The Line Between

by Tamsyn Bester

  He turned his head, pulled out his earphones, and grinned down at me.

  “What ya doing?” I asked, peering around him to see what he had been cooking. The sweet smell of French toast whirled around us, and my stomach grumbled in response.

  “I was hoping I could surprise you with breakfast in bed,” replied Dane. He looked bashful as he turned to face me and put his hands on my hips. I knew exactly what he was thinking, because I was thinking it too. It was our last morning together, the last time he was going to be able to surprise me with anything, let alone breakfast in bed. I didn’t want to waste it by eating. At least not eating food.

  “You didn’t have to. I could’ve helped you.”

  “You would have distracted me,” he chuckled, removing the frying pan from the stove and switching it off. “Especially in my shirt.”

  “I can take it off if you’d like,” I said bravely. I had never been so forward when it came to intimacy, and taking what I wanted, but Dane had shown me that it’s okay to not only ask for what you wanted, but also to give yourself freely.

  I started unbuttoning his shirt, watching as his eyes followed the movement of my fingers.

  “Kitten.” His mouth wrapped around the nickname I’d become so fond of, and caressed every letter.

  “Are you going to feed me?” I asked innocently, stepping back until I hit the counter. I hoisted myself up, and leaned back on my arms. Dane eyed my pink lace panties, and then prowled towards me like a man possessed. He parted my thighs, and came to stand between my legs.

  “Do you know how sexy you are?” He asked hoarsely. His eyes bored into mine, the icy blue darkening.

  “No,” I sat up, brushing my hands through his lush brown hair, and wrapped my arms around his neck, “but I know how sexy you make me feel.”

  It was true. Dane made me feel both desirable and desired, and it didn’t matter whether were naked in bed, or wearing t-shirts and sweats while watching television on the sofa. He kissed the side of my mouth, and pressed his forehead against mine. “You deserve it. That, and so much more.”

  His words touched me so deeply, and I was afraid things were turning too serious too quickly. This was about getting our fill of each other, and savoring every second until time drifted away from us.

  “Mr. Winters,” I sighed, breaking the somberness that had cloaked us. “I do believe you are overdressed for this occasion.”

  He lifted his head, and flashed me his signature dirty grin.

  “By all means then, Ms. Monroe, undress me so I can have my wicked way with you, and then feed you.”

  I hitched my knees up, and used my toes to slide Dane’s boxer briefs down his legs. He removed my panties with his hands, and placed open-mouthed kisses on the arches of my feet before tugging my hips to the edge of the counter.

  “Are you…” he hesitated, looking slightly red-faced. “Can we…?”

  I knew what he was asking, but I wanted to draw out his sudden awkwardness. Seeing a grown man squirm was quite funny, especially when that was man was always so cocky, and self-assured.

  “We’re good,” I replied, unable to hide my giggle. He was so fucking cute when he got himself all flustered. It was a beautiful, but rare, sight.

  “Are you making fun of me?” He asked. His brows lifted but his eyes filled with a playfulness he only seemed to share with me. It was one of many things I was going to take away from my time with him, and keep it locked away safe in my memory box. I wanted to remember these little moments, and flick back to them later on.

  “I couldn’t help it. I’ve never seen you blush before, and it was kind of cute.”

  “Describing me as ‘cute’ doesn’t make me feel very manly,” he stated. “In fact, standing in your kitchen buck ass naked should make you think of anything but the word ‘cute’.”

  “Oh really? What should I be thinking about when you’re standing buck ass naked in my kitchen?” My hands found his firm, round butt, and squeezed. God I would never get tired of touching him like this.

  “I don’t know.” He tapped his chin, and pretended to think about it. “Words like ‘hung’ and ‘huge’ come to mind.”

  “Hmmm…” I scrunched my nose. “I was thinking more along the lines of ‘average’ and ‘miniature’.”

  I was pushing him, taunting him, and judging from the look in his eyes our banter got him as excited as it did me.

