Ronan
ronan
“ W here are we going?” Willow giggled, but I just grinned. With the blindfold over her eyes, she couldn’t see me, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Big step up here,” I told her, gently guiding her up the rock. Her foot caught on the slick stone, and she yelped. I grabbed her waist, steadying her, smoothing my thumbs over her T-shirt. “I’ve got you, baby girl. Put your hands on my shoulders.”
Her fingers dug into my shoulders as I lifted her effortlessly off the rock and settled her on the ground at my side. We were almost to the overlook, just a few more minutes and she could take that blindfold off.
I knew she was antsy about what was happening, where we were going. And that made it all the more fun.
“Can I guess where we are?” she asked, and I laughed.
“Or you could just enjoy the journey.”
“How can I when I can’t see anything?”
I squeezed her hand as we walked up the steep hill to the top of the peak. There was a rickety old fence that kept people away from the edge. If you put any weight on it, you’d topple over. But it was worth it—the Atlantic Ocean stretched out, far and wide. It felt like standing on the edge of the world, like you were the last person alive.
Pine and cedar trees surrounded the area, giving us enough shade to stay cool, but still allowing sunlight to peek through the leaves. But if we walked a little past the peak and down a secret trail, we’d find the real gem. A hidden cave full of crystals and shells—it smelled like seaweed and sand, but the secluded beach was well worth the stench.
We made it to the peak, and I pulled Willow to a stop at my side. Finally, I tugged the blindfold off her eyes, and she blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust. I knew the second they did, because her mouth dropped open on a gasp.
“Oh my god,” she breathed, pressing her hand into her chest. “Oh my god , .”
She stared out at the ocean, at her lighthouse way in the distance. It was so small from this far away, this high up, but it was there, tall and proud. Her fingers trembled as she placed them over her lips.
“This is…gorgeous,” she said softly, like she was scared to speak too loudly. I looked around with her, taking it all in. “How did you find this place?”
“My dad used to bring us here,” I muttered. She turned her back to the ocean, taking in the trees behind us.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.”
I stared at her, watching as she spun around and around, taking everything in. I’d never seen someone so in awe before, but she was. She couldn’t stop the tears filling her eyes as she looked out at the ocean again.
“Me either,” I breathed.
As beautiful as this place was, she was better. She was perfect—but perfect didn’t feel like enough of a word to describe her. She was everything, and there was nothing I could say, nothing I could do, to ever make her feel an ounce of what she made me feel. Of what she made everyone feel.
Warmth radiated from her, full of the purest love I’d ever felt. And in that moment, with the ocean breeze blowing through her messy waves, the slight pinkness staining her cheeks, I knew I loved her.
I might’ve fallen in love with her the first moment I saw her, or it might’ve been when she told me off about my trash, or the power tools, or whatever else. It might’ve been when she asked me to be her fake boyfriend, or it might’ve been the first time I felt her lips against mine—the first time I tasted her.
Whenever it was didn’t matter. Because I loved her. I loved her with every ounce of my being, every beat of my heart. She was every breath I took, every thought I had, every future I envisioned.
She was everything— my everything.
The feeling, the word , washed over me, sudden and hot. It battered against the cage of my teeth, demanding to be let free, but I swallowed it down. Was now the right time? I didn’t know.
She was so stressed about this weekend. We only had two nights left before her family was here, and then what would happen? How far would she close in on herself?
I couldn’t tell her while they were here. It would be too much. But telling her before? Telling her now?
I turned toward her, finding her already staring at me. She reached up, smoothing her thumb between my brows. “You’re thinking about something awfully hard,” she said softly, a teasing lilt to her voice.
I swallowed thickly. “I, um, I have your birthday present.”
I cringed. That was not the way I’d wanted to tell her or give it to her. Excitement filled her face as she turned toward me.
“Do you? Where is it?”
“Okay, it’s small, and if you hate it?—”
“I won’t,” she said, but I shook my head.
“If you hate it, I promise it won’t hurt my feelings. I’ll get you something else.”
