“What are you talking about?” I asked, reaching for a biscuit and taking a bite of the warm, dense dough.
“Your father did the same sort of thing.”
I froze, narrowing my eyes at her, the biscuit now dust in my mouth. I swallowed and cleared my throat. “You think I’m like my father? I didn’t do it to hurt anyone or for any sort of gain. I wanted Abby safe.” I tapped the top of the wooden table, driving my point home. “He deserved what he got. I could have done far worse.”
She bit her lip, sadness washing over her face. “That’s what frightens me, Linc.” She stood, walking toward the sink. Her shoulders were slumped, her posture defeated. I dropped the biscuit on my plate and followed her.
I had done that. Upset her. Worried her. Her words from the other day came back to me. “I don’t like to see the hate you carry inside, Linc. It frightens me.”
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight. She didn’t pull away, leaning back into me.
“I didn’t mean that, Sunny. I wouldn’t do anything else. I did what I thought I had to do to make sure he went back to jail and stayed away from Abby.”
“And her mother?”
“If she is a threat, I will keep her away from Abby.”
“Would you-would you hurt her?”
“No,” I insisted. “She’d be given a stern warning, and we’d give her money to go away. Take her to the bus station and make sure she moved on.”
“If she refused?”
“Then we’d get a restraining order. I don’t hurt people like that, Sunny.” I tried not to feel insulted she had to ask, but I did feel a pang of hurt.
“You don’t feel that you’re manipulating people?”
“I suppose, in this case, I am,” I admitted. “I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.”
She sighed. “I get the feeling you’re not really that sorry.”
“I’m not the boy I was, Sunny. Too many things happened, too many years have gone by. But I am still the man who loves you. Who is trying. Can that be enough?”
She turned in my arms and gazed up at me. I could see her struggle. I hated the wariness of her gaze. She wanted the boy who was only ever good. The one she remembered. But I had changed, and part of me was hard and did what I felt was best for the people I cared about. But I didn’t do things to hurt people the way my father did. I protected them.
I wasn’t my father. She had to see that. I had to make her see that.
I tucked a loose curl behind her ear, trailing my finger over the tender lobe. I felt her shiver. “Sunny,” I whispered. “I’m still me. A little tougher toward the world, but not you. Never you.”
“I want to believe that.”
“Trust me. Give me that chance.”
Her eyes grew round as I moved closer, lifting her to the counter. She squeaked as her thighs hit the cold granite, making me grin. I leaned in, ghosting my mouth up her neck, stopping to sweep my tongue along her skin. She gripped the fabric of my shirt, bunching it in her hands.
“Promise me you’ll tread carefully.”
“I will,” I vowed against her shoulder, nosing the loose collar out of the way and teasing her skin with my lips, nipping at her softness.
I licked and bit my way back up her neck, threading my hand into her curls and pulling her mouth to mine in a soul-shattering kiss. The world ceased to exist around us—all that existed was her. Me. This moment. I stroked her tongue with mine, tasting the honey, tasting her. Losing myself in the sweetness of her. I always loved kissing Sunny, and time hadn’t changed that fact. The feel of her close, the way her mouth moved with mine, the low, sexy sounds she made—all of it amped me up. My cock ached, wanting to be inside her. My body longed to feel all of her against me—her soft skin gliding along my rougher body. The way I remembered feeling, wrapped in her embrace. The warmth of being joined with her. The intense intimacy we had shared that one night. I wanted to repeat it. Over and again.
I dragged my mouth from hers, desperately trying to find my control. “We have to stop.”
“Why?” she whimpered, trying to close the distance between us, pulling my head down toward her again.
“I promised you dinner and a show. If we don’t stop, neither is happening, because once I get you upstairs and in my bed, you aren’t leaving it until we go back to Mission Cove tomorrow, Sunny.”
Our eyes locked, and the sweetest smile curled her lips.
“I love pizza in bed.”
I gripped her hips.
“And I really don’t like theatre.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.
