28. Ethan
CHAPTER 28
Ethan
The casserole is cooling on the counter, and all the dishes are put away in their designated places. The chaos of cooking is now contained, like a painter’s studio after a masterpiece is finished.
“Are you saying I can call you my girlfriend?”
“Jesus Christ. You’re exhausting.”
“Yeah, but you like it when I wear you out.” I notice how she shivers at my words and touch.
“We’re not doing the girlfriend/boyfriend thing. It’s juvenile. And despite your age, this is anything but juvenile.”
I’m going to ignore that comment about my age. “What can I call you?”
“I’m yours. Does it need a title?”
“How is that going to work? ‘Hi, Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Bridget. She’s mine.’”
Her head falls back, a throaty laugh bubbling out of her. “Fuck no. That’s ridiculous. It sounds like you’re a dog pissing all over his property. Claiming me in the bedroom with a ‘mine’ is one thing. Saying it out loud to another adult sounds ludicrous.”
“C’mon, Bridge, just say you’ll be my girlfriend.”
Immediately, her body tenses.
“I told you not to call me that.”
“I’m sorry, I forgot about that. What is it about that nickname that shuts you down like this?” I reach down and tilt her chin up with my finger. Pushing the hair out of her face, I tenderly kiss her forehead, letting her know that she can trust me with all her broken pieces.
“I dated someone who called me that. That name reminds me of him, and I don’t want to think about him or who I was back then.”
“Can I ask what happened?” She shifts uncomfortably. My hands slide up to cup her cheeks, and I look into her eyes, deciding to take a different approach. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but you’re amazing, you know that?”
The look in her eyes breaks me. I’ve never seen this woman cry, and I swear she’s as close as she gets to it right now. “You’ve been so patient with me.” I give her a moment to collect herself, knowing that this is important for her to get through.
“I haven’t spoken his name in years. I fell in love with the boy I gave my virginity to in high school. He cheated on me, and the worst part is how I found out, from whispers in the hallway, people staring at me as I walked to class, and rumors circulating throughout the whole school. It was humiliating. I know why he chose her over me. I don’t blame him for that. No one ever chooses me. But I couldn’t stay there, so I transferred schools, and I vowed not to let relationships distract me from the goals I wanted to accomplish. He made me feel worthless, so I spent my life proving my value and I never wanted to let anyone in, only to have them strip me of my worth again.”
“Is he the reason for all these walls?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m sorry that my words reminded you of that pain. I won’t call you that again.” I kiss the top of her head as my arms encircle her. She clings to me, and that embrace gives me life. Having this strong woman lean on me and share her pain with me, it’s everything. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“I know you don’t trust easily, and it means everything to me that you trust me with your pain. Your heartache. Your broken pieces don’t scare me, and I’ll collect them all if you allow me into your heart, because I know your worth. You’re priceless, worth more to me than the most precious gemstone, and I promise I’ll take better care of your heart than any man could.”
“What makes you think that?” I see a hint of a smile curl on her lips. There she is. My feisty queen.
“Because I’ve already tamed the most carnal part of you. Now I want the rest of you. I want to be your calm in the storm, like you are for me. You’re my shelter, my safe place, my home.”
“Are you sure you’re only twenty-two? You’re wiser than most people I know who are twice your age.”
“Keep deflecting with humor, and your ass will be sore tomorrow.” I think about turning her cheeks pink with my hand. My cock twitches at the images it conjures in my head.
Her hands move down my back and grip my ass. “Is that a promise?”
“It is, sweetheart.”
“How do you do that? How do you get me to open up? You make me feel things I’ve never felt with anyone before, and I can’t wrap my head around it. You’re so young. I shouldn’t want you like this. I’m old enough to?—”
“Fuck that noise. Seriously, fuck whoever told you that. I don’t care how old you are. This thing between us is real. What I feel for you is real. Okay?”
“I think that I might...” she trails off, and my heart leaps out of my chest. We stand there holding each other for several minutes. Her mouth opens and shuts multiple times as if she’s struggling to find the right words for her confession.
“You might what?”
Be cool, man. Don’t push her too hard on this. Several beats of silence pass between us, and it feels like an eternity as I wait for her confession. Her words linger in the silence between us. I cup her cheeks and stare into her eyes, silently urging her to continue. Letting her know with my eyes that she’s safe.
“I… I think…” I wait several heartbeats to see if she’ll finish her thought.
When it’s clear she won’t continue, I ask, “Do you want to know what I think?”
“What?” I see the brief look of relief in her eyes. This is hard for her.
“I think I’m in deeper than you realize. No, I know I am. Every day, I fall for you more and more. With each piece of you that you share with me, my attraction grows, my affection magnifies, and my intention intensifies.”
