by L. E. Bross
“Are you kidding me right now?” she said from right behind me.
When I looked over my shoulder, she stood a few feet away, her hands clenched at her sides and fire shooting from her eyes. “I was trying to explain how why, up until I met you, I thought the future my parents had laid out was fine. God, you are such an ass sometimes. I have more self-respect than to go back to Grant, and he knows it. But my father knows about you. He thought if I would take Grant back, they could petition to have my CS dropped and then my ‘life can get back on track.’ Those were my father’s exact words, by the way. But the thing is, I like my life just fine where it is right now.”
She stood glaring at me and she had never looked so fucking sexy.
The door slipped from my grasp and clicked shut when I faced her. Now my heart thundered for an entirely different reason.
She stepped closer and glared up at me. “I thought maybe someone finally saw me for me, but I guess I was wrong. So what exactly do you want from me, Seth? Because everyone in my life wants me to be something I’m not. I thought things were real between us, but if you think I care about money, that I would go back to someone who destroyed any trust I have toward him, then you don’t know me. You don’t know me at all. Maybe you should just go.”
“Maybe I should.” But there was no conviction in my voice.
Neither of us moved.
Her chest rose and fell, and she was still glaring at me, but the honesty shining through the fury made me ache to touch her. To soothe the hurt she went through tonight. To show her that there was someone who cared about her just the way she was.
“I do see you, Avery.” I took two steps closer, and her breath hitched. That little sound went right through me. “I see the woman who stood up for herself instead of accepting what everyone else wanted.” I took another step. Her eyes widened as she stared at me. “I see a strong person who stood up and took responsibility for her life.”
Another step.
We were only a foot apart now. Close enough that I could reach out and touch her. So I did. I slid my hand around the back of her neck and tugged her closer. Her hands were like fire, branding me as hers when she laid them against my chest.
“I see you. The amazingly passionate woman who responds to everything I do and drives me insane.”
Her breath washed over my lips. So close. But not close enough.
“You deserve a hell of a lot better than me, Avery. I can’t give you shit, and my life is a series of fuckups . . .”
“Stop.” She slid her hands behind my head and pulled me the last inch of space until our lips touched. Her eyes were wide open, and she stared at me, so intense I swear she was looking at my soul. “I see you too, Seth. And the man I see is strong and capable and is doing his best to take care of the people he loves.”
I took her lips at those words, demanding and hard. I needed to be close to her, as close as possible to this angel who came into my life at the worst possible time. She gave me hope that things could be better, and I needed that as much as I needed air to breathe.
Avery was my air.
And I might not deserve her, but I was going to do my damnedest to make her feel cherished and important.
“Don’t ever fucking do that again,” I said against her lips. “You scared the hell out of me.”
I slid my hands down her ass, down the backs of her thighs, and then gripped her there and lifted. She squealed and tightened her hold around my neck. All I had to do was turn and I had her pressed up against the door. She locked her ankles behind my back, and I buried my face in her neck.
She smelled so good.
Her pulse flickered under my tongue.
“Don’t jump to stupid conclusions again,” she said, tangling her fingers in the hair at the back of my head. “I want to be with you, Seth. Only you.”
“Did you tell that dick ex of yours to fuck off?”
“In those exact words,” she groaned.
I smiled against her neck. “That’s my girl.”
Mine. A fierce wave of possessiveness made my muscles ache. I rocked my hips, and she groaned. The sound went straight to my dick. God, I wanted her.
Too much.
Not enough.
She gasped when I bit into the sensitive flesh between her neck and shoulder, then ran my tongue over the spot to soothe it. “Seth, please.”
Now I groaned. “Fuck. I like it when you beg.”
She tightened her arms and legs around my body and leaned close to my ear.
“Please take me to bed and fuck me until I scream.”
Her words were like gasoline on a raging fire. I took her lips, plunging my tongue into her mouth and swallowing her moan. Every step down the hall rocked her against my dick, driving me even crazier.
It didn’t matter that I wasn’t looking for complications in my life. This funny, innocent, unpredictable girl owned me now.
And I knew without a doubt that I would give her anything she wanted.
All she had to do was ask.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Avery
“Oh, God . . . that was . . . holy shit . . .”
I lay back against the sheets, limbs spread out everywhere. Holy God, I had no idea that I could orgasm twice. In a row. Seth had magical fingers and one hell of a talented tongue. I grinned at the ceiling like a fool. I wasn’t a statistic. I’d never really been one. The problem had been in the delivery with Grant. User error.
I worked just fine. Seth had proven it again and again.
“And we’re just getting started,” he murmured, burying his face in my neck. The languid feeling in my limbs quickly turned back to fire.
I trailed my fingers over his jaw.
“You have too many clothes on,” I said.
Laughter rumbled in his chest. “All you have to do is ask.”
I pushed myself up so that I was half lying across him. His eyes grew darker when I leaned down and ran my tongue across his lips. “Seth, will you please take your clothes off so that I can touch you?”
