Chapter Twenty-Four: Hooked
Sienna
I've been a bundle of nerves during this entire dinner with Carmen and Riley. My chicken Alfredo was hardly touched, and the thought of any ounce of food going into my stomach made me nauseous. How am I supposed to eat when I know that for the first time, I'll be going over to another man's house for sex?
I never ran into this issue with Reed. He was embarrassed by his apartment downtown, so he never complained about always coming to my place. When we got engaged, it wasn't even a discussion about who would move in and where. He packed his things and merged into my townhome without a second thought, but now...with Lincoln...
I'm going to his house, and I don't even think he knows how huge of a deal this is for me. I mean, he doesn't exactly know why I'm so closed off about going over to another man's house. Maybe he's pieced my past together, but we're just fooling around, so opening up about that part of my life to him isn't going to happen.
"Sienna," Carmen snaps as I shoot back to reality. She rolls her eyes and shoves my plate closer to me. "You need to eat, girl. You'll need the energy for Lincoln." She wiggles her eyebrows as Riley rolls her eyes.
"I'm not hungry," I reply. "I haven't been to a man's house since..." I heave out a sigh. "I'm so used to being in control of everything, you know? Going to his house is uncharted territory. I won't know every escape route, and if he tries something that I'm not comfortable with, I don't know where the closest weapons will be."
Hearing myself talk makes me realize just how fucked up I am. In my heart, I know Lincoln would never do any of these things. He wouldn't hurt me, but that small part of my past is screaming at me to cancel this hook-up with him. I need to be safe. I need to be careful.
Riley, the sensitive one of the bunch, leans over to grab my hands with hers, blinking away tears. "Lincoln isn't your psychotic ex, Sienna. He isn't going to hurt you. From the few times I've met him, he seems like a genuine guy who cares for you. Don't let fucking Travis hold you back from experiencing good moments."
I suck in a sharp breath when his name is spoken, almost like Voldemort. Speaking his name has me fearful that he'll show up right here in this restaurant, and when Riley notices me glance over my shoulder, she quickly mutters an apology.
"Fuck the man whose name shall not be spoken," Carmen says. "Go get that dick that I know has made you feel better than you have in years. You're fucking glowing, girl, and it's because you're happy. If it makes you feel any better, if Lincoln Nash tries one wrong move, I'll kill him. I'd kill anyone that tries to hurt you again. You hear me?"
"Agreed," Riley adds.
They're both holding my hands now, and I let a single tear fall down my cheek with a grateful smile on my face. Because of them, I'm braver than I've ever been. I don't know where I'd be without them.
"Love you guys," I say with a sniffle, and when they finally release me, I wipe the tear away with the back of my sleeve. "You won't be mad if I leave now? Sitting here thinking about it is only going to make it worse. I'd rather just get it over with."
Carmen rolls her eyes. "Go," she urges. "Besides, I've got a hot date of my own tonight."
I guess things with Archer are going well for her, and that makes me happy, too. She's glowing just as I am, and Riley can't help but let out a loud sigh. "Your love lives make me sick. Please, pass some of that luck my way, won't you?"
Sending her a wink, I say, "I'll find you the best damn girl in this city, Riley. You deserve nothing less."
***
Lincoln lives in a condo that's about ten minutes from my townhome. The sky-rise building is looming above me as I peer up at it, but in a way, it makes me feel better that there are other people around. If anything happens, others will hear.
Letting out a deep breath, I stride through the front doors and am greeted by the bellhop, who tips his hat at me. Inside, the lobby is decorated with marble floors and expensive gold-colored furniture, and when I glance down at my sweatpants and crocs, I cringe. I definitely don't look like I belong here. Lincoln had told me to dress comfortably though, so I did.
"Ms. Stone," a woman at the reception desk says with a small smile, looking nothing short of perfect. Long, straight hair, pink lipstick, and a figure that leads me to think she takes pilates five times a week. "Mr. Nash said you'd be coming. I have your key card ready for the elevator. It's floor sixty-two."
Taking the card from her hand, I tell her thank you and find my way to the elevator, breathing deeply in and out as it lurches up after I scan the card I was given.
You can do this, I tell myself. You are strong. You've got this.
The elevator doors open and I'm standing directly in the foyer of his home. Despite it being a condo, it's enormous. A large chandelier hangs down from the ceiling, and a wooden circular table is in the very center of the room. I gulp loudly just as Lincoln comes around the corner, my nerves seeming to diminish slightly when he sends me that boyish grin.
