Wanting

Chapter 16

O ak leaves rustled as I crossed my aunt and uncle’s rolling green lawn. I’d expected a repeat of the garden party last June, nearly a year ago, but the noise and laughter came from a huge tent, lit with lanterns. A much bigger crowd surged inside.

Adjusting my black satin strapless dress, I smoothed it over my hips and took a minute to touch up my lipstick. I’d pinned up my hair, and my high heels sank into the grass.

James and I had broken up two weeks ago. You just don’t seem that into this, Andie. I’d thought about bringing Meg or Emily with me tonight. Meg would have soaked up the clothes and dazzle, and Emily would have appreciated the free food. But in the end, I came alone.

The whole party seemed to sparkle with champagne droplets, fizzing and arcing over the laughing crowd. A glittering dot detached itself from the people milling inside the tent and walked purposefully toward me.

“So glad you came,” Aunt Rose gushed. Still beautiful, maybe even more so than last summer. Once I’d noticed the resemblance between us, I couldn’t help looking for it every time I saw her. The teardrop-shaped eyes, the almost-hidden spattering of freckles, the delicate frame wrapped in a shimmering cocktail dress. The shining blonde waves that used to be as red as mine. “Will is going to be thrilled. He’s moving to the city next week, you know. We have a gorgeous place all set up for him. He’s right over there. Go.”

A sharp nudge on my arm toward the center of the tent, and she was off, talking animatedly to the next group walking in.

Will stood in the middle of the swirling crowd, dressed in a tux, holding a glass of champagne. From the edge of the tent, I eyed him. My cousin had the same beautiful face I’d stared at during that garden party when I first arrived: same unsettling green eyes, wavy brown hair, full lips and defined jaw. Same sparkling smile, with two differences: there were violet shadows under his eyes now, and he never, not once, looked bored. No matter what, that smile didn’t falter.

And a girl was glued to his side.

Madeleine Platt was beautiful, even prettier in person than her picture. Blonde-streaked hair hung down her back, thick enough to weave into rope. Flawless skin highlighted the wide planes of her face. She was tall and leggy, and her snow-white smile gave Will’s grin a run for its money.

I pushed through the crowd, making my way toward my cousin. A few feet away, he caught sight of me. Green eyes widened and blinked a few times. His smile vanished.

“Andie,” he mouthed.

But by the time I reached him, the golden face was back in place.

“Hi, cousin,” he said smoothly, giving my hand a quick squeeze and leaning down to kiss my cheek. The whisper of Will’s breath, his soft lips against my skin, suddenly rocked me where I stood, and I squeezed my toes inside my high-heeled pumps. Maybe I shouldn’t have come, but I’d needed to.

“Congratulations.” My hand was still in his. Everything in my body told me to hold on. Carefully, I freed my fingers. “I know you worked hard for this.”

His eyes flickered. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“Your parents invited me.” I’d said those words a year ago, when Will asked why I was here for the summer.

“Oh, you were invited?” The girl next to him laughed and turned to Will. “Baby, you didn’t tell me you had cousins. Or any family at all. I thought there was just you.”

“Andie, this is Maddie.” Will made smooth introductions. “Maddie, this is my cousin Andie. She lived with us last summer.”

“I’m Will’s girlfriend,” Maddie added helpfully.

Her brief, hard handshake told me everything I needed to know about her. Aunt Rose hadn’t been playing around when she said Maddie and Will were cut from the same cloth, at that endless luncheon with her gossiping friends. Behind Maddie’s pretty blue eyes lay ice-cold calculation, and she hid it less well than my relatives did. If Madeleine Platt had lived with her rich family for a summer, without much money to her name, she would have done exactly what Will had insisted I must want. She would have taken every advantage.

I nodded, said “nice to meet you,” and wondered if she’d slept with my cousin.

“It’s been a while, Andie.” Will’s smile was more relaxed now, but my gaze kept moving to the shadows under his eyes. “You look great.”

“Thanks,” I murmured. “I’ll feel more great when I have a drink in me.”

