Chapter 39
CHAPTER
THIRTY-NINE
EMERSON
Passion flooded through me, and I melted into Holden’s embrace. He lifted me into his arms and carried me out the door. Our bodies were fused together, and I had no desire to break us apart. Arousal ignited in me, fueled by my earlier solo session for Colter. That orgasm had been nice, but it wasn’t enough. I didn’t think I could ever get enough with either of them.
Holden broke the kiss, panting as he lowered me to the bed. He searched my eyes, awe and love peering back instead of his walls. His kisses slowed, and he dropped them on my neck, taking his time to reacquaint himself with my body. When he got to Colter’s mark, he growled.
“This fucking spot has been taunting me.”
I arched into his touch, needing him to mark and brand me all over. The distance had made me desperate for him, and I didn’t want to waste a second.
“Hol,” I moaned. “Please.”
“What do you need, baby?”
“Touch me.”
“Gladly.” He laved his tongue over my pulse point, trailing his mouth down my neck until he reached my nipple. He sucked it into his mouth, and my eyes rolled back at the contact. I dug my nails into his back, clinging to him for dear life. “You like that, don’t you, Wildcat?”
“Mmhmm,” I moaned. Rolling my hips, I searched for more friction. Everywhere on my body was sensitive, and I wanted every part of me to touch him. His cock was hard as granite and rubbed against me. “Yessss.”
He chuckled, but didn’t stop his mission of kissing every inch of me. Between his sucking and licking, my body was on fire. His kisses did nothing to quench the burning desire within.
“I need you. Please, Hol.”
“Not yet. I want to commit every inch of you to memory.”
I whined, but he didn’t sway from his goal. I felt wrung out and stuck, my orgasm on the brink of exploding, yet I couldn’t quite get there. I clawed, yanked, and gripped him wherever I could touch, but he stayed his course.
“Holden.” My plea came out like a whimper, tears gathering at the corners of my eyes from the edging. “ Please .”
He placed one last kiss before lifting my legs over his shoulders. I wanted to thrash at him, figuring he’d take his time. I opened my mouth to shout at him when he plunged a finger into me. My shout lodged in my throat, and I gasped. Pleasure soared, and my orgasm grew nearer with each thrust of his finger.
“You’re so fucking wet, Wildcat. I love how responsive you are.” He lowered his mouth to my clit, sucking it and sending me flying. My back bowed, and my vision went hazy as everything in me came to a tipping point. My orgasm crested, and I screamed out my release, my voice ragged. Dropping back to the mattress, I panted as I caught my breath and tried to make sense as an orgasmic haze coated me .
“Hot damn, Wildcat.” Holden lifted his head, and I gaped.
“What?” I stuttered. His face glistened, and I didn’t understand how it was so wet.
“You’re a squirter, baby.”
Stunned, I stared at him as he licked his lips before wiping the rest off his face. He climbed off the bed, and I panicked.
“I’m sorry. I’ll try not to do it again.”
Holden froze and turned slowly. His eyes narrowed, and he stalked back to me, caging me in on the bed with his body.
“Don’t you dare! It’s my mission to get you to do that every time.”
“But... you left.”
“To get a condom so I can make love to you.”
“Oh.” Thoughts returned, and I ran my fingers through his hair. Holden closed his eyes and leaned into my touch. Colter and I had been talking about stopping condoms. We’d been sleeping together for a month now, and neither of us planned to sleep with anyone else. Well, except for Holden. “We could go without,” I said hesitantly.
His aquamarine eyes became molten, his pupils so dark. I watched as his nostrils flared, and he gripped the sheets. I hoped it was because he was holding himself back and not that I’d upset him.
“You’d do that?”
I nodded. “Colter and I got tested last week. We’re both clean.” His face crumbled, and my heart sank. He’d forgotten about Colter, and I was going to have to give Holden up. Tears gathered in my eyes before I could stop them.
“No, no, baby. Shh. It’s not like that. It’s been a few months since I’ve been tested, that’s all.”
“Have you been with someone?” I asked, my voice going high-pitched. Holden smiled, stroking my hair.
“No, Wildcat. Only you. ”
“Then you’re good.”
“Yeah. But I’d still feel better getting checked out. You’re too precious for me to risk.”
This man…
“I’ll be right back.”
I nodded and wiped my eyes while he climbed off and pulled a roll of condoms out of his bag. I lifted onto my elbow. “Should I be concerned that you had those in your bag? Were you expecting to get laid?”
“Just wishful thinking, Wildcat. The only girl I want is you. Has been since I met you. I haven’t been with anyone since.”
“Really? But that was months ago!”
