Follow Me Down

by Melissa Toppen

  “Do it.” There is a slight shake to her voice, as her lips move against mine. “Take them off.”

  I damn near come undone right here on the spot.

  I’ve had my fair share of women. Some in this very location. But never one that I wanted the way I do Fallon. There’s something so pure about her. An innocence that I want to consume.

  Fallon presses up, using her hands to support her weight in order to give me enough room to rid her of her shorts with one quick tug.

  I can’t stop myself from leaning back to get a glimpse of her body. It’s funny, how hard I fought earlier to keep my eyes off her and now all I want to do is look at her.

  She’s beautiful.

  Fuck is she beautiful.

  She reaches for me, hands diving into my hair, fingers threading through the strands as she pulls me back to her. She kisses me softly, angling her face from one side to the other as she trails her lips across every single inch of mine.

  I already knew I was a dead man. The moment I felt the softness of her lips I knew there was no turning back. But when she reaches between us and grasps my erection through my jeans, she seals her fate.

  And as she starts to move her hand up and down, rubbing my crotch, I swear I almost come undone like a pubescent teenage boy who’s being touched by a girl for the very first time.

  All I want to do is touch her too.

  I hesitantly place my hand on her thigh and ease it upward. Her entire body goes stiff when my finger grazes the material of her lace panties.

  I pull back, meeting her eyes.

  “Touch me.” She’s almost pleading and I am all too happy to oblige.

  I slide my hand between her legs, pushing softly as I test her response to me. Her features tense and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth in the sexiest fucking way.

  It’s not long before I’m shoving the material aside to feel her bare against my hand.

  She’s warm and wet, just like I knew she would be. And when I slide two fingers inside of her, I can’t stop the groan that slides past my lips.

  She feels even better than I imagined.

  And my touch seems to awaken something inside her. Something wild and untamed.

  “I want you,” she pants against my lips as she moves to work open the button and zipper of my jeans, freeing my bulge from the stiff material.

  I should stop this. I should tell her that I’ll only disappoint her. That I’ll never be the kind of man she needs. But I’m a selfish bastard and right now my mind is on one thing and one thing only.

  I’ll worry about everything else tomorrow.

  Any thought of worry is further solidified when Fallon’s soft fingers slide under the band of my boxers and graze the tip of my dick.

  “You’re going to be the death of me,” I tell her, my voice heavy with desire.

  This seems to be the reaction she was hoping for, because seconds later her hand wraps around my thick erection and begins to move slowly up and down, priming me.

  I’m a fumbling mess, practically brought to my knees by some innocent little eighteen-year-old girl who has probably never slept with a man before. She’s about to learn really fast that there is a striking difference between someone who knows what he wants and some little boy pretending to know what he’s doing.

  And while I want to spend hours devouring every inch of her sweet, little body, right now I need to satisfy this hunger that’s paralyzing me like a vice grip.

  Reluctantly pulling my hand away from her center, I reach behind Fallon and open the bottom drawer of the tabletop toolbox sitting to our right, retrieving a condom.

  Either she doesn’t care why I have condoms out here or she’s too focused on touching me to think about it at the moment. Regardless, I’m glad she doesn’t question it because right now the last thing I want to do is stop.

  Lifting the wrapper to my mouth, I tear it open with my teeth and then, with her help, roll it down over my erection.

  My heart is beating through my chest. I’m breathing so hard I sound like I’m running a fucking marathon, and if my dick gets any harder the damn thing might actually explode.

  Tugging Fallon forward, I shove her panties to the side before lining myself at her entrance. I’m so desperate to be inside of her that I don’t ease my way in as I normally would. Instead, I enter her on one hard thrust.

  She cries out, tightening her fingers in my hair.

  This only spurs me on further and the last of my control slips.

  I’m not gentle. I don’t go slow. There is no making love. Hell, we’re not even having sex. This is fucking. Pure, carnal fucking. And no matter how much I wish I could make it last, it’s not long before I feel myself starting to give.

  It’s been too long and she feels too damn good.

  “Fallon,” I pant, latching onto her shoulder to hold her in place while I continue my unrelenting punishment on her body.

  “I’m going to come.” The words have no more than slid past her lips on a whispered breath before I feel her explode around me.

  Her cries of pleasure echo through the workshop and send my teetering orgasm straight to the surface. I bury my head in her neck as the most intense pleasure builds in my groin.

  Seconds later, I spill my release into the condom, pretty certain that the high I feel in this moment is something I may never come down from.

  Chapter Eleven

  Fallon

  What the hell just happened?

  I can’t wrap my head around it.

  One second we’re looking at a bike. The next I’m up on a workbench with Titus thrusting inside of me.

  It was like I blinked and suddenly everything around me was different.

  I watch in silence as Titus steps back and slides the condom off, turning to drop it into a trashcan.

  He is hands down the sexiest thing I have ever seen. I can’t tear my eyes away of him.

  What he just did...

  What we just did...

  Was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. I never knew sex could be so intense, so pleasurable, so consuming. But with Titus that’s exactly what it was.

