Whispered Curses: A shy girl alpha male romance novel Page 10
"I wish," I sighed. "My mother's brother Nick lives in Vancouver, and has two little kids. So Nana moved out to Vancouver to live in a retirement community on the ocean and be with her smallest grandkids."
Eric nodded, his fingers trailing up and down my arm lightly. "Well, I guess you and Eva are able to use the phone to keep in touch with her. Kids would find that tricky. Do you fly out there very often?"
"I wish. Flights are expensive. The only time I can take the time off school is when their prices are jacked because it coincides with breaks."
He leaned in and kissed the top of my hair. "Hopefully your Nana knows how to do video calls?"
I laughed. "Uncle Nick said he was going to teach her. But that was a few months ago. My Mom is actually there visiting her now. I’ll text her in the morning to remind her to try."
I saw Eric look over to the giant industrial clock on the wall. "Did you steal that from high school?" he asked.
"Of course not," I said, "Although that would've been cool. I found it in a secondhand store for ten dollars."
"You're naughty," he grinned. "I like naughty. But it's getting kind of late, so I should go."
My hand flashed out, my fingers pressing against his chest. "I don't want you to leave." It was weird that I had spoken without thinking. That was happening far more often around him.
He stared at me, wide eyed. “Eden, are you inviting me to spend the night?"
"I guess so?" I said hesitantly.
My eyes fell closed for a second as his thumb ran along my cheek tenderly. "We just keep mixing everything up, don't we?” he said. “Logically, we know that we should slow things down and just date like normal people."
"You know this doesn't feel normal," I whispered.
Eric nodded. He looked like he was trying to analyze a solution to the problem. "I don't want to be too forward," he said softly. "But I don't want to leave." Leaning in, he brushed his lips against mine, soft as a breeze.
"What if we slept together without sleeping together?" he said with a sassy little grin. "We can snuggle all night, but my shorts will stay on. Deal?"
Just from thinking about him sleeping in my bed with me, my thighs were starting to quiver. But I was fairly certain I could behave myself.
“Deal."
Puttering around my apartment getting ready for bed was a normal routine, but I'd never done it with a man present before. I'd always stayed over at Andy's because he wanted all of his stuff around. Once again I was struck by the fact that he treated me as an inconvenience, whereas Eric was treating me like a precious treasure.
While he was in the washroom, I quickly changed into my pink boy short pajama bottoms, but I wore a pretty camisole instead of my usual ragged gray tank top. I got into bed just before he came out, and he switched off the light, crawling in beside me. It wasn't a large bed, so we immediately spooned.
Twisting over my shoulder, I gave him a kiss. "Thank you for showing me your city block toys," I giggled.
"Baby, you can come and play with my toys anytime you want," Eric chuckled. "Thank you for making a dirty man's fantasy come true."
Snuggling back against him, I tried to fall asleep. But the sexy electric prickle between us soon had me feeling flushed and wanting.
~ Chapter 18 ~ Eric ~
* Goodnight *
Feeling the way Eden’s curvy body leaned back into mine was driving me crazy. But just for once, I needed to keep a promise. Well, it wasn't exactly a promise. But it was a statement. No sex tonight.
It was important to me that she knew I wanted to care for her more than I wanted to take care of my own sex drive. She had probably known men who were total pigs. Every woman did. I wanted to be better than all other men for her. I wanted her to understand that her needs came first. Always.
Right now, she needed some attention. My arms were wrapped around her, but it definitely felt like she needed more.
Sliding my hands under her top, I placed them flat on her stomach. Her breath hitched. Her body quivered. My sweet little girl needed something to relax her, and who was I to deny a lady what she needed?
"Aren't you sleepy, baby?"
"Not yet," she whispered.
"Tell me what you need."
I heard that strange, dark tone enter my voice, and wasn't sure what I thought about it until I heard her soft exhale. "I need you to touch me."
My hands began spreading apart across her skin, one moving up and one moving down, sliding into the waistband of her shorts. I moved slower than a glacier. I wanted to tease her, drive her mad with desire. From the way her breath hitched again, and the way her thighs began to quiver back against me, it was certainly working.
After several minutes, I cupped the bottom of her left breast, as my right hand slid slowly between her silky folds.
I caressed her gently, slowly. It was clearly having the desired effect, as she was trembling. My fingertips lightly skimmed along her skin, and I was delighted to find she was absolutely drenched.
Dipping a finger around her entrance, stirring her moisture, I whispered, "Are you wet for me?"
"Always," she breathed.
"Really?" I purred into her ear, squeezing her breast so tightly she gasped. "I like thinking about that. Your body craving mine."
"Yes," she breathed, then she moaned as I slid my middle finger into her wet tunnel.
