Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
Burn
Cheyenne
Maverick’s touch was magic.
It had to be.
Because with each passing moment, every fear and worry and thought withered away like ash under his scorching touch.
I clung to him as he kissed me, his mouth moving against mine in soft, unhurried motions.
Lazy almost in nature, giving me the opportunity to decide what I wanted.
Allowing me the chance to set the pace. I appreciated the thought, the respect, but I didn’t want that.
I didn’t want to think, let alone make a decision.
I just wanted to feel. Feel his touch, his kisses on my skin.
Wanted to feel those calloused hands over my flesh.
I slid my arms around his neck, pulling him in and deepening the kiss.
He answered after the briefest moment of hesitation, laying me back flat against the bed.
He moved to partially cover his body over mine, my towel completely forgotten as it fell around me.
One of his hands still rested against my cheek, even as his other drifted down my neck, and slowly, slowly, slowly, over my breast.
I hissed at the touch, arching into him.
This. This was exactly what I wanted. Needed.
No talking, no coddling, just…action. Action always spoke louder than words anyway.
Maverick was a living, breathing testament to that.
I didn’t want him to console me, to tell me it would be alright.
I wanted him to kiss me, use me, wreck me.
I wanted him to make me forget why I was crying. Who I was, even.
Maverick’s hand cupped my breast, his thumb flicking over the peaked nipple. A shiver skittered through me and I let out a moan. “Fuck.”
His lips stretched up into a satisfied smirk as he pulled away.
Goddamn, he was sexy. But he was still wearing too much. I wanted to touch him, feel him. Feel those scars—those beautiful fucking scars—beneath my fingertips. To see his strength and bravery right there carved into his flesh. Not yards of black fabric.
I hastily tugged at the pearl snap buttons on his shirt, exposing the white tank beneath. He stilled, a look of concern washing over his face.
“Let me see you, Maverick,” I begged. In silence, I watched as a war played out on his face. “Please.” The word was but a whisper on my lips as I raised a tentative hand to his chest and began slowly pulling at his shirt.
Apparently, asking nicely was all I needed to do.
He stilled beneath my touch, giving me a stiff nod.
Moving slowly, purposefully yet gently, I helped him slide the shirt off, revealing his toned arms and burns.
I ran a finger up and down his arm lovingly, a silent show to him that he didn’t need to hide.
I held his wild gaze, my hand moving up along the curve of his shoulder before cupping the back of his neck, holding him to me.
“Beautiful,” I murmured. “Absolutely fuckin’ beautiful. ”
Something shifted in him then. No…broke. The restraints of his self-control shattered. His mouth descended on mine once more, his kiss holding a desperation to it I wasn’t anticipating.
Fuck yes.
As he kissed me senseless, his hand drifted lower. Lower. Lower. His fingertips feathering over the planes of my stomach before brushing along my hip and toward the apex between my thighs.
The first stroke at my core sent a ripple of desire through me and a moan falling from my lips.
My head fell back against the bed, my back arching into the touch as I gripped the bedsheets.
Maverick’s lips trailed along the curve of my jaw, his breath fanning against my skin even as his fingers teased and taunted me with a magic all their own.
My eyes fluttered closed as he stoked me higher and higher, like pouring gasoline onto a fire. God, he made me burn. Bright and hot. He moved with the same surety, the same precision and quiet confidence he did with everything else. I’d never thought it more fucking attractive than I did now.
His name was a breathy whisper on my lips.
A hum of approval rumbled through him, sending a shiver down my spine. It was the only sound he’d made so far, and knowing he’d made it because of me… Dear. God.
His free hand cupped one of my breasts and squeezed, wrenching a moan from me as I arched into him.
More. I needed more.
He seemed to understand that. His touches, his kisses, they turned more insistent, possessive. I didn’t want soft and timid, I wanted wild, chaotic. And without needing words, he delivered.