“I’m on the pill.”
“I haven’t been with anyone for a long time. A very long time. I’m clean.”
“Take me upstairs, Linc.”
I scooped her into my arms and took the steps two at a time.
* * *
I laid her on my bed and stepped back. She was a vision to behold. Dressed in my shirt, the white of it bright on the creamy sheets, her hair a mass of sunset curls around her face, and her dark eyes wide with desire as she looked at me—she took my breath away.
I yanked my shirt over my head, too eager to bother with the buttons. I cupped my erection through my pants, groaning.
“See what you do to me, Sunny?”
She lifted her arms over her head, her slender legs moving restlessly on the sheet as her breathing picked up and a warm flush tinged her cheeks, spreading down her chest as I disrobed in front of her. She licked her lips as I made fast work of the belt and zipper, pushing my pants off my legs, taking my shoes and socks with them, and standing in front of her in nothing but black boxers, my cock so hard, it strained against the waistband.
I crawled up the mattress toward her like a lion stalking its prey. I straddled her hips, leaning on my fists, looming over her. Teasingly, I tugged on the collar of the shirt she wore.
“One of us has entirely too many clothes on.”
Her words were low, sexy. “Take them off, then.”
She gasped as I gripped the tails of my dress shirt and ripped it open, the buttons flying like small UFOs in the air and landing scattered on the carpet. I let the torn material fall to the sides and feasted my eyes on her. Smooth, ivory skin, dotted with faint freckles and flushed pink along her collarbone, greeted me. Her breasts, her beautiful breasts that always fascinated me, were fuller than I remembered, her nipples a deep, dusty-rose color. They lifted and fell in rapid succession with her shallow gasps of air. I slid my hands along her arms, trailing my fingers over her warm skin, and entwining our hands over her head. I bent down close to her mouth, touching my lips to hers.
“Sunny, you are the most beautiful woman in the world.” I kissed her softly. “More gorgeous than my memories.” Another kiss, this time harder, longer. “Lovelier than my imagination.”
She shivered as I ran my lips down her neck, over her sexy collarbone, and between her breasts. Goose bumps broke out on her skin as she arched her back with a silent plea, and I closed my mouth around her nipple, sucking gently. She gripped my fingers with hers, a low moan in her throat as I moved between her breasts, kissing, sucking, licking. I released her hands to cup them, stroking my thumbs over her hard nipples.
“I’ve always loved your breasts,” I confessed. “Your tits starred in my nightly dreams.” I shook my head in amusement. “The things I wanted to do to them.”
“Tell me.”
I lowered my head, demonstrating as I spoke. “Lick them. Suck them. Squeeze them. Play with them.” I rose over her, close to her ear. “Fuck them.” I flicked my tongue on her earlobe. “I still do.”
She whimpered.
I smiled against her skin. She was so responsive, exactly the way I remembered. I sat back, lifting her, pulling the shirt away from her body. I wrapped her in my arms, holding her tight, needing to simply feel her against me. I knew how big this moment was going to be for us, and I didn’t want to rush it.
She gripped me hard, her fingers digging into my skin. I felt a tremor go down her spine, and I pulled back, tilting up her chin to look into her dark eyes. “Sunny, baby, what is it? Too fast?”
“No,” she whispered. “It’s overwhelming at times. I never thought I’d be here, like this, with you again.”
“I know.” I brushed a kiss to her lips. “I feel the same.”
“Linc…” Her voice trailed off, uncertainty filling that one word.
“Talk to me,” I begged. “If this is too much, we can stop, Sunny. I swear.”
“No, it’s just—” she swallowed “—I might not be what you expect.”
I cupped her face. “What I expect? I expect you. Nothing more.”
“I, ah, don’t have a lot of experience.” She huffed a sigh and looked up. “In fact, other than you, none.”
Her words hit me, and I stared at her, stunned.
“Sunny, you’ve never been with anyone but me? All these years?”
“No.”
