27. Then
TWENTY-SEVEN
then
I woke to a cold chill creeping overhead and a wealth of warmth sprawled across my chest.
Outside, New York had its first crappy weather of the season. An overcast sky swirled in between my building and the next one over while icy rain pelted my window.
I watched the beads roll down the glass for a long time, trying to sort through the tangled mess of emotions inside me before I glanced down at the girl snuggled into my bed.
I didn’t last very long. Ellie was too tempting.
I couldn’t figure out how she got more beautiful every time I looked at her. Ly ing across my chest—with her lips swollen from the ways I kept her up all night and her blonde hair in a silky jumble—she was perfect.
She fell asleep without her clothes. Sometime in the night, my comforter gathered around her hips, offering me a chance to memorize the curves of her naked back in the cool light.
I followed her spine all the way down to the two tiny dimples over her ass. Even with so much of her flawless skin on display, I found myself staring at her face for a long time. The soft arc of her jaw, the shadows under her cheekbones, the way her eyelashes fanned over the lavender crescents beneath her eyes.
Something made her scrunch her nose. It reminded me of the first time I ever saw her—how she’d screwed up her face while she stared out the subway window, not bothering to stop knitting for even half a second. As her expression smoothed out, the familiar tide of unfamiliar feelings swelled up in my chest.
I spent most of our night fighting it so I could focus on her and her body. But every time we fit ourselves together, every time she cried my name, every time she fell into my arms, I couldn’t deny the rush.
More than happiness, softer than elation. The warmth of contentment and the thrill of joy blended into a type of certainty I’d never experienced before.
No. Too soon .
To distract myself, I ran through images from our first night together, pausing to sear certain moments into the depths of my memory.
The guys she slept with before me were clearly assholes. After one night with her, I could tell no one had ever properly tended to her body before. She seemed awed by all the things I could do to her—and grateful in a way that left an ache throbbing in my chest.
Just thinking about how she looked when she came made me shift restlessly. She snuggled in closer, then blinked awake. Her shy smile sent another bloom of bliss through me .
“Oh, hi.”
My grin cracked so wide, it hurt my face. “Hi.”
She rubbed her hand over my pectoral and pressed a kiss to my bare shoulder. “Mmm. You’re ridiculously hot. Too hot before coffee. Scrambles my wits.”
Chuckling, I rolled to put us chest-to-chest. “Can’t do anything about that, unfortunately. But I can get you coffee,” I whispered, sweeping her hair from her face. “There’s something I want to try first, though.”
Her wispy eyebrows arched while her peach lips quirked into a smirk. “I find it hard to believe there’s any base we didn’t cover last night.”
I could only think of one. “It’s something I’ve never done before,” I admitted, hiding my face against the warm crook of her neck.
Ella wrapped her arms around me and gave a reassuring squeeze. Her affection felt so genuine. Guileless. She never held herself back from reaching for me or pulling me closer. When she hugged me, I knew she wanted nothing other than to give me comfort.
“Tell me,” she murmured, running her fingers through my hair and pulling at the nape of my neck. I groaned, and she giggled. “I assume it has something to do with the boner pressed up against my hip.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. Instead, I looked into her glowing blue eyes and rubbed my nose down the length of hers. “Are you sore? I don’t want to hurt you.”
Ella wiggled her hips, testing herself out. “Maybe a little,” she conceded, blushing, “But it’s, um, deep.”
My dick twitched at the memory of working myself all the way into her. A wolfish smile spread across my face before I could help it. “Sorry about that.”
Grinning, she rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, you seem really broken up about it.” Her sapphire eyes sparkled while they sketched my face. “What do you want to try? ”
I gathered her body against mine and sealed my mouth over hers, deciding to tell her without words.
Ella melted into me while my tongue stroked over hers in soft, leisurely glides. Her fingers skated down my back, scratching me lightly until I shivered. She cupped my ass and pulled herself closer, rubbing against my erection.
Fighting the instinct to roll on top of her, I hooked her thigh over my hip and reached behind myself to grab the last condom in my drawer. I hated that there had to be something between us, but I wasn’t about to break the moment by starting that conversation.
Reaching down, I sheathed myself with the rubber and turned my gaze back on hers. “Tell me if you’re too sore, okay? It won’t be deep like this, but I think you’ll like it.”
She nodded, breathing hard, and watched me position my dick to slide into her. With both of us on our sides, I had to pull her to me at the same moment I thrusted forward.
She whimpered while I grunted, relishing the feel of her tightness clinging to the top half of my shaft. Using her leg for leverage, she held herself close enough for me to slip in and out, making us both moan.
Jesus . She was heaven. Especially when I found her G-spot and her pussy started clenching around me on every plunge.
I kept up a slow, steady rhythm and turned my attention back to kissing her, spilling all my groans into her mouth while we moved together. She trembled in my arms, holding onto me while I held onto her.
“Gray,” she cried softly, “I?—”
I love you .
She didn’t have to say it. I could feel it. And it was everything.
“I know,” I panted quietly, resting my forehead against hers. “I know, baby.”
It was the first time I’d ever made love in my life. Now I knew—it was just as good as fucking. Better, maybe, because it somehow made every feeling inside of me tangible .
I bit her lip softly and wrapped her hair around my wrist, wanting to feel her everywhere all at once. Her body tightened a little more with every thrust. She ground her hips tightly against mine, searching for the right amount of friction to set her off.
The feeling was indescribable and irresistible. I shifted, knowing the new angle would put pressure on her clit at while the head of my cock rubbed inside of her. Her moan echoed off the walls of my apartment and sent tingles racing down my back. I felt my balls draw up, ready to come as soon as she did.
“That’s right, baby,” I praised as she clenched around me. “Such a good girl. Fuck—you’re making me come.”
Kissing her roughly, losing control, I growled when her body clutched around mine. We both came within seconds, holding on to each other as we rode out the high together.