Chapter 9 Dawson
NINE
DAWSON
"What now?" Parker asked as he tugged at his ear. But as soon as he spoke, he got up and took care of the dishes and the garbage.
"We can clean up in the morning."
I knew exactly what I wanted but I'd made so many mistakes up until now, I didn't want to assume. "We could watch TV, read or head to bed early."
He jumped in. "I choose the last option."
I traced over the lifeline on his palm. "We have options. Option one would be we sleep in our separate beds or—"
"I'm not tired, are you?" His long eyelashes fluttered.
"Not in the least."
Without saying anything, we both stood and I took his hand and led him toward my room. We paused and I thought he'd changed his mind. I was certain I stopped breathing in those seconds where neither of us said anything, but he gave me a shy smile and I led him inside.
I wanted this, more than anything, but I was so nervous I'd do the wrong thing, or I couldn't perform because I was so out of practice. Of course I'd dated but none of those relationships, if I could call them that, came close to being with my mate.
I'd already turned on a lamp so Parker didn't stumble into anything. I paused close to the bed, my hand still wrapped around his. There was a slight tremor in his fingers that mirrored the butterflies fluttering in my gut.
The lamp cast a soft golden glow over the room, highlighting the bed with crisp clean sheets. Nothing was out of place except a book placed at an awkward angle on the nightstand. To me, it was the most inviting spot in the world. It was my haven away from real life.
Parker looked up at me, his eyes wide and trusting, that omega vulnerability shining through even as he tried to play it cool.
"You okay?" I murmured as I brought his hand to my lips and kissed it.
He nodded, stepping closer until our chests almost touched. "More than okay."
That sent heat straight through me. I leaned down, claiming his lips in a slow kiss, the kind that started gentle but built like a wave. His mouth was soft and tasting faintly of the mint gum he'd been chewing after we'd finished our pizza.
I cupped his face with one hand, tilting his head back to deepen it, while my other arm snaked around his waist, pulling him flush against me. Parker melted into the embrace, a quiet sigh escaping him as his hands found their way under my shirt and his fingers splayed across my back.
Gods, his presence was intoxicating and I breathed in his scent, hardly able to contain the lust that bubbled inside me.
It was almost as though he'd been made to fit right here in my arms. As an alpha, that protective instinct took over, but it wasn't about dominance.
It was about cherishing him and making sure he knew how much he meant to me after my screw-ups.
We broke the kiss with both of us breathing a little heavier. Parker traced a finger along my jawline. "Dawson, I want this."
"Me too," I admitted. My voice was more gravelly than before. "Sorry it took me a while to get my head straight."
He chuckled and the sound vibrated against my chest. "You're worth the wait."
Gods, I hoped I could live up to his expectations.
I guided him toward the bed, sitting down first and tugging him onto my lap.
He straddled me with his knees bracketing my hips.
I ran my hands up his thighs and explored the lean muscle.
Parker was all graceful lines and subtle strength and he'd shown his resilience and how adaptable he was in the time I'd known him. But he was so damned alluring.
I slid my palms under his shirt, pushing it up inch by inch and exposed the smooth skin of his stomach. He lifted his arms and I tossed it aside.
"Your turn." His fingers were already working at the buttons of my shirt.
I studied his concentrated expression and how his brows furrowed. When he got it open, he pushed the fabric off my shoulders and traced the contours of my chest.
"You're so warm," he whispered, almost as though it was a secret.
"Comes with the alpha territory." I smirked, but inside, my heart was pounding.
This wasn't just physical. It was us connecting on every level.
I pulled him down for another kiss. This one was hungrier and my hands roamed over his back before my fingers dipped into the dimples at the base of his spine.
Parker rocked against me and the heat between us increased. His telltale omega slick started to scent the air and I wanted to taste him. It hit my senses hard, making the alpha in me roar to life, but I kept it in check. This was about him, not some primal rush.
I flipped us and lay him back on the bed while I hovered over him. His dark hair strands caught the lamplight as his eyes locked onto mine.
"Tell me what you want," I said, kissing along his collarbone.
"You." He arched up under my touch.
That was all I needed. I trailed kisses down his chest, taking my time and savoring every gasp and shiver.
His nipples hardened under my tongue, and I teased one with gentle sucks, then the other, while my fingers trailed over his hipbone.
Parker threaded his fingers through my hair as his breaths came in soft pants.
"Dawson... please."
The plea in his voice stirred something deep in me.
I moved lower and hooked my fingers into the waistband of his pants.
I glanced up for permission and he nodded while lifting his hips.
I slid them off along with his boxers. He was so hard and ready for me.
His scent was stronger now, and I had to remind myself to go slow.