"You are impossibly sexy," I murmured against her ear. "I've never needed anyone as desperately as I need you."
Her soft whimper as I added a second finger made my cock so hard I thought it was going to crack. But this couldn't be about me.
Gliding my fingers all the way in and out of her wet pussy at a slow, seductive pace, I brought my thumb to her clit, nudging gently in tiny circles.
"Yes," she breathed.
"Yes, what?" I asked. "Yes, you want me to stop now and let you sleep?"
"Don't stop," she whispered quickly. "Please…"
"You know I'm going to make you say it, baby. You know how much that turns me on.”
She twisted, looking over her shoulder at me. "Why do you like making me say dirty things?"
I grinned in the near dark. "Because it's sexy as hell thinking of you being so overcome with lust that you lose yourself with me." Her eyes sparkled in the dim light, as I leaned in to kiss her nose. "You're absolutely gorgeous," I said softly. "But turning you into a filthy little vixen is amusing."
"You want to change me?" she asked teasingly.
"Oh no, baby. You're already naughty. I just want you to understand it, and be in touch with it. I want you to let your inner self out."
She started to say something, but I thrust my fingers hard and fast for several strokes. Then I paused, swirling around her entrance without penetrating her. I pulled my thumb from her clit and my hand from her breast, making her whine.
"If you want me to do anything else, you're going to have to remind me what you want.”
Eden released a long, agonizing moan that was almost obscenely arousing. "You're such a tease," she said. "You know what I want."
I leaned in to kiss her gently. "I'm a bad man who wants to hear a good girl say dirty words.”
This time she barely hesitated. "Eric, please make me come."
"Good girl," I murmured against her ear. "Tell me what you want me to do."
I felt her hesitate again, then she blurted, “Squeeze my breast and pinch my nipple, not too hard."
Having her give me directions was so erotic. “What else do you want, baby?"
"Fuck me with your fingers. Put your thumb on my clit and do those perfect little circles."
I tried to shift my hips so that my raging erection wasn't pressing against her so hard. But she was quivering so violently that she might not have noticed. Plunging my fingers inside her gloriously wet pussy, I kept a slow, steady rhythm as I massaged her clit.
"Your wish will always be my command, Eden," I whispered.
Her head fell back, her hand reached around t
o grab my thigh. Stretching my shoulder so that I could plunge deeper, her half-strangled moan filled the room. "Oh fuck," she whispered. "Faster… Please…"
I didn't increase my speed. I wanted her climax to be spectacular. "What is it that you want faster?"
"Your fingers," she moaned wildly. "Fuck my pussy faster."
I kissed and nibbled the side of her neck, doing precisely what she wanted. Feeling her sweet body trembling so helplessly against me was a strange thrill.
The urge to care for someone had never been this strong in my life. I needed this amazing girl with me forever. That odd little fact snuck into the back door of my brain when I wasn't paying attention. But it was the absolute truth.
I pounded her wetness with my fingers. I swirled across her skin, pressing deeply into her clit as I pinched her nipple so hard she squealed.
"Come for me, baby,” I growled. "Let me hear it."
Her high-pitched shriek of "Oh fuck oh fucking yes!" probably carried through half of the building. Her entire body bucked in shock, then leaned back against me hard while she trembled. Her glorious pussy clenched my fingers tight as her screams turned to moans. After a moment, she seemed to relax, panting slightly.
I kissed along her neck, her shoulder. "That sounded amazing. I need to make you squeal like that every single day."
Eden wriggled so that she was on her back, facing me. She looked slightly dazed. "How do you do that to me?" she asked.
Gripping her ass roughly, I pulled her against me. "I want to give you absolutely everything you need," I said honestly. "I want to be your man. I want you to come to me with every problem so that I can help it go away. I want to do everything I can to make you happy."
She backed away an inch, blinking as she focused on my eyes in the dim light.
Squeezing her ass again, I chuckled. "I know that's way too serious. That's probably a conversation for months down the road."
She placed both of her hands on my chest, not pushing me away, just touching me. "I want to be with you," she said with a sweet giggle. "I do want you to be my guy."
Leaning in, I kissed her gently. Dreamily. "You make me so happy," I murmured. "But you should probably sleep, baby. Don't you have class in the morning?"
She bit her lip, looking up at me. “I think there's something I should likely take care of first."
Her hands began to slip down my chest. I gripped each wrist, spinning her away from me and pinning her hands with mine against her stomach.
"Sleep," I said softly. "I need my sweet girl to have a well-rested brain so that you can suck up all that important knowledge tomorrow."
"But–"
"Eden, you know that I would never tell you what to do. But right now, I order you to go to sleep."
We laughed together, then settled down, her breathing becoming smoother and slower. Being completely still with Eden in my arms was beautiful. It felt so peaceful, as if everything in the universe was precisely how it was supposed to be.
