Chapter Twenty-five
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
TOBIAS
I knew kissing Natalie would change things between us, but I didn’t realize how much it would change my way of thinking too.
Am I afraid that we’re going to ruin our friendship? No. Not even close.
The moment her lips touched mine, I knew these are the lips I’d kiss for the rest of my life. These are the lips I’ll dream about day in and day out.
Friendship was a great place to start, but that’s not how we end.
I reach over the middle of my truck and lace her hand with mine. Slowly, she looks up at me with a smile.
“This is crazy.”
I grin, my eyes flashing from the road to hers. “Is it?”
“Yes,” she says with a laugh. “It is.”
Her smile never falters through her words.
“A good crazy, though,” she adds.
I nod. “I like good crazy.”
I wink at her; she rolls her eyes at me.
“I hate to be this girl right out of the gate, but what does this mean?”
I shrug. “What do you want it to mean?”
She purses her lips for a moment. “Our friends and family are going to freak out, so maybe we should keep this to ourselves until we figure that part out.”
For me, I could shout from the rooftops right now that this woman is mine, but as cliché as that sounds, she’s clearly not there yet.
I’m okay with that.
A month ago, her life was in a completely different place. I don’t want to rush her into anything, even if I already know this is it for me.
It’s wild to think that I fought this for so long.
I waited for this moment for ten years. I just didn’t know it.
I argued over and over with my friends and family that Natalie and I were just friends and were only ever going to be just friends.
I’m going to look like a fool to them, and I don’t even care. I figured it out. What’s the saying, better late than never?
I pull into the driveway of my grandmother’s house and turn off the truck.
It’s going to be impossible not touching Natalie now, but if she doesn’t want anyone to know, I have no choice but to do my best.
Neither of us moves. Instead, I rest my head on the back of the seat, slowly turning to look at her. She does the same, and my heart swells.
“What are you thinking?”
She smirks. “That it feels like we’re in high school.”
“What?” I chuckle. “How?”
She points at the house. “We just got done making out in a field, and now we’re at your grandma's house, where we’re going to act like there’s nothing between us. Knowing you,” she says, reaching out to cup my cheek, “you’re going to try to sneak kisses here and there and risk getting us caught.”
I laugh harder. She’s not wrong.
“How would you know that? Have you seen me do that with anyone?”
She shakes her head. “No. I’ve never seen you with a girlfriend, but you’re you and I’m me. It’s just a feeling I get.”
“It's just a feeling you get, huh?” I rub my chin, never taking my eyes off her.
“Yes, because I know I’ll want to do the same thing.”
I lean forward to press my lips to hers, but she holds her hand out flat to stop me. She quickly looks out the front window to see if anyone is watching. When the coast is clear, she leans in to meet me halfway.
Both of my hands hold her face as I slip my tongue inside her mouth.
Hell, I’ve never tasted someone who tastes so sweet. So addicting.
I groan and pull back.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else for a while or tell them we need to go back to Wind Valley.”
Natalie laughs deeply and loud, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.
“Now you really make me feel like we're in high school. You can have a little control for one more night. Tomorrow, we’ll head back home and, well, I’m not sure what happens then, but inside your house, there will be a lot less for us to hide.”
“You always were the smarter one,” I say, the way I’ve said it for years and years.
“I think after the last couple of hours, that statement could be questionable.”
“Not a chance.” I watch her get out of the truck.
I meet her around the front, and as if my body can’t be near her without touching, I reach for her hand. She shoves me off the sidewalk. I almost trip into the grass, but it’s worth it because of her laughter.
Will that sound ever get old?
“It’s been thirty seconds, Tobias.”
“I can’t help it,” I say as we reach the door. “I have a decade to make up for, and I don’t want to waste another moment.”
She pauses, her gaze locking on mine. I search her eyes for an inkling of what she’s thinking, but I come up with nothing.
Her nose scrunches as she pulls the door open. “Crazy,” she says. “Just crazy.”
