32. Chapter 32
Chapter thirty-two
Lucy
L ucy took the leap.
Her lips landed heavily on Jonathan’s, and she molded her body against his radiant heat. He ran his hand up her back and into her hair, tilting her head to deepen the kiss while his other arm tightened around her waist. Lucy let out a quivering moan. Just like that, the fear was gone. She was there, in the moment, with Jonathan. And oh god, it felt so good. So right. The abrupt ending from the night before had left her with a deep, heavy ache. An unsatisfied longing carried over and nagged incessantly. She wanted this. Wanted him all to herself.
Reaching up, Lucy steadied a hand on Jonathan’s solid shoulder and pressed him back. He responded instantly to the gentle pressure. Pulling away, his chest heaved with ragged breath. Lucy met his eyes, and the desire on his face mirrored her emotions. Except, the hunger was laced with disappointment that she’d broken the contact. But as she carefully pushed him backward and climbed astride his waist, his pupils dilated, nearly edging out the dark, golden irises.
Perched atop him, exhilaration infused her to the core, giving her the heady sensation of sexual awakening. She’d never experienced the thrill of empowerment with other partners. Instead, she tended to follow as a passive participant, responding to direction and trailing the course they led. Who was this brazen woman? And what was it about this man that emboldened her to grasp the reigns and lead?
She took in everything about her sexy guide—his dark golden hair, even darker stubble that called attention to a sharp, masculine jaw, the dark lines and blurred shadows of the mountain range painted across his chest and shoulder. Jesus. The man was unbelievably stunning. And the way he looked at her made her melt like an abandoned bowl of ice cream in the sun. She was quickly becoming a sweet, dripping mess for him.
Awe and appreciation washed over his features as his big hands made a featherlight path from her knees, up her thighs, up the soft skin of her sides. Lucy clenched her abdominal muscles and let out a little shriek of laughter.
“Ticklish, are we?” The usual silky tenor of his voice was husky with lust and amusement.
The slight vibrations of his deep chuckle made Lucy squirm. “Perhaps. Are you?” she asked as his touch inched up toward her breasts. She batted his hands away and held up her pointer finger, wiggling it from side to side like a metronome. Obediently, he settled his hands back on her thighs as he watched her, transfixed.
That’s right, I’m in charge.
She smirked, tracing the bold ink across his pectorals, toying with the light dusting of hair. Lucy grazed a tortuously slow path over his nipples down to his boxer briefs. Jonathan let out a hiss as his belly flexed.
“Perhaps I am too,” he murmured with a low rumble that resembled a growl, teeth bared in a devilish warning.
She had never touched a sexier man in her life.
Lucy leaned forward again and brought her mouth down to his, but only just so. She teasingly swept her lips back and forth, pulling away slightly as he attempted complete contact. Ever so slowly, she swiveled her hips. The friction was divine, and it took everything she had not to rush through to the blissful end. The facts of reality darted through her mind: This could be her only opportunity to explore sensuality with him. His business, his life was here and hers was nearly one hundred and fifty miles away. Soon, it would be time to return to Seattle and resume her boring little life. The realization sunk heavily in her gut, causing a brief frown to flit across her face. Swatting the thoughts away, she decided to deal with the future later. The here and now deserved her full attention. She leaned down to nibble on Jonathan’s earlobe then trailed playful nips along his jaw to his mouth.
“Where’d you go, sunshine?” His words hummed across her mouth.
Lucy shook her head. “Nowhere. I’m here with you,” she said, gently nibbling on his full bottom lip for a moment, then sat back up.
Jonathan was desperate to take over; it was written all over him. From the rigid set of his jaw, the sinew and veins of his lower arms shifting with each restrained clench of his fists. God, those forearms. Definitely Lucy’s favorite part of his body . . . so far.
“Lucy?” It was a plea. Jonathan dragged his fingertips along her legs, teasing lightly over her knees.
Lucy had never felt so desired. The sense of control was intoxicating. She was fully aware that he was allowing her to hold it, to be the one calling the shots. He let her tease him so wickedly and just as easily reclaim control. How he looked at her with those smoldering golden eyes made her feel ablaze from the inside out.
Radiating confidence, she reached up and slipped a finger under one bra strap. Then slowly slid it off, enjoying the sensation of her fingernail and the fabric as they gently dragged across her sun-kissed shoulder and down her arm. Jonathan had gone completely still, his eyes trained on her movements, fingertips pressed tightly into the flesh of her thighs. She bit her lip to keep from giggling, desperate to maintain a sexy veneer. Then she reached for the other strap and repeated the same process. Last was the back clasp. She flicked it open, and the bra fell to her lap, releasing her breasts from their coverage.
“You are beautiful,” Jonathan said with a gasp. He dragged his gaze along her body and looked into Lucy’s eyes with such intensity. “I mean, truly breathtaking.”
Lucy blinked slowly, seductively, arousal flushing her cheeks. So many emotions clouded her mind, not one of them embarrassment or shame. Being this bare in front of another man, in the brightness of the summer sun, would have made her feel self-conscious in the past. But here, with Jonathan, was different. She felt safe and powerful all at the same time.
“God, that little blush of yours.” He growled as he slid his calloused hands up her body to her exposed breasts. He cupped each one with a gentle firmness while skimming a thumb over each nipple. Back and forth, lightly at first then with increased pressure.
Lucy arched her back, delighting in the teasing sensation. Her hips ground unconsciously against Jonathan’s as tingles of pleasure pulsed from her breasts down to the ache between her legs. She desperately wanted him to explore her. The need for release was unbearable. She slid a hand to the outside of her panties.
“Touch me.” She couldn’t help the urgency in her voice.
