Caught Up (Windy City Series Book 3)
Caught Up: Chapter 23

Stepping into my room, Kai’s hands immediately sink into my hair, fingers tightening to tilt my attention up to him, lips hovering over mine. “Can I take what I want, Miller?”

Speechless, by both the untethered spark in his eye and his dominating yet uncontrolled vibe, I simply nod.

“Can I hear you say it?”

“Yes,” I hiss when his fingers pull my hair in that delicious way. “You can take whatever you’d like.”

“Good.” He nips at my lower lip. “Now tell me why you opened the door.”

“Because I was going to see if you’ve made up your mind about whether or not you want me.”

His chuckle is a bit dark. “That’s never been the issue and you know it.”

With a single arm around my waist, Kai lifts me, my legs instinctively wrapping around him as his lips meet mine in a kiss that is so unexpectedly possessive, it startles me. I think I might be out of my body, looking down to see a man who is typically the last person to take what he wants, but has finally decided to be selfish tonight. But then my back slams against the wall, and I’m jolted right back into the moment to realize this is real and it’s happening.

“Kai,” I breathe against his lips. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? Are you sure this is what you want?”

His eyes soften, his nose nudging mine.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I continue in a whisper.

“I know.” He places a tender kiss on my lips. “I know exactly what this is, and I want it.”

Kai’s tongue sweeps against mine as his erection rolls against my core.

It’s dirty and needy and, quite frankly, not what I was expecting after visiting a quaint bake shop. But I think that’s what he needs to make this fling work. The connection, the trust. Though he constantly said tonight wasn’t a date, it clearly was, and maybe a sweet date beforehand is our solution.

But there’s nothing sweet about this man right now.

“You wanna have some fun with me?” Kai rasps against my lips.

Dear God. Such simple words, but they unravel any previous concerns of protecting him. If he keeps talking like that, I’m going to be the one who needs protection.

“Please.”

He smiles into my mouth.

Using the wall to hold me up, he grips the underside of my thigh, kneading the flesh like he’s been dreaming of touching it. His other hand snakes down my back, over the curve of my ass, until his fingers slip under the hem of my panties.

But he doesn’t go any further. He teases. He savors.

I’m on fire. Every part of me burns for him to touch me. And I mean really touch me, without any fabric between us this time.

His fingers fall lower, so frustratingly close to where I need them that I whimper into his mouth.

He chuckles. “Needy, Mills?”

“Yes,” I whine. “I’ve touched myself so many times thinking about you.”

His brows lift with interest. “In my house?”

“Right on the other side of the wall from you. That night, after the kitchen, I got myself off again just from replaying it in my mind.”

“Jesus.”

Kai’s hand is so big he palms my ass perfectly, squeezing before he slips his fingers under my panty line again, this time grazing over my entire pussy like it’s a reward for being honest.

My head falls back against the wall.

“So soft,” he hums against my throat as his mouth trails over it. “You’re ready for it, huh?”

“I’ve been ready for it since the day I saw you in that elevator.”

His middle finger circles my clit, coaxing the truth.

“I’ve wanted this since I met you.”

He nips at my collarbone, smiling against my skin. “I know.”

Usually, the arrogant thing doesn’t do it for me, but Kai having a moment of cockiness? I’m fairly certain his fingers are soaked because of it.

“Thank you for that,” he continues. “Not to get all sappy before I fuck you, but you make me feel like a man again and not just a dad.”

Good God. I don’t know where to focus first. On my hips grinding down on his hand, asking for a finger to slip inside, or the way the words before I fuck you sound rolling off Kai’s tongue.

Or how this man is so easily vulnerable, it tempts me to be the same.

But because he knows me a bit too well already, he steers away from the sweet and sentimental stuff when I remain speechless.

“Have you been planning this the whole time, Miller? Ever since that elevator, where you wouldn’t stop talking. You knew one day I’d have to pin you to the wall and make you shut up, didn’t you?” He squeezes my thigh again, his other fingers rolling slow torturous circles over my clit. “And goddamn, these legs are going to feel so warm on my cheeks when I bury my tongue right here.”