I follow her inside. “But it’s a good crazy.”
She shakes her head, watching me as she walks backward to the kitchen, where we can hear Grandma Betty and Quinn talking.
Yeah, not touching Natalie is going to take more willpower than my body possesses.
“Oh, good, you’re home,” Grandma Betty says. She and Quinn are sitting across from each other at the table and look as if they were just engrossed in a serious conversation. Natalie walks to the other side of the kitchen and leans against the counter while I remain in the doorway with my arms crossed.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“I’m leaving tonight,” Quinn says and pushes out her bottom lip. “When Natalie and I were talking earlier, it got me thinking. Grandma is better now, and I’m ready to get back to it.”
“Where are you going this time?”
“Paris,” she says. “I’ve missed it there, and I just don’t feel like me when I stay in one place for too long.”
I nod slowly. As much as I believe Grandma should have someone close by for a little while longer, I get it. The whole having a dream and not making it happen—trust me, I get it more than she knows.
I don’t say anything, yet all eyes are on me.
It feels weird, and I hate that maybe they were all worried about what I was going to think. Like she needs my permission.
Quinn might be my little sister, who is sometimes annoying and makes me worry with all my heart, but she’s also a smart and brave woman who doesn’t need my approval.
I push off the door and hug her from behind. “You better eat more of those weird cookie things for me while you’re there,” I say.
Her shoulders relax.
“You got it,” she says and pats my hand.
“And I’m moving in with Mike,” Grandma Betty says, standing and grabbing her jacket as if that’s the end of the conversation.
She looks me in the eye, daring me to say something.
I only shake my head and look at Natalie.
“Have my gray hairs started to show yet?”
She laughs. “Oh yeah, you have like twenty by now.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry, though, women are really into the silver fox thing these days.”
“Are they?” I ask and step toward her.
She nods with a coy smile and then glances over my shoulder. “Don’t you two agree?”
I pause my stride and give Natalie a grin only she can see.
“I mean, not on my brother, but sure,” says Quinn on her way out of the room.
Grandma is right behind her.
“Hey, where are you both going?”
“To pack.”
“To Mike’s.”
And then they’re both gone, the front door slamming closed.
“Don't,” Natalie says and points her finger at me.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t take another step forward. We aren’t alone in this house right now, and your sister could come downstairs at any moment.”
She indeed could, but the chances are small since she just went to her room.
I move toward Natalie, caging her in against the counter.
“We might not be alone right now, but if you didn’t just hear, it sounds like we will be very much alone tonight.”
She takes a deep breath, her gaze landing on my lips.
I wait just a moment before I add, “And we have a sex scene we need to discuss.”
Her smile drops, and her eyes meet mine.
I wink. “You thought I hadn’t read it yet, didn’t you?”
No answer.
“I did.” I push off the counter, walking backward to get my computer from the truck so that I can keep my eyes on her. She still hasn’t spoken, so I decide this is as good a time as any to add “twice.”
* * *
“Have a good night!” Grandma Betty calls as she walks past the living room with a packed bag.
“You, too, Grandma Betty,” Natalie says from the couch where she’s sitting with her legs crossed, working on her computer.
“Night.”
The moment the door closes, the air in the room shifts.
Quinn left a couple of hours ago, so with Grandma Betty gone, Natalie and I are officially alone.
I grab my computer, get up from my chair, and plant myself right next to Natalie.
She laughs. “Close enough?”
“Not even a little.”
She bumps me with her shoulder.
“We need to finish these next couple of chapters tonight,” she adds. “It doesn’t look like you’ve written much.”
I take a deep breath. I’m beginning to feel that stage in a book where I’m over it, and I hate it. I hate that it’s on a book with her. I hate that it’s even happening.
I couldn’t focus before, and I sure as hell can’t focus now. I’m not sure how much to share with Natalie, though. After all, the whole reason she brought this up was to help me.