  Mind blowing. Hell, life changing might be a better way to describe it.

  And while no part of me set out to sleep with him, not a single cell in my body regrets it.

  “Here.” Titus leans down and snags my tank top and shorts off the floor before extending them to me.

  “Thanks.” I blush, unsure how to act. It’s not like I’ve never done anything like this before. But sex is one thing. This wasn’t just sex. This was something completely different. And it was with a man that I’ve known a whole whopping two days.

  God, what would my father think if he could see me now?

  I shake off the thought, throwing my tank top over my head.

  “Come here.” Titus steps in front of me after buckling his pants. Grabbing me under the arms, he effortlessly lifts me off the counter and sets me to my feet.

  “Thank you,” I say meekly, the fearless, unapologetic girl from three minutes ago long gone.

  Averting my gaze, I quickly slide on my shorts before stepping into my flip flops.

  “So that was...” Titus reaches his hand behind his head and squeezes his neck. “Unexpected,” he finally finishes, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

  “Yeah.” I shuffle my feet nervously. “I guess that’s one way to put it.” I knead my bottom lip roughly between my teeth.

  “Hey.” He reaches forward, grabbing my chin between his thumb and index finger. He slides the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip where my teeth just were. “You were incredible.” He leans down, replacing his thumb with his lips. “We were incredible,” he murmurs against my mouth before pulling back.

  I instantly relax.

  “What the hell are you two doing out here?” We both jump at the sound of Link’s voice, but thankfully by the time he enters the shop we’ve had time to recover.

  “I was showing Fallo
n the new Ducati that got dropped off today.” Titus seems completely at ease. Like two minutes ago he wasn’t screwing me on the counter behind us.

  I, on the other hand, am not quite as good of an actor but I do my best to seem completely natural.

  “Uh huh.” Link’s gaze goes from Titus to me and then back to Titus. “Well, if you two are about done, I whipped up grilled cheese sandwiches if you’re hungry.”

  “That’s it.” Titus’ gaze swings to me. “You’re never allowed to leave.”

  “I’m not?” I question, confused by his sudden announcement.

  “He’s cooked more in the last two days then he has in the past two months.” He gestures toward his best friend.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Link grunts. “Fuck you.” He grins. “You two coming or what?”

  “You go ahead,” Titus tells me. “I’ll be right behind you guys.”

  “Oh-okay,” I stutter, still reeling from everything that’s happened in the last few minutes.

  “Come on, puppet.” Link waits until I reach him before turning and exiting the shop, with me right on his heels.

  ——

  It’s two in the morning. I can’t sleep. Hell, I can’t do anything but replay the events from earlier this evening over and over again in my head.

  After Titus joined Link and I inside for sandwiches, it was like nothing had happened. He acted totally normal. A part of me assumed it was to keep Link in the dark. But the other part of me is worried that maybe it wasn’t as big of a deal for him as it was for me.

  Of course it wasn’t.

  He’s a twenty-eight-year-old man who’s probably slept with countless woman over his lifetime. You don’t look the way Titus does and not get laid often. Maybe I’m just another notch. Maybe it really was only sex for him.

  I wish that’s all it was for me. But there’s no denying the pull I have felt toward Titus since I climbed on his bike that first night. Even scared and unsure, I couldn’t ignore the way my pulse spiked when his gray eyes met mine for the first time.

  It’s like he has cast a spell over me with that one look and the effects have only grown stronger since. What else could possibly explain my behavior today? I don’t recognize myself when I’m around him. I say things I would normally never say. I do things I never in a million years would do. Case in point – today in the shop.

  It's like I forget who I am when Titus is around. Who knows, maybe this is me. I’ve lived under my father’s thumb for so long I don’t think I’d recognize the real me if she were standing right in front of me.

  Letting out an audible sigh, I kick the covers off my legs, wishing I could shut my brain off and get some sleep. I’m seconds away from getting out of bed when the sound of the door opening freezes me in place.

  I see a silhouette cross over the threshold before it closes, followed by the distinct sound of the lock clicking into place. I know it’s Titus. I can tell by the way the air shifts around me. By the way the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. By the way my heart suddenly feels like it’s lodged somewhere in my throat.

  I lay completely still, waiting to see what his next move is going to be.

  He stops on the opposite side of the bed from where I’m lying. I hear the rustle of his jeans moments before the mattress dips from his weight.

  Seconds later, his arm slides around my middle and he tugs backward, pulling my back flush against his front. His incredible scent invades my senses and I breathe him in deep, sure that I must be dreaming.

  He doesn’t say a word and neither do I. My heart is pounding so hard against my ribs it’s a wonder they can withstand the assault.

  His lips brush the side of my neck. His fingers trace up and down my arm causing goosebumps to prickle across my skin. And I feel the unmistakable evidence of his arousal as he presses it against my backside.

  It’s like once again all thought goes right out the window and my body acts on its own accord. I turn in his arms, my lips finding his in the darkness.

