19. Haven
Chapter Nineteen
Haven
Anticipation buzzed in my system as I crested the top stair into the apartment above the barn.
When I walked in, Elsa was at the kitchen counter, rinsing something in the sink.
She didn’t appear to have heard me. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she’d changed out of whatever she’d been wearing earlier. Honestly, I didn’t even remember.
She could wear a potato sack, and I wouldn’t notice. But now, I did notice because she wore these swingy soft pants that she probably didn’t know outlined her plump bottom perfectly.
I slipped out of my boots and walked straight across the room, stopping behind her and resting my hands on the counter on either side of her hips. She squeaked, glancing over her shoulder.
“Hi,” I murmured.
The pink wash on her cheeks thickened my arousal. I stepped a little closer because I wanted to feel the soft curves of her bottom against me. Her breath sucked in, and her teeth snagged her bottom lip.
“Haven,” she whispered.
Her breath drawing in sharply sizzled through me, and I stepped a little closer.
“We, uh, didn’t talk about this,” she added.
I was admittedly a little disappointed when she turned around because I loved the feel of her bottom, but then I discovered she wasn’t wearing a bra because her nipples were pressing through the thin fabric of her T-shirt.
“Talk about what?”
“You know.” She circled her hand between us.
She held a towel in her other hand, and I reached for it, tossing it on the counter beside us. “About how hot last night was?” I prompted.
She cleared her throat, the flush on her cheeks deepening. “Um, yeah, that.”
“Okay, let’s talk now.”
She let out a flustered sigh. “Haven, you’re standing so close I can’t think.”
“Do you want me to go away?”
Another flustered sigh. “No, I mean…”
“Look, Elsa.” I decided to be blunt. “It’s really good with us. Or at least it is for me.” She nodded. “Does that mean you agree with how good it is?”
She rolled her eyes. “Obviously. And I like you, but it’s complicated.”
“I like you too. What’s complicated?”
“I’m staying here.” She sighed again.
“I’ll be even blunter. Everything feels better with you here. We could just let this roll and see how that goes,” I offered.
“I don’t have anywhere to go if you kick me out,” she pointed out.
I forced myself to stay focused. “I’m not going to kick you out. I promise.”
Distracted by the weight of her teeth denting her luscious bottom lip, I tried to rein in my need for her. Fuck me. I couldn’t help my body’s reflexive response when I rocked my hips into the cradle of hers. I was gratified when she let out a whimpery sigh.
I realized she had a point, though. My default setting was good guy. It was a fact that between my dad dying, the fire, and Bree dying, the guy in me who used to be nicer and more easygoing had mostly been overtaken by, as my mom said, a cranky grump.
But I wasn’t an asshole. “I don’t mean to pressure you.” I lifted my hands away and started to take a step back.
Elsa reached out, hooking her finger around my belt loop and pulling me back. “You’re not pressuring me. Obviously, it’s good between us. Let’s just agree that if things get complicated, we’ll put a stop to it.”
Relief shafted through me. “Deal.”
Her gaze turned sultry as she dragged her palm over the ridge of my arousal. “Where were we?”
My chuckle was followed by a groan when she deftly unbuttoned my jeans and slipped her sweet hand into my boxers, instantly curling around my length. Elsa’s eyes were dark, and I could barely catch my breath. She teased my arousal just as I started to speak, and my words stalled.
She shoved my jeans down around my hips just enough for my cock to spring free. She slid her thumb over the pre-cum already rolling out of the tip. “Elsa,” I bit out.
Her tongue darted out, swiping across her bottom lip, the sight of that sending another jolt of blood to my aching arousal.
“Elsa, what?” Her teasing tone was sultry, and I couldn’t even think over the rush of need coursing through me.
She leaned forward, her tongue swirling around the tip of my cock before she sucked me in. Lacing my fingers in her hair with one hand, I slapped my other against the counter as I braced myself for the onslaught of pleasurable torture.
She drew back, tipping her head to the side. As I looked down at her, she released me with a pop. “Do you want more?”
“Fuck, Elsa,” I groaned.
“That’s not an answer,” she teased.
I clenched my teeth, and she sucked me in again.
Holy hell. She drove me to near distraction with her palm curled around my length, sliding up and down with the motion of her mouth.
She released me, her tongue teasing along the underside before swirling around my crown again and once more sucking me in.
My fingers gripped her hair, my other palm flexing on the counter, sliding to grip the edge. I didn’t know how much I could take until, yet again, she sucked just hard enough, and my release whipped through me. She leaned back as it spurted over her hand.
I held on to that counter and her hair to keep my knees from buckling. My breath was coming in heaves. I eased my hold on her hair when she slowly straightened. A moment later, she rinsed her hands in the sink.
I opened my mouth to say something, but she took care of me too, tidying me up. Her lips curled at the corners, her smile satisfied and sweet when she bit her lip. The glint in her eyes was playful.
Those few moments had given me enough strength to collect myself. I gulped in a deep breath.
“Your turn,” I said, pushing away from the counter and reaching for her hand.
Her eyes widened slightly, and I chuckled. “It’s never a one-way street with me, sweetheart.”