Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Hutch pulls back from our kiss to yank off his shirt and slip off his jeans, then he undresses me slowly, kissing and caressing me everywhere with his attentive, sensual touch so that I’m blissfully lost in a cloud of lust and sweet hunger, the kind I have every faith he’ll satisfy.
His confession rattles around in my mind. He’s never brought his women to this room? I’m the first? I want to believe it means something, but it’s also a reminder that he’s never tried to make something last. Why should I pretend that doesn’t scare the shit out of me?
He kisses down my belly, that skilled tongue flicking dangerously lower, until he’s between my thighs. A tremor rattles down my body in anticipation. One soft, wet caress of his skilled tongue draws a whimper from my lips. He starts slow, lavishing me with tenderness and such focus, like pleasing me is the most important thing in the world. Gently, he urges my thighs open and strokes me with the pad of his fingers.
“So soft, sweetheart.” He traces down and gently thrusts a finger to where I’m cramped tight with need. “You’re aching for me inside, aren’t you? Even after I filled you up so good already.”
“Yes,” I groan. Especially so. Like I told him…too fast. That quick taste awakened all my cravings, like a tease.
He adds another finger and slowly thrusts while his tongue starts to drive me insane. My thighs quiver and my breaths turn sharp. His slow, seductive pace only seems to make the ache burn hotter, harder. He grasps the top of my thigh, pinning me in place while he glides and thrusts. His tongue is relentless, slick and hot and firm.
He groans, the vibrations tingling through me. The pleasure is intense, exquisite, right on the edge of what I can handle. I reach out for him, my fingers snagging a fist of his hair. I hold on tight as the tension inside me snaps. The first hit of pleasure rips through me. I cry out, completely consumed. Hutch keeps going, blasting the rest of my inhibitions to bits, drawing a series of lusty cries from my lips. I’m flying, higher and higher, the climax like a cresting wave of pure, sweet freedom. When finally, the wave breaks, I collapse into the covers, panting.
He releases a languid, sexy “Mmm” that tickles my heartstrings. It’s the kind of purr that signals satisfaction. Delight. A longing tightens inside me for more.
Slowly, he kisses up, then rests his cheek on my belly while caressing my thigh like he’s completely content to hold me and touch me while the final notes of pleasure rings through my body.
Gently, I comb through his thick hair. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
He chuckles. “Fuck no.” He props his chin on his fist to gaze up at me. “I might have to return the favor, though.”
The hollow between my thighs gives a fluttery throb. “You’d have to get me on my knees first.” I arch my eyebrow and stare him down.
His eyes flash with the challenge I’ve just presented. “I bet I can get you begging for it.”
I laugh. “I don’t beg, Hutchins. No man is that good.” Though I don’t think it would take much to convince me that he is, in fact, exactly that good .
His mouth opens in shock, making me laugh harder. He jabs my side, right where I’m ticklish, making me squirm. Hutch rises on his knees to attack me with more tickles.
“Then I guess I’ll have to prove you wrong,” he says.
A thrill burns through me but I focus on deflecting his assault, squirming and flailing my arms. When I try to roll away, he grabs me around the middle and dives in behind me, hugging me to his chest with his muscular arms. He sucks my earlobe into his mouth and growls. Against me, he’s so firm and warm and hard, every muscle honed and fit and powerful.
My pulse throbs lower, making me want him again.
I run my palm from his hip down his thigh, needing to feel the way his body is molded to mine to make sure this is all real. Though he’s still in his briefs, his erection trapped between us is thick and firm against me, weakening my resolve to make him work for his goal. I arch my back to get him closer.
He sweeps my hair up and away from my neck, his fingers combing through the strands with just enough intensity to make my scalp tingle. My thighs clench before I realize it’s happening, and he gives me an appreciative hum, like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
His kisses behind my ear send heat prickles down my spine. I slip my fingers between his thighs and caress under the fabric of his briefs. He’s so warm and smooth here. If I didn’t think it would make his already big head even bigger, I could spend hours touching him, exploring.
“Nuh uh,” Hutch scolds, guiding my hand to the upper corner of the bed, then caressing down the underside of my arm to my breasts. “You need a reminder to keep those hands where I put them?”
“You’re not tying me up,” I say, flashing him a stern glance. A fluttery chill is rising up my chest. It’s a warning, but it makes no…
He grins. “Scared you’ll like it, Greely?”
The flicker of memory hits my brain too fast. I close my eyes to shut it out but not before I’m back in my apartment with the man in the black ski mask hovering over me.
Hutch stops. “Whoa, Ava, what’s wrong?”
I open my eyes. “Nothing.”
He pushes up on one arm and rolls me to my back, his eyes troubled. “Sweetheart, talk to me.”
I force a slow breath to calm my pounding heart. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t even know what it is, or…why it’s happening.”
His compassionate look could kill me if I let it. “Someone hurt you?”
“No.”
“You went somewhere. I saw it.” He takes my hand and kisses the back of it, his thick lashes fluttering closed as he releases a slow sigh. “This is about the break-in, isn’t it?”
I blink at the ceiling. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”
He strokes my forehead, his touch soft and caring. “Okay.”
