21. Plane of Existence
21
PLANE OF EXISTENCE
L ux
I felt like my body had been taken to an entirely different plane of existence. My thighs trembled from the aftershocks, my core wringing out every drop of Theo’s release.
His hands still gripped my hips, his thumbs still pressing into the small of my back as he drew in a shaky breath and pulled out. I practically collapsed, rolling over onto my back and watching as he removed the condom and disposed of it in the trash can before shaking his head and flopping down beside me.
We were both out of breath, our bodies still reeling from the exertion.
“God damn, that was incredible, Lux.”
“You sound surprised,” I teased.
He shook his head again. “I’m not, I should have known it’d be like this with you. You’re my dream girl, after all.” he chuckled.
My breath caught in my lungs, my heart skipping a beat in its chest. When Theo said stuff like that, my heart couldn’t help but to feel hopeful—and that was dangerous.
I was trying desperately to keep my head on straight, to not free fall into another relationship so soon after escaping my last. But Theo made me want to do that. He made me want to say screw it , and dive into this beautiful connection we seemed to have.
He’d called me his dream girl, and I’d thought of him as my dream guy. I couldn’t have imagined a better match. That made me doubt it all though. Made me feel like it was all too good to be true.
“What’s wrong?” Theo’s smile slipped, like he sensed my inner discord.
“Nothing,” I tried to assure him, but he wasn’t buying it.
“Something’s wrong. Did I hurt you?”
“No, not at all!” I rushed to say, my eyes never wavering from his. “That was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced before. I’m—I don’t know. Worried.”
“About what?” he asked me, his green eyes taking in every emotion that filtered across my face.
It was my turn to shake my head as I deliberated on how honest to be with him. Jasmine, Talia, and I had spent most of the day talking about my reservations over trusting my feelings, but I was no clearer on the matter.
I’d expressed my fears, but Jasmine shot them down. “You aren’t moving up here to be closer to Theo, you’re moving up here to be closer to me , and to see what opportunities await you here.” She’d insisted, and she was right. Theo was a bonus, for sure, but he wasn’t even one of the top three reasons. Not yet, anyway.
But I was still scared.
“Everything. I’m scared to make this move, especially without a job. I feel like I haven’t really thought things over.”
Escaping Brinley’s bullshit and getting to be roommates with Jasmine were great reasons, but what if I couldn’t find a job?
“We could see how things work on a month-to-month basis, for now. If you end up hating it here, or you find a really great job somewhere else you can always move out with no penalty. Desmond and I know your situation and want to help you out, and it happens that helping you out helps us out, too.”
“Okay, that takes a bit of the pressure off,” I admitted, biting my lower lip. It was a relief to hear that I wouldn’t be locked in a rental agreement I couldn’t get out of, especially if this living arrangement turned out to not be the best thing for me.
But I think what scared me the most was that in my heart of hearts, I knew it was the best thing for me. Moving to a new town and getting some distance from Brinley was the best thing I could do for myself. Being around Jasmine would be healing, she was more of a sister than my own flesh and blood.
As for Theo, I knew it was soon, but I also knew that the things I felt for him surpassed anything I’d felt for Scott, and that had to mean something.
Theo placed his hand on my hip, peering at me with those green eyes that felt like magic and forest. “I know you’re moving here for a fresh start, not for me, but I’m not going to lie to you, I’m looking forward to getting to spend more time with you—with whatever label you want to slap on us.”
“I’m not sure about labels right now,” I admitted quietly, hoping my honesty didn’t hurt him.
He smiled, not a trace of pain in his expression. Just understanding and empathy.
“That’s perfectly fine. I can wait to label things, so long as you know that I really am into you. This thing we’re doing, it means something to me.” Theo brushed his finger along my hip, making my skin erupt in goosebumps.
“It means something to me too, even if I’m not ready to label it. I recently got out of a long-term relationship, and I want to be certain that what I’m feeling is the real deal,” I whispered, worried my words were too candid for the moment.
But Theo’s smile didn’t waver, and his eyes were warm with understanding. “I get it,” he said before he pressed his lips to mine, kissing me softly.
* * *
I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep with Theo’s arms wrapped around me, holding me against his hard body.
When I awoke, I felt more solid with my decisions, and more excited about the prospect of moving.
At the very least, I was doing something spontaneous. I was stepping into the unknown without a solid game plan, which was something far outside my comfort level.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Theo’s gravelly voice stirred the arousal that had been dormant while I slept.
“Morning,” I replied, smiling. I stretched, the sheets sliding off my breasts, gifting Theo with a few of my pebbling nipples. He licked his lips hungrily.
“We’re going to have to pick up more condoms when we go out today,” he remarked before lowering his mouth to my nipple. He sucked on it, his tongue rolling across the pebbled peak.
I arched my back, bringing my breast closer to his mouth. “Don’t we have one left?”