A finger slips inside, slowly working its way deep.

An unexpected gasp escapes from my lips, but I’m ready for him. I’m wet, judging by the sound of my skin as he works in and out of me. My entire body is hot, waiting for him to ease the ache.

He keeps his mouth close to my ear. “Are you clenching on my finger already, Miller? I’ve barely started and you’re desperate, huh?”

Kai may have lost a little self-assurance along the way, may have had his sole focus on his son, but the man is clearly experienced even if he hasn’t done this in a while. His hold on me, his words, they’re brimming with confidence.

I love it.

He might not know it, but this is what I need in the bedroom. Someone else to take control. At work I’m in charge, telling others what to do, but here I want to turn that part of my brain off and simply comply.

I swivel my hips as Kai strokes inside of me.

“More,” I beg. “Please, more.”

He kisses me, speaking against my mouth. “Do you want more fingers, or do you want my mouth?”

“Both.”

He laughs and it’s a little evil. “So greedy.”

Stroking through my wetness, he coats his thumb before he rims the entrance to my ass. Cautiously, he takes his time circling, warming me up before he slips it in, pushing just the tip inside.

My body crawls up the wall from the foreign feeling, but I take a breath to realize I might actually love it. No man has ever touched me there, but I’m not mad about the new sensation one bit. I especially love when he adds a second finger in my cunt and strokes in tandem as I drop back down and writhe against him.

“Still not enough?” he asks, absent-mindedly rocking his hips into the cradle of mine.

He’s so hard and I just want to see it, feel it. Suck it.

“Miller.” He nudges his nose against the column of my throat before licking his way down it. “Answer me.”

I don’t know how to answer. It feels like too much but not enough all at the same time. He has the best set of hands I’ve ever seen and knowing they’re inside of me elicits some insanely hot visuals, picturing him pumping in and out.

“You need my mouth?”

“I need your dick.”

He chuckles. “Patience, Mills. I want to get you off at least once first. Who knows how long I’ll last once I’m inside of you.”

Head falling to the crook of my neck, he finger fucks me while also thrusting his pelvis into mine, burying me against the wall. It’s all I can do to hold on to his shoulders and hang on for the ride.

He smells good, feels good. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been so turned on in my life.

There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to come yet. This guy’s got me hooked more than anyone else before and I’d rather my body not betray me by telling him in the first three minutes. But then he curls his fingers, and with the way we’re positioned, the back of them strokes my front wall and I’m all but shuttering and falling on his hand.

“That’s it,” he coaxes. “Ride my hand, Miller.”

My legs tighten around him, holding his hips to give my clit a bit of friction as he works inside of me. Heat and pressure coil in my lower belly. He strokes his fingers once more and I come.

I come so hard it’s like I haven’t been touched in years, when in reality, it was only a few nights ago I came on his kitchen counter then again in his guest room.

Hands gripping the fabric of his shirt, I ride my way through it, every muscle in my body tightening. My heart beats out of my chest which I’m sure he can feel against his own, and being the experienced man he is, he keeps his hips pinned to mine, allowing me the needed pressure. He doesn’t change pace, he doesn’t pull back, he maintains and lets my orgasm ride as long as possible.

“So fucking beautiful when you come,” Kai rasps, his fingers still moving to make sure I’ve completely finished.

Our lips graze until I can finally speak again. “You’re beautiful when you make me come.”

He chuckles against my mouth.

When I begin to slump, he gently removes his thumb then his other fingers, fixing my underwear as if it’s not about to be on the floor, and sets me back on my wobbly feet.

Not wanting to give him the chance to stop this again, I drop to my knees, palms grazing his body until they land on his thick thighs for support.

And dear God, my hands look tiny on him.

Kai looks down at me, all big and towering. “What are you doing?”

“I’m praying.” Finding the button on his pants, I unzip. “What the fuck do you think I’m doing?”