"Hi, Sienna," he says, his voice smooth as butter. "I take it you found it here okay? Sometimes the delivery people struggle with it."
"It was fine," I reply as I scan him from head to toe. Gray sweatpants are barely clinging to his hips, outlining the very thing I came here for. I don't think he's wearing underwear, because when he shifts his feet, his cock bounces with the movement. Fuck.
He crosses his arms over his chest, the muscles flexing from the white t-shirt he's wearing. There's a gleam in his eye that makes me wonder if he can read my thoughts right now, but he doesn't touch on it. Instead, he leads me into the kitchen, which looks almost identical to the lobby of the building. White granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and gold accented utensils.
Lincoln opens up the fridge, glancing at me before he asks, "You hungry?"
I didn't think I was at the restaurant with Carmen and Riley, but I hardly touched my chicken Alfredo, and right on cue, my stomach gurgles loudly. He smiles and pulls out a Chinese food bag, the same Chinese restaurant we order takeout from during our lessons at my office.
"I had leftovers," he says with a shrug as if it's not a big deal. "You just came over on a lucky day."
I watch him pull out a brand new container of sweet and sour chicken and arch a brow. "So, your leftovers consist of an untouched box of sweet and sour chicken?"
He smiles. "Seems like it."
As he pops it into the microwave, it's only then that I hear the voices flooding in from the other room of my favorite television show. A new episode is playing tonight of The Bachelor, but I was going to watch it when I got home. At first, I think it's just a coincidence, but then I remember the sweet and sour chicken that's currently heating up, the meal he clearly bought for me tonight, and I realize he did this for me. He did this so I'd be comfortable.
He grabs the bowl and tells me to follow him into the living room. The Bachelor is playing on the screen, just as I thought, but even better, his couch is one of those pieces that can fold out into a bed, and he's placed countless pillows and fluffy blankets all over the place. I blink a few times to let it register, Lincoln's anxious gaze making my heart flutter. He's nervous.
My lips threaten to twitch into a smile. "I thought you didn't like The Bachelor?" I ask.
"I don't, not at all, but you never stop talking about it, and Margo, my assistant, was discussing theories about the new episode tonight with a few girls at work, so I figured I'd record it for you. We can start it over if you want."
"So, we're not hooking up tonight?"
He grins. "I fully intend on fucking you senseless, Sienna, but I want you to be comfortable, and the last thing I want is for you to be thinking about The Bachelor results waiting for you at home while I'm inside you."
"Fair enough," I say and plop down onto one of the plush cushions, gratefully accepting the bowl from him to hold in my lap as he starts the show over. I've never been one to eat like a lady, and I'm so hungry from my nerves finally settling down that I scarf the bowl down in minutes. Lincoln chuckles and offers me another helping, but I politely decline and lay on my back right beside him, fully immersed in fluffy blankets and Lincoln Nash. My head is resting on his bicep, and with that same arm, he uses his fingers to brush against my back. I'm so comfortable, so cozy, so... happy. I'm not even sure how much time has passed until he suddenly scoffs.
"Okay, but he wouldn't pick Leila if he knew that she was talking about these girls behind their backs. She's putting on a front when she's around him."
Resting my chin on his chest, I smile up at him. "Uh-oh. Do I have you hooked?"
His eyes soften as they scan mine, and then he brings his hand up to caress my cheek. "Maybe," he says with a smile, and then he kisses my forehead. "Or it could be because this is the only thing that's on right now. I have no other choice but to watch it."
I giggle, and Lincoln pulls me tighter against his body, letting out a sigh of contentment. Being in his house with him isn't scary like I thought it was going to be at all. Lincoln is nothing like he who shall not be named. He's kind, gentle, considerate, and deserving of all the sex in the world after going to so much effort to make this night comfortable for me.
Resting my chin on his chest again, I bring my lips to his to kiss gently. Before our kiss was filled with desire, the only intention of ripping our clothes off each other, but I want him to know that this kiss means something. Tonight is perfect, and I'm so glad I chose him to trust with my body.
Lincoln is hesitant at first, but then he leans into it, his hands cupping my face to make the kiss deeper. It's hot as hell from all the blankets on top of us, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I roll on top of him, making sure I'm in control, but I let his hands run down my back. It doesn't scare me, it doesn't throw me into a panic. The feeling of his hands there is...nice.
"I've been thinking about you all fucking week," he pants as he breaks away from the kiss, moving his lips to my neck. His movements are slow, and I know that's because he's wanting to see if I'm okay. To give him his answer, I press the back of his head more into my neck, and then he laughs, pulling the skin of my neck to suck, no doubt leaving me a hickey. I strip him of his shirt and then sit up to strip myself of my own, my knees on either side of his legs, straddling him.
