Chapter Thirty-Two
Linc
I’m so relieved I haven’t fucked up again.
Elora kisses me tenderly, and I fight the urge to slide a hand to the back of her head so I can deepen the kiss, and instead let her proceed at her own pace for a while. Her lips move across mine, exploring, tasting, and my blood stirs at her gentle but curious kisses, and the way she nibbles my bottom lip before sucking it. Then she touches her tongue to my lip and brushes it across before teasing my lips apart with tiny thrusts that give me an instant erection. Finally, she slides her tongue into my mouth, twining it erotically around mine, and at that point I’m done with her taking control.
Holding her tightly, I rise to my feet, making her gasp, and wrap her legs around me. Still kissing her, I go back into the cottage, being careful not to bang her head on the doorframe, close the door behind us, and carry her through to the bedroom. I unwrap her legs but don’t let her go, and instead slide my arm beneath her knees so I’m holding her in my arms. Then I toss her onto the bed.
She bounces and laughs, falling onto her back as I climb on top of her. “Careful,” she says as I lower down, “you could easily have broken the bed then.”
I snort. “You’re light as.”
“ Light as ,” she mocks, lifting her arms around my neck. “How very Kiwi of you.”
I lift up, take her hands, and pin them above her head. “If you’re going to mock me,” I tell her, “there’ll be punishment.”
She gasps, her eyes wide as she looks up at me.
“You wanted a hundred percent,” I remind her. “And I’m going to do exactly as the lady ordered. But we’re going to have a safe word. You understand what that is?”
She blinks, looking uncertain.
“We’re going to use colors,” I tell her. “Green is go. If you start feeling uncertain about something, and you don’t want to stop, but you want to slow down, or take a break and talk about it, you say ‘yellow.’ And if at any point you want me to stop, you say ‘red.’ Do you understand?”
She nods.
“I won’t be upset,” I say, looking into her eyes. “Good sex is about communication, and it’s especially true with you. It’s important that you tell me how you’re feeling.”
“Okay.” Her eyes are bright, excited.
“Right.” I release her hands and straighten, grab a handful of my tee at the back of my neck, and yank it off. I run a hand through my hair to smooth it down again, then lower back on top of her. “Now, prepare yourself, because I’m about to fuck you senseless.”
I smother her laugh with a kiss, and she murmurs something unintelligible and wraps her arms around my neck.
I kiss her for a long time, enjoying the softness of her mouth, and her eagerness. I love the way she sighs happily when I kiss up her jaw to her ear, and her light moans every time I do something different, like kissing down her neck and touching my tongue to the pulse that beats there.
After a while, I get her to sit up, and I take off her clothes, helping her peel off her top, undo her bra, and tug off her shorts and underwear, and then I push her onto her back again. I pick up one of her hands and begin kissing her fingers, then her palm, and slowly press my lips along the soft skin beneath her arm to her inner elbow, and all the way down to her underarm.
“Linc!” She twitches as I kiss there. “Don’t be gross.”
“What’s gross about it? It’s so sexy. All smooth and hairless.” I run my tongue over her skin.
She squeals. “Stop it!”
“No.” I lick all the way from the outside of her breast up under her arm.
“Linc!”
I push up and glare at her. “You remember your colors?”
She pouts. “Yes.”
“Then until I hear you say otherwise, I’m going to assume what I’m doing is green. Understand?”
She sticks her tongue out at me. Then she tries not to giggle at the look on my face.
“So that’s how it’s going to be, is it?” I say softly. “I told you, if you mock me there’ll be punishment.”
“Maybe I want to be punished,” she says, breathless, her eyes sparkling.
“Right.” I take her hand and pull it across her, forcing her to roll onto her side, then push her all the way over onto her front, straddling her thighs and keeping her there with a hand between her shoulder blades.
Lightly, without any real force, I slap her ass, enough to make a noise, but not to leave a mark.
She squeals and buries her face in a pillow. “Oh my God!”
I lean over her, brush her hair to one side, then lower down to press my lips to her neck. “I told you,” I say silkily.
