by Quinn, Taryn
I kissed her throat and concentrated on unlocking all her secrets with my hands and memorizing the little noises she made. With my other hand, I tugged and plucked at her nipples, cupping her breasts gently between the firmer caresses she seemed to crave.
Her back arched and I opened my thighs to spread her farther.
I wanted it all. Knew instinctively the tiny bite of the stretch would make her hum all the more.
“Luna.”
She was past conversation. Sun streamed into the apartment. The golden beams cut across her body, highlighting the shimmer of her skin, the dark blush of her nipples I’d caused, and the lace cutting into my knuckles as I thrust into her again and again.
Her soft cries turned to strangled gasps. I held her down and demanded more.
My dick screamed to get inside of her, to ease my own pain, but I didn’t have a condom on me.
I’d have my turn.
I might die first, but she’d come for me, dammit.
She cried out to some name I didn’t know, but it had an inflection that I recognized. Nirvana. God. That place where you weren’t exactly in your own body. She shook and clamped her hand over mine. Her fingers slid between mine until we were both stroking the soft flesh of her pussy.
“Fuck, Luna.”
Her other hand came up and gripped my hair as she practically levitated off my lap. Her body bowed and every muscle tightened while she shook.
Then a moment later, she simply dropped back onto me with a shiver. She turned her face until our lips met in a messy kiss that was more sighs than technique.
I sat up and shifted her so her legs were together, then hoisted her up in a princess carry.
Her sleepy blue eyes sparkled as she quickly looped her arm around my neck. “Now that was some brunch.”
No ‘I’m too heavy. Don’t do that.’ She just embraced the moment and allowed me to carry her. “Just wait until dinner.”
She tipped her head against my shoulder. “I think you tried to kill me.”
“Nah. I still have plans for you.”
“Maybe give me a couple minutes?” She yawned. “I’ll be ready for round three in a few.”
Disappointment made my dick want to whimper, but she was too cute for words.
I headed for my room. While I could probably rouse her to get a little something for myself, I resigned myself to some downtime.
Gently, I set her on the navy sheets of my king-sized bed. She instantly curled onto her side and tucked a pillow into her chest. “I’ll just be a second. A few minutes maybe,” she mumbled.
I kicked off my shorts and crawled in next to her.
She settled back against my chest and pulled my arm around her waist. “Just a lil’ nap.”
I shoved a pillow under my head and prepared to wait out her nap. Surprisingly, I followed her into slumber just as quickly, wearing a smile.
Magical Luna properties apparently worked even when she was in my bed.
Eight
I rolled over and bumped into a warm and very solid body. Caleb was on his back, his arm flung above his head at an angle he’d probably regret when he woke.
My first instinct was to slip out of the bed and head back to my own place.
How many times had I done the disappearing act?
I really didn’t want to figure out that number. Instead, I wondered what the next steps might be if I actually stuck around for the first time since I was… Wow.
Yeah, that was a memory lane I definitely wasn’t going down.
Pushing that aside, I perused the very nicely made man lying beside me. The man who’d made sure I had been well taken care of this morning and post brunch. Of course most guys were on their best behavior for the first few rounds.
Either that or they were just selfish pricks from the jump and not worth my time. Caleb was…different.
He had player written all over him. The charming grin and effortless hotness factor had given him a leg up. I’d known men like him all my life, but when he was around me, he seemed to trip over himself in ways that confounded him.
There was a difference between guys who were normally goofy and inept introverts and those who were generally comfortable in their skin.
Caleb was definitely aware of the checkmarks in his good column. He was a teacher, so he was smart and good with kids, charming, and had the All American Dude label practically stamped on his forehead.
All the things that would make him comfortable to be around, but not the kind of guy I usually let in my bed.
Our worlds would never have collided if not for the hallway between our apartments.
Was that fate interfering? The universe liked to fuck with me as much as it had saved me.
“That’s a lot of thinky thoughts going on.”
I peeked at him over the pillow I’d commandeered. He still had his arm above his head and his eyes were closed. “A woman’s prerogative.”
He grinned and rolled onto his side to face me. “Looking for an exit strategy?”
“Reviewed and discarded.”
His sun-bleached eyebrow arched. “Noted.”
I tucked my hand under my cheek. “We’re not dating, and we’re not exactly one-night-stand level here.”
“We’re our own thing.” He leaned in and brushed his nose along mine, then rolled me onto my back. “Whatever it is, I like it.”
I slid my leg along his and opened for him. There was something delicious about a man’s weight when the intimacy was easy. Maybe that was my problem. I didn’t want to keep my shields up around him.
That was dangerous.
His cock lengthened, the blunt tip pressing against my belly. I reached between us and familiarized myself with the shape of him. The last time had been quick and mindless. He’d had me on the edge before I could even catch up. But now, I could take the time to make him crazy.
He was warm and smooth with a flared head that made me want to take a taste. I started to inch down and he stopped me.
“I would really love to watch that pretty mouth around me, but I’m still ready from before.”
I nipped his chin. “You had a hard-on the whole time we slept?”
“I dreamed of sinking into you.”
