Swipe Right for Love Page 8

  “Are you sure?” I asked, not wanting her to feel pressured by the kids.

  When she nodded enthusiastically, I figured she was probably eager to have someone else around to entertain Sylvie for a while, which I totally understood.

  “Yes, absolutely, in fact, we could make it a sleepover, if that works for you.”

  I looked down at Sloane, who’s eyes were wide and pleading as she struggled not contain her enthusiasm.

  “Well, we’d have to get her things…”

  “I’ll follow you home, then we can grab her stuff and head out.”

  “Where do you live?” I asked, not wanting to come across like I didn’t trust her with my daughter, but also not about to agree to let my daughter go somewhere and not know where she was.

  “Old Mill Road,” she replied. “Across from the church.”

  “We’re right around the corner,” I said, feeling better about the situation. “I can pick her up in the morning.”

  “Great.”

  “Yay,” the girls cheered.

  Meg and I loaded up our girls in our respective vehicles and we went to my house to get Sloane’s overnight bag.

  Sloane chattered happily in the back.

  “I gotta tell Kat-ya I get to have my first slumber party with Sylvie. I need to take my dollies and my blankie…”

  I smiled, but allowed my mind to wander as I drove.

  Katja had stayed back to make dinner. She’d said she had a recipe she wanted to try out and we’d gone out and bought the ingredients earlier.

  And now, we’d be alone all night.

  Not that we hadn’t spent every night alone last week, while Sloane was away, but for some reason, things felt different. As if we couldn’t be trusted to be by ourselves all night anymore.

  The temptation was there. Always.

  To kiss her, to touch her, to see how far these sparks would lead us.

  We’d been hands off since I’d picked up Sloane, which had been my intention, but for some reason, that only magnified my desire for her.

  Every night I dreamed of sinking inside of her. I imagined her clawing at my back and crying out as I claimed her. I woke up every morning unfulfilled, my cock throbbing with need until I took matters into my own hand and found some relief.

  Maybe I should have said no to the sleepover. I need Sloane in the house…

  “And we’ll watch movies and play games. I bet Sylvie will want to brush my dollies hair, what do you think, Daddy?”

  I realized she was still talking excitedly, and I also realized I couldn’t ruin her night just because I was afraid I couldn’t act like an adult and control my urges.

  I pulled up to the house, got Sloane out and ran inside to grab her things.

  I didn’t see Katja in the kitchen, or in the house as I ran through it, not wanting to make Sloane wait, or Meg lose her mind with two exuberant children. Once I had her overnight bag, blanket, and duffel with dolls and doll bed, I hurried back out.

  “If she needs anything else, or something happens and she wants to come home, call and I’ll come over,” I told Meg as I loaded up Sloane’s car seat.

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine,” she said, but inputted my number into the phone and sent me a text with hers anyway, so we could get in touch if needed.

  I kissed my daughter goodbye, then waved them off as they drove off toward Sylvie’s.

  I went back into the house, but when I didn’t see Katja, I went out the back door.

  I walked to the edge of my deck, then bit back a groan when I saw her. She was a few feet away, lying on a blanket in the sun, her long, toned body barely covered in a bright pink bikini.

  My body tightened as walked toward her, bronzed skin coming in to focus the closer I got.

  Shit, I was fucked… and Katja was about to be.

  Twenty-Four

  Katja

  Music played in my ears, the sun kissed my skin, and my mind whirled with thoughts of the last week and a half.

  The dinner I made was done and warming in the oven while I waited for Bane and Sloane to get back from the park. I’d finished earlier than I’d thought, probably due to the size of the roast being smaller than the one in the recipe, and decided to lay out for a while and get some sun while I waited.

  I didn’t hear him so much as feel his presence near me, and opened my eyes to see Bane striding toward me with a purpose.

  I started to sit up, but the desire on his face stripped me of the ability.

  His gaze slid down my body, and I could see the appreciation on his features. When I let my eyes drift down his in appraisal, I could see the outline of his hard cock in his shorts, and my body warmed as my pussy became wet.

  He didn’t say anything, not that I would have heard him with the music in my ears and the blood rushing to my core. No, he simply lowered himself onto the blanket and covered my body with his.

  My legs wrapped around his waist as he lowered his lips to mine. I moaned as he thrust his cock against me. Maroon 5 played in my ears, putting a soundtrack to the moment, and I turned my head to the side as Bane’s lips moved from my mouth, down my throat, and lower, until his tongue was darting beneath my bikini top.

  Brazenly, I undid the clasp on my top and moved it out of his way, eager to feel that mouth on my breasts. He sucked the pebbled tip between his lips and sucked, causing my back to arch up off of the ground and my hips to thrust against him.

  God, I was on fire.

  I needed him, everywhere, all at once.

  My palms caressed down his back until I reached the hem of his shirt, then I lifted and yanked, wanting him to get the hint and take it off. He did, lifting off of me quickly to shuck the cotton off and throw it to the side.

  Then we were skin on skin. Hot flesh meeting and causing an inferno between us.

  Bane moved to slide my bottoms down my legs, then stood and quickly rid himself of his shorts and boxers.

