by Molly McLain
She didn’t want to hurry, but... “Josh, I need you inside. Now.” She rotated her hips and the slippery glide of her sex along his shaft had them both groaning. “Please,” she begged, trying to move just right so she’d capture him and could slide him home, but he rolled them so he was on top and he held himself away. The lump in her throat grew and she knew he saw the tremble in her bottom lip.
“Ah, babe,” he said, smoothing her hair from her face and kissing her with a tenderness that should have made her feel better, but only made matters worse. This was no longer about coming—it was about connecting. And she’d never wanted to feel more connected to another human being than she did him, in that very moment.
She lifted her hips and she felt the tip of his erection dip inside. He ground his jaw and groaned. She whimpered.
“This what you want?” he asked, sliding in a bit further, his blue eyes intense and locked on hers. His biceps bunched on either side of her shoulders and above her, and then he lifted her arms above her head and laced their fingers.
“Yesss,” she moaned, her whole body shaking with need.
“How do you want it, babe? Like this?” He pushed into her hard and she cried out, squeezing his hands. “Or like this?” He slid out and back in again, in a slow, sensual glide that lit every one of her nerves on fire.
She felt the tears begin to brew in her eyes and she knew that somewhere along the way, she’d lost another part of herself to him. She glanced away, not able to look him in the eyes. Too ashamed. She should have known better to fall for him all over again.
“Carissa, look at me.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. God, she was so stupid.
“Babe.” He let go of one of her hands to cup her jaw, forcing her to face him. “My vote’s for slow,” he said quietly and she heard all the crazy emotions burning in her chest laced in his voice.
The dam broke and she sucked in a shaky, half-breath half-sob. Somehow she managed to nod and, kissing her again, he slid home, filling her up with so much more than his body.
“You feel amazing,” he told her against her lips. “So soft and hot and wet. But much as I love feeling you like this, we really need protection.” He began to retreat, but she stopped him by squeezing her thighs around his hips.
“Don’t leave.” She felt like such a silly teenager, but she just wanted him tonight. No barriers. “I’m on birth control.”
A long moment passed. “You trust me that much?”
“I trust you so much it scares me.”
She felt him swell inside her and she saw the emotion flare in his eyes. “Carissa.”
“Shh.” She put a finger to his lips. “Make love to me. Please.”
His face softened, showing her a tenderness she’d only dreamed of before. He looked almost pained and it cracked her heart too. Made her want to ask for things and promise things she’d never given a man before. And yet somehow, she knew she didn’t need to say the words, to make the request, because, there in his eyes, she saw it all. Everything she’d ever wanted, but thought she’d never have.
He never took his eyes off of hers, nor did she him, as they moved together slowly, the weight of his body on hers, inside of her, absolute perfection. For the first time in so, so long, she felt completely whole and satisfied with the path her life had taken her down, despite the crazy emotions wracking her entire being, her soul. Being with him filled the void she’d lived with so long and while a small part of that realization scared her, an even bigger part of it made her feel more alive than ever.
She was in love with him. Probably always had been. And there was no doubt in her mind that he knew. But, for good measure, she planned on showing him, over and over again. Starting tonight and, if she had her way, for longer than either of them ever expected this affair to go on.
When he leaned down and kissed her, her hands still anchored above her head as he loved her so thoroughly, she almost told him. Almost said out loud the one thing she thought impossible. But his kiss consumed all of her thoughts and numbed all of her senses. And when he reached between their tightly woven bodies and stroked her, she was helpless to comprehend anything more than the fact that she was about to go over the edge and so was he, inside of her for the first time.
She gasped and sobbed simultaneously, tugging on her hands until he freed her and she could cup his face and hold him steady, so he wouldn’t look away and miss everything she wanted him to see. He didn’t even try to fight her and when his breath became ragged, his own emotion so clear in his eyes, she gave herself over to him in every way possible...mind, body, and soul. The first wave of her orgasm hit at the same time he thrust home, roared and pumped into her, hard and fast. And then she felt him let go, spilling himself inside of her.
Silent tears flooded her cheeks and he wiped them away with kisses and gentle fingertips. The warmth of his hand alongside her face had her curving into it, her lips brushing against his palm, desperate to keep the intimate connection with him, not wanting him to move an inch.
“Baby, look at me,” he said, guiding her face back to his. He captured her mouth then, and it felt amazing. So consuming and so giving all at once. “Stay with me tonight,” he said against her lips, the words more of a plea than an invitation. As if she’d turn him down.
She slipped her arms around his neck in response and kissed him with everything she had.
She’d give him forever if he wanted her to.
Chapter Twenty-two
You’re in deep shit, dude. Way the hell over your head.
Josh woke just after eight o’clock on Friday to Carissa’s butt sleepily wiggling back against his morning erection. Gripping her hip, he reciprocated the gesture by grinding himself into her soft, willing body. She moaned then, consciously stirring for the first time since they’d fallen asleep, tangled in each other’s arms well after 3 a.m.
Having made love over and over again, until they were both completely spent, he was damn glad to have given his crew an extra day off for the long, holiday weekend. He couldn’t imagine a better way of putting yesterday behind him, than waking up with Carissa and picking up right where they’d left off the night before.
