Chapter 19
Tristan
Getting through the day has been torment. All day I kept waiting for a text or something to tell me whether she was going to meet me at the ridge, but nothing came through.
Somehow I managed to choke down dinner, get Sadie settled, and tell my family I was going out for a ride and not to wait up.
No one batted an eye. Which made me feel guilty, because if they knew what I was going to do, there’s no way they would be so accommodating about it.
I saddle my horse, tie a blanket on the back (I’m not a complete savage), put a bottle of wine in the saddlebag (that was fun sneaking out of the house), and I have some snacks as well.
I have no idea whether she’ll be there, but we made this bed, and I’m hoping to all that’s holy we’re going to sleep in it.
Or not sleep.
The ride out to the ridge takes about twenty minutes in the daylight. At night it’s a little more difficult, as I have to navigate through a few spots that are rocky, and the horse can easily lose its footing.
Carefully, I get out there about fifteen minutes before we’re due to meet.
When I get to the clearing, I grin.
Lark is there.
Her horse is tied to one of the stakes, and her hair blows in the wind as she stares out at the ridge.
It’s dark, the only light coming from the almost-full moon. Stars speckle the sky, blinking like fireflies.
I dismount and tie my horse to another stake. Then I grab the blanket, lay it out, and put the wine and snacks off to the side. Still, Lark stares out at the darkness.
Not wanting to scare her and push this encounter in a very horrific direction, I clear my throat.
She turns, her long hair fanning around her as she sees me.
“Hi,” I say softly.
“Hello.”
Lark starts to walk toward me, and I do the same. “You came.”
“I did. So did you.”
“I did.”
“It’s been five days,” Lark reminds me.
“That wasn’t my brightest idea,” I admit.
“No?”
I shake my head. “No. I should’ve just said one.”
She stops in front of me, her smile wide. “I didn’t need five days, Tristan.”
“I didn’t either, but I needed you to have them.”
There needed to be no questions between us. I had to know she understood that this agreement is all I can ever give her. That she had the time to process, fully be okay with the decision. We are risking a lot, more her than me.
Her family. My family. The feud will escalate. People will be hurt and angry. We’ll both have blowback that will leave destruction in its path.
“And that time is up,” Lark says.
“You’re sure about this?”
She lifts her hand, laying it in the center of my chest. “I’m here, Tristan.”
I lean down, slowly, measuring each heartbeat between us. Her beautiful eyes close as her head lifts to meet mine.
This kiss is slow, a surrender to the desire that has been building between us. When our lips touch, it ignites.
Her hand moves to the back of my neck, and I pull her tighter to me. Our lips part, and I don’t waste a second, pushing my tongue against hers. She tastes like mint and sunshine and a promise of all the things I can’t have.
But she’s giving them to me anyway.
Our tongues slide against each other. She lets out a long moan into my mouth, and I drink it down.
God, she’s perfect.
“Come with me,” I tell her, my voice deep and husky.
I pull her back to the blanket, and she giggles. “You were hedging your bets?”
“I did say if you came tonight, what it meant.”
She lies on her side, her head resting on her hand. “That you did.”
“I also brought wine and snacks.”
“You did?”
“I did. I’m a gentleman.”
“Yes, wine me and dine me before…”
I grin. “Finish it.”
She huffs a laugh. “No way.”
“Say it.”
“Fine! Sixty-nine me. Ass.”
Lark shifts to her knees to swat at my chest, but I grab her wrist and pull her to me. “I plan to go down on you, Lark. I plan to make you scream out to this peaceful night sky as I lick you until you orgasm. I’ve thought of nothing else for five days.”
She shivers. “Good to know.”
“Have you thought about it?” I ask.
I want to know that I wasn’t the only one suffering in this standoff. That she was equally bothered.
“Every day. I haven’t slept, I barely eat, then to see you two days ago, to be so close and want you this much…” she confesses. “Even though I know we shouldn’t.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t.” I push her hair back. “I still want to.”
“Me too. What else would you like?”
I sit up so we’re face-to-face. “I’d like to make you moan. I bet I can.”
“I bet you can, too, but let’s see you try.”
I’m going to enjoy every second of this.
I press my lips to the hollow of her neck with the intent of slowly making my way down her shoulder.
She shivers softly, and I grin when she whimpers.
“Close.” I kiss again, this time using my tongue against her soft skin.
Lark inhales deeply. “Closer.” I like that it takes some work.
Then I move down against her shoulder, and nip.
She moans, and I feel it in my cock. “There we go, sweetheart. Now, I think we can make it louder, don’t you? ”
“Tristan,” she says my name harshly, her fingers lacing through my hair.
“What do you want, Lark?”
“More. I need more.” The rumble in her voice would’ve taken me to my knees if I wasn’t already on them.
This is a bad idea. It’s stupid. It’s reckless. It’s everything I’m not, yet I can’t find the damn strength to stop it.
Lark is tinder, just one spark away from going up in flames.
And fuck if I’m not holding the match.
“I’ll give you everything I can. Everything you need.” But not more than what we promised. I leave that part out. There’s no need to drive it home. “Tell me if you want me to stop,” I say, praying that she doesn’t do it.
“Don’t.”
“Only if you ask me to.” Somehow I’ll do it. It might kill me, and I won’t be riding my horse back home, but I’ll stop.
I move the strap of her tank down, exposing her skin to the night air.
Then I kiss across her collarbone. Her head falls back, and I run my tongue along her neck up to her ear.
