Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
I didn’t want to move. My arm was numb where Ava’s head rested on it, her brown hair spilling across my chest and the sheets tangled around our legs, her bare thigh hooked over mine, skin warm and smooth against me.
I’d never stayed over with a girl before.
I had a strict “no-spending-the-night” rule.
Sleeping over invited too much familiarity.
It gave the impression that things were more than just sex.
Or opened the door that they could be. I’d always been very clear with women about what they could expect from me.
But I hadn’t even questioned it with Ava.
Because even if our arrangement was clear, she was always going to be more than just sex. I’d known her almost my entire life. Just like I’d been there for some of her worst moments, she’d been there for mine.
We were already familiar.
It was more than just sex even from the beginning simply because of our background.
Last night had blurred into something I hadn’t planned—her striptease turning into that desperate grind on my lap, her whimpers as I fingered her until she fell apart, then when she pressed her lips softly against mine.
I couldn’t describe the feeling. I just knew it was one I’d never felt before, and I couldn’t tell if that was because of our history or something else.
So I’d stayed because she’d invited me to. Getting a solid night’s sleep had been the goal, but as soon as she’d snuggled against me, I’d felt so comfortable, sleep had taken me before I could even think about it.
I stared at her face, her long eyelashes that were a shade darker than her hair, the way her lips parted ever so slightly, and how relaxed she looked. Peaceful.
There was no itch to run, no voice in my head screaming at me to sneak out. Lying here with her felt easy.
That ease messed with me. It was like catching an edge you didn’t see coming, that split second when you don’t know if you’ll recover or eat ice.
I wasn’t supposed to feel this settled. Not with her.
She deserved better than the kind of poison I’d watched destroy my mother—nights when I’d lie in my childhood bed listening to my mom cry through the wall, waiting for a man who was never coming home because he was too busy being charming somewhere else.
I’d sworn I’d never do that to anyone. The only way to keep that promise was to never let anyone close enough to hurt.
But damn if Ava’s weight against me didn’t feel so fucking good, like she’d always belonged right here.
I shifted carefully, not wanting to wake her, and pressed a kiss to her temple. She smelled like strawberry from her shampoo and my dick twitched, but I ignored it. For once, I wasn’t in a hurry to turn this into something I could control.
Ava stirred then, a quiet hum vibrating against my chest as she nuzzled closer. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked up at me, a slow smile curving her lips.
“Morning,” she mumbled, her voice husky from sleep. Her hand slid lower, nails grazing my happy trail, but she didn’t push it further. It was both torture and relief. I wanted her to touch me more than my next breath, but I was also afraid of how she’d wreck me if she did.
“Morning.” I kept my voice light, thumb brushing her cheekbone. “You hog the covers like a champ. Nearly froze my ass off.”
She laughed, the sound low and easy, and propped her chin on my shoulder. Her breast pressed against my side, her nipple a hard point through her thin shirt that sent a jolt straight south. “Liar. You run hot. Like a furnace.” Her gaze dropped to the obvious tent in the sheets. “Speaking of…”
“Blame yourself.”
She grinned, and I kissed her before either of us could overthink it. Morning breath be damned.
This was something else that was new.
Her lips were soft, and when she sighed into my mouth, something in my chest cracked open a little wider.
This whole thing was dangerous. But sex?
Sex I understood. Sex was a language I’d mastered years ago—give pleasure, stay in control, don’t let anyone see the parts of you that could hurt them.
And if it helped her cross something off that list she’d blushed over when we first started this?
Even better. I could be useful. I could make her feel good. This was safe ground.
Before she could say anything, I rolled, pinning her gently under me.
She gasped—playful, not scared—and her legs parted instinctively to cradle my hips.
I kissed her again, slower this time, tasting sleep and something sweeter underneath.
Her hands roamed my back, nails digging in just enough to make me groan into her mouth.
“What’s the plan, Sunshine?” I murmured against her lips, pulling back to watch her face. Flushed and fucking beautiful. “Coffee? Breakfast? Or…” I said as my hand moved south down her stomach.
“Or.” No hesitation. I slid my hands under her shirt, dragging it up over her ribs, and she lifted her arms so I could pull it over her head.
She arched up, nipples scraping my chest, and the hungry desire in her eyes hit me like a check to the boards.
Her hips ground against my thigh, slick heat smearing my skin through the thin scrap of her thong.
I kissed down her neck, nipping the spot below her ear which made her shiver.
“Good choice.” My fingers hooked the waistband of her thong and dragged it down her legs before my hand slid between us, cupping her pussy—warm and wet for me already.
My fingers slipped easily through her folds, before circling her clit until she whimpered.
“Wasn’t there something on that list of yours about being eaten out until you come? ”
She nodded, teeth sinking into her lower lip. “Yeah.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
I trailed lower, my mouth following my hands, sucking a nipple into my mouth—hard at first, then soft, tongue flicking until she bowed off the bed. Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling just right, and I groaned against her skin.