The sting of the hickey leaves a blistering sensation of heat all over my body. I'll never understand how something that's supposed to be purely lust turns into something so powerful, yet intimate all at once. The way he stares at me makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the entire world. With his stare, I no longer feel insecure, and almost like he can sense that, he hesitantly brings his fingers up to the top of my chest, and when I nod my head, letting him know it's okay, he traces one finger between my breasts, running down my sternum, and I suck in a sharp breath from the feeling of his hand there.
It's foreign, unnatural, and yet completely right. So, so, right.
"Is this okay?" He asks.
Before, I wouldn't let any man touch my body after what happened to me, not even Reed, and yet Lincoln has touched every inch of me and I've only known him a little over a month. I don't know why I'm so comfortable with him, but his touch doesn't scare me as Reed's did. It doesn't make my skin crawl. Lincoln's touch is welcomed, more than welcome, so I nod for him to continue.
He pulls me closer and kisses my shoulder, then across my chest, sliding his body down against the back of the couch so he can be slightly beneath me. When his eyes meet mine, pleading and wanting, I'm lost in them. "You seemed to like it when I blew on your nipple before..." he says and then kisses my breast. "Would you like it if I put it in my mouth?"
"Oh, please," I beg.
Lincoln laughs, pressing his head against the back of the couch, panting heavily. "Fuck. Hold on. I need a minute."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm just...you're just...god, Sienna, you're gorgeous. I don't want this to be quick."
His cock is hard and throbbing between my legs, and I shouldn't do it, but I grind against him. Partly because I like seeing how much I get to him, but also because I can't wait any longer. It's been two weeks since we've done anything like this, and that's two weeks too long.
"God damn, Sienna, okay, okay," he mutters and leans back, lifting me up slightly in the process so he can strip me and himself of our pants. He's skillful at it, I'll give him that, the materials of clothing falling to the floor in one fluid motion. "I was going to tease you, but I don't think I can wait. Come here."
I gasp when he fills inside of me, and I love when I see his pupils dilate and his eyes turn from that sky blue to as dark as the ocean itself. I'm not quite ready for him to take control yet, and I appreciate that he hasn't moved despite how much it's killing him. I relieve him of the pain and start to move, my pussy wet and throbbing around his cock.
Focusing on something, anything, at this point is what I'm trying to do, but his tattoos are distracting me. I run my eyes over that damn serpent, across the clouds, down to his eight-pack and thick thighs supporting my body. It's been so long since we've done this. Two weeks doesn't seem like a long time, but since I broke my celibacy of eight years, I can't get enough of it.
I take him deeper, already on the brink of orgasm when Lincoln sends me a sly smile and takes my nipple into his mouth. Nobody has ever done this before, and the feel of his tongue there... Oh my god.
My eyes roll to the back of my head as I cry out in bliss, and now I'm riding him faster, my breasts bouncing in his face. He keeps his lips wrapped around my nipple, circling his tongue and lapping the sensitive bud over and over again. Nothing has ever felt this good. I'm riding him hard and fast, and Lincoln grunts into my breast.
"Move," I gasp. "Please."
Like he was waiting for the green light, his hips slam up into mine, and then he's fucking me. Hard. It's the type of fucking that I've seen in movies. The kind where it's animalistic and primal. Like we can't get enough of each other. Like sex isn't enough to get out all of this passion and need.
"Fuck, yes," Lincoln hisses through gritted teeth. He pounds harder, his hips meeting mine and overpowering the sounds of the bachelor in the background. I'm crying out in pure ecstasy, my nails sinking into his shoulders as I shatter around him. My legs are shaking, my body goes limp in his arms, and then he pulls out quickly, his cock exploding on my stomach.
I collapse on the couch-bed beside him, both of us panting heavily, our clothes a scattered mess around us. That quickie was what we needed. I don't even know what to say, and neither does Lincoln, and I'm not sure whether or not that's my cue to get dressed and leave, because isn't that what I'm supposed to do? This is just sex, and him staying over that night at my place was because I asked him to. It was an emergency situation.
He glances over at me and scans my face, letting out a sigh before he pulls me close, grabs the fuzzy blanket, and drapes it over both of us. "Want me to rewind it?" He asks. "I'm pretty sure we missed a bunch."
Snuggling into the crook of his neck, with all of my fears relieved that I didn't even know I had until tonight, he plants a kiss on my forehead and grabs the remote.