Ritual: A New Adult College Romance (Palm South University Book 5)

by Kandi Steiner

  “Well, the night’s not over, is it?” I husk, running my hands down his chest and over his abdomen.

  Before I can trace the outline of the thick cock I know his pants are hiding, he grabs my wrists, stopping me short.

  I pout, which earns me a chuckle before Kade kisses me again, a little more passionately this time, which only fuels my desire to get him naked — and fast.

  His lips move from my mouth to my jaw, to my neck, and I let my head fall back to allow him better access. When he kisses his way up to the shell of my ear, his breath eliciting chills over every inch of me, I practically pant in anticipation.

  That is, until he whispers, “I don’t fuck on the first date.”

  He pulls back with a sexy, knowing smirk, kissing my knuckles on each hand before releasing me.

  “Gotta get to at least number three for that,” he adds on a wink. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  I’m still standing there in shock, mouth open, violet vulva throbbing in my pants. “You’re fucking joking, right?”

  Kade chuckles, rolling his lips together before he walks off the sorority front porch backward. “Goodnight, gorgeous.”

  I flick him off, which makes him laugh harder, and then he turns and leaves me there with a wine buzz and no orgasm.

  That motherfucker.

  But then, I smile.

  I really have taught him well.

  SHE CAME.

  My heart that’s been racing since I called Cassie earlier this week — with no reply — heaves a sigh of relief at the sight of her walking down the dock. Her short red hair is curled around her face, and she’s bundled in a pair of leggings, an oversized KKB sweatshirt, and simple black boots. We rarely get weather cold enough to wear a sweater in South Florida, but tonight, the breeze is blowing in from the north, and we’re on the water, which puts us perfectly in the sixty to sixty-five-degree range.

  Perfect cuddle weather, I think.

  If she’ll let me get close to her, that is.

  I jump off the boat and onto the dock, shoving my hands in my pockets as she walks the rest of the way. She stops a few feet in front of me, crossing her arms and looking over the boat before her green eyes find mine.

  “Thank you for meeting me.”

  She nods, looking down at her shoes.

  I want to pull her into me. I want to drop to my knees and beg for her forgiveness right here and now. But I rented the boat for a reason, and I’ve got way more in store for this girl than just a boy begging for forgiveness on a boat dock.

  I reach out my hand for hers, and when she hesitantly takes it, I help her onto the boat before climbing on myself. It’s nothing fancy, a little twenty-five-foot deck boat that would be perfect for a trip to the sandbar with a group of friends. But tonight, it’ll take us to Boca Chita Key.

  Cassie takes a seat at the back of the boat, and the fact that she’s letting me take her off the mainland tells me more than any words do that I still have a fighting chance here. If I were past the point of no-return, she would have fought me on the shore — or not shown up at all.

  So, I put on a little music, deciding on one of her favorite artists — Jack Johnson — and we cruise out into Biscayne Bay, quiet but for the boat, the water, and the melody of “Monsoon.”

  It only takes about forty-five minutes to get out to the key, and we’re greeted first by the lighthouse — one that I hope to take Cassie up in tomorrow, if she doesn’t demand I take her back to shore tonight. Chancing a glance back at her from where I’m driving, she’s not giving anything away. There’s no smile on her face, but she doesn’t seem in a hurry to run away, either.

  She’s waiting for me to make my move.

  I just hope it’s enough.

  After I dock the boat, I grab her hand and walk her quietly onto the tiny island.

  “What is this place?” she asks, looking around in wonder at the mangroves, the small, sandy shore, the crystal blue water, made darker by the sun setting over the coast.

  “Boca Chita Key.”

  “I’ve never heard of it.”

  I chuckle. “Well, we’re in college. I think we focus a little more on classes and partying than on cool places to camp.”

  “Are we camping here?”

  I swallow, pulling her to a stop along the shore. “I hope so.” Then, I look behind her.

  She follows my gaze, and when she does, a soft gasp slips from her lips. She covers her mouth, and I hold my breath, hoping that reaction means everything I’ve set up is paying off.