“Take mine.” Will’s fingers grazed mine as he put his champagne flute in my hand. The tingling throb from his touch hadn’t changed.

Maddie was eyeing me, wondering why I was still here. Forget Will and Maddie being cut from the same cloth; the cool assessing look on this girl’s face was my aunt all over again. She and Will were definitely an attractive couple. As Rose had said, they’d go far together. Unless someone threw them both in a cage to see who’d walk out alive.

“We should get Spencer and Paxton to entertain her,” Maddie remarked to Will, as if I weren’t standing two feet away. The lazy hand she rested on his neck, rubbing it in casual possession, gave me my answer: she’d slept with my cousin. “They love redheads.”

My fingers stiffened around Will’s drink. Madeleine Platt really was an Aunt Rose in training, right down to insisting on everyone’s full names except for Will’s.

“I’ve met Spence and Pax.” I made myself take a casual sip of champagne. “I don’t need to re-meet them.”

Will’s lips twisted in a snort. A warm hand cupped my elbow. “Andie, how are you? How’s work? Are you still living with Meg and Emily?”

Something deep inside me clenched, then melted at seeing a flicker of realness inside Will. Asking questions, caring about the answers. Like a person. And that person was almost buried. Enough time with Madeleine Platt, and the job at his dad’s company, and it would be sealed off forever.

“Work’s going really well.” More champagne fizzed down my throat. Will’s hand was an anchor on my arm, worlds away from the toying touches he’d given me at the garden party a year ago. “I’m still rooming with Meg and Emily. Meg says—“

Madeleine Platt shook her head impatiently. She’d clearly decided I wasn’t worth bothering with.

“Spencer! Paxton!” Her voice cut through the crowd. She curled one shapely tanned arm in an invitation they couldn’t refuse, beckoning them in. “There’s an old friend of yours here. You remember Will’s cousin. Take care of her for us, okay? Someone needs to show her a good time tonight.”

“No, Maddie,” Will murmured. “Andie’s fine.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Behind her laughter, her blue eyes hardened. Sharp annoyance flashed across Will’s face. It all happened so quickly that I barely registered it. The next second, she had my cousin’s face in her hands, pulling him close for an intimate whisper. “I like to see everybody happy, baby. You know that.”

Will looked toward me, his green eyes unreadable. I wanted to drag him out of his own party, into the woods or back to my apartment or somewhere that wasn’t here. I knew what I wanted now, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Touching his jacket sleeve, I stepped back as Spence and Pax swaggered up, eyeing me like I was one of the tasty morsels on a passing hors d’oeuvres plate.

“Congratulations again,” I said quickly.

Before Will could answer, I turned and threaded through the crowd, putting distance between us. I ate some brie and crackers. I stuck to talking with people my aunt and uncle’s age, and probably made contacts that were more valuable than I could guess. I took everyone’s business card. Every so often, I glanced toward the center of the tent. Will, drinking champagne; laughing with his friends; kissing Maddie; watching me.

My feet took me out of the tent and onto soft grass. I crossed the manicured lawn, following the path of lanterns in the dark — not to the tall oaks, rustling on the border of the woods and flashing with fireflies, but to the big house.

I recognized the security guard outside the back door. He’d been here last summer, and he’d pretended not to notice, gazing steadily in the other direction, whenever Will and I crossed his path after coming out of the woods.

“Hi, Brian,” I greeted him. “Okay if I go inside? I just— want to see my old room from last summer.”

He frowned.

“Please,” I said softly. “It would mean a lot to me.”

“All right. Go ahead, miss.” He spoke into his radio, letting security know I was coming in. It was hard to believe, this life.

Inside, I noticed changes. An enormous oil painting here, a lush new rug there. A mirror, moved. Everything still soft, glowing, and opulent. I took my chances hurrying through my aunt and uncle’s bedroom to stare at the shining black marble tub in the adjacent bathroom. My old room sat untouched, as perfectly arranged as if I’d never slept there, or Will, or anyone.

