Chapter 21
21
[Cort]
O n the second night of camp, I find my way to Vale’s cabin despite how tired I am.
Our team’s enthusiasm has run me ragged but as I near the small lodge with Vale inside, my energy revives.
After a soft knock, Vale answers the door.
“Lost, coach?” she teases.
She has no idea how lost I’ve been.
I don’t answer, other than skipping up the two steps and gently forcing her back into the room.
Once the door is closed and locked, my hands are in her hair and my mouth against her lips, desperate like the starving man I’ve become.
When I called Vale a craving, one I was certain wouldn’t be satiated after one taste, I wasn’t wrong.
I have a sweet tooth for her.
For the longest time, I refused to kiss women.
The intimacy was too much.
No lips. No excessive handsy foreplay.
Flip her over and do my thing.
Easier to compartmentalize then.
The defense mechanism was a way to keep my ex out of my mind.
But this is Vale. My sweet honeybee.
A fucking queen. And I have ideas on how to give her pleasure.
I want to please her.
Guiding her backward, I press her to sit on the lower bunk.
Not exactly the most romantic location, but something about the rustic space renews my spirit.
Like I’m a kid again, while not truly being a child.
“Still stealing my clothing, I see,” I tease about her wearing my flannel shirt again.
She still has my straw cowboy hat.
If I’m not careful this little thief might make off with a few other items belonging to me.
For now, I’m here to steal from her.
Her kisses. Her breath.
Her orgasms.
Vale chuckles while tugging the shirt forward.
Whether she planned to give me a peek of her breasts or not, a hint is there.
No bra again tonight.
She isn’t wearing pants right now either.
When I kneel in front of her on the hardwood floor, I rub my hands up her outer thighs, skimming all the way to her hips to discover no underwear.
“Expecting me?” I arch a brow.
Vale shrugs, lowering her gaze.
“Hoping.”
Damn . I do not miss the extra blip in my heart rate.
I also don’t want to disappoint her.
From what she’s told me, I already have, along with every other guy she’s ever been with.
I’m determined to be the exception.
“Came to play again,” I admit, running my finger down the side of her neck, tracing over her collarbone, like I did last night with her magic wand.
I dip my finger down her chest and hook it into the opening of my shirt on her, only three buttons looped again tonight, revealing a hint of her cleavage once more.
“Want to steal more bases?” Her voice is quiet, low and sultry.
“Looking for another doubleheader.” I hum, watching my fingertip glide over her flesh.
I’m aware that my breathing is exaggerated.
My voice commanding when I add, “Spread your legs for me, Vale.”
Instantly, she complies, spreading her knees wide.
I reach for her backside, dragging her to the edge of the bed.
“Good girl,” I whisper.
Vale’s breath hitches.
“You got a praise kink, Bee?” I reach for the looped buttons on the flannel covering her, needing to unbutton them and see more of her luscious body.
Vale shrugs. “Who doesn’t want to be told once in while they’re doing well?”
It strikes me that as much as Vale proclaims she can take care of herself, she might not be complimented for the jobs she does.
Mother. Sister. Friend.
Worker.
“You’re doing more than well.” I chuff, peeling apart the two sides of my flannel shirt and revealing the beauty of Valentine Sylver.
The swell of her breasts.
The valley of her belly.
The curve of her hips.
Vale is already a work of art, yet I want to sculpt her body with my hands.
My fingers shake as I place them on her belly which she sucks inward.
Faint lines stretch across her skin.
Hudson’s doing. It’s beautiful.
Softly, she giggles.
“Sorry.”
“Ticklish?”
She shakes her head and chews her lower lip.
With both of us watching my hands, I climb up her body, cupping the weight of each breast in my palms before fully squeezing one, lifting it and lowering my head to take a sip.
Sucking the swell, I eventually nip at the sharp peak, then move to the other breast and repeat.
Pulling back, I glance up to meet Vale’s eyes.
“Sensitive?”
“A little,” she lies, as her breathing grows heavier, and her answer is raspy .
I want to touch Vale in other ways, but tonight, I also want to play again.
