The three of us get into Avery’s car, and we head back to my place. I’ve rocked Avery’s entire world. There is no way I can leave now.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Avery
“I really like him, Mom. Now I understand why you’ve been so smitten,” Jess says, lying in the dark beside me in Bennett’s room.
“Jess, we don’t have a place to live right now,” I remind her. “What he did was irresponsible.”
“The way he stood up for you is something I should’ve done ions ago,” she says, and her words hit me hard. I’ve always tried to do right by my daughter.
“I’ve failed you. I just had this vision in my head that you could do great things with all the money that was left behind from Daddy’s death. I pictured these great scenarios in my head about giving you an easy life. I’ve had to work so hard and I guess, for some reason, staying with Uncle Jim and Aunt Bee gave me a false sense of support and comfort.” I sigh.
“You haven’t failed me. I’m just fine. We’re fine. It’s just been time to move on for a while now. We’ve been stuck. I have to thank Bennett for unsticking us.” She laughs and yawns at the same time.
“I’ll take the day off tomorrow and go house-hunting,” I say, looking at her with such pride. “By the way, when did you grow up?”
“Funny.”
“Get some rest. I don’t want you to be tired,” I say, giving her forehead a kiss.
“I love you, Mom,” she says with her eyes closed.
“Love you too.”
Jessy falls asleep and I stare at the ceiling replaying the conversation I had with Sutton about him taking a job out of state. Bennett hasn’t mentioned anything to me. He’s only told me how he wants us to be together, how his feelings for me grow every day. I figure it means that he didn’t take the job and doesn’t want me to worry.
A long drawn out groan that sounds agonizing pierces the quiet of the room and startles me. Bennett shouts, “No.”
I worry that he’s having a night tremor. My stomach sinks and I slip out of bed and tiptoe over to him in the family room. His head jerks from left to right quickly and he’s screaming, “No, no, please don’t take me.”
I walk over to him and touch his shoulder.
“Bennett. It’s Avery. Everything is okay,” I say. His dream has a strong grip on him, and he doesn’t snap out of it. He starts to cry and my heart breaks. “Bennett, please open your eyes.” I shake his shoulder harder. “Bennett, it’s a bad dream. It’s Avery. I’m here.” My palm comes up and brushes his forehead. His eyes open but he looks at me like he can see right through me. “You were having a bad dream,” I say.
He nods, but he still looks spacy. I caress his forehead. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He shakes his head.
He lifts his blanket. “Come in here. I want to hold you,” he says.
I climb in beside him on the couch and he covers the two of us. I wrap my arms around him tight and he wraps his arms around me, and we hold each other in the silence of night, not a word spoken between us. With his arms holding me tight and his lips breathing against my forehead I feel safe, wanted. When have I ever felt this way? I meant to come in here and soothe him and yet he is soothing me.
“I remember when social services came and took me away from my mother,” he suddenly says. “I don’t know where that dream came from, but it was so real and vivid. I’ve never dreamt that before. It was something about tonight. Being in that home with your aunt and uncle, watching how they treat you and your daughter . . . I couldn’t stomach it.”
I tilt my head up a little so I can look into his eyes. “I don’t know how I expected dinner to go. I knew you wanted to see where I lived and how I lived. I knew you wouldn’t like it. Maybe there was some small part of me that hoped it would end this way. I wasn’t brave enough to do it myself. I let my daughter down by living in such an uncomfortable and passive-aggressive atmosphere. I just didn’t know how to take that step. How to make that change,” I admit.
Our bodies are already flush together but somehow Bennett pulls me even closer and kisses my forehead. “You’re so brave. You got pregnant at sixteen and had a kid basically on your own,” he says, because he knows that Liam was rarely around. “You had no one to rely on and you did such an amazing job with Jessy. You put yourself through school and you have a great job. I think you’re being too hard on yourself. We all want to feel safe and a part of something. For me, I found that with the navy. It scares the hell out of me that I don’t have that anymore, so I know what it’s like to have comfort ripped out from under you. What happened tonight isn’t the same thing but in a way, it is. Like I said, I’m sorry, but I’m not really sorry.” His voice is gruff. The timbre low and smooth. He smells of fresh shower gel and something distinctly him. I want us to get lost together but not with Jess in the next room.
“Thanks, Bennett. I really needed to hear that.” I press a kiss to his lips. He’s slowly stealing my heart. I want to ask him what the future holds, what his plans are, but he just left the hospital. It’s a big step in a new life. I don’t want to pressure him.
“I want to always be around to reassure you,” he says. Can he sense my anxieties over us? Over the job that Sutton mentioned. There’s no way he took a job. He just assured me that he wants to always be around.
“I hope you will be,” I say, wanting him to stick around so badly. “I should get back into bed with Jess.” I slide off the couch and out of his warmth.
“I hope so, Avery,” he answers into the darkness. I tiptoe back into bed with Jess and I fall asleep easily this time.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Bennett
It’s been two weeks since Avery and Jess moved out of her aunt and uncle’s house. They stayed with me a few nights and then found their own cute little two-bedroom apartment close to Jess’s school.
