Chapter Thirty
CHAPTER THIRTY
CLAIRE
"Hey, you," Mark says. His smile makes my stomach flip—he’s so damn attractive, and that radiant smile only amplifies his charm. He pats the couch beside him, beckoning me to join him.
I drop my bag by the door and make my way over to him. When I go to sit beside him, Mark pulls me onto his lap instead. Letting out a surprised giggle, I wrap my arms around his neck for support.
"Hi," I say.
"How was class?" he asks as he rests his hands on my hips. His thumb traces small circles on my skin. It’s a seemingly innocent touch, but it only makes me want more.
"It was good," I say, my voice steadier than I feel. His touch is entirely too distracting.
"That's good. Are you feeling better?"
It takes me a second to figure out that he’s referring to last night when I avoided him by telling him I wasn’t feeling well. "Yeah, I’m good now."
Mark's hands begin to move, tracing the curve of my waist, the flare of my hips, the line of my thigh. His touch is gentle, but it seems to set my skin on fire all the same.
"I couldn’t stop thinking about you today while I was trying to work," he says, leaning over slightly to press a kiss to my neck.
"Me either. It’s weird going back to real life after everything that’s happened in the last week or two."
"Agreed. Guess I’ll just need to take advantage of all the alone time I get with you in the evenings, then."
I bite back a smile as his fingers dip beneath the hem of my shirt, slowly pulling it upward to reveal my bare midriff.
"I like the sound of that." I lift my arms so that he can pull my shirt off, and he tosses it unceremoniously to the floor when he does. Seconds later, he’s doing the same with my bra.
"You're so goddamn beautiful," he breathes, staring down at my bare torso as he traces the curves of my body. He studies my expression as his thumb flits over the peak of my nipple before pinching it between his thumb and forefinger, eliciting a gasp from me as the sharp sensation shoots straight to my core.
I lean forward and press my lips against his in a soft, tentative kiss. He responds immediately, his mouth moving against mine. His tongue slips past my lips as he takes what he wants and deepens the kiss, and I melt into him as one of his hands threads through my hair.
His erection presses into my ass, and it only amplifies the need coursing through my body. Now that I’ve had a taste of him, I can never seem to get enough. I want him. I need him.
He breaks away from the kiss, trailing his lips down my neck, nipping at the sensitive skin. The stubble on his face scrapes against my skin, and the heat of his breath raises goosebumps wherever his lips pass.
Without thinking of what I’m doing, I grind my ass against his erection beneath me, and he lets out a low groan.
Suddenly, he stands, lifting me in his arms as if I weigh nothing. I grin up at him, tightening my arms around his neck as he carries me down the hallway to his bedroom. He kicks the door shut behind us and the sound of it clicking closed echoes through the room.
Fire burns between us, setting my every nerve on fire with the knowledge of what’s to come.
Mark sets me down gently on the bed with his body hovering over mine. His eyes search my face, looking for any sign of doubt or hesitation. "Are you ready for this?"
"Yes," I whisper. Butterflies take flight in my stomach. "I’m nervous, but I’m ready."
He smiles softly, brushing my hair away from my face. "That's normal," he says. "But I promise we'll go slow. And if you want to stop at any point, just say the word."
I nod, my trust in him outweighing any other feeling I might have. I want him in every way I can have him, and I trust him with everything in me. He leans down, pressing his lips against mine again. This time, the kiss is soft and slow, different from the heated, passionate one we had only moments ago on the couch.
"You're perfect," he whispers as his hands begin to explore again, covering every bare inch of my body. He leans down to close his lips around my nipple, sucking just hard enough to make me whimper.
His dark chuckle at my response only turns me on more. He’s so confident, so in control, and it allows me the vulnerability to trust that he’ll take care of me.
He reaches down to unbutton my jeans then stands to pull them off, followed quickly by his own clothing.
My eyes zero in on his hard cock jutting out before him, and as sexy as it is, I can’t help but wonder how that’s going to fit inside me. He’s prepared me the past few days with his fingers, but likely not to that extent.
Mark must notice the concern in my eyes, because he says, "Don’t worry. I promise I’ll make you feel good, baby."
I know realistically that this will probably hurt a little, but I believe him. I trust him.
Towering over the bed, he covers the space between us then pushes me back against the pillows before moving lower on the bed, trailing his lips down my bare skin until he reaches my pussy.
He hovers over me, looking up as he slips a finger through my wetness before slowly pushing it inside me. "God, you’re so wet for me already," he growls in appreciation before lowering his head and flicking his tongue against my clit. His finger moves inside me, and he gently pushes another in, the stretch slightly painful but sending my already sensitive body closer to the edge.
I can tell he’s been holding back with me this week, careful not to push me too far too fast, but I have a feeling that tonight, that’s all about to change.
Mark licks and sucks, all the while moving his fingers inside me, and I know I won’t last long at this rate. In the matter of a week, he’s managed to learn my body in a way I never knew possible, knowing exactly where and how to touch me. The tension inside me builds and builds until I know I won’t last any longer.
"I’m close," I whisper. He moans against me in response, never letting up. I should have known he’d make me come twice tonight. He did it for the first time a couple days ago, and it was mind-blowing. I didn’t even know that was possible .
It only takes a few more moments before I fall apart from Mark’s constant movement, the friction pushing me over the edge and causing me to buck my hips against his greedy tongue. I fucking love it.
He keeps going until I push his head away, too sensitive to take any more. The smile he gives me is satisfied yet mischievous, as if that was only the beginning.
I don’t have a chance for my breathing to return to normal before he’s crawling up the bed over top of me and kissing me. I can taste myself on his tongue, and it’s strangely erotic.