“Are you stuck?” she asks softly.
I rub my chin. “I don’t know.”
“Are you starting to feel like you don’t want to do this anymore?”
I sigh. “I don't know.”
“Are you saying I don’t know because you’re not sure how much you want to share with me?”
“Yes.”
She moves her computer off her lap, readjusting herself to sit on her knees facing me.
“How can I help?”
“I—”
“Don’t you dare say I don’t know. This is why I’m here.”
I nod.
“Is it because you’re nervous to tell me? Is it something you’ve never told anyone else?”
I narrow my eyes at her. I don’t especially enjoy talking about failing at something, but it impresses me that she knows exactly how to read me.
“Would it help if I told you something embarrassing about myself?” she asks.
“Worse than when you were making out with that guy in government class and farted?” I ask.
She punches me in the arms, and I wince.
“I told you that in confidence. You said you would never repeat it.”
“And I didn’t until just now.”
“That better be true.”
“It is.”
“But no, this is worse than that.”
“Worse than when you ate that ice cream at the fair and?—”
“I swear to god, Tobias, do you ever forget anything?”
“Not when it comes to you.”
Her expression softens, and she bites her lip.
I reach up to pull it from her teeth, noticing the way her plump pink lip bounces just slightly.
“You should never be embarrassed to tell me anything, Dove. I think very highly of you, and nothing will ever change that.”
Her head tilts back with a laugh. “Oh my god!”
Confused by her reaction, I don’t say a word. I just let her laugh it out.
“All this time,” she says quickly, “you’ve said lines like that to me for years and years, but now …”
“But now, what?”
“Now those words make my heart race.”
“Just your heart?” I ask, grabbing her hips and pulling her slightly until she gets the hint that I want her to sit on my lap.
Painfully slow, she sits up and then rests one leg on each side of me, lowering herself on a breath.
She rests her forehead against mine. “Are you going to kiss me now?” she whispers.
“Is that what you want?” I whisper back.
Instead of answering, she presses her lips to mine.
I guess this means we won’t be finishing those chapters tonight.
The kiss starts softly, our lips moving in perfect sync. After a moment, her tongue sweeps into my mouth, tangling with mine as her hips start to move slowly against me. I groan the first time her body rubs on mine, which must be the reassurance she needs. Suddenly, we’re kissing as if we have to make up for lost time.
As if this moment is going to vanish into thin air and we want to make the most of it.
I grip her thighs, my hands moving higher until I reach her shorts. I flick the button to undo them.
“Should we go upstairs?” she asks. “What if your grandma comes back?”
I let out a boisterous laugh and nod.
“It’s probably a smart idea.”
She hops off me, grabbing my hand and pulling me up. She runs up the stairs, and holy shit, I’ve never felt so euphoric.
We dash into my room, and I close the door.
With our hands still locked together, I pull her back, turning until her back hits the door.
There are so many things I could say to her right now, but all of it can wait. Kissing her, tasting her, feeling her can’t.
I squat, gripping the back of her thighs, and jerk her up to wrap her legs around me as I press my lips to her neck. Suspended between me and the door, she wraps her arms around my neck to hold on.
“Your skin is so soft,” I say between kisses.
“I love your lips on me,” she breathes. She uses her hands to make me look at her. “I can’t remember the last time I felt this alive.”
I seal our mouths together and take the opportunity to move us to the bed.
I lay her down slowly, continuing to kiss her as she scoots up on the bed. When she gets high enough, I settle my body between her legs.
My hand travels up her smooth legs, stalling at the hem of her shorts.
“I don’t want to do anything you’re not ready for,” I tell her.
Her breathing is fast, but she smiles and says, “You’re not.”
Her shorts are still unbuttoned from downstairs, so I grab the zipper and slowly pull it down.
“Is this okay?”
“Yes.”
She lifts her hips so I can remove her pants, leaving her in a simple black thong.
