Smiling, she looked at Cole, who rose from where he sat on the bed. He wore only his boxer briefs. His hair was damp and he smelled like the cleanser he favored.
“Guess I should have gotten you something to wear,” he said, one corner of his mouth lifting. He approached her and brushed a stray curl away from her eyes. “Is this where I admit that I’m slightly terrified?”
Her eyes widened. A laugh bubbled out. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”
“Hey, you may be a virgin, but I’ve never done this with a virgin. It kind of makes us equals in this.”
“It does?”
“Hell, yeah. This is your first time. If I screw this up, I’ll forever be the pathetic ‘first time story’ that you tell years from now.”
She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing again. She could tell he was largely being serious.
Huh. Cole Parker...nervous. About her.
Stepping closer to him, she ran her right hand along his pectoral muscle, holding his gaze as she did so. She watched his pupils dilate as she touched places that he liked. Her reservations vaporized like snowflakes in the sun.
“Well, I have no point of comparison,” she said at last. “But based on what we’ve done together so far, you’re already a sex god in my mind.”
He smiled. “No pressure though.” She gasped when he lifted her off her feet and walked her over to the bed. “Well, I’ll do my best to take it slow. Unless you demand otherwise.”
She rolled her eyes over his eyebrow wiggle. He placed her in the middle of the bed and climbed on to lay beside her. Her nervousness experienced a grand resurgence when he just lay there looking at her intently for a long moment. It was like he was trying to memorize her.
“Is there anything you’re uncomfortable with?” he asked.
She frowned in confusion. “How am I supposed to know?”
After a moment, he burst out laughing and collapsed so his head rested on her chest. It made her smile when she realized he was laughing at himself.
“Off to a roaring start,” he said. The words were muffled against the robe.
“You know, I’m no expert, but I’ve heard a kiss is a great launching point,” she offered.
He lifted his head and met her gaze, a grin on his face. “I bow to you, my student.” He pushed himself all the way up and braced himself over her. “Now I intend to take that sage advice and apply it to your entire body.”
Before she could reply, he leaned down and kissed her. Everything else faded to the back of her mind. She allowed the overwhelming sensation of Cole’s kiss to sweep away her nerves.
He took his time, alternating between soft, teasing kisses and deep, passionate ones. She wasn’t sure how long they just lay there kissing, but she vaguely realized at some point that he had positioned himself so that he rested between her legs. That probably should have alarmed her. Instead, she wanted him pressed even closer.
His kisses progressed beyond her lips. He spent some time along her ear lobe and the side of her neck. Then he moved lower and caressed the hollow of her throat with soft kisses and gentle flicks of his tongue. Everywhere he touched caused ripples of pleasure to course through her body. It all felt so good that she couldn’t find it in her to be shy when he reached for the robe’s belt and untied it. She even helped him.
She sat up when the belt was free and allowed the robe to slip from her shoulders. Cole seemed surprised by the move. He stared down at her for a long moment without blinking.
Then he pushed her back on the bed a little less than gently and kissed her again. There was nothing teasing about this kiss. It was openly carnal, conveying his desire in a way beyond words. When she felt his calloused palms on her bare skin, she shivered and moaned against his mouth.
He eventually broke off the kiss. The room filled with the sound of their panting. Everly’s side throbbed, but it was the furthest thing from her mind as Cole lowered himself along her body and began to fulfill his promise of kissing her everywhere.
She had thought she knew how much enjoyment she would get out of sex. Her previous encounters with Cole had left her aching for more of the blissful torture he could wield. Now, however, she realized she hadn’t had an inkling of what lie ahead.
Her body was a flare of sensation. His dexterous hands and sinful lips stoked her to greater heights of pleasure than she’d ever dreamed possible. She never thought she’d be one to beg or demand, but she did both. Then, at long, long last, he sent her over the edge into wave after wave of glorious splendor.
While she drifted back to her senses, he reached for the condom he’d left on the nightstand. She took it from him and opened it while he removed his boxer briefs. Her eyes widened as she saw his entire body for the first time.
“Well, this will be quite different from suiting up the bananas in health class,” she managed.
He gave her a small smile, but she read the intensity in his eyes. Together, they got the condom in place. Then he caught her gaze again.
“You’re still sure?” he asked.
Her nerves jittered. “I’m sure.”
“Thank God,” he said. He kissed her again, clearly savoring the moment. He gently lifted her into a sitting position. “With this being your first time, I think you should be the guide.”
Her jaw loosened. “You want me to...?”
Lying on his back, he nodded. “I’m all yours, Everly.”
Biting her lip, she considered what to do. Pushing aside her sudden shyness, she moved so that she straddled him. Then she did as he suggested.
Slowly—exquisitely, achingly slowly—she lowered herself until they were fully joined. Her gaze never left his. She saw desire and something more...something that had her heart fluttering wildly in her chest.
Something that told her this was more than a single moment of pleasure for him.
She shifted to adjust to the feel of him. Pleasure blended with pain. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, his fingers tightening on her hips. The tendons in his neck stretched taut. Sensual heat flashed through her when she realized what she was doing to him.