~ Chapter 19 ~ Eden ~
* Flight *
I woke up slowly, not even startled that someone's arms were around me. Eric felt right. Even when I was unconscious, my body and mind were completely comfortable with him. Somehow, that said something important.
I turned to look at his unbelievably handsome face, still asleep. He looked so peaceful.
It was funny how I had always feared change, but somehow not with him. I'd always been terrified when I wasn't in control of a situation. But when Eric took control of me, only wonderful things happened. I'd always been quiet and shy, yet here he was, encouraging me to speak up and become a bit louder. It was adorable that he didn't want to change me. Only enhance me.
After seeing so many friends change for the worse once they'd been dating a guy for a while, this connection was positively inspiring.
Stretching slightly, I wondered whether I should bother going to my ten am lecture. It was on a topic I already had completely covered, so there was really no reason to go. I had an essay due for the end of the day. It would probably take about two more hours of writing, and one hour of proofing.
Watching Eric's eyes slowly flicker open, I somehow knew that he would tell me to put my schoolwork first. Even though I would have loved to spend the day with him instead.
"Hey," he said softly. "How is the most beautiful girl in the world?"
Rolling so that I could snuggle into him tighter, I said, "I have no idea. But I am doing just fine with this sexy man beside me."
His enormous grin was adorable. "Should I go put the coffee on, or should we do some very important snuggling first?" he asked.
Before I could tell him that snuggling was always more important even though coffee was the essence of life, I was interrupted by my phone ringing.
Sitting up quickly, I grabbed it, glancing at Eric. He placed his finger over his lips, indicating that he wouldn't make a peep.
As I answered it, I saw that it was my sister Eva. "Hey, what's–"
“Mom’s in the hospital, she broke her leg," Eva blurted.
"What?" I sat up straighter.
"She's okay, I think, but it might mess up her new hip."
“Sassafras," I muttered through grit teeth. Eric reached out to place a hand on my leg reassuringly. It was comforting to know that he was right here with me.
"They're going to operate today, to reset her leg and put pins in it or something, to make sure it's stable and doesn't pull her hip out of alignment," Eva said. She sounded frantic, speaking way too fast like she did when she was upset.
"Take a breath," I said. "Is she still in Vancouver?"
"Yes. I’d go to her, but we have a gigantic release on Friday. My team would kill me if I even thought of taking off."
"I'll go to her," I said immediately. "Text me the name of her hospital, her doctor, whatever you've got. I'll get on a plane as soon as I can."
"Thanks, Eden," she said. "I can't stand the thought of her being there without one of us."
"I'll talk to you soon," I said, ending the call.
Turning to Eric, I said, “I'm so sorry."
He grabbed my hand. "Don't be sorry. Be clear. What happened and what do you need?"
"My mother broke her leg," I said, hearing my voice quavering. "She just got a hip replacement six months ago, so they have to operate and straighten it out or something so that it doesn't injure the new hip."
"You said she's in Vancouver right now?"
I nodded, my mind starting to fire at full speed. "Yes. So I'm sorry to take off on you, but I'm going to have to book a flight, and pack. And, I guess get a hotel room near the hospital if it's far away from Uncle Nick."
Eric squeezed my hand. "Take a big breath in, then blow it out slowly."
While I did that, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and made a call. "Good morning Patricia. I'm going to need the plane this morning. To Vancouver. Two passengers, as quickly as possible." He paused. "Yes, thank you. I don't know which hotel yet, I'll text you when I have an approximate location. Thanks."
I snapped my mouth shut from where it had fallen open. "You can just… Do that?"
"Yes. Get dressed while we talk."
We both got up and started pulling our clothes on. "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked. "I can send you on your own if you'd prefer, but I'd like to be there for you if you want me."
"Don't you have to work?"
He smiled sweetly. "The essential things I can all do from my phone. Patricia will cancel any meetings today, and keep me on top of everything."
“Wow."
He reached across the corner of the bed to grab my hand. "Eden, don't think about my work. Let me help. Do you want me to come with you?"
I nodded. "Yes. Thank you."
Eric stroked my hair. "Don't worry. Your mom is going to be fine. They have great hospitals there."
I glanced at my phone, seeing that Eva had sent me a text. "She’s at Vancouver General Hospital," I said.
"Good. Pack some clothing, and whatever you need to survive. Like your laptop for school. Anything else, I can buy you while we're there."
He grabbed his phone again. "Patricia? I'll need a room at a hotel very close to Vancouver General." He turned to me. "What's your mom's full name?"
"Penelope Palmer."
"Did you catch that? Please contact the hospital to make sure that she's upgraded to the best private room they have. And a private nurse, if possible. Thank you."