  “You’re going to regret that,” he murmured. His low voice warmed my skin, and my nipples pebbled. I pulled him closer, and whispered against his lips, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  He caught the message loud, and clear, and responded by crashing his mouth to mine with violent urgency. It wasn’t sweet or gentle, or soft, or slow, and I was glad for that. Our time for that would come, but right now it was about marking him, and being marked by him.

  He used his fingers to get my body ready, not that it took much, and when I guided the tip of his hard cock to my entrance, he wasted no time sinking into me.

  I moaned into his neck, my nails clawing at his skin.

  “I like you this way,” he said with a harsh exhale. “So needy, and wet, and tight around my cock.”

  I mewled, his lecherous words making me clench around him.

  “Dirty talk turns my girl on.” He nipped at my shoulder. “Your pussy responds to every word, and it’s sexy as fuck when I feel you grip me tighter.”

  I squeezed his length again, struggling not to move my hips until he moved inside me. I’d learned to trust him with my body, and submit to him without fear. He’d never denied me anything sexually, he just liked to draw it out, and take his time getting there. It was always worth it though, the eventual drop into the abyss so much more intense after he’d worked me the way he wanted to.

  “As much as I want to take my time and worship your gorgeous body, I don’t think I’ll last that long.”

  I brought his face close to mine, and hooked my arm around his neck while placing the other behind me on the counter for support.

  “Hard and fast,” I breathed out. “I want you hard, and fast Dane, until we’re both a sweaty mess, and I feel you dripping down my thighs.”

  Dane’s mouth dropped open, and his pupils dilated until the blue of his iris was nothing more than a thin line circling a black pool of lust. I liked, no loved his filthy mouth, but in the past few weeks I’d learned that a few crude words or remarks brought out the untamable sexual prowess with which Dane fucked.

  He braced himself by parting his legs slightly, and gripping my thighs until his fingerprints were embedded on my skin. I welcomed it. I wanted him there. Always.

  He slid out. “I’ll give you…Hard.” He thrust back in as deep as he could, jolting my body back with a cry. He slid out again, and the feral look on his face told me to be prepared.

  Something on my face gave Dane reason to pause, and he reverently cupped my cheek. “You know I’d never hurt you, right? Tell me you know that, Kitten.”

  I had no idea where that came from, or what caused him to act that way. I just knew that he needed to be told how much I trusted him, and how much I craved the way he owned me.

  “I know.” I kissed his damp chest. “I trust you. Completely.”

  I saw the change, the moment his unease vanished. His thrusts became harder, more urgent, and his apa piercing was rubbing my G-spot with expert precision. Watching him drive himself into me, and pull out covered in my arousal was so sexually intoxicating and provocative, that every nerve was short-circuiting, misfiring in every direction that had my body ready to combust. I tried to hold on, but the smell of sex, and sweat and the slickness between us, and the sound of his skin slapping with mine surged my orgasm forward until it rocked me from my very core. Dane watched me carefully, and after a few more lung tightening thrusts he let go, and exploded inside me. He rested his head between my breasts, and the feel of his quick, hot breaths against my damp skin had me clenching again.

  “Don’t,” he grumbled
. “I admit defeat, and if you squeeze me again, my dick will surely stop working.”

  I lifted his head by gently pulling his hair, and gave him a sated smile. I was thoroughly satisfied, even more so after not having this for a few days.

  “I can’t help it. You’re a still a little hard, and what you do with that piercing is a very addictive.”

  “Hmmm…” He licked between my breasts. “You’re addictive. Your pussy is addictive.”

  “Please stop with the dirty talk, at least until after we’ve recovered and had breakfast.”

  His mouth, flushed and swollen from our kisses, tipped up and his eyes creased at the sides. “I thought that was breakfast? I definitely think it’s the breakfast of champions.”

  Right on cue, my stomach made a weird sound, and I looked up. “Feed me, fiend, so I can get some of my strength back.”