I reached into the basket I’d brought, the pink envelope heavy in my hand. Her brows crashed together as she took it from me.
“What is this?” she laughed softly, but I just gestured for her to open it.
Carefully, almost like she was diffusing a bomb, she slid her finger along the seam, opening it. I held my breath as I watched, waiting for her reaction.
She pulled the paper out and unfolded it. Her eyes widened with each word, and when she finished reading, she snapped her gaze to me.
“Is this a joke?” she asked.
“I knew you were gonna hate it.” I groaned. “I’ll get you?—”
“Are you kidding me?” I blinked at her. I didn’t know this would be her reaction. “I’ve been trying to get into the private garden for years , . Years . How did you do this?”
“My mom knows the lady who runs it.” I shrugged. “She got you a plot in the back.”
“This is—” She read the letter again. “This is incredible.”
A smile tugged at my lips as I kissed her forehead. Who knew a simple plot at the community garden would cause her to nearly cry? I guess I should’ve known. She loved her plants.
She tucked the letter back into the envelope before handing it back to me to safety put in the basket again. Her happiness and excitement were infectious, but I couldn’t stop thinking about my newfound love.
I wanted to tell her. It shouldn’t be hard to just say it.
My lips twisted to the side, and her brows creased. “Are you sure that was it?” she murmured. “I feel like there’s something else.”
Taking a deep breath, I wrapped my hand around hers and brought it to my lips, pressing a lingering kiss to the back of her knuckles. “I was thinking about you,” I murmured. She blinked, and a deeper blush settled on her cheeks.
“Hopefully all good things.”
My hand fell to her waist, my other one clutching the picnic basket. Was now the right time? I didn’t know. I didn’t want to mess anything up.
Was it too soon? Would she think I was a psychopath for admitting my love for her after just a few weeks? But did timelines really matter when you knew what you felt? When your feelings were this strong? This real?
“Okay, you’re scaring me now,” she laughed nervously. “What’s going on?”
My throat was suddenly too dry as I tried to speak, but I forced the words out. “You’ve changed my life,” I rasped. Her eyes flicked between mine, but they were guarded, like she was expecting the worst. Roughly, I cleared my throat and continued. “Everything has changed so much in such a short time.”
“I—I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I didn't realize—I?—”
“No.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “This is coming out wrong.”
She tried to tug her hand from my grasp, but I tightened my hold.
“, if you’re having second thoughts?—”
“I’m not,” I blurted, all but shouting the words. A deep breath filled my lungs as I searched for the right way to say this. I didn’t want to freak her out or push her too fast, but I couldn’t hold back anymore.
Reaching up, I cupped her cheek. Gently, my thumb smoothed over her soft skin, but she didn’t lean into me like she usually did. She held herself stiffly, like she was bracing herself for a verbal blow.
She tried to look away, but I guided her face back to mine. I needed her to look at me—I needed her to hear every word.
“I feel like I’ve waited my entire life for you, baby. You’re my world. You are my lighthouse, Willow,” I rasped, my voice thick with emotion. Tears lined her pretty green eyes, and the sight nearly gutted me. “You’re my beacon home.”
She choked on a sob as a tear slipped from her eye. I brushed it away with my thumb and took a step closer.
“I know this is probably too soon for you.” My brows pushed together as I swallowed thickly, my heart in my throat. “And you don’t have to say anything—you don’t have to say it back. But?—”
“I love you,” she whispered the three words so quietly, so inaudibly, I thought I imagined them. But then she shuffled closer, her feet sliding along the rocks and twigs. “I love you.” She said it again, her voice barely stronger.
I couldn’t breathe. My world was spinning out of control, because the girl I was in love with loved me back .
Willow’s eyes stayed on mine, waiting, her breath held in her chest. I felt the words form on my lips, and I heard them as I said them, but it felt like a dream.