He groaned and pulled my head down so that he could kiss me again. His tongue stroked and thrust and reignited the fire that turned my blood molten. When he pulled away and rested his forehead against mine, he was panting. “You can have anything, baby, anything you want.”
“Good,” I said, sliding my hands up under his shirt. “Because I want you.”
He flopped back onto the bed and put his hands behind his neck. “I’m all yours.”
I slowly pushed his shirt up, savoring the inches of skin that revealed themselves. I loved looking at him, touching him. I leaned forward and brushed my lips across his tight stomach. The muscles there jumped at my touch.
A surge of power shot through me. His reaction to my touch never got old.
He groaned.
Heat pooled between my legs.
“Take your shirt off,” I said, running my tongue up the groove in the middle of his stomach.
His breath hissed out and he rose up enough to grab the back of his T-shirt and pull it over his head. I watched, fascinated, at the way his muscles rippled and moved. The black swirls of his tattoos seemed as if they were alive. I could spend hours just tracing them with my fingers.
Deep ridges lined his six-pack, and a yummy V on his hips pointed down, as if guiding me to the good stuff.
I smiled against his skin.
He was warm and solid and mine.
I sat up and threw my bare leg over his hips so that I was straddling him. Before, he’d been in control, but this time, I wanted to be the one to drive him crazy. I watched Seth’s face and saw his eyes narrow as he looked at me.
His hips shifted under mine. The hard bulge in his jeans rubbed against the spot he played so good earlier. Goose bumps erupted all over my skin, tightening my nipples to stiff peaks. I rocked slowly, never looking away from his stare.
“Christ, Avery, you’re gonna kill me.” Seth moved his hands from behind his head and rested them on my
hips. His fingers dug in and he moved me back and forth, so slow that I bit my lip to keep from urging him to move faster.
Seth’s eyes blazed as he moved his hands around my waist, sliding them higher until he cupped my breasts.
“You wanna ride me, baby? I want to watch you move while I’m inside you.”
Fire exploded through my veins. I moaned and threw back my head. His thumbs brushed over the tips of my breasts and it sent shots of need racing between my legs.
“Seth,” I whimpered.
My hips moved faster, each thrust feeding the building desire that had started to consume me again. I felt wild, out of control, and I liked it.
“You look so fucking hot, Avery.”
I felt him grow harder between my legs. I did that to him. Me. He wanted me, and I wanted him. Inside me. It still took all my control to slide off to the side. My body was strung so tight I could barely see straight.
I fumbled with the button on his jeans, leaned down and kissed the line of skin just above his waistband, then pulled down the zipper. I don’t think I’d ever felt this level of want before.
Like if I didn’t have Seth inside me right that second, I’d die.
His hands stroked down my back, caressing my ass. When his fingers slid between my legs and teased the bundle of nerves where all the longing was centered, I moaned his name.
“I can’t . . . think . . . when you do that,” I gasped. I rocked back against his hand as the tension built again. Just when I was about to explode, Seth stopped and pulled his hand free, trailing a line of wetness over my thigh.
“Baby, I want you. Now.” He lifted his hips and pushed his jeans off.
He slid his hand up my arm and cradled my neck, then tugged me down so that our lips were only an inch apart. His eyes burned with desire.
“I need to be inside you, Avery,” he said against my lips.
I reached into his jeans, pulled out a condom, and handed it to him. Foil crinkled and he tore the condom packet open with his teeth. Then he handed it to me.
I stared at him wide-eyed.
I’d never done that before.
“I’m not sure . . .”
After I took it, Seth reached down and wrapped his fingers around his cock, stroking up and down slowly. God, it was mesmerizing to watch.
My fingers shook as I placed the latex over the head and started to unroll. It fit over his length like a glove, and the low moan in his throat told me I was doing something right. When it was completely on, I smiled at him, suddenly feeling shy.
It was such an intimate gesture.
His fingers wrapped around my wrist and he pulled me on top of him. I straddled his hips and leaned down to kiss him again. Tension filled his body, his muscles strained and moved under my fingers, but he lay there and let me control the pace.
His hands were firm but gentle as they settled around my waist.
I lifted enough so that I could hold him in place, then met his gaze and sank down onto him. I don’t know who groaned louder. Our voices mixed together in harmony.
“Shit.” Seth gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. “Don’t move, baby. Just . . . give me a second.” His nostrils flared and he inhaled ragged breaths.
I clenched around him.
“Fuck, don’t do that!” His hands held me down, impaled on his entire length. Now his entire body shook.
Something wanton unleashed inside me.
I was making him beg. Power surged through me and I threw back my head.
I wanted to move. The sensation of being completely filled made me feel too good. I wanted to come again, with him inside me. I squeezed again. His breath whooshed from his lungs and he slowly rocked my hips.
It wasn’t going to take much.
I was already so close.
A whimper escaped from between my lips.
Seth opened his eyes and looked up at me. The emotion in them took my breath away. His hands rose to cup my breasts, squeezing the nipples between his thumb and finger. Molten heat shot straight to my clit.
I moved, letting him slide almost all the way out before I plunged back down.