  Dane straightened, but kept himself buried between my legs.

  “You’ll need your strength,” he said, brushing my hair from my face, and fingering the purple tips. “I have something planned for us today, and I wouldn’t want you to pass out before we leave.”

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked curiously.

  He smiled, and gone was the Sex God version of Dane. In his place was the little boy who looked excited about something.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  He lifted me off the counter, and laughed when my legs wobbled. I slapped his chest, and he then kissed my hand before allowing me to clean myself up. We ate breakfast, traded stories about anything but our families, and I felt myself falling for him a little more.

  It was my new favorite Thanksgiving, and all because of the boy who’d hated me, and the man who’d made me want more from him than he could ever give.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Dane

  “WHERE ARE YOU taking me?”

  I looked over at Kennedy in the passenger seat of my truck, and couldn’t resist checking her out. “I told you it’s a surprise.”

  “Not even a little hint?” She asked, using her full, pink lips to fake-pout. She looked happy, and excited, and the cavemen inside me pounded on his chest from the knowledge that I’d made her look like that.

  “Nope,” I replied. “You’ll just have to be patient, Kitten.”

  She pouted some more, and then turned her gaze towards the open road in front of us. Her blonde hair was blowing in the wind, wild, and free, and she had her bare feet on my dashboard. She looked at home, so comfortable, like she’d always belonged there. She was the girl straight out of a country song, and I immediately thought back to the conversation I’d had with my sister about clichés. Kennedy had become my cliché, and I liked how easy it was with her.

  It was a hot sunny day, and couldn’t be more perfect for what I had planned. It wasn’t the Thanksgiving I was accustomed to, but I could definitely get used to days like this with Kennedy. Knowing our time was just about up made me frown, but no less determined to make this the best day I possibly could. When I walked away I wanted to know we’d made some kind of memory to hang on to, a moment filled with light kisses, beaming smiles, and perfect, untainted passion. We deserved that. Kennedy deserved that.

  After a few miles, I pulled up to a gate and waved when the security guard opened up for us. Kennedy sat up, and looked around at the open, grassy land. I drove a little further until the large lake finally came into view. It was a holiday, and no one else would have been allowed access, but I knew the son of the guy who owned it, and he arranged for us to use it for the afternoon. We were a few miles away from Campus, and guaranteed to be alone and uninterrupted.

  “You brought me to a lake?” Asked Kennedy. Unlike most girls who would have sounded disbelieving, she sounded surprised.

  “It’s a perfect day for a picnic, and a swim, don’t you think?”

  I climbed out before she could reply, and took the picnic basket from the back, along with a red-checkered blanket.

  Kennedy stared out at the water. “It’s beautiful. I didn’t even know it was here.”

  We walked over to a tall tree, and I laid the blanket down. “It’s closed on holidays like today, but I pulled some strings so we could get in. I have some towels in the truck so we can take a swim after lunch.”

  Kennedy’s brows puckered. “You didn’t tell me to bring a swimsuit, and the water is probably freezing.”

  “I know.” I waggled my eyebrows. “I plan on keeping you warm.”

  “Of course,” Kennedy laughed. That sound had become one of my favorites of hers.

  I kneeled down, and started unpacking some things from the picnic basket I had my parents’ personal chef prepare. I’d had it delivered early this morning, right before Kennedy had surprised me with the best non-food breakfast ever. Just thinking about it made me hard.

  Kennedy kneeled down beside me, her hands resting on her thighs. She was wearing a strapless peach sundress that ended mid-thigh, and did little to hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra. “How many people are you planning on feeding?”

  I looked at all the plastic containers, wondering if I had maybe gone overboard. I wanted to make sure I had a bit of everything that Kennedy liked, including chocolate covered strawberries, and homemade pumpkin pie.

  “It’s just us,” I replied. “I wanted to make sure you had a few options.”

  Her green eyes turned pensive, and her mouth lifted into a half-smile that told me she hadn’t been expecting my thoughtfulness.

