Chapter 14 #2
“Good girl,” he breathes when I take over, mimicking the motion, watching his jaw clench as he fights to stay in control. “Keep going. Just like that.”
I press a kiss to his collarbone, his neck, the hollow beneath his ear. “You feel so good in my hand, Will.”
He swears under his breath, hips jerking up into my fist, one hand braced behind me on the bar.
“I’m not gonna last,” he rasps.
“Then don’t,” I whisper, lips brushing his. “Let me be the reason you lose it.”
A broken sound tears from his throat. His whole body tenses—hard muscles, clenched jaw, everything coiled and shaking as he pulses in my hand, coming with a hoarse growl of my name that makes me ache all over again.
His head drops to my shoulder, chest heaving.
I keep my arms around him, holding him close, stroking his back as he tries to catch his breath.
After a long moment, he lifts his head, eyes wild but softer now.
“I’m so fucking gone for you, Phern.”
I smile, breathless. “I know.”
And that’s how I end up in Will’s apartment.
One heated look across the street. One breathless phone call. One bar rendezvous that left us trembling and now, here.
After we clean up in silence, barely brushing shoulders in the narrow hallway, he flicks off the bathroom light and leads me to his bedroom with nothing more than a glance. No questions. No expectations. Just this.
The room smells like him. Cedar, soap, something faintly smoky. The sheets are rumpled, the lamp on low, and when I slip beneath the covers, he follows without a word.
His bed is warm. Big. Lived-in. I feel small in it but not alone.
We lie there for a long moment, facing each other in the hush between midnight and morning. His hand finds my waist beneath the blanket, thumb grazing the curve of my hip. It’s not sexual this time.
“You okay?” he asks softly, voice still husky from everything we didn’t say earlier.
I nod. “You?”
He brushes a strand of hair off my cheek. “I don’t think I’ve ever been better.”
I press closer, our legs tangling under the covers. His arm wraps around me tight, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he doesn’t hold on.
“Go to sleep,” he murmurs against my temple.
But I don’t. Not yet. Because all I can think about is the way he touches me like I matter, like I’m not just another bad idea. And maybe, just maybe, neither of us will regret this in the morning.
The morning sunlight slips through the blinds, painting gold across my bare shoulder. I blink against it, groggy but warm. Too warm. Because Will’s still wrapped around me.
His chest is pressed to my back, one strong arm slung over my waist, the other tucked beneath my neck like I belong there. His breath fans over the curve of my neck, slow and steady. Peaceful. Until I shift. And realize he’s hard.
I bite my lip, trying not to move again, trying not to want again but it’s useless. Because the second I wiggle, even a little, his arm tightens.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he rasps, voice thick with sleep.
I smile into the pillow. “I was just stretching.”
“Mm. Sure.” He shifts behind me, the motion pressing him right where I’m already aching. “You keep that up and I’m not gonna be a gentleman.”
“Were you ever?” I tease.
He growls low in his throat, nosing along the shell of my ear. “Not even close.”
His hand slips beneath the blanket, splaying over my stomach before sliding lower. “Tell me to stop,” he whispers, lips brushing my neck.
I don’t.
Instead, I press back into him, guiding his hand to where I need him most.
He curses under his breath, fingers finding me slick and ready. “Fuck, Phern…”
He touches me slow at first, like he wants to draw every sound out of me. His other hand palms my breast, teasing the nipple through the thin tank I never took off.
I gasp, my hips rocking against him. “Will.”
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs, trailing kisses down my shoulder. “Let me take care of you.”
He slides two fingers inside me, curling just right, just enough to make my toes curl. His cock grinds against me through the cotton of his boxers, his mouth finding the pulse point behind my ear and sucking gently.
It’s dizzying. His touch, his scent, the way he holds me like I’m something fragile and filthy all at once.
“You close?” he murmurs.
“Yes,” I breathe, barely able to get the word out.
“Come for me, sugar,” he growls, voice like velvet and sin. “I want to feel you fall apart in my arms.”
And I do, clutching his wrist, moaning into the mattress as my body trembles with release. He holds me through it, kissing my temple, still hard and throbbing against me.
When I finally catch my breath, I roll to face him.
“You’re still—”
“I know.” His eyes are dark, playful. “You gonna help me with that?”
“Guess we’re not getting out of bed anytime soon.”
He smirks. “Didn’t plan on it.”
I don’t answer him. Not with words. Instead, I slide down beneath the sheets, eyes locked on his as I trail kisses down his chest. His abs tighten beneath my mouth, and I feel the sharp hitch of his breath as I press lower, slower, dragging my fingers along the waistband of his boxers.
He’s already straining against it, thick and ready, and the look in his eyes says everything.
“Phern,” he rasps, voice nearly gone. “If you stop now, I might actually lose my mind.”
I hook my fingers in the waistband of his boxers and tug them down, freeing him. God, he’s beautiful—flushed and thick, the kind of size that should intimidate me.
But all I feel is need.
My hand wraps around him, slow, deliberate. I lean in and flatten my tongue against the head, tasting salt and heat.
Will groans, his head tipping back against the pillow, one hand fisting in the sheets.
“You’re gonna kill me,” he mutters, voice rough and ragged.
