Fall Into Love

by Melody Anne

  I gasped and buried my face in his neck. I had no words of comfort to offer. I could only be there.

  His fingers slid into my hair and held me against his body. I felt him trembling under me.

  “I have a sister. Sara is four years younger than me. After my mom died, I sort of checked out. I dropped out of school. Raised a lot of hell. Would have gotten into a lot more trouble if Ryan hadn’t had my back. By the time I pulled my head out of my ass, I noticed that Sara was looking a lot like our mother had. I started paying attention to what was going on, and finally she admitted that she was using. I wanted to kill Davis. He was her fucking guardian and he was using her just like he did our mother. I was determined to get her out of that house. Instead, he made up some bullshit story about me being violent, and DFCS had me removed. A few months after that, I went to see Sara, and Davis was there, making a deal with some sleazeball. My sister in exchange for heroin. The worst part was that Sara was right there, high as hell and begging the guy to fuck her.”

  Seth’s heart thundered under my ear. His body tightened with barely restrained fury.

  “I lost it. I grabbed Davis and started pounding the shit out of him. By the time Ryan pulled me off, the cops were there and Sara was hysterical and they cuffed me and dragged me to jail. The bastard pressed charges. My sister sided with him. I got two years but served one. Now I can’t get within five hundred feet of either of them. My sister is across town, still being used by that waste of humanity, and I can’t do shit about it. I should have just killed him. Then he couldn’t hurt her anymore.”

  His other arm came around me, and he held me so tight I could barely breathe. I didn’t care. I wanted to take away the pain inside him, but there was nothing I could do. I had no way of making him hurt less. What happened was beyond comprehension. How could someone like Seth’s stepfather get away with all that for so long?

  How could the state fail a girl in that kind of situation? Wasn’t that why child protection agencies existed? To protect innocent kids?

  I was going to talk to my father.

  He might be a hard-ass, but he was also the best attorney on the East Coast. He’d know what to do. To make sense of all this. I wasn’t going to tell Seth that, though. He didn’t need me butting in.

  And nothing I said would make him feel better anyway. He was hurting. So hard and so deep that it was amazing he didn’t drown in it. But I needed him to know that it didn’t make me care any less. If anything, my feelings for him were stronger now.

  “You’re the strongest person I know,” I said. I talked against his neck because he still held me in a viselike grip. “After all that, you still keep your eyes open. You move forward. I can’t even begin to know what you went through, or what you’re still going through, but for someone with so much pain in his life, you are an incredibly giving and honest man. I admire that.”

  He groaned and dropped his head so that his lips were against my ear. “I don’t know how you see all that. I’m a fucked-up mess.”

  I scrambled from his arms so that I could raise up and look into his eyes. “I know I don’t know you very well, that’s true, but I know one thing, Seth, you are not a bad person.” I cradled his face between my hands and kissed him softly. “We’re all messed up in our own ways. What matters is how you choose to fix things.”

  Darkness flashed across his face. “That’s just it, Avery, I don’t know how to fix this. Everyone keeps telling me I have to do it the right way, but what happens if that doesn’t work? My mother died because of what Davis did to her. If I lose Sara . . .” His entire body shook under mine. He looked so lost, so vulnerable. “I can’t lose her too. I would gladly spend the rest of my life in prison than see her get hurt again.”

  The conviction in his voice scared me. I kissed him again. Then once more. “Please promise me you won’t do anything that will jeopardize your own future. I will do whatever I can to help you figure this all out, I promise you that. Just . . . know that you are worth someone fighting for you too. You fight for Sara and I’ll fight for you. Okay?”

  I don’t know where the words came from, but they were true. This beautiful, broken man deserved someone in his corner. I wanted to be that someone.

  His gaze snapped up, and he searched my eyes for something. His pulse quickened where my fingers touched his neck. He took a ragged breath in, then kissed me, slow and deep and tender.

  “You make me feel fucking invincible, do you know that? No one has ever done that before.” He held me close, taking long, slow breaths.

