Chapter Sixteen
Iam, without a shadow of a doubt and undeservedly so, the luckiest man on the planet tonight.
Though they talk with their hands when Cam has his hearing aids out and Brody is without his cochlear, the laughter in their tent has trailed off significantly, rendering me fairly certain that they’re both either already asleep, or just about there.
Lauren and I zipped our two sleeping bags together, and currently, she’s snuggled up next to me.
She hums contentedly, trailing one of her fingernails around the lines of my stomach.
It kind of tickles, but it’s also turning me on—knowing she’s admiring my body.
Despite slowly growing aroused by her touch, I am holding strong on letting her initiate any sort of intimacy.
It’s just so damn hard—pun unintentional—when I finally have her in my bed next to me.
And though we only have a thin pad separating us from laying on well packed earth, having her curled up next to me promises that tonight will be a hell of a lot more comfortable.
She’s using one of my biceps as a pillow, so I curl my arm around her and run my fingers through her mahogany-toned strands. She peers up at me, her pillowly lower lip slowly slides out from underneath her teeth. “This feels good,” she assures me.
A broad smile splits my face. “Good,” I sign back with my free hand.
She reaches up, her fingertip grazing over my scar.
She doesn’t appear repulsed by it. Rather, she appears to be admiring it, so I tilt my head back, allowing her a better look.
“I wish I knew what your voice sounded like sometimes,” she hums, then she shakes her head.
“Sorry, that came out wrong. I don’t mean to make you feel bad; I’m sure you miss it. ”
“Yeah. I do,” I tell her honestly. Scooching over a little, I regrettably have to tug my other arm out to be able to sign better.
“But I’ve mostly made my peace with it. It forced me to take learning sign language more seriously.
Before, I just took Cam’s minute ability to hear with his aids and his proficiency with vocalization for granted.
Now that I’ve got a better grasp of it, he’s able to have his quiet time a lot more often and still be able to communicate freely.
Sometimes he just wants the break, you know? ”
“Oh yeah, Brody will hang his processor on the fridge when he wants to let Marcus and me know he wants some silence to decompress.”
“I wish I could have that capability sometimes…”
“What’s that?”
“To turn off all the noises. Can’t shut up my inner voice, however. Sometimes, that’s the loudest one of all.”
Her gaze casts downward. “Yeah, that would be good to be able to turn those off, wouldn’t it?”
While I’d give anything to keep her from having to deal with a harsh inner-critic, I can’t help but feel a little comforted in knowing that I’m not alone in bearing invisible scars.
I find a little bit of solace in the fact that we both know exactly what that’s like—to wake up everyday knowing that we both have to sail towards uncertain horizons, but can take comfort in the fact that we no longer have to navigate as the lone captains of our respective ships.
We’ve got each other now.
We’ve got Marcus as well, who has made it abundantly clear he will also do his best to guide us to where we can find safer harbor—like a map leading us through unfamiliar waters.
Together, I know that the future ahead of us may not always be perfect, that our relationship might always be tested, but I have faith that fate would not have brought us together if it were not meant to be this way—the three of us.
I tilt Lauren’s chin up, brushing her soft mouth with mine. The tip of her tongue darts out, teasing my lower lip. I gently nip at hers, and that gets a slight giggle out of her. Her breath fans hot across my mouth before she presses in, passionately kissing me.
Heat rushes south, thickening my dick behind the thin flannel of my sleep-pants. When she whimpers in my mouth, I swallow the sound down, thirsty for more—unable to tell her so. As if she can hear my wordless plea, she presses her whole body against mine, tossing one of her legs over both of mine.
My fingers tangle into the hair at her scalp, and I tilt her head to grant myself better access to deepen the kiss—noting the way hers are so much different, though equally as pleasurable, as Marcus’.
Where his felt like coming home earlier, hers make me feel like I’m on the precipice of embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.
Like I’m at the open door of an airplane, about to dive out of it into the sky, freefalling into the clouds.
She whimpers with need as her hips start to roll, lightly grinding her pussy on my thigh.
I can feel her heat emanating through the thin sleep shorts she’s wearing.
My hand slips out of her hair, slides down her sumptuous curves, down to her ass.
