know I'll be in Brisbane from tomorrow night to Friday morning, so I guess Sunday is the next day we're both available?"

"Sure. I can do Sunday."

"Great. I'll see you then. Although that's too long a time in between seeing you again, if you ask me," he huffed.

She giggled. "It's only a week."

He shook his head imperceptibly. She had no idea how much she meant to him. He had to remind himself he'd had more than a year's head start in terms of developing feelings for her. She probably only started thinking about him as a potential boyfriend three weeks ago, if that. He hoped he didn't have long to wait before she'd consider the two of them a serious couple.

He strolled to her bedroom to retrieve his wallet and keys. "Are you having dinner as well with your family tonight?" he asked conversationally.

"Oh, um, no. I'm going out tonight."

He looked at her quizzically.

"I'm having dinner with some friends," she clarified.

"Not with Clarise, Jessa and Victor?"

"No," she scoffed. "I do have other friends than those three, you know."

He chuckled. "And do they all know each other?" he asked in a teasing tone, relieved it wasn't a date or anything like that.

"They only know Steve. They don't know Lisa and Pete, although they've heard of them."

Ray's ears pricked. "Steve?"

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"This wouldn't be your ex-boyfriend, would it?"

She looked at him in surprise. "How do you know my ex-boyfriend's name?"

His lips twitched lopsidedly. "I might have overheard Clarise and Jessa mention his name a few times when they were having a conversation. It's pretty hard to forget the name of the guy who was the reason you rejected me the first time I asked you out."

"Oh," she said, blushing a little. "Well, as a matter of fact, it is my ex-boyfriend. He's here in Sydney for three weeks and we're meeting up with mutual friends of ours."

Ray felt as if someone reached inside his chest and squeezed his heart ruthlessly. Faye was seeing
that
Steve, the guy she chose over him once before. The guy she fell in love with and lived with instead of him. While she was with
that
guy for one whole year, he was longing for her from afar, wishing he'd get over her because she belonged to someone else - belonged to
that
Steve.

He stared at her, his face expressing hurt and confusion.

Faye touched his arm gently. "Hey, it's just a friendly dinner. We parted on good terms and we're still friends. I see no reason why we can't catch up every once in a while."

"Do you catch up with all of your exes?" he asked in a low voice.

"No. I haven't remained friends with the others."

"I don't want you to see him," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"What? Ray, I told you we're just friends!"

They stood there glaring at each other for a long moment.

"I hate being told what to do, Ray. Besides, don't forget our relationship is not at the stage where you can even consider asking that of me," she said in irritation.
 

"Okay, fine," he spat out, throwing his hands in the air. "See him tonight, if you must. But I want to know - when would I be free to ask you not to see your exes? Or other men, for that matter?"

"I don't know, Ray. We need time to get to that point. If we get there, I'll let you know. I just don't want to be in a hurry to get into a serious relationship with
anyone
at this moment."

"Are you telling me you'd go out on a date with someone else anytime you feel like it?"

"
Both of us
are still free to see other people. Remember I said I wasn't ready for anything serious?"

Ray stared at her as a knife twisted agonisingly in his heart, the pain swiftly swamping his whole being.

"Yes, you did tell me that," he said quietly, his countenance hard as stone. "I just didn't know until now exactly what it meant. I thought it was about taking it slow. I didn't think it meant plainly engaging in casual sex and being free to sleep around with others."

Her silence was his confirmation that he hit the mark.

He shook his head as bile rose in his throat. "If that's what you want, Faye, then I can't be with you."

He stalked to the door and walked out.

*******

Faye stared dumbfounded at the door that closed behind Ray. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to run after him, but all she could do was stand there, dazed and confused.

She'd told him what she wanted in words clearer than she had expressed to him in the past. It was his prerogative to walk away if he didn't want the same thing. If what worked for her didn't work for him, then he was right to end things with her.

So why did she feel like her heart just got violently ripped out of her body?

Tears started oozing down her face. All of a sudden, her apartment felt cold and desolate, just like the hollow where her heart shrivelled in pain.

For long moments, she stood like a statue, unmoving but for the rise and fall of her chest and the blinking of her watery eyes. Finally, her legs decided to move but only just. She lay down on her couch, curled her knees to her chest and sobbed.

Among her friends, she was the one most vocal about taking risks and going for what she wanted. Somewhere along the line, she made the decision to be more cautious and hold back in an emotional sense to see if that would help her improve her chances at finding true love. Perhaps going against her true personality was more of a detriment than a help? She'd definitely messed things up with Ray. How could she have been so hurtful and insensitive to such a wonderful, loveable man?

Could what she felt for him be true love?

With a clarity that shocked her, she realised she didn't want a future without him. That he might never want to see her again scared her like nothing else had ever had.

Oh, how she wished she'd accepted his offer to go with him to his brother-in-law's party, how she wished she'd agreed not to see Steve, how she wished she hadn't uttered those horrible words to him.
'Both of us are still free to see other people. Remember I said I wasn't ready for anything serious?'

The thought of Ray being with another woman tightened her chest even more painfully.

No!

"What in the fucking hell was I thinking?" she screamed out to her empty apartment.

She grabbed her phone and dialled his number. Her hand shook as she waited for him to answer. Finally … it went to voicemail. Her heart compressed. He didn't want to talk to her.