“Be sure you invite me when you play. You … with a guitar … singing—that’s seriously hot.”
“Is that so? You are very good for my ego, Sara.” Adam draws small circles on my thigh with his finger, sending shivers through my body.
“I must say, you gave Eddie Vedder a run for his money tonight. That song was beautiful.”
Adam turns into my driveway, puts the jeep in park, and turns into me.
“Yeah, I love that song. My sister used to make me play it for her over and over again when I was in high school.” Adam grabs my hand and cocks his head toward my house. “Swing with me?”
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face at his request. Halfway up the driveway, Adam stops and turns back to his jeep.
“I forgot something. I’ll just be a sec.”
When he returns, I don’t see anything in his hands. Without giving it much more thought, I snuggle into Adam’s side as he comfortably wraps an arm around my waist.
This evening has been perfect in every way. I feel so comfortable with him, yet he excites me at the same time. Our conversations and interactions feel natural and fluid. Nothing about us ever feels pressured or forced. He seems to intuitively know when to get close and when to give me space. I must admit, I don’t think I can get him close enough tonight.
Adam’s fingers circle my wrist and gently pull up the sleeve of my sweater. He flips my arm over and starts lightly brushing it with the pen he’s holding in his other hand.
“I thought we could check out a new tattoo tonight.” Adam smirks at me.
“Oh, so that’s what you got out of the truck. But I’m kind of digging the dandelion at this point.”
“Well, let’s see what I can come up with, shall we? Remember, no peeking,” he teases.
“I remember the rules. You may have to distract me this time so I don’t cheat. Tell me a secret—something no one else knows about you.”
Adam stops drawing, and his sparkling blue eyes meet mine for a split second. He starts drawing again, and I begin to think he’s going to ignore my request.
“This stays between the two of us, and I’ll know if you squeal.” Adam’s eyes narrow in mock seriousness. I giggle softly and nod my head in agreement.
“So, I had my first kiss when I was fourteen years old. Mandy Jenkins … she was a teenage boy’s wet dream. And by that I mean she had long hair and tits. At fourteen, that’s all it took, really.” He shrugs unabashedly and shoots me a wink. “My taste in women has definitely improved with age.”
I laugh heartily. “Wow, thanks for the resounding endorsement! Although, I do meet the long hair and tits requirement. Your teenage self would be proud.”
“Oh, I assure you, my teenage self would pass the fuck out if he had an inkling that he’d have a chance with someone like you.” Adam stops drawing and shoots me a heart-stopping smile. “Anyway, a big group of guys and girls went bike riding around town one day, and the kiss happened on a park bench when everyone else went into the community center to get drinks. Cherry-flavored lips, a little bit of tongue—the stuff wet dreams are made of.”
“This is all fine and dandy, but I’m assuming there is a point to this story. A secret of some sort, maybe?” I prompt. Is it odd that I feel a tinge of jealousy talking about fourteen year old Adam kissing some bimbo … I mean girl? Yep, I’ve completely lost it.
“Hold your horses, I’m getting there. When my friends came back outside, Jimmy whipped out a can of chewing tobacco and put a big lump in his mouth. He passed it around to the other guys, and they all followed suit. I didn’t want to look like a pussy in front of my girl, so I grabbed a huge wad and shoved it in my mouth.”
“Dip is nasty,” I say as my lip curls in disgust.
“Well, I know that now, but fourteen year old Adam wasn’t privy to the inner workings of the female mind. So I took a big old wad and jumped on my bike to continue my ride. You can imagine what assholes we looked like trying to spit off the sides of our bikes as we rode through town. It’s a wonder we didn’t end up spitting in each other’s faces. It turns out spit was the least of my worries.”
“Oh yeah? Please tell me you didn’t try to kiss Mandy with a mouthful of dip.”
“God, I wish that was all that happened.” Adam shakes his head back and forth in mock shame while he continues drawing, and I can hardly hold back my giggles. “While riding through town, my bike hit a huge pothole. I corrected myself before I flew off my bike, but not before the dip dislodged and slipped down my throat. The farther we rode, the sicker I felt. I could hardly stay on my bike anymore so I pulled over to rest. Mandy stopped to see what was wrong with me, and that’s when it happened.”
