& Then They Wed (Ampersand Love #2)

29. The Firefly

29

The Firefly

Aditi

H ow they got home that night was something Aditi would never remember. What would stand out in her memory however was the nervousness she’d felt at Rian's silence, his pointed attention on the road ahead, and the increasing tension every time their eyes met.

It didn’t help either of them that they were forced to huddle into the back of their elevator when a rush of visitors and children kept stepping in and out of every floor.

The slight touch of his fingers at her waist, the heat of his breath on her neck, and the unmistakeable feel of his anatomy when her back brushed his front threatened to knock her unconscious with the depth of want that it created.

Keeping his distance, Rian led her into the apartment, allowing her to enter first. She turned as the door clicked shut, only to be pushed up against the wall, his mouth searching for hers .

He kissed her like a rapacious conqueror, claiming every sigh and moan, his tongue tangling with hers in a delicious game that had him excited for what the night would bring. Breaking off, he bent down and hooked an arm behind her knees, scooping her up in his arms. Her heels clattered to the floor and her purse slipped from her hands when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Aditi continued to place hungry kisses along the edge of his jaw, scraping her teeth along his neck before biting him, making him stumble once.

“You’re trouble,” he grumbled, pinching her waist where he held her, causing her to gasp. She arched up and nipped his ear, purring into it, “Then I guess you better punish me.”

This time, he definitely did stumble. He made it to his room on shaky legs, kicking the door shut before letting her foot touch the ground again.

Aditi prepared herself to be taken by the storm he’d create, only to be left waiting when he took two steps back, watching her as though he was memorising her in that moment.

“Twirl for me,” he asked, surprising her again.

He extended his open palm towards her, waiting until she placed her hand in his. His fingers tightened as he lifted their joined hands over her head, slowly spinning her once, then again, his sights drinking in the way her saree shimmered as it caught the light. She was like a firefly who had led him out of darkness, and tonight, she embodied it.

“You're so beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off you all evening.”

His admission felt like a drug. She'd never been a glutton for compliments before but with Rian, she wanted his attention. Even so, she couldn't keep her truth in. "I can't take my eyes off you at any time, Bugs. Even when I don't want to, I can't stop looking."

Rian hadn't realised how much he'd needed to hear that until she said it. He brought her close, allowing her to loop her arms over his neck. His hand slipped under her saree to caress the skin at her waist, his thumb brushing back and forth in an arc while he dropped soft kisses all along her arm, finally settling against her mouth.

“Undress me,” he directed her, displaying remarkable patience while she unbuttoned his top with shaky fingers. Rian needed the time as much as she did. He didn’t want to rush into this and screw things up like her ex-boyfriend. When she left his bed after tonight, it would be with the knowledge that he had made it impossible for her to stay away.

If that meant exercising restraint and planning each step with a precision he hadn’t before used in the bedroom, then that was exactly what he would do.

The rustle of his silk kurta sliding onto the floor had Aditi glancing at him, almost asking for permission to touch him now. With his hand curled over hers, he pressed her palm into the centre of his chest, letting her feel the pounding within.

Just as quietly she mirrored his actions, holding his hand over her blouse, between her breasts, allowing him to understand that she was just as affected as him.

“Turn around,” he instructed her, his voice low.

Without hesitation, she complied, allowing him to unfasten her necklace and unhook her earrings with a dexterity that surprised her. He shifted her hair to fall across her front. The deep back of her blouse exposed her skin, tempting him to lightly trace the delicate bumps of her spine. He delighted in her sharp intake of breath when he trailed his fingers up from her lower back all the way to her neck, curling about her nape. He gently forced her to look back at him, his thumb resting on the fluttering pulse in her throat that spoke of his effect on her.

“I haven’t eaten a single Diwali snack today,” he said, untying the knot that kept her blouse together. He tugged her top off until her breasts were exposed. “You’ll be my first.”

She let out a shaky laugh, wanting desperately to tease him for that cheesy line, to say something that would distract her from the reality that he would see her body today. Blessedly, all she could focus on was his hand slithering across her belly, pressing her back into his naked chest.

She felt him unclip the garland from her hair, running the cool ends along her collarbones. Her skin erupted in goosebumps at the sensual teasing, her nipples hardening immeasurably when he ran the the flowers against her breasts, sliding them over her engorged peak.

“What are you doing?” she whimpered, her body shaking though his touch was light.

