‘Fuck, fuck, fuck!’ He’s working harder and faster into me, burying his face into my hair. ‘Now, Ava!’
I’m done for. I unclamp my teeth from his flesh and join him in his frantic oblivion of raw, carnal pleasure, throwing my arms around his neck and rolling my hips up to meet the last thorough thrash of his body into mine.
He collapses onto me carefully, but grinds slowly as he nibbles on my neck through his laboured breathing. ‘Please quit.’ he begs. ‘Then we really can stay like this forever.’
I can’t find my vocal cords, except to mumble some objection, which I do with an increase of pressure of my arms around his neck.
‘Was that a yes?’ He licks up the salty skin of my cheek and across my lips. ‘Say yes.’
‘No.’ I gasp.
‘Stubborn woman.’ He pecks my lips and rolls onto his back, ensuring he remains snuggly inside me and I’m comfortable on his lap. ‘We need to renew our vows.’
I frown and take a few moments to gather enough air in my lungs to form a sentence. ‘We’ve not even been married a month.’
My hips are seized and I tense, but then I watch as his eyes drift onto my stomach and his warning look transforms into a smile as he shifts his threatening hands to my small-ish bump and starts caressing it. ‘Yes, only a month and you’ve already forgotten a significant part of your promise.’
‘You can take your obey and swivel on it.’ I manage to get those words out just fine. I also manage to lift my heavy arms and wrap my palms around his neck.
He feigns a choke on a grin and pulls me down by the tops of my arms, curling his big palms around my neck. We’re both ready to strangle each other. ‘Who’d win?’ he asks, getting nose to nose with me.
‘You,’
‘Correct.’ he agrees. ‘I’m thirsty.’
I give a little shake of his neck, making him laugh. ‘I’ll get some water.’
‘You can’t pick and choose when you fulfil your wifely duties.’ He pushes me from his strewn body and lifts slightly to catch a slap of my arse as I walk away. ‘Water, wench!’
‘Don’t push it, Ward.’ I caution, snapping the cups of my bra back over my breasts and taking my mostly naked form into the kitchen.
‘Don’t even think about coming back in here until I can see your breasts again, lady!’ he shouts after me.
I have the biggest grin on my face as I open the fridge and collect two bottles of water. Negotiating my hold of the two ice cold bottles so I don’t punish my skin, I snatch another item that’s sitting all on its lonesome on the bottom shelf. I’m grinning again.
‘Didn’t you hear me?’ Jesse’s affronted tone is the first thing to hit my ears when I reappear in the massive open space of the penthouse. He’s staring at my bra covered chest.
‘I heard you.’ I drop the bottles on the couch and keep my Jesse surprise behind my back.
He’s still flat on his back and he’s looking up at me with suspicious green eyes. ‘My wife has a crafty look on her beautiful face.’ The eyes have narrowed now. He slowly sits up and positions his back against the couch, then pats his lap. ‘And she’s hiding something from me.’ He reaches behind him and grabs a bottle of water, having a long swig before screwing the lid on slowly.
‘Crafty-ish.’ Taking his cue, I lower onto him and shift forward when he drops the bottle and cups my arse with both big palms.
‘There’s no –ish about it.’ One of his hands leaves my bum, but only for long enough to yank the cups of my bra down again. Then it’s firmly replaced. ‘What are you hiding?’
‘Something.’ I tease, moving to the side when he tries to crane his neck to get a peek. ‘No.’ I warn, and he huffs a little before resting back against the couch. I unscrew the lid behind my back and drop it before presenting the jar to my God, whose curious eyes have just sprung wide open in delight at the sight before him.
‘I’m in control.’ I grin.
His eyes widen further but this time in outrage. ‘Oh no. Not where that’s concerned. Forget it, no way, never.’ His hand is making a grab for it, but my stealthy move whips it from under his nose.
‘Relax.’ I laugh, pushing him back against the couch. The urge to cuddle him overwhelms my teasing streak when I see his concerned frown wriggle its way onto his brow. God love this man. That bottom lip is being nibbled away, as he watches my hand move slowly towards the jar and my finger disappear with the depths of creamy goo. I actually grimace as my finger squelches back out, and I know my nose has just wrinkled in disgust at the sight of a huge dollop all over my index finger.
‘Don’t tease me with it, baby.’ His eyes are fixated on my coated finger, and they follow my trail as I bring the gloop down and wipe it all over my nipple. It’s freezing cold, and disgusting, but the look of thorough exhilaration that has just landed on my rogue’s face is enough of an incentive to battle forward.
His eyes flick to mine. ‘Oops.’ I grin as his head leisurely creeps forward, all slow and casual, which is absurd because I know he’s dying to clean it all off, and not just because he wants my breast in his mouth.
The hum of happiness has me giggling and writhing under his hot tongue. ‘Holy fucking shit.’ He laps away, making a completely over-the-top spectacle of demolishing my breast with his tongue before flopping back and licking his lips. ‘I didn’t think it could taste any better. More.’
I’m grinning like an idiot as I delve back into the peanut butter. I hold my finger up. ‘Would sir like the right breast or the left breast?’
His face is truly torn as he swings his eyes from one breast to the other. ‘I don’t have time to waste. Slap it on both.’
I laugh, but follow through on his urgent order, and he’s on me again before I’ve barely removed my finger from the smothering of the first breast. ‘Unravel you boxers, God.’ My nose falls into his hair as he ravishes me and bites my nipple for my cheek. ‘Ouch!’
‘Sarcasm, lady.’
‘Tasty?’
‘I’m never eating it any other way again, so now you do have to quit work because I need you to be available to lick when I please.’ He surfaces with a smear on his nose, and I home right in to suck it off. ‘I thought you hated peanut butter?’
‘I do, but I love your nose.’ I kiss the end and resume my position. ‘Will you do something for me?’
His facial expression changes considerably. He’s all wary again, but I’m not hiding anything this time, only a plea, which he’ll soon hear. He relaxes a little and strokes up the sides of my body. ‘What do you want, baby?’
‘I want you to say yes before I ask.’ I demand quietly and very unreasonably, but we’ve broached this before, and I got nowhere.
‘You’ve been trying to butter me up.’ His lips tip at the edge, and I screw my face up in irritation, placing the jar beside us.
‘That’s a crap joke.’
‘Pick the jar back up, lady.’ He’s not grinning anymore. ‘We’re not done yet.’
I roll my eyes and re-dunk and re-smear. ‘Happy?’
‘Ecstatic.’ My nipple is clean in no time at all. ‘Now, tell me what you want.’
‘You have to say yes.’ I press, with absolutely no faith in my strategy. Even if he does say yes, he’ll soon retract it if he wants to.
‘Ava,’ he sighs. ‘I’m not agreeing to anything without knowing what I’m agreeing to. End of.’
I pout. ‘Please.’ I drag the word out and slide my freshly coated finger into his mouth.
‘You’re adorable when you sulk.’ he mumbles. ‘Just tell me.’
‘I want you to revoke Sam and Kate’s memberships to The Manor.’ I blurt it all out quickly and hold my breath. I’m desperate for Jesse to help me out here. I know Sam and Kate seem to have hit a significant point in their relationship, and I hope they talk, but without the temptation of The Manor, they stand a far better chance. I brace myself for his none of our business speech, but it doesn’t come. Nothing comes, actually. He doesn’t scoff, and he doesn’t refuse. He’s just looking at me on a small smile.