“Oh no!” My hand flew to my mouth as my laughter overtook me. “Don’t tell me …”
“Yep, I puked all over her shoes. It was an epic spew, if I do say so myself. I was so sick, my friends had to call my sister to pick me up. I puked for two days!”
“Wow, if that’s not an afterschool special for dangers of tobacco use, then I don’t know what is!”
“Don’t I fucking know. Needless to say, Mandy and I were done, and she spent the rest of high school giving me the stink eye. That girl can hold a grudge,” Adam says, raising his eyebrows and looking incredulous.
A companionable silence envelops us as Adam completes my tattoo. Every swipe of the pen or brush of his fingers is wreaking havoc on my overly heightened senses.
“Okay, you can look now,” Adam whispers gently.
Before I look down, I hold Adam’s gaze and blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind.
“You frighten me.”
Adam’s lips curve slightly upward. “Well, I’m glad to hear it, Sara, because you scare the hell out of me.”
I’m not sure why, but this gives me a small sense of comfort. In an effort to change the subject, I look down at my arm to see my new “tattoo.”
“Tibetans believe the different sections of the arrow represent the mind.” Adam points to the arrowhead.
“The body …” His finger runs gently along the shaft of the arrow. I shiver in response to his intimate touch. The desire for him that is never too far away quickly comes to the surface.
“And the spirit,” he explains, pointing to the feather tip of the arrow.
I raise my arm to take a closer look at the beautiful drawing. I keep my head lowered for fear of meeting Adam’s eyes. I want him more than anything. I’m also petrified to have him.
“I love it. You always think of the most meaningful drawings.”
“I did a lot of research before I got my tattoo. It’s kind of stuck in my head. But you shouldn’t ink this on your arm,” he says, still gently running his fingers along my wrist.
“No?” I whisper.
His arm wraps around me and goes under my sweater to run up the bare skin of my back. My body comes alive with his touch. He moves closer to me, our faces so close that I feel his warm breath on my cheek. My chest swells as I breathe deeply, pushing me even closer to him.
“It should run down your spine,” his raspy voice murmurs into my ear as his fingers leave a fiery trail on my skin. “Right down your center.”
“Mmmm.”
“Sara?” I hear Adam softly chuckle as his breath gently runs down the side of my neck.
“Hmmmm?”
He pushes back, and I can’t help but get lost in his deep, blue eyes. They seem endless. He holds my gaze, and he doesn’t have to tell me what he wants. His need is palpable.
“Invite me in.” There’s no question. He’s not asking. It’s a gentle command, and as always, I fucking love it.
It’s also terrifying, but I know I need to swallow my fear. I can’t allow it to rule my decisions the way I have in the past. I drop my gaze for a second to collect my thoughts. After arguing internally with myself for what feels like hours, although it is only moments, I decide to do what my heart keeps chanting like a mantra.
Just jump.
> A small smirk reaches my lips, and my eyes are dancing with acceptance as I look up at Adam. He crushes his mouth to mine in a kiss that is filled with hunger and wanting—a promise of what’s to come. He greedily bites my bottom lip, and my desire surges through me.
I fumble with the keys as we make our way to the door. All the while, Adam is brushing gentle kisses on my neck and exposed shoulder. His hands are biting into my hips, and he’s pressed against the length of my body. Somehow my trembling fingers get the key into the keyhole, and I turn into Adam and back my way into the foyer.
Adam’s hands dive into my hair, and his thumbs gently caress the side of my face. He lowers his head and our lips meet in a searing kiss that has me holding on to him for balance. The fire is overtaking my body and pooling between my legs, and I squeeze them together in an attempt to soothe the ache that’s steadily building inside of me.
I clumsily unbutton Adam’s shirt and run my hands across his bare chest, his muscles twitching. I fumble with his belt and unbutton his jeans as his hands move in and grip my wrists.