I lean back in my chair and stare at the woman who owns every piece of my heart. “Do you like the linguine?” I ask.
Avery takes a sip of her wine and swallows a bite. “It’s delicious. Thanks so much for doing this. It was a long day at work. I spent half the time in the pool, which always makes me more tired.”
“I hope you aren’t too tired. I’ve been waiting for tonight for a while.” I smile. Jess is staying at friend’s place tonight which means Avery and I have her place to ourselves.
“Me too. It’ll be nice to have alone time. Don’t worry—the pasta is giving me just the right amount of carbs to restore my energy,” she says and takes another sip of wine. “This is really delicious,” she says, and forks another mouthful.
“Thanks. I’m glad I went for the roasted vegetables and linguine and not the pork in a gravy sauce like I planned,” I say, knowing Avery likes to eat healthily.
“Definitely the better choice in my book,” Avery says.
We finish eating and we both just sit back in our chairs, drink wine and laugh.
I take her hand and caress it in mine. “I’ve still got dessert,” I say.
“Hmm, dessert sounds good, but I may have other things on my mind,” she says with her cheeks flushed.
“Oh yeah. What did you have in mind?” I ask, taking a sip of my wine. It’s fun to flirt with her. To watch her chest rise and fall faster as my words excite her.
“I was hoping you could offer some suggestions,” she says.
“Well,” I say, standing from my chair. I walk around the table. “I was thinking that there was something I wanted to taste . . .or I do have a chocolate lava cake in the fridge. I can warm it up and we can share.” I stand in front of her. I would like to kneel in front of her and bury my head between her thighs, but I can’t kneel yet.
“I think I may be more interested in hearing what it was you wanted to taste?” She smiles devilishly. I love that there are no boundaries between us. Her shyness is fading away. The fact that she feels safe with me does something to my insides. Everything about her calls me to on a deep level.
“Sure. I can tell you a little about what I was thinking,” I say.
She takes a sip of wine. “I’m all ears.”
I take the wine from her hand and drink from her glass. Wanting the taste of her on my lips, I lick my lips slowly and watch as her pupils dilate. Then I give her both of my hands. “I’m going to need you to come with me.”
She places each of her hands in each of my palms, and I pull her gently to a standing position. She tilts her head up to me and our lips almost connect.
“How I would love to take you here on the kitchen table,” I say.
“Soon. We’ll get there.”
“Yes, we will. I want to kiss you so bad, but I know if we kiss here both of us will lose control, and there is so much I want to do to you that I need you on the bed for,” I say.
“Lead the way, sailor.” She smirks.
“Did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?” I ask as I lead her to the bedroom. She’s wearing a tight black shirt that dips in the front. Her tits look full and her skin is milky white. She doesn’t normally dress in such a revealing manner, which tells me she’s dressed like this for me.
“About three times.” She laughs.
We reach the bedroom where I set up some candles. “Give me a sec,” I say as I make my way around the room, lighting them.
“This is so perfect,” Avery says.
“I want our first time to be memorable,” I explain.
“It will be.” She smiles.
“I want you so bad,” I admit.
After I light the last candle, I walk over to her and take her in. Avery is beautiful on the inside and outside but tonight, her hair catches the glow of the flames and her eyes glimmer like cognac and I find myself swimming inside them. She looks at me too and I lift my hand and touch her breast over her shirt. Her breaths quicken and we hold eye contact.
“Just touching you like this makes me crazy,” I say.
She doesn’t respond but her gaze tells me more than words ever could. My hand moves from her breast and I lay it flat where her heart is. It’s beating fast and hard. I take her palm and lay it against my chest so she can feel what she does to me. Her eyes hold mine. Both of us are breathing erratically and my restraint snaps. My lips connect with hers and her hands come up and hold the back of my neck. Our lips move in sync, like we were always meant to be like this. She tastes of wine and sweetness. My tongue comes up to tangle with hers. My hands land on her shoulders and move down her arms across her stomach. I look for a way to lift this shirt off of her but there isn’t an edge to pull over her head.
She senses my confusion. “It’s a bodysuit. I have to remove my jeans to take it off.”
“Is this supposed to be like a chastity belt or something?” I snicker.
She doesn’t answer as she pops the button on her jeans and begins to lower them over her behind.
I mutter expletives under my breath, thanking the powers that be for putting this woman in my life. With her jeans removed, she stands in front of me in this little body-suit number. It’s high cut on her legs, showing off her long legs and slim waist.
“You’re stunning,” I say.
“I stopped after work to pick it up. I wanted to get something sexy. I don’t own anything sexy,” she says softly, like she’s apologizing.
“Babe, you hit jackpot,” I say. “Lie back on the bed.”
She does as I say. “There are clips between my legs to open it. The lady in the store said these were a big seller.”
“That lady was right.” I lie beside her and my hand dips between her thighs. I begin to rub her over the fabric.
“Bennett,” she pants. I love how responsive she is. Thinking how long she went without sex almost causes me to blow my load.