  Camping on the island is first-come, first-serve — so I came here early this morning, setting up a tent and working throughout the day to make it the most amazing campsite anyone could ask for. It took a little planning and a lot of figuring out how to do everything I wanted with just the power on the generator I bought for the Halloween party, but I pulled it off.

  The two-person tent is cast in an orange glow, both from the setting sun and from the white string lights I hung above it. Two chairs wait by the fire, along with everything we need to make hot dogs and s’mores in a cooler and a couple reusable bags. There’s a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice that I set up just before going back to the mainland to pick her up, and two plastic wine glasses beside it.

  Grabbing Cassie’s hand, I guide her toward the site, refilling the ice in the bucket as she looks around more. One peek inside the tent, and I know she’s seen that it’s filled with blankets and pillows and rose petals for a romantic touch. She closes the flap once more, standing, eyes tracing each and every detail of the scene before she looks at me.

  “You did all this?”

  My hands find my pockets, and I nod.

  Her mouth parts, and she looks around in wonder, shaking her head. “It’s beautiful,” she whispers. “Are we the only ones out here?”

  I look around at the vacant campsites. “It’s first-come, first-serve, and there are a few other spots to camp on the key. But it’s not really camping season. We very well might be.”

  She nods, still taking it all in.

  Everything about her is stunning in that moment — the glow of the sun on her fiery hair, the freckles dotting her cheeks, her wide, emerald eyes sweeping over the campsite. Everything inside me longs to hold her, and I decide I can’t wait another minute.

  I swallow, reaching for her and breathing another sigh of relief when she lets me take her hands in my own. “Cassie, I’m sorry. I am so fucking sorry for the way I treated you at the Halloween party — for the way I’ve treated you most of this semester. We’re finally together, finally official, and I take the first opportunity to blow something out of proportion and fuck it all up.”

  Her eyes well with tears, and she looks between us, rolling her lips together. “No, you had a right to be upset. I should have come to you that first day that I realized Grayson was in my class. I should have just told you from the start, and then maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  I tilt her chin with my knuckle. “Hey, it’s okay. I mean, with the way I reacted… well, it’s pretty clear why you were hesitant to tell me.”

  Cassie sniffs, nodding slightly. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Adam. But I promise — nothing is going on between me and Grayson. Nothing ever will again. I’m yours, and I know it doesn’t make sense to you, but Grayson wanting to make amends and be friends… it’s important to me. It gives me the chance to not lose yet another person in my life. And—”

  “I get it.”

  Her green eyes widen. “You do?”

  “I do,” I say, smoothing my thumbs over her knuckles. “I didn’t, not at first, but luckily I have some pretty great brothers who help me see clearer. I mean, I’m friends with Skyler, and you’ve never been opposed to that — other than when I put her before us, which was fair. But since we cleared that all out, it’s been me and you, and Skyler being my friend has never been an issue.”

  “Of course not,” Cassie says, like she’s shocked I would think that at all.

 
God, I love this girl.

  “Well, that’s just one good example of why I shouldn’t have blown up the way I did,” I say on a sigh. “You trust me. And though my actions at the Halloween party say otherwise, I trust you, too, Cassie. I know you wouldn’t do anything with Grayson, that your heart is mine. I guess I just… I was scared. I thought I was losing you again. And to be honest, I still don’t trust that guy.”

  She chuckles at that. “That’s fair.”

  “But again, I trust you,” I say. “And that’s what matters.”

  I pull her into me, and she lets me take her into my arms, burying her face in my chest as I breathe in the scent of her.

  “So, we’re okay? You’re not mad at me?”

  “We’re okay,” I tell her, kissing her hair. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, too,” she whispers, and then she hugs me tighter and I do the same, and we stay there for a long time, just holding each other while the waves lap at the shore and the mockingbirds sing us a song.