“Liam… fuck—”
“Patience.” I chuckled. I might not be good with emotions but I was damn good at this.
I settled between her thighs, hooking one leg over my shoulder. Her pussy glistened, pink and swollen, her clit peeking out like it was begging for attention. She was so open for me. So trusting. The weight of that trust settled heavy in my chest, but I channeled it into making her feel good.
I blew a cool breath over her, watching her hips jerk. Then I dove in, tongue flat and broad, licking from her entrance to her clit in one long stroke. She tasted sharp and addictive, like musk and salt, and I groaned against her.
“Oh, God—” Her hands fisted the sheets, thighs trembling around my head.
I pinned one hip down, holding her steady as I sucked her clit—gentle pulls at first, then harder, teeth grazing just enough to edge the pleasure with a hint of something sharper.
My tongue circled relentlessly, dipping inside her before returning to that bundle of nerves.
She was close already. I could feel her walls fluttering against my probing fingers when I slid one in, then two, curling to hit that spot that I knew would make her cry out.
Her first orgasm hit fast. Her cry was sharp and broken, hips bucking against my mouth.
“Liam—yes—fuck!” She flooded my tongue, her pussy clenching around my fingers like she never wanted to let go.
I didn’t let up, licking through the pulses.
She thrashed, oversensitive, but I held her steady, drawing it out until she was panting and her eyes were glassy.
I lifted my head, chin slick, and met her gaze. Her chest heaved, breasts rising with each ragged breath. “Too much?”
“No.” Her voice was wrecked, but if she thought I was done after one orgasm, she was mistaken. She tasted too good to stop now. I wanted to fucking devour her.
I dropped back down, slower this time. Teasing laps around her clit, fingers pumping lazy but deep.
Her arousal coated my hand, dripping down my wrist, the wet sounds obscene in the quiet morning.
I added a third finger, stretching her because eventually she needed to be able to take my cock.
I loved the way her walls yielded around me.
She moaned as her hips rolled to meet my rhythm.
“Just like that…oh my God.”
I hummed against her, watching her face as she climbed higher. This was where I belonged—making her feel good, watching her fall apart, being the reason she forgot every guy who’d ever made her feel less than extraordinary.
I focused on her quickening breaths, her thighs clamping around my head.
The second orgasm built slower. I sucked hard on her clit while my fingers curled inside her, rubbing relentlessly over the soft fleshy spot inside, and she shattered.
Her body convulsed, and a sob tore from her throat as her fingers gripped the strands of my hair, threatening to pull them out.
But I wasn’t going to complain if she made me bald because feeling her thighs tighten against my cheeks while I took her over the top again was worth it.
“Liam…can’t…too good.”
She gushed this time, soaking the sheets and my face. I lapped it up greedily, not stopping until her tremors eased. She went limp beneath me, gasping, and I slowed my movements before easing my fingers out all the way and kissing her clit before I moved up her body.
Her eyes were glassy, but she looked more sated than I’d ever seen her.
She grabbed my face and pulled me in for a messy kiss, tasting herself on my tongue and moaning as her fingers threaded through my hair.
When we broke apart, she was smiling—that same smile that had caused me to nickname her Sunshine when we were kids because it made her whole face light up.
I lay down next to her and pulled her against my chest, while she traced lazy patterns on my abs. “I didn’t know it could be like that.”
“Like what?” I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea what she meant.
“That intense.” She paused. “I’ve never had a guy go down on me before. I’ve only been with three guys, and they all made one excuse or another. Chris said he didn’t like the taste.”
A flare of anger sparked in my chest at the mention of her ex. That guy had done a number on her confidence, and every time she referenced him, I had to fight the urge to go to his apartment and knock his teeth out.
“Chris is a fucking idiot. You taste amazing and I don’t want you to doubt that for another second. I’d eat you over breakfast any day, that’s how good you taste.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And any guy worth a damn knows that getting his partner off is half the fun.”
She laughed softly. “Well, you’re very good at it.”
“Years of practice.”
She swatted my chest, but she was smiling. “Don’t ruin the moment by reminding me of your extensive roster.”
“Former roster,” I corrected without thinking. “I haven’t been with anyone else since we started this, and I don’t plan to while we’re checking off your list.”
She relaxed against me and I wondered if she’d been worried about that.
“Thank you, for not being with anyone else for the time being and for the amazing orgasms.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Sunshine. It was my pleasure.”
And I meant that wholeheartedly. I may not have gotten off, but the high coursing through my veins made me not care.
We lay there for a few more minutes, her breathing evening out until I thought she might fall back asleep. But then she stirred, pressing a kiss to my chest before sitting up.
“I should probably shower. I have class soon.”
“Yeah, me too.” The reminder of real life crashed back in.
She slid out of bed, completely comfortable in her nakedness now in a way she hadn’t been when we first started. That was progress. That was the whole point of this—helping her see herself the way I’d always seen her. Confident, sexy, and worth someone’s full attention.
Even if that someone could never be me.