19. McKenzie
NINETEEN
McKenzie
He kicked the front door shut before propping me against it, his hands under my ass. His lips against my neck were like a white-hot branding iron, claiming me. I tightened my legs around him, feeling the outline of him through the thin fabric of his slacks as he pressed his hips against mine.
“Bed,” I managed between kisses, twining his thick, luscious hair around my fingers. It was every bit as soft as I imagined it would be, while the rest of him was as hard as I’d dreamed.
He stumbled through the house with me in his arms, pausing only to lean me against the wall once to get his bearings, his tongue taking the opportunity to taste my collarbone.
“Now,” I pleaded, and he carried me the rest of the way to his bedroom where he finally allowed my feet to touch the ground. The room was dark except for the watery ripples of light from the moon through the window.
It was finally fucking happening.
“McKenzie,” he said as I kicked off my shoes, my hands desperately working the buttons on his shirt. I nearly sighed in relief when I got to run my fingers over his smooth bare chest. It was firm and taut and warm against my skin.
“Yes.” My reply came as I turned my back to him and guided him toward the zipper of my dress.
He trailed kisses across my shoulders as he slid the spaghetti straps down one by one. His fingertips grazed the bare skin of my back before finally coming to rest just above my hips.
“Are you sure?” he asked, tugging on the zipper, his mouth on my neck.
“Yes,” I cried again, tilting my head to give him better access.
The silky fabric of my dress gave way, and it crumpled to the floor, leaving me wearing nothing but a pair of black lacy panties that made my butt look amazing. I may or may not have coordinated my undergarments based on my sheer delusional hope that a moment like this would occur.
His hands slid down my sides and cupped my ass, his fingers digging into my soft flesh.
“McKenzie,” Luca practically growled my name. “I need to hear you say it. Are you sure?”
My heart nearly stopped. My mind traveled back to the dream I’d had about him the night I’d gotten hammered and woken up with him in my house. It was a fantasy I’d revisited often since that night, though there were different variations of it. But no matter how I found myself falling into his arms, he always said “The truth is, McKenzie, when I fuck you, I want you to be able to remember every perfect fucking minute of it.”
This wasn’t a dream, and I was damn sure going to remember every single second.
“Yes.” I faced him then, and his eyes traveled down my bare chest like a viper about to strike. “I want you.”
“But—” he began to say when I cut him off, already fumbling with his belt.
“Do you want to have a conversation right now, or do you want to fuck me?” I asked. “Because I know which one I want.”
His eyes darkened in a way I hadn’t seen before, setting my core on fire. He helped me finish removing his belt, chucking it to the side.
“I know what I want,” Luca murmured, sliding one hand around my neck, his lips crushing against mine while his other hand took care of the button and fly on his pants. I hooked my greedy fingers through his belt loops and shoved them down.
“Are you sure?” I asked, tossing his own words back at him, taking him in my hand through the cotton of his boxer briefs.
He groaned and bucked against my hand but didn’t once drop my gaze.
“I know exactly what I want.” His voice was husky and low and deep, stirring parts of me I didn’t know existed. He was so close he could have owned my mouth, but he didn’t. He waited. Instead, he grinned against me, the warmth of his breath making my skin tingle. One hand gripped my jaw while the other found my breast, rolling his thumb over my nipple as I whimpered against his mouth.
I’d never wanted anyone more.
“Then take it.” I was practically begging. “Take me .”
In one fluid movement, Luca lifted me off the hardwood floor and placed me on the bed. He nudged my legs open, taking one of my feet in his hand. He trailed wet kisses from my ankle, up my calf, and to my thigh. The closer he got to my fiery center, the more I craved his touch.
He crouched at my core, releasing a hot breath over the fabric of my panties.
“Luca,” I said, his name a pleading whisper on my lips.
With a devilish smile, he hooked his fingers over the lace and dragged them down my legs slowly before tossing them aside.
He drank me in as I laid there, exposed and vulnerable.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he rasped.
Even through the darkness, I could see there was something more than lust in his eyes. Something soft, something gentle. I’d seen glimmers of it before; that night at The Piccadilly Deli, then in that cozy tavern after he’d signed the lease on the house. It had even been there earlier that day when he was at my place with Emilia. He’d been on the verge of saying something . I just never imagined it would end up like this, with me having him the way I craved him.
“You’re not so bad yourself, you know,” I said, my voice catching at the end. I sat up, my hands traveling the length of his body until they reached the last piece of clothing separating us. My fingers grazed his skin just above the elastic, teasing him before I slid it down, revealing every last inch of him.
