Chapter 25 – Lee
Vi sprinted for her bedroom, her laughter beckoning me like a siren’s call.
Slowly, I followed, double-checking the locks first. Aware that every step brought me closer to her and further from the lies I used to tell myself.
That she was too young. Off-limits. Her friendship too valuable. That loyalty meant never going there.
Vi lay sprawled across her bed, her dark hair fanned out around her head in soft waves. She’d taken off her glasses, making her smile one of the hazy, can’t-quite-see variety. Soft and vulnerable, yet still sure. Because she knew me. Trusted me. Maybe more than I’d trusted myself.
A flash of fear froze me in place. I wanted to soak up her confidence.
Fuse it into every one of my cells until I felt invincible.
She didn’t seem worried about our friendship or her brothers, about screwing things up.
She’d already become a precious part of my life, and I’d die before I’d lose that. Whatever it took, I couldn’t lose her.
She still wore her jeans and sweater from earlier, and my fingers ached to strip them from her.
“Murphy, if you’re ready to make good on that offer, I have massage oil.”
“I thought I had to catch you first.” My voice was rough as sandpaper, raw need closing my throat.
She lifted one round shoulder. “Consider me on the line.” Something about the gleam in her dark eyes implied more than sex. I’d tiptoed around my feelings, vowing to give her more time. And I’d hold to that promise if it killed me.
I covered the space between the door and bed in record time, launching myself across it hard enough to bounce. Laughter burst from Vi’s lips. Not nervous. Not mocking. Pure joy. The old Lee would have held his feelings in. Denied they existed.
I rolled, carrying her with me, until Vi sprawled across my chest, breath coming in soft puffs of laughter. “Got you.”
My kiss was more showy than skillful, but it branded her mine. Vi’s eyes twinkled.
“Okay, so now what are you going to do with me?”
“So many things.” Love you. The words pressed against my lips, wanting to burst out.
I didn’t just want Violet Fenwick. Didn’t just need her close. I loved her. And I wasn’t sure how to keep it to myself any longer.
Except by showing her.
I brushed her mouth with a soft kiss. An attempt to seal the promise I couldn’t make aloud. I smiled against her lips when she drifted with me, leaning into the caress. And when I pulled away, her lips turned down in a tiny pout.
It was fucking adorable. And gave me hope. That I was more than just a playmate, though I loved being her partner in crime.
“Cupcake, you’ve taken such good care of me the last few weeks, let me take care of you tonight.”
Gaze soft, she smiled. “Do your worst, Murphy.”
I dropped another kiss across her pink lips, scooting to reach for her bedside drawer. “Massage oil’s in here?”
She dipped her chin. “And a few other necessities.”
My groin tightened. One of those necessities would be condoms. But the others? Discoveries for later. I fumbled through the drawer, finding a small tube of almond-scented oil.
Tugging Vi gently upward, I dropped a kiss on her waiting mouth before reaching for the hem of her sweater and stripping it over her head.
“Gorgeous.” My voice sounded breathy, but I didn’t care. Vi deserved to know how beautiful she was. If I sounded green as grass, hopefully she’d take it as the compliment it was.
Generous and curvy, she seemed content to rest back on her elbows, letting me look my fill. “Take a picture. It’ll last longer.”
My chuckle was raw. “If I do this right, I won’t need one.”
Her brow arched. “Yeah?”
“You’ll just let me get you naked whenever I feel like it.”
Her lips twitched. “Prove it.”
Holding her gaze, I flicked the button at her fly, drawing the zipper down tooth by tooth, making it a taunt.
A promise. After crawling until my biceps brushed hers, I drew her into a long kiss.
Exploring. Searching. Taking my time. She arched beneath me, and I ground back, letting her feel the hardness that kept me on edge.
Flicking my tongue out to trace her collarbone, I unfastened her bra, then tossed it aside before I trailed down to her belly button and lingered there a moment.
I tugged her jeans and underwear over her hips and down her thighs.