Will’s bedroom looked the same. I flipped through the stacks of books on his heavy desk, ran my hand over the bumps on the antique globe, and traced the silver-framed pictures on his mahogany dresser. The pictures had changed since last summer: a beaming college graduation photo, surrounded by other guys, with those same shadows under his eyes; another posed swimsuit picture with Maddie, looking like a magazine cover; and a picture of me.

My heart thudded when I saw it. A picture of us, really. I’d had no idea he’d framed it; the picture hadn’t been here last summer. Our hair was messy in the wind. The smiles on our faces were real.

Either Maddie had never been in Will’s bedroom at home, or she’d been too busy undoing his zipper with her teeth to notice the picture.

Will’s huge bed still smelled like him: crisp, clean, light. Kicking off my high heels, I curled up under the snowy white comforter and buried my face in a thick pillow.

I’d come for comfort, but lying in my cousin’s bed was drawing moisture between my legs, coaxing my nipples to taut peaks. I shouldn’t be here. I definitely shouldn’t take my clothes off, but my hand was already reaching for my zipper, just to release the aching mounds of my breasts from my tight dress…

A heavy tread sounded in the hall and stopped in front of the partly open door. I froze, then scrambled out of Will’s bed, frantically smoothing the sheets and my dress.

“Andrea.” Sleek male bulk stood inside the doorway. My uncle Richard raised his eyebrows at me. “What are you doing in here?”

My heartbeat sped up. I’d hoped it was Will, though that wasn’t his walk. A security guard would have been embarrassing, but manageable. But Richard—

“I just wanted to see the house. I have a lot of memories from last summer.”

Richard glanced at the unmade bed, then back at me. Quickly, I stepped into my shoes, the heels giving me a few extra inches of height. But I still felt very short.

“I see.” My uncle’s eyes flicked over my rumpled dress and loosened hair. Awkwardness pricked my skin. “It was nice of you to make the trip out tonight. No doubt it means a lot to Will.”

“I— thanks.” I fought down a stammer. “Thanks for everything. I really appreciate the help with the job, and last summer, and, uh, the check at Christmas. I got my mom a couch.”

“Glad to help.” Richard smiled. “That check was just a little thank-you for entertaining our boy last summer. Rose and I know how much he enjoyed your company.”

Sudden anger flushed my cheeks. There were so many things I could have said. “He’s a grown man. Not a boy.”

Richard regarded me more closely. His dark eyes sharpened, pinning me in place. “What do you know about grown men, Andrea?” His voice was softer now. My shoulders tensed. “Because you didn’t learn about them from my son.”

I swallowed. “Look, I think—“

“Has Will ever told you how much you look like Rose when she was younger?” Richard asked, conversationally.

Sweat broke out on my forehead. I tugged at the hem of my rucked-up dress, trying to move it discreetly down my thighs. “I’ve noticed the resemblance.”

“It’s certainly there.” Deliberately, like he was checking just to make sure, my uncle’s eyes moved over the ginger waves I’d pinned up, messy now and falling over my bare freckled shoulders, then down to my small breasts and slim hips, hugged by black satin. My face burned. “Though Rose would agree you look more innocent than she ever did.” He chuckled. “I’ve always wanted a more innocent version of my wife.”

A chill ran through my body. Your son took most of my innocence, I thought. Because I gave it to him.

“I need to go. Now.” Why weren't my feet moving? I was frozen. “And I haven't seen Will in awhile.”

“I’m aware of that. Are you enjoying your job, Andrea?”

I blinked. “Very much.”

“I understand you’re doing quite well there. I’m sure you’d like some security in your position. There’s a lot of turnover in publishing.”

I remembered all the confusion, the arousal, that I’d felt with Will at the beginning of last summer. There was no confusion here. I knew exactly what was going on. Richard’s body filled the doorway.

“I’m not worried.” My throat was dry.

“Good.” Richard leaned against the doorframe, unmoving. “Rose is hoping Will and the Platt girl will get married, but someone like Will— Well, he has his whole life ahead of him. He ought to take a few years to enjoy himself. In all the right ways, of course. Don’t you think?”

“I don’t have an opinion,” I said coolly.

