Chapter 19

He obliged her request eagerly, but unlike the other night, the urgency, the forcefulness, the lack of control was missing; Darcy kissed her tenderly, drawing from her lips every word that remained unspoken. He kissed her like her lips were a new world that he was charting for the very first time. Discovering every delicate corner of her mouth with his tongue, it stroked hers, calming the insistency that she felt, enticing her to relax into his languorous exploration.

Beth moaned, her hand that had grasped his shirt stretching out and relaxing against his chest. She leaned into him, letting his arms encircle her and give her the support she needed. She tasted the wine on his tongue, or maybe it was from her own, either way, she shivered as it added a sweet and strong dimension to the sensations his mouth evoked.

His hands around her waist began to trace lazy circles along her back, causing goosebumps to parade up her spine while his mouth continued its torture. Even though she felt the friction and pressure slowly and deeply building inside of her, Beth felt, at the same time, that she could sit there forever kissing him and not need anything more.

Gently, his hands moved along the outsides of her thighs, moving her legs to hook around his waist. Her mouth parted from his, gasping in air as he lifted her from her seat, turning them both towards her bedroom door.

Without missing a beat, he gently nipped her chin before placing kisses along her jawline as her head tipped back allowing him better access to wherever his delicious mouth wanted to go.

He kicked the door open in front of him, carefully maneuvering them into her tiny bedroom. His lips left her neck to look at see where he was going.

"It's a little smaller than what you're used to," she whispered breathlessly, sure that he was wondering how both of them were going to fit comfortably on her bed.

"The only thing that I'm used to, gorgeous, is being inside of you," he rasped, approaching the edge of the bed.

Beth bit her lip hearing his words, moisture surging between her thighs as her hips instinctively flexed against him, enjoying the reciprocating swell of his erection against her.

She turned her head slightly to look where they were headed. "Don't drop me."

His gaze immediately returned to hers, deep brown eyes shimmering and solid. "I told you before, gorgeous, I'm not letting you go this time."

Her breath caught just as his lips captured hers again. With a little more insistency, his tongue found hers toying and teasing her as he carefully sat down on the bed with her in his lap, her legs still intertwined around his waist.

His hands carefully freed her blouse from where it was tucked into her pants and then lifted the soft material up and over her head, tossing it down onto the floor. His fingers traced down along her bra straps, along the edge of the cups where the swells of her breasts were straining, begging to be freed.

Back and forth the pads of his fingers ran along the edge of the material, teasing her with the lazy softness of his touch. Beth arched her back, trying to encourage a firmer caress, but he wouldn't stray from his plan. His fingers fell slowly over the front of her breasts. Beth moaned softly as they grazed over her nipples, still covered by the fabric of her bra. Darcy could feel their hardness even though there was still a barrier separating them from his touch.

His fingers continued their tortuous trek, following along the underwire in her bra, along the sides, which caused her to shiver as they passed along the sensitive skin underneath her arms. Finally working his way to her back, Darcy deftly unclasped the garment as Beth eagerly lifted her arms allowing him to pull the sliver of material off of her.

This time there was no teasing. With her breasts bared to him, his hands returned to the swollen mounds, grasping them possessively. Beth moaned into his mouth as he kneaded her aching flesh, the pressure from his fingers heightening the pressure building inside of her. His thumbs grazed over the sensitive tips; the hard buds begging for his attention. With gentle determination, he rolled the peaks between his fingers, teasing them relentlessly, the sensation making her core burn with the fire that he evoked.

She rolled her hips against him again, subconsciously entreating him for more. This time, his hips jerked back against her core and Beth knew that his resolve was slowly weakening under the weight of his desire.

"Just let me pleasure you, Beth," he whispered hoarsely against her mouth. "It's all I want."

He didn't take her mouth again, instead trailing his lips down the side of her neck, kissing and sucking her silken skin along the way. His hands released her breasts as his head moved lower, moving them around to support her back so that she could arch up to him, presenting him with the mounds of flesh that pleaded for the attention of his mouth.

Even though Beth could feel his desire increasing with every kiss that seared into her skin, Darcy still maintained his pace, kissing every inch of her neck down to the swell of her breast. She held her breath, waiting for it – for him – for the hot torture of his mouth. Air rushed out of her as the scorching suction of his lips closed over her nipple. She moaned, her fingers digging into his back as his tongue began its sweet torment of the hypersensitive tip of her breast, rolling the firm bud back and forth, each motion eliciting fireworks of friction that flew through her body.