The rational part of his brain told him he was out-of-his-mind crazy for letting himself get so involved with her, crossing the line he’d sworn he wouldn’t. But the other part of his higher thinking, the part he usually didn’t trust enough to listen to—the emotional part—told him that loving her in every way he could was exactly what they both needed.
Welcoming the new day with her, the first time he’d done so with a woman since her three years earlier, only solidified that decision. And when she reached down between both their legs and guided his swollen shaft into her softness, he was doubly glad for it.
He would never have enough of her, and he’d worry about what exactly that meant for them both later. Much, much later. Because right now, all he wanted to do was make love to her. Again and again and again.
The sunshine streaming in through the windows danced across her face and he leaned up on an elbow to watch, fascinated by her natural beauty and the play of light on her skin. She bit her lip and fisted the sheet in her hand as he slid in deeper, and when he lifted her leg and buried himself inside, she cried out his name.
He was pretty sure he’d never tire of hearing his name on her lips.
“Good morning to you too,” he said, unable to keep from grinning, so ridiculously pleased with her reaction. She made him feel like friggin’ Superman every time they made love.
“How is it possible that this feels better each time?” she panted and then he rolled them, so he was bent over her, both of them on their knees.
That’s how it’s supposed to be, wasn’t it? When two people were meant to be together? Relentless and earth shattering every single time?
He didn’t tell her that though. Instead he brushed her hair from her neck and, let it fall forward over her shoulders, as he sucked at the spot where her neck curv
ed toward her spine. She groaned again. “I love when you do that.”
“Mmm, me too. You taste amazing.” He licked at the spot he’d nipped, surprised at the caveman urge he suddenly had to suck again, this time higher and less hidden, until she bruised. Until she was marked. And claimed. For all of the world to see.
He held back though and, instead, splayed one hand over her belly, while the other reached up to toy with her nipple. He rolled it between his fingers until it pebbled and she greedily reared back against his thighs, taking the entire length of him.
He hissed and dug his fingers into her skin, gritting out his warning. “You’re gonna make me come if you do that again.”
“I want you to. I want you to come so hard, I feel it inside of me.”
Sweet Jesus. She wanted to play dirty, did she? He could totally get on board with that.
He yanked out of her, flipped over and positioned himself beneath her, his shoulders between her knees. “Sit,” he demanded, his hands smoothing up the back of her thighs and over her ass, squeezing.
“What...?” she stuttered, confusion pinching her face as she pulled back and looked down at him.
So he slapped a cheek hard enough to make her flinch. And then grin.
“You are so bad,” she purred, her eyes melting with desire as she realized his intention.
“You like me bad,” he said, sliding up until he could hook his arms around her legs and position her just right. They’d done this their first night together and it was one of his favorite memories. Her sitting on his face, her hands gripping the headboard as he gave her the ultimate pleasure.
He expected the same, but she surprised him by reaching between her legs, spreading her folds, and playing with her clit. With him right there, front and center for the show.
Beautiful.
But seeing her swirl a pearly tipped finger around that pink bud was almost too much to watch. He wanted to delay his climax, to draw out her pleasure as long as he could, but she was going to ruin him if she kept this up.
“Babe—”
“Shh,” she said, because obviously she had other plans. And she threw his world completely off its axis when she acted on them.
He watched in rapt awe as she lowered her gorgeous sex to his gaping mouth...and fed him.
***
She’d never been so brazen before with what she wanted, but then it was no secret, at least to them, that Josh drove her absolutely wild. And the lusty, hazed look in his eyes told her she did something very similar to him too.
She lifted her hips and dipped down again, sweeping herself across his eager, waiting tongue. She shivered when he gave her the full flat of it, licking from slit to clit, before sucking the bead between his lips and torturing her with the most wicked, delicious pressure she’d ever felt. Maybe it was the position, maybe it was the man, but either way—she was completely, utterly turned on and her sex clenched in anticipation.
“Oh, fuck.” The strangled words fell from her mouth when he slipped a finger inside her from behind. She went nearly boneless, catching herself against the headboard with one hand while still holding herself open with the other. Her legs shook and her breasts throbbed with arousal.
“Good girl,” he praised her, his fingers working in and out of her sex, before he flicked his tongue over her clit again. “Now I want you to come all over my face. Can you do that for me, baby?”
She abandoned all control and grasped a handful of his hair at the same time she ground herself against his mouth. The sweet friction of his fingers, paired with his tongue, was perfect, glorious, and just what she needed. She screamed when she fell, crashing down into oblivion and spasming against him just how he’d asked.
She allowed herself only a moment to relish in the aftermath and the satisfied smirk on his face, before sliding down his body and taking his straining shaft into her mouth. She tasted herself there and it was one of the most intimate realizations in the world to know it would be like this with him all the time now. Nothing between them, but their desire and passion for one another.
“Jesus Christ,” he growled, his hands twisting in her hair, pulling, demanding.