For a moment, I said nothing. We hadn’t talked about the years we were apart. The people in our lives. Our experiences. I had assumed…well, apparently, I had assumed wrong.
I stroked her face with my thumb, trying to phrase my words properly. “Can I ask why?”
She shrugged. “Sex was never just about sex for me. What we shared that night meant something. I dated a few guys, but none of them ever touched my heart. I didn’t want them to touch my body if that was the case.” Her gaze looked everywhere except at me. “I just…didn’t.”
I pressed my forehead to hers. “Sunny, baby, you overwhelm me.” I exhaled hard, the air moving the curls around her forehead. “My experience was, ah, different,” I confessed, feeling shame at my words.
She wrapped her hands around my wrists. “It’s fine, Linc.”
“No, listen, please. I dated a few women. I had relationships with two. But they never touched my heart because you still owned it. They were both smart enough to recognize that, and we took the relationship for what it really was. We enjoyed each other’s company, and the sex was an outlet—nothing more.”
“So you only had sex with two other women?”
I nodded. “The last one was two years ago. Like I said, it’s been a long time.”
She met my eyes. “And you’ve been alone ever since?”
“Sunny, I’ve been alone since the day I lost you.”
“I’m here, Linc.”
I leaned my forehead back to hers, shutting my eyes. “I’m not worthy of you.”
“I think you are.”
I gazed down at her, her eyes damp with unshed tears, her lips trembling with emotion. Her confession shook me to the core. This woman, this beautiful woman, had been mine all these years. As alone as I was—and somehow waiting for me.
“I want to tell you everything. All the words, all the thoughts I never got to share the first time around. I want to build a lifetime of new memories with you, Sunny.”
“I want that too.”
“I’m going to make you mine again,” I murmured, tracing her lips with my finger. “Only this time, I’m not letting you go.”
She kissed my finger, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
“I never stopped being yours, Linc.”
With a groan, I crashed my mouth to hers.
* * *
The girl in my memory was simply that. A memory. A body on the cusp of changing. A mind beginning to explore and absorb the world around it. A girl on the brink of becoming a woman.
That woman was with me now. Beautiful, vibrant, and here in the present—not a shimmering mirage of a ghost from long ago. Real. Warm. Waiting.
Our mouths molded together, reacquainting themselves with everything familiar, discovering all the new richness of the moment. Sunny’s taste filled my senses—sweet, hot, and addictive. She kissed me back, her passion matching mine. I dragged my mouth over her cheek, nibbling on her ear, kissing the sensitive skin behind it, smiling as she shivered. She always liked that.
I explored her with my hands and my mouth. Tasted and teased the juncture where her shoulder met her neck. Licked her sexy collarbone. Keeping our gazes locked, I lifted her arm, trailing my mouth along the inside of her wrist, up her elbow to her shoulder, then doing the same with the other arm. Her breasts beckoned, and she gasped as I licked and sucked at her nipples, teasing them into hard points under my tongue. I kissed my way down her stomach, listening to her whimpers as I worshiped her curves, trailing my fingers over the swell of her hip, gliding them along the indent of her waist and sliding them back to her breasts, playing with the hard nubs as I went lower.
Sunny gripped the sheets as I slid farther down the mattress, lifting one leg, kissing my way up from her ankle, swirling my tongue under her knee, making her moan as my mouth drifted higher. I stopped before I reached her apex, then started on the other leg. She strained under my touch, her voice pleading and begging.
“Linc, oh god, Linc—”
I grinned against her soft skin, taking my time. When I finished my torturous route, I paused, then slowly drew my finger against her core. One light, fluttering touch.
Jesus, she was soaked.
She gasped and arched, her legs opening farther, silently begging.
I gave her what she asked for.
I closed my mouth around her clit, lapping, flicking the hard nub. Sunny moaned, lifting her hips to get closer. I slid one finger inside her, feeling the way she gripped me. She was hot, wet, and tight around my finger.
