Hurt the One You Love Read online

  “What makes you think you’re the one who’s going to fuck it up?”

  She eyed him. “Well. It could be you. I mean, either one of us could. Neither of us are the best relationship material.”

  “What a vote of confidence.” He burst into low laughter, shaking his head. She was like no woman he’d ever met. He couldn’t get enough.

  “I’m not really the kind of girl who gets all caught up in stuff just because of sex, I promise you I don't. I’ve had lots of sex without dating.”

  He frowned, not wanting to think about her with any other men, which told him more than anything else how she made him feel.

  “But then you wanted to go on dates." She took a deep breath. "And I thought, well, we could try it a little bit, it doesn’t have to mean anything. But the truth is, Elliott, that I like you so fucking much, and I want to fuck you again, because it was amazing and fantastic and oh my god, the thought of never having you naked inside me again is enough to make me crazy, so then I overthink it, and I didn't want this to end up out of control, so I just thought if we were going to date, that we should you know, take our time."

  "And not fuck?" he said slowly, wondering how in the world the conversation had ended up here.

  "Oh . . . god, no," Simone said. "To tell you the truth, I want you so much right now, it's all I can do not to jump across the table right now and fuck you right here."

  Chapter 30

  Elliott fixed her with a slow, broad grin, so sexy it made her squirm. "I'm not sure I'm seeing the problem with this."

  Simone groaned. He laughed. She lifted a brow.

  “I make you laugh.”

  “I’m not laughing at you,” he offered. “I’m laughing with you.”

  Simone fixed him with a look, but didn't say anything. She sipped wine to give her mouth something to do while her brain tried to think of the right words. There were too many, and all of them jumbled.

  "I like you, too," he said in a low voice, finally. "And I haven't liked a woman this much in a really long time. Maybe really never."

  "Oh, no," she groaned and covered her eyes again. "Oh, ugh."

  "What? What's the problem with that?" He sounded exasperated, and she couldn't blame him.

  She was being a nutcase. She peeked at him through her fingers. "It was different when I thought we were just gonna, you know. Screw."

  "If it makes you feel any better, I thought that's all it would be, too. But then when you came home from that other guy's house--"

  "Aidan and I haven't slept with each other since before I met you in that elevator," Simone said.

  "So you didn't . . ."

  She shook her head.

  "But you said . . . " he trailed off again, frowning.

  Simone pointed. "I didn't say I did. You assumed it. And I was mad that you would, or that you felt like you had the right to judge me on it, when you'd been the one to say you didn't want this to be a thing."

  "I didn't want to think about you with anyone else. That's all." Elliott frowned, looking a little confused. He shrugged. "Believe me, I don't get it either."

  Simone took a deep breath and decided to come clean. Own it. "I'm an emotional person, Elliott. When I love, I love hard. That's all. And I know myself. I don't want to get hurt. So I haven't really dated anyone in forever because I didn't want to get entangled in something that wasn't going to work out. But I love sex. I mean, I really love it."

  "What's not to love?" Elliott grinned.

  Simone pointed. "See? That there. That smile. The way you make me laugh. That's dangerous, right there. That's the sort of thing that will end up bad for me."

  His expression grew guarded for a second. "You think I'm bad for you?"

  "I think I could get lost," she told him quietly. "And I haven't felt this way about someone in a long time."

  "Do you wish we hadn't had sex?"

  "No," she said.

  "Do you wish we hadn't started dating?"

  "No, Elliott." She reached across the table to take his hand. "I'm just trying to be careful about my heart. That's all."

  "Are you scared, Simone?"

  It was a simple question, though the way he said it made her think there was a lot more to it than the words. She nodded. He squeezed her hand.

  "I'm absolutely fucking terrified," she said.

  For some reason, that made him smile. Small at first. Then wider. He got up to come around the table to kiss her sweetly. He looked into her eyes, and she thought he meant to say something, but in the end he kissed her again and went back to his seat.

  The conversation was a little awkward after that, but not too much. They watched a movie, and though he did put his arm around her, beyond that, Elliott was a perfect gentleman.

  Simone was a little disappointed.

  "Simone," he whispered, nuzzling her temple. "Come to bed."

  She'd fallen asleep. Bleary eyed, blinking, she sat up a little. She let him lead her upstairs, where she brushed her teeth and slipped out of her dress and into a borrowed T-shirt with her panties, and then into his bed and under the covers all within a few minutes. He took a little longer than that, and she'd almost fallen back to sleep by the time the bed dipped under his weight.

  "Good night, Simone."

  "'Night, baby," she murmured, too tired to keep herself from that affection, and snuggled back against him.

  "Oh," Elliott said. "Damn."

  She was instantly, immediately awake. Simone tensed, eyes going wide at the feeling of him along her back. Her ass had fit perfectly into his groin. He was already hard. Her nipples were, too.

  Elliott kissed the back of her neck. His hand slid over her belly, teasing the edge of her panties but not going inside. Other than that, he didn't move.

  Simone rocked her hips the tiniest bit.

  He groaned against her skin. His fingers twitched. His cock throbbed against her ass, and at the feeling of his thickness, Simone's clit pulsed, too. She shifted her legs open wider, again the tiniest amount.

  She wanted to roll over and straddle him. Move up his body to ride his mouth. She wanted to get on her hands and knees and suck his cock while he ate her pussy until she screamed.

  Instead, she barely moved.

  Slow, slow, Elliott thrust against her with such small movements she could convince herself she was imagining it. His breath caressed the back of her neck. His fingers drifted along the waistband of her panties, never moving inside, but teasing her bare skin. They moved together, tiny wriggles and shifts, neither of them speaking.

  Everything inside her tensed and released. Over and over again, she and Elliott moved so slowly and carefully the bed didn't even squeak. Heat kindled inside her with every squeeze of her thighs and inner muscles, until at last she couldn't stand it any longer and slid an arm behind her to go around the back of his neck. Twisting, she pulled his mouth to hers.

  "Shhh," Elliott whispered instead of kissing her, though his lips were on hers, teasing. "We're going to take it slow."

  Simone gave a low giggle of frustration. He let the tip of his tongue tease hers, all the while keeping up that steady, infinitesimal rocking of his cock against her, the constant, torturous tickle of his fingertips on her belly.

  It went on forever, until there was nothing for her to do but give herself up to riding the waves of pleasure rippling through her. Her nipples, rubbing the fabric of the T-shirt she'd borrowed, ached, and so did her pussy, desperate for his cock or fingers or tongue. But all she had was the tug of lace against her as they rocked together.

  When she could no longer hold back the whimpering, greedy cry, Elliott shuddered against her. At last, at fucking last, his fingers moved down over the lace to find her swollen, throbbing clit. He didn't have to stroke or pinch it, all he did was put his fingers against her as they rocked.

  Then she was coming, infused with ecstasy, every nerve singing. She said his name, low and hoarse, and he gave a muffled cry against her shoulder. She tensed for the pressure