“Sara, slow down, baby. I plan to enjoy you all night; I’m not in any hurry. Believe me, there is nothing in this fucking world that I want more than to be buried deep inside that sweet pussy of yours, and I promise we’ll get there. Where’s the bedroom?”
Oh. My. God. No one has ever talked to me that way, and I never, ever want him to stop. It takes me a second to remember where my bedroom is, but when I do, I lead him there while he runs his hand underneath my sweater. He stops me as we enter the doorway and presses the front of his body into my back. I feel his hardness push against my ass, and my head falls back onto his shoulder.
He crouches down behind me and lifts the bottom of my sweater, slowly raising it over my head. I feel his mouth running slowly up my spine. The touch is so achingly soft, almost a whisper. I can’t be sure if I feel the hint of his tongue or if it’s his breath leaving a trail of lust as he slowly travels up my body. I need so much more—my body craves more of his touch, his tongue, his body.
He unhooks my bra, and his lips and tongue meet my shoulder and softly leave a trail as he turns me to face him. He looks at me reverently and runs his hand down my body. He starts at my neck and then trails down between my breasts and keeps going until he reaches the top of my jeans. He grabs onto a loop and jerks me quickly to him. When my nipples meet the bare skin of his chest, they instantly harden.
His tongue outlines my ear before he whispers, “You are so fucking gorgeous, Sara. Just the sweet sound of your voice makes my cock hard.”
He’s unzipping my pants and backing me up to the bed as he continues to whisper in my ear. As he sits me on the bed, he kneels in front of me, slowly peeling my jeans and panties away. His whisper soft mouth runs down my legs as my jeans hit the floor. I don’t think I can take much more. My body is humming with want—with need.
“Please, Adam.”
“Please, what, Sara? Tell me what you want.”
“I need you to touch me. Please, I need more.”
He rises to meet my face and cups it in his hands. His lips meet mine in a crushing kiss of lips, tongue, and teeth.
“Don’t you see, beautiful girl, I’m knocking.” Adam softly chuckles as he pulls off his shirt and tosses it on the floor. His chest and abs are perfectly chiseled. Adam smirks when he notices my blatant examination of his body, but I’m too far gone to care. I see that the tattoo that starts on his lower left arm snakes up his shoulder and across his heart. There are heavily knotted branches with small flowers, but I’m too aroused to give it much more thought.
He gets on his knees in front of me and places my legs over his shoulders. He gently licks and kisses my inner thighs, and I’m panting in anticipation. He gently bites my inner thigh as he lets out a groan, and I nearly come undone at the sound. I lean back on my elbows so I can watch him, and when he places a gentle kiss to my center, it’s the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen. He softly licks up and down both sides of my lips, purposely neglecting my clit. I moan equally out of pleasure and frustration.
“That’s it, Sara. Just let go. Let me know what you like.” He continues his ministrations as I bite my lower lip so hard I worry I’ll break the skin. The burn inside me is slowly building. He keeps me right on the edge, giving me the pleasure I crave but withholding the release I need. I drop my head to the mattress and close my eyes on a long, frustrated moan. I fist my hands in Adam’s hair and tug, trying to guide him where I need him most. I hear a soft chuckle, which only fuels my frustration.
I feel Adam’s finger enter me at the same time that his mouth covers my clit and he begins to suck. The moment he touches me, an indescribable release detonates throughout me. He continues gentle sucking as I ride out the most intense orgasm of my life. So intense that I question if what I’ve felt before could even be called an orgasm. I open my eyes to see Adam suspended on top of me, grinning from ear to ear.
“That was so fucking hot.” His eyes are hooded, and his chest and arms are flexed, holding his weight above me. I run my hands over his chest as I lick my lips seductively.
“Well, I’m glad, because that’s the hottest fucking thing that anyone’s ever done to me,” I pant softly as I slowly make my way back to reality, only to be pushed under a sea of pleasure once again.
“And I’m not done with you yet, Sara, not even close,” Adam whispers to me as his cock slides in between my legs across my wetness. My eyes roll back and close as I’m overcome with sensation. I feel the loss of Adam’s weight and the tearing of a wrapper.
