Chapter 9
Garrett”s words hang in the air. For a long, weighted moment, all I can do is gape at this man, at the naked emotion blazing in those dark eyes as he lays himself bare before me.
This is the real Garrett Blackwood, I realize in a rush. The one who”s been buried beneath layers of rigid control and self-imposed boundaries for far too long. The part of him that craves the same unbridled freedoms and untamed thrills I”ve always chased so recklessly.
My throat works, fingers curving around the solid warmth of his wrists where his palms cradle my face so reverently. ”You mean that?” I finally murmur, searching his gaze for any trace of falsehood. ”All of it?”
”With everything in me,” he rasps, the deep rumble seeming to vibrate straight through to my bones.
A shaky breath escapes my lips, my chest swelling with a profound sense of rightness. Impulsively, I surge up on my tiptoes, capturing Garrett”s mouth in a kiss. He lets out a muffled groan of surprise before instinctively gathering me closer, one broad palm splaying possessively across the small of my back as the other hand threads through my hair.
I pour every ounce of pent-up longing, every shred of newfound hope, into that kiss, reveling in the slick heat of his mouth devouring mine. Garrett responds with equal fervor, his tongue sweeping in to tangle with mine. The kiss rapidly spirals from tender to scorching, all-consuming, until we”re both gasping for air.
Dragging my lips from his with extreme reluctance, I drink in the sight of him—eyes blazing, chest heaving, lips swollen and glistening from our frantic kisses.
”Show me,” I breathe. ”Show me that you mean it.”
A low, gravelly sound rumbles up from Garrett”s chest, and then his mouth is on mine again, devouring me with a hunger that sends a shiver of anticipation down my spine. He walks me back toward the rocky outcropping, his hands roaming over my body—cradling my nape, spanning my ribcage, kneading the generous curves of my ass as he pulls me against his scorching hot chest.
I whimper into the fevered kiss, my fingers scrabbling at the hem of his shirt. I manage to shove the fabric up, and Garrett breaks the kiss just long enough to tug his shirt over his head in one fluid motion.
The sight of him is intoxicating. His broad shoulders, the ripple of his abs, the trail of hair that disappears beneath the waistband of his pants—I want to explore every inch of him.
My hands roam over his bare chest, feeling his muscles jump and cord beneath my caresses.
”I need to feel you, Bonnie,” he growls, his voice low and ragged.
I nod, my heart racing as he tugs at the buttons of my shirt. But he quickly grows impatient with the tiny fasteners, and with a low growl, he rips the fabric open, buttons scattering on the ground.
The cool air brushes against my heated skin, but it”s nothing compared to the scorching touch of the man before me. Garrett”s gaze rakes over my body, his eyes full of hunger and worship, and I can”t help but feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
He hooks his fingers in the cups of my bra, pulling them down to expose my breasts. I gasp as the cool air hits my nipples, but that sensation is quickly replaced by another as his wicked tongue swirls around one tight, pebbled nipple.
”Garrett...” I keen his name like a prayer, fingers fisting in his hair to hold him flush against my chest.
His low, rumbling chuckle vibrates against my tingling flesh. ”You like that?”
I can only whimper in response as he transfers his attention to my other breast. My eyes flutter closed, every nerve ending alight with pure, searing pleasure.
”Let me worship every intoxicating inch of you,” he rumbles, the words seeming to vibrate through my very core.
I nod, my heart racing as he turns me around and bends me over the rocky outcropping. It”s a primal, possessive move, and I can”t help but feel a thrill of excitement at the thought of being claimed by this man.
Garrett hooks his fingers in the waistband of my leggings, tugging them down just enough to expose me to the cool night air. I gasp, my body tense with anticipation as he trails kisses down the small of my back.
His hands knead my ass, spreading my cheeks apart to expose me fully to him. I can feel his hot breath against my core, and I know that he”s savoring the sight of me, bared and vulnerable before him.
”Fuck, you”re exquisite,” he rasps.
