Chapter Twenty-One
Riley
Riley pulled a towel from the hook and wrapped it around Ella’s shoulders. A slow, seductive smile spread across her face, the moment elongating. A few lone candles continued to flicker by the side of the bath, but the real heat charged in the air between them.
She admired every curve of Ella’s body. Her thick thighs, soft stomach, and Riley’s favourite—her magnificent full breasts. A low pulsing grew between Riley’s legs. She’d be an absolute idiot not to follow this woman to the ends of the earth. It was funny—if someone had said this to her a month ago, she’d have thought they were a few sandwiches short of a picnic. But looking at the beautiful redhead in front of her, everything had changed. Everything.
Grasping the ends of the towel, she tugged Ella closer, planting the softest of kisses on her lips.
Ella groaned as she brushed her mouth across her jaw, kissing her neck. She traced her tongue over her pulse point, soaking up the water droplets. Ella grabbed her waist, tilting her head to the side to give her more room.
But Riley was torn. She wanted to give in to her primal urges, to kiss, bite, and suck Ella’s skin. To mark her so deeply that nothing, not even the gods or the spirit guides, would ever dare to think about taking her away from her. To have her unravelling at her fingertips, the evidence marking Riley’s cheeks and tongue, to drown in her.
But she also wanted to cherish every single thing about this moment. Her heart had never felt so full. Ella was an amalgamation of qualities Riley didn’t even know she needed. Open and patient. Hot and fiery. Beautiful, unfiltered chaos.
If Ella could be all those things, Riley could too. So she let go of her reservations, kissed a little harder, sucked a little longer, and demanded Ella’s attention with every movement of her mouth over her skin.
And it was working.
“Fuck…Riley.” Ella’s nails raked across her back, encouraging her.
She followed the trail of droplets down her neck, over her collarbone, and into the dip of her cleavage, then cupped her breasts, mixing the hard and soft together, a gentle squeeze paired with the nibble of teeth. She swirled her tongue around Ella’s nipple and lowered herself to look up at her. Her cheeks were flushed, those plump lips parted as her chest heaved.
Time to step it up a notch.
She gripped her waist and pushed her back against the bathroom door with a thud, and began to kiss her all over, hands exploring every inch as Ella grasped back at her.
“You’re so fucking perfect, Ella,” she murmured as she took her other nipple into her mouth. She bit gently, causing a rumble in Ella’s throat, and then dropped to her knees, placing herself between Ella’s thighs. She lapped at the water marks, sucking and moving closer to her pussy, where she hovered, letting her breath dust against her clit, already glistening and begging for a taste. Ella’s dark eyes pinned her there, demanding the same. But they knew how the other worked by now.
God, she loved this. The freedom of giving herself to someone so completely. She hadn’t felt this much like herself in years. Of course, the future still scared her. But with Ella there, it didn’t seem such an impossible mountain to climb.
She pressed another kiss to the inside of Ella’s thigh, then brushed her tongue over the length of her.
“Shit.” Ella’s hand found Riley’s shoulder, her nails digging in as Riley swiped over her again. “Why do you love…teasing me?”
Riley’s gaze met hers, and she let her tongue swirl around her clit, ever so gently. “I just wanna…” Ella shuddered at the contact as she planted kisses over her. “…give…” Kiss. “…attention…” Kiss. “…to every last part of you.” She sucked Ella’s clit into her mouth, rolling her tongue. “Is that okay?”
“Absolutely no…complaints.” Ella threaded her fingers around Riley’s messy bun, and Riley slipped her tongue deeper inside, finding an area that was even wetter than before, indulging in her sweet taste.
She positioned her hands under Ella’s thighs and pulled her tighter to her mouth, pushing her tongue deeper. It wasn’t long before Ella was panting above her, moving her hips and thrusting against her face.
“There. There. Just like that.” Ella groaned, her legs trembling beneath Riley’s hands. “Ah, god, fuck…” She came, her legs giving way, her grip tightening in Riley’s hair.
Riley stayed buried inside her, tasting her pleasure as it coated her tongue, feeding the primal urge as the sounds of her orgasm echoed against the tiles. The woman’s weight slumped against her, but she held her up, pressing her against the door.
When Ella exhaled a shaky breath, she pushed herself up to her feet. Their eyes locked, Ella’s pupils blown so wide they were almost all black.
“My legs.” She laughed as tremors wobbled her thighs.