Her skin tingled deliciously as one of his hands slowly trailed down her belly to the top of her waistband. She giggled and squirmed a little. “Oh, sunshine? Ticklish here too?” He purred and traced the line where fabric met flesh.
Lucy nibbled her lip and nodded.
“I’ll make a mental note.” His fingers followed the perimeter to her hip and along the crease above her thigh. He slowly outlined the black fabric down, down to her center and paused. “Is this where you want me to touch you?”
“Yes,” she pleaded.
He slid his thumb under the soft cotton fabric and found the most sensitive part of her. He drew slow, lazy circles, pausing every few moments to gently flick and tease. Her breath hitched as he pulled aside her panties and continued to stroke her. Slowly, he stroked up and down along her core, making periodic detours back to the tight bundle of nerves at the top. She grew wetter with each return trip. Her knees spread wide and she leaned back bracing her hands on his thighs, offering.
Something deep at the back of Lucy’s mind fussed at her shameless exposure. He could see every last bit of her, and her subconscious had no issue poking at her awareness of the fact. The urge to show restraint and curl into herself was there. She only stayed so open to him because of how safe she felt. There was no judgment. Just adoration and worship. Lucy silently shushed the niggling voice.
Her bravery was rewarded when Jonathan paused and slid a long finger into her. Leisurely, as though they had all the time in the world, he stroked. Lucy barely kept from sobbing at the blissful torture. But it wasn’t enough. She needed him more, faster as the sensation of climax nipped at her heels. She rhythmically slid her hips to increase the speed. He submitted to her wordless request and matched her tempo, his other hand coasting back and forth over the sensitive bud. Lucy moaned louder and louder. She was certain that she would fall apart and fracture into a million pieces as the pressure built between her legs and emanated outward.
“Jonathan, please, don’t stop. Keep going, keep going . . .” Her words became a mumbled chant. She was desperate for him to continue. And he did, oh how he did, until she relinquished the last bit of control she’d been clinging to and let herself go. Pulsing ripples melted all rational thought, and as wave after wave washed over her, Lucy let out a gasping wail of pleasure.
She looked down at her lover, with his parted lips, brows pulled together over heavy-lidded eyes and was swept up in the sensual veneration painted across his face. He worshipped her image like a seductive deity straddling his waist.
Drifting down from her high, another need began to rise within her. Reaching between her legs, she slid her fingers under his waistband and encircled him. His warmth and heft caused her breath to hitch. She’d obviously felt him beneath her but wasn’t quite aware of his size until she had him in her hand.
“Please, Jonathan,” Lucy moaned. “I need you.”
He reached above his head, grasping around until he found his backpack. Dragging it to his side, he pulled out a condom from Lucy’s first aid kit. She’d felt embarrassed when they’d fallen out of her bag a few days before, but now she was giving a mental high five to Past Lucy for making the call to bring them.
Jonathan sat up and pulled Lucy against his body. She inhaled the scent of cedar, peppermint, and the salt of fresh sweat. The heady combination added to her ache. She shuddered when he kissed her deeply. Raising up on her knees, she shifted back slightly so she could free him from the confines of his boxer briefs. He quickly opened the foil packet and rolled the protection into place. He guided her to hover over his arousal. Pulling aside her panties once more, he positioned himself where she was hot and wet and shaking.
“Yes?” he purred in that deep silky tenor.
“Fuck yes!” The feral voice sounded nothing like her own. She was outside herself. Like she was floating above, watching the whole torrid scene unfold, yet ready to delve back in.
Jonathan smiled and rested his forehead against hers, grounding her. “Fuck yes,” he whispered hoarsely.
Lucy’s head fell back as she slicked down his length. The stretch was divine, and the fullness overwhelming in its perfection. Her arms twined around his shoulders, teasing the hair at the nape of his neck. Pumping back and forth, she let her hips glide as slowly as she could possibly manage. More, faster. She resisted the internal plea, opting instead to savor the exquisite feel of him inside of her.
Jonathan trailed kisses and groaned broken mutterings along Lucy’s jaw, neck, and collarbone. Words like incredible and sunshine and so good drifted from the incoherence. His fingertips dug greedily into her hips, pulling her harder against him. Together, they built up speed, hurtling toward the heat of another climax.
“Jonathan.” She clung to his shoulders, gripping the solid expanse of muscle clenched in an effort to maintain his control. “Come with me. Please.”
Nodding, he pulled back to look at her. His eyes were storming pools: golden and fiery and wild. Unfettered rapture played across his features. “Tell me.”
She couldn’t wait any longer, teetering dangerously close to the edge. “Now.”
A few more ferocious thrusts and he tumbled after her, letting out a hedonistic groan. She throbbed around him, pulsing against the sweet release, and marveled at the perfection of him buried so deeply.
Jonathan wrapped his arms around Lucy. Collapsing back, he brought her along to lay atop him. Sweaty and satisfied, she delighted in the sensation of him caressing her back and neck as she basked in the delirious afterglow of sex. Their heartbeats began to steady, receding to a gentle, normal rhythm.
Lucy had never had an encounter that was quite so spontaneous. She’d always been reserved with her sexuality. But with Jonathan, she felt secure enough to explore this new uninhibited version of herself. Another upgrade to Lucy 2.0. Laying there, wonderfully sated, she relaxed into his tight embrace.
She smiled and shut her eyes. For a moment, she forgot their predicament. She wasn’t lost in the woods, stranded by a freak landslide that destroyed their only serviceable path home. They weren’t two practical strangers relying on each other for survival.
Right then, it was different.
Right then, they were two lovers catching their breath while luxuriating in the sensation of taking up each other’s space.