“Now, I can’t believe that. You’re quiet, Andrea, but you’re smarter than you let on.” Richard’s tone was soft and friendly, as casual as if we were talking about the weather. “I think you know what a shame it would be if everyone found out Will’s been enjoying himself with you. Your parents would be devastated. A shame for Will, too. Very embarrassing for you both. And you seem to care.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” I snapped. My face flamed bright red, giving the lie to my words. “I don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. Will, on the other hand—“

Will had a lot to be embarrassed about, from the beginning of last summer. A lot to be ashamed of. But I’d seen that shame since then, in the way his skin had flushed when he’d apologized to me. The way he’d looked when I’d told him to leave my apartment. The violet shadows under his eyes tonight.

“He could stand to have someone who cares,” was what came out of my mouth. “No one else does.”

Richard’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve given that boy everything he wants. You have no idea.”

“It’s not enough.” I stalked to the door, too angry to be intimidated now. “Thank you, it’s been a pleasure, but we’re done here.”

Richard dropped a firm hand on my bare shoulder. “I don’t think you understand, Andrea.”

“I do. And no.” I tried to push past him. Richard’s hand tightened. He leaned close, blocking my way, his bulk filling the doorway. My uncle smelled expensive, musky, sleek. His other hand settled on my waist.

“Was my son your first, Andrea?” he asked softly. I gasped and tried to twist free. “He was impatient, wasn’t he?”

“Don’t,” I whispered.

“You’ll have to excuse him.” Richard was holding me in place. Watching me closely. His cold eyes held a spark of lust — lust and calm, predatory power. It chilled me. “Like I said, he’s used to getting everything he wants. Rose and I have probably spoiled him. But if you’d asked my advice, I would have told you not to care.” Warm breath met my ear. I shuddered, remembering Will’s dirty whispers, the way they’d made me moan and shake. “Will certainly isn’t capable of it.”

Fear. Real fear. I’d never felt it before, not with Will, not with anyone.

“No.” My voice came more loudly than I'd hoped. “No. Just get me fired. Tell everyone about Will and me. It's over anyway. My parents won’t even notice. They’re going through worse.” I was shaking in Richard’s grip. “It’s not my fault I look like your wife used to, or that you hate each other, or that neither of you gives a shit about your son. Excuse me.”

I pushed hard against Richard’s broad chest. Richard let out a low growl of anger, his fingers digging into me, his body pressing me against the doorframe. I struggled against his unmoving bulk, trying to find an opening, when the sounds of pounding feet met my ears. Over Richard’s shoulder, I saw Will, his face contorted with shock and fury.

“What the fuck is going on here?” he shouted.

“I said no,” I panted.

Richard let go and stepped back, dusting off his hands. “A misunderstanding.”

Will stopped inches from his father, his fists clenched, every muscle bunched in his tux. “Don't you ever touch Andie again.”

“A disagreement,” Richard said smoothly. “That's all.”

“Right. A disagreement. A big one.” My voice was coming back, dry but getting stronger. “About what I would or wouldn't do to keep things quiet about you and me. I don't care.” My voice rose. “I don't care if everyone knows.”

Will stared at me, then at Richard. “If you come near her again,” he said softly to his father, “or fucking threaten her… You don't want to know what I'll do.” His slitted green eyes sent a tremor through my body. Richard held his son's gaze and said nothing. But his bulk suddenly seemed less powerful, less terrifying. “Whatever you do with anyone else — don't even look in Andie's direction. And don’t expect me to come to work tomorrow.“ Will closed his eyes, then opened them. “Or ever.”

A full minute passed. My skin was clammy, sweat trickling between my breasts. Will’s hands were still balled into fists, rage making him rigid. His father’s face held no expression at all. But the air between them crackled with hostility.

Finally, Richard’s dark eyes flickered. Turning on the heel of his shining dress shoe, he walked down the hall. It was like Will and I were no longer there.

When his broad back disappeared through the far doorway, I let out a long, shaky sigh. My face suddenly pressed against a hard chest. Solid arms wrapped tight around me. My knees were about to give out.

