Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,74

treasured while in his arms as he moved in and out of me.

He takes his time, a slow dance until my body heats to levels that demand more. Knowing me well, his thrusts turn more eager, more demanding and soon our soft moans are replaced with grunts, groans, and dirty words. His gliding hands turned gripping and strong. Both our muscles tense and contract, desperate for a release.

My toes curl against the bed sheets, my insides contracting as I kiss his shoulders. Reed takes me to the edge and my teeth emerge like a vampire desperate for blood. Each cry from my lungs is louder than the one before until I clamp onto his shoulder and my body trembles with release.

His own pleasure-filled groans intensify before he stills inside me and comes with a sound I know I’ll never tire of hearing. Spent, he collapses on top of me after finding his own nirvana.

Our bodies are covered in a slick sheen of sweat, and I’m sure my hair must be a tangled mess. Reed grabs the top of the comforter, urging me to slide under, which I do. Once I’m tucked in, he kisses me briefly on the lips. “Now I feed you.”

He disappears from the room and I take the moment alone to flail my legs and arms on the cushy mattress. He’s just as great in bed as he is out of it. That hope for a happily ever after that was planted when we walked into the bedroom, now sprouts.

Reed returns to the bedroom empty-handed and goes to his drawers, pulling out a pair of track pants to cover his lower half. He grabs a t-shirt out of another drawer and walks over to the bed, passing it to me.

“Come.” He holds his hand out for me to take while I slip the shirt over my head.

Leading me down the hallway, I catch a glimpse of another bedroom and a bathroom as we pass by them. We reach the kitchen and he pats the counter. I climb up with his help and notice a plate waiting there for me. He grabs another plate and slides up to join me on the counter. We both waste no time digging in.

“You feeling okay?” he asks a second later, hopping down and moving to the fridge.

“Yeah.” I eat a few of the roasted potatoes. “I thought you said you couldn’t cook?”

“Turns out I can follow a recipe.” He shrugs, pulling out a bottle of wine and stepping to a cabinet to pull out two wine glasses.

His mannerisms are effortless as he opens the wine bottle and holds it just right, so the wine doesn’t splatter out of the glass. Handing me mine, he slides back up on the counter.

“It’s delicious.” I sip the wine and place the glass beside me.

“Not exactly how I expected tonight to go, but I have no complaints.” He leans over to kiss my cheek then gets to work eating his own meal.

“I’m sorry I ruined it.”

“I’m the one who spilled salad dressing on your blouse, which I’ll replace, by the way.” His eyes glance at my legs as I cross them.

“No, you won’t. If I didn’t do that detox cleanse I wouldn’t have passed out which means you wouldn’t have been feeding me in the first place.”

He leans forward and presses his lips to mine. “I’m having a great time.”

“Me, too.”

“I know you’re scared, Victoria. I know taking a chance and putting your trust in someone isn’t easy for you.”

My eyes want to fill with tears. How right he is.

“You’re the best chance I’ve taken in a long time.” I mean it. Reed has given me no reason to doubt his intentions or the type of man he is. My head falls to his shoulder. His strong shoulder that I know would try to carry the weight of my messy life. “You scare me,” I admit with a whisper.

“You scare me, too. Believe me.” He almost sounds defeated, but then he pulls away, setting his plate to the side and takes my head in his hands. His lips meet mine again—confident and sure. “For you, I’ll try,” he whispers. “I can’t sit here and promise this will end in a castle with fireworks bursting in the sky. We could both end up hurt, but I know you’re worth it. You’re worth the heartache that’s possible. All I’m asking is that you try with me.”

“Sounds so easy.”

“I’ll start. I’ve never had a long-term relationship. Never really