Crave (Splendor Book 2) (26 page)

They both slid to the floor when it was over, too spent physically and emotionally to move for several minutes. He gathered her up against him, holding her tight as they both continued to shudder in the aftermath. Finally, he was able to summon up the ability to speak as he murmured hoarsely against her damp cheek.

“Every time we make love I think it can’t possibly be any more satisfying, that I can’t feel more than I already do. But I continue to prove myself wrong.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That was - indescribable, Tessa, the most extraordinary pleasure I’ve ever known.
You
are extraordinary.”

She caressed his cheek, now heavily covered with stubble. “Ian.”

That was all she said, just his name in that soft, breathy voice he adored, but it was more than enough to touch him deeply. And he knew, just knew, without her ever having to say the words, that she loved him every bit as much as he did her. For now, at least, that knowledge was more than enough.

Chapter Eleven

February

“Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”

Tessa groaned and burrowed her head deeper into the pillow, trying her best to ignore Ian’s gently cajoling voice. His bed was so comfortable, so inviting, that she loved sleeping as late as she possibly could whenever she stayed with him.

But Ian was persistent, brushing the hair from the nape of her neck and nuzzling her with his nose. “On any other occasion, I’d be sliding back under the covers with you, love,” he murmured suggestively. “But you did say you’d like to attend your yoga class this morning, so if that’s still your intent you’d best get this lazy little arse in motion.”

She heaved a sleepy sigh, belatedly recalling that she had in fact told him about wanting to attend Sasha’s class this morning. She rolled onto her back, stretching her arms and legs in opposite directions, and reluctantly opened her eyes.

Her gorgeous man was sitting on the edge of the bed, already dressed in his own workout clothes. She smiled to note he hadn’t shaved, and knew it was because of her, because she found his stubble so sexy. She reached up and touched his cheek.

“Thanks for not shaving,” she said softly. “I hope you don’t mind.”

He chuckled, turning his head to press a kiss into her palm. “I don’t mind in the least, love. Especially when I know it pleases you. And
especially
when I know it turns you on. Now, I know you probably can’t eat or drink much before your class, but I’ve brought you some tea and one of the protein bars I like to have before my workouts.”

Tessa took the steaming cup of tea from him gratefully, noticing that he’d used one of the oversized white mugs that she liked. She marveled at how thoughtful he was, how he noticed every tiny detail, and how he went out of his way to take care of her. He even peeled the wrapper off the peanut butter flavored protein bar before handing it to her.

She took a small bite and smiled at him as she chewed, then washed it down with a sip of tea. “Thank you, it’s good,” she told him. “Some of the other bars I’ve tried taste like cardboard but this one is actually tasty. But you’re spoiling me, Ian, bringing me breakfast in bed this way.”

Ian shook his head. “This hardly counts as breakfast, darling. As for spoiling you, nothing gives me greater pleasure. And when we go away for the weekend, we’ll be sure to have a proper breakfast in bed and laze the entire morning away.”

She took another bite of the bar, chewing it slowly as their gazes met and held. As mesmerized by him as she was, she didn’t even notice when the duvet began to slide slowly down her torso, almost to the waist, baring her breasts. It was only the indrawn hiss of Ian’s breath, coupled with the automatic lowering of his gaze, that alerted her.

“Jesus,” he rasped, his eyes fixated on her bare breasts. “Do you have any idea how irresistible you look this way? Tell me to keep my hands to myself, Tessa, or that I’m a rutting pig to even think about…”

“You’re not,” she interrupted. “I’d never think that. Or tell you such a thing.” She set her half-empty mug down carefully on the nightstand.

Ian’s hand cupped a full, firm globe, his thumb brushing lightly over the already erect nipple. “You’re so beautiful,” he marveled. “I don’t think I’ll ever truly believe that you’re mine. I keep expecting all of this to just be the same dream I had for so many months.”

Tessa’s hand covered his, pressing it more firmly against her breast “I’m not a dream,” she told him huskily. “And I’ll be yours for as long as you want me. You know that.”

His big hands grasped her by the upper arms and yanked her against his chest. “Well, that would be forever, then, darling,” he whispered, just before capturing her mouth in a long, seeking kiss.