His hand lands on top of mine to stop me. “If my cock goes anywhere near that mouth of yours, I’m going to be done, and I’d really like to be inside your pussy when that happens.”

Jesus. How does he make coming too quickly sound hot?

“It’s been a year, Mills.” With a finger under my chin, he tilts my head up. “And I’d like to make sure you’re thoroughly fucked before the night is over.”

Backing away towards the bed, he uses a single hand to pull his shirt over his head, pants open and low on his hips, nodding towards the mattress.

“Come.” His tone is all innuendo with a smirk that’s all charm thanks to our little inside joke.

And I’m over here still on my knees. Literally and figuratively I’m on my knees for this man.

The guy is long and lean and defined. Not too bulky, but clearly strong, and on top of it all, he’s so good. Kind. Thoughtful. Dependable.

And hot as hell with those glasses on.

“Stop eye-fucking me and get your ass on this bed, Montgomery.”

Damn.

Standing, I make my way to the mattress, and Kai slaps my butt as I pass him.

“Good girl. You get a gold star for listening.”

I fall onto the bed with a laugh. He’s hot and commanding one second then funny and vulnerable the next. He hasn’t even been inside me yet and I think I might be a bit obsessed.

Whoa. No, I’m not.

It’s just sex.

I take a seat on the edge of the mattress. “Gold star, huh? Is that your version of a praise kink?”

He saunters towards me. It’s the most swag I’ve ever seen this man possess as he makes his way to stand between my legs.

“Mm-hmm. Gold star lips.” He tilts my chin up, meeting my mouth with his. “The way you felt on my fingers, I’d say you’ve got a gold star pussy.” He replaces the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head before unclasping my bra with a single flick. His eyes go wide, shaking his head in disbelief. “Jesus. And gold star tits.”

My hands run up the length of his thighs. “I also give some gold star head.”

His neck cranes back with a tortured groan. Kai eyes the ceiling for three beats before bending down on his haunches, heels to ass, and eyes level with mine. Like some sort of gentleman, he tucks my hair behind my ear as he stares right at my mouth.

His palm trails over my jaw until his thumb presses against the seam of my lips, and the movement is anything but gentlemanly when he pushes into my mouth.

“Let me just see,” he says, slowly working it in and out.

His ice-blue eyes are heated and hooded, contemplating.

In and out. In and out. And when he pushes in again, I suck, tongue rolling around his fingertip before flicking up the length of his thumb.

“Fuck.” He stands, pulling his hand away with a frustrated growl, towering over me as I sit on the edge of the bed. “Just a taste.”

He barely lowers his pants and briefs, just enough to pull out his cock.

And . . .

“Holy fuck,” I hear myself say, staring right at him.

He’s swollen and thick, throbbing in his fist as he strokes himself once. Twice. A bead of precum leaks from the tip and I’m entirely mesmerized by the way his thumb swipes it, rolling it around the head.

The man is 6’4” and his cock makes it seem as if a very average-sized hand is wrapped around it.

“Lick those pretty lips of yours and open your mouth.”

Swallowing, I do as he says, tongue out and mouth open wide.

Hand on the back of my skull, he guides himself inside.

I’m so full. It takes a moment for me to adjust to him somewhat suffocating me, but eventually, I gain my bearings, breathing through my nose.

“That’s it, Miller. Fuck.” Getting my tongue involved, I flick the underside of his crown. “So good,” he praises. “Just like that. So, so good. God, you’re going to be the death of me, aren’t you?”

I stroke and suck, using my hand on what doesn’t fit in my mouth. He gives me complete control, though keeps one hand on my hair, petting and praising me as the other reaches down, testing the weight of my breast in his hand.

He rocks into my mouth, hips moving involuntarily with the sexiest noise of desperation I’ve ever heard. It echoes through my ears, coaxing me as I slip the hand that was on his shaft into his briefs, cupping his balls.

Kai jolts back, popping out of my mouth. He’s more swollen now, angry veins decorating his shaft. “Jesus. Okay, I get it. Gold star head. Please don’t embarrass me right now.”