“Fuck,” he moaned as I took him in my hand, moving in slow, languid strokes. “God, that feels good.”
I tightened my grip, making his eyes roll back. “You have no idea how good I can feel.”
“Goddamn it, McKenzie.” He grunted, reaching over to the nightstand to wrench open the drawer, nearly causing it to fall to the floor. His fingers groped inside until he found his wallet, which he pulled out and dug through for what he was really looking for: a condom.
My breath hitched in my throat. Every nerve in my body was raw, yearning for him. I couldn’t wait any longer. I snatched the wrapper from him, ripping it open with my teeth before I took the thin latex and rolled it over him.
He pushed me back and brought himself down until he hovered over me, his strong arms caging me to the mattress.
“Now,” I said, nipping at his bottom lip. “I want you.”
I reached between us, guiding him to my entrance, and he buried himself in me with one thrust. He hooked my leg against his side, allowing him to push deeper inside me.
My neck arched into the pillow, my eyes fluttering closed from the overwhelming feeling of pleasure of having him fill me. But his voice brought me back.
“Eyes on me,” he murmured, an intoxicating mix of commanding and tender. “I want to see you when I make you come apart.”
Jesus Christ.
I gave a feverish nod, my hands wandering, desperately seeking to know every inch of him. He brought his lips to mine in a soul-stirring kiss as he moved in and out of me. I writhed beneath him, meeting each pulse of his hips with my own.
He continued to move with slow motions, gliding his pelvic bone over my clit in an agonizing way.
“You feel like heaven,” he whispered.
“More,” I begged between pants. “Faster. Please.”
He obliged, and my body worked with his, frantic for every ounce of friction it could get.
“Tell me what you want, McKenzie,” he said, his gaze growing hazy, his tempo quickening.
My answer came as easy as my own breath.
“You.”
And it was true. I wanted him in any and every way he’d give himself to me. Whether it was one night or the rest of my life, I wanted—I needed —him.
“I need you.” The confession escaped my mouth without permission, and I shuddered a breath.
Those three words ignited a fire in Luca, and he took my body and made it his. He rocked against me—his body the bow, mine the violin. He played me expertly, paying attention to every single note. Every thrust drove me closer and closer to the brink until I was standing right on the edge.
My eyes threatened to drift closed as my release beckoned me closer, but his hand captured my face, causing them to snap open again, his calloused fingertips imprinting on my flesh.
“Uh-uh,” he said, shaking his head. “Eyes on me, remember?”
A breathy whimper escaped my lips as he plunged into me, grinding against my most sensitive spot. Every nerve in my body was screaming for more, and he gave it willingly.
“Fuck,” he said with a groan. “I’m so close.”
“Oh God,” I murmured, the weight of his words pushing me even further.
“Let go, McKenzie,” he whispered. “Let go with me.”
And I did. My muscles tensed and my walls collapsed around him, sending him crashing with me. He shattered against me as he threaded his fingers through mine, pressing a kiss to my lips that swallowed our cries of pleasure as we rode out our aftershocks together.
Luca sagged against me, burying his face in my neck as I pulled him closer. He responded, his arms tightening around me.
My breathing slowed, but my heart didn’t. Now that I’d had him, all I wanted was more.
“Holy shit.” I flopped back against the mattress, my head sinking into the pillow. “That was…”
Luca’s chest rose and fell with every shallow breath as he settled next to me, resting his head on his hand. “Incredible?” he asked, his eyes shining in the glow of the moonlight that danced through the room.
Perfect. Mind blowing. A damn near religious experience. Somehow, no words came close to touching how good sex was with Luca. While he recharged, he’d taken it upon himself to turn my limbs to liquid using only his tongue. I didn’t know my body was even capable of experiencing that many orgasms within such a short time period. And just when I thought for sure I would combust from pleasure, he was ready for round two.
“I might never walk normally again,” I said with a laugh, pulling the sheet tighter around me.
He chuckled. “Good. I can’t have you forgetting about me too quickly.”
“Hmm…” I sighed and tried to feign an air of nonchalance before flashing him a wink. “I’m sure I’ll at least remember you for the next two to three business days.”
He slipped his arm around me, pulling me against him. “Only two or three, huh?”
“Well. Give or take.”
That couldn’t have been further from the truth. There was no chance I could forget him, ever. Now that I knew what it felt like to be with him—the way he moaned when he lost control and the way he looked at me as though I was the most magical fucking creature he’d ever laid eyes on—I couldn’t get enough. I was addicted.