“Worshipping you.”

Rian stripped the flowers from the string, gathering them in his palm. He raised his hand over her head and showered her in snowy jasmine, letting the petals cascade down her skin and spread their saccharine scent.

The back of her head met his shoulder, her eyes fluttering to a close as every little action threatened to overwhelm her. Where she had expected only carnality, he was seducing her with moments that made her feel revered.

“Kiss me,” she begged, her hand reaching up behind his head to hold him. She moaned into his mouth, arching against him when he cupped her breast, the heat of his palm searing her. He kneaded her slowly, thumbing her nipple into a fine point. Aditi, lost in the sensations he was evoking, didn’t realise that he’d loosened her underskirt until it fell in a heap at her feet, taking the rest of her saree down. The feel of his roughened fingers sliding into her underwear had her clutching his hair, her chest tightening in anticipation.

“You’re so wet already. Have you been thinking about me doing this?” he whispered through her kiss, using a hand on her hip to make her face him as he backed her towards the bed.

“I’ve thought about you doing this a lot,” she admitted, licking his lower lip. Tired of him treating her like she was breakable, she said what she knew would garner a reaction. “I’ve thought about you when I touched myself, too.”

Her words broke his control. With a growl that reverberated in his chest, he tackled her onto the bed, trapping her body under his. Before she could understand what was happening, a rip sounded through the room. Cool air rushed across her damp core, replaced immediately with his touch. He wasted no time in sliding two fingers into her.

“Is this what you wanted me to do to you?” he rumbled, his mouth tracing the column of her neck, his hands moving relentlessly between her legs. “Or was it this?” he asked, before he clamped down on her nipple, sucking her in deeply.

She let out a lusty moan, her back arching in rapture as she clung to him, the pressure within her building at a dizzying rate. “Yes. Yes!” she chanted, her hips undulating against him, her knees falling open in a blatant demand for more.

“You look like a fucking goddess riding my hand,” Rian rasped, his eyes glued on her face, tracking every expression as he drew small circles over her clit. If he’d thought she was gorgeous before, a flushed and naked Aditi writhing in his bed was the stuff of erotic dreams. “Come for me. I want to feel you like this, falling apart on my fingers.”

Her breath stuck in her lungs, every sound in the world reduced to a single ringing pitch. Her blood rushed down to exactly where Rian pleasured her, every intentional swipe and thrust designed to make her want more. He slithered down, placing open-mouthed kisses across her shoulders and leaving a trail of love bites that would be evidence of the path he followed.

He curled his finger in, touching a spot within her that made her scream his name, setting off a detonation which left her quivering. “Oh my. . .you’re. . . that was. . .” She gave up, breathing hard. He kissed his way down her chest and lower, to where her waist chain lay glistening against her brown body .

Assuming it was in his way, she reached for the lock, trying to unhook it when he nudged her hand away.

“Leave it on.”

“But. . .”

Her protest died when he thrust his tongue into her navel, running the tip of it along the jewellery, slowly flicking lower before changing direction.

“You’re driving me mad,” she complained, needing him to fill her, to cover her body with his, to soothe this craving within her. “Come up here and do what you promised to do to me in the back seat of your car!”

The damn man laughed at her desperation, continuing to press kisses and nibbles on her skin, before finally dipping down to taste her pussy until she was squirming against his mouth.

“I think I’m obsessed with this thing,” he told her, hooking one finger into her waist chain. “I’m going to buy you one of every kind.” He kissed the inside of her thigh before licking her swollen clit. “And you’ll wear it for me when I fuck you. Only for me.”

When she didn’t reply, he nipped her where she was sensitive, making her yelp her agreement.

“Good girl,” he said, causing her to shiver furiously at what those two simple words did for her. Just when she thought he’d tongue her again, he rolled to the side, searching for something within his drawer. He pulled a square packet out, ripping the edge of it with his teeth while simultaneously undressing himself.

“Aditi, before we go further, we need one thing sorted.”

“Hmm?” The haze in her eyes cleared at his seriousness. She drew a pillow across her body and hugged it. “I’m clear. Haven’t been with anyone in about two years. And I have an IUD.”

“Okay, two things sorted,” Rian corrected with a soft smile, sheathing himself with the condom regardless. “This is not a situationship,” he declared, settling between her thighs and ripping the pillow away like it was offending him by covering her from his gaze. “It’s a relationship. As real as it gets. Understood?”