A satisfied smile lifts on my lips as I watch him regain his bearings, tucking himself back into his pants which is the exact opposite of what I want him to do.

But then he exhales and looks down at me, eyes tracking my almost naked body. He wanders, following my chest, my hips, my tattoos.

Kai shakes his head—his favorite thing to do when it comes to me, but this time it’s not in annoyance, it’s in disbelief. “You’re so pretty, Mills.”

His tone is so soft and sincere that it almost makes me blush. I’m not one to be shy regarding sex. But Kai is looking at me like I’m his favorite thing he’s ever seen and the way his words are spoken it’s as if he’s thanking me for being here.

Which truly is so absurd.

The air shifts again as he approaches and takes me in a selfish kiss. He bends to my height as he works his lips down my exposed collarbone and chest. His tongue swirls around my nipple, his throat rumbling in a groan before he slips it into his mouth.

Kai sucks, my back bows, and when he repeats it on the other side, I’m all but falling off the edge of the bed and into his lap.

“Come here.” His voice is hoarse, grabbing my ass, and pulling me to straddle him on the ground.

He sucks me harder.

“Fuck,” I moan. “You’re going to make me come from playing with my nipples again.”

He smiles against my skin as he rocks my hips, rubbing me over his erection. And I swear to God if he makes me come again from dry-humping, I truly won’t be able to look him in the eye. He’s going to think I’m the one getting over a dry spell and comes on the spot from barely being touched.

Kai flicks my nipple with his tongue one more time before he meets my mouth. “I need to taste the rest of you.”

Yep. Definitely going to come again because I sure as hell haven’t been spoken to so freely in the bedroom before.

He’s older, and has no issue saying everything that’s on his mind.

It’s incredibly hot.

“Please do.”

He stands, carrying me to the bed. One knee lands on the mattress as he lays me down so gently, it’s as if I’m precious cargo that could break. He then runs an explorative palm over my thigh. The top, back, side.

“That first day, in Miami when you were wearing those cutoff shorts.” Kai kisses my neck. “All I could think about were your legs. I was supposed to be trying to figure out a way to fire you, but all I wanted to do was figure out a way to have them wrapped around my face.”

I rub against him like a needy cat. “Looks like you found a way.”

He nips and licks a path down my chest and stomach. “I’ve been dreaming of this. Every night as you slept just outside my house, I fell asleep after exhausting myself, trying to convince myself to leave you alone. But I fucking can’t anymore. I want you. Fuck, do I want you. You’ve been torture, and I don’t want to fight it anymore.”

I’m arching, writhing off the bed just from some words and warm breath dusting my skin.

I want him too, but we can only have each other in this capacity.

Taking the waistband of my panties between his teeth, he snaps it against my skin. Every nerve in my body is sensitive beyond belief that even the snap of fabric has goosebumps scattering up my spine. With so much fluidity, he crawls down my body, using his strong legs to hold himself as he glides my panties down my thighs.

Fully exposed, I lie naked with my hair splayed over around my shoulders, watching Kai Rhodes stand at his full height with my underwear dangling on a single finger, his other hand scrubbing over his jaw in admiration.

“Goddamn,” he exhales, shaking his head.

I open my legs a little wider for that.

Tonight feels like one big ego boost and I’m here for it.

Confidently, he slips my panties into his back pocket before taking off his glasses, safely setting them on a small table in the corner of the room.

Always so responsible.

“How much can you see without those?” I ask.

His attention trails my entire exposed body.

“Trust me, I’m seeing everything I’ve been dreaming about.”

His steps are big and commanding, pulling my ankles to slide me to the edge of the mattress. He stands over me, running his palms down to the crease of my hips.

“I want you so badly, Miller.”

That causes my eyes to dart to his, breaking my attention from where he’s touching me. His words are so clear, so sincere. They sound like they’re laced with meaning that goes beyond tonight. But I push that thought away. We aren’t going there. We’re just having some fun and he knows that.