So she did it again.
This time, he issued a low growl. Reaching up, he captured her behind the neck, dragging her to his mouth. She eagerly met the thrust of his tongue with her own. The kiss was hot, wanton, and filled with urgency.
He pressed against her. The movement overrode any pain, sending bolts of pleasure sizzling through her. Instinctively, she moved again to create the same unbelievable sensation. His hands skimmed over her body, making the pleasure spiral. Soon, they were lost in a rhythm as old as humankind.
Lost in each other.
Everly cried out Cole’s name when the pleasure overwhelmed her. He held her close when she did, stiffening against her and issuing a ragged shout of his own. Then he collapsed back onto the bed, pulling her with him.
She gratefully settled against his chest, working on steadying her breathing and heartbeat. She’d never felt so replete and content. Now she knew what all the fuss was about.
After a minute, Cole lifted her chin and caught her gaze. They grinned at each other.
“Guess it wasn’t too bad, huh?” he asked.
“Meh,” she said with a shrug.
She laughed when he swiftly reversed their positions so that she was beneath him. His eyes narrowed, but she saw the humor there.
“Meh? You can’t lie there and tell me that you had a ‘meh’ first time.”
Attempting to sound diplomatic, she patted his arm and said, “We can practice as much as you’d like until it’s more than ‘meh.’”
“Oh, we can, can we?” He tried to look stern and failed. Shaking his head, he leaned down to brush his lips against hers. “You know this changes things, right?”
Her mood sobering, she considered his question as she held his gaze. Then she answered, “Yes.”
I just don’t know exactly how, she silently added as her heart fell completely.
Chapter
39
They showered together afterwards. Although Cole knew Everly had to be tender, he couldn’t stop himself from insisting on washing her and introducing her to the marvels of shower sex.
She was a remarkably fast study. By the time they were done washing and got out of the shower to finish things in the bed, he was barely clinging to his control.
It hadn’t ever been like this before. He hadn’t realized how it would make him feel to have a woman respond to him knowing she hadn’t ever done so with another man. Knowing that her responses were genuine and a sole result of his touch made him feel like the sex god she’d mentioned.
He would never forget the sight of her rising over him as she gifted him with her virginity. It had been an intimate moment unmatched by any other.
And it had hit him square in the heart.
He spent the better part of the afternoon and evening trying to show her just how much this meant to him. How much she meant to him. She embraced the idea wholeheartedly, even if she didn’t know the true reasons behind it.
They ultimately fell into an exhausted slumber without even thinking about eating dinner. When Cole woke up just before six o’clock the following morning, he realized they’d slept for more than eight hours. He also realized he was absolutely starving.
For a moment, he considered trying to let Everly sleep while he snuck out to the kitchen to grab something to eat. Then she snuggled closer to him and ruined that plan.
So he introduced her to wake-up sex instead.
Afterwards, he left her to get dressed and went out to the kitchen. Poking around in the fridge, he found some of Margaret’s amazing waffle batter, pre-made and ready to use. He pulled the batter and some fresh berries out of the fridge, set them on the counter, and plugged in the Belgian waffle maker.
By the time Everly emerged from the bedroom wearing a blue T-shirt and coordinating yoga pants, there were two waffles topped with berries and fresh whipped cream sitting on the kitchen island and another one baking. Glasses of orange juice sat next to each plate.
“This looks fantastic,” she said, sitting next to him at the island. Her cheeks were flushed with color and she didn’t meet his gaze. “Thanks.”
“Are you going to blush all day?” he asked.
She elbowed him. “You’re not supposed to comment.”
He grinned. “Sorry. Can’t resist.” When she once again looked down at her plate, he said, “You know I love it when you blush, right?”
Sighing, she lifted her gaze to his. “It’s embarrassing. A curse of my fair skin.”
“I love your fair skin, too,” he said as he forked up a bite of waffle. “Every single inch of it.”
“Now you’re just being mean.”
Since she smiled and started eating, he knew she wasn’t really offended. The waffle maker beeped a minute later, so he got up and pulled the waffle onto a plate, then refilled it with more batter. Returning to the table, he set the fresh waffle in front of Everly.
“Normally, I’d consider being all delicate-like and saying I don’t need a second waffle,” she said as she reached for the plate. “Today, however, I’ll just thank you for not judging.”
“This is a judgment-free zone. Hell, we burned enough calories having sex to warrant a dozen of these things.”
She blushed and elbowed him again, making him laugh.
“Sorry,” he said. “Listen, how do you feel about getting out for a bit?”
Shrugging, she replied, “Sure. Where are we going?”
“I was thinking of the mall.”
“The mall? You want to go to the mall four days before Christmas?”
He struggled not to wince. “I thought it might bring us some Christmas cheer.”
“You don’t even have a Christmas tree,” she noted. “Why are you suddenly concerned about Christmas cheer?”
Hunching his shoulders, he muttered, “You don’t have one, either.”
“Yeah, well, Pee Paw’s ancient pre-lit tree nearly burned the house down a couple of years ago and the budget hasn’t permitted buying a new one. What’s your excuse?”