“I know. You leave a lasting impression.” He rolled on the condom, and I tried to wrap my mind around his confession. He climbed back on the bed and caged me in. I expected him to slam into me, but he cupped my face and kissed me softly. He caressed my face, traveling his hand over my body in reverence. Each graze of his fingertips brought goosebumps to the surface.
Our lower halves rocked together, and the tip of his cock nudged my opening. I wrapped my legs around him, and he slipped in. But he didn’t press further, taking his time to kiss me sweetly and touch me. My skin buzzed to life, and I rocked my hips up, taking him further.
“Wildcat,” he moaned, breaking our kiss and resting his forehead on mine.
Biting my lip, I shifted my hips again and rocked up. He slid the rest of the way in. My walls flexed against him as we both panted. Slowly, he flicked his hips forward. Each thrust sent me higher, and I clung to his shoulders. This was so different than usual.
It was sweet, loving, and slow. He made love to my heart, cherishing every little gasp and moan. Our eyes stayed locked, our hands gripping one another for fear of being torn apart otherwise. It was intentional and healing, the revival we needed to mend the hurt we’d inflicted on each other.
Desire rose, and I clung to him harder. My body moved instinctively with his, answering his call.
“I love you. I love you so much, Em.” Holden broke our connection to kiss me. My heart burst and overflowed with love. It poured out of me and set off my second orgasm. Emotion and sensation twined together in the most epic way. My entire body felt like a fireworks show as they all set off. Tears poured out of me, the sensation so overwhelming I didn’t know what to do.
“I love you,” I whispered, gasping as he plunged deep. His body shook, and he held me tight as he came. We stared at one another, words passing between us without saying them. He wiped the tears from my cheek, rubbing his thumb under my lids.
“I hate to see you cry.”
“These are good tears.”
“That was intense.”
I nodded. “Exactly. My emotions are all over the place, hence tears.”
Holden smiled, stealing the last of my breath. “You’re so beautiful, Wildcat. I can’t believe you love me too.”
“Believe it, Holden. You’re not getting rid of me now.”
“I couldn’t walk away even when I should’ve, Wildcat. If anyone is attached, it’s me.” He nuzzled my neck, kissing me once. “I might not be good at this boyfriend thing, but I’ll keep trying until I get it right.”
“I don’t remember being asked,” I teased.
He lifted his head, and his eyebrow quirked. “I said I loved you.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m your girlfriend.”
“What else could it mean?”
I shrugged, hiding my smile. “You could’ve been asking me to marry you.” Holden tilted his head in thought, and my heart thumped. I’d said it as a joke, but now he was scaring me. “That was a joke.”
“I’d marry you, Wildcat. In a heartbeat.”
I sucked in a breath. What the hell!
“Um, well, I’m not really ready for that step. I love you, but I’d like to be your girlfriend first.”
“So, you agree you’re my girlfriend?” he smirked, and I realized the trap I’d walked into.
“Once you ask.”
He laughed and rolled his eyes. “Is Colter your boyfriend?”
“Nope. He hasn’t asked either.”
“Fine.” He climbed off and walked into the bathroom. I assumed it was to get rid of the condom, so I was shocked when he returned with his phone, too.
“Hey, Hol. What’s up? Are you shirtless?” Colter paused, and I lifted onto my elbows, curious about what he was doing.
“Apparently, we need to ask Emerson a question.”
“Mer’s there? Let me see her.”
“Wait,” I said, remembering I was naked. But it was too late. Holden flipped the camera, and Colter cursed.
“Fucking hell. You look so gorgeous, Mer. Damn. I’m jealous. How far is the drive again? Think I could find someone willing to give me a ride?”
Holden rolled his eyes, and then Colter whined. “Focus. We’ll be back in the morning, and we need to do something special.”
“Did you have to take my view away? I’d rather see Mer than your face.”
“Fine. But don’t get distracted. This is important.”
“Um, do I get a say in this?”
“No,” they said together.
Huffing, I rolled onto my stomach and kicked my feet behind me. Colter groaned, and Holden just stared at me like he wanted to eat me.
“Still hot, Merbear,” Colter said, so I stuck out my tongue at him. “What’s it we need to do?”
“Apparently, we didn’t define our relationship.”
“Ah, yeah, I could see why you called. Mer, will you be our girlfriend?”
I smiled. “I’d love to.”
“Satisfied?” Holden asked.
“Yep. So, are we telling?—”
“Later.” Holden hung up the phone and tossed it onto the bed. “I have a second course to eat.” He tackled me to the bed, and I giggled as he blew kisses on my stomach. Holden had his second, third, and fourth courses before we finally fell asleep in a heap of limbs.
“Emerson and I are dating,” Holden said over breakfast the following day. I froze with my coffee cup lifted to my mouth.
