13. Elsie
Thirteen
Elsie
Was I planning to jump Graham lakeside, in the middle of the woods, after our first date?
Nope.
Not exactly.
I'd imagined maybe a kiss or two.
Maybe holding hands on the drive home.
Maybe lying awake all night replaying every smile he'd given me.
This?
This was never part of the plan.
But the second our lips touch?
Everything inside me changes.
It's like every nerve ending I've ever possessed suddenly wakes up.
Anticipation tears through me like a bullet train, stealing every coherent thought from my head.
His kiss isn't rushed.
It isn't demanding.
It's careful.
Like he's been imagining this moment for just as long as I have.
Every brush of his lips.
Every slow inhale against my skin.
Every lingering touch.
It all feeds the fire building inside me.
I can't get close enough.
My hands slide over his shoulders, across the firm muscles of his back, clinging to him as though letting go isn't an option anymore.
His chest rises sharply against mine.
Mine does the same.
We're both breathing harder now.
Our tongues tangle as our hands roam,
Neither of us says a word.
We don't need to.
Hell, I don’t even think we can.
Our eyes meet for the briefest second before his mouth finds mine again, and whatever little self-control I'd been clinging to disappears completely.
It's never been like this for me.
Not ever.
I've dated.
I've kissed men.
I've even convinced myself I was in love once or twice.
But this...
This feels different.
Inevitable.
Destined maybe.
I know that sounds crazy, but I have never felt like this.
Like my body has been waiting for him long before my heart knew his name.
“Elsie...”
My name leaves his mouth in a rough growl that settles somewhere deep inside me.
The sound alone nearly undoes me.
He trails his lips from my mouth to my jaw.
Then lower.
His tongue.
His teeth.
The gentle scrape of his beard against the sensitive skin of my neck sends a shiver racing through me.
Every kiss leaves another trail of heat in its wake.
My head falls back without me even realizing it.
“Graham...”
I barely recognize my own voice.
Thank God this dress has an elastic bodice.
His large hands find the fabric, hesitating for just the briefest heartbeat as if silently asking permission.
When I don't stop him...
He slowly tugs it downward, drawing my bra with it until my breasts are free beneath the warm summer air.
The contrast makes me gasp.
His gaze lingers for half a second.
Almost reverently.
Like he's trying to memorize me.
Then his mouth closes around one hard nipple while his hand cups the other, his thumb teasing me with agonizing patience.
A helpless whimper escapes me.
My fingers disappear into his sexy red hair.
It's softer than I'd imagined.
I grip it.
Then pull.
Hard.
A deep groan vibrates through him.
Instead of slowing him down...
It only seems to urge him on.
Every touch makes me feel hotter.
Needier.
Like there's a fire burning beneath my skin that only he can reach.
My body aches for him in a way I don't completely understand.
There's a deep, pulsing emptiness between my thighs that seems to consume every thought I have.
And suddenly...
I know.
With a certainty that steals the very air from my lungs.
He can.
He's the only one who can.
His head lifts.
Those gorgeous forest green eyes meet mine.
They're glowing now.
Actually glowing.
Not just with desire.
With something deeper.
Something that reaches straight through me and settles around my heart.
Hungry.
Protective.
Full of the same overwhelming need racing through every inch of me.
“Damn right, Honey.”
His voice is little more than a growl, rough enough to make every nerve in my body come alive.
“I got you. I'm the only one for you.”
The words roll over me, warm and possessive, wrapping themselves around places inside me I didn't even know were empty.
Instead of frightening me...
They make me feel safe.
Wanted.
Chosen.
This makes no sense at all.
But right now? All I care about is this.
Him.
Graham.
He kisses me again before carefully guiding me down to the soft forest floor.
One hand never leaves me.
Like he can't bear to lose contact.
The scent of pine needles and warm earth surrounds us, rich and clean beneath the golden afternoon sun.
Leaves whisper overhead as a breeze drifts through the trees, carrying the scent of summer all around us.
Everything else fades away.
The lake.
The birds.
The world.
There's only Graham.
Only us.
He lays me back with a tenderness that somehow makes everything even more overwhelming.
Like I'm something precious.
Something worth protecting.
Worth worshipping.
His gaze never leaves mine.
Not for more than a heartbeat.
Every time our eyes meet, my pulse kicks harder against my ribs.
Both of us are breathing harder now.
Our chests rise and fall with uneven breaths.
Close enough that I can feel every warm exhale brushing across my skin.
Every inhale we steal from the same pocket of air somehow pulls us closer together.
He settles between my spread legs with deliberate care, never rushing, never making me feel like anything except the center of his entire universe.
I don't look away.
I can't.
Not when he's looking at me like that.
Like I'm the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.
The anticipation coils tighter and tighter inside me until I think I might come undone from wanting him to touch me again.
Slowly, he reaches for the hem of his shirt and pulls it over his head before undoing his pants.
He pulls out his cock. It’s long and thick, curved just right.
“God, you’re so big,” I whisper.
He cants his head.
“You can take me, Honey. You’re made for me,” he says it like he means it.
And I want to believe him.
I pull the hem of my dress all the way up to my hips and Graham watches the entire time.