My fingers paused around the base of him. “You dreamed of me?”
He lowered his mouth to mine instead of answering. And then it was just the warm, late afternoon light haloing around his head as he pushed himself into my hand with a groan.
No talking. Just action.
I was pretty sure he had the right idea. I wasn’t usually an overthinker by nature and it was throwing me off.
No more of that.
I licked my way up his neck, swirling my tongue around his Adam’s apple. The scruff of his beard rasped against my lips, making them buzz.
With my other hand, I gripped his very bitable ass. His stormy eyes met mine. They were heavy-lidded and intent. The soft orangey glow of his aura flowed into me.
I rode on the high of it.
Happiness without any angst or trauma.
He lived solely in the moment and dragged me along with him, cupping the back of my head and angled me so we lined up from mouth to hips. My breasts brushed over his lightly furred chest, raising the tips until they ached for a touch.
Our hips moved in tandem to each stroke of my hand. Easy and unhurried—we had nowhere to be. I sighed, drawing in his breath and recycling it through my body back into his.
His eyes went wide as the unconscious energy exchange filtered into him, ramping up the pleasure. The tip of him was damp against my belly as his arm flexed into the mattress to hold us in the moment.
“Luna.”
I smiled into his kiss as my name became a prayer on his lips.
He braced himself on his forearm, digging his arm under my neck so he could reach into the bedside drawer. “I need to fu—I need to get inside of you.”
I nodded and we fumbled between us to get the condom on. Both of us shaking a li
ttle as the moment became larger than it had started out being.
I lifted my knee up and around his other forearm as he shifted us over to the middle of the bed. He seemed to understand that I needed all of him in one fluid thrust.
My breath hissed out as he stretched me to capacity. I arched my back even as he pinned me to the mattress. He leaned back, rising up on his knees to spread me open using long, achingly slow strokes.
I looked down between us to see how his cock glided in and out of me.
For a moment, I wondered what it would feel like without the barrier. I pushed that thought out as quickly as it came. I propped myself on my elbows and cupped my breast, tugging at one nipple then the other as he watched me.
He closed his hand over mine, then coasted up to my neck and held the back of my head as the slow strokes went deeper and harder. The angle made the room fuzz around the edges as I went from slow burn to orgasm before I was ready.
I choked out a scream only to have Caleb right there with me. He slammed his mouth over mine and swallowed each cry as I twined around him, locking him inside me. I pulsed around him, the release skipping from one to another raging orgasm as I shuddered under him.
He stiffened over me, burying his face into my shoulder with a scrape of teeth and finally, a heady groan that made my toes curl.
I lightly trailed my fingers down his sweaty back as our racing hearts synced up then steadied. He didn’t move for a few more minutes, and talking seemed like it would break whatever this spell was.
Finally, he rolled us so that I was sprawled across his chest. “I’m not ready to move yet, even if the massacre under the sheets says I need another shower.”
I giggled against his chest before peeking under the sheet. “A few minutes ago, I thought to myself…Luna, that’s one of the most beautiful cocks you’ve ever had in your hand.”
“Yeah?” His lips kicked up at the corner. He lifted the sheet. “Looks pretty sad right now in his wrinkly raincoat.”
I rolled onto my back with a startled laugh. “No, you didn’t just say that.”
“I mean, there’s nothing attractive about a condom. You know, except the lack of a baby or STDs.”
I lifted the sheet once more. “We thank you for your service, sir.”
He snorted and rolled up to a seated position. “I’m starving.”
I tucked the sheet around me. “We literally just ate.”
He leaned back and gave me a quick kiss. “I need a huge burger. Or maybe a steak.” He groaned against my neck. “Loaded baked potato.”
My stomach growled at the description. “Okay, I see you.”
“I could take you to The Cove.”
I wrinkled my nose. I didn’t want to get dressed up and wait in line at the fancy bar and grill at the edge of town. “Why don’t we barbecue up on the roof?”
“A woman after my own heart.”
I curled my fingers through his damp curls. “Want me to run to the store?”
He slid off the bed and took care of the condom, hiding the evidence in his cupped hand. “Nah, why don’t we go shopping together? We can find a bottle of wine too.”
I tucked my knees up and looped my arms around them. “That sounds nice actually.”
“So, you want to shower with me?”
“How about I run over to my place? Easier so I don’t have to do my hair again.”
He reached back and tugged one of my lopsided space buns. “Too late.”
“I mean, wash it. Girl magic.”
“Okay. Handily, you’re right across the hall.”
“Handy,” I murmured. Handy for a lot of things, but it also could turn into shit if this went sideways.
He stood and hid his hand behind his back. “I’ll come get you.”
“And this time, it won’t even be breaking and entering, Goldilocks.”
Grinning, he dropped his chin to his chest. “Never living that down.”
“Nope.”
He sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to make it up to you with a spectacular steak dinner.”
“Feeding me twice in one day. I’m a spoiled girl.”
“I plan on spoiling the hell out of you for the foreseeable future.” A frown rolled over his features before he cleared his throat. “Sorry, was that weird?”
I tucked my chin on my knees. “I’m good with it.”
