Page 2 of Pulled Away

My heart skips a beat, and all my aches and pains evaporate at the hardness of his body pressed against mine and the throatiness of his voice.

“You’re using your sex voice,” I gasp when his hands move down and squeeze my ass.

“Is it working?” He peers at me, the desire on his face making my knees weak.

Instead of answering, I show him, pulling his head closer and sealing my lips against his. I could get lost in this man, in his touch, his smell, his taste. He groans and deepens the kiss, his tongue tangling with mine. His hands—that’s currently unzipping my jeans shorts—freezes when my stomach lets out a loud grumble. He pulls his head back, looking almost confused, and a laugh slips out of me.

“Sorry. I’m hungry.”

He takes a step back, and immediately I miss his warmth. “You haven’t eaten yet?”

“No, I came straight from work.”

He reaches out and cups my cheek. “You should have messaged. I would have brought you something.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt your guys’ night.”

“Aspen,” he says, his voice an admonishment and his expression serious. Instead of annoying me, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I often forget to eat, and he never hesitates to call me on it. I’ll never stop being thankful for the way he cares about me.

“Don’t Aspen me. You’re not my daddy.” My words are meant to tease, to lighten the moment, but the feeling that settles in my stomach feels anything but light.

“If I was your daddy, I would spank that sexy ass of yours.” His voice is a soft murmur, but his eyes darken, a sensuous weight settling in them. “I bet that would get your pussy dripping for me.”

“Yeah?” I ask, a bit breathless. I love it when Ryan talks dirty, but his eyes are telling me this is more than just talk. Fuck. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the thought of a spanking would turn me on like this.

“Yeah.” The low rasp of his voice lets me know that I’m not the only one turned on by the thought. “But first, we need to feed you.”

Sighing in contentment, I lean my head back on the edge of the hot tub and soak in the peace and quiet. We’re heading towards fall—my favorite time of the year—and there’s a slight chill in the air, but for now the sky is clear, the stars silent sentinels bearing witness to our hopes and dreams. Lazy tendrils of steam drift from the gently bubbling water, merging with the cool night air.

I groan with pleasure when Ryan’s clever fingers find a tender spot on the arch of my foot. The way his fingers knead and massage is almost hypnotic, and my eyes are threatening to slip shut. I inhaled the burger and fries he bought on the way home, and between my full stomach, Ryan’s fingers, and the heat of the hot tub, I’m boneless with contentment.

“Thank you.” My voice is soft, mingling and dissipating with the steam rising from the tub. I’m almost scared to speak; scared to break this spell I’m under.

“For what?”

“For everything. Without you, none of this would be possible.”

And it’s true. He’s the one that’s constantly encouraging me to follow my dreams. About six months into our relationship, he asked me to move in with him. I thought it was too soon, but he argued that when you know, you know.

So why waste time?

It took a bit of time, but he wore me down. If I have to be honest, most of my protests were for show, because I was head over heels for him, and that’s when we had our first proper fight. He refused to let me contribute towards our living expenses. I had just bought the abandoned animal rescue, and it was slowly dawning on me just how much it would cost to fix it up. The money I received from Mom’s estate was enough to cover the purchase of the property with a little left over. But even though I didn’t have a mortgage, there were still costs every month, as well as a lot that needed to be repaired or replaced, and I knew that whatever was left over would be quickly swallowed. While working as a veterinary technologist, and studying part-time to complete my bachelor’s, I wasn’t earning a boatload of money, so everything had to be done in bits and pieces.

Ryan calmly pointed out that he didn’t need me to contribute and the money I saved living with him, I could spend fixing the rescue. It was a bitter pill for my pride to swallow, and when I said I didn’t need his charity, he exploded. He said it’s not charity to do things to help the people you love. We eventually came to a compromise. I contributed to our grocery bill every month and every spare cent I had left over went towards my studies and the rescue.

That’s why when his birthday came around, I bought him this hot tub. He’s always wanted one, but it was far down on his list of priorities. When he saw it installed on the deck, it had taken him a minute or two before he could speak.

“You shouldn’t have spent so much money on me,” he had said, his voice chiding.

I just shrugged, a smile playing on my lips. Despite his words, his eyes couldn’t lie, and that night, he repeatedly showed me how much he appreciated it. We christened the hot tub thoroughly.

His eyes soften and he smiles that lopsided smile I love so much.

“You don’t have to thank me.”

I pull my leg from his lap and make my way over to him, straddling him. We’re both naked, and the feel of him pressed against me warms me more than the water does.

“How did I get so lucky?” Burrowing my fingers into his sandy blond hair, I peer into his eyes. Leaning closer, I rub my nose against his, taking a deep breath. He smells like home.

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