Seth growled low in his throat. He dropped one hand and slid it between our bodies. His thumb pressed against my clit, and every time I rocked forward, the tension inside me grew tighter.
“I’m too fucking close, baby. Ride me. I want to feel you explode on my cock.”
I whimpered, put my hands on his chest, and thrust my hips back and forth. The dual sensations of his cock and thumb drove me higher and higher. Sounds came out of my mouth that I’d never heard before.
Light danced behind my eyes.
Oh, God.
Did I say that out loud?
Did it matter?
I was so close.
“Come for me, baby,” Seth growled. “For me.”
He swiped his thumb one more time and I shattered. My cry of release tangled with emotions that clogged in my throat. Tears burned my eyes. Wave after wave of the most delicious pleasure I’ve ever felt washed through me.
I felt Seth go rigid under me, and then he growled, low and deep.
His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me down so that I was lying on top of him. I could hear his heart thundering under my ear. It matched what was going on in my own chest. Every few seconds, fissures of pleasure made me clench around him.
Each time he groaned and lifted his hips a little.
He kissed my neck, my jaw, and finally claimed my lips. His tongue stroked languidly over mine. When he stopped, he laid his forehead against mine. There was just enough light from the hallway that I could see how bright his eyes were.
Something that I thought I saw in them took my breath away.
He probably saw the same thing reflecting from mine.
This was too fast and too intense, but I didn’t want it to stop. Every single day that I spent with him made me fall just a little bit more. The days, the nights, were running together, and the outside world was just a vague notion.
I didn’t want to think about what would happen after. When CS was done. When I went back to school. All I knew was that every time I thought about tomorrow, Seth was a part of it.
I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Seth
“You cook now?” Avery asked the next morning. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen wearing nothing but my T-shirt. Eggs be damned. I wanted to spread her out over the table and have her for breakfast instead.
“Food. I need sustenance after last night.” She met my stare, and her cheeks turned pink.
God, she looked hot with her bed head and a smile. I think we finally fell asleep around five, but I woke up an hour later. Some habits were hard to break, I guess. Prison makes you a rule follower whether you like it or not.
Avery sidled up next to me and peeked into the pan. “You smell delicious.”
I ducked my head. It wasn’t some fancy eggplant dish for sure like she had whipped up the other night, but I could make scrambled eggs and bacon. Could even pour a mean glass of OJ too.
I leaned down and buried my face in her neck, inhaling a lungful of Avery. “You smell delicious,” I murmured against her skin. I could stay there all day, just breathing her in. That smell, a combination of vanilla and flowers and just her, had me aching to be near her.
“Cooking bacon shirtless is not a smart idea, but I can’t find it in myself to complain.” She leaned forward and pressed her lips to my shoulder. I almost flipped the fucking food right out onto the floor. Her chuckle told me she knew it too.
I’d only thrown on my jeans before I made it out to the kitchen. Avery had on my shirt and no way in hell was I going to take it back. Well, not yet anyway. I did have plans to take it off her again. Very soon.
“Sit.” I waved the spatula at her.
She walked over to the coffeepot instead and reached up high for a mug in the cupboard. The shirt rode up enough so that I could clearly see she ha
d not put on panties before coming into the kitchen.
Damn her. I was trying to do something nice and she was shooting my concentration to shit.
“You are evil,” I muttered.
She grinned at me over her shoulder. “I was thinking, since I showed you my special spot yesterday, maybe we could do something you want to today?”
The laugh burst out before I could stop it. “If I remember correctly, I saw your special spot about half a dozen times. And licked it and kissed it and . . . ”
“Okay!” Her cheeks turned bright pink, but she laughed too. “Let me rephrase, then. Since I took you to the lake, is there anyplace you want to show me?”
She looked so damned hopeful that I sobered instantly. My life before prison wasn’t anything to write home about. I partied. Drank. Hung out with Ryan and did some stupid shit. Most of it revolved around Ryan’s place, three trailers down from ours.
A knot tightened in my stomach. Christ, was I really contemplating taking Avery to a trailer park? As long as I stayed five hundred feet from my old home, I’d be within the conditions of my parole.
Shit. I scrubbed my hand over my face.
“It’s okay,” she backtracked quickly, sensing my hesitation. “We can hang out here or go down to the pool.”
But Avery had shared something that meant a lot to her, and I’d be a selfish prick if I didn’t return the gesture. Pretty fucked-up when the best part of my past was a house with axles.
“Let me make a call after breakfast.” I slid the eggs and bacon onto two Betty Boop plates and carried them to the table. I hadn’t noticed that Avery had gotten me a cup of coffee too. The normalcy of the whole situation hit me hard between the eyes.
It would be so easy to fall into this safe place.
Somehow with Avery, I forgot about the shit right outside my door. I watched her dive into her food, and her eyes closed as she moaned around a mouthful of eggs. Damn if it didn’t make me feel ten feet tall and bulletproof to see her so happy. The knot in my stomach tightened.
It was going to kill me when she realized she deserved better. And she would. Once community service was over and she stepped back into her real life, her friends, her classes, she’d see it.