Chapter 13 Carter #2
When I finally close my lips around one nipple, she cries out, her fingers tightening in my hair. I lavish attention on her breasts, learning what makes her gasp, what makes her arch into me, what makes her moan my name.
“I need—” she starts, grinding against me again. “I need—”
“What do you need, Rhi?” I ask, switching to her other breast. “Tell me.”
“I don’t know,” she admits, sounding frustrated. “I just know I need more.”
Misson accepted.
“Then let me,” I say, already moving to lay her back on the couch. “Let me take care of you.”
“What are you doing?” she whispers, her eyes wide.
“Something I have been dying to do.” I hook my fingers under the waistband of her leggings, looking up at her for permission. “Can I?”
She nods, lifting her hips slightly to help me. I ease the fabric down her legs slowly, taking my time, pressing kisses to each newly exposed inch of skin. I’m careful with her swollen ankle, gentle as I remove the fabric completely.
I settle between her legs, but I don’t touch her intimately yet. Instead, I start at her feet, massaging the one that isn’t injured, watching her face as I work my way up her calf. When I reach her thigh, she’s trembling, her breathing shallow.
“You’re tense,” I murmur, my hands kneading the soft flesh of her inner thigh. “Relax for me.”
“I can’t,” she admits. “I’m so—I feel like I’m going to combust.”
“That’s the idea,” I say with a smile, pressing an open-mouthed kiss just above her knee. I work my way higher, alternating between kisses and gentle touches, building the anticipation until she’s writhing beneath me.
When I finally reach the edge of her underwear, I pause. “Last chance to change your mind.”
“Don’t you dare stop,” she says, her voice firm despite her obvious nervousness.
I hook my fingers under the elastic of her underwear, watching her face as I slowly draw them down her legs. She’s breathing fast, her chest rising and falling rapidly, a flush spreading from her cheeks down her neck. When I settle back between her thighs, she closes her eyes.
“Look at me,” I murmur. “I want to see your face.”
Her eyes fly open, meeting mine. I hold her gaze as I lean down and press a soft kiss to her inner thigh, then another, closer to where she needs me. Her hips lift slightly, seeking, and I smile against her skin.
“Patience,” I tell her, even though I’m barely holding onto my own control.
I continue to tease her, my breath ghosting over her most sensitive places without actually touching. Her hands fist in the cushions beneath her, her whole body taut with anticipation.
“Please,” she finally whispers, and that single word breaks my resolve.
“I want to see your face when I taste you.”
Her eyes fly open, dark and wide. “Carter—”
Whatever she was about to say dissolves into a gasp as my mouth finds her. Her taste floods my senses—sweet and salt and everything I’ve been craving without knowing it. I take my time, exploring her with my tongue, learning what makes her breath catch, what makes her fingers tighten in my hair.
“Oh my god!” She lifts her hips slightly off the couch. “That feels—that’s—”
I smile against her, circling my tongue where she’s most sensitive.
Her thighs tremble on either side of my head, and I slide my hands beneath them, lifting her slightly for better access.
She cries out, a sound that sends heat coursing through me, and I double down, determined to make her fall apart.
“Carter, I—” Her voice breaks, her back arching. “I’m going to—”
“Let go,” I murmur against her. “I’ve got you.”
When she comes, it’s with my name on her lips—a broken, breathless sound that might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. Her entire body trembles, and I stay with her through it, gentling my movements as she comes down, pressing soft kisses to her inner thighs.
When I finally look up, her face is transformed—flushed, relaxed, her eyes heavy-lidded and dazed. I can’t help the surge of pride that rushes through me.
“You okay?” I ask, moving up to lie beside her.
She laughs, the sound light and free. “That’s... a very inadequate word for how I’m feeling right now.”
I grin, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Good inadequate or bad inadequate?”
“Definitely good.” She turns to face me, her expression suddenly shy despite what we’ve just done. Her eyes drift down between us, widening as she notices the prominent bulge straining against my jeans. Tentatively, she reaches out, her fingers tracing the outline of my erection.
“You’re so hard,” she whispers, her voice filled with wonder. Her touch becomes more confident as she explores me through the denim.
I groan, my hips instinctively pushing against her hand. “That’s what you do to me.”
Something shifts in her expression—a newfound boldness replacing her earlier shyness. She unbuttons my jeans with surprising dexterity, sliding the zipper down slowly.
“I want to feel you inside me,” she says, her voice low and certain. “Please, Carter. I need you.”
The raw honesty in her request nearly undoes me. I capture her lips in a searing kiss, my hands already working to shed the rest of my clothes.
“Fuck yes.” I murmur.
She helps me push my trousers down my legs.
When I’m finally naked above her, she pulls me closer, her eyes never leaving mine.
“Do you have protection?” she asks.
I nod, reaching for my wallet on the floor beside the couch. “Always prepared.”
She smiles at that, watching as I tear open the foil packet with my teeth.
“Wait,” she whispers, pushing up on her elbows. She captures my face between her hands and pulls me down into a kiss that steals my breath. Her tongue slides against mine, exploring, claiming, making my head swim. This isn’t the hesitant Rhi from before—this is someone new, someone unleashed.
