Chapter 26
26
ECHO
I snuggle against Tyler’s chest as the final few minutes of the movie plays. I close my eyes, warm and relaxed in the semi-darkness of his apartment. The room still smells of Chinese takeout, and a few candles flicker on the coffee table.
With him so close to me, his arms around me and his heart beating beneath my ear, I’ve never been more content.
Tyler kisses my forehead. “You make me so happy.”
I angle my face toward his as the credits begin to roll. “You make me happy too. I… I love you, Ty.”
His lips part and his eyes light up. “You do?”
“Yeah.” I smile as he squeezes me tighter and peppers my face with kisses.
Since we got back together, we’ve been taking things slowly. He’d told me several times that he loves me, but this is the first time I’ve been brave enough to say it back.
“I love you more than the moon and the stars, baby girl.”
I reach over to switch the movie off and roll in his arms until the front of my body is pressed to the front of his. A sense of rightness swells within me. I’m completely at ease with this man. Sure, he’s made mistakes. So have I. But I trust him, and I believe in our relationship and the future we’re building together.
I cup his bristled face with one hand and brush my lips against his, drinking in his surprised gasp. His lips are soft but firm. Hard but yielding. My tongue darts out to taste him. A hint of sweet and sour with a deeper richness that’s all him. His tongue twines alongside mine and a shiver ripples through me.
I pull away. “I’m ready.”
His brow creases. “For what?”
I’m tempted to roll my eyes but grin instead. What a beautiful, clueless man.
“Sex.”
His eyes widen, the pupils still their normal size, which means his thoughts are probably clear. That’s good. I don’t want him making decisions with a fuzzy head.
“We don’t have to do that,” he says. “I know I need to earn your trust first.”
I kiss him again, first on the nose and then on the mouth. “I want to try. I trust that you’ll stop if I need you to.”
His expression turns fierce. “I will.”
I rock my pussy against his sweatpants-covered erection as we melt into another kiss. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m a little nervous, but I do trust him, and besides, I’ve practiced.
I had a session with the dildo he gave me a few days ago. I didn’t tell him in case it went badly, but except for being a bit tightly wound at first, and taking a few minutes to relax, it was fine. I even came.
Of course, a dildo has nothing on the real thing.
The kiss deepens, and Tyler’s hands settle on my lower back, holding me to him. The embrace makes me feel cherished, and I bury my face in the crook of his shoulder and kiss my way up the exposed skin of his neck.
He does the same to me, and I close my eyes and relish the gentle scrape of his whiskers over my skin. He isn’t shaving until after the final championship game has been played, and I’m surprised to discover I’m a beard person. Although perhaps the delicious way it feels against the inside of my thighs has something to do with that.
I lift off him and remove my shirt. He follows my lead and bares his chest. I kiss his pecs, then dust kisses all the way down his washboard abs to the treasure trail that disappears into his sweatpants. Goosebumps race across his skin and his cock bops, bumping my face through the fabric of his pants.
Reaching behind myself, I unhook my bra. I know Tyler would love to do it for me, but doing it myself helps me feel in control. I need that right now.
“So fucking sexy,” he groans. “So perfect for me.”
He pulls me up his body and into another kiss. He takes my mouth sensually and thoroughly, until I’m languid and needy in his arms.
I rub myself against his hard cock, reveling in the deep groan that vibrates up his throat. He scoots down and licks my nipple, then sucks it into a nubbin. I whimper and squirm against him. He switches to the other nipple and teases it with his lips and tongue.
I reach between us and cup him. His head drops back, and he groans. Our mouths meet again and stay connected as we gradually lose all our clothes, except for our underwear. I’ve been naked with him before, and he with me, and we’ve even rubbed against each other a few times, but we haven’t gone further.
I end the kiss and maneuver down his body, until my face is hovering over his groin. I grab the waistband of his underwear and slowly peel them down.
“Echo…” His cock thumps against his abdomen, flushed red and already leaking precum. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.”
“I know.”
Growing impatient, I shove his underwear the rest of the way down his legs until they drop onto the floor, and then I return to his erection. Heat radiates from him, and I inhale his musky scent. His hair is neatly trimmed, and I caress his balls, which are drawn up tight to his body.
Tyler watches me from above, caution and desire warring in his eyes. He wants my mouth on him, but it’s not something we’ve done since we got back together, and he won’t push me. When it comes to anything physical between us, he never has.
My mouth waters, and I lick him from his balls to the plump head of his cock. The salty tang of his precum instantly brings me back to the first time we did this. He was so careful with me, and I loved making him lose his mind.
I lick him again, and then circle my fingers around his base and suck him into my mouth. His hips twitch, as if he’s desperate to go deeper but is restraining himself. For now, I appreciate it. Maybe one day soon, I’ll tease him until he can’t remember to be gentle, but today, I need his thoughtfulness.
I swirl my tongue around him, sucking him and working my mouth as far along his length as I’m comfortable with. I cup his balls with my free hand and stroke them gently.
“Fuck, Echo,” he curses. “You keep doing that and this is gonna be over real quick.”
I grin around him and draw back until his head is the only part of his cock still in my mouth. I flick my tongue over the velvety skin and taste more precum.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that it’s been as long for him as it has for me. I still struggle to comprehend that he remained celibate during his college years because he was waiting for me. He must have had so many opportunities, and he turned them all down because of me.