  After a while, we peel apart enough for Cassie to ask more about the camping set-up, and I walk her through everything, pouring us each a glass of wine. We make hot dogs and eat s’mores by the fire, listen to music on the portable speaker I brought with me, and catch up on everything we’ve missed over the semester.

  And finally, I feel whole again.

  It’s late when we climb into the tent, the moon high above us and casting its silvery glow over the water. We leave the flaps of the tent open so we can enjoy the view, taking advantage of the fact that we’re alone, and Cassie lays her head on my chest where we lie in the fortress of pillows and blankets.

  “I’ve been so miserable without you,” she whispers.

  I inhale deep, running my fingers through her hair. “You and me both.”

  “I hate how well I know that feeling,” she says, leaning up on her elbow to look at me. “The feeling of losing you, of wondering if I’ve lost you forever.”

  “You could never lose me forever.”

  “Promise?”

  I laugh, kissing her cheek. “I mean, as long as you can put up with my stubborn ass, I’ll be around.”

  “Good,” she says on a grin, but as soon as it comes, it falls, and her eyes search mine. She watches me for a long moment, and then in one motion, her hands grab my shoulders and she swings one leg over me until she’s sitting in my lap.

  Her mouth finds mine, passionate and sure, and as soon as we breathe into that kiss, all the blood rushes to where her center meets mine.

  “God, I’ve missed you kissing me,” she whispers, grinding her hips. “Touching me.”

  “I hate myself that I wasted all this time.”

  “Well,” she says, rolling again. “You can make up for it now.”

  Leaning back, she pulls her sweatshirt over her head, leaving my face lined up with her perfect breasts barely covered in a lilac lace bra. I groan in appreciation, running my fingers along the edge of the fabric before I dip underneath and palm her completely.

  Her head falls back, mouth open, and she grinds against my erection with just the right friction to have me ready to come in my pants.

  Ever since the first time Cassie let me touch her, we’ve gone slow. We’ve gone easy. We’ve taken our time and explored each other, and I made sure — above all else — that she felt good and comfortable and safe.

  But the way she’s grinding against me, the way she’s kissing me and biting my neck and running her nails down my back, I know she doesn’t want easy tonight.

  And I can deliver whatever she needs.

  We’re all arms and lips and heavy breathing as we take turns rolling on top of the other, stripping off articles of clothing and letting them get lost in the blankets. When we’re bare, I back up into the pillows and pull Cassie onto my lap again, running my hand down between her legs and slipping my fingers between her wet lips.

  She moans, arching her back and digging her nails into my shoulders as I press one finger inside without warning.

  “Jesus Christ, Cassie,” I curse, sucking her neck between my teeth. “You’re so fucking wet.”

  “I want you inside me.”

  “I am inside you,” I say, pressing another finger in to join the first.

  I curl them to the tune of another moan, but then she presses her hands into my chest. “No, I want you,” she says, running her hand down my abdomen until she’s palming me in her grip. Just the feel of her sweet fucking hand around my shaft has me flexing into her grip, pre-cum letting her palm slide up and down me with ease.

  “Fuck,” I draw out, letting my head fall back. I revel in the feel of her for a split moment before I smack her ass and yank her off of me, rolling her down into the blankets and pressing a hard kiss to her lips. “Hold that thought.”

  It takes me seconds to find my pants and pull a condom from my wallet, and then the package is torn open and I roll it over my length, loving the way Cassie’s eyes heat as she watches me. She licks her lips like she loves what she sees, so I stroke myself in the condom for her, until she’s reaching for me.

  “Adam…”

  “Roll over,” I command, and I see the surprise in her eyes before she does as I say. We’ve only ever fucked face to face, with me on top or her on top, lost in each other’s gazes.

  But tonight, I can feel her craving for more.

  She wants something dirty and carnal. She wants me to claim her and remind her that she’s mine.

  When she’s on her stomach, I straddle her calves and wrap my hands around her hips, yanking until her ass is up in the air. At the same time, I press one hand down on her upper back, keeping her chest and face pressed into the pile of pillows and blankets.