I’m in no rush to prove what my hands can do, or my mouth, or my dick.
I want every second to be about her.
“You have another magic wand, or should I use the same one?”
Vale nods toward her pillow where she stashed her vibrator last night.
Reaching beneath the fluffed item, I find what I want plus a small tube of lube.
Vale didn’t need it last night.
Pushing her knees wider apart, I stare at her pretty pink center, already milky and wet, but if she wants something extra, I have an idea.
I lift the fake cock for her lips.
“Open.”
With strained willpower, I watch as Vale follows my command and wraps her lips around the silicone dildo.
Her eyes are on me as she rolls her tongue around the tip before pulling it into the warmth of her mouth.
Fucking hell . I’m hard as a rock, like I was last night, and I’ll be taking care of that later with images of this moment in my head.
“Little tease should be your nickname.”
Vale chuckles as I pull the toy away from her mouth and settle it against her.
With a flick of a switch, it comes to life and Vale flinches.
A soft gasp escapes her lips as she watches where I’m touching her with her toy.
“You like that, sweetness?” I ask, speaking to her center.
Vale hums and I look up as her lids drowsily close.
Her hands have been gripping the edge of the bed, but she slides them backward, tipping her body.
“Just want you to relax, Vale. Let me do the lifting.” Her gaze falls to my face for a second but when I move the wand to her clit, her lids close again.
I want her eyes on me, but she mentioned how commands can shut her down and I want Vale worked up.
I want her so wound that she only thinks about me and the pleasure I’m pulling from her .
A queen giving herself to her subject.
Vale’s toes are pointed on the floor and one of her knees begins to bounce.
Mentally, I catalogue all her tells.
A soft purr. A sharp gasp.
How her legs eventually stiffen, and she digs her hands into the sleeping bag beneath her.
“Fuck.” Vale hisses, coming fast and furious.
Her essence coats the tip of this wand.
My mouth waters, thirsty to lap her up, but this isn’t about me.
Not yet.
Capturing her ankle, I bring it up to my shoulder, thus causing Vale to fall back.
She chuckles once before my mouth kisses the knob of her ankle.
She’s open in a new way in this position, and as my mouth trails over her calf, I shift the wand to enter her, craving that doubleheader I told her I sought.
“Cort,” she whimpers.
“Take your time, Bee. I have all night.” I don’t really, but I’m not leaving this room until she’s satisfied a second time.
Moving from her calf to the underside of her leg, I nip her skin.
“That feels good,” she admits breathlessly.
“A little pain with the pleasure? My bee likes the sting.”
“Just a little.” She bites her lower lip, and I tally another item on my mental list.
Working the wand in and out of her, I move closer and closer to her center with my mouth, inhaling the tangy musk scent combined with her honey essence.
Wanting a taste but resisting.
Vale reaches above her head, gripping the opposite edge of the slim camp bed and grinding on the wand inside her.
“Look at you,” I encourage as her hips slowly roll.
“You like this, honeybee?” Her body says she does.
“Gonna let my dick be here instead one day?” I ask, hoping, praying, teasing her as I drive the vibrator faster.
“Cort,” she groans.
“Vale,” I counter, my thumb wanting to play with that pretty nub, the trigger to tip her over the edge.
Instead, I pull the wand from her body, swipe her clit, and then slip inside her again, watching as Vale detonates.
She goes off like fireworks against a dark sky.
So bright, so beautiful, like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
I sink my teeth into her inner thigh, letting her ride out the celebration within.
I’m so hard, I can’t resist, gripping myself over my athletic pants, running the heel of my hand down my rock-solid length.
Eventually, Vale whispers, “Enough.”
Withdrawing the toy, I power it off and drop it to the bed.
Then I reach for her waist and tug her upright, needing to taste her mouth again.
Vale kisses like she’s putting all of her into it.
Her arms wrap around my neck, and I don’t pull back, don’t even flinch.
We kiss for long, languid seconds before Vale leans away and settles her forehead against mine.
“Let me play with you.” Her tone is desperate, hungry and begging as she clutches my T-shirt.
