This Is Love, Baby (War & Peace #2) (29 page)

I
’M HERE.

With War.

At last.

The steaming hot water washes away the pain and horrors I’ve been harboring. Although the water remains clear, I can’t help but feel as though I’m washing away the blood from the casualties in my war. With a tearful, bitter, dark laugh, I confess what weighs on my heart—the main reason I haven’t been able to connect physically with War. “He fucked me, War,” I murmur, unable to meet his eyes as he stands outside of the shower dutifully taking his medication. “And Brandon would have if he’d been given the chance.”

Silence stretches out between us as he unbuttons his jeans and pushes them down his muscular thighs. He kicks out of them on his way over to me so that he’s completely naked. The man is built like an immortal god.

“They didn’t love you though. Not like I do. Fucking means nothing without love. Remember that.” His voice is calm and it blankets me in a warmth the water will never match.

He steps into the shower and helps me wash. I keep waiting for him to obsess over how Gabe tainted me or poisoned our baby with his bodily fluids. I expect him to recoil from this dirty woman I’ve become. Instead, he washes me while he hums a song by the Pixies.

Where Is My Mind?

The song that he’s played on occasion while we play chess soothes my quivering heart. It infects the dark thoughts inside of my head and weaves with it images and memories of War. His touch, his scent, his overwhelming desire to care for me. His love. Soon, the shower is off, my mind and body are renewed, and my War is guiding me to his bed.

Towels are dropped.

And that’s okay.

Afflictions are lost.

And we don’t notice.

Love leads the way.

And we gladly follow.

“I’m going to hold you, Bay, and never let you go.” His words are a vow meant to protect me, not imprison me. And I believe them.

I lift my finger and draw a heart over his own. Then, I trace a ‘B’ inside of it. With my invisible mark, I stamp my presence on his soul and permanently etch a part of me onto him. Breaking away from him, I climb on top of the bed and let his searing gaze burn off any last remnants from the blood of the monsters of my past. “Make love to me Warren McPherson.”

His eyes meet mine as he crawls on top of me without hesitation. Our mouths connect in a needy flurry and his hard cock pushes into me without warning. I moan out in relief at having him inside me, stretching my body to limits in a way only he can. The connection becomes one and I jolt back to life. Dragging my nails over his shoulders, I kiss him deeper than ever before. I need him to taste the love I have for him.

My War is hungry for it too.

My love satisfies him and he grunts as he bucks into me.

Bliss and passion and desire and perfection are all rolled into one as we chase the release we both need. Not a selfish release, but one we only find together. A mutual orgasm of the souls.

The black king and white queen are the only ones left on the board that’s no longer devoid of color. It drips with the crimson blood of the defeated and we stand in victory. Together.

“My Baylee, my sweet, sweet Baylee,” he murmurs against my lips as his body tightens with his climax. The throbbing of his cock inside of me sends my body into a flurry of shudders as I orgasm with him. When he empties himself into me, he relaxes and his gaze meets mine. A smile plays at his lips.

“War is worth the peace.” My words are honest and true. War is worth everything.

“Focus, on your move, Bay,” he says from across the board.

He doesn’t think I’m focused but I am. I’m hyper focused. But not on our chess game. Instead, I’m obsessing over having him in my mouth. It’s been a couple of days since our lovemaking reunion when he went down on me, and I’ve been squirming with need to return the favor ever since. Each time, I attempt to, I see the shame and horror flicker in his eyes.

He’s afraid of his own reaction.

That he won’t be able to handle it.

But I’m determined to win. I will find a way to suck on his cock and when I finally get to, he’ll wonder what he’s been missing all along. My confidence is unwavering. Some things you just know.

“There. I’ll move there,” I tell him absently and move a pawn that undoubtedly opens me up for an attack on his part.

His frown is immediate. “Are you sure?”

I nod, a sly smile forming at my lips. I’m planning an attack of my own. He draws his attention from me and back onto the board. I see it in his eyes as they dart all over the place. He’s calculating each and every move. His brain is on overdrive, trying to figure out a way to take out the queen.

Little does he understand, he’s always had her.

Tearing my nightgown from my body, leaving me naked, I stand and make my way over to him. He’s still staring at the board and hardly notices my movement. When I step in front of his view of the board between his spread legs, his eyes travel up my bare flesh until his heated gaze meets mine.

“You’re cheating,” he says, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

I shiver when his hands find my hips. “Close your eyes.”

His jaw clenches but he does as he’s told. With a satisfied smile, I drop to my knees in front of him. He lets out a grunt when I grab onto the waistband of his pajama pants and tug them down his thighs. War’s cock, thick and proud, bobs out and points up at the ceiling.

“Baylee, I don’t know if this is—”

But I don’t give him a chance to argue and run my tongue along the tip of his dick.

“Jesus Christ, woman,” he hisses out.