  I run my hand over her spine, reveling in the chills that break in my wake, and then I lower to press my chest into her back, sucking on her earlobe as she rolls her ass against my hard-on.

  “Are you ready to feel me deep, baby?”

  “Oh, God.”

  I smirk, that answer enough for me, and then I kiss the back of her neck and position myself at her entrance with just a breath of warning before I slam it home.

  Cassie cries out, fisting the blankets and squeezing her eyes shut. “Yes,” she breathes, and I withdraw, pummeling in again with just as much force.

  Her cheeks are already flushed, and the sight of her bent over in the mess of blankets under the glow of the string lights is like something out of a painting. Every curve is outlined, and I run my hands along all of them as I position myself on my knees and take her hips in my hands, pulling her wet pussy over my cock again and again.

  “Play with your clit, baby,” I say, flexing my hips to fill her again. “Reach down there and play with your pussy while I fuck you.”

  I’ve never talked to her like this, and I’m rewarded with a moan and a whimper before one of her hands that was gripping the blankets disappears under her. She strokes that hand over where I’m entering her first, eliciting a sharp inhale from me before I feel her circling her clit.

  “Goddamn, you’re so hot,” I husk, watching her squirm as I fill her.

  Cassie’s cries echo throughout the entire park as she rubs her clit and rolls her hips, meeting my thrust each time. I’m half-thankful we’re alone, half-wishing there was someone else to witness the way my girl can be so sexy when she’s completely uninhibited.

  “Adam,” she says, just above a whisper and just shy of a cry, and then her hips drop, thighs spreading wider as she chases her orgasm. I answer the call by falling onto my hands on either side of her and grinding in even deeper, sucking on her earlobe and kissing over her neck as she screams out.

  Her pussy tightens around me, her hand moving fast and furious between her legs. And just the sound of her coming undone has me ready to do the same.

  She falls limp when she’s spent, her hand pinned under her as I slow just a little, kissing the back of her neck and her shoulders tenderly.

  “You good, baby?”

 
Cassie chuckles. “I’m fucking great.”

  I smile against her skin, still pumping gently in and out of her tight, swollen, soaked pussy. “You ready for me?”

  “Please,” she cries.

  “I don’t want to come in this condom.”

  She stiffens at that, glancing at me over her shoulder as I still. “Where do you want to come?”

  “Roll over,” I say as I withdraw, peeling the condom off and tossing it to the side as she rolls onto her back. I bite my lip at the sight of the lights casting a glow over her breasts, her lean navel, her thighs, spread and waiting.

  “Move down a little,” I say, grabbing her hips and helping her slide down until her head is on the blankets instead of the pillows. Then, I crawl up her, straddling her breasts and feeling them against my balls as I grip my shaft tight.

  Her eyes are wide, flicking back and forth between my cock and my face as she waits for my next move.

  “If this is too much, tell me to stop, okay?”

  She nods, and I run my hands through her hair, tugging until her neck is exposed.

  “Open your mouth, baby.”

  When she does, I nearly come on the spot. It’s so fucking hot looking down on her plump lips and wet tongue, her eyes watching me, waiting. I position my tip on her tongue first, sliding it around to get it nice and wet before I gently thrust inside.

  I groan at the feel of her lips surrounding me, of her tongue sliding along my base, and my hands fall to the pillows above her head to keep me balanced. Slowly, carefully, I withdraw and press inside her again, fucking her mouth with as much restraint as I can manage.

  She gags a few times, and I slow, making sure she knows she’s in control. But she doesn’t ask me to stop. Instead, she grabs my ass, her nails digging into the skin as she guides me inside her again.

  “Oh, fuck,” I groan, my breathing picking up, heart racing. “I need to go a little faster. It won’t take long.”

  She answers by grabbing my ass and pulling me inside her throat deeper, and my eyes flutter shut at the all-encompassing feel of her letting me take her this way. It’s so vulnerable and hot, and at the very base of it, it’s her saying she trusts me.