I groan into her mouth as her hands travel down my chest, her fingernails lightly scraping my skin. Every touch sends electricity coursing through my body. When she reaches between us to take me in her hand, I nearly lose control right there.
“Slow down,” I murmur against her lips, but she just smiles, her eyes bright with a newfound confidence.
“I don’t want to slow down,” she whispers, guiding me toward her entrance. “I’ve wasted too much time already.”
Her lips find mine again, hot and demanding, and I’m drowning in her—in her taste, her scent, the soft sounds she makes when I press against her. The kiss deepens, turns desperate, all teeth and tongue and breathless hunger. Her hands tangle in my hair, pulling me closer, like she can’t get enough.
When I finally push inside her, we both gasp into each other’s mouths. She’s tight and hot and perfect around me, and for a second, I can’t move, overwhelmed by the sensation.
“Carter,” she moans against my lips, her eyes fluttering open, her body arching into mine. “Please don’t stop.”
I begin to move, slowly at first, savoring the feel of her surrounding me completely. Her nails dig into my shoulders, urging me deeper, faster. The scent of her—vanilla and sweat and something uniquely Rhi—fills my lungs, making my head spin.
“God, you feel incredible,” I say against her neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses along her throat. Her pulse races beneath my lips, quick and strong.
She wraps her good leg around my waist, changing the angle, taking me deeper. The sound that escapes her—half gasp, half moan—nearly breaks my control. I grip her hip, steadying her, trying to maintain some semblance of rhythm despite the fire building at the base of my spine.
“You turn me on so much,” I whisper, slowing my movements until she opens her eyes. They’re dark, unfocused, her pupils blown wide.
Her gaze locks with mine, vulnerable and open in a way that makes my chest ache. There’s trust there. Complete trust. After everything—after nearly losing her today—the intimacy of this moment hits me.
I can’t look away from her face, the way her lips part slightly with each breath, the way her cheeks flush darker when I move just right.
“I want to feel you come again,” I murmur against her ear. “I need to watch you fall apart for me one more time.”
She whimpers, her fingers digging harder into my shoulders as I shift my angle, pressing deeper. Her breathing changes—shorter, sharper gasps that tell me she’s close. I slide my hand between our bodies, finding that perfect spot with my thumb.
“Carter,” she gasps, her eyes widening. “I don’t know if I can—”
“You can,” I murmur, circling my thumb in tight, deliberate motions.
Her body tightens around me, her back arching as the tremors start.
I don’t stop, don’t slow down, just keep moving inside her as she shatters, her cries echoing in the small cabin.
The sight of her—completely uninhibited, completely mine—pushes me over the edge.
The pressure builds at the base of my spine, white-hot and unstoppable.
“Rhi,” I groan, burying my face in her neck as my hips stutter and I finally let go, emptying myself completely. For a moment, the world narrows to just this—
—just this connection, this perfect union of our bodies.
When I finally come back to myself, I’m collapsed on top of her, both of us breathing hard. I gather enough energy to lift my weight off her, careful of her injured ankle, and dispose of the condom in the small trash bin beside the couch.
I grab the blanket from the back of the couch and pull it over us, tucking it around her shoulders.
I should move us to the bed upstairs, but I can’t bring myself to separate from her yet. Instead, I pull her close against my chest, her head tucked under my chin. The fire crackles beside us, casting dancing shadows across the cabin walls.
“Are you okay?” I ask, my fingers tracing lazy patterns along her spine. “Your ankle—”
“Didn’t even feel it,” she murmurs, her voice heavy with satisfaction. She shifts, pressing her body closer to mine, and I feel a stirring deep in my core despite having just finished.
Her hand slides down my chest, exploratory and curious. “I want more of you,” she whispers, her breath hot against my neck.
“Already?” I can’t keep the pleased surprise from my voice.
She nods, suddenly shy again. The duality of her—bold one moment, uncertain the next—makes my chest ache with tenderness. I capture her wandering hand with mine, bringing it to my lips.
“Give me five minutes,” I murmur against her fingers, suddenly aware of how heavy my limbs feel.
The adrenaline crash is hitting me hard, my body remembering all at once that I spent the day hiking, rescuing her from a literal hole in the ground, and then making love to her with everything I had.
“Just five minutes to recover, and I’m all yours again. ”
She laughs softly, settling back against me. “Take your time. We have all night.”
All night. The words send a pleasant shiver through me despite my exhaustion. I pull her closer, adjusting the blanket around us. The fire casts dancing shadows across her skin, making her look like something from a dream.
My eyelids feel impossibly heavy. I try to fight it—I want to stay present, to savor every second of holding her—but the warmth of her body against mine is too soothing, too perfect.
“You can sleep,” she whispers, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on my chest. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
“Not sleeping,” I mumble, even as my eyes drift closed. “Just resting my eyes. Five minutes.”
She laughs again, the sound vibrating against my chest. “Whatever you say.”