Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Meg’s breaths turn ragged and desperate, her body impossibly tight around me. Her cheeks are a flushed pink and her eyes are a dark fire of need. Of hunger.
It’s fucking beautiful.
I slip my thumb to her clit and circle.
Her mouth falls open with a silent cry.
She pants as I flutter in tighter strokes, adding more pressure as she grips my shoulder and rocks into me, like those reservations that have so obviously been holding her back are melting away.
Hell yes. I’ll give her whatever it takes to make her see how perfect she is. As long as I get to watch what it does to her.
“That’s it,” I grit out, my voice tense with desire.
She comes in a series of little cries, her body so tight around me. I focus on her as she rises and falls against me, consumed by her desire. It takes a solid effort to keep from joining her, but no way am I cutting her short. Not after what she shared.
She comes down, breathing fast, and wraps her arms around my neck.
I hold her against me while her heart pounds into my ribs .
“Ohmygodthat,” she pants, “wasincredible.”
I caress up the curve of her spine. Deep inside her, my cock twitches. “I think we can do better.”
She laughs into my neck. “Now who’s trying to prove something?”
I inhale the lemony scent of her hair, then gently roll us over. Her blonde curls look silver splayed out on the pillow in this low light, and her eyes have that languid bliss of the recently fucked.
Time to give her more of that feeling.
“The only thing we’ve proved so far is how irresistible my cock is.”
Her eyes widen, and she smirks. “So it’s all about you, hmm?”
I give a slow, firm thrust. “Yep. After this, you won’t be able to think about anything else.”
“After this, I won’t be able to walk.”
I laugh, but inside, I am absolutely crowing from the rooftops.
She reaches for the crook of my shoulder, then caresses down my chest, her eyes going still. “Does that mean we can do it again?”
Something inside me cracks. Does she think this is some one-night stand for me? Shit . What have I done to make her think that?
“That sounds like an invitation,” I say, unexpected frustration fueling my pace.
Her breaths quicken and more color splashes up her chest. I arch down and suck her nipple between my lips, tugging just a little.
Fuck, her tits are a dream. Full and so soft, her peaks dark with desire. Begging for my mouth.
“Yess,” she sighs.
I swallow my laugh and thrust harder because I can tell it’s working for her, and no way am I passing up an opportunity to make her come again.
If that doesn’t prove that this garbage she’s been carrying around doesn’t belong to her, then I don’t know what will .
It makes me feel even better about kissing her in front of Russet tonight. He never deserved her in the first place. Maybe now he’ll walk away for good.
Meg cries out—a mix of surprise and bright joy.
“There it is,” I say, unable to hold back my grin.
She barks a laugh. “Shut up.” Her body tightens around me and she arches to get me closer.
I give her a firm thrust. “Let’s hear it, shortcake. No holding back this time.”
Her hips rock to meet mine and her eyes tense. She gulps a breath, and the cries that come out are sharp and needy. The kind of pleas I could get used to.
Or go mad craving.
I savor the final notes of her climax and the warmth of her body wrapped so tight around me, the room filling with the rhythm of our heaving breaths and the tap of skin on skin. When she comes down, her thighs trembling, my release is already simmering at the base of my core.
Inside me, everything slows as it tightens, the wheel that is my heart spiraling free. I look into Meg’s eyes and fall into the deep blue pools. Sweet fire rips through me, hot and bright.
I don’t know how to make whatever this is between us last, and it’s selfish of me to even try. I only know that I’m clinging to the possibility. Which means I’m already way over my head.
After we clean up and Meg loans me a toothbrush, I carry her upstairs to her bedroom.
Tucked under her big fluffy comforter, Meg falls asleep in minutes, her breaths even and her limbs growing heavy.
I lay awake, stroking her bare shoulder and running my fingers through her silky hair.
I’m not much of a cuddler, but I don’t mind the weight of Meg’s body nestled up to mine.
The warm rush of her breath across my chest. The calm that comes with knowing she’s safe.
Her big triangular window has no shade, giving me a partial view of the stars through the hemlock boughs. I pick out Jupiter and the North Star and Cassiopeia and try to soothe my restlessness with daydreaming about my upcoming climb of Liberty Spires with Greta.