I gauge her reaction to my words. She isn’t pulling away. She isn’t running. She’s standing in front of me, arms around my neck, clinging to me and my words.
“And what are your intentions?”
“To love you more than any man has before. To treat you like a queen and fuck you like the hellcat you are. To help you as you heal, as you grow. To be here when you need me and respect your space when you need distance. I’m not going anywhere. And it’s okay if you aren’t there yet. I’ll be here when you’re ready. I’ll stand in front of you and protect you while fighting your battles. I’ll follow behind you as you kick ass and take names, providing you with the backup you deserve but will refuse.”
She laughs as a tear streaks down her cheek. I move my thumb to swipe it. “Don’t mind that,” she says, tilting her eyes to my tear-soaked thumb. “It’s just the abundance of strength my eyes can no longer contain.”
I kiss her cheek softly. “I love your strength. And I’ll stand beside you as a partner, as your equal, because I fucking love you, Bridget. You’re my partner. In crime. In life. In peace. And I need you to know that.”
More tears spill over her lashes, her blue eyes becoming more vibrant as my palms cup her cheeks.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone or anything more beautiful than you are right now, your strength leaking all over my fingers, your eyes so blue and full of hope. You’re exquisite, and I’ll happily call you mine. Or whatever you allow me.”
“I don’t know when or how you got in. But you’re here.” She moves my hand from her cheek to cover her heart, which is beating wildly in her chest. “In my heart. I know you think I’m not there yet, and while it may have taken me longer to get here, I promise you I’m with you. While my speech may not be as good as yours, I fucking love you too, Ethan.”
I cannot kiss her fast enough. Our mouths crash together, a frenzy of lips, teeth, and tongues. She nips on my lower lip, knowing what it does to me as I scoop her in my arms bridal-style and take her back to our bedroom.
“Now be my good girl, hellcat, and strip down,” I command as I set her down next to the bed. “I want to worship my queen.”
She stands and slowly removes her clothes, teasing me with the pace as she walks to the other side of the bed. I tear off my clothes and wait for her to approach me. The physical distance between us is torture now that I’ve finally bridged the gap in her emotional distance. “Get on your hands and knees and crawl to me,” I order as I follow the jiggle of her tits as she moves toward me on the bed. She stops at the edge and sits back on her knees, looking up at me as if waiting for further instruction.
The thought that I can tame this hellcat, that only I can provide her with the kind of pleasure she needs, awakens something inside of me.
“Lie back and show me that beautiful cunt,” I demand as I follow her movements. She lowers herself to the bed and spreads her legs. Her juices drip down her pussy as I pull her ass closer and drop to my knees.
“This.” I lick up the center of her pussy and swirl my tongue around her clit before grazing it with my teeth and thrusting my finger in to stroke her G-spot. “Is mine.”
“Yours.” Her voice is raspy.
Yanking her up to sit, my hand covers her heart. “This is mine too,” I promise, my tone brooking no argument as I move my thumb to her clit, my finger still slowly pumping in and out of her.
She nods as her breathing picks up, her chest rising and falling with each breath.
“I need to hear you say it, sweetheart.”
“My heart is yours. All of it. Only yours,” she says on a shaky breath.
My hand clasps her neck as I pull her mouth to mine. “This is mine.” I let my words sink in as I kiss different parts of her body and whisper, “Mine.” Her neck, jaw, ear, shoulder, breasts. I move down her arms, her stomach, and legs.
The whole time I whisper my claim over her, my hand continues working her perfect cunt. I can tell the moment she’s close when her back arches off the bed, and her moaning grows louder and higher in pitch. “Every inch of this beautiful body is mine.”
“Oh fuck, fuck, Ethan, yes, yours, fuck,” she moans as she coats my hand, the rush of slickness making my cock harden further.
Removing my hand from her heat, I suck my fingers into my mouth as I savor the taste of them. “Perfect,” I groan as her eyes follow my every movement.
Her body is pliant as I stand between her legs and pull her against me.
“I can’t get enough of you.” I pick her up, her legs wrapping around my waist as I turn and sit, my cock nestled against her heat as her legs tighten around me. We sit there clinging to each other, our eyes locked.
With one arm around her waist, the other grabs her neck, pulling her lips to mine. This kiss is sensual and consuming. It isn’t urgent or frantic. With each thrust of her tongue against mine, I can feel her walls falling. Her hands are grasping at my neck. My face. Down my back. It’s as though she can’t get me close enough.
Unlike every other time we are together, there’s nothing rushed about our movements. Something has shifted, and we both can feel it. This is different. This is real.
Her soft, wet center grinds against my hard cock. I love the way her soft parts meet my hard, like we were made for each other.