I inhaled roughly. The room smelled like Violet.
Her desire. Her need. She clenched her hands in my hair, almost roughly, and I growled my approval.
That was my girl. Not afraid to go after what she wanted. To look after her interests. And this time, her gaze had landed on me.
When I’d stripped her of her clothes, I whipped a finger in the air. “Turn over, Cupcake.”
A flare of surprise lit her eyes. A moment of pause. Like she hadn’t expected me to take the offer of a massage so seriously. But she deserved this and so much more. Her gaze dropped to the bulge in my jeans.
“You sure?”
“More than I’ve ever been.”
Her eyes went dark with liquid heat. She dipped her chin and rolled, nestling her cheek against her folded hands. The bare expanse of her back and curve of her buttocks and thighs stretched across the blue sheets, beckoning me forward.
I warmed the oil in my palms until grew slick and began at the small of her back, slowly stretching and stroking until her skin glistened. The earthy aroma of almonds filled the room. Inch by inch, she melted into the bed beneath me, her surrender a gift of trust I didn’t know I needed.
Gliding my palms across her lats, working the stuck and tight points in her shoulders and neck, helping the muscles relax, should have been meditative.
Soothing. But her breathy sighs threatened to undo me.
They reminded me that as much as I wanted to leave her liquid and boneless, this was about more than soothing her.
It was about seducing her. Body and soul.
Slowly, I stroked down her spine, reaching the dip above her waist, fascinated when a rash of goosebumps echoed my touch.
“Damn, Murphy.” Her voice was throaty. Almost too low to hear. “I had no idea you were this talented.”
“If the author gig doesn’t work out, I guess there’s always massage therapy.”
“Bite your tongue. Those hands are mine.” I loved the possessive lilt in her voice.
“Yes, ma’am. Just so the reverse is also true.”
She leaned into one shoulder, peeking back at me. “I thought that went without saying.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “I have no plans to pursue a career in massage therapy.”
I smacked her flank. “Hey!”
It was a playful smack, not even enough to redden her cheek, but she squeaked like I'd spanked her for real. Her wiggle dragged her curves across my thighs in a way that had my restraint hanging by a thread. “Next time, warn a girl before you get kinky.”
I grinned. Next time. Teasing was fun, but the trust shining in her eyes undid me.
“My kink is knowing you’re mine.”
The words hung between us, but I let my hands do the talking, gliding lower, kneading, tracing a path of muscle and bone that led me straight into temptation.
Feathering kisses from her shoulder down her spine, I let my palms play at her hips, inching beneath her hipbones.
Vi’s hiss sent the corners of my mouth tilting as I dipped to land a kiss on the same cheek I’d abused earlier.
She wiggled, the undulations of her slick body challenging the leash on my control.
It was my turn to let out a breath through clenched teeth, fighting the need to take.
My lapse gave her an opening, and she flipped beneath me, eyes triumphant when my gaze drifted, taking in every naked inch of her gorgeous body.
“You know what would really help me relax?”
“What?”
She reached for my lap, stroking me through my jeans. “Having you naked and inside me.”
Her stark words mirrored the need coursing through me. Everything tightened, from spine to groin. I wanted everything she offered. The trust. The pleasure. Her sweet sounds of satisfaction.
I tugged my lower lip between my teeth, holding back a smile when her gaze went hazy. Holding up my oil-slicked hands, I asked, “But what about your front?”
Her expression turned solemn, but there was an edge of humor in her eyes. “I have faith in your ability to multitask.”
My chuckle took me by surprise. I loved this side of her. Free. Funny. Mine.
I scooted back, abandoning her briefly to shuck the last of my clothes and find a condom. Vi clasped both hands in the universal sign for “gimme,” and I slid forward, knees bracketing her hips. She wreathed her arms around my neck, pulling me closer.
This close, the flecks of gold in her eyes held me spellbound. Falling into their depths, drowning in the chocolatey goodness almost made me forget where I was. Almost.
