Charity For Nothing: The Virtues Book III (31 page)

Dom pulled me tightly in to the warm shelter of his body, our mouths locked in a fierce kiss, even as the soft skin of his erection very nearly burned against my stomach with the intensity of its heat. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him back me up against the bed, sitting when he urged me to do so, which put me at exactly the perfect vantage point to take him into my mouth, which I did, picking him up with gentle fingers and stroking him lightly.

His head tipped back and his eyes slipped shut, even as he ran his fingers softly through my hair, holding it back from my face so he could watch. When he looked, his eyes were filled with appreciation and heat, and I could tell, it was taking all of his self-control not to thrust into the back of my throat. I plunged my mouth over the top of him, taking him all the way back until my lips met his body and he cried out, head tipping back, voice reverberating back to us from the ceiling. I moaned around him, and the vibration caused him to gasp.

He pulled back, and gripped my upper arms, firmly but carefully, setting me back further on the bed, kneeling in front of me. I felt a little thrum of excitement in the center of my chest and realized this was still something we hadn’t done much of, even as I lay back, and Dom parted my knees.

He slid a finger into my wet and waiting pussy, sealing his mouth over my clit, his tongue teasing, and I nearly shot off like a rocket. I arched, and gasped out his name, squeezing down around him. It was a relatively quick build up and explosion, sending me shuddering beneath him, small little shocks of pleasure coursing through my body. He didn’t waste any time standing and drawing me back to the edge of the bed, wrapping his powerful arms around my thighs and pulling me, bodily, closer.

He pressed his hands into the backs of my thighs, nearly folding me in half, every movement he made powerful, deliberate and dominant. He checked with me with his gaze and when he still found me wanting and desiring, he slid inside of me and
oh my god…
The angle was deep, and it felt like he went on forever, touching the deepest parts of me. He carried on, with long and unforgiving strokes, seeking, adjusting his hips every time, until he found what he was looking for and when he did? He switched to short, deep strokes, torturing that spot over and over until I came, crying out, just by virtue of his cock inside me.

It was amazing, it was mind blowing, and it was quite literally the best sex I’ve ever had in my life, given how short the duration of it. It was the wildest, most intense few minutes I’d ever experienced with a man, I thought, but that was before I discovered that unlike when we usually had sex, Dom wasn’t done with me.

“Get on your knees for me, Baby,” he murmured and languidly, I turned to give him what he wanted. Hell, I would give him anything and then some if he kept it up like this.

I knelt for him, arching low to the mattress. He fitted himself at my entrance and said, “Warn me if this is too intense.” He smoothed his hands over my hips, and started out slow, the warmth of his fingers trailing up my back and down my arms until he gripped me just above the elbows.

If I hadn’t had two orgasms already, and if I weren’t still riding the aftershocks of the one I’d just gone through, what he did next could very well have been too intense, bordering even, on painful. He gripped my arms, just above the elbow, and pulled back on my upper body, burying himself impossibly deep. He stilled and I panted, getting used to the intensity of it.

“Don’t stop!” I cried and he chuckled low and dark.

“Okay, I’m going to go slow,” he said and he was as good as his word, thrusting slow and deep at first, before picking up his pace.

I can’t describe it, at least not completely. It was as if he reached my end and pushed farther. It rode that line between pleasure and pain, and went a little bit over, but not enough for me to want him to stop, at least not just yet. I think he could tell I was riding a similar line of indecision, because he let up on my arms, just a little bit, and kept adjusting according to the feral cries pouring from my throat.

While I couldn’t describe him as a gentle lover, at least not this time, what he was, and always would be, was a considerate one. He was almost fucking me like he hated me one second, but the moment I voiced or jerked with displeasure or anything less than satisfaction, he stopped or eased up, back into my comfort zone. He also spoke encouragement and it was sexy encouragement at that.

“That’s it, Baby, you can take me. Oh, god you feel so fucking good, you’re amazing. Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”

He thrust into me one final time, bodies coming together with the sharp sound of skin on skin and that last thrust
did
hurt, pitching me forward as it shot through me, leaving an intense wave of pleasure in its wake. I collapsed onto the bed, and Dom let me, folding over the top of my sweating, but strangely cool body. Warming me, his hands stroking my skin wherever he could reach.