  “You make me feel real. Alive. No one has ever done that for me.” I closed my eyes and relaxed against him. The logical part of my brain tried to sort through everything he said, and what I’d said, to find a reason for this insane connection I felt.

  I was practical, and whenever I saw or read about love at first sight it just made me laugh. It wasn’t possible. No one could fall in love instantly. And I wasn’t in love with Seth yet. I knew that.

  But I also knew that it would be very easy to go there.

  He was such a good person. Just because I hadn’t known him for long didn’t mean I couldn’t see that. If there was any way I could ease the pain in his eyes, that I could help him figure everything out, I would do it.

  And after tonight?

  I didn’t know if I could walk away, even if I had to.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Seth

  I expected Avery to kick me out after I told her about Sara.

  Not only did she let me stay, she wrapped her arms around me and everything didn’t feel quite so hopeless.

  I brushed my hands over her hair and kissed the top of her head.

  She’d been lying in my arms for the last half hour, her breath fanning across my neck. It was torture, but I didn’t want to wake her. Hell, I’d lie like this for days if it meant I could keep her from leaving my arms.

  She shifted, and a soft moan brushed across my skin. My dick’s reaction was immediate. Her T-shirt rode up and half her ass was bared. I couldn’t stop myself.

  I ran my fingers over the soft curve, easing the edge of the shirt up a little higher. Goose bumps broke out over her skin.

  “Take me to bed,” she murmured against my chest. Then her lips were there, burning-hot kisses branding every place she touched.

  I groaned and wrapped my arms around her.

  Already my muscles were tight with tension. This time would be better. Slower. I made the promise to myself as I lifted her off me and stood. She lay on her back on the couch, her sleepy eyes watching me.

  Her hair stuck out from her braid and her cheeks were flushed.

  “You look so fucking sexy right now,” I said.

  A smile curled her lips up. There were no games behind her eyes. Only desire. I reached out and took her hand.

  “I want you back in bed, Ave.”

  Her smile turned almost shy as she stood and let me lead her into the bedroom. Hell, the edges of nervousness made my hands shake just a little. There was a deeper connection now that I’d told her about Sara. She knew my dark secret. The reason I’d been behind bars. And she was still here, her hand in mine.

  The trust Avery had in me, whether she knew she’d given it to me or not, made me feel fucking invincible. And scared as hell. I knew better than anyone how fast things could all go to shit.

  Avery let go of my hand and stepped next to the bed. With a quick look at me from under her eyelashes, she reached down and grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it up. Slowly. Inch by agonizing inch, she exposed her bare skin.

  My mouth went dry. Soft curves caught the strips of light coming in between the window blinds. It looked like some kind of fantastical corset, hugging her middle. My fingers itched to run over the lines on her body.

  The shirt went higher and she pulled it over her head, then dropped it at her feet. She didn’t try to cover up, just stood there while I got drunk off looking at her.

  “Nothing I imagined even comes c
lose to how fucking hot you look right now.” I heard my voice, heard the harshness in it, and realized I sounded mad. I started to apologize, but Avery looked over at me.

  I saw glittering desire in her eyes.

  She lifted her hand toward me, and I was drawn to her. When I slid my fingers between hers, an uncontrollable fierceness flooded my entire body. Then she ran her nails down over my chest, and my ability to breathe left me entirely.

  “Fuck, baby,” I murmured, “you’re killing me.” Her lips twisted in a wicked grin, and I leaned in close. “And I can’t think of a better way to go.”

  She laughed, and I felt like beating on my chest.

  “Oh, that’s funny, is it?” I grabbed her around the waist and threw her onto the middle of the bed. Before she could scramble back up, I was on her, nudging her thighs open with my leg so that I could nestle between them. I slid my hands up her sides, then around to cup her breasts.

  She arched up and moaned when I ran my thumbs over both hard tips.

  This Grant guy must have been fifty shades of idiot to screw Avery over. I pinched and rolled her nipples until she closed her eyes and thrust her hips against my dick.