I pull off him with a pop. “I love you.”
“I’ll never get enough of hearing you say that.”
He scoops me into his arms, sits up, and gently places me on the sofa. He kneels between my thighs and pushes my panties to the side. Holding my gaze, he sucks his thumb into his mouth and then dips it between my legs, using it to draw tiny circles around my clit. My lips part on a ragged breath.
“That’s it, baby girl.” He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he wets another finger and strokes down my center while his thumb continues teasing me. Never adding pressure or easing up. Just keeping up the same steady rhythm until I’m ready to scream.
Then, as I’m trembling from his touch, he presses against my entrance.
I stiffen.
“It’s okay,” he croons, those blue orbs lasered onto me. “Exhale nice and slow and let me in.”
Holding his gaze, I breathe out, releasing as much tension as I can from my taut body. He pushes his finger in a little and then ducks his head to kiss my clit. Just one soft, chaste kiss, followed by the dip of his tongue into my wetness.
Bit by bit, he works his finger inside me, keeping me balanced on a sharp edge of pleasure with his mouth. He curls his finger inside me and heat blooms deep within, unfurling up my spine.
“Ready for another?” he asks.
I nod.
“Gonna need the words, baby.”
“Yes, please. I want another finger inside me.”
“Good girl.”
The second digit enters me much more smoothly than the first. He keeps them buried inside me as he leans over and drags me into another breath-robbing kiss. Only when I’m boneless and have completely forgotten my fears does he get up.
“I’ll be right back,” he promises. “I don’t have any condoms in here, so I need to run to the bedroom.”
He disappears, and for a moment, my brain tries to click back into gear, but I focus on the flickering orange glow of one of the candles, and the sweet, fruity scent it’s giving out. Strawberry, if I have to guess. He’s always had a thing about me and strawberries.
When he returns, it’s with a new box of condoms. He tears the wrapper off, opens the box, and pulls one out. He hesitates, then passes the foil to me.
“You do it,” he says. “I need to know you’re completely in this with me.”
My heart pulses, feeling too big for my chest. With a dopey smile, I take the foil, rip it open, and grab the edge of the condom. He comes closer and I roll it down his cock, being careful not to hurt him.
He frowns. “Would you rather do this in the bedroom?”
I laugh, shocked that it hasn’t occurred to me to move things in there. “No. I like it here.”
He sits on the other sofa cushion. “You’re on top, baby. That way, all the control is yours.”
With that statement, he dispels any of my lingering nerves. I stand so he can spread out along the sofa, and then I climb over him. I draw in a calming breath and slowly let it go. With steady fingers, I position his cock beneath me and lower myself onto it.
At first, I tense slightly, but as soon as I meet his concerned gaze, my muscles relax.
This is Tyler. He would never hurt me again.
I sink onto him, inch by inch, until he’s fully seated within me. Rocking my hips, I test the sensation.
“This is definitely better than the dildo,” I say.
Tyler’s eyes darken and his fingers dig into my hips. “You used the dildo?”
I smile kittenishly and begin to move, just enough to tease. “Only once. I needed to know I could do it before I tried anything with you.”
A muscle in his jaw twitches. “Wish I could’ve seen you.”
“Maybe next time.”
He thrusts up. “Definitely next time.”
We rock together, gradually building the intensity. We’re both out of practice, but it doesn’t take us long to remember how to please each other.
I ride him with growing confidence, my ass slapping against his thighs each time we meet. He presses his fingertips to my clit but doesn’t try to take control of our lovemaking. His quiet grunts and moans urge me on, and before long, my core is liquid fire.
I need him.
I need to come.
I’m so close. So close.
I throw my head back and work my hips faster, spurred on by the slap, slap, slap of our skin. Using the sofa to steady myself, I whimper at the delicious friction between us.
Pressure builds within me, and I meet Tyler’s eyes, my lip caught between my teeth, as he grows stiffer inside me. His cock pulses, and he rumbles a low groan. He’s struggling to hold onto a thread of control. He’s doing that for me.
Pleasure draws taut and then snaps between us.
I shatter.
I’m a whimpering, writhing mess on top of him, but he just keeps his fingers on my clit, rubbing in loose circles as his other hand strokes up and down my back.
When I come back to myself, he’s smiling, the expression full of affection.
“All good?”
“Perfect,” I reply, and begin riding him again, rolling my hips to prolong each movement.
With a growl, he grabs my hips and—after making eye contact to seek silent approval—takes control of our pace, driving faster, his breath becoming shallow. When he comes, jerking inside me, his mouth open in a silent shout, he holds my gaze for the entire time.
I feel raw, vulnerable, and completely worshiped, because in that moment, his soul is bare to me. He doesn’t even try to hide. He wants me to look. To see my name carved on the deepest, most private parts of him.
I kiss him because no words could possibly capture the maelstrom of emotions raging inside me, and then I snuggle against his chest.
Eventually, we separate for long enough to clean up, but immediately return to the sofa. He pulls me onto his lap and wraps his arms around me.
“It’s the final championship game next week,” he says. “In Portland. Will you come?”
I’ve been to all of his home playoff games but haven’t attended any of the away games yet.
I relax into the warmth of his embrace. “I wouldn’t miss it.”