“What did he do?” Will’s heart was beating as fast as mine. “Did he touch you? Andie, talk to me.”

“Yes.” I felt exhausted. “He didn’t get far.”

“Anything is too far.” His face was in my hair. “Are you okay? Tell me if you’re okay.”

“I want to go home.” I sagged against him.

“Yeah. So do I.” His voice was low. “I’m sorry, Andie.” His body was shaking against mine. “I’m so, so sorry.”

There was a lot more than apologizing for his dad in there. I took a heaving breath. “I know. I forgive you.”

“I’m just like him.” I could barely hear Will. “I’m the same. I’m going to be like that. I already am. I’m worse.”

“No. You don’t have to be.”

“I can’t do this,” he whispered into my hair.

“Then don’t.” I grabbed his hand impulsively. “Come on.”

Our footsteps clattered through the huge house. As we burst out the side door, racing down the circular driveway to the garage, gravel crunched underfoot. I kicked off my heels to run. My tight dress bunched around my thighs. Will’s legs were longer, but I was fast. I kept up.

When the doors opened to the vast garage, and bright fluorescent lights flooded the yawning space at Will’s touch on the switch, sanity tried to intrude.

“Will, your party—“

“It’s not my party,” he muttered. He pulled me to his silver SUV. Then he helped me into the passenger’s side, jumped into the driver’s seat and roared in reverse out of the garage.

We tore away from my aunt and uncle’s property in a squeal of tires, zooming onto the tree-lined road. The smell of burning rubber filled the air. From the pocket of Will’s tuxedo pants came the buzz of his phone, constantly ringing.

“Are you okay?” he asked again. His free hand gripped mine. Or maybe I was clinging to his. I didn’t know who was holding on tighter.

“I don’t know. I think so. You?”

“I just gave up everything.” His green eyes were stunned.

Crazy as it was, I laughed. “You still have a lot.” More than most people. “You can make up with your parents. They’ll take you back.” My insides twisted as I said it. But they were still Will’s family.

“I don’t want to, Andie.”

Will swerved around a curve. I tried to get my breath under control. “What were you doing in the house? How’d you know?”

“I saw you leave the party. I wanted to find you to say goodbye. Just goodbye.” He shook his head. Anger still coiled his muscles, but he looked dazed. “I asked security if they’d seen you. They told me you’d gone into the house.”

I pressed my face into Will’s arm. “I wanted to see everything one last time.”

“You had more of a goodbye than I did.” I could barely hear him. Lifting my head, I stared at my cousin’s carved profile, a gorgeous silhouette against the moonlit outdoors.

Oak trees streaked by, rustling overhead. The moon shone through the leafy branches. Will braked sharply at a bend, then floored the gas again.

After a few silent minutes, he cleared his throat.

“Were you with anyone this year?” His eyes focused on the winding road. I was grateful for his tight grasp on my hand.

“I had a boyfriend this spring. He thought I worked too much.”

Will’s lips twitched. “You probably did.”

“What about Maddie?”

He leaned his head against the seat and accelerated. “Let’s not talk about her right now.” In his pocket, his phone kept ringing.

Trees flashed by, then streetlights. We reached my apartment faster than I could have expected. Will drove around the block until he parked the SUV in a tight space. Jumping out, hands connected, we rushed up the three flights of stairs to my dark and empty apartment.

My heels clattered down the front hall. My black satin dress was pushed up around my thighs, stuck to my body with sweat and creased beyond recognition. The incessant buzz of Will’s phone reached every corner of the apartment. In my bedroom, the door slammed behind us.

Panting, we faced each other. Will’s eyes held so many expressions that I couldn’t tell how he felt.

I slipped my hand into the pocket of his tuxedo pants, pulled out his ringing phone, and handed it to him.

He shook his head. “Not now, Andie.”

“Yes. Before anything else.”

He raked a hand through his wavy brown hair and gave me a long look. Then he stepped outside my bedroom with the phone.

Through the open door, I heard my aunt’s voice. It arrowed straight down the line, her cool control shattered.