Tentatively, my palm rests on one of her firm globes.
A question. No, a plea. Is my hand allowed to be here?
“Yes, Caleb,” she purrs on my lips, granting me permission.
My blunt fingertips dig in, and I gently coax her to ride me harder.
To seek her pleasure. To use my body to get herself off.
She whimpers again when my tongue slips past her lips once more, tangling with hers.
Suddenly, she pulls away from me, just slightly, but enough to catch her breath, I suppose.
“Are you any good with that tongue, say, for other places?” she whispers seductively.
A smirk graces my mouth. I release my grip on her ass and sign, “yes” with my free hand. “You sure?”
She bites her lip and after a beat of thought, she nods. “I’m positive.” She sucks in a sharp breath. “I’m ready. God, Caleb,” she whispers. “I need you.”
That’s what I like to hear. Screw what I said earlier about wishing I had the ability to turn off my hearing because there’s no way I’d ever want to miss having her say those words to me again. I need you.
Music to my fucking ears.
I unzip our sleeping bag and we both sit up. She peels her tight booty shorts off, tossing them haphazardly off to the side. Lauren then leans back, propping herself up on her elbows, while I position myself between her smooth thighs.
“Tap my shoulder or something if you want me to stop, Lauren. Otherwise, I’m about to devour this beautiful pussy. I want to feel those fingers in my hair, directing me to do what feels good for you, baby. Don’t hold back.”
The look she shoots me back is one of pure lust and unabashed desire.
She nods, spreading herself out even more as I level my face with her gorgeous cunt.
Normally, I detest the word “cunt,” but in this instance, there’s no derogatory meaning behind it at all, because I know what she’s presenting me with—as if I am a king, and this is the feast being bestowed upon me—is truly a precious gift.
It’s a sign that I’ve earned more of her trust, and that’s nothing I’d ever speak ill of.
I bury my nose in her core, flattening my tongue against her wet heat, and lick a broad stripe between her parted lips.
A trail of saliva mixes with her arousal, going from her entrance straight to her stiffened bundle of nerves.
When I feel her clit brush against my upper lip, I flick it with my tongue, gently teasing her.
I drive my face in further, licking and playing with her sweet pussy, savoring her flavor.
God, she tastes amazing. Just a hint of her cucumber melon bodywash, and even more of her delicious feminine essence.
I nuzzle her hard, alternating between paying her clit some attention and plunging my tongue deep inside her core—lapping and sucking at her entrance.
She squirms, releasing a muffled moan, as one of her hands fists my hair. “Oh fuck, Caleb,” she curses in a semi-hushed whisper. “That feels amazing.”
I grin against her heated flesh. That grin morphs into a full-blown smile when she starts to take control, fisting my hair, and directing my head to where she’d like me to tease her next.
It used to be that I would be the one seeking control during sex, but with Lauren, I’m happy to give up that role if it means she is getting the fulfillment she needs from me.
I nip and suck her clit some more, swirling and lapping at it with my tongue as well, before I run my middle two fingers through her arousal and then gently press them inside of her.
She arches into my touch, riding my fingers, rather than flinching and shying away.
I take that as a sign to keep going, pumping my hand and scissoring my fingers inside her warm channel.
I feel her core clenching and releasing around my hand, as if milking an imaginary cock. She writhes and whimpers even more, obviously trying not to make too much noise but finding it difficult to do so as she takes her pleasure. Her hips roll and her thighs tremble around my head.
She’s close.
“Ungh! Caleb,” she cries out in a barely contained whisper. “Oh my fuck, baby. Keep going. I’m almost there.”
I double down on my efforts, totally ignoring just how close I am to coming in my own pants over hearing the noises she can no longer hold back, and simultaneously lick and finger her until she’s writhing above me.
Panting hard, her core clenches tight around my fingers, and her entire body curls in on me.
Her thighs pin me in place as she shudders through her release.
I keep going until I’m sure she’s entirely through her orgasm, feeling her body sag against the thin padding below us.
It’s only then that I peer up at her, finding her chest rising and falling sharply as she catches her breath—a beautiful, thoroughly sated expression on her face.
God, she’s gorgeous like this. I could sit here and memorize this look forever.