He pulled the peak deep into his mouth, each draw milking more moisture from her core. He finished with one, only to move his focus to the other swell that had been waiting impatiently. Beth moved her hands, threading her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer towards her, begging him to ease the ache inside of her.

"Please," she whispered, her orgasm begging to be released from his slow torture. She felt his lips smile briefly against the soft skin of her breast as he pulled her nipple firmly into his mouth one more time.

Without releasing the peak, he shifted them, turning so that he could gently lay her back on the bed, her legs falling from around his waist to cradle him between her thighs. His hands free from supporting meant that one immediately moved to grasp her unattended breast, mimicking the movements of his tongue with his fingers. Her hips flexed again, his groan rumbling over her chest.

He moved to undo the clasp of her pants, grasping the waist of them along with her underwear. His mouth released her so that he could sit back and free her lower body from its cloth confinement.

Her arms fell back above her head as her gaze, laden with desire, locked with his. She lay there, barely breathing, watching him as his eyes began to travel the aroused and exposed length of her. Even though he still had all of his cloths on, she could see ever muscle outlined in his shirt and even more so in his pants, the front of them bulging almost unnaturally.

"You're beautiful," he said softly, his fingers brushing lightly along her thighs. Beth felt her whole body flush underneath him, a surge of wetness releasing from inside of her. His eyes dropped ever so slowly down her body to her glistening core, his hands following in their wake.

The fingers on one hand spread her folds wide, opening her completely to his gaze, while the other hand began to move lightly within her folds. At first, Beth watched as those fingers began to explore her and the begging flesh between her thighs; the brushed back and forth through the center of her folds, lightly at first, just like he'd done over her breasts. She moaned at the soft torment.

The next slide ended with his finger slipping inside of her. She gasped soundlessly as the brief fullness before it was gone, brushing back up and over her clit again. He repeated the movement, this time two finger ran down the length of her core, both slipping completely inside of her, bending slightly to touch that epicenter of pleasure deep inside of her before slipping back out, up, and swirling around the slick bundle of nerves. Again, he repeated the movement. Every muscle in her body was tensed – waiting and begging to be released. Her heart was pounding; her body was so strained from the slow torture that Beth wondered if it was possible to perish from the pleasurable pressure that had risen to unimaginable heights.

Yet, his rhythm remained steady.

"That's it, baby," he encouraged her softly, his eyes darting up to hers for a split-second before they returned to focus on the sight of his fingers, coated with the evidence of her pleasure, teasing her.

She moaned loudly, her eyes clamping shut, her lip painfully trapped between her teeth as she fought for her release.

"Let me feel how much you want me; let me see you come," he whispered, his fingers making their final descent to her entrance.

Three finger pushed inside of her, pressing on that tender spot as the thumb of his other hand circled over her clit and she finally exploded, screaming his name. With its thumb still pressing on her center, his hand held her hips firmly down against the bed though they tried to arch up, while his other hand continued to flex his fingers inside of her, her inner muscles clenching around him.

"Beautiful," he murmured. Her eyes fluttered open to see his face strained with restraint, feeling her body convulsing around him.

Beth moaned, watching as he slowly pulled his fingers out of her, completely coated with her juices. Her hips tried to jerk again as his thumb continued to rub purposefully over her clit causing sparks of burning, painful pleasure to shoot through her sated body.

"You're so beautiful," he said again, his jaw clenching as his gaze fixated on her wet center. Her mouth parted as she saw him bend his head down to her. "And you're mine," he whispered, his breath teasing over her soaking and swollen folds a second before his mouth completely covered her.

She shook underneath him, but she could make no sound the burning pleasure was so exquisite. The tongue that had teased every inch of her body spared nothing when it came to the most sensitive part of her. His hands now found their way underneath her ass, sinking into the soft flesh to angle her more openly for his feast. His tongue lapped over her, tasting her overflowing desire and licking the nub of nerves where every sensation he evoked had concentrated.

Her hips arched even further against his mouth, the rising pleasure from his tongue paralyzing the rest of her body; she could feel nothing except where his mouth was on her and that was all she needed. His tongue moved faster, more urgently over her clit. Her heels dug into the bed as she felt herself racing towards the second orgasm he'd so expertly crafted inside of her.

One deep draw of that bud into his mouth ignited her release that blazed through her. Her hips vibrated uncontrollably underneath him as the potency of her climax burned through her. His mouth didn't release her – wouldn't release her.