“I got you,” I say as I slip my finger inside the body suit and dip a finger inside her. A soft moan leaves her lips and her eyes fall closed. She breathes heavily and moans as I work her over. I can’t let her come before I get my mouth on her though.
I unbutton the snaps between her legs. She isn’t wearing panties, or maybe this thing is panties—I don’t know. She’s mostly bare except for a small strip of hair. Her pussy is wet and pulsing. Just watching her causes my cock to throb against my jeans. I ask her to shift up the bed and then I situate myself between her legs on my stomach. I want to drink her in, taste her juices.
My tongue connects with her clit as I lick down her opening, and her body jerks beneath me. I work my tongue up and down. “I’ve been dreaming about this,” I say as I put a finger inside her. “You taste like heaven.”
“Bennett,” she moans my name.
“Say it again,” I urge her as I work my tongue faster. She is swollen and so close to coming.
“Bennett,” she says, and inhale and exhale to slow myself down because the breathless way she says my name makes me lose my mind.
I pick up speed and she begins to come. “Holy smokes, this is so much better than I thought it would be,” she says. I continue to lick her as her hips move with my tongue, her whole body jerking. I don’t relent as I suck every last bit of her juices. When she comes down from her high, I use my arms to shift my body up next to hers. I put my arm around her and she curls into me, fitting perfectly.
I kiss her forehead. “When you said it was so much better than you thought it would be, what did you mean?” I ask lazily, dragging my finger up her arm.
“Did I say that?” She laughs, giving me a feigned innocence look.
“Yes.” I raise my brows, waiting expectantly for her to explain.
“Okay, well let’s just say that high school boys don’t know what they are doing so none of them . . .” She tilts her chin and nods.
“You mean no one ever went down on you before?” I ask, perplexed.
Her cheeks turn ashen. “Bennett, don’t look at me like that.” She lifts the blanket to cover her face.
“Don’t hide from me,” I say.
She peeks out from under the blanket, only showing me her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound shocked. I actually kind of like the idea of me being your first,” I say and feel my chest puff out a little larger.
She laughs and moves the blankets to under her arms, “I’m glad you’re proud of yourself. That was . . .”
“That was what?” I ask, waiting for an answer.
Her eyes glow with mischief and she doesn’t give me an answer. Damn, woman.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Avery
“You lie back and let me take care of you,” I say, pressing on his chest as I crawl out from the covers and straddle him.
“Take off your top,” he says.
I lift the body suit over my head. I got a new lacy bra too. After never treating myself, it was time.
His dark eyes turn to molten pools of lava.
“Like what you see?”
“You know I do,” he says on a groan as the palms of his hands knead each of my breasts. I press my breasts against him.
“You’re going to make me come in my pants,” he says.
“Well, we better take care of that,” I say, shifting to the side so I can remove his jeans. I pop the button and lower them along with his boxers. His cock is large and thick. I was expecting him to be big, given his size, but this is . . . My insides clench.
I lean down and take him in my mouth. He’s too big for me to take him all in so the part that doesn’t fit my mouth, I fist with my hand. His fingers work into my hair and he groans. “So good. Yeah, baby, like that,” he says as my tongue swirls around him. He lengthens and stiffens in my mouth.
I bob my head up and down sucking him off. With my other hand I cup his balls. “Fuck this feels good.”
His words spur me on and I move faster. Watching the affect I have on him turns me on more and the ache between my thighs grows stronger.
“I want to come inside you. I need to feel you around me,” he says. He pulls his cock out of my mouth and I move
up his body to straddle him.
“I’m on the pill. Are you clean?” I ask.
“I’m clean. I’ve had every blood test known to man in the last couple months,” he scoffs.
“We can still use a condom. I just figured . . . you should . . . ah . . . know.”
“Avery.” His hand comes up and he cups my chin. “The thought of going bareback with you is making me crazy. Don’t make me wait another second,” he says.
I guide his cock inside me and we moan together. I begin to move, and his palms come up and work my breasts. He lowers the bra so that my tits sit above it in the air. “Come here.” He guides me forward and he takes one of my nipples in his mouth.
I moan, feeling wetness pooling between my thighs. His tongue does a circle, licking around one nipple, and then he moves to the other one. I watch him, in a daze. Something about his thick lips, high cheekbones and big, manly hands has me under a spell.
We move faster. He thrusts up inside me and I move myself faster and faster against him.
“You feel so good. Being inside you like this . . .” he pants. “I’ve never done this with anyone. Ever,” he says, and his words hit me in the middle of my chest and warm my heart. His head falls back on the pillow and I move on top of him, and we get lost in the lust, in the fire that burns between us. I begin to come first, and Bennett follows soon after. As his come shoots inside me, my body combusts, and I can’t take it. Everything feels like too much, too real, too everything . . . We both fall into ecstasy. And it’s absolutely perfect.
I fall beside him, and we catch our breath together. It almost feels like our hearts are beating to the same rhythm.
We fall asleep at one point and when my phone beeps after one a.m., I check it. Jessy writes that she is at her friend’s house and going to sleep. I’m glad she didn’t forget to text me.
Irresistible: A Salvation Society Novel Page 14