“It was so long ago.” I release a frustrated sigh. “I never think about it.”
His eyes narrow. “Except just now. Did I do something? Or is there something I need to do to make you more comfortable?”
I cradle the side of his face and force the emotions building up beneath my ribs to settle. “You’re doing everything right,” I say.
“I need to know you’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” I assure him.
“Can we cuddle for a while?”
I shoot him a look. “You cuddle?”
“I’m a fucking awesome cuddler.”
I laugh, and to my relief, he smiles. Once the covers are flipped open, Hutch gets us underneath then pulls me to his chest and holds me.
“When you said nobody’s been here, where do you usually, you know…?” I ask to get my mind away from what just happened. There’s no reason I should have reacted that way. The man who br oke into my apartment only scared me. He didn’t hurt me. The whole encounter was over in a flash.
“Do you want a list?” Hutch replies, snapping me back to the conversation and the warmth of his body all around me.
“Definitely not.”
He gently combs back my hair. “Remember that truck I drove in high school?”
I groan. “I used to ride in that truck.”
“I had blankets in the back.”
“Whew.” I wrap my arm around his chest and sigh. “What about the barn?”
“Barns in general or mine?”
“Never mind.”
“I’ve never brought a girl home.” He gives a shrug, like the thought never crossed his mind.
I should brush this off, too. But the idea that I’m somehow special to him is weaving through me, making me feel things I shouldn’t.
He caresses my back in slow, lazy strokes. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, when it happened.”
I shift my body so I’m draped on top of him, and release a full breath, letting the last of the memories from that night melt into his chest. “You’re here for me now.”
He cups my ass and gives a little thrust of his hips as he urges me closer. “Damn right, sweetheart. I’m here for as long as you can take it.”
I laugh. “I’m not the limiting factor here.”
Hutch peers down to the place where his erection is trapped against my belly. “Hear that, big guy? We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
As if in response, his cock gives an urgent throb that sends a shiver across my skin. The knot of need tightens in my core, making my pulse flutter between my thighs.
Am I ever going to get enough of him?
Hutch lifts my chin and plants a soft kiss on my lips, like he’s in no hurry at all. Of all the things I love about him, this ability to never be in a rush with me is at the top. With a sigh, I kiss him back, letting my desire unfurl inside me. I climb higher up his body, my knees at his sides. In one motion, he rises to sitting with his back against the headboard, and draws the covers around me. We kiss again, and a tremor rattles low in my belly. I rock against him, wanting more friction, more connection. Our kisses turn heated, his tongue so sensual and his mouth hungry, like this is just a warm-up for the many ways he’s going to make me lose my mind tonight.
He caresses up my stomach to my breasts, scissoring where I’m sensitive, cradling me with such tenderness as we kiss. With a groan, he lowers to stroke and tease me with his mouth, again with that slow, unhurried pace that seems to be my undoing. I rock against him, desperate to satisfy the ache coiling tighter inside me.
My body starts to buzz and everything beyond his touch falls away. The heat between us and the quickening of our breaths makes me feel like we’re in our own little world. A beautiful, sweet world where the obstacles keeping us apart can’t find us.
Hutch slides his briefs down and reaches for a condom. While he deals with the packaging, I stroke him, my fist brushing my skin in the process, spinning my desire even tighter. Then he cups my thighs and guides me to him. I give a little whimper because he’s suddenly right there and so full and ready for me that the anticipation is delicious. Like that moment the roller coaster crests before plunging over the drop.
“Nice and slow this time.” He draws me to him for a kiss as I lower down.
The pressure and stretch of him inside me is exquisite, and slow like this it’s close to torture. With a groan, he thrusts that final inch, satisfying a deep and desperate craving.
“You take my cock so good,” he says in that sexy purr. “Like you were fucking made for me, sweetheart. ”
I close my eyes and kiss him because I can’t let these words get any further into my heart.
He rubs me gently up and down with his thumb in rhythm with our pace, making it nearly impossible to resist the urge to move faster, harder. I will myself to keep my wits about me because no man gets to break me so easily.
He teases my breasts with his skilled tongue and the edge of his teeth, drawing another whimper from my lips. His wet mouth is like silk where I’m practically on fire that I arch to him and rock my hips to get more of him everywhere.
“That’s it,” he praises, caressing my nipple with just the right amount of pressure.
Everything burns so hot inside me—my cravings and desires and the fragile emotions I’ve held in my heart for so long for this man—that the pleasure feels raw and powerful, like it could swallow me whole.
“Hutch!” I cry because I’m a little scared that it’s more than I know how to handle.
“I got you, Greely,” Hutch coos in my ear, his thumb fluttering exactly where I need it. “Let it all go.”
I suck in a breath as the knot loosens and the spinning top that is my heart flies free. I bury my face in the crook of his neck as my cries fill the room and the pleasure rocks through me, big and so incredibly sweet.
“Fuck,” Hutch says on a groan as I come down. He grips my waist, guiding me faster. “You feel incredible.”
I hold on, my lips pressed to the place behind his ear, savoring the hint of salt on his skin and the firm rhythm of his breaths as he comes, pulsing hard inside me.
