Chapter 12 #2
Lily cried out. Heat shot straight to her core as his tongue flicked, slowly and deliberately, before he latched deeper and sucked harder. Rush groaned against her skin, mouthing his way to the other breast, licking and biting just enough to make her dizzy with want and keep her on the edge.
She ground down on him harder, spreading her thighs to open herself even more as the pleasure built in her. Hotter. Sharper. More demanding.
“Oh God,” she whimpered, rocking harder on him to make the ache stop. The muscles in her thighs shook, and she gripped him fiercely, pressing and rubbing in turn, anything to make that tight, unbearable ache stop.
“Yes, angel,” Rush growled softly in her ear. “Just like that. Use me. Show me how you need it.”
Her breath hitched. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think.
Use me.
For once, she was only feeling, not worrying about what someone else needed from her—only this sharp, wild flood of feeling. Her entire world narrowed to the ache between her thighs.
She wasn’t thinking about Rush or anyone else. For the first time, it was just her desire she was chasing, and the selfishness of that lit up another part of her that reveled in taking what she wanted from the willing man under her.
She rolled her hips again, harder this time, dragging herself over the thick muscle of his thigh. A desperate, strangled sound escaped her. God, he was solid. Right there. Perfect.
“Fuck, look at you,” Rush rasped against her throat. “So fuckin’ wet. You’re soaking me, Lily.”
Her cheeks flamed, but it only made her grin harder, her clit catching at the seam of her sweatpants with every pass.
“That’s it, darlin’,” he groaned. His hands gripped her hips, not to take over, but to steady her. “Ride my thigh. Just like that. Get yourself off on me. Let me see how bad you need it.”
She gasped, her thighs trembling. Her hips moved faster, seamlessly now. She was too far gone to care about being quiet. Too turned on to hide how close she was.
“You’ve been aching for this, haven’t you?” he murmured against her throat, biting just enough to make her cry out. “Knew you had it in you. All sweet and quiet with these perfect fucking tits, grinding that needy little pussy on me like you were made for it.”
Her head dropped to his shoulder, clutching him as his words wound her tighter and tighter.
“Oh,” she gasped, her voice catching as she rocked against him, hips moving faster, more desperate.
She was so close, aching for it, but the sharp edge of pleasure kept slipping just out of her reach. “I can’t—” she choked out.
Rush’s hands flexed, gripping her ass, slowing her frantic rhythm with firm, commanding pressure.
“Shh,” he murmured roughly against her throat.
“You’re right there. Take it. Take what you need.
Be greedy for me.” He rolled his hips up into her, firm and unhurried, each stroke hitting her right where she needed.
His other hand curled around her waist, anchoring her to him as he moved with slow, devastating precision.
That was all it took.
Pleasure slammed into her, a bright, hot wave that sent her spiraling, her body trembling uncontrollably. Rush held her tightly, licking and sucking her breasts while she came, head thrown back, eyes squeezed shut to wrench every drop of pleasure out of this moment.
Rush stilled as her body collapsed on his, his body rock-hard under her, their breath ragged in the silence of the cabin.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, horrified as embarrassment settled in. She hid her face in his neck. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
Rush growled low in his throat and cupped her face, making her look at him. “Don’t you dare hide from me. That—” He kissed her, a slow and deep exploration of her mouth that told her without words how turned on he was.
Lily was boneless, still shaking, her body still thrumming with her orgasm when he let her go and rested his forehead against hers.
“Was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” he murmured, his voice rough with satisfaction. His hands slid down her back, anchoring her against him possessively.
Lily’s cheeks, already flushed, flamed hotter. “I didn’t know that was going to happen. I can’t believe—”
Rush traced her bottom lip with his thumb and grinned at her crookedly. “You wanted it. You took it. That’s never something to be ashamed of, Lily. Ever.”
Her stomach flipped. “You—”
“Loved it,” he finished roughly. He pressed another kiss to her swollen lips. When he finally pulled back, his eyes were pure heat. “And I plan on making you do it again.”