“I want you too, Kai, so if you could take me now, that’d be great.”

He chuckles, dropping to his knees. Expertly, he rests my ankles on his shoulders, right next to his ears before he pulls me by the hips, closer to him so my knees bend over his shoulders instead.

He kisses the inside of my thigh, his scruff providing the perfect texture on my skin. “You always have something to say, huh?”

He’s got his arms wrapped around my hips, using his thumb to gently stroke over my clit. I almost buck off the bed. In fact, I probably would if he wasn’t pinning me down with his arms. He rubs soft circles over the sensitive area before he uses said thumb to stretch my skin, exposing my clit and flicking his tongue over it just once.

“C’mon, Mills. Let’s hear it.”

Smug bastard knows I can’t speak. I can’t think.

“Where are those quick one-liners that are always spewing out of that dirty mouth of yours?”

He licks again, this time covering me with his mouth, sucking me and rhythmically flicking his tongue. Eating me out like it’s a goddamn competition and he plans to win.

I don’t respond because I can’t. All I can focus on is the long, warm strokes of that talented tongue.

Where the fuck did he learn to do this?

Irrational jealousy zips through me, knowing there were other women before me. He’s got a literal child, one that I care about, and I’m over here fuming because he had the audacity to have sex with someone before he ever met me.

He sucks again, twirling his tongue in the most insane way, and my jealousy is taken over by heat and desire and a bit of frustration that it’s so effortless for him to make me putty in his hands.

“This is all I had to do to shut you up?” he continues. “Lick this pretty cunt to get you to stop talking?”

I simply fist the sheets and squeeze my thighs in response.

“Mmm,” he hums, vibrating my entire core. “Yes, baby. Suffocate me.”

I have no control over my body, so my hips take on their own life, rolling in tandem with his tongue, chasing my second orgasm of the night.

With a single hand flat on my belly, his tongue concentrates on my clit as two fingers from his other hand sink inside of me, curling forward, and I’m done.

I’m free-falling off the edge, my orgasm ripping through so hard that I’m convulsing, shivering, and shuttering on the bed. Every muscle tightens, down to my arched feet and curled toes that are currently resting on his back.

Kai keeps his tongue moving, but looks up as I glance down, ice-blue eyes dangerously watching me between my legs. He looks so goddamn good down there, I can’t help but touch him, fisting his hair as I ride his face, taking every last second I can.

And finally, I suck in a breath of which the exhale sinks me into the mattress, limp and exhausted and I didn’t even do any of the work.

He smiles against my skin. Smug and so well-deserved.

“So beautiful.”

Kai places a soft kiss on my clit, gentle and tender, and once again he has my mind reeling. This guy is a walking juxtaposition. Dirty-talking confidence turned right back to the soft man who’s gone through his life alone.

He stands, dotting a path of kisses on the inside of my leg before walking backwards away from the bed.

He’s so handsome. So attentive.

“You’ve made me come three times since that night in the kitchen.” My breaths are erratic as I try to calm down. “And I haven’t taken care of you once. That seems awfully unfair.”

Kai pulls a condom out of the back pocket of his pants. The one my panties aren’t currently occupying.

“Is that how you think this works? Who the hell has been giving you orgasms only to expect them in return?” He shakes his head. “Don’t answer that. I changed my mind. I don’t want to know.”

He slides his pants down, his cock tenting the fabric of his briefs.

“That’s kind of how it works,” I explain, unable to keep my eyes off him.

He laughs and it’s entirely without humor. “Getting you off gets me off. You should stop entertaining boys with any other mindset.”

He drops his briefs to the ground, and I can’t breathe.

“In fact, you should stop entertaining other boys in general.”

His thick, tatted thighs are rippling, the perfect V cutting down to his cock that’s standing proud, tall, and thick. Entirely proportionate to his giant body.

More pre-cum leaks from the tip and he swipes it with his thumb, lubricating his fist as he strokes himself. He stands in front of me without a shy bone in his body.

He’s stunning.