Surprisingly, that was the truth. I liked this feeling. Maybe things between us just were going to be easy. There was nothing wrong with that, was there?
He stopped at the threshold of his room. “Me too.”
I waited until I heard him start the shower before I padded into the living room to find my clothes. For a second, I thought about doing the dishes, but I decided I needed more time to get ready than he did.
I’d make it up to him.
I quickly dressed before I ducked my head out into the hall, my fingers holding my shirt together. I darted across the way into my apartment, then sprinted to my bedroom. I quizzed my Alexa about the weather and groaned at the absurd temperature even at almost five in the evening.
Late July meant sunset was still well after eight which meant I needed something cool and cute to wear. I dug into my closet and found a floaty leopard print skirt that would dance around my ankles and decided to go with a T-shirt to dress it down.
I took a ten-minute shower to wash off the sweat and sex and swapped out my fried space buns for two French braids. I took a few minutes to do up my eyes while I was drying in front of my standing fan.
Damn summer.
I loved it, but anything over ninety with matching humidity was just wrong. Part of the fun of a lake town. Super snow and super humidity from the water. But I was still happier here than I’d ever been anywhere else.
I’d escaped to Syracuse when I’d tried the college route, but that hadn’t stuck. My brain wasn’t wired for that kind of structure. Instead, I’d juggled jobs and roommates until the tarot practice had become something more. Finding Kinleigh had been my next step. Working in her shop evened me out. One was a healer position that was more rewarding than I deserved, and one gave me the freedom to meet people without them wanting anything from me except some retail therapy.
Best of both worlds.
I brushed on a layer of waterproof mascara to combat the sweat that would be in my future before I pulled on a cute cotton bra and panty set. The hot pink flowers on the cup showed through the white of my shirt a little.
I shrugged. Caleb would probably enjoy it.
After I shimmied into the skirt, I layered it all with a lemon and mint spray I’d put together during solstice. The rose quartz in the bottle infused the blend with a bit of happiness.
I swapped out the tiger’s eye jewelry I had on for something more playful. Obviously, there was no grounding myself around this man today. Instead, I decided to lean into the rose quartz with a few rings and a pair of dangly earrings. It was too hot for necklaces.
“Luna,” Caleb called from my living room.
“In here.”
He came down the hallway. “Sorry, I had to tear apart my apartment for my wallet and still can’t find it.”
“On my end table,” I called out to him. “I forgot to bring it over. I found it peeking out from under my bed.”
“Lifesaver—damn.”
I turned toward his voice. “What?”
He crossed to me and cupped my face. “You are so damn beautiful.”
“Well, thanks.”
I went up on my toes as he lowered his mouth to mine. The kiss was soft and sweet. He tasted of mint and sunshine. Somehow those flavors fit him.
Finally, we broke apart. I smiled, openly checking him out. “You don’t look so bad yourself, teach.”
His hair was still wet, but he’d cleaned up around his beard, leaving him with a beachy sexy vibe with his disheveled hair. He’d dressed in a lightweight plaid button down much like the one I’d stripped off him to start the day. A pair of olive cargo shorts a
nd boat shoes spoke of comfort without being slick like some guys who were obsessed with labels.
Then again, labels probably weren’t a thing on a teacher’s salary.
He pocketed his wallet. “Ready?”
“Yes.” I grabbed my rainbow bag and transferred the contents to a brown crocheted bag. “Okay, now I’m really ready.”
He slid his hand along my lower back as he led me out of my room. “Do you still want to hit the grocery store, or just get something to eat on Main?”
“Grilling sounds perfect.” I stopped at the closet near my front door and tucked a few reusable market bags into my tote.
He held the door open for me, and we naturally fell into step with each other in the hallway. Our hands brushed, and he laced his fingers with mine just as Tabitha came out of her apartment.
“Oh, hey, guys.” She glanced down at our joined hands and her grin got wider. “Hey, guys…”
My lips twitched. “Tabitha.”
“So, this is a thing?”
I tried to slide my hand away, but Caleb tightened his fingers. “Definitely.”
She nibbled on her lip, and I braced myself. I knew she’d been sort of interested in Caleb. But then her aura glowed yellow. “You’re so cute together.”
Relief nearly made me sag. “Yeah, I let him hang out with me.”
Caleb curled his arm around my waist and hauled me closer. “Oh, sure. That’s the story?”
“You got it, Goldilocks.”
He buried his head in the crook between my neck and my shoulder. “Never going away.” He dragged me down the hall. “Come on, I’m starving.”
I laughed and stomped after him, waving goodbye to Tabitha. We flew down the stairs and through the vestibule. I fumbled with my bag to find my sunglasses in defense against the late day sun threatening to sear my corneas.
He didn’t let my hand go, and we laughed our way past the café. I was half tempted to turn him around and stop at Rolling Cones for an ice cream, but it would probably melt faster than I could eat it.
Instead, we took advantage of some sun tea set up outside of the Lakefront Grocery. We sipped on the mint tea—mine with extra ice—and picked out more food than we could possibly eat. Caleb was a natural flirt and teased me about choosing the most expensive cut of meat.