“Oh,” she breathed, eyes wide.
Rush laughed knowingly. “Oh,” he repeated. He gave her ass a firm, proprietary squeeze that made her heart race all over again. “We’re just getting started, angel.”
A slow smile spread over her face. She would’ve said yes to anything if it meant feeling like that again.
Yes to whatever this was.
Yes to the way he made her feel—untethered. Reckless. Alive.
But then his hands softened, and his eyes shifted as he studied her, his fingers coasting along the curve of her jaw with rough fingertips.
“I need you to know something before this goes any further,” he said, his voice low.
She blinked up at him, her pulse stuttering as reality intruded. “What?”
He radiated pent-up sexual frustration, but he pulled himself tightly back under control and sat back. “I’m not staying in Northfield. I’ve got a job lined up in Boston in February, and I’m going to take it.”
She stilled.
Oh. The words hit her harder than she expected. His eyes were still full of heat and promise, and she knew her own reflected that need back at him. But he was giving her the truth.
He held her gaze. “You deserve to know that. I don’t want to give you the wrong idea.”
This wasn’t about forever. It wasn’t even about tomorrow. They had right now, and for once in her life, she wanted to take what she needed.
Two days ago, she’d stood at the altar, about to marry a man who never really saw her. Who didn’t know how to touch her or ask her what she wanted. She’d spent years burying her desires and shrinking herself to fit inside a relationship that left her hollow.
But now she was here, stripped of all expectations and standing in the middle of something she didn’t quite understand but couldn’t turn away from.
The snow would melt. The roads would clear.
Rush would leave for Boston, while she’d return to Northfield and figure out how to rebuild her life.
But tonight, in the hush of this cabin, with her hands exploring the hard planes of his body and his heat sinking into her skin, reality felt a thousand miles away.
She didn’t have to be good or play it safe anymore. She could want something simply because it felt good.
Because she wanted it.
Don’t let this chance slip through your fingers.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Thank you for telling me, but I still want this... you. Please,” she added politely, as if he’d asked her if she wanted cream in her coffee, then she flushed bright red. Sophisticated she was not.
Rush exhaled, smiling. “Are you this nice in bed, Lily Hart?” He slid his hand up her neck, cupped her chin, and tilted her face to his. His thumb brushed along her jaw.
“I think so,” she whispered.
“I don’t have condoms here. Are you on something?” he asked quietly.
He didn’t look away or fumble with words.
Just met her gaze, unwaveringly, giving her the same straightforwardness he gave everything else.
Rush Callahan didn’t play games. Even when the answer might not be the one he wanted to hear, he asked anyway.
Any lingering nerves she had settled with that knowledge.
This wasn’t a promise. It wasn’t a beginning. It was heat and hunger and making up for everything she’d never let herself ask for.
They had these few stolen days at the cabin, and then they would go on their separate ways. Lily would go back to Northfield to face Tucker and her family, and Rush would go on running from his ghosts.
A swell of something bittersweet pressed at the edges of her heart, but she shoved it away.
They had tonight, and she meant to find out what else she’d been missing all these years.
She met his gaze. “I’m on birth control. I’m safe.”
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “I’m clean,” he said, his voice a rough rasp that curled around her like smoke.
In one fluid motion, he pulled his flannel over her shoulders again, lifted her off his lap and into his arms, stood effortlessly with her, and strode the few steps over to the bed while she held on.
With one arm behind her head and the other around her back, Rush guided her down, her body bouncing slightly against the mattress as she hit the bed. His gaze dropped to her breasts, peeking through the unbuttoned shirt, and the heat in his eyes scorched her.
“You’re sure?” he asked. One last check.
She smiled, shy but certain of this one thing, and held out her arms. “I’m sure.”
She did want this.