He pulled out of me and I felt warmth and wetness trickle down my thigh from the aftermath of one of the hottest rounds of sex I
know
I had ever had. Dom rested his forehead between my shoulder blades and we both panted, trying valiantly to catch our breaths. He laughed a little and said to me, “I think a shower’s in order before bed.”

“Just give me a minute; I don’t think I can walk.”

I yipped when he flipped me over and pulled me to the edge of the bed, he scooped me up and stood fluidly, saying, “You don’t have to. I’m happy to carry you.”

Sweetest. Man. Ever.

“Hmm, then sally forth! Or whatever they say.”

“As you wish,” he said raising an eyebrow and I grinned.

“Bonus points for The Princess Bride reference.”

“Didn’t think you were old enough to get that one,” he said making for the hall.

“Are you kidding me? Death before dishonor buddy, Hope would cave your nuts in for even suggesting she lacked in sisterly duty to pass that one down to us.”

“I stand corrected!” he cried laughing and it felt so good to hear him do it. He set me lightly to my feet inside the bathroom door and asked me, “You good?” before letting go. I tipped my face up to his and kissed him.

“Always when I’m with you,” I said smiling.

“Not
always,
but I’m trying to make up for it,” he said softly.

“You’re doing a damn fine job,” I confided.

He smiled and started the water, helping me into the shower.

“Lock the door?” I asked and he paused, nodding and humoring me, locking the door, turning on the heat lamp and fan.

He got into the shower with me and pulled me into a long kiss, his earlier, almost frenzied and possessive love making forgotten. Dominic was all tenderness and soft wonder now, and I loved the contrast. I didn’t mind the occasional rough sex, I found it a nice change of pace and thrilling, but it was nice and almost perfect to be cared for after. It made me feel like a woman, and that I was loved and cherished, not just an object to be used for sexual gratification. Dominic had the right amalgamation and I loved that about him.

He washed my body carefully, smoothing gentle soapy fingertips over every sensitive bit, and massaging where he’d gripped and between my shoulders. I took the care and time to show him the same consideration and we stayed in the water until we were both prunes and it’d started to run cold on us.

It was perfect;
he
was perfect, and most of all, we were perfect for each other.

We got ready for bed, which mostly consisted of drying off and going back to the bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed and picked up my phone which was charging to check it while Dom ran the towel over my hair. I’d missed a call earlier in the afternoon, while I’d been on the beach, but that was okay. I couldn’t do anything about it right now, it was too late; so I left the voicemail until morning, preferring to cuddle with my man instead.

“Hold still,” he said, turning my head with the towel to face back forward.

“Why?” I asked and he chuckled.

“You’re so damn nosey,” he said.

“Hey, I prefer ‘inquisitive’, what are you do – oh!” He stroked my brush through my hair, careful of any knots, holding it so it wouldn’t pull against my scalp as he detangled it, and I think I very nearly melted.

“You can do this any time you want,” I assured him, voice soft and a touch deeper with my relaxed pleasure. I
loved
having my hair played with, and come to think of it, I didn’t know many women who didn’t.

“I used to love doing this for my wife,” he said gently, “I hadn’t realized how much I missed it, so thanks for being cool with it.”

“Oh, my pleasure, and I mean that quite literally.”

I could hear him smile and it made me smile too, it really was the perfect, low key evening and I found myself hoping and wishing for many, many more like it.

Chapter 40

Nothing

I woke up just before the alarm went off and I secretly found myself glad for it. Just because
I
had to get up, didn’t mean that Charity did. She slept like an angel, and I didn’t have the heart to wake her, so I slipped out of the bed, hijacked her keys off the nightstand and took some clothes with me down the hall and into the bathroom to change.

I did miss her making my coffee for me, like she had the last couple of mornings, but I could seriously get that going on my own, which I did. I’d just poured myself a travel mug of the stuff when Gator came through the front door. I craned my neck back to see through the living room to the front of the house and put my finger to my lips in the classic sign for ‘shut up.’ He tiptoed back into the kitchen and made a longing face toward the coffee pot and I flipped open the cupboard full of ‘Ander’s Maritime Salvage’ travel mugs the Captain kept on hand.