“Dove,” I growl and slide down her body, kissing the inside of her thigh. I press my lips to one side and then the other before I place my hands where I’d just kissed her and press her legs open. “I like kissing you, but I think tasting you is about to become my new addiction.”
I hear her inhaling as her back bows off the bed.
With one finger, I hook her panties to the side. The prettiest, lightest shade of pink shines back at me.
Oh yeah. I’m about to become an addict.
I know I should have more self-control, but the moment her fingers glide into my hair, I can’t hold back.
“Ssshhhit,” she hisses as my tongue licks her. I grab her legs and pull her close so she can feel my tongue and lips on her. Eating her. Memorizing her. Devouring her.
“Fuck, you taste amazing,” I say and get back to it. “One taste and this pussy belongs to me—do you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“This is mine now. I don’t share.”
“It’s yours,” she pants the moment my tongue touches her again. I use two fingers to spread her open so that I can taste every single inch of her.
“Tobias,” she says and pulls my hair. “Tobias.”
Just as she sucks in a breath, her orgasm rocking through her, I slide a finger inside her and hook it, my tongue joining it, prolonging every last ounce of ecstasy for her.
When her body slowly stops shaking, I climb up her and press myself against her.
With the taste of her still on my lips, I kiss her.
I kiss her hard.
Her hand moves to my jeans. She flicks my belt open like a pro and then slides her hands inside.
“Oh my god,” she says the moment her hand grabs ahold of me.
“Oh my god,” I repeat and suck in breath.
She moves her hand slowly, and I swear I grow bigger the longer she touches me. Her other hand works back and forth to take my pants off.
When they get to the middle of my butt, I pull back and strip them the rest of the way off, yanking my shirt off with them.
“Lay on your back,” she says.
I grin, thinking of that very first scene she wrote, and do as I’m told.
But then she begins to crawl down my body. I stop her.
“As much as I would love for you to put my cock in your mouth, it’s not happening tonight.”
“It’s not? But you just made me … forget where I was.”
I grin. “Good.”
“So, if you don’t want that, what do you want?”
I cup her cheek and pull her to me for a kiss.
“I want you to sit on my dick and ride me until we both see stars. And when we’re done with that, I’m going to bend you over the side of the bed, slide back inside of you, and make you forget your name.”
She fights a smile by biting her lip.
I reach for it with my thumb. On second thought, maybe I do want to see this lip wrapped around me.
The thought doesn’t get too carried away before she’s doing exactly what I told her to do.
She removes her underwear, whips off her shirt and crawls on top of me. Her bare center rubs against mine as she unclips her bra.
Instantly, my hands massage her breasts.
“Everything about you is amazing.”
“You’re just saying that because we’re naked in bed.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve never seen anything so perfect.”
I lift my hips, encouraging her to move. She takes the hint, her hips moving back and forth, back and forth.
When I’m not sure how much longer I’ll last, I reach for my jeans, retrieving a condom from my wallet.
Nat watches me with hungry eyes. I begin to sheath myself, but she takes over for me, pushing it down to my balls and then rising to her knees.
She holds me to her opening and slowly, oh so painfully slowly, lowers herself down on me.
I have to take small breaths.
“You’re so fucking tight. Oh my god. I’m not … hold on, don’t move,” I say and hold her hips until she’s all the way seated.
“You feel so good.” She moans, her hand on my chest as her nails dig into my skin. “How is this possible? I’ve never felt the way I do right now.”
Before she can say anything more, I pull her down for a kiss. As soon as I start to move my hips, she matches my rhythm.
She sits up tall, grabbing the headboard to hold on while I crunch up, my gaze falling on the way I slide in and out, in and out.
Shit. This is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
This is heaven.
Pure fucking bliss.
I circle my thumb against her clit, and the simple touch sets her off. She cries out, her hips moving faster and faster until my body has no choice but to follow behind her, my orgasm tearing through my body at the feel of her clenching over me.
This. I could get used to this.
And who better to do it with than my best friend?