Hope Awakened by Charlene Hartnady

Chapter 22

The next night…

Hope pulledthe heavy curtains aside. Crap! She looked out of the bedroom window. All was dark. All was quiet. Too quiet. A person could hear a pin drop.

This isn’t a good idea! she quickly texted.

Three dots appeared immediately.

I agree with you.

Hope pushed out a breath, the window fogging for a few seconds. Not meeting up was the right thing to do. She knew that. Reece knew it, too, and yet, all she felt was disappointment.

Hope fired off another text. We’ll try again tomorrow.

Another sigh fogged up the window all over again. She had warned Reece yesterday that Locke was onto them. That he hadn’t caught on yet, but that it was just a matter of time. They’d texted back and forth since. That quick glimpse she’d gotten of him at shift change had her heart racing. Hope had to try not to look at him. True to their plan, she’d given him the cold shoulder. She looked back down at her phone, frowning when she still didn’t see a response.

It was better this way. Much better. She let the curtain drop and was just pulling the covers back to get into bed when the softest tap sounded on the window. So soft she was sure she hadn’t heard it. Her phone buzzed in her hand.

Knock knock!

What?He was here! Reece was here. She looked down at her pink pajamas. The ones that had gotten him so riled up the other night. They were simple, but sexy. A tight tank and little cotton shorts. They were a light pink with heart motifs.

Hope quickly pulled the curtains aside, trying not to make any noise. Her eyes widened when she saw him. A smile worked its way across her face. Being careful, she opened the window. Reece was naked. His cock was already semi-erect. He squeezed in through the window, immediately putting his arms around her.

“I thought you agreed that this was a bad idea,” she whispered.

“It’s worse than bad.” He hardly made a sound, talking into the shell of her ear. “It’s terrible.”

“We’re going to get caught.”

“Not if you’re very quiet.”

“I’ll be quiet.” Her heart raced against her ribs. Thrumming hard in her chest. “The question is, will you be quiet?”

“I’m trained for stealth. Get on the bed and take this off.” He touched her pajama shorts. “Tearing them off might be too noisy.”

“My bed squeaks a little.” She made a face. “I wouldn’t suggest we use it.”

He smiled. “You would choose the room with the squeaky bed.” She liked this playful side of him. It was a side she hadn’t seen before.

Reece looked around her room. She had the lights on the dimmest setting. Her dressing table was on the one side and the chest of drawers on the other. The chest of drawers was against the wall separating her from Locke.

Locke.

She prayed he was fast asleep. All had been silent for hours. It was the middle of the night. Still, she prayed they wouldn’t wake him. On the other hand, it would be better if he knew. They could trust him to keep a secret. Reece was adamant, though. She was even a little shocked he was actually there. This was risky, and Reece was completely risk-averse.

“Come.” He took her hand and led her to dressing table.

Reece gripped her hips and lifted her easily, her butt landing on the surface. Her bedside lamp was on, so they could see what they were doing. She noted that he was now fully erect. His thick cock bobbed a little as he walked. He looked serious. There were frown lines on his forehead. When he locked eyes with her, he smiled for half a second and her stomach did flip-flops. She’d never been this excited in her life.

Reece put a hand on either side of her. He leaned in and kissed her neck until he reached her ear. She felt his breath tingle for a second before he took her lobe into his mouth and nipped. Hope moaned softly.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he whispered. “Thinking about what I want to do to you.”

“Oh…” She was already out of breath and he hadn’t done anything yet.

“I need to taste you,” he whispered. “Have to.”

“Yes,” she whispered back. Her eyes felt wide as he gripped her shorts in his hands. She lifted her ass so that he could slide them down her legs.

“So pretty,” Reece said as he dropped to his knees in front of her. Then he picked up her foot, hooking her leg over one of his shoulders. His eyes were glued to her sex. She felt his breath against her slit. It both tickled and ignited an even greater need inside her. If that was even possible. He sniffed at her…there. And then made an almost inaudible groaning noise. Not human. The only thing she could think was that a human guy would never do that. If he did, he would be creepy as hell. When Reece sniffed at her, it ignited a fire inside her. A damned furnace. Then he licked her. His tongue was big and hot, and… She groaned, trying hard to be quiet. One of her hands was flat on the dresser and the other clutched at his hair.

“Shhhhh.” He said it against her flesh, making her whole body break out in goosebumps.

Then his tongue zoned in on her clit and laved over it a good couple of times. Good lord! She was rocking her hips, but couldn’t stop. The hand on his head gripped tighter at his hair. He sucked her. Opened his mouth and sucked. Not too hard, not too soft. She opened her eyes really wide, working hard not to make any noise. Damn. He was good at this. Not rusty at all. Hope enjoyed oral sex, but Emmet hadn’t felt the same. She was lucky if he went down on her once a year on her birthday. In hindsight, he was a jerk, and she felt sorry for Lizzie.

Then he pushed a finger inside her, and her mouth fell open. All thoughts of anything other than what was happening that moment evaporated as need churned inside her. She cried out softly when he crooked that finger, pushing it in and out.

