Chapter 28
Cole
I’M IN AWE
“So when were you going to tell me your parents are as unhinged as mine?” I ask about a quarter into the movie.
She angles her head to look up at me, cheek resting on my chest. “I thought it’d be more fun to let you figure it out on your own.” She giggles. “Besides, I thought I had more time. Who knew they’d band together like we were all celebrating an engagement or something.”
It really was like that. The ambush threw me off and I didn’t appreciate it, but it wasn’t as awful as it could’ve been.
There was an ease to the evening I wasn’t expecting—a weird familiarity between all of us that shouldn’t have existed given how cutthroat our dads once were with each other.
And as cringey as that bet felt, having Ariana beside me through all of it was nice.
More than nice. My siblings are great and we show up for each other, but everyone has their own life and their own shit.
With Ariana it felt like I wasn’t doing it alone.
Like there was someone specifically in my corner for the first time in a long time.
“Your dad gave me his stamp of approval, by the way,” I add after a beat of silence.
She raises a skeptical brow. “He did? When?”
“While you were stuck in the kitchen. We had a little chat.” I pause, reluctant to share where my mind was. “I was kind of prepared for him not to like me.”
Her face does this cute scrunchy thing and I want to kiss the crease between her brows but I don’t. “Why wouldn’t he like you? He knows who you are.”
“Yeah but, I’m older. I’ve gotten around. I’m sure he wants someone better for you.”
I don’t know why I’m bringing this up. None of it matters when this is just an arrangement.
I don’t know why I’m doing a lot of the things I’ve been doing lately.
Like cuddling her in my bed while she’s wearing my clothes, and scrolling through movies and settling on something I knew she’d like—when the thought of doing any of this with anyone from my past makes me want to crawl out of my own skin.
I think back to that suffocating feeling I got when Kennedy wormed her way in too close for comfort, and how I’ve never once felt that with Ariana. Not even close. If anything, it’s been the opposite. I’m the one who keeps pushing for more, finding reasons to be with her, to touch her.
I thought by now I’d be over this little obsession I’ve had with her, but it’s only gotten worse.
We continue watching the movie and though it’s not what I’d typically watch, it’s not half bad.
And even better is how much more comfortable Ariana has gotten.
She was stiff at first, like she was afraid to touch too much of me, but now her arm is draped across my stomach and her leg is hooked over mine, her soft curves pressing against me.
So soft and so sexy and so much fucking torture.
My dick has been hard for the past hour, thankfully concealed by the comforter over the top of us.
It’s getting late and I know once the movie is over she’s probably going to want to leave but all I want to do is give her an excuse to stay.
At the lake house I kept my word and didn’t touch her once while we shared the bed. That guy was a hell of a lot stronger than I am right now.
She wraps her leg around me tighter and I swear I can feel the heat of her pussy on my thigh. I think she might be trying to kill me.
My hand runs up and down her arm slowly before moving to rest on her hip where I let my fingers crawl their way under the band of the sweatpants, finally getting a feel for the smooth skin there.
She sucks in a sharp breath, her body squirming slightly against me.
This woman is so responsive and sensitive to my touch, it’s fucking addicting drawing out all her little reactions.
Pushing past the worry of moving too fast, I slip my hand fully in, expecting to feel the fabric of her underwear, but all I’m met with is her warm, bare skin.
“Where did your underwear go?” I ask, still shocked to find her without any.
She looks at me, all doe-eyed and innocent, her cheeks flushed. “They were too wet. From earlier…”
Fuck me. She soaked her panties from dry humping my cock and now her bare pussy is inches from my fingers. I was right, she really is trying to kill me.
In the next breath, I’ve rolled over her, hands braced by her head to not crush her, using my body to cage her in.
Her gaze is wild as she stares up at me, wearing a sly little grin I want to kiss off her face.
“Did you think I wasn’t going to find out you ruined your panties, baby?”
She bites down on her pouty bottom lip and shakes her head.
“How’s your pussy now? Are you still wet?”
Rather than answer with words, she nods and parts her legs the smallest fraction.
I guess I’ll have to confirm that. Just to be sure.
Resting my weight on one hand, I use the other to slip inside her pants again, smoothing my fingers over her slick center. And fuck, she’s so wet.
Her body jolts from the contact, eyes rolling back.
