by London James
“But why?” I prod. I want to know.
“Because you’re my best friend, and I love you, Rowan.”
“Love doesn’t make you turn your back on the people you love,” I snap, yanking my hand away as if she had the capability to burn me.
“I know,” she answers.
That’s all she says.
My teeth grind together from the frustration. I don’t care about the stairs anymore. I’m just going to take them. I can’t be in here anymore. “I still don’t get an answer? After all this time? Do you even care? It’s been long enough. I think both of us can move on.” I take the key card out of my pocket, hoping she stops me.
“Nothing I say can fix the damage between us. Nothing I say will matter.”
I turn away from her, a million thoughts running through my head. And then I turn back around.
She’s still there, rooted to the spot, staring at me.
I don’t know what to do. I want to run away. I want to throw myself off that balcony. I want to hit a wall.
Instead, I reach my arms forward and clasp her shoulders. Everly looks up at me, her eyes shimmering. Her hands clutch her towel to make sure it doesn’t fall, and I sag my head, inches from her face, ready to spill my guts to her. I inhale her scent. It surrounds me, driving me absolutely wild. With trembling fingers, I take her face in my hands and sigh as the delicate edge of her jaw in my palms caresses my skin.
“You’d be surprised. Just tell me,” I whisper, with all the desperation I can manage.
Her cheeks change to a soft pink color, and her chest rises and falls in a rapid pace. Everly shuts her eyes, sinking into my touch. “I was eighteen and stupid, Rowan. I… I—”
But for some reason, I don’t want to hear anymore.
The distance between us closes, and our mouths crash together, for the first time in six years.
All a sudden, all my thoughts are thrown out the window, and we collapse against the wall in a tangle of elbows. We gasp and moan so loud; the noise travels into the bathroom and echoes. She feels so good. Her lips have gotten softer. Her tongue has gotten bolder.
It makes me wonder about the other men she has been with. It makes me clutch her towel as tight as I can, angry that there have been others after me. She is mine. She has always been.
My Everly.
But just as soon as it began, it’s over. The ferocious kiss breaks when I yank the towel off her and drop it to the floor. Everly gasps, the cold air running up her body and causing those pink, pale nipples to harden.
My eyes flicker down her face, to her chest, and the tattoo stands out more now because until the end of time and space—I’ll want her.
Just like this.
Naked, for only my eyes to see.
Chapter 16
Everly
What. Is. Happening.
Am I dreaming? Because there is no way this is real. Rowan would never kiss me. Not after everything I’ve done.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, worrying my lip between my teeth.
He seems wild. The look in his eyes is far from sane. We can’t do this. We shouldn’t be here in this position. Even though I want it. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.
He runs his knuckles down my cheek, neck, and traces over my collarbone. My breath escapes my body in quaking sighs. “I wish I knew,” he says with a pinch of his brows.
I haven’t been this close to him in so long that I have no idea what to do. My hands are stuck to the wall, flat, unsure of how to handle this situation. I need to back away. I need to end this. But I’m trapped. The wall has my back, and Rowan has me caged in.
“Rowan.”
He closes his eyes and moans. “When you say my name like that…”
“Like what?” I whisper.
“Like even the taste of it makes you want me… you have no idea what it does to me.” His arms shake as he bows his head. The thick brown hair falls out of place as he runs his fingers through it, trying to grab hold of some type of sense or logic.
But when he glances down, he sees my naked body bared before him. He snaps his head up, stealing my breath. I gaze into his perfect face. His chiselled jaw, his perfect cheekbones. His dark pupils are dilated. Staring at me is a man that has been possessed. Black circles stare at me, the crystalline colored iris gone and replaced with desire.
His knuckles drag down my chest and over my nipple, causing it to bounce. He growls deep in his throat; the rumble sending me back to the cab of his truck all those years ago. I try not to react. I try and fight the wave of desire. For all I know, this is his way of getting back at me. He’ll rev my body up and then leave it, leaving me alone to throttle my engine.
