Banking on Him

Chapter 17 - Serena

I woke up feeling extremely self-conscious and found Reese staring at me. I smiled shyly. 

He chuckled softly, "Good nap?" 

I nodded, "What about you?"

"It was good when you weren't snoring." he joked. 

"I do not snore!" I sat up and hit him with a pillow. 

He put his hands up in surrender, "I hate to break it to you baby, but you do snore and it's extremely cute." 

I laughed, "Fair enough then." About that time, my stomach made it known that I was starving. 

Reese smiled, "Time to feed you!" he said as he scooped me up and headed out towards the kitchen, grabbing two t-shirts on his way out.

When we got out to the kitchen he deposited me onto the island and offered me one of the shirts. I took it graciously and covered up. I knew my nakedness would only lead to one thing and I was truly starving.

"Any requests for dinner?" Reese asked, turning to open the fridge. "I'm thinking barbecue chicken."

"That sounds amazing. How can I help?" I asked.

He returned to me with a bottle of wine. "You can help by doing nothing, except relax and look beautiful. I'll handle everything." He kissed my forehead and at that moment, I was glad I was sitting because I probably would have literally swooned. "Well, the relaxing part, I can do... It's the looking beautiful part I may need to work on." 

He chuckled softly, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked. 

"Put yourself down. You're someone who basically runs a bank and commands a boardroom on a daily basis, clearly, you don't lack confidence." 

I shrugged. "That's different. Besides, I've been swimming all day, I'm sure I'm a mess."

Reese took my face in his hands and tilted my head so I was looking him straight in the eyes before speaking. "You are the most beautiful, smart, and talented woman I've ever known. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise, okay?" 

All I could do was nod. No one had ever made me feel cherished like that. I never felt special. Sure, I was successful, but that was my brain. I spent most of my time in pants suits at the office, and that side of me intimidated most men. Reese had a way of peeling back my layers. 

"I feel like you're the only person who sees the real me," I whispered, almost not wanting to say it. 

He smiled, "Trust me, people see it, you just don't notice."

Without another word, he went back to preparing the chicken. He had left the bottle of wine on the counter next to me, so I took a glass and filled it almost completely full, lost in thought. He couldn't be right, could he?

We ate dinner out on the porch in comfortable silence, both basking in the day as we watched the sunset. After we cleared the dishes, Reese led me back out to the porch, stripped me out of his shirt and my panties, and laid me down on the chaise. He spent the rest of the evening exploring every inch of my body with his hands and mouth, driving me crazy with need. I came twice before flipping him over, straddling him, and giving him the same treatment.

Finally, he sank into me, filling me completely. We moved together, in no rush to finish. This wasn't fucking. We were making love. Reese's hands roamed over every inch of my body and when his fingers finally found my clit I screamed his name in an orgasm that made my toes curl and my vision go dark.

Afterward, we lay sated, cuddled together under the stars. Reese had retrieved a blanket from the living room and we were wrapped up in it and each other. "Serena?"

"Hmmm." I was almost too content for words. He sat up, bringing me with him. "Okay, sleepyhead. Let's get you to bed."

He picked me up and carried me to bed, tucking me in tight before curling up beside me. His warm body felt so good next time mine. This had been the most perfect day, and for a minute, right before I drifted off to sleep wrapped in the arms of such a perfect man, I let myself believe it was real and everything would work itself out. 

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Authors Notes: If you liked this chapter please, please vote! It truly means the world to me. And if you didn't like this chapter, please consider telling me why in a comment below. I would love to hear your opinions, good or bad!

Thanks so much for reading Reese and Serena's story. The rest is still unwritten...