I’ll Always Be With You (Lancaster Prep Book 4)

EVERYTHING.

My head, my heart, my fucking soul and even my dick are pounding at that one simple word falling from Carolina’s lush mouth.

Finally.

I’ve been patient. Respectful. I didn’t want to push. Didn’t want to come at her too hard because I know she’s skittish like a wild animal and one wrong move, she’d be gone. She doesn’t like to be touched, so I don’t do much touching, even though it fucking kills me. All I want to do is touch her. Kiss her. Fuck her into oblivion if she’d let me.

“Well?” she asks after I’m silent too long for her liking. “You have nothing to say to that?”

I clear my throat. “I’m trying to keep myself under control.”

“What would you do if you lost all control?” Her cheeks turn the faintest pink.

“I’d lunge across this table and kiss you.”

“That doesn’t sound very comfortable.” Her voice is light. Teasing.

“This isn’t about being comfortable. It’s about getting what I want.”

“And are you saying you want me?”

“Maybe.” Now I’m the one teasing.

She flashes me the finger, the ring I gave her prominent, filling me with pride that she wears it as much as she can.

“I’m going to clean up our mess.” She rises to her feet and closes her sushi container. “Do you want something else to drink?”

“I’m good.” I’ve already finished my beer, but I don’t need another one. The last thing I want is to be drunk or even buzzed tonight. Things are shifting between us and I need to be sober.

“A mint?” She grabs a tin from the kitchen counter and offers it to me. “All of that wasabi you just consumed.”

“And sriracha.” I shrug, taking the tin from her and popping it open. “What can I say, I like spicy things.”

“Is that why you like me?” She laughs, the sexy sound going straight to my dick. “I’m sorry. That was really cheesy.”

“But accurate.” I pop the mint in my mouth, wincing at the overpowering flavor. “You’re pretty fucking spicy. And sexy.”

She rushes into the narrow kitchen, shoving her sushi container into the fridge before she returns to the table. She’s got that familiar flush coating her skin. The way she used to look when we were hooking up. Or when she was embarrassed prior to our hooking up.

“You really think I’m sexy?”

“Come on, Carolina. Are you fishing for compliments? You know I think you’re sexy.” I pause, deciding to be truthful. “You’re all I think about.”

She blinks at me and I continue.

“When I wake up in the morning, you’re on my mind. When I’m in bed, I drift off to thoughts of you. In the shower, I jerk off while thinking about you.”

Her cheeks are bright red, her voice a squeak when she says, “You do?”

I nod. “We didn’t do near enough together when we were younger.”

Carolina takes a step forward, gripping the back of her chair. “I’ve done nothing else since you.”

My entire body freezes when her words sink in.

She’s done nothing else. Been with no one else. It’s especially shocking because …

“Me neither.”

Her mouth drops open. “I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true.”

“Come on, West.” She waves a hand at me. “Look at you.”

I glance down at myself, then lift my head, returning my gaze to hers. “What about me?”

“You’re gorgeous.”

“So are you.”

“Successful.”

“Not on my own merits. You’re far more successful than I am.”

“I don’t dance for the most prestigious company in the world, but I love it.” She makes a face. “If I was really good, I’d be with the Royal Ballet.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re still young. It could happen.”

She curls her fingers around the top of the chair, her knuckles white. “No one else believes in me like you do.”

Her voice is raw, and the look on her face makes my heart ache. I stand without thinking and go to her, turning her so she’s facing me and circling my arms around her waist. “You deserve the world.”

Carolina rests her hands on my chest, her gaze imploring. “I never thought I did. No one makes me feel as if I’m worthy of anything like you do, West.”

“I want to give you the world. Whatever you want, whatever you need, I want to take care of you. Be with you.” I duck down, my mouth hovering just above hers. “Will you let me?”

Her voice is the barest whisper. “Yes.”

I crush her mouth with mine, kissing her fiercely, absolutely no finesse involved. I thrust my tongue into her mouth, sliding it against hers, groaning at the first delicious taste of her. Her scent wraps around me, reminding me of a cool ocean breeze, and I remove my hands from her waist to cup her face, cradling her cheeks. As if she’s the most precious thing.

Which she is. To me.

