Edge of Desire

Chapter 17

Avery

Maybe it was the darkness that made me so bold or maybe it was the setting. Perhaps it was seeing that word carved into his beautiful skin and loving him more for it. I’m not quite sure exactly what it was that made me tell him, but I’d been wanting to say it for a while. I’d known it since that day in the shower, when he told me we wouldn’t have sex until it was an emotional experience. It happened so fast. Maybe too fast. Who knows? But how could I stop those feelings? He was on my mind every waking moment.

I couldn’t see his expression, but his arms slid around me, then tightened and he rolled so I was on top of him. He kissed me deeply before I could even think. His lips caressed mine with care as his tongue slipped past them and explored every inch of my mouth. I loved the way Preston kissed. He was so precise about everything he did, but his kisses were deliciously slow and tantalizing. It wasn’t long before my body hummed with desire, desperate for his touch.

“Please tell me again,” he begged.

“I’m in love with you, Preston.”

“Once more.”

“I love you.”

He framed my face with his hands and said, “I’ve been hoping you’d say those words. I think I’ve loved you from the day you launched yourself at me at Caroline’s. It took everything I had to stay in control. When you made those sweet and sexy kitten sounds, I almost lost it.”

“Preston, about those kitty noises.”

“Hmm, I love those kitty noises.” He kissed me again.

“But that’s the weird thing. It’s never happened before.”

“You’re telling me that Avery-kitty is just for me?” he asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” I said in a breathy voice. I purred again because his hands lifted the hem of my shirt and were inching their way up my back. When his thumbs began to make those little circles I loved so much, my purrs transformed into blaring moans, surprising even Preston.

His mouth sought out mine again. My belly tightened with a need that was so profound, my hands tore at his sleeping bag in frenzied attempts to touch his skin. I wanted all of him beneath my exploring fingers. Only he captured my hands and raised them to his lips instead. Kissing each finger slowly, deliberately, he said, “There’s no rush. We have forever. I want to hold you in my arms and just hear you tell me again how you feel.”

My body burned with desire for this man, and he only wanted to hold me? “Preston, I want you. I’ve wanted you for the longest time.”

His eyes met mine for a moment and then he said, “Come with me.” He unzipped the tent, grabbed our sleeping bags and pads, and I followed him outside. He threw some more wood on the fire and got the flames leaping again. I spread the pads and bags down and he joined me a few minutes later.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“No, are you?”

He shook his head and pulled his shirt off, which spurred me on. I began with his chest, kissing him softly. My tongue circled his pierced nipples, and when they puckered as he moaned, my lust became unbearable. I wanted to touch every scar he had and so I did, with my tongue. It sketched several of them before his hands reached for me and pulled me closer.

“I’ve waited far too long for this,” he said as he put his hands on the hem of my shirt. Looking at me by the firelight, I could see he was searching for my approval.

“You don’t have to ask.”

“It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t. I want to make sure it’s what you want.”

“I’ve wanted you for longer than I can say. Now take my damn shirt off.”

“There’s just one thing first. You know I’m clean. Are you on any ...”

I knew what he was going to ask, so I interrupted him. “I’m healthy too and also on the pill. Now about my shirt. Will you please get this thing off?”

“Gladly.” He did and my bra followed. But then he just studied me, almost as if he had never seen me naked before. A long time passed, and he didn’t speak. Maybe he didn’t like what he saw. I stood there, exposed to him and was unsure of what to do, so I finally asked, “Is this okay? I mean am I ...” My finger motioned up and down my body.

His voice caught as he breathed, “You’re vastly superior to just okay. Exquisite in fact.” His hands reached for me and held my shoulders as he bent his head and kissed my neck. His tongue and lips burned a trail to the area below my jaw and it set my heart racing. I was lost in a sea of sensations, and before I realized it, I was lying on my back on the sleeping bag, with Preston on his side next to me. His fingers meandered up and down my torso, over my breasts, and across my chest to the dips above my collarbones. His tongue followed each of his fingers and I groaned with the pleasure he induced.

My hands suddenly developed a mind of their own for I grabbed his hip and tugged him closer to me. “Naked, Preston. I want you naked. Completely. Totally. Now.” He heard the desperate urgency in my voice. How did I know this? His mouth and hands left my body and he stripped. When I sat up to do the same, his hand halted my movements.

“Please don’t deny me this,” he begged.

I looked at him and, dear God, he was nothing less than magnificent. The sheer sight of him stole my breath and turned my blood into liquid fire, leaving me burning with lust. I wanted to carve him into my memory, so I would have this sight to cherish forever. Before I could stop myself, I told him so. “You are so beautiful. I want to, no, I need to touch you.”

Giving me the oddest look, he stopped and stared at me, like maybe he didn’t get what I was saying.