“Fucking-A man, you rock,” he said low and quiet.

“Need you to run me over to my house so I can bring Char’s Jeep back over here first. She should start getting calls for interviews and shit with as many applications as she’s got out there.”

“Cool deal, yeah. Let’s get that done first,” he agreed.

Footfalls on the back stairs had us turning, Marlin lumbering into view, I sighed in a bit of relief and said, “Well, that answers that question.”

“What question?” he asked and went for the coffee that Gator was setting back on the burner.

“Whether or not anyone but Char and I were in the house.”

“Ah, yeah, we got in late last night.”

“I must have been out,” I said.

“Yeah, Faith looked in on you two and she said you both were passed
out
.” I grinned and he grinned and he said, “I figured. Why you wondering if we was home?”

“Gonna run and get Char’s Jeep, just wanted to make sure she was taken care of.”

“I know what you mean,” Marlin said, sipping from his freshly poured mug, “Threat’s over, but without benefit of bein’ there handling business first hand, it don’t feel like it, does it?”

“Not exactly,” I admitted.

“Go on an’ do your thing, Bro. I got this. Johnny and I ain’t got shit goin’ for the next couple of days so Faith and I figured we’d chill here, she’s got some damn show she wants me to watch,” he made a face and I chuckled. Marlin had never been much for TV. Still, he looked like he could use the R&R, his face still resembled hamburger with eggplant chunks thrown in for good measure.

“Cool, thanks, we’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

We made the drive to my place, picked up Charity’s Jeep and drove back to the Captain’s. When I went through the door it was to spy Charity in the kitchen.

“There you are!” I went to her and kissed her and she wrapped her arms around me giving me a squeeze. “You trying to sneak out on me?”

“Thought you could use a little extra sleep,” I handed her the keys to her ride, “Brought you your car, thought you might be starting to miss it.”

“Not yet, and you didn’t have to do that, go out of your way, I mean.”

“Weren’t no thing,” I said with a wink. She hugged me tight and leaned up for another kiss which I gave without hesitation.

“Have a good day at work,” she said, voice husky.

“Gonna miss me?” I asked.

“Already do,” she said with a charmed little smile.

“Oh, please! You’re gonna make me puke,” Gator complained.

“Don’t look at me for help,” Marlin said, bouncing Faith in his lap. She giggled and held onto his shoulders.

“Can we please just go?” Gator asked.

“Alright, alright, you pussy, let’s move,” I rolled my eyes and Charity let me go.

“See you tonight?” she asked.

“It’s a promise,” I told her and away Gator and I went for another thrilling day sweating our asses off in the sun laying paint on a house neither one of us could afford in our lifetimes.

Chapter 41

Charity

“This is Charity Dobbins, returning Watch Commander Figaro’s call,” I said into the phone. The lady proclaiming to be a dispatcher on the other end of the line, told me she’d put me right through. The line crackled for a second and started ringing.

“Figaro,” the gruff voice on the other end of the line said by way of greeting.

“Yes Sir, this is Charity Dobbins returning your call, you left a message for me on my voicemail yesterday afternoon.”

“Oh, yes! Hi, I was wondering if you could come in for an interview,” he said.

“Absolutely,” I told him, “When would be good?”

“Can you be here in an hour?” he asked and I was taken a bit aback. I cued up Google maps on my laptop.

“I’m still new to the area, can you tell me where ‘here’ is?” I asked.

He rattled off an address and I punched it in, “Says you’re forty-five minutes from me, and that’s with no traffic, so an hour is pushing it.”

“Great, see you in two then,” he said and hung up. I sat up straighter and looked at my phone, a little stunned.

“Holy shit,” I uttered and busted my ass to get upstairs, presentable and into the Jeep in record time. I was betting this was my first test and when I arrived in an hour and a half flat, to see a man standing in the parking lot, lit cigarette in his mouth checking his watch as I pulled into the parking space in front of him, I felt like I’d hit the nail on the head.