"You're gorgeous." I kissed the inside of his thigh and he trembled.
He laughed. "Flatterer."
"Truth-teller." I parted his legs wider, settling between them, and took him in hand. His head fell back and he moaned. I memorized how his lips parted and his eyelashes fluttered as I worked him with firm, deliberate pumps.
Leaning down, I replaced my hand with my mouth, swirling my tongue around the tip of his cock before taking him deeper. Parker's body bucked and he gripped the sheets.
"Oh Gods, Dawson."
I hummed and the vibration drew another gasp from him. His response filled me with a warmth that had nothing to do with lust. It was love, the kind I'd been too scared to admit before. I brought him to the edge, then eased off, kissing my way back up his body until we were face-to-face again.
"Your pants are still on," he pointed out as he reached for my zipper.
"Better fix that." I grinned, helping him unzip me.
He shoved them down, and I kicked them off, along with my briefs. Parker wrapped his legs around my waist and I settled against him, our lengths pressing together in a delicious friction.
We rocked like that while his nails grazed my back, and I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his scent. I kissed him deeply, pouring everything into it—the apologies, the promises, and the future I wanted with him.
One hand slid over his bare butt and I fingered his slick hole. He panted but urged me to continue and I eased in one finger.
"Feels good," he murmured, rocking down onto my hand.
I added a second finger and curled both until I hit that spot that made him arch and cry out.
My fingers stretched him in anticipation of my cock being in him because I was big and I didn't want to hurt him.
And when he was writhing beneath me and begging me for my dick, I withdrew my fingers and positioned myself between his legs.
"I'll go slowly." I pressed the tip inside him.
"Not too slow."
Inch by inch, I sank into him and his tight heat enveloped me like a glove. Once I was fully seated, I paused, letting him adjust with our foreheads touching. His body trembled beneath mine and I brushed the hair back from his brow.
"Okay?" Parker nodded, biting his lip.
"Move," he urged as he jerked his hips.
I did as he asked and pulled out almost all the way, eying my cock that glistened with slick, before pushing back in.
Starting with slow thrusts, I built a rhythm that had us both moaning.
His hands clutched my shoulders while his nails dug in just enough to sting.
I angled my hips, hitting that spot again and again, watching pleasure play across his features.
We moved together with our bodies in sync as if we'd done this a thousand times. Sweat spilled over our skin and the room filled with the sounds of our breaths and the slap of flesh on skin.
"Parker... fuck, you're so tight."
He clenched around me, and I groaned. "Harder," he panted, and I obliged, picking up the pace as I breathed in his scent and drove into him.
But just as I sensed he was reaching the point where his orgasm overtook him, I paused. Our chests heaved and he grumbled that I was a meanie and no fun. He wriggled his hips and squeezed, making me gasp.
"Like that is it?" He pummeled my chest. "I want to get on top so I can be in control."
Oh, I loved that he was taking over so he could have his way with me and I flipped us over. He shrieked before straddling me. I was still inside him and he raised his hips and peered between his legs at my length, smeared in slippery slick.
He slammed down, and my cock filled him while taking the breath out of me.
"Gods." I panted as I tamped down the climax that threatened to overtake me.
He sported a wicked grin and lifted himself up. I prepared myself but instead of falling onto my dick, he lowered himself slowly. The agony was exquisite and I raised my hips to meet him. He gripped me with his knees and hoisted himself up again.
One breath. Two breaths and finally, three. Then he fell on me.
We both yelped and waves of pleasure rolled over me. My body tingled. I'd never experienced anything like this but Parker was my mate and being inside him was like coming home at the end of a long journey.
His movements were confident, riding me slowly at first, then faster, his head thrown back in abandon. I gripped his hips, guiding but not dominating, letting him set the pace. My hands roamed his ass as he ground down harder.
Pressing my fingers into the soft skin on his hips, I pushed Parker up. Our eyes locked on one another and I braced myself, but he eased down on my length and I felt every tight inch as I filled him.
Parker’s moans grew louder and he wrapped a hand round his dick, but I caught his wrist.
"Let me." I took him, stroking in time as my cock filled him.
He arched off the bed, a strangled cry tearing from his throat. "I’m close, so close."
"I've got you. Come for me," I growled. "Let me see you."
His body went taut, then shattered. He came with a sob, spilling over my fingers and his stomach. The clenching of his body around me pushed me over the edge. I drove into him one last time, burying myself deep as I came.
We rode it out and I rolled us onto our sides, keeping him close with one hand stroking his hair while the other trailed over his back. His heart thumped against my ribs, and I pressed a kiss to his sweaty temple.
Parker finally spoke and asked "Think we can do this every night?"