“I’m not kidding. Take off my pants now, so I can move.”

He nodded and did as I told him. When I was naked, I rose to my knees in front of him and looked at him. “May I?”

“Yes.” One simple word and I almost melted into a puddle. My hands reached for his hips first. There were several tattoos that begged for attention. But the main ones were on his back. I wasn’t sure if I would get there tonight, but someday I would revel in paying homage to them. I sat back on my heels as my hands gently ranged over his glorious body. There was one thing I learned with certainty. I would never tire of admiring, touching, or kissing every inch of Preston.

“Avery, I believe it’s my turn.”

“But I’m not done yet. There’s just one last thing,” I mumbled. My mouth had ventured across his luscious V, and as I reached that fine dusting of hair that led straight to my destination, my mouth wrapped around him, and I finally tasted heaven. He gasped as I licked and teased him, stroking him with my hand, mouth, and tongue.

“Sweet heaven you have to stop.” The steel in his voice grabbed my attention.

“Why?”

“Because this is our first night together and I want it to be all about you.” He was hiding something, but I didn’t care at that moment.

“I didn’t know there were any rules to this.”

“No rules. But for you, I want to give you the heavens,” he explained as he pulled me up to join him.

“But, Preston, you just were.”

“Kiss me. I need your mouth on mine,” he said raggedly.

There was such desperation in his request, I complied, knowing it was what he needed. It seemed he was more into giving than receiving. But one day, I would give him this just so he could see how much pleasure it gave me.

This kiss was much different from the last. The urgency in him was greater as he took over my mouth. His tongue plunged past all barriers and moved with a heat unlike the Preston I had known before. My breath was ragged as I matched him stroke for stroke. His arms encircled me and lifted me up, molding my body to his. “Now it’s my turn.”

Naked, lying on my back, under the sparkling stars with Preston kissing every inch of me was the sexiest thing I’d ever experienced. His hand brushed across my breast, tweaking my nipple and then his mouth followed, sucking on it hard. The purrs had ceased to exist and were replaced with groans that the entire state could hear.

“Give me your hand,” he demanded huskily.

I did as he asked, and he took one of my fingers, put his lips around it, and sucked on it without mercy. My body tightened in response. He moved to my other breast and repeated his sweet torture. My whole body clenched with need, and I trembled from the force of it.

“Preston, now.”

“Not yet.”

His body slid further down, and his hands massaged the insides of my thighs as his mouth worked magic on secret places around my hip bones. His tongue roamed my body until it joined his hands, and he nipped at the sensitive flesh of my inner thighs. I shivered again, sure I was going to internally combust. I labored for breath, but it was nothing compared to what I was getting ready to experience.

Preston’s tongue landed on my clit and I moaned, not because I climaxed, but with the shock of sensation. Heat, a wave of burning heat hit me and roared through my veins, centering on my core as he circled and teased me with his tongue. Around and around, back and forth he moved, until he slipped one long finger inside and began a synchronized rhythm with his tongue. Moments later I cried out as the force of my orgasm crashed into me.

“You are absolutely exquisite.”

Still speechless and huffing from the ecstasy I had just experienced, I pulled his arms, indicating I wanted him to come to me. He understood and kissed me, hesitatingly at first. I didn’t understand initially, but then I realized he was simply giving me time to breathe. I didn’t want time. Who needed to breathe? Oxygen was overrated. I wanted Preston. All of him and told him so.

“I need you so badly, but I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“I’m a little nervous,” I confessed.

He drew back, touching my face. “Why? Was it something I did?”

“No! God no! You’re great, wonderful in fact. It’s just that it’s been quite a while since I’ve done this, so I may be a bit out of practice.”

“We don’t have to do this, you know. We can wait, or we can try and stop if you don’t want to continue. Just say the word.”

I held his face in the palms of my hands and told him, “I love you. I want you. I’ve wanted you for so damn long and dreamed about this moment forever. We’re not waiting. I only wanted you to know that we may need to go a bit slow is all.” Then I kissed him, took his bottom lip into my mouth, and sucked on it right before I gently bit it.

He slowly moved against me, sliding up and down along my slit with his tip as he rubbed himself against my sex. Then he’d back away and start again. I clutched his hips and pulled him against me. “Now. Now, Preston.”

He pushed into me a bit and then retreated but was back again before I could cry out my disappointment. The next time he went a bit deeper, repeating this ritual until he eventually was fully seated inside of me, caressing me deeply, filling and stretching me wide.

“Oh, baby, you feel so sweet, so damn good.”

Pulling my legs up higher he moved to a slow rhythm, and I matched him, holding his hips tightly to me as the sensations deepened.