“You’re still so beautiful, Everly,” he whispers with awe and captivation, as his eyes linger on my body. “I don’t understand this need I have for you.” He continues to slide his knuckles along to my other breast as he explains himself. “You’re so easy to get lost in. Nothing has ever been the same without you in it. I don’t understand it.” He journeys down my stomach, dipping his finger into the cave of my navel before drifting to the trimmed bush covering my pussy. “I’ve always loved this,” he says with a soft tug of my pubic hair.
I squeak with unexpected pleasure. A soft sting is left behind from the sweet, pleasurable pain of him pulling the course tendrils. My throat is dry from trying to get air into my lungs. I still have no idea what is going on, but since this is all I have ever wanted… I’m going to go along with it until he pulls away.
He smirks and keeps trailing his fingers over my pussy, teasing the slit with his fingers. He pushes my legs aside with force, making more room for himself as he explores.
Something he has never done. Hell, something I have never done.
I let out a gasp of surprise as he slips two fingers inside me. His entire body jerks from the motion, as if he flexed his hips instead. Rowan’s jaw drops with a moan. “You’re still so tight, so hot, and wet. Fuck, you’re so wet for me.”
Yes, for you. Only ever for you.
I whimper as he curls his fingers, overwhelmed by the sensation. I already feel close to the edge. Rowan has always had that effect on me. And with years of build-up in my system, I’m not surprised.
Rowan places his forehead on my shoulder, and his breath makes my skin pebble as it puffs over the curve. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this,” he mutters with a push of his thick digits.
I squirm in his hold, whining from the pressure inside me.
“I’ve dreamed of you in my arms again.” His lips press against the top of my shoulder, following the column of my neck until he is kissing me behind the ear.
“I have too, Rowan.” With trembling hands, I push under his sports coat and slip it off, revealing a tight, pale blue button-up shirt that hugs his biceps and chest perfectly. It is as if it’s tailored to his body—probably is.
“Kiss me,” he says, placing his lips directly in front of mine.
Like he has to ask twice! I grab his face with my hands and slam my mouth against his. My tongue duels with his, twisting and turning in a dance of emotion. The moment I start to dominate, he grabs my face with one hand and presses his lips harder against mine. I relent. I give into him like he likes and start to rock my hips against his fingers, needing more of him.
A growl travels down my throat from Rowan. He grips my right hip to keep it still.
“Take my shirt off,” he gasps inside my mouth.
Always with the demands, but I’m happy to comply.
With unstable fingers, I start at the top of his shirt and work my way down. I lick my lips as I see his exposed chest. Light brown hair covers his chest. And the curve of his pecs is sculpted and smooth, rippling with muscles. He really has grown in all the right places. I continue unbuttoning his shirt with slow, antagonizing touches. My fingers stroke his skin, ever so softly, with every unbutton of a clasp. Hard ridges and valleys come to view from his abdomen, and sandy dustings of hair travels over h
is skin here, too.
“Beautiful. Always have been,” I marvel with appreciation as I push the material off his broad shoulders and down his arms until it is nothing but a useless pile of material on the floor. I swallow thickly. Everything about him has changed. I explore him, taking my time as I run my fingers along the vein in his biceps.
“Take my pants off.” His words are nothing except a heavy breath traveling over my breasts.
I bite my lip and moan as he starts to move his fingers in and out of my channel. “I want my cock to be in here soon. There’s so much I want to do with you, Everly.”
I unbuckle his belt, and when I whip it off, I bring my mouth to his ears. “Then do it.”
“Not until my pants are off.”
I grin, wishing he would do everything he wants. We didn’t get to experience that before. And I’m ready to experience everything he is willing to give. I don’t know if this is a one-off thing, but I’m ready for anything. Just the feel of his skin against my skin is enough to bring me back to life after closing myself off from the experience of living.
The heavy metal of his belt buckle clatters against the floor.