There’s nothing sexier than seeing her turned on and needy. She was meant to be worshipped and I have no problem proving that to her—as many times as it takes for her to believe it.
Dragging a single finger down her entrance, I spread around her arousal, ensuring she’s wet enough to handle what I have planned. I circle her clit gently, going slow so as not to overwhelm her.
In no time she’s perfectly drenched and close to being ready for her next lesson.
“Can I take these off?”
“Yes,” she whispers, full of anticipation.
Together we work to rid her of the sweatpants, leaving her lower body fully exposed to me. Tonight she’s going to feel my fingers deep inside, and I can’t wait to make her come from it.
I trail my hands up her legs, taking my time, before my fingers find the hem of the hoodie.
I start to tug on it but her hand comes down and stops me.
Catching her gaze, I find it filled with uncertainty.
I know she’s self-conscious about her body.
It’s why I kept her dress on at the lake house.
But I’m not going to pretend I haven’t been dying to see her—to finally feel her tits fill my hands, flick her nipples, run my tongue over the swell of her breasts.
I’ve been dreaming about her body long before any of this.
I just wish she realized that everything she’s trying to hide is exactly what I want.
“Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are?” I inch the bottom of the hoodie up and lower my head to kiss the sliver of exposed skin.
She sucks in a lungful of air but doesn’t push me away.
I shift the hoodie up further, pressing my lips to her stomach, her ribs, the soft curve of her waist, taking my time with each one.
“If you had any idea how many times I’ve fantasized about your body, you’d probably never come near me again. ”
“What do you mean?” Her voice has a shake to it and I can’t tell if it’s nerves or if she’s turned on or both.
Lifting the hoodie up more, I get a glimpse of the underside of her tits. I press my lips to the curve of her right one and then the left until there’s nothing left to do but pull the thing off completely.
“Every time I jerk my cock, it’s you I’m thinking about. You’re my only fantasy, your body is my dream. And your tits have been teasing me for months.”
She laughs lightly at my admission, her body more loosened up beneath me.
“Now will you please put me out of my misery and let me take this off so I can stop imagining how perfect your tits are and finally get a look?” Sitting up slightly, I stroke my thumb across her cheek. “Please, baby. I’m begging.”
She nods wordlessly, but the trust I’m always seeking in her gaze is there. I feel undeserving of it, but she has it for me anyway, and I’m too selfish and greedy and obsessed with her to not take it. To not take everything she’s willing to give me and hold onto it for as long as she’ll let me.
I pull the rest of the hoodie off with her help, and the moment it gets tossed away I go completely still.
Whatever I imagined doesn’t come close.
She’s perfect. Soft and full, her creamy skin flawless. Her nipples the prettiest shade of pink. I don’t say anything for a long moment because I’m not sure I have the words.
“What’s wrong?” She fidgets slightly, the instinct to cover herself flickering across her face, and I catch her wrists before she can.
“Don’t.” I bring one of her hands to my mouth and press my lips to her knuckles. “Please don’t hide from me.” My eyes rake over every delicious inch of her, committing the image to memory. “I’m in awe. Let me enjoy the masterpiece.”
A stunning blush colors her skin as she exhales slowly, her hands going motionless in mine, and I take that as the permission it is.
I lower my head and take my time—pressing my lips to the swell of her breast, the soft weight of it filling my hand exactly the way I knew it would, and she makes a sound low in her throat that I feel straight down my spine.
“Cole—”
“I know.” I drag my tongue across her nipple and feel her whole body jolt. “I know, baby. I’ve got you.”
Her back arches off the mattress, her fingers finding my hair, and there’s nothing uncertain about the grip. She pulls me closer and I go willingly. Happily. I would stay here for the rest of my natural life and consider it heaven.
I take my time, showering each breast with the proper attention. Licking. Sucking. Tugging on her nipple until she cries out. My hands can’t get enough of her, running along the curve of her waist, digging into her rounded hips, rubbing over her clit.
It’s overwhelming how much I wish I could touch all of her at once.
My lips descend over her, kissing her breasts, her stomach, right below her navel, where I’m greeted with the scent of her arousal. Her pussy lips are coated and shiny, begging to be satisfied. And I have every intention of doing just that.
“Are you ready to try my fingers?”