“Like we didn’t hear you last night,” Hope mumbled into her hand.
Someone kill me now.
Holden smirked at her, lifting his bacon to his mouth. “She’s also dating Colter.”
He did not just say that!
Rose and Dad turned to me while Hope choked on the bite she’d taken. Holden slapped her back and handed her a glass of water.
I sheepishly shrugged, my face warming at their looks. “Why choose when you can have both?”
My dad cleared his throat. “Well, hmm.” He stopped and blinked, at a loss for words. Rose laid a hand on his arm.
“As long as you’re being safe, then we’re happy for you both. Colter is a lovely boy. You should have him over for dinner this week.”
“Sure, Mom.” Holden carried on eating his pancakes like he hadn’t just told the table I wanted to be spit-roasted.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Pumpkin? You just got over the… you know.”
“You can say bullying. I’m not denying what I did,” Hope said.
“Right, well, you just started to enjoy school again. People will talk.”
“I’m not letting fear stop me anymore, Dad.” I took a deep breath. “What do you think about it?”
“Me?” He looked around the table. Everyone had stopped eating to look at him. “Um, well, if you’re happy and safe, then yes, I’ll support you. I just don’t want to see you hurting anymore, Pumpkin.”
I relaxed. “I am happy, Dad. Choosing them is choosing myself. I’m prepared—we all are—to deal with whatever comes our way.”
Holden wrapped his arm around my shoulders and stared at me. The love he’d shown me yesterday poured out of him, and I got lost in his eyes for a minute.
“Together.” He kissed my forehead. Rose sighed wistfully, and Hope even looked awestruck.
“What about football?” Dad asked.
“What about it? My skills speak for themselves. If a team wants me, then they’ll get over it.” He shrugged and shoveled more food into his mouth. Seriously. The boy could eat. “I’m tired of living my life for other people. I want to play football and marry your daughter, but if I only get to do one of those things, then I choose Wildcat every time. I won’t make as much as a graphic designer, but I’ll do okay. I’ll merely be a sugar baby when she makes the big bucks choreographing music videos. ”
“You want to choreograph?” Hope asked, completely bypassing Holden’s admission to wanting to marry me.
Hold. The. Freaking. Phone.
“Excuse me, but you did not just semi-propose!”
“Of course not.”
I exhaled. Okay. It’s fine.
“You’ll know when I propose, Wildcat.” He smirked at me, and I wanted to slap it off his face.
“Back to me. Choreography?” Hope blurted.
“Um, I mean, it’s something I’m interested in, but I don’t think I can make a career out of it. I plan to be an editor.” I pushed the food around my plate, avoiding eye contact.
“You should do it. You always had the best routines.”
I jerked up, my eyes connecting with Hope’s. I stared, waiting for the punchline, but it never came. “You’re serious?”
“I think it’s a great idea, Pumpkin. I always thought you should do something with dance. Your mom would want you to. And Holden,” he paused, “any man willing to put my daughter first is worthy of dating and marrying her one day. But don’t think just because you’re my stepson means you get out of asking for my permission.”
“Dad!”
“No worries, Milton. I plan to.”
My head swiveled back and forth as I took in the table. Rose and Hope chatted excitedly about wedding plans for a wedding that wasn’t even happening.
“Right! It’s time to get back to campus.” I scooted back my chair and stood. I needed to get out of here before I had a panic attack.
“Be careful. Let me know what night works for dinner,” Rose called after us. I waved over my shoulder and grabbed my bag, not stopping as I walked out the door.
“Wildcat,” Holden called after me. I didn’t stop. I just needed a moment. My breaths came quickly, and I focused on his truck.
Arms wrapped around me from behind and lifted me from the ground. Holden spun me and braced me against the truck.
“It’s okay, Em.”
“No. It’s really not. You can’t… I can’t… We can’t…” I shook my head; nothing made sense.
“I told you I loved you, Wildcat. That’s it for me. This is who I am. I’m all in, baby.”
“It’s just a lot to adjust to.”
“That’s what she said.” He smirked, and I gaped at him.
“You did not.”
“It got you to stop panicking.” I shut my mouth, and he kissed me. Nerves fled me as he held me against the truck, reminding me how good we were together.
“You. Me. Colter. Forever. Okay, Wildcat?”
I searched his eyes and found nothing but truth. “All right. Forever.” I kissed him again, then pulled back. “Wait, that wasn’t a proposal, was it?”
“Nope. Believe me. You’ll know. Now, come on. Let’s get back. It’s been an hour since I’ve been in your pussy, and I can’t hold out much longer.”
He only lasted an hour on the drive before he pulled off and took me on the side of the road. It might be the orgasms talking, but I believed in the future he painted, and I couldn’t wait to live it with them.