  His hand slides to the side of my neck, his thumb caressing the sensitive area right below my ear as he kisses me. It’s not rough and demanding like before, but instead soft and slow.

  He takes his time, tasting me, testing me, exploring my body like it’s the most mesmerizing road map he’s ever seen. I’m lost to the sensation. To the feeling of his hands on my body. Of his lips on my body.

  Minutes bleed into hours as our bodies bend and mold into one. I’ve never felt anything even close to what Titus makes me feel. And while I’m trying to keep it to the physical, I can’t deny that there’s something brewing emotionally as well. How could it not? How could I look at this man and not want more? How could I feel his body against mine and not want his heart right along with it?

  That’s the one thing that resonates over and over again in my mind as I lay in Titus’ arms, my ear pressed to his chest, listening to the sound of his slow and steady heartbeat as my spent body finally succumbs to exhaustion.

  How badly I want this to be real.

  ——

  “Hey, you got a minute?” I look up from the sketchbook in my lap to find Titus standing in the open doorway.

  “Yeah.” I smile at the sight of him, leaning forward to set my book and pencil on the coffee table before standing.

  After waking up this morning to find him gone, I wasn’t sure where we stood. Was I just a one-night thing? Him scratching an itch? Would he still want me here?

  All of that doubt went right out the window when he came in while I was getting ready and laid the mother of all kisses on me. I may not know what all of this means, but one thing that I do know is for the first time in a very long time, I actually feel good about something.

  Titus waits until I reach him before pushing the door open wider to allow me room to squeeze past him. I don’t miss the way his hand grazes my ass as I do, or the smile that spreads across my face when it happens.

  I throw him a playful glare over my shoulder as I step onto the front porch. He gives me a knowing grin. Stepping up behind me, I jump when his hands slide over my eyes.

  “What are you doing?” I question, wondering what in the world he could be up to.

  “You’ll see.” His breath tickles my ear as he speaks.

  Nudging me forward, I take a few hesitant steps before Titus guides me to the left, presumably to where the porch wraps around to the back of the cabin.

  “Titus.” I laugh, my impatience starting to show through.

  “Okay.” He stops, pulling me to a halt with his hands still wrapped around my face. “You ready?”

  “Uh, yeah.” I sigh dramatically.

  Without a word, Titus’ hands disappear. As suspected, I’m standing on the back section of the porch which overlooks the back of the property.

  My eyes sweep from one side to the other, and it doesn’t take me long to realize what he’s done.

  Sitting in the corner of the porch is a small table. Various sized canvases are stacked atop along with at least twenty different colors of paint. A variety of paintbrushes and other materials are spread out as well.

  “Titus.” My hand goes to my mouth when my gaze lands on what looks to be a handmade wooden easel, angled toward the most spectacular view of the woods.

  “Do you like it?” I jump at his nearness.

  “When did you have time to do all this?” I turn toward him, having to resist the urge to throw myself into his arms. I’m not sure we’re there yet, though I want us to be.

  “I got up early. Ran into Harrisburg. They have a craft store there. I wasn’t sure what you needed, so I got you a little bit of everything.”

  “I can’t believe you did this.” I shake my head, not able to hide the smile splitting my face in two.

  “You said you loved to paint landscapes. Not sure about you, but I think you’ve got a pretty good backdrop here.” He gestures out toward the thick brush and lush trees.

  “I... I don’t know what to say.”

  �
��You don’t have to say anything.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal. But to me, it’s a very big deal. “Paint me something good and we’ll call it even.”

  “Deal.”

  “Well, I should probably get to work. You good here?” He looks at the table behind me before his eyes come back to mine.

  “Better than good.”

  A smile pulls up the side of his mouth seconds before he spins on his heel and quickly walks away.

  I turn back to the array of supplies, taken aback by Titus’ sweet gesture. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that man really is a walking contradiction. He seems so hard and despondent but then he goes and does something so thoughtful.

  I’m looking through all the paints, trying to decide what color palette I should start with when I hear Link say my name. Looking up, I spot him off to the right, coming out of the shop.

  “Hi.” I wave at him as I set the largest canvas on the easel.

  “What the hell do you have here?” He hops up on the railing and leans over to get a look at what I’m doing.

  “Art supplies.” I bounce up on the balls of my feet in excitement. “Titus got them for me.”

  “Titus got those for you?” His expression is a mixture of disbelief and humor.

  “Yeah.” I confirm with a nod.

  “Man, you must have been really good to him last night. He’s not usually the type to buy gifts.”

  My stomach clenches at his words.

  “Oh no, we didn’t...”

  “Save your breath, puppet. I have ears. And even though the walls are made of wood, they aren’t soundproof.”

  My cheeks instantly heat pink.

  He heard us?

  “I... I...” I struggle to find something to say.

  “You’re really cute when you’re embarrassed.”

  “I’m not embarrassed,” I argue. Okay, so maybe I am a little, but I’m not going to admit that to him.

  “Your red cheeks say otherwise.” Thankfully, he moves on before I’m able to respond. “I didn’t know you paint.” He gestures to the easel.