She stretched, bringing our mouths a hair’s-breadth apart, and paused. Waiting. For what?
“Lee.” Her voice was reedy with need.
I closed the gap between us, making the kiss deep, an exploration I never wanted to end. A giving. A taking. A pledge.
She arched beneath me, testing the last of my control.
I didn’t think it was possible to swell further, but my body seemed to recognize that magic like this only appeared once in a lifetime.
I drew back, just enough to hold her gaze as I slid home, inch by inch.
Taking my time. Giving her a chance to adjust before I invaded further, diving deeper.
The moment stretched, our gazes locked together, a spell connecting us like a bubble that expanded and expanded, until you were sure it would pop, relieving the tension, but it held, crystallizing, until the rest of the world ceased to exist.
There was only us. This moment. A connection so bright and sure, it wasn’t fragile like a soap bubble, nor delicate like glass, but strong like spider silk. Gossamer-thin and beautiful, but stronger than steel by weight. I could only hope we’d be forever entangled in each other’s web.
“Lee.”
Benediction or demand, I couldn’t quite tell. She arched, her internal muscles clenching around me forcing an answering whimper from my lips.
I drew back, hissing as I lost the warmth of her heat, fighting the urge to finish too soon. Twining my fingers with hers, I drove back into her. “So good.”
She met me with a sharp thrust of her own, eyes blazing a dare.
Every retreat felt like a little death, her loss almost more than I could bear.
But each time I returned, she welcomed me, the flickers of pleasure in her gaze making me greedy for more.
I’d live on the edge of orgasm forever if we could be together just like this.
Our rhythm built, until the only sounds were the harsh breaths and soft groans as we strained together.
Friction and heat and Vi. When the ripples of her orgasm signaled her release, her body clenching around me dragged me with her.
Her soft cry, watching her fall apart, undid something in my chest. I let go, slamming home one last time, exploding into her warm embrace.
The force of my orgasm left my entire body tingling. Raw. Like I’d exposed a nerve.
Like I’d exposed everything. I pressed a kiss on her shoulder, took care of the condom, then slipped back into bed, gathering her close.
She nestled into the hollow of my neck, her lips brushing my collarbone.
When her mouth turned up in a smile against my skin, it felt like a prize.
She sighed, the soft puff of her breath warming my skin, making me want to cocoon her in this moment and never let go.
Tires crunched on gravel outside. Vi stiffened, her nails biting into my arm. Unease knifed through me.
“I thought you were just leveraging the drama at Rae and Zach’s this summer to talk me into letting you stay at my place. If you feel unsafe here, you should absolutely move in with me. I may be a grumpy SOB, but I’d rather chew glass than worry about you alone here.”
Her fingers clenched around mine. “It’s not that. Or not just that…”
The hesitation in her tone made my jaw lock.
If I barked, she’d bristle. I’d like to think I learned something during our time living together.
If I wanted her to trust me with her fears, how I reacted mattered.
I could feel her freezing next to me, subtly pulling away. It was the last thing I wanted.
“Cupcake, tell me.”
Maybe I couldn’t quite manage charm, but she responded to the sincerity, relaxing. Or maybe it was the hint of desperation in my voice. I wanted to be the one she confided in. The one she trusted with her secrets.
She drew a shaky breath. “There’s been a strange man hanging around the shop.”
My gut clenched, sharp and ugly. I forced myself to breathe.
“You’ve got great instincts for trouble, Vi.
We should listen to them.” Slowly, I ran my palms up and down her shoulders, though touching her was just as much about soothing me as her.
“If you’re uneasy, I’m taking it seriously.
We’ll figure this out. But you’re not dealing with it by yourself – not anymore.
And I swear, if someone is making you feel unsafe, they’ll answer to me. ”
She sagged against my chest at last, her smile gone but her trust unmistakable. I pressed a kiss to her temple and held her tighter, vowing to myself that nothing and no one would get close enough to take her from me.