  God, he was glorious. All male… muscles and bronzed skin. I itched to touch every inch of him and when he lowered back down to cover me, I began my exploration.

  I’d barely reached his tight ass when his finger found my entrance and he began to tease me mercilessly.

  “Yes,” I moaned, my legs falling open and hips shifting to urge him closer. “Please, Bane.”

  He answered my plea by easing two fingers inside of me, then beginning to move.

  My eyes fluttered closed as I lost myself to the sensation, which is why I wasn’t expecting his tongue on my clit.

  Oh, but I was so happy it was there.

  My hands gripped his hair as he fingered me and tasted me with his mouth. He worked me over until I was writhing beneath him, so close to coming I could taste it, then I lost his mouth and fingers, only to gain his cock.

  Bane entered me quickly, not stopping until he was fully seated, his balls slapping against me. He’d lifted my hips off of the ground and was deeper than any man had ever been, and as he began to thrust in and out, I fell over the edge and came beautifully, with his name on my lips.

  I was almost done, about to fall into that blissful daze after glorious lovemaking, when Bane bent over me and bit down on my shoulder.

  “Holy, shit,” I cried as another orgasm hit, this one fifty times stronger, harder, and better than the first.

  Bane shouted above me and found his own release, and after a few more thrusts, we were both left panting, trying to catch our breath.

  Before I could fully regain my faculties and speak, Bane was up, and I was being lifted into his arms. I clasped my hands around his neck and held on as he carried me into the house and up the stairs to his bedroom.

  Once inside, he moved to the bathroom and set me down as he started the shower.

  I caught sight of myself in the mirror. My body red, flushed, my face satisfied, and that angry looking bite mark on my shoulder. My fingers came up to touch it softly, but they were brushed aside and replaced by Bane’s tongue.

  He licked the skin
gently as he found my eyes in the mirror.

  “What does it mean?” I whispered.

  “It’s my claiming mark,” Bane replied, his tone rough, sexy.

  I had more questions, but he was pulling me into the shower, and grabbing the body wash to lather his hands. He placed them on my breasts and began to wash, then moved along the length of my body, not letting one inch go untouched.

  By the time he was done, I was primed and itchy, wanting him again.

  I grabbed the body wash and mimicked his moves, pausing to pay special attention to his cock.

  Bane’s head fell back and I felt his groan deep inside.

  I got a few more stokes in before he knocked my arms away and stepped under the spray.

  “I want to come inside you,” he said, and since it sounded good to me, I didn’t argue.

  Twenty-Five

  Bane

  I dried her off, laid her out on my bed, giving myself a moment to just look at her, before joining her in the bed I’d only ever shared with my wife.

  I pushed that thought to the back of my head, instead focusing on the way I felt in the moment. How great it was to experience that punch of lust, of heat, as I took in her pretty perky breasts with the dark red peaks, and the blonde hair that was so light on her skin, that it was almost transparent.

  I placed my hands on her shins and slowly made my way up, stroking and caressing as I learned more about her. What made her gasp, what made her body bow, and what made her moan.

  Katja was extremely responsive, and the look on her face as she made those sweet little sounds in the back of her throat, had me ready to explode before I was ready.

  An image of Sarah flashed, unbidden in my brain, but I cast it aside and replaced my fingers with my lips. I kissed, licked and sucked Katja’s skin, driving myself to the brink of madness, as I did the same to her.

  “Bane,” she pleaded, putting her hands in my hair and tugging it to try and get me to do what she wanted.

  I moved quickly, flipping her over onto her stomach and pulling her hips up so her ass was on display before me. I ran my palms over her cheeks, then down her slit and over her pussy. She was soaked. Turned on and ready for me, which had my wolf howling and eager to mate.

  I fisted my hand over my cock, stroking it once and coating it with her juices, then held her hip steady as I drove inside.

  Katja’s head flew back as she pushed back against me, driving me deeper inside.

  I held on to her hips and fucked her. Hard and fast. The sounds and smells of the room fueling the animal within as I worked us both into a frenzy.

  I shifted my hips until I found her g-spot with the head of my cock and then focused on hitting it repeatedly as I moved in and out.

  “Oh my God, Bane,” Katja cried, her hands fisting in the bedspread. “Don’t stop.”

  I didn’t stop, instead moving faster and harder until I felt her walls clench around me and she let out a long keening moan.

  My own body responded and I came long and hard, letting out a low growl as my mind blanked and my tension released.

  Katja collapsed on the bed beneath me, and I went to get a wet towel to clean myself off, then another for her. I joined her in bed and pulled her close, her body limp and her soft sigh sweet.

  “I love you, Bane,” Katja said softly.

  Utterly relaxed, eyes closed, and with a smile on my lips, I replied, “I love you, too, Sarah.”

  I felt her go rigid against me, but it still took a minute for what I’d just said to register in my mind.

  Guilt instantly flooded me.

  Guilt over what I’d just said… what we’d just done. And it was quickly followed by a sense of betrayal.

  “Fuck,” I muttered as I moved away from Katja and got out of bed.

  I couldn’t look at her as I pulled out shorts and a t-shirt and put them on.