“My cock wants inside you, Sunny. He wants to feel you choking him.” Turning my head, I kissed her thigh, biting down and leaving a small mark.
My mark.
“You are going to feel amazing wrapped around my cock.”
I added another finger, pumping harder. I wanted her to climax for me. I wanted to watch as she lost herself in pleasure before I buried my cock completely inside her. She gripped one hand in her hair, grasping at my shoulder with the other. She made a keening sound, her voice high and wanting.
“Linc, oh god…Linc—”
I couldn’t tear my eyes off her. I pressed my thumb to her clit, stroking and teasing. Her back bowed off the bed, her cries getting louder.
“Fuck!” she cursed, the sound breathless and sexy.
“Give it to me, Sunny. I want to hear you come.”
With a long shudder, she did. Crying out my name, pleading with me for more, begging me not to stop.
So, I didn’t.
I rose on my knees and yanked her up my thighs. With one thrust, I was inside her, her heat searing me. Marking me forever. She cried out as I began to move. Thrusting hard into her warmth, the slick welcome of her desire. She pulled at the sheets, gripping them with her fists, then reached blindly for me as I rode her. I bent low, pulling her to my chest and sitting back up, surrounding her with my embrace. I spread my hands wide across her back, holding her to me. She wrapped her legs around me, taking more of me, and I growled at the intensity of the sensation. She tugged at my shoulders, dug her nails into my back, pulled my head down to kiss me, yanked on my hair, all while making the most erotic noises. Sweat glistened on our skin, the bed creaked, the sheets in disarray around us. My body was on fire, the flames licking at my skin. I was certain I would be a pile of charred ashes left at her feet when we were done.
I didn’t care.
We moved together, the years disappearing, the pain and worry gone.
There was only now. Only her. Only us.
And blinding, soul-shattering ecstasy.
Her head fell back, a low, frantic scream falling from her lips. I buried my face in her neck as she tightened around me, milking my cock as I came. My hips jerked, my balls tightened, my cock sank deeper inside her, and my world imploded.
Pleasure had never been so intense. Every part of my body felt it. Thousands of tendrils exploded under my skin. My nerves snapped and twisted as I rode it out. I bellowed her name. Gripped her to me so hard, I
knew I would leave bruises on her delicate skin. I saw colors I had never seen behind my tightly closed eyes.
And through it all, she held me. Until I was spent. Until I began to tremble with her in the aftermath. I ran my hands up and down her back, my heavy breathing drifting over her cooling skin.
“Sunny,” I whispered.
Her arms tightened, her face still buried in my chest. I felt the wet of her tears on my skin, and as carefully as I could, I laid her down, running my hands over her.
“Baby, I hurt you? Tell me where?” I demanded, cupping her face, forcing her to look at me. “I lost myself in the moment, I didn’t mean—”
She lifted a finger to my mouth, silencing me. I met her eyes and relaxed. There was no pain in her expression. There was love. Satisfaction. Happiness.
I pulled her hand to my mouth and kissed her palm. “Overwhelmed?” I asked tenderly.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I never thought… I never knew, Linc. We were so young before…”
“I know.”
“Was it, ah, okay for you?”
“Sunny,” I whispered. “That was the most profound experience of my life. It was a dream come true and better than any fantasy I had in my head all these years.”
“Oh. Well, good then.”
“And it’ll get better, Sunny-girl.”
She giggled, the sound making me smile. “If it gets any better, I might not survive.”
I bent low and kissed her. Sweetly. Softly. “I’ll catch you, baby. I promise.”
She pulled me to her chest, and I rested my head against her warmth.
“Okay, then. I look forward to it.”
And for the first time in years, I fell asleep with my Sunny beside me.
I never wanted to be without her again.
19
Linc
I woke with Sunny curled around me. She was awake, tracing abstract designs on my chest with her finger in long, lazy motions. I snickered. “Is this a game, Sunny-girl? Am I supposed to guess what you’re writing?”
The Summer of Us Page 16