Breathing fast, I go limp against him. He holds me gently, caressing my back in soft, little strokes. Then he cradles my face and kisses me. The press of his lips is tender and caring, and it’s such a sweet way to end this night that I smile.
Gently, he eases me up, then spins away for the bathroom, giving me a chance to admire his muscular back and tight butt. Back in high school, I used to sneak looks at him in his football uniform. Half the reason I volunteered to help the sports medicine team was to see him in action because there is nothing more perfect than Hutch’s ass in tight pants.
At the doorway of the bathroom, Hutch glances over his shoulder, like he knows what I’m up to, and grins.
I throw a pillow at him, but he ducks into the bathroom, laughing.
From outside in the driveway, two car doors slam. The realization of how underdressed I am for whoever is here hits me like a bucket of ice water.
I’m out of bed in an instant, gathering my clothes.
Hutch must hear it, too, because he hurries from the bathroom. “It’s too early to be Beth,” he says, jumping into his briefs and jeans.
“Could your mom have gotten discharged early?” I ask, pulling on my shirt. Where are my panties?
“Doubt it.” Hutch tugs on his shirt and tucks it in, then whips on his belt and fastens it. “You’re not going anywhere.”
I frown at his stern tone. “Of course I am. Home.”
The lilt of cheerful conversation and footsteps on the stoop draw Hutch’s attention, and with one last scowl in my direction, he lopes off for the front door.
It opens to the sound of Toby’s claws on the hardwood floor and a voice I recognize—Thea, Hutch’s middle sister.
“Hey!” Hutch says, his tone a mix of surprise and alarm.
Shit . Hutch’s room exits into a hallway that’s partially visible from the front entryway. I could try to sneak left and down the end of the hall to Louisa’s room, but then what? Crawl out her window?
With a gulp of air for bravery, I slip into the hallway. Better to make my exit now, before it gets any more awkward.
Thea has her back partially to me. Standing with her is a tall, athletic guy, all chiseled jaw and quick gray eyes. He’s petting a frantic Toby, so I’m in his line of sight, and for an instant, our eyes lock. Slowly, he cocks his head, and it dawns on him—likely thanks to the mortification written all over my face, or maybe it’s my messy hair and bare feet—what activity Hutch and I were just engaged in. A glimmer of a smile plays across his face but I press my index finger to my lips. He gives me a subtle nod and a wink.
I don’t even know this kid and now I’m going to owe him a favor. Shit!
“This is Dylan,” Thea says as I step into the light.
Hutch and Dylan shake, but it’s easy to tell the grip each has could crush a small car.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Dylan says.
Thea’s eyes brighten in surprise when she sees me. “Hey, Ava!”
Thanks to the commotion in the entryway, maybe she didn’t see me come out of Hutch’s room. Thea pulls me into a soft hug. “Mom says you’ve been helping out. Thank you.”
“I’ve enjoyed it,” I say. “I’m getting lots of time in the saddle.”
Dylan makes a sound like a chuckle, but at my look of death, he coughs into his hand. “Sorry, throat’s a little dry.”
They migrate into the kitchen, giving me the opportunity to dash for the door. As I’m slipping on my boots, Hutch comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle and burying his face in my hair.
“I don’t want you to go,” he says in a low tone that makes my toes curl.
“Yeah, how would that work? You and Thea need to catch up,” I say.
“What if I make you stay?” he teases, licking the back of my ear.
Resisting him is going to kill me, but leaving is the smart choice. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“When? You wanna come over for breakfast?”
I risk a look toward him because he’s kidding, right? “I’ll be here for chores.”
“Okay. But no avoiding me.”
I groan. Of course he knew. “Okay. ”
“I’m walking you out.” He releases me and steps into his boots while swinging the door open.
Outside, the night air carries a hint of the day’s warmth. A sign of the summer to come. Gazing up at the stars brings back that night six years ago. Will things fall apart between me and Hutch again, now that this night is ending the same way?
He slips his hand into mine as we cross the gravel to my car. I wrap my fingers around his palm and sigh. Holding hands with Hutch has always been one of my favorite things.
“Text me when you get home,” he says.
I give him a sideways glance beneath my lashes. “What if I feel like going out? The night’s young.”
The muscles in his jaw go tense. “This is why you should be staying with me. I won’t be able to sleep until I know you’re safe.”
He’s taking this protective thing awfully far. “I’m heading home.”
He heaves a sigh of relief. At my car, he leans down to kiss me. It starts as a simple goodbye, the embrace of his lips soft and sweet, but I can’t seem to pull away. I grip his waist to steady me as his tongue flicks with mine. It makes me miss the way our bodies moved together, the warmth we created and the way he made me feel.
A blast of light from a car rumbling down the driveway startles me apart, but Hutch holds my gaze a moment longer. “Drive safe.”
“I will.”
Beth pulls to a stop on the opposite side of the driveway as Hutch opens my door. As I settle behind the wheel, I catch the wounded look on Beth’s face, caught in the glow coming from the porch, before she turns away.
It’s a harsh but very real reminder that Hutch and I are playing with fire.