Reece made a noise of enjoyment, his lips against her clit.

By now she was panting, working hard not to make moaning noises each time his finger slid back into her. There was a coiling sensation in the pit of her stomach. It was growing by the second. Her skin felt tight. Her—

Reece stopped. She tried to hold him there, between her legs, but it didn’t work. He rose up, his hands pulling at her top as he licked his lips. Make that, licked her taste off of his lips. There was something really sexy about that. She lifted her arms, and he pulled her tank off. It felt like his hands were shaking. Was he that desperate for her? “I’m going to mount you now, Hope.” His face had this pinched look.

The knowledge that he wanted her so badly made her feel really good…even though this was just sex and nothing more.

He cupped her breasts and squeezed lightly, running his thumbs over her nipples. Hope moaned again.

Reece cursed softly. “I wish we had more time.”

“Me too.” Her words were strained.

“Next time I want to taste you properly.” He squeezed her boobs softly. Those thumbs working magic on her nipples. “Stick my tongue inside you while you come.”

What could she say to that? It sounded too good to be true. A little dirty, too. It shocked her how much she liked dirty talk, especially from a strait-laced guy like Reece. Then he was sliding a finger over her clit, and she couldn’t think. She groaned softly.

“Put your legs over my shoulders.” He palmed his cock. Starting at the base and ending at the tip. It was one of the most erotic things she had ever seen. “Legs…shoulders.” He lifted his brows.

She gave her head a shake to clear it. “I’m not sure…” she started to object, stopping as he lifted them and slid them over his shoulders. Yet again, she couldn’t believe how flexible she could be. His finger kept up its strumming on her clit. Holy shit! Hope put her hands behind her and leaned back on them. Thankfully, the dressing table was big and sturdy. Her eyes felt like they might have gone back in their sockets as well as he kept up the slip and slide over that bundle of nerves. It felt so incredibly good. Between his tongue and now his finger, she was already close.

“We have to be quiet,” he whispered as he lined himself up with her opening. Then he was pushing into her, one finger still on her clit. Had he been this big yesterday, or was she still a little tender? Thankfully, she was very wet. Within a few careful thrusts, he was balls-deep. Reece grunted softly as his hips hit her ass.

“Fuuuck!” Reece rumbled as he thrust in and out of her. His skin looked taut. He was frowning in concentration. He looked seriously pissed off. He looked magnificent. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

She was whimpering softly with every thrust. How could she not? It was that good right from the start. Her orgasm was right there already. That feeling starting to take residence deep inside her.

“Shhhh,” he soothed as he bent down, closing his mouth over hers, eating up the noises she was making.

Then his thumb was between them, pressing on her clit, not moving but still so darned good it all but took her breath away. Reece took her hard and fast. She could hear the slapping of his balls, the wet suction noises her body was making. Even their ragged breathing while they kissed seemed noisy. Locke might hear. She should be afraid at the thought. Tense even. She wasn’t. The thought of Locke finding out amplified everything she was feeling tenfold. When his thumb suddenly moved – rub, rub – she was a goner. Reece swallowed up her cries. He groaned softly, jerking into her. His other hand held her in place. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she was sure she could feel the hot spurts inside her. He jerked and grunted. She moaned, her eyes wide, her hands trying to find purchase on the wood.

Finally, he slowed down. Easing in and out until he stopped moving completely, letting her legs slide off of his shoulders but staying inside her. Reece pulled her close.

“Do you…do…” She licked her lips. Her mouth was dry. Her body was buzzing. “Do you think he heard?” she almost mouthed.

“I hope not.” He pulled back, looking into her eyes. “I don’t think so. We were quiet.”

She frowned. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Yes.” He grunted softly as he pulled out. “I wish I could take you to your squeaky bed and make some noise.”

“Me too.” She also wanted to talk to Reece. Get to know him better, since they were sleeping together. Again, maybe this was better than an in-depth conversation. She was curious about his past, though. There was far more to Reece than what met the eye.

He fetched her the towel that had been hanging over a chair, handing it to her. “You’ll need to wash that with soap in the morning. Don’t put it in the laundry with my seed all over it.” She had to half-read his lips.

“Okay.” She nodded.

Reece took the towel, placing it in a heap on the floor, then he picked her up and carried her to bed. He put her down gently. “I need to go. I left Zaire on his own.”

She nodded.

“I’ll see you soon?” He looked a little shy, which she found cute.

“Let’s hope we can get it right.” She shrugged.

“We’ll get it right.” He nipped at her earlobe. Hope bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from making any noise.

Reece stood up. He switched all the lights off before climbing out the window.

Hope pulled the covers over herself. She had this stupid smile on her face. That was the best sex she had ever had. Hands down. Reece was a really good lover. Nope! He wasn’t her lover. What they were doing was fucking, and it was amazing. She couldn’t wait for them to do it again. This was perfect. It was bliss. Pure bliss.

Her phone vibrated. Her smile grew wider. It was probably Reece sending her a— She stopped right there as she read the text. It wasn’t from Reece. It was from Lizzie.

Did you see any signs when Emmet was cheating on you?

Her heart sank.