“I wish I had my cell phone on me or a camera so I could take some pictures.”
“I’ve got a camera in the wheelhouse.” I let her go of her to grab it. When I come back, I hand her the small, black digital camera then watch her take about two-hundred photos of the whales as they swim back and forth, probably hunting for food.
“Ly would love this,” she tells me, as I wrap my arms around her middle and look over her shoulder. “I wish she were here.” She holds up a picture she took for me to see before going back to clicking through the photos she just snapped.
“Next time.” I kiss her neck, feeling her shiver. “Cold?”
“No,” she breathes.
“Mmm.” I nip her neck and smile when she trembles again, and then feel my cock twitch when she presses her ass back into me.
Moving my hands up under her shirt, my fingers graze her stomach before dipping under the waistband of her leggings to slide back and forth just above her pubic bone.
“Denver.”
“Right here, baby.”
“Please touch me,” she whispers. Fuck, since we stepped on the boat, we’ve made out a lot, touched a lot, but I’ve kept myself in check, not wanting to rush things. But hearing the plea in her voice, I know I won’t be able to deny her. “Please. Please touch me.”
My cock, now hard, presses painfully against the zipper of my jeans as my fingers slide down between her legs, finding her hot and already soaked.
“Open your legs for me,” I growl into her ear. Her head falls back against my shoulder and a quiet moan leaves her mouth while her legs spread farther apart. I dip two fingers inside her wet heat before moving them up to circle her clit, and I bite back a groan as she starts to grind her hips. “I want to taste you.”
“Wh-what?” she pants, her eyes half-mast, meeting mine when she turns her head to look at me.
“I want my mouth on you, between your legs. I want to taste you.” I stop circling when I see desire and worry fill her gaze. Fuck, seeing that look, I know she’s never experienced that before. Instead of saying something that will likely freak her the fuck out, I kiss her, thrusting my tongue between her lips while my fingers go back to work on her clit. Christ, she’s so fucking responsive, so fucking hot, wet, and tight. I know the minute I feel that heat and tightness around my cock I’m going to be done.
“Denver.” My name leaves her mouth on a plea as I thrust two fingers deep and use my thumb to circle her clit. The walls of her pussy start to spasm around my fingers as she comes, and I hear the camera that was in her hand hit the deck as she loses her hold on it. I listen to her shout my name, and then watch as her orgasm washes over her. Beautiful. But fuck I want that beauty on my tongue. I want to taste it. I want her to know how good she tastes to me as I spread her out and eat her until I’m full and she’s satisfied.
“You think you can make it down the steps?”
“I don’t know,” she pants, her legs shaking as I pull my fingers from her slowly.
“Right.” I turn her in my arms and pick her up. Her legs circle my hips and her mouth drops to mine. I stop to kiss her then pull back before I’m too far gone and fuck her on the deck. “Took me a year to make it down the steps with you asleep the other night, baby. Stairway’s narrow as fuck. I was worried I’d crash your head into the wall. Let me get us downstairs.”
“Okay.” She tucks her face into my neck and I groan when she starts to nibble my throat.
I carefully maneuver the stairs, and when I reach the bottom, I don’t hesitate to place her on the bed. “Lift your hips, baby,” I order, after I slip off her shoes and have my fingers curled around the waistband of her black leggings. She raises her hips, and I tug her pants off along with her panties.
I don’t waver; once she’s bare from the waist down, I spread her open and bury my face between her legs. I swipe my tongue through her folds and know that I’ve never tasted anything sweeter in my life. I hold her open and go at her ruthlessly using my teeth, my tongue, and my fingers to bring her to the brink of orgasm before easing off then building her back up again.
When her fingers tighten in my hair and her hips lift up high off the bed, I know she’s done waiting. I thrust one, two, then three fingers inside of her, feeling her walls start to tighten while she grinds herself against my mouth. I suck her clit and tap her G-spot, my cock jerks and leaks as she comes, shouting my name. I ease my fingers from her still pulsing pussy and wipe my face on her inner thigh.
“I need you,” she pants, lifting up on her elbows.
“Shirt off,” I growl, and she sits up, tugging her shirt over her head, leaving her naked before me. Part of me is tempted to dive right back between her legs, but I don’t. My cock is throbbing. I kick off my boots, tug off my jeans and boxers, and then rip my thermal off over my head. Tossing my shirt aside, I climb on the bed and move between her legs, groaning when my cock brushes against her wetness.
“Denver.” She circles me with her arms and legs and tips her head back, offering me her mouth.
I kiss her, wrapping one hand around my length and the other around her hip to hold her in place. I slide the head of my cock up and down her slit and groan. “Fuck.” My head drops forward, reality kicking in. “Condom. I don’t have a fucking condom.”