God, she loved this man. Loved his cock, too, so much so that she couldn’t resist stretching her mouth wide and taking him all the way to the back of her throat. She loved that he filled her with plenty to spare and when she pulled away, sucking against every retreating inch, she felt him pulse and swell even larger between her lips.
The tension in his body told her he was almost there as her tongue laved at the smooth spot beneath the thick, velvety head, making him surge upward, deeper into her mouth. She wanted him to come on her tongue again. Wanted to know that she drove him so freaking mad he couldn’t control himself.
And he gave her just that a mere two thrusts later.
“Christ, woman,” he groaned, grabbing her beneath her arms and hauling her up his body. She broke out into giggles when he squeezed her ass and let out a residual shudder. “Why are you so damn insistent on sending me to an early grave?”
“Oh, please.” She pushed up and straddled him, her fingers trailing down his chest, as she did. “You love it and you know it.”
“Damn right, I do.” He jackknifed up, the muscles in his stomach flexing. The rough slide of his hands up her back and onto her shoulders elicited goose bumps over her skin and her heart sighed a little at the happy, contented gleam in his eyes. “Thank you for that. And for last night.”
“My pleasure. Literally.” She grinned and so did he. “It’s going to be a long weekend, so hopefully it’ll tide you over.” The soft slide of his hair through her fingers had her dreading the next couple days and not being able to touch him.
“Let’s see how things go. We might be able to work something out.”
“Another sleepover?”
“Possibly.”
“Have I ever told you how fabulous your ideas are?”
“A time or two.”
“Mmm.” She leaned in to kiss his forehead and then his temple. “I’m going to cross my fingers that things go well, because I really, really liked sleeping with you.”
“You’ve been sleeping with me, babe.”
She shoved at his chest. “You know what I mean.”
“I do.” He grinned and pressed his lips to the center of her chest. “I make a mean omelet, you know?”
“You’re inviting me to stick around a little longer? This is getting kinda serious, hot shot,” she said, playfully garnering her courage and testing him a bit. She’d come to some pretty hefty conclusions in the last twenty-four hours and they’d be easier to accept if she knew she wasn’t standing alone in the middle of the field, all in, while he stood on the edge, reluctant or, God forbid, not interested at all in what she had in mind.
He inhaled and nodded slowly. “Yeah. It is.”
“You okay with that?”
“There’s no one else I’d rather make an omelet for.”
She quirked a crooked smile. It wasn’t a declaration of undying love, but she’d take it. “In that case, let’s hop in the shower before you get your chef on.”
***
Fletcher had been his closest friend for almost a quarter century. In those terms, hell, in any terms, it was a long-ass time. And that was going to make coming clean about his relationship with Carissa that much harder.
He didn’t have a plan in place for the inevitable discussion, but he knew it needed to happen sooner than later, given the uncertainty of the vandalism and whether or not there’d be another incident. The security system at the flip had been installed and Carissa was going over how to work it with the service tech this afternoon. He would have preferred to show her himself, but with the Fourth of July weekend underway, they had to lay low and put some space between them. But as soon as he’d laid it all out there with Fletcher, he didn’t plan on letting her leave his sight. It was the best way he knew to keep her safe.
He pulled into the lot behind River
Bend High School and parked between Tony’s truck and Fletcher’s car. Both men, as well as Dan, were already on the football field, tossing the ball around.
“What the hell, dude? You yank one off before you left, or what?” Tony jogged over and jabbed him in the shoulder when he stepped onto the grass and began to stretch out, pulling his each of his cleats up behind him, one at a time.
“You know I don’t have to do that,” he muttered as he pulled his foot toward his hip, which wasn’t as easy to do as it had been even a couple years ago.
Tony chuckled and passed him the ball for a couple tosses before Dan and Fletcher made their way over to get the game started.
“You’re late,” Fletcher complained. “Busy starting another fire?”
“Fucker.” Josh drilled the ball into the man’s chest, making him wince.
His brother and Tony laughed, but Fletcher didn’t crack a smile. “You’re gonna regret that, you little punk.”
“Who you calling little?” Arms stretched wide, Josh came at his friend, playfully bumping his chest with his own and getting the smack talk underway. Fletcher might’ve had a couple inches on him, but he had the upper hand in mass and strength and his friend knew it. “You’ll be running from my tackles in no time, princess.”
“Bring it, bitch,” the other man said, giving him an impressive shove backward that made even Tony and Dan hiss in surprise.
He arched an eyebrow. “Feeling tough today, are we? We’ll see about that.”
An hour later, Josh was the one eating his words.
“What would your Marine buddies think of you now, punk?”
Laid out on the twenty-yard line, he groaned at the stabbing pain in his rib cage and squinted up against the afternoon sunshine. The only thing he could make out clearly was the smirk of the sledge hammer that loomed above him. “Why couldn’t you tackle like that in high school?”
Fletcher barked with laughter and offered a hand. “Oh, I could. But the scouts were more interested in my running game than my defense. You know that.”
Smug asshole. Begrudged, but in no position to deny the help, Josh accepted the gesture and stretched, cracking his back, as he stood. “Goddamn, I don’t remember that hurting so much.”