  “You’re too charming for your own good,” she said.

  I shrugged, and sat down with my legs stretched out in front of me. “I’ve never had any complaints before.”

  Her smile dropped slightly, and I cursed my inability to think before I spoke. I didn’t want to ruin this day, our last perfect day together by making a careless remark about other girls I’d been with. No one exited before Kennedy, and anyone who came after her wouldn’t be able to top her. Not ever.

  “I’m sure you haven’t.”

  We fell into a slightly awkward silence after that, and I wondered if she was thinking about our fleeting time the same way I was. It was hard not to think about but I hadn’t brought her out here for that. I wanted to have fun, and pretend that we had more time.

  The melancholy dissipated as soon as we started eating. I laughed at the sounds Kennedy made, and had her blushing beet red when I said she makes the same sounds when she comes. That earned me a spoonful of mashed potatoes in the face, which only lead to more flying food. I caught Kennedy by the waist and pinned her down so that I could get her sticky with half-eaten strawberries and chocolate, and then lick it off her salty skin. We ended up naked in the lake, her body tangled with mine, our mouths licking and tasting until our skin had pruned.

  She pushed my hands away when I tried to help her get her dress back on, and laughed because I attempted to fondle her tits.

  “You can’t do that here,” she hissed, the smile on her face so perfect I wanted to photograph it.

  “You didn’t seem to mind it in the water,” I retorted, cocking my brow.

  “That’s because it was under the water, not out in the open.”

  “Worried the security guard will get off on seeing me touching you?” I chuckled.

  “Nooooo.” She shook her head, making her wet hair bounce. “I’m not into public sex, but it sounds like you might be.”

  I took her hips in my hands, and tugged her to my chest. “I’m into sex with you, whether it’s in a bed, on the kitchen counter, on the floor in your bedroom, in the shower…”

  Kennedy slapped my chest. “You’re unbelievable…” she paused. “And we haven’t had sex in the shower.”

  “Not yet.” I winked.

  We sat back down on the blanket, and Kennedy rested her head in my lap. I pulled my fingers through her hair, committing the silky feeling to memory. As we sat there, with the sun slowly setting, my mind wondered to what it would be like to have this, to have Kennedy, permanently. I though
t about what our future looked like, envisioning us living together, buying our first house, her with a swollen belly growing with my baby, and later filling our home with kids of our own. I thought about family dinners, and holidays, and growing old with her. I ignored the pang in my chest knowing it would never happen, and allowed myself the rare chance to dream. I’d never thought about my future in that way before, and I knew it was only because of Kennedy that I wanted it.

  It should have scared me, to think about all the things most guys shy away from until later in life, but what really scared me, was the thought that that’s all it was – a dream, a thought.

  It was never going to be real. There was too much standing in our way, and I wasn’t sure we’d ever be able to wade through it and find each other at the end of it.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Kennedy

  THE HOT WATER cascaded down my body, and my mind drifted over the last few days. It had been a whirlwind of events, one bleeding into the next like a domino effect. Jade, and Reid were due back tomorrow and their impending return only reminded me of what was ending.

  I shouldn’t have been so upset, but my chest ached, and my eyes burned. I was going to miss Dane. Fiercely.

  He’d turned my life into a nightmare growing up, with his cruel jokes, and heartless pranks, but three weeks ago he barged into my private world, unannounced and uninvited, and rocked it on its axis. Only this time, it felt like he’d righted it somehow. He’d carved himself a secret spot, and the thought of someone else taking it over made me sick to think about.

  Our past didn’t matter to me, but it did to him, and although I could look past the things standing in our way, there were things Dane didn’t know that could possibly ruin the time he’d given me. He’d end up hating me all over again, and that would be worse after I knew what loving him felt like.

  I would hold on to today as long as I lived, because he’d unknowingly given me the most unspoiled memory. It would become the ideal for which I strived, and I’ll come short every time because the man that comes next won’t be able to replicate what would become my dream.