My hand curls around his shaft, and I stroke it while I tease him with my tongue. It isn’t until I fully wrap my lips around him and slide down his cock where it hits the back of my throat that he finally seems to let go of any insecurities about this act.

His hands dive into my messy hair and he groans out in pleasure. It turns me on to see him enjoying it and I pull out every trick I can think of. I suck him hard, I run my tongue around in uneven patterns, I even let my teeth graze along his sensitive flesh a few times. I’m not a pro at dick sucking but judging by his sharp intakes of air, I think I’m doing okay.

“Bay,” he growls in warning, “I’m going to—”

I know what he wants but I don’t let him off easy. Instead, I take him as deep as I can go knowing it’ll send him over the edge. A roar of pleasure rips from his chest and soon after his cock throbs as it spurts out his hot release. His salty taste isn’t offensive and I swallow him down until he’s got nothing more to feed me.

Slowly, I ease my mouth off of him and search his eyes to make sure he enjoyed it. His head is tilted back against the cushion of the chair and his lips are parted. He’s gorgeous as hell, and I can’t wait to do it again just so I can see this look of pure ecstasy on his face.

“Checkmate,” I tell him with a laugh.

His head snaps back down and his searing gaze is on mine. I’ve never seen such an unmasked look of desire on him. His furrowed brows, darkened eyes, and clenching jaw indicate he’s hungry for me.

“We’re not done playing, beautiful,” he murmurs and melts me with his scorching stare. “Come here and let me show you how the game is played.”

I grin at him and climb into his lap. Once I’m straddling him, he guides his cock into me and then clutches onto my hips, pushing me all the way down. He stretches and fills me perfectly. Like we were designed to fit each other exactly.

“Kiss me,” he orders in a low, seductive tone.

My lips descend on his and I moan into his mouth when he begins bucking into me. The sensation is too much and not enough all at once. Even though I’m on top, he’s the one doing the fucking. All I can do is close my eyes and enjoy the ride. His strong fingers grip into my ass as he pounds his love into me.

Chess pieces clink and clatter behind me, his legs no doubt hitting the table as he makes love to me. I nearly come from the simple fact that he doesn’t stop to obsess over his precious game. He doesn’t care about anything else but me. Just like he promised.

“Oh God,” I yelp out when a blissful orgasm slices through me, temporarily blinding me with a mix of love and lust in one perfect concoction.

His heat pumps into me and I shudder with the last of my climax. I’ll never get enough of this man. When we both come down from our high, I collapse against his chest and stare off into the ocean behind him, a smile gracing my lips.

I shiver when his fingertips run up and down along my back. My palm slides over his red scar on his chest and I thank God again that he survived that day.

“You’re such a cheater,” he says, a smile in his voice. “And I should punish you for what you made me do to my white furniture.”

Leaning back, I gaze into his beautiful, loving eyes and arch an eyebrow at him. “Punish me how?”

My taunting question has his softening cock twitching back to life. He smacks my ass with both hands and I squeal with laughter.

“That’s a start,” he says with a smirk. His hooded eyes meet mine and my body thrums to life. “For the second part of your punishment,” he muses as he stands with me in his arms. His pajama pants fall to the floor and he steps out of them on the way back to our room. “I think I’ll carry you into the bedroom,” he says, just as he does that. “Push your back against the wall.” I let out a gasp when the cold wall hits my skin. “Hold your hands to where you can’t move.” My pussy contracts with excitement when he firmly pushes them to the wall. “And…”

“Fuck me into tomorrow?” I quip with a saucy grin.

He narrows his eyes but his cock is fully hard again inside me, at my words. “Actually, this is punishment, remember?” he reminds me with a raised brow. “So, I thought I’d explain to you how a firewall on a server works. You see, it’s a system that’s meant to keep viruses and—”

“No!” I squeal in mock horror. “Put me out of my misery already. Fuck me to death, War, because there’s no way I can sit and listen to your boring computer mumbo jumbo for another second.”

He chuckles but thrusts forcefully into me. “As you wish, my love.”

The world around us once again fades away.

Horrors of our past slowly smolder to ash and swirl from us bit by bit, no longer having a place in our hearts.

Heat of our present ignites into a raging, uncontrollable beast of a blaze that ravages the two of us, never promising to cool.

And the beauty of our future is blinding with a fire so powerful, it will decimate anything in its path, aside from our love.

His mouth over takes mine and we climax hard together. When I flutter down from my high, my eyes meet his and he smiles.

I drag my gaze over his bottom lip that looks good enough to bite and grin back at him. “My War.”

“My peace.”

T
WO YEARS, ONE
month, fourteen days, sixteen hours, eight minutes, and forty-seven seconds later…

My hot breath on the glass materializes another heart.

My Baylee, always leaving secret notes for me.

I smile and stare out toward the ocean. Her long blonde hair whips to her left as the wind barrels along the coast. It tries its damnedest to knock her over but she remains steadfast and strong. The queen in my world.