“Is this all right?” he asked, straining above me. His eyes drilled into mine and I’d never felt closer to anyone in my life. There was something so emotionally touching about having him so deep within me and looking into each other’s eyes.

“P-perfect,” I stuttered, as my mouth sought his.

He pulled almost all the way out again and I cried out at the loss, but he was back again, this time with more force than the last.

“Still okay?” he asked.

This time I could only nod as my eyes were locked on his. Seeing the firelight reflected in their depths made them look so soft and heated that a million stars could’ve fallen right next to us, and I wouldn’t have torn my eyes away.

“I’ll remember the way you look, just like this, under the starry sky, naked and beautiful, for the rest of my life. I love you, Avery.” My heart melted with his words.

Then he slipped his hand beneath me and cupped my hip, pulling me closer to him, so he could make better contact with that seriously sensitive spot of mine.

“Yes?”

“Oh, yeah.”

It was better than just yes. It was amazing as he thrust himself back into me filling me deeply, over and over, and my body clenched in response. The sensations built again, a collision of a billion nerve endings brilliantly communicating together to create something extraordinary.

My eyes were lost in the wonder of Preston’s as he observed me. My hand clenched the sleeping bag as the grips of euphoria captured me. His hand took mine as he entwined our fingers together. My heart battered my ribs and the stars above me brightened as my orgasm consumed me. His mouth was on mine breathing with me as he found his own climax. My body pulsated around him as we stared at each other until our orgasms faded away.

He brushed the hair off my face and kissed me over and over again. “I never thought it would be this great. I mean I knew it would be awesome, but, Avery, this was so much more than I ever expected.”

“It certainly was. I’m so happy you decided on waiting for this. It was incredible.”

“Incredibly special.”

I threaded my fingers in his hair and kissed him tenderly. “I only have one word for what just happened.”

“What might that be?”

“Wow!”

“Wow, huh?”

“Yeah, wow. Or maybe mind-blowing.” I kissed him again.

He chuckled softly as I began to hungrily nip at his neck.

“I would agree with the mind-blowing. Totally.”

“Except I am a little disappointed in you,” I confessed as I traced circles on his palm.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Yep. You made me quit.”

“Quit?”

“You know. In the beginning when I had you in my mouth,” I teased.

“Oh. That.” Then he tensed up and got super quiet. I’d obviously hit a nerve, but I always thought that was something guys just adored. “Preston, is there something I need to know, because if so, you can tell me.” My hand stroked his cheek, trying to assure him it was okay.

“Yeah, you definitely need to know this. That’s a problem for me.”

“You mean you don’t like it?”

“No, I liked what you were doing. But ...” His body tensed up again. Things started adding up in my head. Prison, rape, I was cluing in as the light bulb flickered on.

“Hey, it’s okay. We don’t have to talk about this now. I’m sorry I even brought it up. I should’ve thought about it further.”

“You need to hear it, Avery,” he murmured.

“You know, you’re right. I do. And one day I will. But not tonight. I want this night to be about us and happy times and looking forward, not back to the past.”

“This is exactly why I love you so much.” What started out as a sweet kiss, quickly turned steamy as he flipped me on top of him. I felt him harden beneath me. I giggled as he continued to kiss me. When he pulled away, he asked, “Is there something funny?”

“Yeah, I think something feels a little left out and is begging for a bit of attention.”

“Hmm, I think so too.” He raised himself up and asked, “How about wrap your legs around me?”

I was more than willing to comply. He leaned me back and teased my nipples. It took me by surprise when he lightly nipped them. My gasps resurfaced. Before long, I cried out for more. “Preston, more.”

“It’s nice to hear you cry out my name.” He started traced intricate patterns all over my neck with his lips and tongue and brought his hand down between us. With a slight shift, he slid into me.

“You’re so tight and wet around me.”

I couldn’t answer right then, because I was lost in the feeling of him. I was shocked when he suddenly stopped moving. He sat up and brought me closer to him, making sure my legs were wrapped tightly around his waist. I felt him seated deep inside of me then.

“Don’t move, baby. Let me do all the work. If you don’t like this, let me know.”

How could I not like this?

He moved his hips in a very subtle way, rotating them slightly. He touched me, deep inside and it filled me with a different but extraordinary sensation. It built, slowly at first, until the beginnings of another orgasm tore into me. Then he followed me right afterward.

“What the hell was that?” I asked him. “How did you do that?”

“It’s a secret,” is all he said with a half-lidded grin.

“Seriously, Preston. I want to know.”

“I’ll tell you, but not tonight. We need to move into the tent, because the dew is starting to fall, and our gear will be wet if we don’t.”

I was sad. I mean, how could I not be? It had been so fabulous to make love to him under the stars like that. Not to mention, he was the best lover I’d ever been with. Ever.