“Yeah,” Theo lifted his head long enough to shoot me a mischievous grin before returning his attention to my breasts.
“Better use it up, then,” I challenged.
He wasted no time, crawling over top of me.
* * *
I tossed a load of laundry into the washer before we left to run errands. First, Theo drove me to the furniture surplus store, where I took my time picking out a furniture set for my new room.
I found a bedroom set in a soft wood grain design with clean lines, a sleek contemporary frame, and subtle aluminum accents that gave a modern aesthetic. It came with a queen-size bed, a six-drawer dresser, a drawer chest, a night table, and a desk.
I also ordered a pillow-top mattress next, arranging for it all to be delivered in two weeks’ time. It made my decision to move more real and more definite. I hadn’t told my parents yet, but I had furniture ordered.
After we finished at the furniture store, Theo took me out for a late breakfast, insisting that we had to eat something before hitting up the grocery store. He’d pointed out how dangerous it was to go grocery shopping on empty stomachs, and I knew he was right. We went to Rudy’s again, and Bonnie seemed excited to see us walk into her section.
Once we had eaten breakfast, we went to the grocery store.
It should have felt strange, running all these domestic errands with Theo, but it felt right. Theo made sure to toss in an extra-large box of condoms to our cart with a cheeky grin.
It was quiet when we returned home. Desmond was still sleeping, trying to get as much rest as he could before his midnight shift, and Jasmine was gone to work for the day.
I helped Theo unload the groceries, then switched my laundry over. Everything I’d brought was enough to fit into one load.
Jasmine had returned from work by the time my laundry was in the dryer. I felt a little guilty, ditching Theo, but he seemed unbothered by the prospect.
“If anything, I owe Jasmine an apology for occupying most of your time,” he insisted, seeing me off with a kiss. “I promise, I’ll survive until later. The back door will be unlocked, come in whenever you’re ready for bed.”
“I’m ready for bed now,” I said, my hands running over his bulge with intent.
“And I’ll hold you to that, later,” Theo grinned back. “Go hang with Jas, I’ll see you in a bit.”
I nodded, forcing myself to walk away from him, even though my hands itched to slip into his pants.
Jasmine was waiting next door in the living room with takeout boxes from her favourite Thai restaurant set up on the coffee table. “Oh good, I thought you were going to ditch me, and I’d have to eat all this Thai food alone.”
“Where’s Talia?”
“Not back from Eliza’s yet,” she replied with a coy smile. “Did you find furniture?”
“I did,” I pulled my phone out of the pocket of my jeans before I sat down beside Jasmine, opening up my gallery to show her the photos I’d taken.
“Ooh, fancy!” Jasmine said with approval. “When does it get delivered?”
“Two weeks,” I put my phone down on the coffee table and reached for a box. Jasmine had ordered my favourite, Thai fried rice.
She nodded, chewing on her chicken pad Thai. She finished chewing and swallowed before speaking. “So, that means you’re looking at moving here in two weeks?”
“About that,” I answered. “Unless…well, unless things get even more unbearable at home.”
And I had a sinking suspicion that they would. Something told me my leaving would cause more drama in the house. Brinley thought she had more time to torment me, and me leaving would be like removing her favourite toy.
“Of course. You can seriously move in tomorrow, I’m sure Talia wouldn’t mind. You could crash on the couch until your furniture arrives, or get them to deliver it sooner. Or keep staying with Theo.” She winked at that last part, and I flushed with embarrassment. “How’s that going, by the way?”
“Good, I guess. I really enjoy spending time with him.”
“So you’ve said,” Jasmine chuckled. “You guys really seem to have hit it off. I was right in thinking you’d be good for each other.”
“It’s too early to tell,” I frowned.
“Not really, he’s already made you more adventurous and confident. You might not see it, but I do. You’re a different person than the defeated girl I picked up on Friday to drag into the backwoods,” she commented, her tone kind. “I was really worried about you. Brinley really did a number on you this time, but I’m so glad your shine has returned.”
I couldn’t deny it—getting away from the situation back home had been even more healing than I could have imagined when I’d said yes to the camping trip. I felt more like me; a version of me I hadn’t seen in so many years. I felt ready to take on new opportunities, to make a life for myself that was completely my own.
“Well, I don’t know if he’s made me more adventurous and confident, or if being here with you has,” I lifted a shoulder in a shrug, pausing to take another bite of food. Jasmine’s eyes lit up at that, and she grinned. “But we barely know each other.”
“You guys have a lot in common. You’ll get there,” Jasmine said.
“I do think he’s awoken something in me, though.” I admitted.
“I bet he has,” Jasmine snorted. “I told you that good dick therapy would help.”
“How did you know Theo had a good dick?” I narrowed my eyes, studying her.
