Chapter 27
AVERY
"Avery." His voice sounded serious. My stomach constricted. "When you told me I shouldn't base this decision on you, I had a flashback to all those years ago when you basically told me you were leaving town and leaving me behind."
"Oh, Sam. I'm so sorry."
"No. That was on me, not on you. You simply told me how you felt, and I jumped to conclusions based on a decision we made when we were much younger and didn't know any better.
But now we do. I do. You're my whole life, Avery, and we've lost many years being apart, but I don't care. We can’t make them up, and we have so many more before us.
All I want to know is if you want to experience them with me, next to me. "
"Yes, I do," I murmured. "It's all I ever wanted. I was thinking that even if I opened a physical store, I could probably do that in Maine or whatever.”
"No, babe. We're not going anywhere."
"Sam."
"I've planned everything out."
"You have?"
"Yeah. I think all of this has been a long time coming, but the pieces just needed to fall into place."
"Meaning?" I ask.
"I needed to meet you again."
"Sam, the things you say."
He skimmed his hands up my thighs, and my skin instantly became sensitive. Heat gathered between my legs. Damn, I was already losing my composure. Actually, I probably started losing it when I saw him come up to me in the suit because he looked so damn sexy.
“I think we needed the time apart to get to this place in our lives. Now we’re both ready.”
"I love you, Sam."
"Not more than I do. I've never been happier than I have these past few months we've spent together as roommates."
"We were pretty insane to think we could pull it off, huh? Just living next to each other, like we actually thought it would be platonic."
"Yeah. Got to give it to my family again. They were right. Virtually none of them thought we could do that."
I started laughing so hard, my shoulders were shaking. "That does sound like your family.”
“I want to give you something.” He reached inside his pocket, taking out a folded sheet of paper.
Frowning, I opened it up. "Oh my God, tickets to Paris!"
"Hell yes, baby."
“When are we going?"
"They're open-ended. We can decide on that later."
"I can't believe it. We're going to Paris. I've always wanted to."
"I know, babe. I know."
I put them down on the coffee table so I could give him a huge smooch.
"Oh, Sam. You're so romantic," I whispered.
"Glad you think so, babe. I'm not even done yet."
"Oh, there's more? You think you haven't made me swoon enough?"
"Someone told me nothing is ever enough."
I grinned. "I agree with whoever gave you that advice. Does it happen to be a Maxwell?"
"Obviously, considering there are so many of us. I don't even bother asking anyone else for advice."
I chuckled. "Good for you."
"I love you, Avery, with my whole heart, with everything I have. This doesn’t mean I will give up on my dream."
He cupped the side of my face with one palm and ran the fingers of his other hand down my neck.
"See, one thing I've learned from you is that you can make your dream come true anywhere.
Sometimes coming back to your hometown, to the place where your roots are, is the best thing that can happen to you. "
"And Chicago is your hometown," I confirm.
"No, babe, you are. My brothers suggested a while ago that I could reach out to them for management advice if I wanted to open the pro bono clinic independent of the hospital. And that’s what I’ll do.
I’m a doctor, but I’m also a Maxwell. And I’m proud of it.
You’re my home, Avery. I want to be exactly where you are, babe.
We can build our life together, help each other succeed in our dreams, console each other when the day goes to shit. "
"As long as it's not with cocktails that I make, it's all good," I whispered.
God, he was saying such nice things, and I believed him 100 percent.
We could do this. I didn't know why I doubted it before.
It was probably because that little girl I used to be who was afraid her shitty life would run him off was still inside me somewhere.
But I chose to be strong every single day.
He kissed me slowly, but it was so damn hot that I felt as if my clothes were going to catch fire soon, and my body, for sure.
I felt that kiss in every cell. God, I'd missed him so much these past few days.
I was exhausted from all the anguish of thinking I might lose him for good and now from the relief of knowing that not only did he love me, but he wanted to stay here with me.
He deepened the kiss, and I felt one of his hands tug at my spaghetti strap. Heat coursed through me as I realized how much he wanted me.
Groaning, he lifted us both to our feet. Taking a step back, he looked at me. Keeping my balance wasn’t terribly easy, since the boat moved with the motion of the lake.
He held up a finger, indicating for me to twirl, and I did just that. Then he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, kissing under the lobe of my ear.
"You're so damn beautiful," he murmured.
I had goose bumps everywhere. He could tell me that a million times, and every time I’d have the same reaction.
"I love you," I whispered.
"And I love you, babe."
He loosened his grip on me just for a second, and I saw my opportunity to tease him.
"Show me, then." I half walked, half strutted toward the dining table, trying to be extra sexy.
He was right behind me in a second.
"Don't move," he said.
"You're starting with the orders already."
