Chapter 27 #2
"Charlie," I muttered, trying to get my mouth to say what needed to be said, that this was temporary, that she would leave me, that I had no right to want her this badly.
She closed the distance between us. Her hands slid up my chest, warm despite the cool water, and I was done thinking.
I cupped her face, thumbs stroking her cheekbones. "What are we doing, Charlie?"
Her eyes glistened in the moonlight. "This." She gripped my face and pulled my mouth down to hers.
The kiss started gently, just a soft brush of lips, a question more than a demand. I kept it light, tender, giving her every chance to pull away. But she didn't. She leaned into me, her mouth moving against mine with a sweetness that made my chest ache.
Then her lips parted, inviting me deeper.
I took what she offered, slowly exploring the warmth of her mouth, tasting her.
She made a small sound, half sigh and half moan, and I deepened the kiss.
Her fingers curled against my chest, nails scraping lightly against my skin.
My hand slid into her wet hair, gripping gently, angling her head so I could take more.
Her tongue tangled with mine, and our kiss grew hotter, hungrier. What started as tenderness turned urgent, desperate. Like we were both starving, and this was the first real thing we'd tasted in years.
I pressed my hand to the small of her back and pulled her close, her breasts crushing against my chest. Her soft skin on mine dragged a groan from my throat. I slid my hand up and cupped her breast, her warm flesh filling my palm. I brushed my thumb over her nipple, circling the hardened peak.
She gasped, reached down between us, and when her fingers wrapped around my cock, a deep moan tore from my throat.
That sound seemed to unleash her. Her kiss became demanding, almost fierce, as if she needed this as badly as I did. Her hand stroked me beneath the water, steady and sure, and I felt myself losing control. Getting too close, too fast.
I pulled back, breaking the kiss before I couldn't stop myself.
We looked at each other, both sucking in ragged breaths.
"Mitch..."
"Tell me to stop." I gripped her face, pressed my forehead to hers, fighting for control. "Tell me this is a bad idea, and I'll stop."
"Don't stop." Her fingers threaded around my neck, her eyes blazing. "Don't you dare stop."
I slid my hands down her back, gripped her hips, and hauled her tightly against me. Her breasts crushed against my chest, and her mouth claimed mine, hot and demanding.
I kissed her back, deeper this time, my hands roaming the curve of her waist, sweeping over the swell of her breasts. I grabbed her ass and yanked her harder against me. She made a sound low in her throat that nearly undid me.
I slid one hand down between her thighs, and she lifted up, wrapping her legs around my waist. She kissed my neck, my shoulder, then took my earlobe between her lips and sucked gently. Shivers raced down my spine as my fingers found her pussy.
I started slowly, just brushing over her slick warmth, exploring every fold and curve, watching her face in the moonlight. Learning what made her gasp, or frown, or what made her grip my shoulders tighter, what made her eyes flutter closed and her lips part on a silent moan.
I kissed along her jaw, down her neck, feeling her pulse race beneath my lips. When I finally slid one finger inside her, she gasped and arched against me, her nails digging into my back.
"Mitch, oh, God."
I worked her slowly at first, curling my finger just right, finding the spot that made her cry out.
As she moved against my hand, I drove my finger into her faster and harder, chasing her climax.
She clung to me, her breath coming in short gasps against my shoulder.
Her hot flesh tightened around my finger, and her thighs trembled.
"Don't stop," she breathed. "Please, don't stop."
"Never." I kissed her neck, her jaw. "Come for me, Charlie."
She shattered in my arms with a cry that echoed across the water, her body shuddering as pleasure tore through her. I held her close, my finger still moving inside her, drawing out every tremor, until she finally collapsed against my shoulder, breathing hard.
I held her in the water, her heart hammering against mine.
My cock was so hard it ached. She must have felt it pressing against her because she pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. Her pupils were blown wide, her lips swollen from our kisses.
"Mitch." Her hand slid between us and wrapped around me, stroking once, twice. "I need you."
Those three words nearly broke me. My hips jerked into her touch, my entire body responding to her in ways I couldn't control.
The need was overwhelming, primal. I captured her mouth again, kissing her hard, trying to pour everything I couldn't say into that kiss.
A groan tore from my throat, and I grabbed her wrist, stilling her.
"Charlie, if you keep doing that, this'll be over before it starts.”
“Then take me, Mitch.”
With her legs still wrapped around me, I carried her to the bank, water streaming off our bodies. She clung to me, her mouth never leaving my skin. She kissed my neck, my jaw, anywhere she could reach.
Water dripped from both of us as I laid her down on the saddle blanket near the fire.
The firelight painted her glistening skin in gold. Her hair spread dark and wet against the blanket. She looked up at me with eyes that held no doubt, no hesitation, only want.