  I could feel the heat, the wetness, seeping through the fabric of her shorts. Her breathing grew harsher, and she gripped the blanket in her fists at her sides.

  “Lift your hips.” When she did, I pulled her shorts completely off. I was right. She didn’t have on anything underneath. Before anything else happened, I wanted to see her come apart again. I ran my hand back down between her legs. She was so wet. So ready. My finger slipped easily inside her.

  “Open your eyes, baby,” I whispered. “I want to watch you.”

  Her eyelids fluttered, and finally her gaze rested on me. When I was sure I had her attention, I drew back, then slid back in slow. I loved the way her breath caught in her throat. How her body arched into my touch.

  Soft whimpers fell from her lips, and her eyes drifted shut. I stopped moving.

  “Eyes open. On me, Avery.”

  She groaned in protest, but once again she looked at me.

  I don’t know where the control came from. Sure, giving pleasure was fun, I wasn’t a selfish prick with women, but this was more of a need. I needed Avery to feel everything. I needed her to know who was making her come.

  I wanted to claim that part of her. Give her something no one else had. I wanted to make her mine, but I pushed that desire deep inside. I had no right to feel that way. I could give her nothing but this.

  My fingers dipped into her willing body, and her soft whimpers filled the room. Slick walls gripped my fingers when I dragged across the nerves centered on the upstroke.

  “Oh, God,” she whimpered, her eyes wide but unfocused.

  Her body tensed and sweat glistened on her face. She twisted the blanket in her fists. It took everything I had to keep driving my fingers into her. I wanted to pull off my jeans and sink between her legs. Drive something else into her until she sobbed my name.

  I gritted my teeth. No. Not until she shattered on my fingers.

  I flicked my thumb over her clit on the outstroke. Her body tensed. I did it again. Her eyes got wider, wilder. She panted in and out, trying to stay focused on my face.

  “Seth. Oh, God, please.” Her hips started rocking. “Don’t stop,” she gasped. “Please. Don’t. Stop.”

  I couldn’t if I wanted to. I had to see her come apart more than I needed to breathe.

  “Let go, sweetheart. I got you.”

  “Seth,” she whimpered. Her whole body shook.

  “I got you, Avery. I won’t let you go. I promise, baby.”

  Her gaze met mine, and she arched off the bed, a loud cry coming from someplace deep inside her. I saw it all. Like fireworks were going off behind her eyes. Blood surged to my dick, making it ache. Her slick insides gripped and squeezed my fingers, growing even wetter with her release.

  When the tremors slowed, I slid my fingers gently out of her and slowly climbed up her body. I pressed my lips against her glistening skin until I reached her breasts. The hard peaks rolled on the tip of my tongue, and Avery gasped.

  I felt her hands tangle in my hair, pulling me closer, holding me against her chest.

  “I want you so bad,” she said.

  “I want you too, baby.” I moved from her breasts to her neck, then to her lips. They were so soft, giving, under mine. I ran my tongue between them, and she opened immediately. She tasted so fucking sweet.

  Her fingers were at my waist, fumbling with the zipper on my jeans. I leaned up on my elbows, giving her the room she needed to push them down my hips. I had to roll over and kick them off myself, but she came with me, lying across my chest.

  She pressed kisses over my shoulders, then down the middle of my chest. Her fingers ran down the ridges of each muscle, making them jump under her touch. When she slid lower, her mouth trailing hot kisses to my stomach, it was my turn to twist the blanket in my fists.

  “Look at me.” Her voice was husky, and it scraped across my skin.

  I lifted my head and watched her. A wicked glint played in her eyes. I groaned when her breasts dragged across my dick, but it was nothing compared to when her hot mouth closed over the tip.

  “Fuck.” The word hissed out from between my clenched teeth. My eyes drifted shut at the surge of pure pleasure.

  “Keep your eyes open, baby.”

  Goddamn, she was fiery. Turned my own game against me. A low groan rumbled through my chest, but I opened my eyes.