I can’t seem to find my voice. I can only stand there, hands fisting against the unforgiving stone. The first swipe of his tongue against my aching flesh has me keening, hips bucking instinctively into that exquisite friction.
”So fucking responsive for me,” he growls in approval, hands anchoring my hips in place as his tongue sweeps again through my drenched folds.
My head lashes against the rocks, a litany of breathless whimpers spilling past my parted lips as Garrett lavishes his attention on my pussy. Every lap and swirl of his tongue sends white-hot sparks lancing through me, stoking the raging inferno coiled low in my belly.
I”m rapidly spiraling out of control, the world narrowing to the slick heat of Garrett”s mouth and the relentless driving of his tongue. My fingers scrabble uselessly at the rocky surface, desperate for purchase as that familiar crest builds with each stroke.
Garrett”s fingers are tracing the sensitive skin of my inner thighs, teasing me as he works his magic with his tongue. And then, without warning, he slides a finger inside me, curling it up to hit that delicious spot deep within.
I cry out, my body trembling as he continues to lap at my clit, the combination of his finger and his tongue driving me to the brink of madness. But Garrett isn”t finished yet. He slowly pulls his finger out of me, and I can”t help but whimper at the loss.
But then I feel him press the slick digit against the tight bud of my ass, and I gasp, my body tensing with anticipation.
”Relax,” he murmurs, his tongue still working its magic against my clit.
I take a deep breath, willing my body to relax as he slowly slides his finger inside me, his tongue still laving at my clit. The combination of sensations is overwhelming, and I can feel my orgasm building, that familiar coil of pleasure in my belly tightening with each stroke of his finger and tongue.
He seems to sense that I”m close, and he redoubles his efforts, his tongue swirling around my clit as he adds a second finger to my ass. The sensation is even more intense, and I can”t help but cry out as the pleasure becomes almost unbearable.
”Garrett... oh god, yes, just like that,” I pant, thighs trembling as he seals his lips over my throbbing pearl and sucks hard.
With one last swirl of his tongue, he sends me hurtling over that blissful edge in a shattering release. I cry out, hips undulating shamelessly as wave after wave of rapture washes over me. Through the haze of euphoria, I”m vaguely aware of Garrett”s low growls of approval as he laps up every pulse and shudder of my release.
When the tremors finally subside, he stands, swiping the back of his hand across his glistening lips in a devastatingly primal gesture as I turn back around to face him. My eyes latch onto the rigid length of his arousal jutting proudly, and without conscious thought, my hands reach for the buckle of his belt.
”Let me,” I breathe, already working the worn leather through the battered metal loops.
Garrett watches with rapt intensity, chest heaving as I peel the denim down his muscular thighs. His arousal bobs heavily, the thick shaft slick and glistening at the flushed tip.
I wrap my palm around the velvety steel, drinking in the way his eyelids flutter and his full lips part with a guttural groan. The sound has me clenching with renewed arousal, and I tighten my grip to pump his impressive length in a slow, purposeful glide.
”Christ, Bonnie,” he grits out, hands clenching spasmodically at his sides as he fights for control.
Smirking wickedly, I lean forward to swirl my tongue around the swollen crown, savoring the salty-musky tang. His hips jerk reflexively, a ragged curse spilling past his lips. Emboldened, I hollow my cheeks to take him deeper into the slick heat of my mouth, bobbing my head in a steady rhythm until his fingers tangle in my hair, holding me in place.
”So good for me,” he rasps, voice strained with barely checked restraint. ”But as amazing as that gorgeous mouth feels, I need to be inside you.”
The words send a shiver of pure need lancing through me. Releasing him with one last swirl of my tongue, I fall back against the rocky ledge, somehow managing to kick off my boots and leggings despite my trembling legs. Garrett surges forward without preamble, holding my legs over his arms and pulling me against him.
When he leans down to kiss me, I taste the musky tang of my own release on his tongue, stoking the flames of my arousal higher with each tantalizing stroke. His rigid length drags through my saturated folds, the thick crown nudging my entrance in a delicious tease.