She’s breathing fast, and she lifts her head a little.
“Color?” I ask.
She looks over her shoulder at me, and the look in her eyes sends heat searing through me. “Green,” she whispers.
Electricity zaps between us, fast and powerful. Right now, there’s nothing left of our childhood relationship—this is adult lust, pure and simple.
Thrilled at the thought, I lower my head and kiss her, hard this time, crushing my lips to hers and delving my tongue into her mouth. Then I tear my mouth away and start kissing down her neck. I plant hot, wet kisses down to her shoulders, then continue down her back, following the line of her spine until I reach the dip at the base. I circle my tongue there, then take big bites out of her plump cheeks as I continue down to the crease of her bottom. I run my tongue along that, and she giggles and wriggles, but doesn’t complain. I smile as I carry on; she’s learning.
I kiss down the back of her thighs, running my tongue over the silky soft skin, pause to do the same at the back of her knees, then continue down her calves to her feet. Finally, I kiss over the soles and trace my tongue around her ankle bone before sucking each of her toes.
“Oh my God.” She buries her face in the pillow again. “Toes? Honestly, Linc.”
“Nothing about you is sacrosanct.” I transfer to her other foot and do the same to that, then lift up and say, “Turn over.”
“No,” she says.
Lips curving up, I manhandle her onto her back, fighting with her a little, which ends up with her giggling and breathless, and me with a raging erection.
“Didn’t take you for a brat,” I say, pinning her down again.
“Didn’t take you for a Dom,” she bites back.
“Where did you learn that word?”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m twenty-four, I’m not completely na?ve.”
I lower down and kiss her neck. “Well, you’re not a very good sub, I have to say.” I kiss her neck, and she squirms. “Lie still.”
“It tickles.”
“Do I need to tie you down?”
She goes still then. Her chest rises and falls rapidly.
I don’t say anything, or stop, but continue to kiss down her neck. She wanted a hundred percent. She knows her safe word. Until she uses it, I’m going to carry on.
I kiss her breasts, then lower down beside her and spend some time tracing my tongue around her nipples and sucking them gently. She sighs and moans and squirms a little until I scold her and slides one hand into my hair and caresses it while she strokes my back with the other, which I kinda like.
After a while, I stroke up her thighs, then lift the knee that’s closest to me across my legs, opening her up. She lets me, sighing, then shivers as I brush my fingers lightly up the sensitive skin of her inner thighs until I reach the soft heart of her.
I groan, because she’s already swollen, and, coated with her moisture, my fingers slip easily down through her folds. I slide two fingers carefully inside her, gathering more moisture, try not to smile as she gives a very long and heartfelt groan, then bring my fingers back up to start caressing her beautiful little button.
“Linc…” She lets her thighs fall open a little wider, her fingers tightening in my hair. “Aaahhh…”
I continue arousing her, teasing her clit and occasionally sliding my fingers further down, until her breathing deepens and turns irregular.
Then I remove my fingers and lift up to my knees.
She blinks and looks up at me. Her face is flushed, and her hair is mussed and spread all over the pillow.
Letting my lips curve up, I move between her legs, reach over and grab a condom, and tear off the wrapper. After I roll it on, I push up her knees, then, leaning forward over her, I slide the tip of my erection down through her folds, coating it with her moisture, before pressing gently into her.
She catches her bottom lip between her teeth, closing her eyes. I keep my gaze fixed on her face as I push my hips forward, feeling a smug swell of satisfaction as she gasps, stretching to accommodate me.
I stop moving and wait for her to open her eyes. When she does, I withdraw all the way, then sink into her again. This time, nicely lubricated, I sink all the way in, and don’t stop until our bodies are flush.
“Fuck,” she says, loud and clear.
“Yes, ma’am.” I chuckle and begin to move, giving long, slow thrusts as I slide into her sensitive flesh.
Ohhh… this is bliss, and I sigh as I move, enjoying every second of this. I lower down and kiss her, and she slides her arms around my waist and strokes my back, then, after digging her nails into my shoulder blades, draws them down either side of my spine with just enough force to make me groan.