“My mom’s got the Christmas tree,” he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “No sense doing my house up when I won’t be here on the day.”
She stared at him in silence. Then she said, “You still have shopping to do, don’t you?”
“All of it,” he confessed.
Rolling her eyes, she swallowed a bite of waffle and said, “All right. But only because you really are a sex god and I know you’ll repay me later.”
His mouth fell open.
“See? I’m not the only one who can blush,” she said.
* * *
Everly put him through a round of PT exercises after breakfast. It wasn’t quite as tortuous as usual since she allowed him to kiss her as often as he wanted to. Well, almost as often.
He found she had rather admirable focus.
Since he noticed her wince a few times when she moved, he urged her to join him in the hot tub after his PT session. She didn’t object, even when she realized they’d be naked. He truly meant to keep his hands off her. She, however, had other things in mind. It was a challenge to keep her stitches dry, but he was up for it.
It was after ten when they finally headed to the Lenox Square mall. Although it was a weekday morning, mall traffic was still heavy so close to the holiday. They valet parked and braved the crowds.
Cole hadn’t ever enjoyed holiday shopping, but Everly made it fun and painless. She asked him questions about his family members on the drive over to the mall, then set a course through the mall after reviewing the store directory. Within a couple of hours, he was all set outside of wrapping and labeling, which she promised to help him tackle when they got home.
They stopped for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. While they ate, they discussed their plans for Christmas.
“I’d love for you to come with me to my parents’ house for Christmas dinner,” he said. He tried to sound casual, but he was surprisingly eager for her to take him up on the invitation.
Her eyebrows lifted as she swallowed the water she’d just sipped. He couldn’t read her expression as she carefully put her glass down.
“I’d actually love to meet your parents,” she said. “But I can’t leave Pee Paw alone on Christmas.”
“He’s invited, too.”
She smiled. “Thank you, Cole. I hope you believe me when I say that sounds wonderful.” Then she sighed. Her smile faded. “The issue is my father.”
Frowning, he guessed, “You don’t want him to meet my parents.”
“It’s not that exactly. I just...don’t trust him.” Her eyes were on her plate. “When I meet your parents, I want it to be under the right circumstances. With him there, I’d be on edge the entire time.”
He took another bite of his pizza to process this. Disappointment rolled through him. Since he’d witnessed some of what Everly’s father was capable of, though, he understood her reservations.
“Will you tell me why you don’t trust him?” he asked at last.
She met his gaze. After a long moment, she nodded slowly. “But not now, okay?”
“Okay.”
They sat in silence for another minute. He finished his pizza and Everly stared at her plate.
“I’m going to the ladies’ room,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
“Sure,” he said.
Only when she hurried out of the booth and rushed past him did he see that she had tears in her eyes. He barely resisted getting up and following her. Had he caused her distress? He must have, he decided, and mentally kicked himself.
Great, Dumbass. Just great.
“Can I get you anything else?”
Glancing up, Cole realized their server, Dee Dee, stood right beside him. She was about thirty years old with a thick southern accent, honey-blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a salon-induced tan. He and Everly had shared a quiet chuckle earlier over the fact that she was obv
iously a fan of his. Her eyes had bugged when she first saw him, and they both witnessed her run behind the counter and issue a squeal when she talked with the other servers. It wasn’t the first time that day that they’d seen such behavior.
Since then, Dee Dee had dropped by the table at least twenty times. At first, he’d been irked when she only talked to him and ignored Everly. Then he realized that Everly was humored by the whole thing.
“Aren’t you irritated?” he’d asked.
She had waved a hand like the question was ridiculous. “Why should I be? You’re always going to have fans. You’re Cole Parker.”
Even when Dee Dee’s advances grew less subtle, Everly had only shaken her head and grinned. Strangely, he found himself disappointed that she didn’t seem in the least bit jealous. Why he felt that way now when such reactions by other women had turned him off in the past, he truly couldn’t fathom.
“I think we’re good,” he said to Dee Dee. “We might need a to-go box, though.”
“Sure.” She glanced around, then looked back at him. “So, are you and that other girl serious?”
He smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “That’s between me and her, isn’t it?”
His response seemed to fluster her. Eventually, she sort of bobbed her head and hurried off to another table. Shaking his head, he glanced over his shoulder toward the restrooms. Relief surged through him when he saw Everly emerge from the ladies’ room. The blue scarf she wore like a sort of headband to cover her stitches stood out like a beacon in the crowded restaurant, as did her vibrant hair. He loved how the fuzzy blue sweater she wore highlighted her eyes. It also didn’t hurt that it conformed to her figure, he thought as she made her way toward him.
But when he saw a couple of male heads turn to watch her as she passed, he frowned.
“Everly?”
Cole turned even more in his seat when a tall male stood up from two booths behind theirs. He stepped into Everly’s path. All Cole saw was the guy’s back, but he realized the guy had grabbed Everly in a hug. Her arms stuck out awkwardly on the sides until he released her.
The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories Page 53