Beth vaguely heard his groan as he tasted her pleasure – the pleasure that he'd begged to give her, rush from inside of her. He drank from her as though it was she who would be responsible for his intoxication tonight instead of the wine.

She moaned as the waves of release subsided, his tongue finally letting her body fall completely into a sated stupor, her heartbeat beginning to return to normal.

She waited, anticipating his next move – one that would surely end with him inside of her, leading her to yet another mind-numbing orgasm. She felt the bed shift under him, but instead of getting heavier, his weight on the bed disappeared as he stood. Her eyes darted open, watching him walk into her bathroom to wash his hands and swish with some mouthwash.

Again, she watched and waited as he reentered the room. She saw the fire in his eyes, seeing her sprawled naked, her legs still spread open, beginning him to return to where he belonged between them.

And again, he surprised her.

Darcy made no move to remove his clothes, instead walking around to the other side of the bed, climbing onto it and lying next to her. Her head turned and followed him, meeting his gaze as his head rest down on the pillow next to hers.

"That has to hurt," she murmured, her brow furrowing, wondering why he seemed content to just lay next to her instead of trying to satiate his desire.

He gave her a tight smile. "I'm fine."

She turned onto her side, facing him completely, lowering her hand onto the side of his face. "But I asked you to show me how much you want me…"

His head turned so that he could kiss her palm that was resting on his cheek. "This is me showing you how much I want you – how much more I want with you than just fucking you," he said firmly, adding wryly, "because that part is painfully fucking obvious." He grimaced at the words, trying to ease the uncomfortable confines of his pants.

Her stomach clenched. The possessive, quasi-demanding part of Darcy that she knew was still there – it was the part that had informed her that she was his; but, there was also this part of him, something that she ached to remember if she'd seen before. This part that ached to please her, and not just physically, but with his words and actions; this part that was trying to prove to her that he had changed, that he was determined to put her first.

She could hold him to it; she could turn over and go to bed, completely sated and warm with the knowledge that he was doing everything in his power to prove himself worthy of her love. Her stomach clenched though because she didn't want to; she wanted to feel that deep, physical connection to him when he lost himself inside of her.

"You said I'm yours," she whispered, her eyelids dropping watching her hand as it slid off his cheek, down the hard planes of his chest, closing over the solid, burning length of him. "So, take me."

"Beth," he groaned, eyes clenching shut as he fought against himself and his desire for her. She squeezed her hand over his erection and his gaze shot open, a growl escaping from his lips.

"As you wish, gorgeous." Her body tingled at his promise.

His hand tipped her onto her back again, raising himself to his knees. Bending his head down to her breasts, he lavished attention on the erect peaks while his hands quickly unbuttoned his shirt, throwing it off the bed behind him.

Kneeling on the bed, he stared down at her. "Touch yourself," he commanded, then added softly, "make yourself wet for me." Stepping back off the bed, he began to undo his pants, his eyes locked on her hand as it drifted down over her stomach, disappearing between her folds as she did what he asked.

Instead of watching herself, she watched his face as he saw her pleasure herself. The sheen of sweat covered his entire body with the restraint he'd shown so far, restraint that was about to snap. She bit her lip as her hypersensitive clit easily and greedily climbed back up to the precipice of orgasm with just a few strokes of her fingers.

The shudder than ran through her body broke his trance. He quickly shed the rest of his clothes, climbing back onto the bed and between her thighs.

Her hand barely moved back before he thrust completely inside of her, his tortured groan escaping as her tight passage encased him with hot, moist heat, the last vestiges of his restraint lost.

"Holy Christ," he swore as his hips began to move.

His fingers dug into her hips, raising them and then holding them steady while he rammed into her, his desire completely unchecked. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as he pushed deep inside of her over and over again.

Their moans elevated in sync as the burning friction between them built. Her core was so sensitized that it only took a few of his powerful thrusts to send her over the edge again. Her walls contracting around him, he shouted as she pulled him into his climax, the hot jet of his release making her entrance even slicker as he continued to slide into her, riding out the waves of his almost-denied orgasm.

Darcy groaned, his fingers relaxing on her hips as his movements finally began to slow. Releasing her, he leaned over, resting his weight on his hands on either side of her head, bending his down to touch his lips to hers.

He kissed her gently and Beth moaned softly against his mouth, her eyes fluttering open, a soft smile spreading over her face.