“What are you thinking? Have you gone crazy? Come home now.”

“No, Mom.” The command had returned to Will’s voice. “I’m not coming home.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing. Are you with Andrea? Do you have any idea what she’s out for? She was there to make you happy last summer. Her time is done. You need to understand. That girl will take you for everything you’re worth.”

“No, Mom,” Will said again, his voice low and intent. “That’s what you would do. Not Andie. Andie’s not like you.”

A pause. Rose spoke more quietly, then Will’s voice came, icy. “Dad says he’s sorry? It’s not enough. He can tell that to Andie. He owes her a lot.”

Lower voices now, angry murmurs. I couldn’t make out my aunt’s words anymore, and all I could catch from Will, over and over, was “no.”

When a higher, equally hysterical voice came through the phone, I knew it was Maddie. That conversation was shorter. Will’s tone was softer, but just as firm. I heard him say, “We’re done, Maddie. It’s over.”

I leaned against the wall in my bedroom, tensed, still wearing my heels, my dress rustling with every movement, unable to sit down.

Finally, the voices ceased. My bedroom door swung open. Will walked through. The violet shadows were still under his eyes. His hair was a tousled mess. His tux outlined his shoulders and lithe body. He turned off his phone and dropped it on my dresser, facing me again.

“You got what you wanted,” I said softly. “People not seeing you as Richard’s son. Not knowing what your future will look like. Working for things.”

Will just looked at me. “I don’t know what I want right now, Andie.”

I moved close to him, and his eyes flickered. Maybe Richard was right. Maybe Will didn’t know how to care about anyone except himself. A golden boy in a golden bubble, I’d hissed at him last summer, when he’d pierced me for the first time in a sudden sting of pain and pleasure. With everything that had happened between us, everything that had happened tonight, I still wasn’t sure. I wanted to be sure.

“I know what I want,” I whispered.

My fingers were shaking, but I got his bowtie undone. Will’s hands stopped me.

“We don’t have to do this,” he whispered back. “I can just hold you right now. Look, you’re shaking. After what happened tonight—” He leaned down, pressing a light kiss on my forehead.

“I want to.”

His snowy white dress shirt opened easily, button by button, revealing bronzed skin and soft dark hair. Will’s eyes opened wide, then slid closed. He leaned back against the wall, his head tipping back to expose his throat.

“Yesssss.” The air went out of him in a hiss. His neck looked so smooth, waiting for me, but I didn’t touch it.

Nerves and need heating me, I pulled his white shirttails out of his slacks. His black jacket, perfectly tailored to his body, eased over his shoulders to drop on my chair. The shirt followed. I ran my hands over his muscled chest, needing to feel him, breathing in his crisp scent.

Will’s chest rose and fell under my palms, his half-closed green eyes locked on mine. When I unbuckled his belt, he grunted softly, jerking once towards my hands. But his long body stayed still, leaning against the wall.

His slacks slid down with a whisper. His briefs slipped over his slim hips — slimmer than I remembered. But his cock, springing free — carved, gorgeous, a pearly drop already glistening at the tip — was exactly the same.

My skin prickled with warmth. My breasts were heavy and hot in my tight black dress, my whole body buzzing with too much emotion. When I stretched up to kiss my cousin, twining freckled arms around his neck and pushing the satin of my dress against his naked body, we both groaned.

Hot lips met mine. Arms surrounded me, and I fell into soft sweet darkness.

I was dimly aware, but completely aware, of every thrust of Will’s dripping cock against my satin-covered stomach, rubbing his thick shaft and his cream into my dress. His powerful arms, holding me firmly against him. His ragged breath as he kissed me hungrily, his pulse beating fast under my tongue when I tasted the place on his neck that called to me. My knees went weak, wobbling as hard as they had when Will first kissed my cheek tonight.

His kisses and thrusts eased me backward until we tumbled onto my bed.

My heels skittered across the floor. My zipper parted in one long, smooth pull from my cousin’s hands. Black satin peeled away from my sweaty skin. My skin tingled where Will brushed it.