“I love you, Willow Gray,” I rasped. “I love you more than all the grains of sand on the beach, more than all the stars in the sky. I’ll love you until I take my last breath, and then—” I choked on my emotions. “And then I’ll love you in whatever comes next. Whether it be an afterlife, or another lifetime. It doesn’t matter because I’ll love you until everything ceases to exist. Until the stars stop shining, until the sun goes out, until the world shrivels up and all that’s left is dust. I’ll love you through it all, Willow.”
Tears streamed from her eyes, staining her cheeks, but the smile that split her face told me they weren’t sad tears— she was happy.
The basket fell to the ground as she threw her arms around my neck. Her lips were heavy against mine, nearly crushing. They were slick with her tears—or maybe they were mine. I dug my fingers into the softness of her waist, holding her body close.
My cock strained against my jeans, pressing against her stomach. I knew she could feel it, it was hard and thick, and fucking aching for her. But not now—I couldn’t?—
“Ro,” she whimpered, her fingers tugging on the hair at the nape of my neck. That sound was so full of need, of lust, of as much desperation as I felt, and I didn’t care anymore. I couldn’t hold back, couldn’t control myself.
Lifting her, she wrapped her legs around my waist. I carried her a few feet to the nearest tree and rested her back against it. A squeak left her, but I couldn’t focus on that, on anything other than getting her fucking jeans off.
I trailed my lips along her jaw, down her neck, sucking and kissing my way to her chest. Her shirt was low-cut and easy to shove down, exposing her bra. Her nipple was hard beneath the lacy fabric, and I reached out, gently tugging on it with my fingers.
“Take your pants off,” I rasped, dropping her feet to the ground. “Then turn around and hold on to the tree.” She scrambled to obey, shoving her jeans down to her knees as I fumbled with the button of mine.
My cock sprang free, and I fisted myself. I’d never done anything like this—never anything in public where we could be caught, but the possibility, though I knew it was impossible, sent wave after wave of excitement through me.
We were too secluded, and no one other than my family knew about this place. We were safe— she was safe.
Willow spun around and pressed her chest against the rough bark of the tree. Her hair spilled down her back as she glanced over her shoulder at me, her eyes hooded and glazed. My fist stroked down my length, squeezing and twisting.
I reached for my pocket, then froze. “Fuck,” I breathed. Shit. Shit. Shit . “I don’t have a condom.”
She bit on her bottom lip. “You don’t need one,” she whispered. “Just fuck me.”
She pressed her ass out as if she were presenting herself to me, and I nearly died. I gripped her hip, her soft flesh overflowing through my thick fingers. “You’re sure?” I rasped, rubbing the tip of my cock against her dripping cunt.
“I love you, Ro,” she said, her voice thick with lust. “I trust you.”
I clenched my jaw at the words, at the weight they carried. Leaning over her body, I pressed my lips against her, rough and hard. My cockhead slid against her swollen clit, and she gasped. Grinning against her lips, I dragged my hips back before pressing forward, loving the way her pussy felt sliding against me.
Her fingers dug into the bark as I pulled away. I shoved my booted foot between her legs and gently nudged them apart. She arched her back, pressing her ass out more, and I brought my hand down on it, watching the instant red handprint appear.
“Fuck,” I groaned, moving my cock to her entrance. “You’re dripping for me, baby girl. So fucking wet. You want my cock so badly, don't you?”
“Please,” she whimpered, shifting her hips back and forth, teasing my tip. I pressed forward, our gasps mixing together as the head of my cock slid effortlessly in. It was the first time I’d ever gone without a condom, the first time I’d felt someone raw, and I was on another planet.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I pushed deeper, a long, low groan leaving me.
“Oh, holy fuck,” she muttered. “You’re so big. So, so big.”
“You can take it all, baby,” I growled. “You have before. You will again.”
Her thighs trembled as I bottomed out, my hips flush against her ass. She looked so fucking good like this, her hair wild and tits out, her pussy swallowing my cock whole. I pulled almost all the way out before slamming back in, our bodies slapping together.