He brought an arm around my waist and cupped my center over the dress. I’d soaked my panties through. "Mmm,” he said, “and you are enjoying it."
"Oh God, yes."
I didn't want to hide how much I wanted him all the time. How much my body simply longed for him.
He rubbed me over the fabric with one finger and then two. I gasped, buckling forward.
"Sam," I murmured, and then he yanked down my dress. I was wearing garters, and he had easy access to my panties. He immediately slid a hand inside them. He undid my bra with the other one, cupping my breast and kneading my nipple.
On instinct, I rolled my hips, rubbing against him. Even through his pants, I could feel how turned on he was. His touch on my bare skin was exquisite. I tried to fumble with my fingers behind my back and finally succeeded in opening the button and lowering his zipper.
I wrapped one hand around his cock, squeezing.
"Fuck," he exclaimed in my ear. That word alone sent fire raging through me.
"Sam, I need you," I murmured.
"You'll have me, babe. That's a promise."
"I need you right now."
"That's not going to happen. You look so gorgeous, and I plan to explore you until you beg for me."
"Oh." My voice trembled. My entire body did. I loved this side of him.
Promptly, he took his hand away from my panties. I gasped, feeling suddenly cold. There was a growing pit inside me that I needed him to fill.
He turned me around slowly. Lowering himself, he clamped his mouth around one of my nipples. He had both hands free right now and used them to undo the garters from the ties before returning to my pussy.
If I thought I couldn't get even more turned on, I was wrong. The way his fingers played me was insane. A wave of pleasure exploded through me. It was like a small orgasm, but I knew it wasn't the real deal. Far from satisfying me, it only made me hungrier for him.
"Sam!" My voice broke. "Please."
He looked up at me, and I felt him smile wickedly against my breast before he took his mouth away. I didn’t even have time to protest before he led me to the couch.
"Sit down," he instructed the second the back of my calves touched the edge.
I immediately sat on the soft leather. My knees were still bent over the edge of the couch.
I thought he was going to take down my panties.
Instead, he pushed the fabric exactly where it covered my center to one side and then pressed his tongue against my flesh.
I felt like I was going to break out of my skin.
"Sam. God, Sam, please."
Then he took my panties down slowly, torturing me, before he buried his face between my legs.
My senses overwhelmed me instantly. My vision blurred at first, and then it turned completely dark.
My orgasm simply exploded inside me the second I felt his lips on my clit.
The aftershocks racked my whole body. I moved wildly on the couch, no longer in control of my muscles.
I bent my right leg, pushing my buttocks off the leather.
I cried out so loud that I was almost ashamed, then remembered we were in the middle of the lake.
"Oh God, you sound so damn delicious."
I heard his voice as if from a distance.
He kissed up my body, but he took his sweet time, starting at my ankles.
I wasn't even sure if I was recovering from my orgasm or was simply getting turned on again.
Maybe a bit of both. I felt every kiss intensely, as if my skin was simply too sensitive for his lips and his callused hands.
When he kissed my inner thigh, I thought he was going to put his mouth on my center again, but he moved even farther until he trailed up my neck and then went to my ear.
"I want to make you mine like this every single day."
"Promise," I whispered.
"I fucking promise, babe."
He kissed down my torso, but I wasn't going to let him get away with torturing me for too long. I could reach his cock from this position, and that was exactly what I did. I pumped it up and down, pressing my thumb across the crown.
"Jesus," he exclaimed, dropping his head back and groaning.
He leaned over and kissed my neck once more.
I braced myself, digging my fingers into the leather.
I was still so sensitive and tight from my last orgasm that I released a deep, guttural sound when he slowly pushed inside me. I pulsed around him.
"Oh God, this feels good. This is so good."
I almost came apart from the sensation of having all of him inside me. I could barely catch my breath. I balled my hands into fists, needing to brace myself; I knew this orgasm would simply tear me apart.
He pulled back and thrust inside harder. The slapping sounds of our bodies filled my mind, intensifying my emotions.
"Oh," I moaned. My voice was shaky, and so was my body.
I braced myself, and then I took one hand away, needing to touch him.
I reached the side of his thigh. It was clenched from the effort he was making as he thrust and thrust inside me, fast and deep.
Nothing could ever feel more perfect than this…
except his hand on my clit. When I felt the brush of his fingers, my thighs almost gave in.
I was completely lost in Sam. I wasn't sure if the grunts were truly mine or his, or perhaps they belonged to both of us. It was pure sensation. I wasn't even aware of my body anymore, just of the immense pleasure this man was giving me.
I exploded with a muffled cry, burying my face in the armrest. My entire body went from being strung tight and on edge to feeling like I was floating. I heard Sam cry out my name. I loved that sound so much.
I loved him.