She rose to her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him back eagerly. He groaned as she pressed her breasts against his chest, and his hands slid down her bare back to cup her buttocks.

“Tessa. Darling, we can’t.” He tried to pry her arms away from where they were tightly clasped about his neck. “Your class. I’ll make you late if we…”

“I don’t care.” Her hands were already tunneling beneath his T-shirt.

“Christ.” His curse was low and rough as he helped her pull the shirt off, and then he hissed as she began to stroke his rock hard cock. He slid one hand down over her stomach into the soft nest of her pubic hair before dipping lower, to where she was wet and hot and more than ready for him.

He tore the rest of his clothing off in record time, then tumbled her back onto the pillows an instant before surging inside of her.

“Ohh,” she sighed, her back bowing off the bed. “Oh, God, that’s so good.”

Ian slid his hands beneath her buttocks, lifting her up higher so that he could slide even deeper inside her body. His lips were hot against the side of her neck, his breathing uneven. “The absolute best feeling in the universe, love,” he rasped. “Hold on tight now, all right? This is going to be quick and hard.”

Tessa wrapped her arms about his neck, entwining her long legs around his waist as he fucked her with deep, rapid thrusts, stroking his long, thick cock into her masterfully. She loved him this way - her lusty, hungry lover - loved when he took her as though he was starved for the taste of her. But it never seemed to matter how he made love to her, for the result was always the same - a mind-numbing, soul-stealing orgasm that pulsed through every nerve ending in her body, the pleasure seeping into her very bones. She longed to whisper to him of her love, of how much he meant to her, but it wasn’t yet time for that sort of revelation. Not when he hadn’t said the words to her first, and when she wasn’t completely certain if what he felt for her was really love or simply lust.

He followed her over moments later, the hot rush of his orgasm flooding her still-clenching core and trickling down the inside of her thighs. She loved feeling the rapid thud of his heart against her chest, her own pulse still racing madly. And at that moment all she wanted to do was curl up in his arms and go back to sleep, waking only to make love again and again.

But Ian had other ideas, withdrawing from her slowly as she would have clung to him. He gave her a gentle kiss as he slid out of the bed. “If you’ve any hope of making that class, love, you’re going to have to get this gorgeous behind in motion immediately. Come now, let’s get you ready.”

Tessa made a little sound of protest as he pulled her from the bed, and then squealed as he smacked her playfully on her bare ass. She could hear him chuckling as she dashed inside the walk-in closet, where she grabbed the first set of yoga clothes she saw. She washed up and dressed in record time, shoving her feet into a pair of flip-flops and picking up her yoga mat as Ian hustled her down to the garage.

He drove like he did everything else - with a smooth, suave expertise - though this morning he was maneuvering the classic Jaguar through the largely empty streets of the city at a slightly faster speed than was his norm. During the drive Tessa arranged her tangled hair into a somewhat messy braid, hoping she didn’t look too disheveled. She peered at herself anxiously in the rearview mirror, fretting when she noticed the wisps of blonde hair already escaping the braid.

Ian smiled and laid a reassuring hand on her thigh. “Relax. You look fine. Besides, you’re just going to get sweaty again during your class.”

She took a deep breath, her pulse still erratic. “I know. It’s just, well, I don’t want to go inside looking, um…”

He grinned wickedly. “Like you just left my bed? There may be no hope for that, love. With those rosy cheeks and that particular look you get in your eyes afterwards - well, it’s a bit obvious what you’ve been doing.”

She groaned, hiding her face in her hands. “I should have just skipped class.”

His hand slid to the nape of her neck, rubbing it gently. “Nonsense. You’re worrying far too much, love. You enjoy your class while I hit the gym for a bit. I’ll take you out for breakfast afterwards and then…”

His voice trailed off suggestively, making her squirm impatiently. “I’ll look forward to it,” she replied shyly. “Both the breakfast and the, ah, afterwards.”

Ian chuckled as he pulled up just outside of the yoga studio, double parking while he kept the engine running. “You have exactly three minutes until your class starts, love, so best hustle. I’ll meet you around the corner as we discussed, all right? Just in case Julia is back from New York.”

