Woods

My welcome-home for Della hadn't gone off in the way I had planned. I hadn't meant to take her in the foyer against the damn wall like a madman. But she'd been saying things that made me lose it. She wanted to be f**ked and my body wanted to give her what she was asking for.

That hadn't been the plan. But I'd needed it. I had needed to hear her say she was mine. The thought of Tripp riding that damn bike while sitting between her legs ate me alive. I hated it. I wanted to remind her who belonged between her legs. Only me.

The idea that she believed I could be with anyone else still blew my mind. If she didn't know how completely I loved her, then that was my fault. I had failed her. I would fix that.

After I dressed her I brought her into the dining room. Jimmy had brought the staff over and set up a table complete with a linen tablecloth, candlelight, and roses. He had also brought the meal. It was Della's favorite special that we offered at the club. I watched as she took in the room. I had an Erick Baker playlist playing low over the sound system. She shifted her gaze over to mine and smiled at me shyly.

"This is beautiful."

"You were coming home. I wanted it to be special." I didn't mean to f**k you against the wall before you could even completely get in the house. Although I didn't say it aloud, her blush made me think she knew what I was thinking.

She turned and then stopped. She had seen the picture. The one Bethy had taken of us at the beach one afternoon. We had been lost in each other and hadn't noticed that Bethy was taking our picture. I had been sitting on the sand and Della had been straddling me, facing me. Our gazes were locked, and even in the photograph you could see the way we felt. There was no question as to how much I adored her in that moment.

"You had it framed," Della said, staring at it. I walked over and turned the dimmer on the lights up so she could see it better.

"Yeah, I did."

"I love that picture," she said, glancing back at me.

"Me too."

She turned around and looked at me. "That girl in the photo was scared. Of her past and her future. She was scared to love you. That's not me. I'm not scared anymore. My past is what made me who I am. My future . . . as long as I get to spend it with you, then I can't wait to live it. I'm going to be okay, Woods. I'm not going to . . . snap. I have a lot to tell you."

I already knew but I wanted to hear her tell me. I wanted to know her thoughts. I knew she'd met with both her birth parents, and I wanted to hear all about that.

I walked over to her and reached out and took her hand. "I always knew you would be okay. I was with you. I would never leave you. I was here to be strong when you were weak."

"And I love you for that. But I want to be the strong one sometimes. I don't always want to be the weak one."

"I just want you. In whatever way I can have you. But I'm glad you're happy. I'm glad you feel strong. I want you to be happy with yourself. Because you make my life amazing."

She sniffled and then smiled. "We need to eat. I'm fighting the urge to force you to make love to me again or cry because that was so sweet."

I tugged her hand and brought her to my side. "Baby, if you want me inside you again you just crook your finger. This food can wait," I told her before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"I want you inside me again," she said.

I was at least getting her to my bedroom this time. I had plans in there.

I pulled her behind me to the bedroom and opened the door, then stood back and let her walk inside.

The room was filled with candles and the bed was covered in pink and red rose petals. Della gasped, then looked back at me and gave me a naughty grin. "I thought I was going to have to come in here and beat someone up because they were in your room. That's what I thought when I saw the candlelight in your bedroom window."

I chuckled and reached for her. "Mmm, as sexy as it sounds to see you go badass over me, I would never touch another woman. Much less bring one in here. This is our room."

Della leaned into me and sighed. "I think Braden and Tripp wanted me to think that you had another woman."

I smiled into her hair. "Yeah. I think they did too."

"I'm going to kick their asses. I was all ready to kick someone's ass because of them. It's only fitting I kick theirs."

I laughed, then picked her up and carried her over to the bed and laid her down on the bed of roses.

She was beautiful. "Take off your dress," I told her. She sat up and pulled it off. We hadn't bothered to put her panties and bra back on in the hallway. She was na**d and back where she belonged.

"Good girl. Now lie back and open your legs," I told her, and watched as she did exactly as I said.

My release from earlier was on her inner thighs. Her pu**y was wet and swollen from the rough loving we'd just had. I pulled my shirt off and took off my shorts before kneeling on the bed between her legs. I ran a finger down her silky heat and watched her body tremble.

"My come is still leaking out of you," I said as I rubbed it over her clit.

Her breath stuttered and she bucked beneath my touch.

"It's so f**king hot to see my release on you like this."

I dipped my finger inside her, then ran it down her thighs. The possessive monster inside of me roared to life. "I want to mark you," I said as I slipped my finger back inside her to coat it with more of our mixed come, then rubbed it on the top of her mound.

"Oh God, Woods. Please," she begged, and moved against my hand.

"My come looks so good on you." I was fascinated with it. Seeing it soak into her soft skin. Knowing it was a part of me.

"Then please put some more in me," she pleaded this time.

I rose up over her and teased her entrance with the head of my cock. She cried out and tried to get closer. I slowly sank into her until I was completely inside.

"You're my all-in, Della. I'll throw it all away for you. I just want you. I'm all in, baby. This life with you, I'm planning on us."

She ran her legs up mine and smiled up at me. "This is it. This is our start. Take me home, Woods."

I dropped my head to her shoulder and began moving inside of her while our breathing hitched and we gradually climbed to the pleasure we knew awaited us. The place we could only reach with each other.

"Now, Della. Come with me," I ordered when I felt myself ready to explode.

Her immediate strangled cry as she began clawing at my back sent me flying off into nirvana.