My head is spinning as I run my hands over his tattooed, muscular arms. He’s careful not to put his weight on me, but the heat radiating from his body envelops me and his thick cock is pressing against my thigh as he gives me a moment to catch my breath.
The hunger in his eyes is enough to have my stomach flipping again. He wants me just as much as I want him . Even though he doesn’t express his affection as much in words, it’s evident in his actions, in the way he looks at me as if I’m the only thing that matters.
Mark props himself up on one forearm as he leans over to grab a condom from the nightstand, then sits up to put it on. Straddling my legs, he rolls the condom down over his hard length then pins me with a look of barely controlled lust.
"Tell me what you’re thinking," he says.
"I—I want to feel you."
His chest rises with a slow inhale before he leans back down and positions himself at my entrance .
I wrap my arms around his massive shoulders and close my eyes as he presses against me.
"Try to relax," he murmurs.
I do as he says, willing my tense body to relax as much as possible.
He shifts slightly, pushing inside me. I gasp at the feel of him stretching me, the burning sensation uncomfortable but not entirely unpleasant. He rocks his hips gently, going deeper inside me inch by inch, until I’m so full I don’t know how he could possibly go any further.
With one final push, he stills, giving me a chance to adjust to the foreign sensation. It doesn’t hurt as bad as I expected it to, likely due to him preparing me this past week with his fingers and tongue, but it’s still uncomfortable. I take a few slow, deep breaths to center myself.
"You okay?" Mark asks.
I nod. "Yes. Just… adjusting."
"When you’re ready, move your hips for me."
I take a few more seconds before I move my hips forward. Oh . I do it again and again, rocking slowly back and forth as the uncomfortable fullness morphs into something else entirely.
"Fuuuuck," Mark groans. He begins to match my rhythm, thrusting his hips in time with mine, his cock withdrawing almost entirely before pushing into me again. "You feel so good."
"So do you," I stutter out, my words punctuated by his thrusts. It’s true. Every worry I’d had is now gone and replaced by the overwhelming thrill of him fucking me, claiming me as his. The connection between us is even more intense than I could have expected, tying me to him on some primal level that I’ll never be able to forget .
I lift my legs, wrapping them around his large body, and the shift somehow makes it feel like he’s even deeper inside me.
I must make a sound without realizing it, because his low, dark chuckle vibrates in his chest. All I can focus on is the heat of his skin against mine, the tension in his muscular arms as he strains to hold himself up over me, the increasingly rapid pace of his thrusts.
And at this angle, I can feel that now-familiar sensation building inside me again, bringing me higher and higher.
Every touch, every moan, every thrust sends me closer to the edge until I’m dangerously close to coming again. I don’t warn him this time. Instead, I ride it out, my inner muscles tighten around him as I fall apart.
"That’s it, you’re doing so fucking well for me," Mark praises. He keeps going, pushing me past my limit until everything is a blur of pleasure and heat and all-consuming lust.
As I come down from the high of my second orgasm of the night, he leans down to rest his forehead against mine. It’s a surprisingly affectionate, intimate gesture, and my heart lurches in my chest at the rush of affection it brings me.
"Mark…" I whisper his name, even though I don’t have anything else to say. I just need to say something to convey the affection blooming in my chest, and his name passing my lips holds the weight of all the things I can’t tell him right now.
"I’m here," he whispers back. An acknowledgment. A promise.
He fucks me slowly through the aftershock of my orgasm, then flips over to lie on his back, moving my body easily so I’m on top of him.
When I give him a questioning look, he flashes me a devilish grin. Biting back a smile, I situate myself on top of him and sink down slowly on his rigid cock.
"Oh my god," I whimper. The new angle gives me more leverage but also makes everything feel impossibly deeper.
In response, Mark lifts his hips in a small but quick motion, bouncing my body on him and eliciting a sharp gasp from me. He looks entirely too pleased with himself when I feign a glare at him.
Leaning forward to rest my hands on his chest, I slowly rock back and forth, making his cock go in and out of me the same way it did when he was on top. I’m rewarded with a low groan from him. Picking up the pace, I watch as his breathing mimics my own, growing faster and shallower by the minute.
To my surprise, he reaches forward and uses his thumb to circle my clit.
"I don’t think I can do it again," I whine.
"Yes you can, baby. I’ve got you."
Sure enough, the pleasure builds and heat spreads through my veins. I chase the orgasm, riding Mark at a desperate, almost frantic pace. He matches my rhythm, thrusting into me from below with as much urgency as I’m feeling. Then, I’m coming again, falling apart around him for the third time tonight. My core tightens, and I cry out as my body bows forward and I catch myself on Mark’s chest.
Seconds later, he groans with his own release, pulsing inside me. It’s all so sensual, so overwhelming, so perfect .
For a long time, we don’t move, and it’s silent aside from our heavy breathing. I’m on top of him, chest-to-chest, my eyes closed and my body weak after the roller coaster of emotions and sensations. Finally, Mark gently rolls me to his side and presses his lips against mine in a chaste kiss.
"How do you feel?"
Speaking feels next to impossible right now in this heady state of bliss, but I manage to answer, "So good."
"Good." Even though my eyes are closed, I can hear the smile in his voice. He rolls away from me for a moment, presumably to discard the condom, then returns a few seconds later. His arms envelop me, warm and strong and gentle, and I’ve never felt happier.
Even though I know I’m probably setting myself up for heartbreak by falling for him, I’m too far gone to care. It’s painful to think he might not feel as strongly about me as I do him, but right now, I can enjoy pretending if nothing else.
Because the way he holds me feels a lot like love, even if it’s not.