Pure masculinity, taut muscles, lean frame with a personality that’s soft enough to lovingly raise a human on his own.

I think I’m seeing the old Kai tonight and that version scares me. The confidence, the self-assurance mixed with the new Kai—thoughtful, kind. He’s a lethal combination, and not only does my body recognize it, but so does my heart.

He tears the foil packet with his teeth.

“Can I?” I ask, sitting up.

A small grin plays on his lips as he walks towards me, condom outstretched, cock jutting from his body, and I’m over here salivating, watching his muscles ripple as he moves.

Pinching the tip, I roll the rest of the condom over his shaft. I can feel how ready he is as he throbs in my hand. Kai’s fist covers mine, using me to stroke himself again, his eyes fluttering shut as he repeats the motion.

“How long have you been keeping that in your back pocket?” I ask.

“Been carrying one with me since the night we went out in Texas.”

“After that night, you mean?”

“No. I slipped one in my wallet before we left for the bar.”

My brows lift. “For me?”

“It’s always been only for you.”

Oh.

My stomach explodes in a sensation I would assume people refer to as butterflies. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never really had them until I started hanging around this man.

He nods towards the bed, telling me to back up. I do so, crawling back, but before he can climb onto the mattress with me, I flip, putting myself on all fours and facing the headboard instead of him.

His chuckle is dark and menacing. “You think that’s going to help you?”

Shit.

“You think you’ll be able to keep yourself detached because you’re not looking at my face while I fuck you?”

The mattress sinks as Kai climbs on behind me. Thick thighs kiss mine and I hate how well he sees me, knows me and what my chaotic head is doing. One arm snakes around my waist, the other cupping my breasts as he pulls me up, my back flush to his chest.

He lowers his mouth to my ear. “Well, it doesn’t matter if you see me or not. You’re going to feel every inch of me. I’ll be so deep, you’ll be able to feel me in your fucking throat, and I can promise you, Miller, your body won’t let you forget me.”

Jesus.

The arm around my chest slips down between my legs, circling my clit. He bucks his hips, coating the condom in my arousal as he rubs his length over me.

He kisses just below my ear, nipping at the skin. “You think you can keep this casual, Mills?”

I nod frantically, hoping to convince both of us.

His laugh is silent but rumbles against me. “Best of luck to you with that.”

And with those words, he adjusts himself, the head of his cock notching against my core. There’s a moment where our breathing is synced, the anticipation heavy in the hotel room. He lingers there, allowing the moment to build before he lifts his hips and pushes inside.

“Oh fuck,” I cry, crumbling forward towards the mattress, but Kai comes with me, blanketing my entire body with his. He holds himself up so as to not crush me, but I can feel how hard he’s breathing, can sense the tension coiling through him as he gives me a moment and doesn’t move.

Kai spreads his knees, using his thighs to open mine as I try to adjust to his size.

“Too big,” I tell him, my words muffled into the sheets.

That fucking chuckle rumbles again. “I’m only halfway in, Mills.”

With bewilderment, my eyes replace him over my shoulder. “That can’t be true.”

“It is. I’m looking right at it. Goddamn, you should see us, Miller. You look beautiful, trying your hardest to stretch around me. It’s really too bad you didn’t want to see anything.”

“I hate you.”

He circles my clit and I moan.

“Keep telling yourself that.” He continues to play with me, relaxing me into the bed. “Take a deep breath.”

I do as I’m told, my body once again compliant. So compliant that Kai shifts his hips, slowly thrusting into me and when I feel his pelvis flush against my ass, I know I’ve taken him to the hilt.

He groans, nuzzling into the back of my neck. “So good, Miller. You feel perfect.”

I try to ignore the sharp stretch. “Gold star pussy?”

He chuckles again, but this time it’s light with amusement. “No question in my mind. Gold star pussy.”

He decorates my spine with warm kisses, brushing my hair out of the way so he can extend those kisses up my neck.

“Does it still hurt?” he asks against my skin.

