Page 21

CHAPTER 20

CLAY

THE PRINCESS YOU ARE

I stare down at Lizzy. It’s taking every ounce of self-control I have to not interrogate her and find the fucking asshole that made her feel like this. That will have to wait because the defeated look in her tear filled, perfect sapphire eyes is tearing at heartstrings I thought I cut out years ago.

I tilt her chin up, not letting her look away from me. I can feel the column of her throat shift when she swallows. I run my thumb over her soft cheek, brushing away a stray tear.

“It’s nothing.” She twists her neck, pulling her face from my hand and burying it back into my chest. I feel her take a deep breath and hesitate before barely whispering against my skin. “I’m just never fucking good enough for anyone.”

My blood is practically boiling with rage.

What the fuck? How could she think she’s not enough? How could this woman not be enough for anyone? I might be younger than her. But I’m pretty confident that I know she’s more than enough woman for me. My hands start to clench into fists at the thought of anyone ever hurting this little firecracker.

I cup the back of her head, putting my lips against her soft, blonde hair, drinking in the now familiar smell of coconut and citrus that’s everywhere in my house and even my own bathroom because I’ve been buying her shampoo for myself. “Tell me what you need. Tell me how I can make you feel better. You just have to tell me.”

She wraps her arms around me, running them up my back until she raises her eyes to look at me .

“Clay,” she says, practically whispering between sobs. “I just want this feeling to go away. For once, I want to feel like I’m everything to someone.”

The look in her eyes is pleading. Her lips part and she stands on her toes. It’s almost adorable that she thinks she can reach me when I’m a foot taller than her. But fuck, she wants to kiss me. I want to kiss her. My body definitely agrees based on the amount of blood rushing to my cock.

This might be a bad idea. A fucking terrible idea.

But rejecting her right now? There’s no way I can do that. I can try to hide my feelings tonight. I can do this for her. One more knife to my heart won’t kill me.

I tilt her chin back up, pressing my thumb against her parted lips. “If that’s what you need tonight, I will make you feel like you’re the entire world. I’ll make you forget about anyone that’s ever made you feel like anything less than that, Lizzy.” As soon as I say the words, I crane my neck down and close the distance between us.

Our lips meet in a hot, frenzied kiss. It feels electric. The way she opens her mouth, kissing me back furiously, lights a spark - fuck that - an entire fire in my cold, dark heart. The kiss at the bar was hot, but this is different. This is everything. My heart is thundering so goddamn hard in my chest.

I force myself to pull away just long enough for our eyes to meet again. “Lizzy. Are you sure you want this?”

She stares back at me. The defeated look replaced with the fiery one I remember from the first night we met. “Clay, shut up and make me forget everything.”

I grin back at her. “God, you’re such a fucking brat. I knew it the second I saw you in my stool at the bar in those pink boots. But I don’t want to make you just forget. I’m going to remind you of everything you are. ”

I lean back down, pressing my lips into hers, cupping her ass in my hands and pulling her up to my waist. She wraps her legs around me and I carry her down the hall to her room.

“My room? Why not yours?” She breathes the words against my neck.

“Because you’re a spoiled little brat and you have the nicer, comfier bed. And I’m going to remind you exactly how fucking special you are.” I can’t see her face, but I’m pretty sure she rolls her eyes and I even feel her giggle against my collarbone.

I reach the foot of the bed, letting go of her gently onto the thick comforter. I point to the headboard and tip my chin. “Now lay back against that absurd pile of pillows.”

“I never pictured you as the fancy pillow type.” She flicks her eyebrows, smirking at me.

“I’m not. I put them in here right before you moved in.”

She looks almost startled and confused, turning between the pillows and me. “You mean you put all those here for me?”

I chuckle and kneel on the foot of the bed, grinning back at her. “I sleep with two fucking pillows and they definitely aren’t pink. I knew you were extra and bought them before you brought your stuff over. And before you say it, I love that you’re so fucking extra. Extra is good. You don’t hide it. You’re you - always you.”

Her jaw drops and she smiles back at me. I’m glad she’s enjoying this and her tears have stopped. That’s all I want right now, for her to feel good.

I close the distance between us, kneeling in front of her. I drop my head to her neck, planting kiss after kiss. Behind her ear and on her delicate collar bone. She closes her eyes, tilting her head back and whimpering with each kiss. I can feel her nails dig into my back when she wraps her arms around me. I slide my hands down to her waist and pull her sweater over her head .