We kiss as we stumble around her apartment, looking for a soft place to land. I eventually collapse on the couch, bringing her with me, her landing on top. She doesn’t look like she weighs much, but she’s solid muscle, and I can feel the subtle strength of her as I run my hands over her body. Her arms and sides and legs.

Hard as rock. This woman could probably squeeze me to death with her thighs, but I’d go willingly.

Fuck, I’m an idiot over her.

She breaks away from my still seeking lips at one point and I lean back against the couch, staring at her as she sits up straight, her eyes never straying from mine as she slides down the straps of her dress from her shoulders. She tugs at the bodice, her small breasts popping out and I reach for them, cupping them both, my thumbs flicking her nipples.

They’re hard and bright pink, reminding me of the roses I can’t stop sending her.

Groaning, I lean in and draw one of those pretty nipples into my mouth, sucking hard. She wraps her hand around the back of my head, holding me to her before I shift to the other nipple and give it the same attention.

My cock throbs. It’s been far too long since I’ve been with her. I’m sure she won’t believe me, but after my father’s death, I had no time for a relationship. Not even a hook-up. Nothing happened between Madison and me beyond a few brief kissing sessions that did nothing for me.

All I have to do is look at Carolina and I’m rock hard. The power she wields over me is startling.

I return my mouth to hers, the kiss turning languid. Downright filthy. Our tongues are busy as are my hands, which are currently sliding up the outside of her thighs, burrowing beneath the skirt of her dress, all the way up to her hips.

“You’re not wearing panties,” I murmur against her lips.

She licks at the corner of my mouth. “I haven’t worn panties or a bra since the moment you showed up on the street waiting for me.”

“Are you serious?”

Carolina rears back a little, nodding. Looking extremely pleased with herself.

“Fuck.” My hands are now curved around her perfect ass and I give it a squeeze, my fingers teasing the crack. “We’ve wasted a lot of time.”

“We needed to do this.” She kisses me deep and I let her take over for a moment as her tongue searches my mouth, her hands in my hair, fingers tugging as she essentially devours me. “We needed to wait.”

She’s probably right, I think as I knead her ass, my fingers digging into her skin, making her whimper against my mouth. My sweet, fiery Carolina Lancaster is not a fast mover. She needs to be lured in slowly.

I shift one hand to rest on top of her thigh briefly before I let it slide down, until I’m cupping her pussy. The heat of her scorches my skin and I gently press, noting the way she stiffens, how she holds her breath. When I press my fingers against her fully, she angles her hips, my fingers sinking in, finding her wet.

So fucking wet.

“Oh God,” she chokes out when I press against her clit.

I rub her clit with my thumb, drawing tight circles around it, the wet sounds filling the room. I never take my eyes off of her and she throws back her head, essentially riding my hand as I stroke her into oblivion.

“Don’t stop.” She gasps at one point when I hit a particular spot that I continue to keep touching. “Oh my God, just like that.”

Like I’d stop. Watching her is making me harder than I’ve ever been in my life. Her tits are out, shaking as she bounces, the scent of her hitting my nostrils and making my mouth water. I want to taste her. Making her come with my tongue and then again on my cock.

“West.” Her head pops up, her eyes open when they meet mine as she chokes out my name. I don’t look away. It’s like I can’t, and I increase my pace, desperate to get her off. She thrusts her hips against my hand, her breath stuttering in her lungs, her lips falling open but no sound coming out when she goes completely still.

And then falls completely apart.

It’s a beautiful thing, witnessing a woman come because of what you’re doing to her. I keep stroking her pussy, my fingers slicking through her juices, feeling the way she trembles as the orgasm sweeps over her. I thrust a finger inside her tight sheath, her inner walls clenching around it so tight, I wonder how I’ll ever be able to fuck her.

“Oh my God,” she repeats when it’s over, her entire body starting to relax. She basically melts into me, slumping her body all around me, and I remove my hand from her pussy at the last second, wrapping my arms around her so I can hold her close. “That was …”

Her voice drifts, her mouth moving against my neck, making me shiver, and I run my fingers up and down her bare back, quietly marveling at her smooth skin.

“Amazing,” she finally finishes, slowly pulling away so our gazes can meet. “Let’s do that again.”

When I say nothing but only lift my brows, she tacks on a soft, “Please?”

As if I could resist her. I’ll give this girl anything she wants.

All she has to do is ask.