“Here. Let me help.” Riley scooped her up, wrapping her legs around her torso. Her own thighs were a little shaky from kneeling on the tiles, but the adrenaline firing through her easily overpowered the quivering. She slammed Ella back against the wall, kissing her hard, before pulling back to open the door and carry her into the bedroom.
Ella squealed as they tumbled down onto the mattress. Riley hooked her under her thighs, moving her higher, placing kisses over her stomach and breasts. Ella’s mouth marked her too, hungry and desperate, their bodies humming for more.
“I love fucking you,” Ella murmured, sinking her teeth into Riley’s shoulder just hard enough to make her wince and her muscles tense. Ella’s hands grasped her bum. “I want to feel how wet you are.” Her chest heaved, her eyes taking in Riley as she towered over her. “Ride me.”
Riley didn’t need to be asked twice.
Already throbbing and overpowered by desire, she parted Ella’s legs and glided their hot centres together. A stream of curses left their lips, and Riley didn’t waste any time thrusting against her. Oh…Jesus .
The sensation was almost too much. Waves of pleasure rippled through her, making it extremely difficult to concentrate. But she wanted to come, and mixing their combined wetness together like this was such an incredible turn-on…
“Fucking hell…Riley…yes.”
…As was hearing Ella’s voice.
A bolt of arousal fired between Riley’s legs, and she let out a groan, grabbing the headboard for better support. Ella’s hands guided her, while she lifted her pelvis to meet and brush their slippery clits together.
Riley whimpered as Ella caressed her breasts, rubbing her thumbs over her nipples, bringing her closer and closer to bursting, until she couldn’t take anymore and spilt over the edge, slapping the headboard and letting out a cry of pleasure. Her orgasm engulfed her, and everything went white. Their heavy breathing filled the room, and her lungs felt like they were going to explode.
She hummed as she slid off her, still high in a post-orgasm haze. Rolling onto her side, she planted a fleeting kiss on Ella’s lips, her head still dizzy.
“I don’t think that’ll ever get old,” Ella whispered, and Riley tilted her head to face her. “Seeing you come like that. Feeling it.”
Flutters gathered in Riley’s belly. “I know. I can’t get enough of you.”
Ella smiled and then hid her face in her hands, which was so freaking adorable.
“What?” Riley chuckled and peeled them back, kissing her fingertips.
She giggled, batting those thick black lashes at her. “I like hearing you saying these things. I like it. I uh, really like it.”
“You do? Do you want to hear about everything I want to do to you?” Their eyes locked as Riley took one of Ella’s fingers into her mouth. She groaned as she sucked harder then kissed the inside of her palm. Her wrist. She brushed her lips along Ella’s forearm and soft bicep. Her sun-kissed shoulder, collarbone, and chest. She kissed her large pink nipple then flicked her tongue over the hardened nub. “I wanna tease you. Push you. Have you begging for me to touch you.” She grazed her with her teeth, biting, and then smoothed over the mark with another lap of her tongue. She inched higher up her body, Ella’s breathing heavier with every movement.
She held herself above her, pressing their hot bodies together and gauging Ella’s reaction. Her mouth quirked, knowing the woman was hanging on her every word. Riley’s own heart pulsed hard in her chest, arousal coiling in her stomach. It felt so unbelievably good to say these things out loud. To have no more restrictions.
She held Ella’s gaze. The darkening of her irises, how they pulled her in, made her feel safe. Getting lost in the moment, she leaned in and kissed her, scattering her train of thought. Soft, soft kisses curled her toes and deepened the ache in her clit.
“Fuck,” they both said at the same time and laughed.
Riley wet her lips, her throat suddenly dry. Then she kissed the corner of Ella’s mouth, her jaw, her neck. “I want you in all the ways,” she whispered against her neck, eliciting a groan from the woman underneath her. “All the gentle and the teasing…but the hard too.” She sucked at the sensitive skin, hard enough to bruise, and then matched it with her teeth. “The messy and the desperate. I want it all.” She sucked at her again, and Ella clawed her nails into her back, stinging. “I want to mark you. Selfishly. Body and soul. I want you to be mine, Ella. Mine.”
Ella’s voice came out in a hoarse demand. “Fuck me, Riley.”
Riley’s hand fell between Ella’s legs, and her eyes rolled backwards. “Holy crap. You really do love this. You’re soaked.”