The world around her faded as she observed him reiterate a commitment she’d never expected. She would have slept with him without the promise of a relationship. She’d offered him her body, and he’d turned around and offered her his life.

The realisation trickled through her slowly, like a creeper growing and searching for its anchor, and the thought rooted itself into her heart.

How was she to ever deny him anything? She thought, her fingers tracing his chest, drawing up slowly to cup his jaw.

“Yes, Chef.” She lifted her neck to brush a kiss across his lips, making him growl in approval.

“Fuck, I love hearing you say that. Say it again,” he ordered, stroking her slit a few times, coating his crown with her arousal before positioning himself at her core.

“Yes, Chef,” Aditi teased, licking her lips when his eyes darkened.

“You’re going to use that all the time to drive me crazy, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Chef.” She smiled coyly, her mouth falling open in a gasp at the feel of his cock nudging her entrance.

“Just so you know,” he said, leaning down to rest his weight on his forearms, “I’m clear, too. There hasn’t been anyone in over a year.”

Rian pushed in, and her expression of surprise transformed into a shocked cry. Her fingers dug into his waist as she held on.

“There will be no one except you,” he husked, kissing her earnestly as he pulled back a little before advancing again. Aditi hissed at the burn of stretching around his girth, the sensation of having him within her equal parts pain and pleasure. It was like someone was branding her with silk and steel from the inside, the heat of which was unbearable and inescapable. He stopped eventually, and she let out a breath. She felt full, but not uncomfortably so.

“Loosen up for me, Sunshine. Relax.”

“Give me a moment. You're big.” She wiggled her hips, trying to get used to the pressure within her.

“I'll try not to let that go to my head,” he chuckled, nudging her nose with his. “You can take me.”

“T. . .take you?” she stuttered, confused. “I already have!”

She felt, rather than heard his laugh.

“I meant all of me.”

“Rian? Rian! Oh!” She groaned when he pushed all the way in, filling her to the hilt. Her head twisted to the side as her body arched, trying to accommodate him.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” he rasped, his hands slipping under to cup her ass and squeeze her flesh, causing her to clench around him in response.

He pulsed into her slowly, and she felt her walls tighten as she tried to hold him in, despising the emptiness when he pulled out. Every re-entry felt like a smooth slide home, her body adjusting to his possession, demanding more of it until she was grabbing at him, running her hands up and down his back in encouragement. She reached down to grip his firm ass, her nails pressing into his glutes without care for the marks she’d leave behind. The pain only turned him on, wanting to drive her as crazy with want as she had him. The flex and feel of his muscles twitching under her touch as he pounded into her had her biting down on her lip to stop from screaming.

He reared over her, his fingers tightening about the column of her throat, his thumb firmly keeping her chin up. “Eyes on me, Sunshine. You don’t look away, okay?”

He kept his movements smooth, taking his time to touch and fondle every part he could without breaking pace. He caught her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it until she felt delirium grip her once more. Her pulse drummed erratically as the possibility of combusting became more real with each thrust of his hips .

“Rian, please,” she whimpered. “I need to come.”

“Then come,” he ordered, unwilling to let her turn her head and hide from his sight. “Show me what you look like when I make you come.”

What she saw in his eyes set her heart racing. With a keening cry, she was propelled up to a peak, splintering into a million shards at the height of it. She clawed at him, shuddering into completion, her eyes clenching shut as her vision went stark white. Rian thrust into her harder, seating himself deeper within her than before, taking pleasure in the way her body had tightened around him. He slid one powerful arm under her leg, opening her wider before he began to move once more. Feminine hands drew his face to hers, kissing him with a wild abandon that captured his soul.

Over and over, he drove into her pliant body, his groans and kisses finding a landing spot on her forehead, her eyelid, the crook of her neck. Aditi’s hands slipped around his shoulders, her fingers spearing his soft hair as she rubbed her cheek against his roughened jaw. She crooned her delight in his ear when a tertiary orgasm ripped through her without notice.

“Come for me, Rian. Please,” she breathlessly requested, unable to hold on any longer, sore and drained.

With a tortured moan, his body went impossibly taut as his release rushed up his spine and burst across his being, fiery flames licking him from end to end. Tremors shook him as he dropped into Aditi, finally replete with a satisfaction that had everything to do with the woman under him.