“Just touch me everywhere,” I breathed. “I want to feel you.”

“I will, Andie.” He groaned softly. “You will.”

Will’s hands traveled all over my curves, massaging, stroking me intimately. My skin popped into goosebumps, unbearably sensitive to his touch, as his palms circled back, spreading heat. A wet tongue tasted my freckles, sliding over my shoulders and collarbone until I shivered and begged for more, digging my fingers into his muscled back.

But he refused to hurry. His sucks on the soft skin of my neck were sweet, soothing, even when I felt his teeth. As that tongue moved down my chest, licking up my sweat until it met the slope of my breast, the tightness left my body.

Will’s large palm covered my other breast completely, sending jolts of pleasure to my core. His licks on my tender nipple, coaxing the pink bud to an aching little peak, were so perfect that I let out a long sigh and took his head in my hands, running my fingers through his hair just for the delight of feeling it.

With all the “yes” I’d said, from the beginning of last summer through the softest moments and up to that hard flood of wanting in my bedroom last October, Will had always been making. Whether he meant to or not. Making me admit I wanted him, making me crazy, making me surrender to total pleasure and desire and lust.

And I had, until I’d walked away.

Now, he wasn’t trying to make me feel or do or say anything. He was just caressing my body, lost in it, his eyes closed as he sucked on my tingling nipple. Harder and harder, until I moaned.

My hands explored muscled shoulders, slick with sweat. His skin was so smooth. As I kneaded his back, warm lips nuzzled their way to my other nipple, teasing the sensitive nub to eager response.

My whimpers filled the room. Will’s skin was everywhere under my hands, a warm expanse, and I didn’t want to touch anything else. All I could feel were long, slow swirls of my cousin’s tongue on my puckered nipples, and my palms on his rippling back.

Soft darkness blanketed us. Bars of light from my single window striped Will’s beautiful face and back. When his tongue traced a hot trail down between my breasts and over my stomach, flicking every stray freckle on my creamy skin, I cried out, my thighs squeezing around a sudden gush of juices. My hands jerked on his hair. Then my legs fell apart again, opening and receiving.

Kisses grazed my hips and lower belly. Will’s lashes were dark against his cheeks, his eyes still closed. That busy tongue circled the soft spot below my belly button, sucking and tasting until pleasure smoked like an ember from his mouth. His tousled hair brushed my skin, messier and messier as I ran my fingers through it. I moaned as more juice slicked my pussy, spread open under Will with only cool night air to caress it.

Warm palms cupped my ass, enclosing the soft cheeks. My moans got louder. My ass quivered in Will’s hands as I stroked his neck and hair. His eyes flickered open, roaming over my wet pussy. I could only imagine how it looked: rosy, glistening in the faint light from outside, waiting for him.

“Andie.” Smoky green eyes met mine. Will gazed up at me from between my spread thighs. Rushes of pleasure rolled through my body. “You’re so beautiful.”

“So are you,” I breathed.

His eyes squeezed shut. “No, I’m not,” he muttered.

“Yes, you are.” My voice was uneven, but I made it firm. “I saw what you did tonight. You meant it.”

His face was flushed, hair falling over his forehead. He opened his eyes. “I don’t want to take anything from you, Andie.” His lips were so close to my crotch, I could feel his hot breath on my folds. “I just want to give you everything.”

I let out a shuddering breath. Then slowly, I lifted my hips, offering myself to my cousin.

“I’m here for everything you give me,” I whispered. “I’m not afraid anymore. I want you, Will. So much…”

“Fuck,” Will groaned. Fingers caressed my thighs. Every stroke sent soft pulses through my pussy — tender, soaked, and completely open to Will. Every touch fused something broken inside me, making me whole.

When his exploring fingers peeled apart my lips, exposing my core to his stare, wetness streaked my cheeks. Answering wetness trickled from deep inside me.

“So right,” he murmured. “Andie.”

“Will,” I whispered back.

Sensations blurred when his mouth met my pussy. My cousin’s soft lips explored my folds like he’d never tasted them before. Each hot, unhurried lick flooded my whole body. My thighs stayed open, trembling with pure excitement. My fingers tangled in his hair, welcoming his head between my legs.