Her skin is smooth, unmarred, and smells like sunshine and heaven.
“You’re so beautiful,” I say against the shell.
“So fucking tempting. I want to see you. Lay you out on this blanket like the goddess you are and let me feast on you.”
Lark shifts and then pulls her top off, exposing a pair of stunning tits. I dreamed of these, imagining how they’d fit in my hand, and I didn’t do them justice. Their weight is perfect. Each one fits in my hand as though they were made for me.
“Gorgeous.”
She grins. “Your turn.”
“What the lady wants, she gets.”
I pull my shirt off, tossing it to the side.
“Fuck my life,” Lark murmurs as her eyes roam my body. “You’re…holy shit.”
“Like what you see?”
She laughs. “Don’t pretend you don’t know you’re chiseled and hot. Part of your appeal is the…swagger.”
I lean in, our lips close enough to touch. “You think I’m hot?”
“You know I do.”
“You’re stunning. Every time I look at you, I hate myself for not being able to resist you.”
“Good.” Lark moves to her knees. “I hate you for it too.” She unbuttons her jeans. “I hate that all I’ve wanted for five days was your hands on my skin. To kiss your lips. To know what you’ll feel like, taste like, smell like as you fuck me. So stop talking, Tristan. I’ve waited long enough.”
She slides her pants down, and I move quickly, my hands behind her thighs.
Lark lets out a squeak as she falls back, and I rip her jeans off her legs, then her panties.
She’s naked before me, and I thank God it’s dark, because if I could see everything in the full light, I’d never recover.
Just her glowing silhouette alone is enough to screw with my head.
“Spread your legs,” I command.
She does, exposing herself to me.
I lean over her, kiss her deeply, teasing her and moving my hand down to her chest.
When my thumb grazes her nipple, she lets out a low moan. I swallow it and move my mouth there, running my tongue around it, sucking her into my mouth.
She holds me there, but that’s not where I want my mouth. I want to taste her, to make her scream.
We have no idea how many times we’ll do this before we finally come to our senses, and if this is the only time we’ll ever have, then I’m going to take full advantage of whatever fantasies we have.
“Tristan,” she pants my name as I kiss down her belly and push her legs apart.
“Hold your thighs.” Lark moves her hands there. “Good girl. Keep them there, and I’ll keep going. Move them, and I stop. Understand?”
“I understand.”
I grin. “Good. Don’t make me stop too soon, Lark. I want to feast on you.”
My lips move to the inside of her knee, trailing wet kisses along her skin. I go higher, my tongue sliding up her thigh. I lick her fingers, and she starts to pant.
“God, I’m never going to survive this.” She moans.
I don’t think either of us will. My mouth moves closer. I can smell her arousal, and I love that I make her wet. My tongue darts out, closer to her clit. She gasps as I barely graze it. “Tristan. Please.”
I like her begging. I like how she says my name, asking me to give her what she wants. It’s another stupid decision, but I’m too far gone to care now.
Let the world fall apart around me. I’ll at least know it was worth it.
I lick her, tasting her fully on my tongue. She’s so responsive that it makes me want to learn every bit of her and drive her to the brink, bring her back down, and do it again. So I do.
Over and over, I lick and suck and flick her clit.
She is gripping her thighs, squirming beneath me, and I love every second of it.
I’m so hard. My cock is desperate for friction—for her.
Every whimper, sigh, and moan makes me desperate for her to find her relief.
“Fuck. I can’t hold back.”
Good.
I keep up my speed, sucking her clit and then moving my tongue faster. Her hands fall away from her thighs and grip the back of my head, and she screams, her voice the only sound in the peaceful night.
“Oh, God. Oh, God. I can’t…holy fuck!”
Once her legs fall limp, I move, climbing up to her. I kiss my way there, running my tongue along her nipple. “Well, that was once,” I say, a little smug.
“You think you can go for two?” she asks, a smile on her lips.
“Oh, I know I can.”
I will fuck her for as long as I need to feel her come apart on my cock.
“Lark,” I say her name softly, pushing her hair behind her ear. “You’re sure you want this?”
Her hand reaches up to my cheek, thumb running against the stubble. “I want this. I know what we are, what we can be, and I’m completely okay with it. Whatever or however many times this is, we leave it on the ridge.”
I reach into my pants, pulling the condom out.
“Put it on me,” I tell her.
I undo my pants, then remove them and my boxers as my cock springs from its confines.
She shifts onto her knees, and her eyes widen for a heartbeat. Lark rips open the package. Her small hands encircle my dick, and she holds it, then leans in, eyes on mine, and runs her tongue along the shaft.
“Fuck,” I groan.
“Do you like that?”
“Yes, but not this time, baby.”
I won’t last. It’s been years since I’ve been with a woman, and I would like to not embarrass myself if I can avoid it. Watching Lark suck my cock will absolutely make that a reality.
“Maybe next time I’ll see if I can make you scream.”
“I look forward to it,” I say with a grin. “But right now I’d like something else.”
“Good, me too.”
She slides the condom on and lies back. I follow her down and press my lips to hers. When I pull away, I stare into her eyes, waiting for her to change her mind, to tell me to stop, to remind us both why we shouldn’t do this, but she doesn’t. She just smiles.
Fuck.
I push forward, my cock sliding into her wet heat. And then, when I’m fully inside her, I realize that hell is a place on earth, and I’m going to live in it when I have to let her go.