A deep, low growl rumbles through him as he releases his cock and reaches for my panties.
“So wet for me,” he says, brushing his thumb across the damp spot on my panties.
His graze meets mine as his fingers wrap around the elastic on either side of my hips.
“May I?”
I nod, ready to beg.
Hell.
At this point I’m so hot for him, he damn well better.
He tugs and the sound of fabric tearing is brief but loud in my ears. My mouth opens as he pulls the fabric from the front, forcing the cotton to rub against my sensitive clit.
“Oh,” I moan.
Graham licks his lips and presses my ruined panties against his face.
“Fuck. You’re so fucking sweet. I can’t wait to taste you. But I need to fuck you first,” he says and lines his cock up with my entrance.
“Please, Graham. I need you. Now.”
I do beg this time.
But I don’t feel any shame.
I feel sexy.
Empowered.
Desired.
I feel hot—so damn hot.
Especially, when he looks at me with pride before slamming his hips forward and filling me with his cock.
“Come here,” he growls, falling on top of me and crushing my mouth to his.
It’s so good.
Almost too much.
But it’s just right.
Like all of my senses are so completely attuned to him.
Every move he makes—no matter how subtle, how desperate, how rough—is perfect.
All designed to bring me to the edge of ecstasy.
I didn’t know women actually swooned, but I swear right now I could.
For him? Hell yeah I could.
His movements get rougher as he fucks me on the soft earth. And it is so good. So perfect.
I feel him everywhere.
I moan and swirl my hips, clutching at his back, his shoulders—anywhere I can reach.
“You’re mine now. Let me in, Honey. Let. Me. In,” he growls as he ruts into me.
“I am! Please, Graham!” I moan and hold on tighter.
He presses my legs open wider with his hands and—holy fuck—he slides in deeper.
No one has ever touched me like this. Made me feel this way.
Like my whole body is on fire for him—burning for him.
“That’s it. Mine. Mate,” he says but before I can question him, I feel something sharp against my shoulder.
The sting is quick.
Barely more than the prick of a needle.
But what follows?
Nothing could have prepared me for it.
White-hot heat races through my body, flooding every nerve at once.
It steals the air from my lungs.
My pulse pounds wildly in my ears.
The world tilts.
This isn't just pleasure.
It's something else.
Deeper.
Raw.
Primal.
As though every part of me has suddenly awakened all at once.
The intensity crashes over me in wave after wave until I can't tell where I end and Graham begins.
It's too much.
Too pure.
Too overwhelming.
My vision blooms white around the edges.
The forest disappears.
The lake.
The breeze.
Everything fades beneath the force of what I'm feeling.
For a few blissful moments...
I black out completely.
When I open my eyes again, the first thing I see is Graham.
He's hovering over me, his beautiful forest green eyes wide with worry, every trace of desire replaced by raw concern.
“Elsie?”
His hand cups my cheek so gently I barely feel it.
“Honey, look at me.”
I open my eyes and there’s this blinding gold light surrounding everything I see—Graham, me, both of us.
It’s so bright.
But still, it doesn’t scare me.
I blink a few times, trying to gather my thoughts.
Then the world slowly comes back into focus.
The rustling leaves overhead.
The scent of pine.
The steady rhythm of my own breathing.
Then him.
Always him.
Whatever I thought I saw before it’s muted now.
Present but not blinding.
Graham’s thumb strokes across my cheek.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice rough with fear. “Did I hurt you?”
The question catches me completely off guard.
I shake my head immediately, a slow, lazy smile spreading across my face.
“No.”
My voice comes out breathless.
“No... that was...”
I laugh softly, still trying to find words big enough for what I just experienced.
“I mean...”
I look up into his eyes.
“Wow.”
Relief washes over his face so quickly it almost hurts to watch.
He lets out a shaky breath I don't think he realized he'd been holding before leaning down to press the gentlest kiss to my lips.
“I should've waited until I got you home,” he murmurs against my forehead. “In a bed.”
He pulls back just enough for me to see the frustration written all over his face.
He's angry.
Not at me.
At himself.
His jaw tightens.
“I’m sorry, Honey. I got carried away.”
The guilt in his voice makes my chest ache.
I reach up and brush my fingers along his cheek.
“Hey.”
He finally looks at me.
“It's okay. I wanted it too.”
“I should've taken better care of you.”
“You took excellent care of me. And in case you don’t remember, I asked you to.”
“I—”
“Graham.”
I smile, hoping he can see how sincere I am.
“Relax.”
I lace my fingers with his.
“I'm fine. Better than.”
His shoulders loosen just a fraction.
“Really, I am.”
I give his hand a gentle squeeze.
“But if you want to take me to bed…”
A teasing smile tugs at my lips.
“There's always next time.”
His eyebrows lift.
“Next time?”
The worry finally gives way to a smile.
Slow at first.
Then wide enough to make my heart skip.
“Oh, um, I mean. Unless this was a one and done for you,” I whisper, embarrassment filling me.
“Honey...”
He brushes another kiss across my forehead.
“This definitely is not a one and done. Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily.”
Christ.
I really hope not.