Page 61 of Be My Reason

I can’t help momentarily closing my eyes.That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say. I look down at him as he finds my clit, rolling his tongue over it in circles. The sight of him pleasuring me is pushing me higher and faster than ever before. I reach out to grab the sides of the dresser, sending everything on top of it flying to the floor as I lash out. “God, Nate . . . yes!”

He pushes a finger into my slick opening,and then adds another, crooking them upwards to find that spot that turns my body into liquid heat. Flashes of light cloud my vision as my insides tremble and quiver. Nate sucks my clit into his mouth and then flicks it with his tongue sending me crashing over the edge, pulsating around his fingers, my thighs squeezing his head as he draws every last wave out of me.

He lifts me off the dresser, my body still trembling with aftershocks, and he places me on the bed. “You are so incredibly hot when you come.” He kisses around my neck, up to my ear and back to my lips. I can taste myself on him. It is strangely erotic. It reminds me of where he’s been and I suddenly feel the need to return the favor.

I push him down on the bed and train my eyes on his hardness, absentmindedly licking my lips. I can see him smile.He knows what I’m about to do. His cock jumps in anticipation. I lean over and lick the head, swirling my tongue around the under, more sensitive side of his erection drawing out a deep, appreciative moan. I take his length into my mouth, running my hand up and down the base of him at the same time. My other hand reaches down to cup and stroke his balls.

The next thing I know, I’m thrown onto my back and Nate is driving into me. “Jesus . . . you were going to unman me before I could bury myself in you.”

It is a heady feeling knowing that my mouth on him affects him just as much as when he has his mouth on me. He sets a steady pace and I lift my hips to meet him stroke for stroke.I’m slowly building again. But I want Nate to experience the earth-shattering pleasure that he gives me. “Nate, I want to be on top,” I whisper in his ear.

“Yes,” he murmurs as he flips us around, staying inside me the entire time.

I lean over him, dangling my breasts close to his face.He reaches out to grab them as I plant a slow, sensuous kiss on his lips. He works his tongue into my mouth and I suck on it, just as I was sucking on his manhood moments ago. He moans a hot breath into my mouth.

I push myself up and arch my back, causing his length tosink deep inside me. He reaches down and puts his thumb on my clit, rubbing circles and sending pulses of shock waves through my body. I lock eyes with him and reach my hands up to caress my breasts. His eyes grow wild with desire as his hips buck and shift under me. I pinch and tug at my nipples, extracting moans from each of us.

“Ahhhhhhhh,” he draws out. “I’m gonna come, baby.” He stills momentarily, grabbing my hips and holding me hard against him, all while reciting my name along with garbled declarations of love over and over. His voice pushes me over the edge and sensation overwhelms me as desire detonates inside my body and I explode around him.

I collapse onto his chest and we breathe each other in as we come down from our release. I can’t move.I can’t think. I am thoroughly obliterated. I have lost all sense of reality outside of what we are, right here, right now.

“Holycrap,” he murmurs into my hair. And we both dissolve into a fit of laughter.

After I clean up, I come out of our bathroom to see Nate kneeling beside my dresser holding up some jewelry that had fallen out of my jewelry box when I sent it flying to the floor. He is trying to clean it up, but he doesn’t have a clue about what goes where. He seems to be studying my bracelets. Then his breath hitches and he reaches out to grab something.I pad over to him and see him holding the engagement ring that Michael gave me.

“Is this. . . ?” He doesn’t look up at me.

“Yes.” And for the first time, I find myself looking at Michael’s ring without being overwhelmed with sadness. The thought brings a smile to my lips.

He examines the ring, first holding it between his fingers, then laying it in the palm of his hand. He closes his eyes and runs his hand through his hair. It is the same pose I see when he sits at his drafting table. He closes his hand around the ring and looks over at me. “Can I have it?” he asks. “I mean . . . would you trust me with it?”

My brows furrow as I try to absorb the question he is asking me.Why on Earth would he want this ring?Oh, no. Surely not.My mind goes crazy with all kinds of off-the-wall thoughts.

Nate startles me back to reality when he touches my arm. He must see the confused expression on my face.He shakes his head and says, “Brooklyn, when I ask you to marry me, it sure as hell won’t be with another man’s ring.”

Oh, thank God. I let out a long breath and my goddess within wipes her forehead.Wait, what?I think he just saidwhen.Oh, God, he just said when.Am I ready to be someone’s fiancée again? It didn’t turn out so well last time. We are still in the bubble. The perfect boyfriend/girlfriend bubble. Everything is going so well. I want things to stay exactly as they are. Not rock the boat. Not tempt fate. Not piss off Karma.

Hot breath washes over my ear. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Huh?” I startle.

“You kind of zoned out for a minute. I was asking about the ring. Would you trust me with it?” He is begging me with his eyes. He is looking at me with nothing but love and caring. How could I not trust him with the ring when I would trust him with my life? Of course I’m going to say yes.

“Yes,” I breathe. I turn to go take a shower.I want to wash away my fears, my doubts about our future . . . my worries from the past.

Chapter Twenty-four

I’m filling up the display cases with the morning pastries and I think about the ring. It’s been over a week and I haven’t askedhim why he wanted it. I wonder if he thinks I still pull it out and look at it and dream of Michael. I don’t. Not anymore. Not since I knew I was in love with Nate. Michael will always have a special place in my heart, but Nate is the man I have always wanted, even when I couldn’t admit it to myself.

I frown whenI look at the calendar on the wall behind the counter. I’ve started the countdown to Nate’s departure. Two weeks. He will be gone in fourteen days and neither of us has uttered a single word about what will happen then. It’s the bubble. We’re still in it and neither of us wants it to pop.

Also on the calendar, circled in red marker, is an important meeting Ryan and I have been preparing for. If we can land this client, it will mean big business for Brooklyn’s.

Ryan walks in from the back of the shop, looking like hell. He spends the next ten minutes telling me about his breakup with Laura. When he goes to leave I walk him through the kitchen to the back door. I give him a hug. “It will all work out in the end, you’ll see.” I hold him tight and hope that my words are true, for him and for me.

“Want to get your hands off my girlfriend, man?”

Ryan releases me and puts his hands up in surrender. I spin around to see Nate glaring at us from the bottom step. I roll my eyes at him and say goodbye to Ryan. As he is walking through the back door, I remember our big meeting today. “Ryan, you look terrible, do you want me to reschedule our two o’clock?”

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