  I ran my hand through my hair and finally turned, bracing myself as I faced the bed.

  Katja had the blankets pulled up, covering herself, her expression sad, yet understanding?

  “Bane,” she began softly. “It’s okay…”

  “No,” I shouted, cutting her off. “It’s not okay. This is all too fast… I told you I needed time… it’s my fault. I never should have touched you. This was a mistake.”

  I saw Katja flinch, but steeled myself against any further emotions.

  I was in self-preservation mode.

  Katja got out of the bed, but took the sheet with her and kept it wrapped around her body.

  “Bane,” she said, coming toward me slowly, as if approaching a wild animal.

  Which in that moment, I was…

  “I understand. Maybe we moved too fast. You weren’t ready, I get that. We can slow down and take things a day at a time.”

  I shook my head.

  “You said you love me,” I said accusingly. “That goes against everything we said…everything we agreed upon.”

  Katja’s eyes widened and filled.

  “I didn’t mean for it to happen, but I couldn’t help it,” she said, her voice rough with emotion. “You’re so amazing… you and Sloane, and I was helpless against it. I know we said we’d keep those kind of feelings out of it, but Bane… honestly… how can you expect to be with a woman for the rest of your life, have sex with her, raise children with her, and keep both of your hearts disengaged. It’s not how we’re built. Not how I’m built, I guess.”

  “That’s the way it has to be,” I said coldly, my body numb.

  “I can try,” she began, but I cut her off again.

  “No, it’s too late for that now. This whole thing was a mistake. The app, the trial… all of it. You have to go.”

  “Bane,” Katja cried, reaching out to me, but I took a step back and tried to ignore the look of pain in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” I said woodenly. “I can’t do this anymore.”

  I turned and fled the room, running down the stairs and shifting before I’d even made it off the porch.

  I stopped and howled, my wolf pissed, confused, and disappointed… in me.

  I shoved those feelings aside and ran.

  Twenty-Six

  Katja

  I stood there in shock. A mess of conflicting emotions. Understanding, sadness, panic, anger, fear, and finally, resignation.

  I moved through the house, ignoring the tears and snot bubbles as I gathered my meager belongings and packed my bags. I shot a text off to Shonda, asking her to come over and erase all evidence that I’d ever been inside that house.

  I stopped outside of Sloane’s room and looked in, sad that I wouldn’t get the chance to say goodbye.

  I hadn’t gotten as much time with her as I’d hoped, but she really was a special little girl.

  God, who was I kidding? They were both special, and I was in love with them. It killed that I wouldn’t be able to see the life I’d been envisioning become a reality.

  I saw the headlights flash through the windows and rushed out to meet Shonda before she made it to the house. I shut the door carefully behind me, placed my hand on the cool wood one last time, then took a deep breath and turned.

  “What’s going on, is Sloane okay?” Shonda asked as she jumped from her car and ran over.

  “Yes, sorry, I should have said… she’s fine. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  She stopped in front of me, took one look at my face and asked, “Are you okay?”

  I shook my head and wailed, “Noooo…” the tears starting back up.

  Shonda pulled me in for a hug and patted my back.

  Realizing that Bane could come back at any minute, and the last thing I wanted to him to see was my devastation, I pulled back and asked, “Can we please go? I’ll tell you about it in the car.”

  “Sure,” she said quickly, leading me to the passenger side. “Where are we going?”

  “Bus station,” I replied.

  Shonda shot me a sympathetic look, then rounded the car to get in on the driver’s
side.

  She pulled out of Bane’s driveway and started toward town.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked gently.

  “We just… aren’t on the same page,” I told her, watching out the window as we got further away from Bane’s house. “I want more than he can give.”

  Shonda nodded and muttered, “Yeah, that seems to run in the family.”

  I wiped at my cheeks and looked at her, seeing her for what she was… a kindred spirit.

  “Yeah,” I whispered. “I think it was doomed to fail from the beginning, I just didn’t see it.”

  We drove the rest of the way in companionable silence.

  Shonda pulled up at the bus station and I gathered my things as we both got out of the car.

  “Are you sure you need to leave?” she asked. “Maybe you guys can work things out?”

  I gave her a sad smile.

  “No, Bane was pretty clear on what he wanted.”

  “Where are you gonna go?”

  I thought of my options, which were pretty bleak, and shrugged.

  “Back to Florida, I guess. At least I know the area, and a few people. My old roommate will probably let me crash, at least for a few days until I can get on my feet.”

  “Call me if you need anything,” Shonda said, and I could see that she meant it.

  “Thanks, Shonda, I appreciate it. Really. Thanks for picking me up, too.”

  We gave each other a hug and she whispered, “I wish you could stay.”

  My heart clenched and I thought, we really could have been best friends, and I pulled away.

  “We’ll keep in touch,” I assured her, then started toward the bus station.

  “I’ll hold you to that,” she called after me.

  I turned and wave, then left her standing by her car.

  For ninety-two dollars, I got a bus pass to travel twenty-five hours from Indiana to Florida. My stomach clenched as I paid, knowing my savings account was taking a hit and I had no idea what I was going to do when the money ran out.