Page 24 of Worth the Try (Atlanta Granite #1)

Ansel

I CAN’T MAKE myself tell Rosie no when she asks if Elodie and the cat can stay to watch a movie after dinner.

I can’t make myself say no when she demands that Elodie be the one to take her through her nighttime routine before the movie.

And I sure as hell can’t say no when Rosie climbs onto me, fresh from the bath with twin French braids going down her back, and declares that she wants to be the middle of a Daddy and Elle Belle sandwich.

We watch the entirety of Brave , even though Rosie falls asleep an hour in, her head in my lap and her feet in Elodie’s.

As the credits roll, I glance over. Elodie smiles at me, her expression soft.

She’s pulled her hair down, the unbound curls falling wild around her face and down her shoulders.

She looks absolutely perfect here. Like she belongs.

Like this is where we’re all supposed to be.

“Stay,” I say. It’s not a question, not exactly.

She meets my gaze, and I see the question in her hazel eyes, the hesitation and wondering. I know I’ve put it there with the way I’ve acted. But she nods anyway, biting her lower lip and wringing her hands as I stand with Rosie in my arms.

I don’t realize she’s followed me upstairs until she’s leaning against the door while I put my daughter to bed, tucking the comforter around her as she snuggles deeper in.

I shut the door behind me, and we stand in the darkened hallway. And as she looks up at me, one hand tucked into the back pocket of her lounge shorts, I feel myself moving closer and closer to that edge. The one where, if I fall off, there’s no going back.

I don’t care about falling.

Because I think if I do fall, she’ll be there to catch me.

“Should we go back downstairs?” she whispers.

Absolutely not.

I reach for her hand, and she meets me halfway.

I turn, leading her to my room at the end of the hall and pulling her in, shutting the door behind us.

The full moon streams through partially open blinds as I face her, bathing her in a pale, ethereal light as she blinks up at me, her sweatshirt falling off one creamy shoulder.

She’s the picture of innocence, and twin desires to protect her and debauch her war within me.

I’ll do both.

“One word from you and I stop,” I tell her, my voice already hoarse as I step closer.

“I don’t want you to stop,” she answers.

I stop in front of her, my hands fisting. “Are you sure?”

Swallowing, she nods. “Yes.”

It’s all I need to hear.

I tug her to me, cradling her face and feeling the way she arches into me as I claim her lips. She submits readily, and I plunge my tongue into her mouth, tasting her, feasting on her. She lets out a soft groan as her hands move beneath my shirt, and I break the kiss long enough to pull it off.

Her eyes trail over my chest, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over the look of wonder she has when she looks at me. As though she’s the lucky one.

She’s not. I’m the miserable bastard who didn’t even know he was living half a life until she crashed into it.

“I want you, Ansel.”

I stare. The way she says it, as though she isn’t sure what my reaction will be, but she’s brave enough to do it anyway, thaws something inside me.

“Good,” I answer. “Because you’re getting me.

” I take her sweatshirt off, followed by the lacy confection surrounding her breasts.

Next, I kneel and pull off her shorts and panties, leaving her naked before me.

I place a kiss just below her belly before standing back up, then scooping her into my arms. She lets out a surprised gasp as I walk her to the bed.

“I’m not too heavy?” she asks.

“Never,” I promise her with a smile. “You’re perfect.”

After laying her down on the bed, I finish undressing myself, barely able to see her eyes in the dark but knowing they’re trailing over my body the same way my eyes are feasting on hers. I’ve memorized every curve of her pale form, but I want more. I’ll always want more.

I crawl onto the mattress and lower myself down, settling into the cradle of her legs and feeling the damp heat of her. It takes every ounce of willpower I have not to push into her, to claim her as mine and damn the consequences.

She’s so fucking soft, so responsive to every touch, writhing and moaning and uttering tiny words of nonsense as I worship her, kissing and nipping and licking her neck and chest. Then I go lower, taking one of those glorious breasts in my hand and sucking on her nipple.

“Fuck,” she whispers, sliding a hand against the back of my head to hold me in place.

I smile against her skin, not stopping. I love making her curse; it’s the only time she does it, and the hit of dopamine it sends through me is like nothing else.

After giving her other breast the same amount of love and attention, bringing the peak into my mouth and sucking until she hisses and bucks beneath me, I finally move down her body.

“Want me to make you come again, sweetheart?” I ask, burying my face in her plush stomach and relishing the feel of her nails against my scalp.

“God, yes,” she answers.

I lift back up and kiss her, shifting to lie beside her before moving a hand between her legs. She arches into my touch, her body begging for what she’s not yet saying out loud. “You’ve got to be quiet, Elodie. Can you do that for me?”

“Pretty sure I’ve proven that,” she whispers, the bit of light seeping in from the blinds highlighting the naughty smirk on her lips. “Or have you forgotten?”

Fair point. “What if I do this?” I slide my middle finger around her clit.

She moans quietly, closing her eyes at the touch.

“Mm, not bad,” I praise, still swirling my finger around that bundle of nerves. “But you know I want those beautiful eyes on me.”

Her eyes pop open.

“Time for another test.”

She bites her lip, and I hold back a groan. “What happens if I touch you like this?” I push my finger into her, feeling the wet heat of her body wrap around it.

She inhales sharply, her hands clutching at me as her hips rise. “Oh, God,” she whispers.

I push a second finger in, pumping slowly, before using my thumb to find her clit again. She whimpers, and I swallow down her noises with a kiss. Her legs fall open as her breaths come faster, her inner muscles already starting to tighten around my fingers.

“Ansel.” My name comes out in a whimper.

“You’re doing so well,” I tell her. “Now, grab that pillow and scream into it if you need. But otherwise, I want your eyes. Do you understand?” I push my fingers farther into her.

“Yes, please yes,” she chants.

I pull my fingers out and slide down, needing to taste her more than I need to fucking breathe.

When my mouth finally meets her pussy, we both groan as I take my time with her.

Tasting her arousal and letting it coat my tongue before focusing on a spot just below her clit as I push my fingers back into her.

She responds just like she did the last time, the pressure of my tongue sending her closer and closer.

It takes no time. I wrap my lips around her clit and look up to make sure she’s watching, and she is. Her orgasm is close, too. “Good girl,” I praise again, pressing as deep into her as I can. “Now come for me.”

She bucks up as I bend my head to her again, opening her mouth in a silent scream as her walls throb against my fingers, her whole body pulsing in rhythm to her climax. She’s so fucking gorgeous, so unbelievably sexy as she shudders above me, her eyes wide and glassy.

She inhales, then looses a breathy, drawn-out curse as she lets herself fall back onto the bed. “My God, Ansel.”

I crawl up her body, kissing her softly rounded belly, licking the underside of her breasts, and circling each nipple into a taut peak before sucking it, one hand exploring her curves as I go. When I get to her mouth, she opens wide for me, and I take her, needing every bit of her that I can have.

She wraps her arms and legs around me, and before I know what’s happening, she’s rolling us, settling on top of me, and grinning in the dim light.

“My turn.”