He places light kisses on my stomach and then lightly licks and sucks each of my nipples. I instinctively arch into him and grip his biceps tightly. He slowly licks his way up my neck and then kisses me with urgency and yearning as he grinds into me. Tasting myself on his lips fills me with primal need, and I desperately tug his hair to keep his mouth on mine. I whimper as the throbbing burn inside me begins to build again.
“Sara, open your eyes for me.”
I feel his cock at my entrance, and I open my eyes and gaze into that deep blue. I don’t want to miss one second of this. His eyes are gentle and hungry at the same time, and I feel him fighting to remain in control. He slowly enters me, never breaking eye contact. Taking his time, he stretches me, fills me, waiting until my body is ready for more. He’s larger than any other man I’ve been with, and the stretching of my body creates a delicious ache.
“God, Sara, you feel so fucking good.” Adam pushes deeper into me at a painstakingly slow pace. He pulls out almost completely before driving back deep into me. A groan rumbles in my chest as my fingernails bite into Adam’s back.
Adam grabs my shoulders and effortlessly flips our positions. I’m now straddling him, and he takes in my body with admiration as he continues to drive his thick cock into me. He grabs my hips tightly and moves my body to his rhythm.
“I could watch you ride my cock all night long. I want you to touch your tits for me, beautiful girl. Pinch those hard nipples.”
My body responds to his commands without contemplation. I instinctively want to please him. He lets out an animalistic growl as my fingers circle my nipples. He swipes his tongue across his thumb and reaches out to rub my clit. I throw my head back and cry out at the sensation.
“God, yes, don’t stop. So deep. Oh, Adam!”
Another mind-stopping release crashes down on me, and it’s almost too much pleasure to bear. Adam pumps into me faster, wringing out every last bit of my orgasm. He pulses inside me as his release overtakes him.
I continue to lie on top and settle my head into the curve of his neck. He gently rubs my back as we both fight to catch our breath.
“So what do you think, Sara?” I can hear the smile in Adam’s voice without looking up. “I knock pretty damn good, don’t ya think?”
I bite his ear affectionately and giggle softly. “Oh yeah, you can knock whenever the fuck you feel like it, as far as I’m concerned!”
So many emotions pulse through my mind; it’s difficult to decipher them all. Adam makes me laugh, he makes me smile, and he also unravels me. I want to know more about him. I just want him. And I want him to know me. Of all the things that I want from and with Adam, there is one thing I know I definitely do not want.
I don’t want to run. And that’s the best fucking feeling in the world.
As I lay tucked safely in the curve of Adam’s arm, I can’t believe he’s real. I can’t believe this smart, sexy, gorgeous, and caring man is in my bed. That this man wants me. Adam’s breathing has evened out, but my mind is racing and sleep is unattainable.
The porch light shines through the bedroom window and casts a dim light across the bed. I lift my head and explore this beautiful man lying with me. The sheet is pulled down to his waist, leaving his stomach and chest bare. My fingers lightly trace over the peaks and valleys of his six-pack, and I lick my lips appreciatively.
I lean in closer to inspect the tattoo that takes up most of the left side of his chest and his left arm. The thick and gnarly branch starts on his bicep and snakes over his shoulder and onto his chest over his heart. The branch forks in to a multitude of smaller branches with tiny flowers. It reminds me of Japanese cherry blossoms; only Adam’s chest is all done in black ink except for two small images. Directly over Adam’s heart, there are two colorful Monarch butterflies.
As my fingers gently run over the ink on his arm, I notice some writing embedded into the tattoo. “Grace” is written into the bark of the branch, resembling a carving. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, wondering what this could mean. Is Adam a widow?
“She’s my sister.”
“Everything Has Changed” by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran
I JUMP AT the sound of his deep voice cutting into the silence. He hasn’t moved an inch, but his eyes are now open and staring at the ceiling.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
“I never really fell sleep. The name in my tattoo … Grace is my sister.”
Hope Over Fear (Over #1) Page 12