“His ex-girlfriend liked to brag a lot.” My friend wrinkled her nose. “Like, a lot. It was a bit much. I think she did it because she felt threatened by us girls living next door.”
“Ex-girlfriend, huh?”
“From like, two years ago or so. They were never really serious, and they broke up after four months or so of dating.”
“Why?”
“She was super possessive and a bitch to any other female. Especially Rhiannon.”
“Why Rhiannon?! She’s so sweet.” I exclaimed, not believing it.
“She was always condescending and rude to her and kept making comments about how she didn’t know how ‘someone like Rhi’ scored Baz’,” Jasmine’s eyes flashed with anger at the memory. “But Theo overheard her one time, and that was it. He sent her packing.”
I nodded, absorbing this new information. “I didn’t expect Theo to be celibate before me, but hearing he’d had a serious girlfriend makes me feel a little twinge of jealousy,” I confessed.
“Don’t worry, Lux, it was ages ago. He never looked at her like he looks at you,” Jasmine assured me.
It was a relief to know that it’d been a while ago, and he hadn’t been heartbroken by her.
“And how does he look at me?”
“Like you’re the missing puzzle piece in his life,” Jasmine grinned.
“I don’t know about that,” I laughed, shaking my head.
“You don’t feel it? That connection between the two of you? It’s pretty noticeable. I know you both, I can see it.”
“Oh, I feel the connection,” I replied, setting the carton of food on the coffee table and adjusting my position on the couch. “I just…I don’t know. It’s too soon to think like that.”
“They say when you know, you know.”
“Is that so?” I challenged, arching a brow. “So then, why are you hesitating over your feelings about Desmond?”
“That’s more complicated,” Jasmine argued, her lips pinching as she set her own carton down and swiveled to face me. “We’ve been friends too long. There’s a shared history there, and it’s hard to untangle my feelings for him. I care about him a lot as a friend, and if it’s not right between us, we’ll never be able to go back to just being friends.”
“Maybe you won’t need to go back to being friends.” I shrugged. “Maybe he’s your forever.”
“But if he isn’t? I don’t want to lose him as a friend, Lux. I’m not ready to take that risk, his friendship is too important to me. And honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to risk it.”
* * *
Jasmine and I agreed to disagree on the Desmond front, and sensing a topic change was for the best, we put on a movie and fell silent. Halfway through, Talia came home and joined us for the ending, snacking on the leftover Thai food Jasmine and I hadn’t finished. She confirmed that I could move in as soon as I wanted, and then spilled the details on how her time with Eliza went.
After the movie ended, I returned to Theo’s place. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, reading. He glanced at me when I walked in, his muscular arm slung over the back of the couch, the picture of relaxation with his book on his lap.
“How was it?” he asked, closing his book and setting it aside.
“Good. We had Thai food and talked, then watched a movie,” I smiled, sitting beside him.
“That sounds fun,” he murmured, moving closer and placing his hand on my knee.
“It was. It’s been so long since we hung out like that. What’d you end up having for dinner?”
“A grilled cheese sandwich and soup,” he answered with a smile.
“That doesn’t sound like much,” I frowned.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m hungry for something else now.” His eyes were sparkling with intent. “Desmond’s at work.”
“Meaning?”
“We have the entire house to ourselves, and I can finally spread you out on the counter. Been thinking about it for days now,” he admitted, biting down on his lip and looking at me through hooded eyes.
My blood simmered in my veins at his suggestion—and at the slow slide of his hand on my thigh.
Theo
Lux’s eyes widened at my suggestion, and she swallowed hard as my hand continued to slide up her thigh, my fingers coming to a rest at the junction between her legs.
“I—I don’t know about that,” she said breathlessly, her cheeks pinkening. “I’ve never really done anything so out in the open before.” She cast a worried glance to the back door.
“If you’re uncomfortable with the idea, that’s okay, but we do have the house to ourselves until tomorrow morning.”
Lux’s tongue darted out to wet her lips, drawing my gaze to them. I couldn’t resist leaning forward and capturing her mouth in a kiss. Our lips met in a slow kiss, and before I could deepen it, Lux was crawling over top of me to straddle my lap, her hands sliding into my hair.
She kissed me deeply and moved her hips, grinding her pelvis against me. This girl made me harder than hell, and I knew I’d never get enough of her. Not even if I got to have her like this every night for the rest of our lives.
She pulled away and tugged her t-shirt off, letting it fall to the ground behind her, her eyes heated with rolling desire, making them appear like liquid metal.
I picked her up effortlessly, flipping her so that she was laying on her back on the couch, then I moved over top of her, settling between her legs. I kissed her again, our tongues meeting and dancing in slow reverence. Each slide of her tongue on mine made the blood surge to my erection, which I couldn’t help but thrust against her.
Breaking the kiss, I moved my hand to the waistline of her jeans. “You’re still wearing entirely too many clothes,” I complained, sliding the zipper down.