“You’d better be joking.” His voice was a low rumble as he grinned against my cheek.
I raised my brows. “Or what?”
His smile faded to something more heartfelt and serious as he brought his head up to look at me, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
“McKenzie,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I hope you know I don’t want this to be some one-time thing.”
I smiled softly. “Really?”
He shook his head and leaned closer, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “No.”
I trailed my fingers over his bare arm. “I gotta be honest, I wasn’t sure how you felt about me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Obviously, I knew we were friends, but…” My gaze dropped. “It seemed like anytime I thought we might be getting closer, you kind of pulled away.”
He tilted my chin, forcing me to look at him. “That’s because this is different for me. This is uncharted territory.”
I gave him an I-don’t-believe-you smirk. “Respectfully, your mastery of the female anatomy would suggest otherwise.”
“ That is not what I mean,” he said. “Sex for the sake of sex is easy. But doing it with someone you care about? That’s something else entirely.”
My stomach did a somersault.
“This,” he said, gesturing between us. “This connection, liking someone, caring if they like me back…that’s all new for me.”
I placed my palm against his cheek, and he turned to kiss it. “I like you too, you know,” I said.
He covered my hand with his. “You truly didn't know how I felt about you?”
I shrugged. “I mean, I hoped. But I didn’t know.”
“You really don’t remember what happened the night I took you home after the My Chem cover band show, do you?”
“No, and I don’t want to.” I groaned. “You told me enough for me to know I embarrassed myself.”
He paused and took in a breath. “I didn’t tell you everything.”
The bottom fell out of my stomach. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated a moment, and I swatted his chest.
“What didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“Before you got sick that night, you tried to kiss me. Actually, you kind of wanted to do more than that.”
Heat burned up my neck and into my cheeks.
“Oh God.” I buried my face in the pillow. “ Tried to? Does that mean I attempted and failed?”
“It means I stopped you,” he confessed. “But—”
“Are you trying to kill me?” I cut him off, my voice muffled by the memory foam. “Why are you telling me this?”
He chuckled softly. “Look at me.”
“Sorry, I can’t. I’m busy trying to melt through this bed and into the floor.”
He laid his head next to mine, pushing my hair out of my face.
“Look at me,” he said again, and I did.
“I told you no, but it wasn’t that I didn’t want you,” he began. “Because believe me, I did. In fact, I specifically said that I did, but that when we finally had sex, I wanted you to be able to remember it.”
“Wait.” I raised up on my elbows, my mouth falling open. “You said that?”
He bit his lip. “I probably shouldn’t have said it out loud but—”
“I remember that.” I gasped. “But I was so fucking toasted, I thought I dreamed it . ”
He propped himself up so his lips were only inches from mine.
“So, that’s why you looked all hot and bothered the next morning.” He raised his brows at me. “I’m pretty sure you woke up moaning my name.”
I punched him in the shoulder. “And I’m pretty sure I’ve watched enough true crime to kill you and make it look like an accident.”
He laughed and pulled me into his arms. “Come here.”
“You could’ve let me continue to live in ignorance, you know,” I whispered against his neck. “That would’ve been the polite thing to do.”
“But then you wouldn’t know how long I’ve wanted you,” he said, his tone sincere, tender. “Or that you had me so hot for you that I had to um…take matters into my own hands in your bathroom while you were asleep.”
My eyes went wide as I sat up to look at him, my lips curling into a grin. “You did what now?” I asked.
He winced. “Yeeeah. I probably shouldn’t have admitted that. But I needed you to know…I’ve wanted you this whole time.”
“Hold up,” I said, attempting to piece together the order of events. “This was…this was even after you saw me puke my guts up? I was disgusting.”
He touched my nose with his finger. “Even when you’re gross, you’re beautiful.”
“That is weirdly romantic.” I laid down with my head on his shoulder.
“So, how was I in your dream?” he asked with a smug lilt. “Was I good?”
“Did you think about me while you were playing the five knuckle shuffle in my bathroom with Palmela Handerson?” I shot back, dissolving into a fit of giggles.
“Fuck yeah, I did,” he said, his shoulders shaking.
When our laughter slowed, he tightened his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.
“You’re better than any fantasy I’ve ever had,” he whispered against my hair. “I never dared to dream as big as you.”
My breath caught in my throat. His words made it sound like he was referring to something much bigger than the amazing sex we’d had. Part of me wanted to ask what he meant, but I didn’t want to jinx it, so instead, I nestled closer, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. This was a dream I never wanted to wake up from.