“You don’t need to do that,” I assure her, despite how primed my body is.
“I want to,” she hums, risking a kiss to the corner of my mouth.
Then another to my cheek and one to my chin.
“I need to taste you.”
Shocking me, she licks up my lips.
I want this. I fucking want this so badly, but my head instantly gets in the way.
Ghosts creeping in about being in such a vulnerable position.
Get over yourself, Cort .
Slowly, I rise, my knees popping as I do.
I grip the base of the upper bunk for leverage and stand to my full height, gazing down at Vale.
Sweet Vale. All innocent and untouched in her own way.
When she reaches for my waistband, though, I flinch.
Unwarranted. Unknowingly .
Shit .
Vale holds her hands outward, like she’s frozen in freeze-tag, the game we played earlier tonight.
“I’m sorry.” Her apology is hesitant, while concerned eyes glance up at me towering over her.
Like she doesn’t know what she’s done wrong when it’s not about her at all.
“ I’m sorry,” I mutter, knowing it must be confusing.
Last night, I was all in, not thinking about anything but pleasing Vale.
Tonight, I want the same thing.
She looks hungry to take me, and I fucking want to be taken.
But I have rules.
Swallowing hard, I lick my lips.
“Could . . . could I ask you to . . . sit on your hands?”
Vale is quiet a second before stating, “You don’t want me to touch you.”
As far as I’ve come, I’m still a mess.
All of this is new to me.
Her kindness. Her tenderness.
Her understanding, and I hate asking her for this concession.
I don’t want to fuck this up.
“Just tonight. Keep your hands to yourself.” I try to soften the blow with a tease in my tone.
Vale doesn’t hesitate, slipping her hands beneath her thighs, and I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
Quickly, I shove down my track pants and boxer-briefs.
My dick springs free like it’s been contained too long.
Hard and hot and pointing at Vale like a neon sign reading: desperate and horny.
Don’t hurt me, Vale .
My heart rumbles so loud I swear she can hear it.
“Step closer to me.” The command in her sultry voice has my cock twitching, and I cup the base, rocking my hips forward.
“Feed me,” she whispers.
FUCK!
This good girl has a naughty streak I did not see coming, but like the queen she is, I obey her demands, guiding my tip to the seam of her lips, where her tongue sneaks outward and she licks around the crown.
I hiss at the contact.
“Want me to stop?” Vale whispers, her breath a soft breeze over my dick.
Her gaze dropped to the appendage that’s long and stiff, and weeping for her attention.
I can’t speak, don’t know any words.
Instead, I shake my head.
Vale kisses the tip again, and I jolt forward, the magnetic pull almost overpowering.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.” I grip the base of my cock tighter, attempting to hold myself steady.
My other arm braces on the frame of the upper bunk and I press my forehead against my bent arm, watching Vale hunger for me.
She rubs her nose along my length.
“Don’t apologize. You’re doing so good.”
I snort at the reverse praise, recognizing that I appreciate the encouragement as well.
I want to be good for her.
When her mouth opens and she glides down my length, my eyes instantly close, the sensation too great.
Her warmth. Her strength.
Her comfort. It’s too much, yet I don’t want to miss a second of this experience.
Forcing my eyes open, I stare down at Vale, catching her watching my face.
Releasing my base, I comb my fingers through her hair, fist it at her nape, and watch her glide up and down my length, coating it in heat, giving me all her strength, caring for me in this moment.
My ass clenches, taking great effort not to thrust forward to the back of her throat.
“Gonna be embarrassingly fast,” I warn, already feeling the tightening of my balls and a pull in my lower back.
I grip the edge of the upper bunk with my hand and lean back, rocking my hips forward only two times before I’m holding Vale’s head and jetting off down her throat.
“Fuck,” I cry out, too loud, too overwhelmed .
Vale swallows hard, drinking me in, before eventually pulling back, letting her tongue lap along my length before popping off the head.
“Sweetness.” I choke, bending and ducking my head beneath the bunk to take her mouth with mine.