Time blurred too, but every swipe of Will’s tongue was so clear. He teased my opening until it gushed in response. He slurped at my clit until it was a hard, swollen pearl.

“Oh God,” I gasped. I was starting to shake. “Don’t ever stop.”

“Not stopping,” he murmured. He just kept licking and licking, spreading waves of warmth through my juicy folds, until my whole body contracted, sparked, and exploded in white light.

And then he went on licking, his face buried between my legs, in his own world while my thighs opened and closed around his head. Juices trickled down my ass, soaking my sheets. My cries built to a shriek. A strong tongue found my clit again, pushing against the exposed tip hungrily, until I gasped, tensed, and shook in a longer, deeper orgasm.

Finally, my hands tightened in his hair. I thrust with my hips, dragging his head up so our eyes met.

We panted together as he climbed over me. I pulled him down for a hard, eager kiss, sucking the tang of my juices off his lips and chin, trying to tell him with my mouth how much I wanted and needed him.

“Yes,” he groaned. “Sweet baby.”

His swift kisses overtook mine. His neck and back were soaked with sweat, his hair damp and curling under my hands, and I needed to feel it all. I ran eager palms over his broad shoulders, following the perfect vee down to his narrow waist.

Will had lost weight since last October. His build was leaner. His cheekbones stood out more sharply, with hollows underneath. But the swells and planes of his body were still firm, arousing beyond belief as I rubbed my curves against him.

“Will, I need you.” I had to say it out loud.

“I know,” he breathed in my ear. His hands were everywhere mine weren’t, tangling my long hair, cupping my face, stroking my puckered nipples. “I’m here.” His satiny cock pressed against my soaked folds. “So perfect, Andie.”

Arching my back, I gasped. Hard flesh suddenly opened the creamy heat of my pussy. Will was warm and thick and sinking deeper on each thrust. Melting me from the inside. Filling me completely, as I gave myself to him completely for the first time.

Green eyes, narrowed with desire, didn’t leave mine. I rocked my hips against firm muscle, laughing breathlessly. Will’s gasps matched my own, laughing too in surprise, as he thrust into me again and again.

“More, more, I want all of you…” I begged. Strong hands gripped my hips. Will was so deep now, plunging into my slick warmth. “I’m yours…”

His body jerked on top of me, heavy and hot and damp with sweat. I’d never said that before, never dared to ask for it or admit it.

His.

He buried his face in my neck. He was coming. I’d made him come by saying I belonged to him.

Through a haze of pleasure, I heard Will’s long groans of release, felt them against my skin. His cock twitched inside me, spurting cum in an orgasm that didn’t seem to end. I shuddered under his thrusts, clasping him as close as I could, twining my legs and arms around him.

Finally, he collapsed on my chest, panting. I was panting too. When he lifted his hips, my pussy clutched his thick rod. My arms tightened around his back.

“Don’t leave.”

He let out a long breath. “I won’t ever.”

My muscles softened. My legs unwound from his waist. Will eased his cock from my soaked embrace and rolled over, pulling me half on top of him. I pressed my cheek against his muscled chest, lulled by his heartbeat, and felt his lips in my hair.

“Will,” I whispered to his chest. “I love you.”

For a moment, he just breathed in and out. I wasn’t sure he’d heard. But I couldn’t hold the truth back any longer. It needed to be said.

When I raised my head, clear green eyes met mine.

“You mean that, don’t you.” He looked stunned. Probably the first time anyone had ever loved Will for himself, or had any idea what that self was.

I nodded slowly. “Yes, I mean it.”

“I love you too, Andie,” he whispered back. The shocked expression was still on his face. He shifted to kiss me. I rested my head on his chest again.

“What about us?”

He stroked my hair back from my forehead, running his fingers through the thick waves, soothing me. “We’ll just have to find out.”

I curled up in his arms, warm and relaxed, while cars honked outside and street lights flickered. The future was still a question mark. But I knew what I wanted now, completely.