“Well, yeah—”
Ella didn’t have time to finish her sentence because Riley was already pumping her fingers inside of her.
“Oh god, yes , fuck.”
“You like that?”
Ella pierced her with her stare, eyelids fluttering. “I fucking love it.”
Riley pushed herself up to her knees and hooked under Ella’s legs. She fucked her harder, using her body weight to hold her down. Her thumb traced Ella’s mouth, and Ella kissed it, wrapping her tongue around the end. The coil inside Riley’s stomach tightened, and she leaned down to capture Ella’s lips with hers. To feel that tongue against her own .
Ella licked into her mouth, and Riley groaned, the ache in her clit multiplying tenfold and almost crippling her. They found their rhythm, desperate hands exploring the other with an impatient need, while their tongues and kisses did the opposite. The soft and the hard, coming together in a perfect balance of beautiful chaos.
Riley felt Ella tighten around her fingers, and she pulled back, breaking their kisses.
Ella scowled at her, her plump lips open in a beg.
Riley slowed the pace of her fingers but hooked them upward, gaining a gasp and a moan from deep in Ella’s throat. She leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Do you know what else I’d like to do to you?” She continued to glide her fingers in and out of her.
“W–what?”
Riley pressed her lips to her pulse point, tasting the salty skin. “How about I show you?”
She removed her fingers, despite Ella’s protests, and slid off the mattress. Her core throbbed with need, but the image forming in her head overpowered it. She pulled out her box from under the bed and glanced up at Ella.
“Close your eyes.”
Ella’s eyebrows furrowed. “You can’t be serious.”
Riley’s focus snapped to her hand, which was circling her glistening clit with three fingers. Words stuck in her throat, but when she didn’t say anything more, Ella closed her eyes anyway.
Riley slipped on the harness, tightening the restraints around her hips and waist. Truthfully, it’d been a long time since she’d used it, and she didn’t want to lose this new confidence roaring through her veins.
Once everything was secured, she stood at the end of the bed, a lump forming in her throat at the woman lying in front of her. Ella continued to touch herself, and Riley wanted to burn the image into her eyelids forever: her damp hair falling loose from the bun on her head; flushed cheeks; large, perfect breasts and nipples; and the expert way her hand moved over herself, making her quiver.
She’s perfect.
The urge to paint her washed over her like a wave. To immortalise this moment in time. She could always take a photo, she supposed, but nothing would capture the whirlpool of emotions swirling between them like the markings of a brush.
A short, sharp laugh escaped Riley’s lips, imagining Ella’s reaction to that imaginary scenario. Just pause the sex for a few hours, Ells. Let me paint you.
Ella frowned. “What’re you laughing at?”
“I was just thinking how much I’d love to paint you right now.”
“Like fuck you are.” Ella’s brows pinched together, a smile teasing at her mouth. “Get over here.”
“That’s what I thought.”
She shook her head, her grin growing wider. “Can I open my eyes now?”
Riley sucked in a deep breath. “Yes,” she said on the exhale.
Ella’s eyes flicked open and focused on the strap attached around Riley’s hips. “Oh my god…yes.” Her gaze moved over the length, up Riley’s abs, her small breasts, and then landed back on her eyes. The corners of her mouth curled, and she uttered one word that undid Riley completely—“Please.”
Riley flung herself back on the bed, and Ella giggled. Her laughter was soon washed away by kisses and groans and fast, deliberate hands pulling them closer together. Their lips met, bruising, hard, nipping, tongues swiping and sucking at any bit of skin they could find. Riley grabbed Ella’s hips and rolled them both over so that Ella was on top.
“Do you remember what you said to me that first time?” she asked, locking Ella’s gaze.
Ella shook her head, breathing heavily.
“You told me to ride you. To use you to make me feel good.” A slow grin spread across Riley’s face as she took her in. “Now, I want you to do the same.”
Ella’s brown irises regarded her, and she gulped. “That’s so hot.”
They wasted no time in slicking the toy with lube, and Riley backed herself up against the headboard. She held the dildo and swallowed, her mouth going dry at the sight of Ella hovering above it. Sweet Mary and Joseph. She felt she was going to burst.
Ella lowered herself, easing onto the shaft as it disappeared inside her. She let out a breath, and her eyes flicked open and landed on Riley’s. Everything inside her pulled taut, threatening to snap or break or come—or all three at once. She’d never had so many feelings circling around her. Our energies must be insane right now.