I shake my head to tell him no. The pain is more of a dull ache now, that delicious pinch of being too full, but this guy could split me in half, and I still wouldn’t ask him to stop.

“Good.” He pistons his hips and thrusts fully inside, his body still splayed over me, pinning me to the bed.

I whine into the sheets, hoping to muffle my sounds, thankful that the shared wall is with Kai’s room.

His hands cover my bare back, rubbing against my skin as they travel down my arms until they reach my hands, intertwining our fingers. He holds me as he begins to move with pace, fully fucking me.

He feels insane. So incredible. So big. Warm. The way he rolls over me. God, he must look like a fucking porn star riding me right now.

His lips stay hovering next to my ear. “You’ve been like poison this summer, you know that? Seeping into my system and ruining me slowly.”

I moan, lifting my ass to meet him in pace.

“Pretty. Fucking. Poison.”

He continues to whisper dirty words into my ear, feeding me his cock over and over again. One of his hands leaves mine, slipping between me and the mattress until he replaces my clit.

“Ace.”

“Mmm,” he hums. “I love when you call me that. What do you need?”

“Flip me over. I want to see you.”

He pauses. “Really?”

We’re both terrible at holding strong on the pathetic rules we make for ourselves, apparently.

“Please.”

He pulls out, the sudden emptiness hollowing my stomach, before he flips me onto my back.

Oh, this was a bad idea.

His steel-blues are dark with desire. His abs are contracted. Cock swollen. Skin glistening with sweat.

Kai opens my legs, putting one on his shoulder to give himself a better angle before he guides himself back inside of me.

We both groan as he fills me.

He slides in easier this time, my body ready and willing to take him especially now that I can see him. There’s no question in my mind, I’ve never wanted anyone more.

He holds my hips while he fills me over and over again, placing kisses on the inside of my ankle as it rests on his shoulder. He plays with my clit. He squeezes my tits. Then he bends forward, folding my leg into my chest as he uses the leverage of the bed to fuck me into the mattress.

And, Oh my God.

I’ve never been fucked like this.

I’m at this man’s mercy, and he’s not holding back. Sweat beads on his brow, our skin sliding together as my hands search for something to hold on to, my nails digging into his back.

“This is why you have Max,” I somehow say. “I’m fairly certain you’re fucking me right past my birth control.”

“Miller.” He halts his movements. “That’s an inside thought.”

“I don’t have inside thoughts.”

He simply shakes his head at me—his favorite move. Then he does my favorite move and snaps his hips to fill me again.

“I’d really appreciate it if we steer away from talking about me knocking you up while I’m rearranging your insides.”

I raise an impressed brow. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Jesus Christ.”

Kai brackets my jaw with a single hand and kisses me roughly, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, no doubt to shut me up.

But then as his body falls onto mine, our movements change.

It’s less frantic. We replace a rhythm as Kai moves us together. Or kisses are slow and searching. His forehead rests on mine as he touches me, appreciating every inch of my skin. My fingertips press into his lower back as he moves over me.

We watch each other.

It’s . . . intimate.

It’s scary.

But I can’t stop myself from climbing right back to the edge with him.

“I’ve wanted this for so long, Miller.” He nudges his nose against mine, kissing me again.

And because I can’t handle serious moments, I attempt to break the intimacy with humor.

“What? A whole five weeks? You have the patience of a saint.”

He shakes his head. “A lot longer than that.”

Shit. He’s not referring to wanting my body. He’s referring to wanting the connection we’ve created.

I should correct him. Remind him this is casual. Easy. Detached.

But this man deserves someone to fight for and stand by him. And though long term that someone won’t be me, I let myself believe, just for tonight, that maybe I could.

He makes me want to be.

Kai slips his arm between my back and the bed, and we move together. I wrap myself around his body until we’re both coming. He’s buried into the crook of my neck as I have my third orgasm of the night and I’m kissing his chest and sweat-soaked skin as he replaces his first.