Tessa nodded in agreement to what they had decided upon during the brief drive over. “Yes. I’ll meet you there. Thanks for the ride.”

His hazel eyes twinkled merrily as he leaned over for a quick kiss. “And thank
you
for letting me make you run late this morning. Enjoy your class, darling.”

With one final wave, she dashed inside the studio, relieved to see that several other students were still checking in and that class hadn’t started quite yet.

Tessa only hoped she’d have enough willpower to focus on yoga instead of counting the minutes until she would be back in her lover’s arms. And especially back in his bed.

***

Sasha Fonseca glanced up from the conversation she’d been having with one of her students as half a dozen others filtered inside the already packed yoga studio. It was nearly time for her Sunday morning class to begin, and the popularity of her grueling Vinyasa practice never ceased to amaze her.

She nudged the petite woman standing next to her. “Isn’t that your friend over there? The pretty blonde in the purple top? You brought her to class with you a couple of times.”

Julia McKinnon looked in the same direction that Sasha was pointing, and was more than a little taken aback to see who her teacher was talking about. “Yes, that’s definitely Tessa. I had no idea she was going to be here today. I’d better go say hi.”

Because the room was so crowded, Julia didn’t dare move her mat for fear she wouldn’t be able to find another spot. As it was, Tessa seemed to have nabbed one of the very last spaces, stuck back in a corner of the jammed room. She looked more than a little flustered as she rolled out her mat, her cheeks flushed and wisps of blonde hair escaping her rather messy braid.

“Hey, it is you,” greeted Julia, dropping down into a squatting position. “I didn’t know you were planning to come today. You should have called me and I would have picked you up.”

Tessa’s gaze flew up to hers in alarm, and she looked almost guilty. “Oh, Julia, hi. Um, sorry, I - I was running really late and didn’t even know if I’d be able to make it here in time. And I thought you were in New York.”

Julia nodded. “I was, trying on wedding gowns and going quietly insane finding a bridesmaid dress that my sister would actually approve of. But I got in late yesterday and really needed some yoga to decompress.”

Tessa seemed unnaturally distracted and merely nodded, offering up a nervous smile. Tactfully, Julia patted her on the arm and stood. “Well, class is about to begin so I’ll catch you afterwards, okay?”

As tough as the class was, demanding that her powers of concentration be at their peak, Julia still couldn’t help but wonder what had brought Tessa here this morning. She knew her friend was on a really tight budget, and was surprised that Tessa had been able to afford the class. SF Flow was pretty much the top yoga studio in the city, and the cost of even a single class was pricey.

At Sasha’s instructions, everyone turned to face the back of the room for the next sequence. Julia glanced in Tessa’s direction, noticing for the first time the stylish new yoga apparel the blonde was wearing. The gray cropped pants and purple racer back tunic were from the new Prana collection the studio had just received in less than two weeks ago. Julia frowned, knowing that the outfit would have cost well over a hundred dollars, and recalled how Tessa had fretted over spending too much on her Christmas party dress.

Julia temporarily forgot about Tessa as the class got progressively tougher. During the time she’d spent in New York, she had admittedly overindulged in food and alcohol, and hadn’t been able to squeeze in even one yoga class. Combined with her jet lag, she was really feeling the burn as Sasha pushed her students harder and harder. Sweat poured down her forehead and trickled along her spine, and she kept telling herself it was good for her, a way to detox all the poisons she’d ingested on her trip. With each sun salutation, each arm balance, and all the twisting poses, she visualized making up for every bite of cake, every spoonful of cream sauce, and - damn her - every shot of tequila that her twin Lauren had dared her to bolt.

By the end of the ninety minute class, Julia felt wrung out, but definitely in a good way, and resolved to drink a ton of water, and subsist on salads, grilled fish, and veggies for the next week. Especially if she hoped to fit into the gorgeous Badgley Mishka wedding gown she’d decided on.

She hurried over to Tessa, anxious to chat her up a bit. But the blonde was already rolling up her yoga mat - which Julia recognized as the most expensive brand the studio sold - and stuffing it into a chic purple-print carry bag.

“Hey, do you want to get coffee?” offered Julia. “Nathan should be waiting for me outside and I know he’d love for you to join us. We can give you a ride home later.”