“Sorry,” she says without an ounce of remorse. “Color, Linc?”
I give her a wry look, lift and withdraw, then circle my finger in the air. She pokes her tongue out at me again.
“Right.” Desire flares inside me, and I toss her onto her front, yank up her hips so she’s on her knees, then slide inside her without further ado.
She squeals, moans, drops to her elbows, and buries her face in the pillow.
I push her knees wider, then set up a fast pace, driving deep inside her, uncaring that our hips make a noise as they meet. She says something into the pillow, but I’m going to assume it’s not a safe word unless she makes it a lot clearer than that, and instead I give her another light slap on the ass, because she seemed to enjoy the first one. She starts and yelps, then moans again and pushes back against me.
Heating up now, I slip my hands underneath her—one on her breast, one between her legs, and start arousing her again, tugging her nipple and circling over her clit. The sound of me sliding through her swollen flesh fills the air, and we both groan, which only makes me want to fuck her harder. So I pick up the pace, still arousing her, and I’m not surprised when only minutes later her moans become louder, and then she says, quite clearly, “Ah, I’m going to come,” and then she squeals as her climax hits her, clenching around me with several intense pulses that make me see stars.
Afterward, she collapses forward onto the pillow… but I’m not done with her yet.
I kiss down her back again, all the way to her butt, then rear up, roll her onto her back, lower down between her open legs, and sink my mouth into her. Ahhh… she’s so damn wet, and my face is soon coated in her moisture as I arouse her again, licking and sucking and sliding my fingers inside her until she can’t help but squirm.
I lift up and slide inside her, then roll so she’s on top of me. “Oh!” Surprised, she pushes up so she’s sitting astride me. God, she looks beautiful, young but mature too, with that knowing look in her eyes that only women who understand pleasure possess.
I take her hands and pull them over my head so I can suck her nipples for a bit, then release her and let her sit up. I move one of her hands to a breast, then tuck the other down between us. “Your turn to do some work,” I tell her, tucking my arms under my head and watching her for a bit, enjoying the view. She laughs and, although she obviously feels a little self-conscious, she begins to arouse herself, surprising me. Oh fuck, yeah, that’s backfiring on me. She fixes her gaze on mine for a while as she teases her clit with a finger, then closes her eyes and drops her head back, sucking her bottom lip while she tugs her nipple with her fingers.
Nope, I can’t lie there and let her get away with that.
I grab her and lift her off me, then get to my feet and pull her up with me. She laughs as I drag her with me to a waist-high chest of drawers in front of the window, then turn her so she’s facing away from me and leaning on the chest. Parting her legs, I push her forward a little so I can slide into her from behind.
I take her like that for a while, then turn her and lift her onto the chest, sweeping away the items on the top, uncaring, and part her legs so I can thrust into her that way.
And I don’t stop there. I take her in as many positions as I think of—from the front, from behind, sitting, standing, lying, on our sides, until we’re both panting, flushed, damp, and sticky.
By this point I’ve lost all reason, and I’m way past being slow and tender. I like to think I’d be able to rein myself in if she looked as if she wasn’t enjoying herself, but she matches me every step of the way, clawing, biting, moaning, and begging me for more.
Surprisingly, after all those positions, we end up in missionary, me up on my hands, looking into her eyes as I drive into her again and again, now desperate to reach my climax, and for her to join me there. She opens her legs wide and lets me fuck her the way I want to, with abandon, and it’s only as she comes, and ten seconds later I come with her, that I finally realize the irony of her comment about giving her a hundred percent.
She meant with sex, but when she said, I want all of you, Linc , I somehow took it literally. As she takes deep gasps from her orgasm, and I come inside her, shuddering and groaning, I know I’ve given her everything. My body, my heart, and my soul. I’m hers, utterly and completely, whether I wanted to be or not, and I don’t think there’s any going back.
*
Afterward, we lie there for a long time, facing each other, as our bodies cool down and our heartbeats return to normal. I stroke her hair, her shoulder, run my hand down her back, and trail my fingers over her hip. She plays with the hairs on my chest and traces my tattoos. We don’t talk, but somehow this feels more intimate than talking.