His blunt fingernails dig into my side.
My fingers toy with the button keeping his cock tucked away in confinements that might as well be considered jail.
His teeth graze my pink, hard nipple as I unbutton his pants.
I throw my head back in passion, losing the grip on his zipper.
“Unzip me,” he growls deeply, lost in passion.
I barely have the ability to reach my arms out, but I manage, clasping the cold metal zipper between my fingers, and slide it down. His breath hitches from the sound of the zipper’s teeth unlocking. I push his pants down from behind, grabbing the firm globes of his ass as I do.
He hums against my neck, taking a bite against the side of my neck. The pain and pleasure mix, sending goosebumps tingling through me. He kicks his pants to the side, and they smack against the white wall, falling to a helpless mound on the floor.
I have to look down.
And what I see does not disappoint. His cock is long and thick, thicker than I remember, and a vein bulges on the side. The crown is livid, weeping fluid. My mouth waters from the intense craving that hits me, needing to taste his fluid. I won’t ever admit this to him, but I’ve never sucked a cock before.
I’m sure he has had many women pleasure him. And that only adds to the pressure.
“Mmm, you want to suck me, don’t you?”
I lift my gaze from his throbbing rod and meet his eyes. I nod, sexually dazed and confused.
“What are you waiting for?” He puts his hands on my shoulders and pushes me down until my knees are rubbing against the carpet.
I can’t show hesitation—only confidence. I ghost a breath over his shaft, and his body buckles. I take the thick base in my palm and stroke, watching the tip wink at me.
“Fuck,” he whispers, staring down at me as he leans his arms against the wall.
My eyes peek up at Rowan, and I wrap my lips around his girth. He stretches my mouth to the brink, but I love it. The first drop of his pre-come bursts over my taste buds, and I moan from the sweet and savory flavor.
I do what I remember women doing from watching porn. I drag my tongue around the helmet before sucking the crown between my mouth. My eyes cross as I watch myself bob up and down on his dick.
Rowan’s dick. My Rowan.
I hum around the steel pole, careful to keep my teeth sheathed with my lips as I pleasure him. My free hand runs up the thick muscle of his inner thigh, scratching my nails up the tender flesh until I reach his large hanging sack. I test the weight of the orbs in my palms, rolling them in a circle.
“Fuck, if you keep going, I’m going to come down your throat,” he grunts, tangling his fingers through my hair.
The touch makes me look at him, mouth full of cock, with a pleading in my eyes that screams, ‘take me’. I double my efforts, sucking and slurping like it’s my job. I still stroke him in sync with my suction, going faster, sucking harder, licking better.
“You’re a little devil,” he grunts, placing his other hand on the side of my head as he starts to thrust his hips vigorously until the tip of his cock is punching the back of my throat. He gasps, staring down at me with pure shock. “You don’t have a gag reflex? Fucking hell, what did I wait for?” he says on a long, sensual groan. “I’m going to come.” He tries to pull me back, but I wrap my arms around his thighs and keep him close to me.
I want a mouthful of his come. I want him to be the first guy I have sex with, in every way, even if it means he will be my last—but not in a good way. I just don’t see myself wanting to be with anyone the way I want to be with Rowan.
His hips stutter, bringing my focus back to the cock in my mouth. I prepare myself mentally because I have no idea what to expect. His breath comes out in harsh pants, and he gives one final push, holding my head to his pelvis, as he shouts his release down my throat. I pinch my eyes closed, not ready for the large squirt of salty liquid on my tongue.
But after a moment, I like it. I moan around his shaft, drinking down every drop. I savor every moment of the precious liquid, knowing that—so I’ve heard—most men can’t get it up a second time.
But I should have known Rowan isn’t like most men. He pulls his rock-solid cock from between my lips, dripping with spittle and come onto the carpet as he takes a step back.
“My turn,” he winks.