A scream ripped from her throat, echoing in the trees, and I slid my hand up her body, resting it over her mouth. I pressed my chest against her back, my thrusts hard and unforgiving.
“You need to stay quiet for me, baby,” I rasped in her ear. “We don’t want someone to find us, do we?” My other hand snaked down her body, between her legs. Her clit was hard, swollen and slick, and I rubbed it in tight, fast circles. “Or maybe you do want that?” She whimpered against my hand, pressing her ass back, meeting me thrust for thrust. “Maybe you want someone to catch us. To hide in the woods and watch me fuck you raw like this.”
Every desperate sound she made was muffled behind my hand, but I didn’t let up. I continued pounding into her, stroking her clit, listening to her whine and whimper.
“Do you know how good your little cunt feels?” I growled, my thrusts turning more frantic, more intense. She shook her head as she reached down, cupping her breasts. “You’re so goddamn tight and wet around me. You fit me like a glove, like you were made for me. Were you made for me, baby?”
“Yes,” she moaned, her voice muffled. “God, yes. I’m yours, Ro. I’m all yours.”
“That’s right,” I snarled. My spine began tingling, and my lower stomach tightened. “You’re fucking mine , Willow. My fucking girl. Say it again. Tell me you’re mine.” I pulled my hand away from her mouth.
“Yours,” she cried out, her voice breathy and raw. “I’m yours, . Please, please?—”
“Please, what?”
My fingers moved faster over her clit. Her pussy fluttered around my cock, and I knew she was close. I felt her body trembling, like she was teetering on the edge with me.
“Say it, baby. I’m about to come. Please, what?”
“Come inside me,” she said breathlessly. “Please, come inside me. I want to feel you.” Leaning down, I sank my teeth into her neck. Fucking Christ, she was going to kill me. “Ro! Ro! I can’t—I’m coming. I’m?—”
“I’ve got you, baby,” I assured her, running my tongue over her warm skin. “Come all over my cock.”
She dropped her head forward, resting it against the tree as she came. Her screams and whimpers echoed as I fucked her through her orgasm, feeling her cunt squeeze and choke the life from me. But I couldn’t stop—I was so fucking close.
I leaned back, my fingers digging into her hips as I slammed into her. Over and over, never stopping.
“Fuck, I’m coming, sweetheart,” I grunted. “You’re gonna take it all, aren’t you?”
“Please,” she whimpered. Her body was loose, almost malleable. I held her upright, my hips slapping against her ass. “Oh, fuck—I’m?—”
“You’re coming again?” I gritted my teeth together. I could hold off for a few more seconds to give her another orgasm. “Rub your pussy, baby girl. Come with me.”
Her hand trembled as she reached between her legs. With every swipe of her fingers, I felt them against my cock, teasing and pushing me closer.
“I can’t hold back,” I ground out. “I can’t—baby, I can’t—I’m coming. I’m coming inside you.”
She pushed her hips back as she screamed, her body trembling with wave after wave of her orgasm. Her pussy clamped around me, tighter than before, and I slid all the way home, stopping myself when I was seated as deeply as I could be.
I knew I was holding her hips too hard as I came. My neck strained with the effort, every muscle in my body going taut as I spilled inside her. We rode our orgasms together, groaning and panting, until we were nothing but sweaty heaps.
Gently, I pressed a kiss to her cheek before I pulled out. She stayed leaning against the tree as I tugged her panties up her legs, settling them against her. “I need to clean up,” she said, but I batted her hands away.
“I told you I wanted you to walk around with my cum seeping out of you so everyone knows who you belong to,” I murmured. Her teeth sank into her pillowy bottom lip as she smiled at me.
“Really?”
“It’ll be a secret only we know,” I said softly, pulling her jeans up. “I like knowing a piece of me will be inside you for the rest of the day.”
She pushed off the tree and righted her pants as I tucked myself away. “I like that too,” she admitted. Reaching out, I cupped her cheek and brought my lips to hers.
“I love you,” I whispered, resting my forehead against hers. “More than anything.”