Ella’s eyes crinkled before turning serious and sultry, and then she started to move. Riley let her dictate the pace, and then, once she found a rhythm, she rose her hips up to meet her. Ella whimpered, and it took all of Riley’s composure not to start fucking her hard and fast like she wanted.
She dug her fingers into Ella’s hips. “You tell me exactly what you want, okay, Ells. I’m all yours.”
“Fuck,” Ella breathed. “It feels so good.”
Their heavy breathing filled the room as their bodies slapped together. The sounds of Ella’s pleasure made Riley’s core ache, and she bit her lip, tightening her hold on Ella’s waist. It was a beautiful kind of torture, letting Ella take control in this way, but also sensual on a whole other level Riley didn’t even know existed.
“I love how loud you are,” she said.
“G–good.” Ella quickened the pace, another loud moan leaving her lips. Her eyes rolled back, fluttering before landing on Riley’s. “Harder…Riley.”
Riley increased her thrusts, and Ella cried out, gripping the headboard. She tightened her hold, squeezing as she brought Ella closer and closer, pounding the toy inside her. Sweat beaded her forehead and the back of her neck, but she only went harder. The force pushed against Riley’s clit, and she couldn’t contain her own groans as they came together. Hard and rough, their bodies gave in to their urges, louder, faster, more, more, more. Riley licked and sucked and lapped at any skin she could reach, and it wasn’t long until Ella reached her crescendo.
She let out a stream of curses as Riley continued to bury the toy inside her, her muscles contracting underneath Riley’s hands. Riley came to a stop, and Ella collapsed forward, breathing ragged.
“Fuck. That…was so…good.” She let out a happy sigh and then leaned down to kiss her.
Riley rocked her hips, still incredibly turned on, and Ella whimpered, the dildo still snug inside her. Wet and soft kisses only amplified the feeling. And when Ella’s tongue brushed against Riley’s, she thrust her hips again, breaking the kiss. Their eyes locked, and need swelled between Riley’s legs, overpowering everything else. She wasn’t finished yet.
Ella’s flushed face seemed to study hers, and then she leaned forward, albeit shakily, giving her consent to fuck her again.
“Have you got another for me?” Riley asked in a hoarse whisper.
Ella’s mouth curved upwards, and she shrugged. “I’ll give it a go.”
They laughed, coming together for more kisses that fanned the flames surging in Riley’s centre. She wound her arms around Ella and rolled her, dragging her to the edge of the bed. Holding Ella’s legs up, Riley leaned over her, pushing the dildo deeper inside. She watched Ella’s mouth open, kissed her, and then sucked hard on her neck. Ella let out a gasp, and Riley went harder .
She’d never tire of this.
Soaking up every sound, every feeling, every movement of their bodies. This connection was all she wanted. She knew she’d made the right decision to leave. Separating herself from Ella now would be like tearing her body in half. She’d follow her anywhere.
She caressed Ella’s curves and then gripped her hips, pulling her deeper onto the shaft.
“Mmm…god.” Ella’s focus drifted over Riley’s body, her hands reaching out to trace her abs.
Riley adjusted the angle so the motion would hit against her own clit, and then she started to slide in and out of her, slowly. It didn’t take long for Riley to pick up the pace, gliding into Ella while they panted, hands and mouths exploring the other like it was the first time. Each hard thrust sent pleasure rippling through Riley’s clit. Her heart drummed in her chest as her orgasm built.
Sensing Ella was close to the edge as well, Riley circled her clit with her thumb. Ella reacted immediately, and the sound almost made Riley combust. She fucked her harder, rubbing Ella in circles, the pressure against her centre making her eyes roll backwards.
“Riley, yes, like that. Oh shit—” A gasping moan left Ella’s throat, and Riley fell right over the edge with her. Pleasure exploded inwards in waves, stars floating behind her eyelids.
With an exhausted grunt, she pulled out and collapsed beside Ella, both of their sweaty bodies heaving for breath .
“Well,” Ella breathed. “I think I might be pregnant.”
Riley shook her head, a chuckle rising in her throat. She kissed Ella’s forehead, and they snuggled together, muscles trembling, hearts pounding, their bodies moulding against each other’s.
As the beautiful woman curled into her side and fell into a peaceful sleep, Riley vowed that today was no longer the mark of everything she once lost. It was the mark of a new start. And she couldn’t wait for it to begin.