I don’t know that I’ve ever kissed a woman after what Vale just did, but I want to taste myself on her lips, want to savor the sensation of her mouth.
The gift of it.
Eventually, I grab a tissue from a box on the small nightstand between the bunks and clean up, then pull my pants back into place.
Last night, I didn’t spend the night and tonight I can’t either, but I need a minute to come down from this high Vale has me on.
I climb onto the slim mattress, Vale giggling as we attempt to fit both of us on a twin-sized bed again.
My feet dangle off the edge near the bottom and Vale presses her back against the wall, while we stare at one another for a long minute.
Her clear eyes are refreshing and bright.
“I want to see you again,” I blurt.
Two nights isn’t enough.
Instantly, Vale’s brows pinch, worry dances over her forehead.
“How would that happen?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper, sorrow clogging my throat.
I don’t want to stop whatever is happening between us, but I understand Vale’s concerns without her even expressing them.
Her brother is top of the list.
Vale continues to stare at me, no answers herself.
“Can you hand me that pen on the stand?” She nods toward the low nightstand that holds the tissue box and the miniature camp lamp.
A Sharpie pen and a notebook are also on the stand.
Puzzled, I awkwardly stretch for the marker, nearly falling off the narrow bed.
Vale laughs, clutching my forearm like that could prevent me from slipping off this slim mattress.
The sudden burst of joyful noise dissolves some of my worrisome thoughts and I hand her the marker.
Braced on my elbows, I watch as she pulls the cap from the permanent pen and flips my arm so my inner forearm is upward.
Vale draws on my skin, and I flinch.
“Ticklish?” She returns my tease from earlier.
I simply smile. There are so many ways to touch someone, but I never considered drawing on a person.
Never thought how sensual it would feel.
Her artwork is quick and when she pulls back, she blows on the small design.
“A bee?” I softly chuff about the cartoon-looking insect with flowery wings, stripes over its back and a little stinger for a nose.
“So you won’t forget me again.”
My gaze leaps to her face, catching on her eyes looking back at me.
“I’ve never forgotten you, Vale.”
Not how she was as a young woman.
Not how we came together by the falls.
Not how she’s been the first to bring me out of a hard shell, making me want to be soft.
For her.
When I sneak out of Vale’s cabin, I have no idea what time it is other than the camp is quiet, and the hour must be late.
And I’m startled by the sudden appearance of the overnight security guard just off the corner of Vale’s cabin.
“Cort?” He shines his flashlight directly in my eyes, blinding me a second before I recognize his voice.
Andy Whitehall is a deputy for Sheriff Stone Sylver.
Rumor has it he’d been on probation for a while but has been reinstated on the force.
Apparently, he moonlighted as a security guard while on that probation period and continues to offer the service.
Ford hired him for our weekend here.
“Andy,” I counter, holding up a hand to shield the light he continues to shine in my direction.
“Deputy Sheriff Whitehall,” he corrects, like I’m disrespecting the man who is younger than me.
He’s nearly Vale’s age, which is something I’ve been forgetting.
Vale is twelve years younger than I am.
The age gap hardly seems to be an issue until you consider she’s the younger sister of my former best friend.
Guilt smacks into me, despite the relaxation of my body.
“Whatcha doin’ out here?” Andy asks.
“Just needed some air.”
Andy probably sees right through my lie.
It’s late. Very late.
But he doesn’t need to know the air I needed was Vale.
“Well, I better get some rest. It’s been a long day.” I sound too chipper and completely unlike myself.
Good head can do that to a man.
So can a woman like Vale.
“Thanks for your service,” I add, stepping closer to Andy and offering him my hand.
He glances down at it, hesitating a second before clasping mine in a firm grip, and shaking once.
“Any time.”
On that note, I pass him, slipping my hands into my pockets and holding my breath as I slowly eek open the door to my cabin.
Last night, Clint questioned where I’d been, and I’d told him I went for a walk.
He’d be shocked to learn where my steps took me.
Hell, I’m still a little stunned myself, but there is no turning back.
Glancing down at the outline on my inner arm, I smile to myself.
There must be a way to see Vale again.