Really, really wanted it in every throbbing, aching, pulsing part of her body. Every inch of her ached for him, every nerve pulsing with need, but the second her head hit the pillow, the weight of what they were about to do hit her.
Lord help her, she was way out of her league.
Lily inhaled slowly, steadying herself and concentrating on controlled breaths the way she taught her students. Breathe in. Breathe out. Stay present.
But it wasn’t working.
Rush Callahan was foreign to her, and she was sure to the marrow of her bones she was going to embarrass herself. She had already come from simple foreplay, for heaven’s sake. What must he think of her?
And yet, she didn’t want it to end.
Everything about Rush overwhelmed her. From his sheer size to the quiet authority in his voice and the way his dark eyes pinned her in place without even touching her, he was dangerous in a way that made her feel like she was strapped into the seat of a roller coaster just before the drop.
Lily hated roller coasters. Roller coasters were not still lakes. They were wild and unpredictable. Kind of like the man on top of her right now. Oh God.
Her whole life, she’d played it safe. Followed the rules.
Chosen stability over passion and certainty over risk.
She’d convinced herself that love was something you built, not something that swept you off your feet, and that what she and Tucker had was fine.
It was good, even if not earth-shattering.
But now, with Rush above her, his solid weight pressing deliciously into the curves of her body, she finally understood how much she’d been missing. His hips settled into hers, his erection an insistent, steely ache against her hip.
She’d been teasing him and feeling bold in the dark, but now, with him above her, she felt that confidence fizzle out like the hiss of a balloon losing air.
Her fingers twitched. Instinctively, she reached up, searching for the comfort of the rose quartz. She looked up to find Rush watching her, studying her carefully in that unnerving way of his.
“What’s wrong, Lily?” he asked in that low tone that sent a shiver down her spine.
She forced herself to meet those dark eyes. “Why do you think something’s wrong?”
Rush leaned back, putting space between their bodies. “Because of this.” He traced her cheekbones, where she could feel the bloom of heat giving her away.
She covered her cheeks, blushing harder. “I hate being a redhead sometimes.”
Rush leaned down and nipped at her jaw. The bristles of his cheek brushed against the tender underside of her throat, and she gasped at the sensation of soft lips and rough beard. “It’s one of my favorite things about you,” he murmured.
“The thing is…” she said, wincing at the shakiness in her voice. Get it together, Lily. You have a gorgeous man between your legs, and you’re acting like you don’t know what to do with him.
But she kind of didn’t, a small voice whispered. The memory of that disastrous attempt at seduction with Tucker flashed in her mind, reminding her of her inexperience. “I’m not very good at this,” she confessed.
Rush’s gaze flickered over her face. “Angel, if you were any better, I’d be dead.”
Her stomach swooped hard. She looked around him at the flickering lights on the ceiling and tried not to look as na?ve as she felt. Long fingers cupped her chin, gently lifting her gaze to meet his.
“Talk to me,” he murmured, searching her face.
“I just…” She swallowed hard. “I don’t really know what I’m doing,” she admitted softly, hating the way uncertainty crept into her voice.
So much for playing the temptress. “I’ve only ever been with…
” She trailed off, not wanting to bring Tucker’s name into this moment.
“And I don’t think I’m all that good at it. ”
Rush’s expression softened. “You don’t have to know,” he murmured, sliding a hand up to cradle her jaw, his thumb brushing the sensitive skin just beneath her ear. “There are no rules here. No right or wrong.”
“Ohh.” She let out a sound of pure pleasure and tipped her head to give him more access. Her neck had always been sensitive. She wasn’t surprised a man who paid attention to things the way Rush did would notice. Slowly, he traced a teasing line down her neck, using his lips and tongue to explore.
“Don’t force it. Just feel it.” He leaned in, pressing a kiss to the delicate spot where her pulse fluttered. “We go at your pace.” Another kiss, lower this time. “Whatever you like.”
Whatever you like…
Lily’s breath hitched and came out in a rush. Maybe—just maybe—she could let herself have that.