"You're incredible," she said softly, not caring if her words inflated his ego or not; she couldn't filter her thoughts anymore and she didn't want to.

He chuckled, his eyes capturing hers. "No, gorgeous, you are incredible." He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. "I'm not incredible, I'm intolerable, remember?" The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile, teasing her nickname for him.

Beth laughed, eliciting a small groan from him as her movement caused her muscles to flex around the part of him that was still resting inside of her. "Who says you can't be both?" she retorted with a sly smile.

His head dropped as he laughed, pulling himself out of her in one movement – both of them feeling the loss. He stepped off the side of the bed and she moaned, forcing herself to follow him. She went into the bathroom while he walked out into the living room to grab the small bag he'd brought with him. Pulling out his toothbrush, he joined her in brushing their teeth.

They climbed back into her small bed, underneath the covers, as if they'd been doing this every night for the past five months. Beth reached over to turn off the light as Darcy slid up behind her.

Beth sighed softly. "So, what now?" she asked quietly, enjoying the feel of Darcy pressed up against her back, his fingers tracing lazy circles down the side of her arm.

Her body wanted to fall asleep now that it was completely sated, but her mind wanted to know what happened next – if she should expect to wake up to find Darcy gone in the morning.

"Hmm." His chest rumbled with the deep vibration. His head dropped to place a kiss on her shoulder blade. "I think, I'd like to take you to dinner."

"We already ate," she murmured. The exhaustion was really starting to get to her.

"Not tonight," he chuckled. "This weekend. Friday."

Friday… She furrowed her brow trying to remember why that day seemed to stick out in her mind. Maybe it was because it seemed so far away. Was she not going to see him again until then?

"I have to go back to New York tomorrow," he explained as if he had heard her thoughts. "I need to take care of a couple of things; I wasn't planning on coming up here this early in the week, so I have to go back and straighten out some merger proposals before the end of the week.

"Oh," she replied softly, too tired to hide her disappointment.

It was only four days, Beth.

"Trust me, I don't want to leave either. Not now," he replied hoarsely, his fingers dipped off of her arm, the backs of them gently brushing along the swell of her breast to circle her nipple; the subtle movement a punctuation to his thoughts. Beth sighed at his caress and felt Darcy tense behind her. "You have no idea how fucking bad I want to kidnap you and take you with me," he growled, his teeth lightly sinking in to the side of her neck causing goosebumps to race down her body.

"I can't –" she began to whisper breathlessly before he immediately cut her off.

"I won't. I know your work is busy right now and I know how much this job means to you. I saw it in your eyes." His hand returned to her arm as a sign of restraint. "I know you enjoy your work with Gardiner, but I've seen what you've done for the Center and I saw the look on your face when you talk about what you do. There's more than just pride there now, there's a peace, a contentment, knowing that what you are doing is helping people who need it, not just really rich or talented people who want it."

"Thank you," she whispered, blinking back tears. He was right; her new job had fulfilled her in so many ways and, as much as she loved Phil and her Gardiner clientele, she couldn't imagine going back and working there. As much as New York felt like her home and where she belonged, it didn't outweigh her sense of purpose that she'd found here.

Which presented another problem.

How were they going to work if she needed to stay in Boston? Granted, he said he had offices here and he certainly had more flexibility than she did to live wherever he wanted; maybe it would be ok. Unless he needed to be in New York now. Or somewhere else. She remembered how they'd talked about Singapore so long ago. And then there was the fact that her family and Jane and everything were in New York. The thought bothered her.

Had she always looked at Boston as something temporary?

"Shh," he whispered. "Enough thinking for tonight." His words refocused her brain on the present. Her body tingling as his hands moved towards her back, expecting him to physically distract her from her thoughts… again.

Instead, his hand stopped on her shoulders as he began to gently massage the muscles that were tense from her musings. She had momentarily begun to anticipate more pleasure especially as she had felt his erection hardening against her back. But this, right now, felt even more exquisite; she couldn't stop the moan that escaped from her lips as his hands worked the tension from her shoulders and neck.

Her body felt like it was melting into the bed as his hand worked the back of her neck and up onto her head. Gently he massaged her scalp, working all of the stressful thoughts from her mind. In minutes, she succumbed to the relaxed exhaustion that he'd brought over her, falling into a deeply calm and peaceful sleep; the greatest comfort being the knowledge that she would wake up in his arms.