Holy fuck. She’s wearing the hottest, lacy black bra and her hard pebbled nipples are showing through the sheer fabric. Her perky tits are unreal. The perfect size for her small frame.

“What?” she asks playfully. “See something you like?”

I’m pretty sure I’m drooling at this point. “You could say that. Now take it off and lay back in that ridiculous pillow nest.” I keep staring shamelessly as she bares her fucking perfect tits to me. She pulls her arms together, pressing her breasts together and making my already rock hard cock twitch.

She looks at me, clearly noticing what she’s doing to me, biting her lip and points at my erection which is now impossible to hide with my sweatpants. “Aren’t you going to take those off?”

I look down at the bulge in my pants and shake my head with a smirk. It’s going to fucking kill me to do this.

I lift my eyes to meet hers. She looks like a dream leaning back against the pillows and headboard. Her long, blonde hair is flowing over her shoulders and she’s propping herself up on her elbows. “No. This isn’t for me, Lizzy. This is all about you .”

I move forward on my knees, settling myself between her legs. I slowly run my hands up her legs over the fabric of her tights and to the hem of her skirt. When I reach her waist, I drop my gaze back to hers. Her sparkling blue eyes melt the cold icy mess that’s been my heart for nearly a fucking decade. “You’re so goddamn beautiful.” I drop my face to hers just long enough to softly kiss her. When I pull away, her head follows mine for the slightest moment, asking for more.

Sitting back, she unzips her skirt and slides it off with her tights. She’s almost completely naked, spreading her legs in front of me. “Fuck me, Lizzy. You’re perfect. So fucking perfect.”

I lean down, bringing my mouth to hers. Her breasts are pressed against my chest and I can feel each one of her heavy, labored breaths. I stop kissing her and press my forehead to hers. “I mean it. You’re fucking perfect. And I’m going to remind you just how perfect you are. You deserve to be worshipped. I’m going to savor every second, knowing I’m making you come like no one ever has.”

Pulling away, I press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “You’re so goddamn smart and determined. It’s like you were made to press my buttons, you little fucking brat.”

I kiss her just below the shell of her ear, prompting her to whimper and arch her back to press her body against mine. The way she’s craving my touch is like a drug. “You listen to me like no one ever has. You’re so fucking kind and caring. You make me want to tell you things that I’ve never told any one else.”

I pull away again, looking into those deep sapphire pools. “You see right through me. Not the shitty, angry parts that everyone else sees or the broken parts people pity. But the real me.”

“Clay,” she calls out in a breathy whisper before I cut her off, leaning down to kiss her again on the lips, biting and tugging on her lower lip.

“You have the fucking sexiest, dirtiest, sassiest mouth. And you mean what you say. You never hold back.” I lower myself further down, kissing the delicate skin between her breasts. Her chest rises and she reaches for me, running her fingers through my hair. “You have the biggest fucking heart. You care so much about everyone in your life.” I linger there long enough to feel her heart pounding in her chest.

I run my hands over her ribs and down her waist, kissing each of her hip bones. She arches her back, pushing herself into me. “And you are so goddamn sexy, Lizzy. I mean it. You’re perfect. Everything about you is perfect.”

I plant one soft, teasing kiss on her swollen clit, rubbing my stubble against her inner thighs.

“Damnit, Clay. Please, stop being so sappy.” She pulls my hair tighter, pulling my mouth against her. She’s already so wet and she tastes so good .

“Don’t worry. I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to make you remember you’re a goddamn princess.” Before she can say anything, I lap and lick her at her wet heat, flicking my tongue up and down, back and forth over her clit. I grip her hip with one hand, holding her against the bed as she bucks and writhes into me.

She moans my name and my cock throbs. If it were any other time, any other reason for doing this, I’d probably already be fucking that pretty little mouth of hers, loving the sight of those lips she’s always tapping wrapped around my cock before burying myself in her. The best I can do is grind myself into the bed, enjoying the friction while I’m pleasing her.

With my other hand, I tease her pussy with a finger, lingering just at her opening.

“I need more,” she whimpers, her nails digging into my hair.

I slide my finger in, curling it in a come hither motion while I keep sucking her clit and flicking my tongue across it.

“Holy fuck. You’re so wet and tight,” I groan against her clit. I add a second finger, pumping them deeper into her. She wraps her legs around me, pulling my face even harder against her.

I reward her, lapping with my tongue faster and more firmly over her clit, matching the pace with my curling fingers.

I knew being with her would be amazing, but this is an entirely different level.