Jeez, I’ve got it bad.
I shouldn’t have told her I’m in love with her. I haven’t yet decided what I’m going to do when it’s time to go back, and confessing my feelings is only going to make it more difficult. But I couldn’t keep it from her. Right now, she’s my whole world, and the thought of changing that gives me a pain in my chest.
We should talk about it, but I honestly don’t know what to say. I know she won’t move to the UK with me. So that only leaves me coming back to New Zealand. Do I want to do that? I’ve worked so hard to build my career in England. And I love my job and being able to go on fascinating excavations all over Europe. New Zealand is wonderful if you like big blue skies and mountains and bungee jumping and surfing, but it’s severely lacking in history and archaeology, especially for someone who loves ancient history.
I know I could move here and travel to do excavations a few times a year, but that’s no way to keep a relationship strong. I’m an all or nothing kind of guy, and if I were to commit to her, I’d want to be with her as much as I could. And if I don’t… I need to cut the ties, or it’s just going to be heartbreak for us both.
Then she looks up, meeting my eyes, and she smiles a little, and my heart lifts as if it contains so much helium that I’m surprised when I speak that my voice isn’t several octaves higher.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods.
“I didn’t hurt you?”
A shake of her head.
“Or scare you?”
Her lips curve up a little more, and she gives another shake.
“You’re very bossy,” she says.
I chuckle. “You asked for a hundred percent.”
“I did. The law of supply and demand, right? Well you fulfilled that order to the customer’s satisfaction.”
“At least twice, if I recall.”
She giggles, and I grin. “There was a third in there,” she admits. “Somewhere between the chest of drawers and doggy style.”
That makes me laugh. “Favorite position?”
“Ooh, an impossible question!” She moves closer to me and brushes her lips against mine. “Whenever, wherever, however.”
It’s my turn to chuckle, and I pull her tightly against me and kiss her properly.
“What’s yours?” she asks when we finally come up for air.
“Missionary.”
Her eyebrows rise. “I thought you’d go for something more adventurous.”
“I love missionary with you. Your hair spread out all over the pillow. Your eyes looking up into mine, so big and blue. Your face all flushed. You lying there all defenseless and helpless while I fuck you into next week.”
Her lips part with a shocked gasp, and she smacks my arm as I laugh.
“You’re incorrigible,” she scolds. “You love to shock me.”
“I do, I have to admit it.” I run a strand of her hair through my fingers. “But I mean it. I could make love to you like that all day every day and not get tired of it.”
I think about that notion—of coming home to her every night and being able to make love to her whenever I wanted to. Of busy Saturdays at the museum, followed by drinks with friends and then going home to have sex in every room in the house. Of lazy Sundays, lying in until noon, eating pastries and drinking coffee in between glorious, languid lovemaking sessions. And I feel a hunger deep inside that I didn’t expect. I want that. So much. I want to be settled. To put down roots. I’d be able to see my new family, my real father.
But it’s such a huge change, and what if it didn’t work out with Elora? There’s no guarantee. I’d have made that momentous shift and blown up my old life for nothing.
Her eyelids are drooping, so I scoot down the pillows a bit and pull the duvet over us, and hold her, smiling as she curls up in my arms. She’s asleep in less than a minute, worn out, I’m sure, with all the excitement about the ring, followed by our strenuous lovemaking session.
I’m tired too, but as I lie there looking out through the window at the stars, I realize it’s finally time for me to step into Future Linc’s shoes and make the decision about my future.
I think about it for a long time, while Elora’s breathing deepens, and the moon rises higher in the midnight-blue sky.
Eventually, trying not to wake Elora, I reach over and pick up my phone. I send a few texts, unsurprised when I get replies quickly, as we were all night owls and rarely went to bed before one or two in the morning.
And then, at last, I put down my phone, curl up with Elora, and close my eyes. And this time I fall asleep in seconds, with the peace of a man who’s made up his mind.