Page 24 of Finding Romance (Romances in the Building #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Kasen

I wake first. My eyes pop open as I assess my surroundings. I realize I’m safe and I feel my heart rate slow. I look down at Piper whose chest rises and falls with each breath. Her hair is fanned out around her face and my chest.

I hope I did this right. I hope that I took care of her how she wanted me to. I haven’t thought about anyone but my friends, grandmother, and myself in so long, it seems foreign to welcome a new person into my inner circle.

I felt bad when I realized she had bled a little on me. But she kept reassuring me she was fine. I could never fathom hurting her in any way. I knew last night would make her sore but damn it if I don’t want to do that again and again.

The sun starts to rise and the room gets lighter. I watch as Piper stretches like a cat. It makes me smile as she snuggles closer to me, hitching her leg over mine. I press my face against the top of her head, smelling that floral shampoo that calms me.

“Good morning,” she mumbles against my chest.

“Good morning,” I reply, tightening my hold on her as if I’m afraid she’ll get up and leave.

“You hungry?” I ask.

Her head moves and she looks up at me. “Famished!”

Chuckling, I roll us over and look down at her. Fuck, she’s gorgeous. How did I get so lucky to be the one she chose? A dark thought pops into my head.

She deserves better. She deserves all the things I can’t give her. She deserves a sane boyfriend who doesn’t travel all the time.

“What? What is that face for?” Piper says sleepily as she looks up at me. I can see the cobwebs of sleep slowly fading from her eyes and I know I have to mask my inner concerns.

I bury my face in her neck and exhale, pushing all the bad thoughts away…at least for now.

“Nothing, let’s make breakfast,” I say as I get out of bed. I hold out my hand and she takes it, letting me pull her up and into my arms.

“How do you feel?” I ask as I look into those two different-colored eyes, two eyes that see me in a way that both scares me and intrigues me.

“A little sore, but good,” she admits with a shrug and then a smirk.

“What?” I question.

“When do we have to leave here?” she asks.

“We have all day. Sully said they aren’t taking any more reservations this fall, so we’re the last ones,” I explain.

“Good. Then we have time,” she says cheerfully as she leans up and gives me a quick kiss before she scurries over to her bag and puts on an oversized T-shirt.

“What should we do for breakfast?” she adds as she looks at me over her shoulder. The light hits her hair and she looks like an angel with all the golds bouncing off her highlights.

“I had them leave a bagel tray with fruit. It’s in the kitchen,” I explain as I walk out with nothing on because why the hell not.

She follows me and I go about setting the tray of bagels, some cream cheese from the refrigerator, and some fruit out on the kitchen island.

I grab the orange juice and offer her some.

She nods and starts cutting a bagel, placing it in the toaster.

I lean back against the counter and watch as she moves around the kitchen, seemingly in her own little world.

She spreads the cream cheese on her bagel and takes a bite, moaning a little as she chews.

And fuck, I can’t stop myself. I close the space between us in three steps, pushing myself between her legs and gripping her hips. I lift her onto the island.

Her eyes grow big as she looks up at me. Then she grins and holds out her bagel to me. I take a bite of it and then she takes a bite. We finish the half bagel quickly, our gazes remaining locked as we chew.

“That was good,” she says in a low voice.

“It was. Need more?” I ask, motioning to the platter where a handful of bagels still sit.

She nods. I reach around her to grab another bagel, but her hand comes out to stop me. Her legs wrap around my waist and my cock comes to life as she presses herself against me.

“I need more, but not more bagels,” she clarifies.

“Oh?” I play dumb.

She rolls her eyes and pokes my ribs. “Stop messing with me. How am I ever going to get good at this if we don’t practice?”

Oh, baby, you are a natural. You don’t need a single lesson. You’re already expert level.

She pushes at my chest, and I step back in confusion. I watch as she scoots off the island and drops to her knees in front of me. Her eyes settle on my dick and she licks her lips.

Holy fuck! That’s hot!

She looks up at me from beneath her lashes. “I…don’t really know what I’m doing,” she says as she purses her lips.

I take a breath and reach out, placing a hand under her chin. “Just be careful with your teeth. You can use your hand too. I’ll try to be still,” I offer.

She nods and I can see the excitement in her eyes. She gently wraps a hand around me and I moan as she strokes me to my base.

“Is that OK?” she whispers.

I nod and watch as she holds me in one hand and takes me in her mouth, running her tongue along the underside of my erection. She covers her teeth and takes me deep in her mouth.

“Fuck, baby, that feels good,” I praise as I grip the back of her head. She doubles her efforts, licking and sucking, and then her other hand that’s been on my thigh moves to cup my balls.