When I wake, the unfamiliar feeling of Meg’s silky touch on my chest and the remnants of the nightmare I’ve been having since the arson fire send a slow roll of unease through my muscles while my sticky pulse echoes in my ears.
“You okay?” Meg says, gazing up at me, brows knit in concern. Seeing her gorgeous face brings it all back. The tender, hungry kiss at the party that led to everything else. The gift of exploring her body, of pleasuring her.
The room is still dark, but the stars outside are fading, a sign that dawn is near. Relief trickles down through me in the usual way. “Come here.”
She scoots closer to me but that’s not enough, so I scoop her up and settle her on top of me beneath the covers, then caress up and down her back. Finally, my pulse settles. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Is that why you sleep outside?”
How much of my nightmare did she witness? “Yes and no. I…don’t like being confined.”
She gives a soft hum, like she’s pleased. “It scares you?”
“I sometimes deal with anxiety.” I used to be ashamed of it. Tried to hide it. But life has gotten easier now that there’s understanding.
“Is that hard to share?”
I smile, and my chest fills with a heavy, pleasant warmth. I comb through her long hair, grounding myself in the silky way the strands slip through my fingers. “Not with you.”
She inhales a full breath, her ribs expanding against mine. I savor the sensation while I caress all the way to the backs of her thighs. It reminds me of when we were dancing. How we quickly found a rhythm, that easy give and take.
She rests her cheek on my chest and caresses the ink on my left bicep. “Is this for Greta?”
“Yep. The day she was born.”
“What about these?” she asks, stroking over the flock of small black birds that cover my shoulder and extend across the plane of my pectoral muscle.
I stroke up her smooth curves, trace the curve of her spine, and comb her hair back from her temple, the silky strands cascading off her shoulder to tickle my ribs.
“I had some stuff to deal with as a kid. I tried fighting my way through it. Things got out of hand for a while. I knew I needed to make a change, but it wasn’t easy. When I started celebrating the wins, something shifted.”
Her tender caress over my shoulder is almost too much.
“Do you still do it?” she asks.
“Ink a bird every time I rise above?” I laugh. “Naw. It’s been a long time since I did it.”
The warmth of her skin on mine is doing things to my bloodstream. I stroke down her back and cup her ass to bring her closer. She rocks into me, like she’s feeling it too. Her nipples tighten to hard little knots against my chest. I’m going to need to kiss her there very soon.
“Does that mean it’s gotten easier?” she asks.
“No.” And I doubt it ever will.
She props her chin on her fist and looks up at me. “It was you comforting me in the hospital, wasn’t it?”
I stroke her hair and give her a soft smile. “Of course it was me.”
Her eyes turn glassy. “Why? ”
“Because I could sense that you needed it.” Nobody else showed up for her, and I’d be damned if I was going to let her fight those battles alone.
She shifts closer and presses her lips to mine.
I savor the softness and warmth of her mouth for an instant before sweeping my tongue past hers.
She deepens the kiss, her thighs tensing against mine.
Our tongues play a fervent game of chase, sending tendrils of electricity down my spine.
Meg’s breaths quicken and her skin heats.
I caress down her body, then up the seam of her thighs to her soft pussy.
Meg sucks in a little gasp.
I caress her from behind, her arousal making everything slick and hot against my fingertips.
Touching her is fucking addicting. With a soft groan, she rocks her hips closer to me, adding friction and just enough pressure to send all the blood in my brain straight to my dick.
Did I have plans for today? If so, they’ve been vaporized.
She flicks her quick little tongue against mine, drawing more heat to my already molten core.
The way she’s rocking into me, her breaths turning needy, I know what she wants and it won’t be easy the way we’re lined up, so I roll us to sitting on the side of the bed, my feet on the floor, and flip her around.
She glances over her shoulder as I guide her back to my lap, her thighs cradled in the V of mine and my cock trapped between us.
But there are no words in my head right now, so I caress up to her breasts and kiss the back of her neck.
Her warm skin against my lips and the hardening of her nipples in between my fingers make me want to stop time so I can savor this moment of us both getting exactly what we want.
I suck on her soft skin as I make my way up to the shell of her ear. She arches to my touch and leans back, so her cheek brushes my jaw. Her thighs tense, adding that friction she so craves. It’s also rubbing her soft, sensational ass against my cock.