”Do it,” I pant against his mouth, nails scoring down the flexed muscles of his back. ”Make love to me, Garrett.”
A rumbling growl spills from his parted lips as he sheathes himself to the hilt in one powerful thrust. I cry out at the exquisite fullness, back arching as he stretches and fills me with each measured stroke. Garrett sets a punishing pace from the outset, hips snapping as he buries himself over and over in my welcoming heat.
My nails rake down the flexed muscles of his back as I rise to meet each driving surge, whimpers of pleasure spilling from my lips. The rough stone bites into my skin, but the delicious friction of his thick length gliding through my pussy eclipses any fleeting sting.
”So fucking tight, baby... taking me so perfectly,” Garrett growls through gritted teeth.
The sounds of our coupling fill the mountain air—harsh breaths, muffled cries of ecstasy, the unmistakable slap of sweat-slicked flesh meeting flesh. I”m rapidly spiraling out of control, every nerve ending alight with pure sensation.
Then Garrett”s hand slides beneath the curve of my ass, canting my hips at a new, devastatingly deep angle that has me wailing.
”Garrett! Oh god... I”m... I”m—” The warning dissolves into a sobbing keen as my release shatters over me in a blinding tidal wave.
Through the haze of bliss, I feel Garrett”s rhythm falter, and then he”s following me over that dizzying crest, his own harsh cry shattering the crystalline mountain air. He buries himself to the hilt, hips jerking as he empties himself in thick, pulsing streams.
For several suspended moments, the entire universe narrows to the mingled sounds of our ragged breaths and the rapid thunder of our heartbeats slowly returning to a normal cadence. Then, Garrett”s forehead drops to rest against mine, the air between us hot and charged.
”Christ, Bonnie...” he rasps, voice rough with awe. ”That was...”
I let out a breathless giggle, running my fingers through his tousled strands. ”Yeah, it really was.”
Pressing a lingering kiss to my brow, Garrett carefully eases out of me before collapsing onto the flat rock ledge beside me. I roll to face him, propping myself up on one elbow as I trail the fingertips of my free hand over the ridges and valleys of his chest in a lazy caress.
”So,” I murmur, letting my touch drift lower to tease the grooved musculature of his abdomen. His stomach tenses beneath the featherlight stroke, but he makes no move to stop me, those dark eyes watching my every move with smoldering intensity.
”About those daredevil impulses...” I can”t resist quirking a playful eyebrow, delighting in the way the corner of his lips kicks up in a wry grin.
”You”re relentless, you know that?” he rumbles, but there”s no heat behind the gruff words. “But if you’re really eager…” He trails off with that crooked smirk I find so inexplicably endearing.
My brows shoot upward even as a thrill zings through me. ”What?”
”I heard about this remote volcanic caldera in Iceland that”s supposed to be out of this world. Terrain unlike any other, with geothermic pools and jagged rock formations jutting up through the mist.”
His lips curve into an almost boyish grin, one I haven’t seen on him before. ”Sounds like the perfect backdrop to capture some truly breathtaking images. If you”re up for a little adventure, that is.”
I can”t quite smother my own beaming smile at the thought of trekking across such an otherworldly landscape, camera in hand. And with him by my side.
”You know me, Blackwood,” I tease. ”Always up for a thrill.”
His eyes darken to molten onyx at my suggestive purr, and he rolls to face me, one hand palming the generous swell of my ass and pulling me flush against him. My breath hitches at the insistent press of his growing arousal against my belly, that wicked smirk still playing about his lips.
”That”s what I was counting on.”
Leaning in, he claims my mouth in a slow, searing kiss that instantly reignites the embers of that blazing connection between us. I melt against him, reveling in the way our contrasting edges seem to slot together so perfectly—his steadfast strength grounding my impulsive daring, my spontaneity reigniting his sense of wonder.
As his tongue sweeps in to tangle with mine, I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is only the beginning of our adventures. With Garrett at my side—a partner who embraces my spirit even as he fiercely protects it—the horizons are endless.
And I can”t wait to chase each and every one of them.