“Then die happy,” I whisper against him, and he lets out a sharp, broken laugh.
His hand slides into my hair. Not forcing, just holding me there. His hips lift slightly, controlled and tight.
“Open wider, baby,” he says, voice thick with restraint. “Yeah, just like that. Take more.”
I do. I take all of him that I can, hollowing my cheeks, letting him guide me.
“That’s it,” he groans. “Use your hand, slow. Twist your wrist—yeah. Fuck, you’re a fast learner.”
I hum in response, and he shudders. His grip tightens in my hair, like if he doesn’t hold on, he’ll come apart completely.
“Look at me,” he says.
I glance up, lips wrapped around him, and the sound he makes is pure ruin.
“Jesus, Phern. You look so good like this.”
I take my time, working him with my mouth and hand, savoring every twitch, every curse he lets slip. His thighs tense, hips flexing up once, twice, just enough to make me feel the restraint it’s costing him.
“Don’t stop,” he rasps. “Fuck—don’t stop. I’m close.”
And then I feel it.
He pulses, spilling against my tongue in hot waves, his whole body shaking beneath my hands as he comes with a deep, guttural moan that sounds like it’s been torn out of him.
I don’t pull away until I’ve taken all of him.
When I finally sit back, wiping the corner of my mouth, he stares down at me like I’ve just rewritten the way the world turns.
“Holy shit,” he breathes. “You’re gonna ruin me.”
I crawl back up beside him, lips grazing his jaw. His skin’s still warm, damp with the aftermath of everything we just unraveled.
“Still want that cold shower?” I whisper, teasing.
He lets out a ragged laugh and pulls me into his arms like he’s afraid I might slip away. “Hell no. I want you in this bed. For as long as you’ll let me keep you here.”
A sharp knock slams through the air, followed by the unmistakable jangle of keys.
Will stiffens beneath me. I freeze.
“Tell me that’s not—”
The front door creaks open.
“Will?” Sam’s voice booms down the hallway like a shotgun. “You ready? We need to head out to the arena.”
Will mutters a breathless “Shit,” throws the covers over us, and grabs for the nearest pillow like he’s trying to construct a fort of denial.
I dive under the blanket like it’s going to make me invisible, heart hammering loud enough to echo off the walls.
Sam’s footsteps hit the hardwood, getting closer.
“Why’s the bar alarm off? You okay?”
Will throws the pillow over his lap and yells back, voice a full two octaves too high, “Yeah! Just, uh, got back in. Didn’t reset it yet.”
There’s a pause.
“You sound outta breath. You sick or something?”
Beneath the blanket, I snort so hard I nearly choke.
“I’m fine!” Will calls. “Just give me a second!”
Another pause. “You got company in there?”
I groan softly. Oh God. Karma’s a bitch with perfect timing. This is payback for every time I caught Sam and Charlie together.
Will’s voice dips half a note. “Yeah.”
Outside the door, Sam mutters something, then we hear the creak of retreating footsteps.
Then, because the universe has a sense of humor, he yells, “Well, hurry up! We need to get Phern next.”
The door slams shut behind him.
I peel the blanket off my head still catching my breath as I blink up at Will.
He’s staring at the ceiling like it personally betrayed him. “That was literally my worst fear come to life.”
I collapse beside him, grinning through the mortification. “Well,” I murmur, “at least we know your security system isn’t the only thing that needs resetting.”
Will turns his head toward me, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Think we can get you out of here without him seeing?”
I laugh. “Let’s hope so. I’d hate for him to kill you before you properly fuck me.”
Will groans, tossing an arm over his face but I don’t miss the way his mouth twitches, struggling not to grin.
“Jesus, Phern,” he mutters. “You trying to get me killed and hard again?”
I crawl up his chest and kiss the corner of his mouth. “Just keeping you motivated.”
He lifts the blanket, peeking down between us. “Mission accomplished.”
I bury my face in his shoulder, laughter muffled by the sound of his heartbeat under my cheek. “God, I can’t believe Sam walked in.”
“Walked in? He stormed in like the sheriff of horny crimes. I thought I had at least five more minutes of dignity left.”
I glance at the clock. “We’ve got ten minutes before he realizes I’m not answering my texts.”
Will’s grin fades, just a little. His eyes flick to mine—something quieter there now, more serious. “You sure about this?”
I nod, reaching up to brush his messy hair back from his forehead. “I’m already in your bed, cowboy. The damage is done.”
His fingers trace a slow line down my spine, reverent. “Yeah. But I don’t just want stolen mornings. I want the rest of it too.”
My throat tightens. “We’ll figure it out. Just don’t die before I do.”
He smirks, low and lazy. “If I do, make sure the obituary says I died happy.”
“With your pants around your ankles?”
“With your name on my lips.”
We both laugh, but underneath it is something deeper. Real.
Then a honk blares from the driveway, followed by Sam’s shout: “I’m giving you five minutes before I come back in!”
I bolt upright. “Well, shit.”
Will watches me like I’m a fever dream. “Guess I’ll just have to finish what we started later.”
I shoot him a wink over my shoulder. “Better make it worth dying for.”
And somehow, by a miracle I don’t deserve, I manage to sneak out of his apartment and make it back to mine before Sam can see me.