With each kiss and squeeze of her hand on my body, she’s making a promise to me without words. She may have finally made the verbal declaration, but her body has been telling me she loves me for weeks. Maybe longer.
She breaks the kiss, her lips brushing mine as she whispers, “I need you.” Her grinding gets faster as I pull a nipple into my mouth, my hands on her ass guiding her movement. The warm palm of her hand connects with my cock as she guides it into her pussy, easing onto my length.
“Fuuuck,” I groan against her as the feel of her pussy envelops my senses. Nothing else exists but the feel of her in my arms, her cunt swallowing my cock. After a few moments of bliss, I pull away from her mouth. “Condom?”
“I started the pill again. I stopped after surgery. Wanted to feel you bare against me. I don’t want anything in between us anymore,” she stutters out as my thrusts punctuate her words.
“Fuck yeah,” I rasp as I pound into her tight heat while her hips make slow, steady circles, her clit rubbing against my pelvis.
Nothing has ever felt more perfect than this moment, making love to this flawless fucking woman. I burn the image of her body bouncing in my lap into my brain. The way she smells of berries and vanilla. Her little perfect gasps each time my cock hits that spot deep inside her. The curves of her breasts, as they press against my chest, feel so soft, the warmth of her skin heating mine. Pressing my lips to hers, her tongue dances against mine as the sweet taste of her devours my senses. I never want to forget this night for the rest of my life.
“Made for me,” I whisper against her lips.
Our rhythm is steady and sensual as my climax builds quickly, surprising me. “Fuck, you feel so good. I’m not going to last,” I grit out, my hand moving between us to find her clit. I need her to come with me.
“I’m close… oh fuck… right there. Yes!” After a few more thrusts while pinching her clit, her arms clasp tighter around my neck as she chants, “Ethan, fuck, fuck, fuck.”
A guttural roar escapes my throat as I come inside her. My cock swells as hot spurts of cum fill her wet heat. I collapse back on the bed with her body pressed against mine, my cock still inside her. After our breathing evens out, she slides off to one side, a leg still slung over me.
“Do you think, one day, you’ll let me claim you here?” I ask, curious to see how much of herself she’s willing to give, as my hand slides up her ass cheeks.
“I don’t know,” she says. “Your dick is big?—”
“Can’t hear that enough.” I grin, chuckling, the movement from my chest jiggling her tits against me.
“I enjoyed your finger there before, and that time you ate me out while I sucked you off… Fuck, your tongue was everywhere. That felt good?—”
“Shit, you’re making me hard again,” I warn as I grip her thigh.
“Down, boy.” I grind my length against the thigh draped over it. “But your finger is not a dick, so maybe that’s something we work up to… with practice and toys?”
That’s fair, and I want her to be completely comfortable with what we’re doing. But her question at the end has my cock painfully hard at the thought. My fingers stroke up the inside of her thigh until I connect with her pussy. “You want me to fill your ass with a plug while I fuck this perfect cunt?” I pull her leg over my hip and thrust into her.
“Shit! Ethan, oh fuck!” she moans as I hold her leg in place, rolling onto my side as I push my cum deeper with each thrust.
“I told you, sweetheart, I’ll do anything you ask of me. I’ll fuck you however you want, wherever you want,” I promise her, rutting into her, holding her in place by gripping her ass.
“Oh fuck… I’m coming… Fuuuck,” she moans.
Her pussy clenches around me, and I pull out as she squirts her cum all over, soaking both of us. “Fuck, sweetheart, that was so fucking hot,” I groan as I move down her body, trailing my tongue to clean her before pushing it into her cunt, lapping up all her sweet wetness. Her hands thread into my hair as she guides me up to her clit that’s still pulsing against me. The taste of us combined in her pussy sends a bolt of lust straight to my cock, and I move my hand to pump my length.
“Shit, I’m still… fuck… so good.” She trembles against me as I lean over her, my hand still stroking hard, my pace quickening.
Her eyes finally flutter open, and I’m not sure if it’s my movements shaking the bed or the high she’s coming down from, but I see the minute they connect with my cock and dilate, the ring of blue a mere sliver around her pupils.
“Where?” is all I can grit out as I concentrate on holding back the release that’s on the verge of overtaking me.
“My tits, mark me, claim me.”
“Fuuuck.” That’s all it takes for me to explode, painting her perfect tits and nipples with my cum.
I collapse onto the bed, one of my legs over hers, mirroring her earlier position on me as I lick up her chest, cleaning her.
“Come here,” she begs before pulling my face to hers and kissing me with passion. Her tongue pushes against mine, licking at the taste of us on my tongue as my body melts against her.
“Made for me,” she whispers like an answer to my prayers.