My name sounds like worship as he chants it against my skin, kissing me softly as he comes. I’ve never liked the nickname Mills as much as I do when Kai says it while he’s inside of me, lacing the word with gratitude.

And watching him come? I think I might do just about anything to see it again.

We’re touching and stroking as we both ease back down, and when Kai pulls out of me, I’ve never felt so empty, losing that connection.

He plays with my hair as he lays at my side, watching me with appreciative eyes.

“Perfect,” he murmurs.

I nuzzle into his chest like a stage-five clinger who needs to be held after sex. “You weren’t so bad yourself.”

His smile is soft against my skin.

I want to stay in this bed all night. Do that again and again. Maybe wake up to him between my legs.

But then my eyes shoot open to replace his chest as he holds me, stroking my back.

No offense to myself, but what the fuck am I doing?

Clearing my throat, I pull away and gesture to the condom. “Do you need the bathroom so you can take care of . . .”

“You go ahead first.”

My brow lifts, needing the humor back in the room. “Oh, so now you’re being a gentleman after defiling me so perfectly?”

“Nah. I just want to watch your ass from behind as you walk away.”

Giving him a playful swat, I lift myself, but Kai pulls me right back down, hands sinking into my hair with a kiss that feels so much more meaningful than it should after a casual hook-up.

“Thank you,” he says against my lips, soft eyes searching mine.

I’m speechless.

I’m obsessed.

I think I’m in trouble.

So, I quickly pull away and scurry off to the bathroom, needing a moment to breathe.

Don’t give him someone to miss, Miller.

And what about me? What am I doing to myself?

I stare at my naked reflection in the mirror. He’s just another guy in another city. I’ll be gone in a month, and he’ll forget all about me. I’ll forget about him.

I can’t even look myself in the eye as I lie.

I have to fix this. Put the armor back on. It’ll be better for us both in the long run.

Casual. Easy. Unattached.

Inhaling through my nose, I straighten my shoulders. I can do this.

Back in my room my bed is empty, so I slip under the covers, trying my best not to think about how amazing tonight was. How right it felt.

Kai comes back in from his room, sweatpants hanging low on his hips, headed straight for the bed. He lifts the corner of the covers to join me, but I stop him with a hand on his chest.

“What?” he asks.

“No sleepovers.”

“You’re kidding.”

I simply shake my head.

He exhales a disbelieving laugh. “But we’ve slept in the same bed together before.”

“That was different.”

He contemplates for a moment, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Fine,” he says, lifting the sheets over my naked body to tuck me in because of course he does. “I hope you’re able to get some sleep with all the cartwheels your brain is doing right now.”

Kai brushes my sweat-damp hair out of my face to place a gentle kiss on my forehead then a less gentle one on my mouth. “Goodnight, Mills.”

I swallow. “Night.”

He casts one final look at me over his shoulder before turning off my bedroom light and leaving. But he doesn’t close the door that connects his room from mine, keeping that bit of an opening between us.

Flipping onto my back, I stare at the ceiling. Why does he have to handle everything so graciously? Why couldn’t he throw a fit about not sleeping over or something else that might give me the ick? No, he just had to fully understand me once again.

How annoying.

Almost as annoying as the ache between my legs and the memories flooding my mind of him inside of me on this very bed.

There’s a knock on the wall right behind my headboard coming from Kai’s room. “Hey, Miller?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for the sex.”

I burst a laugh. It’s loud and unladylike and I don’t give a shit.

This guy is frustratingly good, easing my tension with humor the way I usually do.

“You’re welcome, Baseball Daddy. And I do mean Daddy.”

I can hear his laugh from here. “Today was a good day.”

It really was.

“They could all be good days.”

He hums. “Yeah. Maybe.”

There’s only a thin wall between us, a handful of feet and an open door. Just enough distance that I’ve convinced myself is necessary. But in an odd way, it feels like he’s still inside of me. Not physically, but as if he’s etched his way into my soul. His scent is still on my sheets as I burrow into them. His touch still singes my skin.

He was right. There’s no way I’ll be able to forget him.