My brows pinch together, and then my eyes widen as he takes my hair in his hands, wraps it around his wrist and uses it to slowly pull me to my feet. The motion makes my entire body freeze. I stare deeply into him, needing him more than I’ve needed anything in my life.
I lean forward to kiss him again, to taste his lips, but before I can, he grabs my shoulders and tosses me on the bed. I yelp from the unexpected move, and a sudden slap on my ass yanks a moan out of me.
I’m gasping, clawing the bed sheets with pleasure and agony as he continues to spank the cheeks of my ass. I start to sweat, and the skin starts to sting, but I don’t want him to stop. He is taking me to another place, another dimension, and he isn’t even inside me yet.
“So pretty with my mark on you.”
I bury my head into the thick of the comforter and moan. I want more than a mark. I want a stamp.
I want his brand.
Chapter 17
Rowan
I should stop.
This can’t happen.
It’s already gone too far, though. Her hot mouth around my cock, and my seed pouring down her throat might have been the breaking point of no turning back. I don’t care anymore though. I want her. I’ve wanted her my entire life, I wanted her when she turned her back on me, and I want her right now, ass in the air, red, and glowing with my handprint.
“Rowan,” she moans. “Please.”
I grab her by the hips and flip her onto her back. Her breasts bounce from the momentum, and her face is flushed with a deep burgundy color. I spread her legs wide, and her shiny lips gleam against the low light of the room. The only pussy I’ve ever truly wanted to taste. Finally, in my reach. The sweet, red velvet cake calls to me. Her swollen clit is throbbing, practically screaming at me for attention.
Aw, no need to make her suffer.
I run my hands up the smooth, pale, flawless canvas of her legs. I tease her inner thigh with my thumb until I’m circling her clit. Her back bows off the bed as she cries out from pleasure. The tremble of her legs sinks into the bed, but I feel the rumble beneath my knees.
“Oh, god!” she screams. “Yes, Rowan!”
“That’s right,” I growl, leaning over her withering body to seal her lips in a hard, passionate kiss. I continue my assault on her clit. A gush of fluid soaks her folds, and I know she is close. I knead her breast with my free hand, loving how perfect it still sits in the dip of my palm.
“I want you to fuck me, Rowan,” she gasps. “Please. Ple
ase put your dick in me.”
“I don’t have a condom,” I say. “Are you sure?”
She nods her head. “It’s okay; I’m on the pill.”
I grin wickedly, and my cock instantly throbs, knowing it’s about to take her again. But first, I need to finish the task at hand. I pick up my pace, thrusting harder and faster and pinching her nipples and running my tongue all up and down her neck.
Everly wraps her arms around my back and digs her nails deep in the skin, raking them from the neck down as she comes, gushing and squirting into my palm. Her entire body quakes from the aftermath. I run my fingers through her sensitive folds and use her slick as lubricant. I don’t give her time to come down from her orgasm.
And thrust inside her in one smooth, hard motion. For a second, I expect to break through her virginity again, but that smug smirk works its way to my lips. That’s right. I already took it. And now I get to have this sweet candy again.
Thoughts of the past start to creep into my head, of her leaving, of her breaking me, of her ignoring me, and they are enough to make me falter. No, I’m not going to let it stop me. The feel of her is too good to stop now.
I push them aside and pull her closer, wrapping her legs around my waist and start a fast, heavy rhythm. It’s enough to push the negative thoughts away and enjoy the woman, the goddess, the love of my life, moaning underneath me. Right now is all that matters.
I don’t know what will happen when this is over. I know I’m not ready for it to mean more than it is, and right now, it’s just sex.
But also, it’s Everly. It will always be more than sex, but I can’t have more with her at this time. If that makes sense.
Protection. That’s what I have to do. I have to guard my heart, so keeping her at arm’s length is the best I can do right now.
“Rowan!” My name flies out of her mouth in two syllables from every punctuating stroke I am giving her.
“You like my cock, Everly? You want more of it?” A low rumble forms in my chest, a beast in creation, threatening to burst from my skin.