  “That’s better.” She smiled with a mouthful of my cock and it was the fucking sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I’d let her play this out a little longer. Then I was going to flip her over and show her just how much I wanted her.

  Except she opened wider and slowly slid her mouth over on the entire length of me.

  Air stuttered in my lungs.

  Lights danced in my vision.

  What the fuck was my name?

  “Enough,” I growled.

  “I’m not . . .” Avery didn’t get a chance to argue.

  I sat up, grabbed her under the arms, and flipped her over. I moved my hands to the insides of her thighs and pushed them wide open. Wedging my thighs between hers, I reached across to the nightstand and grabbed a condom.

  The package tore easily and I rolled it on.

  “Seth.”

  Her whispered moan sank down to my bones. How could I deny her anything?

  I ran the tip of myself up her folds, making sure to drag slower over her clit. She groaned, her breath coming out faster now. My muscles tightened. This was torturing me as well, and I was too selfish to wait any longer.

  With my hands on the insides of her thighs, I sank myself into her.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Seth

  “I’ve got to go meet someone,” I whispered in Avery’s ear.

  Sun shone brightly through the windows, and I knew it had to be at least ten in the morning. I can’t remember the last time I slept so well. No wonder, though. I couldn’t seem to get enough of Avery last night, and judging by how many times she fell apart around me, she’d felt the same way.

  “Stay,” she protested sleepily, tracing her fingers down my bare chest.

  I groaned and told myself to get the hell out of bed. I leaned over and pressed my lips to her shoulder. “You sleep, baby. I’ll come back later, promise. If you want me to, that is.”

  Awake now, Avery pushed to sitting. Her hair was a halo of tangled curls around her head and there was a crease along her cheek from the pillow. Even first thing in the morning she looked sexy as fuck.

  Last night she had looked like an angel when she fell asleep. I lay next to her and stared for a good hour, knowing that I was sinking into creeper territory, but I couldn’t stop. She was so fucking beautiful.

  Everything about last night was perfect.

  Like I was dreaming or something, because guys like me definitely don’t get chances like that. I didn’t w
ant to fall asleep because I was afraid when I woke up, I’d be in my crappy apartment, alone.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed around someone besides Ryan. I’ve never told anyone that when I was five, I had a stuffed dog I named Cat. Avery almost fell on the floor she laughed so hard. I kept telling her silly secrets just to watch her laugh again.

  “I’m awake now,” she said with a naughty smile. She ran her fingers up over my thigh and stopped right before the noticeable bulge in my boxers.

  I grabbed her hand before she could touch me, because if she did, there was no way in hell I’d be on time to meet Jim.

  “Nope,” I said, pulling her fingers to my mouth, where I kissed the tip of each one. “I have to get dressed.”

  “Me too.”

  I watched her walk away from me, in just a tiny pair of pale pink panties and a tank top. Now, that was a view I could get used to seeing every morning. Avery tossed a flirty smile over her shoulder and disappeared through the doorway.

  I exhaled and fell back onto the bed, lacing my fingers behind my head. What the fuck was I doing? She and I, we wouldn’t have the happily-ever-after fairy tale ending. In reality, it never worked that way. But I was one hundred percent with Avery using me to get whatever itch needed to be scratched out of her system. Girls like her fooled around with guys like me, but they ended up with the ones who could give them big houses and fancy cars.

  I heard the shower start and could picture her under the water, rubbing soap all over her body. Shit. I reached down and adjusted my dick, which hadn’t calmed down since waking up next to her.

  Tonight I planned on laying her out on this bed and making her scream all night long. Again. Just the anticipation of sinking into her made me harder than I thought possible. I sat up and grabbed my jeans from the floor. It was going to be a tight fit.

  By the time Avery stepped out of the bathroom, I was dressed and had my raging hard-on partially under control. Until I saw her. She’d twisted her hair up into some kind of knot on the top of her head and had on a short but not too short denim skirt. The top she had on only had one shoulder, and the other side tucked under her arm and framed her breasts.