“Baby, I’m going to come. If you don’t want me to come in your mouth, you need to…” I pause as she pushes me farther back toward her throat. “Fuck,” I say slowly as I feel my balls tighten and I come with one thrust in her mouth.

She swallows it all and then licks my length as she pulls away. I shudder from the overstimulation as she caresses my balls one final time.

She places her hands on her thighs and looks up at me. “Was that…OK?”

I don’t have words. I don’t have thoughts. I’m pretty sure I’ve lost the capacity to think. So, I fall to my knees, take her face in my hands, and kiss her, tasting myself on her tongue and not caring one bit.

I pour every emotion I’m feeling into that kiss.

I can’t speak the words, but I can show her.

I can tell her this is so much more than playing pretend.

What I’m feeling for her is real. As much as I don’t want it to be, as much as I want to protect her from me, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to do that.

When I pull back, her eyes remain closed. Her lips are swollen and wet. I can’t help but give them one final kiss.

“Is it always like this?” she asks as her eyes open.

“No, it’s not always like this. It’s not always this perfect,” I say because that’s the truth.

I stand and pull her up with me. “Let’s shower.”

I lead her up to the master suite and turn on the shower.

I take my time, washing her hair and soaping her body.

I memorize each line and crease, every freckle and hair.

And then I let her wash me. She has to stand on the shower seat to reach my hair.

Her giggles have me pulling her against me and pressing kisses all over her face and breasts.

“Stop,” she says with laughter. “Let me wash your hair!”

I step back and let her continue. When we’re clean, rinsed, and towel-dried, I lead her out to the dock. We sit down and look out over the lake. She leans her head on my shoulder and I feel so at peace.

“I wish we could stay here longer,” she says after a few minutes.

“Me too,” I admit.

“Maybe we can come back here someday,” she says and I’m not sure if she really means it or if she’s just trying to be nice.

“Perhaps we will,” I state, not knowing what else to say.

“Did you always like the water as a kid?” she asks. I consider her question for a few seconds, but it’s one memory in particular that makes me laugh.

She puts her head up and looks at me. “What?”

“Just remembering when my dad taught me to swim,” I say as I look down at her.

Her eyes are bright and curious, and something about that makes me want to share the story.

“I was maybe five and we’d gone over to visit my grandparents in Scotland.

I said I wanted to go on the boat with them, but Dad said I couldn’t go until I learned to swim.

I asked him to teach me and he just tossed me in the water.

I thought for sure I was going to die. But then he jumped in with me and held me up, he flipped me on my back and said to relax.

So after a bit, I did and I floated. Right as I was starting to get the hang of it, a dolphin came into the cove and we stayed there and swam with it.

Well, I sort of clung to Dad but we’d stick our heads under and it’d come over to us.

And after that, I was just…hooked. I always wanted to be in the water or around the water.

Even after they died and after the explosion on the beach, I never stopped wanting to be in the water. ”

“Explosion?” Piper asks, pulling her knees up to her face and setting her chin on them as she wraps her arms around her legs, making her seem so small.

I look back out at the water. “I was in a special ops unit. We had come in from the water. We were supposed to scout an area along the shore. My friend was next to me. I went left and he went right. There was an old landmine to the right. We had been told the area was cleared and…well, it wasn’t.

” I point to the scar on my forehead, the one on my side, and my leg.

“I got cut up pretty bad. Tyler lost his life.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, reaching out a hand and grabbing mine. “Is that when you got out of the military?”

I nod. “I lost some hearing in my right ear, and between the physical stuff and the PTSD, they honorably discharged me.”

“And then what?” she asks.

“I went to college. I’d worked on some computer stuff in the military and liked it.

My former commander suggested I study cybersecurity and, well, he was right.

I did love it and I was good at it. A guy I knew from my early days in the Navy had started a firm and I began working for him.

Eventually, I got too good and now I consult, which is nice.

I set my own hours, pick my own projects, and basically dictate when and where I want to work most of the time.

He's still the boss and sometimes I have to take projects that I don’t want, but being a contract employee does give me more flexibility.

” I stop speaking, realizing how much I’ve been saying.

It’s the most I’ve told anyone in a long time.

“It sounds nice, working solo but still being part of a team,” she says.

“Maybe you can do it too,” I suggest.

“Maybe,” she answers. She turns to me. “Do you think we have time to…practice some stuff again before we leave?”

I laugh at her subject change. “Yes, illustrator, I think we have time to practice.” I pick her up and she yelps as I toss her over my shoulder and walk her up to the house.

“Kasen! Put me down!” she giggles as she slaps my ass.

I only put her down once we get to the bedroom. She looks up at me.

“Practice makes perfect,” she says, and with that, I help her practice two more times.