"You're sure?" I had to ask, had to give her one more chance to change her mind.
"Absolutely." She reached for my hand, pulling me down to her.
I settled between her thighs, taking my time, kissing every bruise, every scratch, every inch of skin I could reach. She arched beneath me, fingers digging into my shoulders.
"Mitch, please …"
"What's your hurry?" I murmured against her throat. "We have all night." I sucked the soft flesh at the curve of her neck.
"Oh, God." She arched beneath me, and I cupped her breast, kneading the soft flesh, rolling her hardened nipple between my fingers.
As her body moved with mine, the firelight danced across her skin. The sound of her breathing, those tiny gasps, and the moans in her throat drove me wild.
I'd never felt anything so incredible before. Never wanted any woman the way I wanted her.
I kissed down her body, my lips trailing over her collarbone, between her breasts, across her ribs. She trembled beneath me, her hands threading through my hair.
"Mitch—"
"Let me taste you." I kissed lower, across her belly, her hip bones. "I need to taste you."
Her breath hitched as I settled between her thighs, spreading her legs wider. The firelight caught the wetness there, and my mouth watered. I kissed the inside of her thigh, then the other, making her wait.
"Please," she whispered.
I looked up at her, meeting her gaze as I lowered my mouth to her. The first taste made me groan. She was sweet and warm and perfect. Her hips bucked off the blanket, and I gripped her thighs, holding her steady.
I worked her slowly, thoroughly, learning what made her cry out, and what made her fingers tighten in my hair.
"Mitch, oh... yes…" Her thighs trembled around my head as I found the rhythm that had her gasping my name.
I slid two fingers inside her while my tongue circled and teased. She was close. I could feel her tightening around my fingers, her entire body tensing.
"Let go," I murmured against her. "Let go for me, Charlie."
She shattered with a cry, her back arching off the blanket, her body pulsing around my fingers. I gentled my touch, drawing out every last tremor until she collapsed back, breathing hard.
I kissed my way back up her body, settling my weight over her. She pulled me into a deep kiss, tasting herself on my lips.
"Now," she breathed against my mouth. "I need you now."
I reached between us, positioning myself at her entrance. Our eyes locked.
"Charlie—"
"Don't make me wait anymore." Her legs wrapped around my hips, urging me closer.
I pushed inside her slowly, inch by inch, watching her face. Her eyes fluttered closed, her mouth falling open on a silent gasp. She was tight and hot and perfect around me.
"Look at me," I said roughly.
Her eyes opened, locking with mine as I sank all the way in. For a moment, we didn’t move, just stayed connected, breathing each other's air.
Then she rolled her hips, and I was lost.
I started moving, slow and deep, savoring every stroke. Her nails raked down my back as she met me thrust for thrust, her hips rising to take me deeper.
"Yes," she breathed. "Just like that."
I couldn't hold back anymore. My rhythm quickened, driven by need, want, and a deeper feeling I wasn't ready to name. She felt incredible beneath me, around me, her body fitting mine like we were made for this.
"Yes," she gasped. "Oh, God.”
I gripped her hip with one hand, braced myself with the other, and gave her what she needed. The sound of our bodies coming together filled the night, mixing with her moans and my ragged breathing.
She groaned like she was trying damn hard to hold back.
Her inner walls clenched around me, and I knew I wouldn't last much longer.
"Come for me," I growled against her ear. "I want to feel you."
She cried out, her whole body going rigid as she came apart beneath me. The sensation of her pulsing around me shoved me over the edge. I buried myself deep with a groan as my release tore through me in waves.
I collapsed beside her, pulling her against my chest, both of us trembling and breathing hard.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The fire crackled. A night bird cried somewhere in the darkness. Wind whispered through the grass. Water tumbled over rocks in the billabong. The Outback settled around us, and I couldn't remember ever feeling this right on Koolaroo soil.
But it wasn’t the land. It was Charlie. And I was in serious trouble.
"Wow." She traced lazy patterns on my chest. "That was—"
"Yeah." I pressed a kiss to her hair. "It was."
She tilted her head up to look at me, a smile playing at her lips. "What are we going to do, Mitch?"
"Let's figure that out tomorrow." I tightened my arms around her. "Let's just have tonight."
"Okay." She kissed me, just a gentle touch, yet it shot straight to my heart. "Sounds perfect." She settled back against me, and as I gathered the edges of the saddle blanket around us, she released a contented sigh.
I held her while the fire burned low, neither of us willing to break the spell.
I just wanted to hold her. To pretend that sunrise wouldn't come. To pretend this could last.
But I was a realist. I knew better.
I just didn't want to think about it yet.
Tonight, she was mine.