Still cupping my breast, his mouth found my nipple and he sucked it into his mouth.
All the while, his hand at my core never missed a beat.
Never faltered. Another wave of blazing heat seared a path down my spine and all the way to the tips of my toes.
One of my hands drifted up to cup the back of his neck again, a silent demand for more. More. More.
He paused, pulling back to look at me.
What? No. No, he couldn’t stop.
But as his heated gaze met mine, I let out a gasp.
Fire. Fire and lust and need burned in his eyes.
A silent promise of what was to come. The sexiest smirk I’d ever fucking seen blossomed on his face before his lips trailed kisses down the planes of my stomach, along my hip, and down the inside of my thigh.
His breath teased me, setting my nerve endings into overdrive. I was so. Damn. Close.
So close to that ledge of no return.
His mouth on my core sent a wave of pleasure rippling through me so intense I thought I might shatter apart right then and there. But it’s like he knew, knew how close I was and didn’t want this to end.
He dipped a finger into my core, his tongue working a special kind of magic as he sent me higher.
Brighter. Hotter. I felt like a livewire beneath his touch, my skin, my blood, my nerves all but sparking with need.
I clutched the bedsheets, my back bowing off the mattress.
It felt so good it was almost painful, teetering that line between pleasure and pain.
Every time the flames of my orgasm rose too high and I thought I might shatter apart, he eased up, slowly starting the process all over again.
I was on fire. I had to be. The fact the bed hadn’t erupted into flames was a goddamn miracle. I burned. Burned for him.
“Maverick,” I growled through clenched teeth as another wave of heat rippled through me. He paused at my core and glanced up at me, those green eyes sharp.
“Please,” I all but begged.
His mouth on my core was answer enough, his tongue finding the sensitive bundle of nerves there, teasing taunting, just as he inserted a second finger and pumped in and out. Again. And again. And again.
I came so hard I saw stars, a breathless scream tearing from my lips. My vision blurred and blackened around the edges, each wave of my release scorching through me like a wildfire.
I collapsed against the bed, the air sawing in and out of my lungs as I tried to calm my breathing. Maverick laid beside me, brushing a stray piece of my damp hair back off my face as he watched me in silence.
“That was…” I sucked in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. “That was amazing.”
He offered me a soft smile while he continued to run his fingers through my hair. I turned to face him more fully, pressing a kiss to his lips.
What he’d done for me…
I hadn’t even realized I was having a panic attack until it was too late. Hadn’t even realized how overwhelmed I was. But he’d pulled me out of it. I couldn’t thank him enough. Words just didn’t seem to be enough. But I could show him without words.
I deepened the kiss, one of my hands drifting down his chest and toward the pant line of his jeans. Even as his breath hitched, he halted me with a hand over mine.
I met his heavy, hooded stare. Despite the desire in his eyes, he shook his head.
I frowned. “But don’t you want this?”
He gripped my chin and pressed a feather-soft kiss to my lips before giving a nod.
I narrowed my gaze. So then why wouldn’t he let me do anything? Did he not want to have sex? We didn’t have to do it. I could do…other things. This didn’t need to escalate that far. I voiced the concerns aloud.
His gaze was soft, his kisses softer, as his mouth met mine once more. I melted into the touch, still completely baffled as to why he didn’t want more. But as he broke the kiss and his light eyes held me in place, they seemed to silently say, soon.
I blew out a loud sigh, to which he smiled. He nodded toward the pillows at the head of the bed and stood up long enough to pull off his jeans and socks, leaving him in a pair of boxer briefs, before sliding beneath the covers. He patted the bed silently, a soft look on his features.
I relented, completely ignoring the fact I was butt-ass-naked, and slid beneath the covers.
Maverick pulled me to him, wrapping me snugly against his chest. The scent of leather and tobacco filled my nose.
He must have been smoking outside. That familiar scent soothed me, and within a few heartbeats, my eyes began to drift closed.