“Let’s fix that, shall we?” she challenged, lifting her hips so I could tug her jeans off. I threw them over my shoulder, hearing them land somewhere behind me, leaving her in her lacy black bra and matching panties. I took in the sight of her, at a loss for words.
“You are exquisite,” I told her, bringing my mouth back to hers.
She moaned, arching up into me, grinding against my cock, her hands tugging on my shirt to remove it.
I’d take her then and there, but Desmond and I had an unspoken rule about furniture in the common areas of the house. Especially the couch.
Regretfully, I pulled away from her, leaving her pouting until I scooped her up in my arms and carried her into the kitchen. I set her down on the counter and she giggled, her cheeks still flushed and her eyes a little wild.
I had no qualms about the counter. It could be cleaned up if we made a mess, and nobody would be any the wiser.
“Just one taste,” I promised, licking my lips as I tugged the lacy material aside and brought my mouth to the sweet junction between her thighs.
I should have known one taste wouldn’t be enough. I couldn’t stop with one pass of my tongue against her slick folds, with one hint of her taste. Growling with impatience, I tugged her panties off, then brought my mouth back to her, my hands massaging her legs and thighs to relax the tension from her.
It was a dream, having Lux spread out on the counter in front of me, mine for the taking. I feasted on her like she was a five-course meal, gently tugging at her clit with my lips and not letting up until she was trembling from her second orgasm and begging for me.
“I need you, Theo,” she pleaded, my name sounding like a melody coming from her lips. Her hands slid into my grey sweatpants, wrapping around my hard cock. I hadn’t bothered with boxers, figuring once she got back from Jasmine’s, we wouldn’t be dressed for long.
“Now.” Her eyes were full of impatience and desire.
“Condoms are in my room,” I grunted, closing my eyes against the feel of her hand wrapped around me. She stroked me, making my body tense with wanton need.
“I have an IUD and I’ve been tested recently. I’m good, if you are?” she peered at me, her eyes full of trust and explicit need, her hand moving against me again, urging me closer.
“I’m good,” I assured her. I’d always used condoms, but despite that I still got regular testing after being intimate. I trusted Lux irrevocably, but I still needed to make sure she was sure.
“Are you sure?”
Lux bit her lip, nodding with determination. “I’m sure,” she whispered, her hand still wrapped around me, working me at a torturous pace. I was gone for her; I’d do whatever she wanted without question.
“Well, if you’re absolutely sure…” I said, letting my voice trail off as she reached behind her and unclipped her bra, letting it fall to the ground, her eyes taking me in. I couldn’t stop staring at her; she was so beautiful, sitting naked before me.
She reached for my hard cock again, guiding me, and I moved with her, pressing my engorged tip against her soaked entrance. I rubbed against her, not yet entering, reveling in the feel of her slick arousal and heat while she expertly worked my sweatpants down my legs with her feet. I stepped out of them, kicking them aside, and moved back to capture her lips in a claiming kiss, our bodies so close that I was notching against her.
I knew there would be no going back, not after I had her without barriers. Hell, there was already no going back, but this would solidify things.
My thoughts were confirmed when I slipped inside, slowly pushing my way into her slick heat. Her legs parted more, and she arched her pelvis, taking me deeper, her breath escaping on a pleasured sigh.
She felt so incredible that I couldn’t hold back the groan that pulled from the back of my throat. “God damnit, Lux—you feel amazing,” I grunted, pulling out only to slam back in.
Her head fell back and she moaned, her breasts pushing out toward me as she arched more. I took a nipple in my mouth, sucking on it, my tongue swirling around the hardened point, my hips driving forward in a pace that made my entire body thrum and tingle.
There wasn’t a chance I’d be able to last long, not with the no-barrier feel of her heated walls squeezing me with each thrust, but I forced myself to hold back until I coaxed another orgasm out of her.
It didn’t take me long, not with the punishing pace of my thrusts. When I brought my hand down to rub against her clit, she went off, her body trembling with release.
The feel of her coming had my balls tightening up, the base of my spine tingling as my own release followed. I pulled out in time, my cum splashing against her belly and thighs in a delectable mess.
Lux’s chest heaved with her heavy breaths as she looked down at the mess I’d made of her.
“Sorry, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to come in you.” I reached over and grabbed a paper towel, running it under the tap for a minute to dampen it before I cleaned her up.
“You could have, but that was surprisingly hot. I’ve never had someone finish on me like that.” Lux bit her lip, her cheeks heating with embarrassment at her confession.
“You’re so fucking hot, Lux, I couldn’t help myself.” I told her, my forehead resting against hers. “And I’m not going to lie, I’m glad to hear I was the first to do that to you.”
If I had it my way I’d be the first and the last: the only one.
She smiled in response to my words, her eyes sparkling.