“What?” She writhes under me while her legs lock tight around my hips, like she’s afraid I’m going to pull away. I am going to pull away; fuck, I don’t have a goddamn condom.
“No, I’m covered. Please. Please, I don’t want anything between us.” Her nails dig into my back and her eyes lock with mine. “Please.”
“Fuck.” I slide inside her, not slow, not taking my time like I should. I slam into her hard, watching her eyes flare and her head jerk back while her lips part. Fuck, my balls draw tight and my teeth grind together. I’ve never felt anything like what I’m feeling right now with her wrapped around me, and it’s taking everything in me not to pull out and slam back inside her again. “You okay?”
“God, yes.” Her soft hands move up my chest to curl around my neck then she lifts her head, placing her mouth against mine. “Please move, Denver.”
I don’t move. I try to memorize this moment, the taste of her still on my tongue, the smell of her skin, the feel of her wet and tight around me, the look in her eyes. “I love you.” The words come out without me thinking. It’s not the first time I’ve told her I love her, but there is something about saying it right now that seems different, significant.
Her face softens and her hand cups my jaw. “I love you too. I always have.”
“Fuck.” I take her mouth then pull out and slide slowly back inside her. Perfect, so fucking perfect, like everything about her. I know her pussy was made just for me. I lift my head, pulling my mouth from hers, and watch our connection. “Touch yourself, Bre,” I order, and she hesitantly slides her hands down my chest and stomach before her fingers glide lightly over her clit. “Touch yourself, baby.” Her fingers pick up their pace and her eyes fall closed as her pussy start to spasms.
“Oh my God,” she hisses, her fingers spreading out to feel our connection as I start to thrust into her over and over. “I… God, this is… this is everything.” She’s right; this is everything—her, me, the connection we share, the love we have for each other, the life I’m going to build with her. This is everything. “Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”
“Never.” I keep at her, taking her deep and fucking her hard. Even when her eyes open to meet mine, her loud moans start to fill the quiet, and her pussy begins to pulse around my cock, I don’t stop. I keep thrusting into her, taking her hard and deep, wanting to bury myself so far inside her she will never be able to get rid of me. I know the exact moment her orgasm hits, and when it does, I feel my balls draw tight and my muscles bunch. I thrust one last time and come deep inside her, with my mouth on hers and her legs and arms tight around me.
“Waited years,” I rasp against her lips. “Fucking years to feel you, all of you.�
��
“Denver.”
“I would have waited forever for you, Bre.” I pull my face back to look into her beautiful eyes and lift my hand to skim my fingers down her soft cheek. “I’d never regret it, not for one second. I’d wait forever for you, as long as I knew I’d feel what I’m feeling right now, to know you’re mine in every way there is to be.” I watch her eyes fill with tears then feel my own become wet when I see the look in her glistening irises. She pulls me down to bury her face in my neck, and I hold her close as a sob rips from her chest.
Fuck yes, I’d have waited a lifetime, as long as I knew in the end I’d have this, that in the end we’d have each other.
Chapter 10
_______________
Aubrey
PRESSED TO DENVER’S SIDE WITH my thigh over his and my arm over his abs, I try with all my might to fall asleep. I can’t. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get my brain to shut off. It’s not like I’m not tired, because I am. My body is exhausted; every muscle is achy in a really good way, but even after two rounds of sex and receiving five really great orgasms, my stupid brain won’t quiet down long enough for me to get some rest.
Not wanting to wake Denver with my restlessness, I carefully crawl off the bed and grab his long-sleeved thermal from the floor. I pull it on over my head, letting it drop to almost my knees before I head up the stairs to the top deck. It’s cold, a lot colder than it was earlier when we were out here. I wrap my arms around my middle as I shuffle to the side of the boat. I stare at the stars and the ocean, trying to let the quiet fill me with peace. I’m not sure what is keeping me awake. Maybe it’s the amazing sex and orgasms. Maybe it’s knowing that my time alone with Denver and the bubble we’ve created out here are coming to an end. Or maybe it’s just me coming to the realization of something that is unbelievably sad. I squeeze my eyes closed as that understanding fully penetrates. If I didn’t lose Gabe, I don’t know that I would have what I have right now—the chance at happiness with the man I have been in love with since I was a kid. The man who has been in love with me for just as long.
“I loved you,” I whisper into the cold without thinking. “I loved you. Please don’t for one moment think I didn’t. This is just…” I drag in a shaky breath. “This is more. This is everything.”
I jump when arms circle my waist from behind, and I pull in a sharp, startled breath.
“You okay?” Hearing the concern in Denver’s voice, my eyes slide open, seeing the stars that are above us reflecting off the water.
“Yeah.”
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asks, nuzzling my neck.
“No,” I answer, placing my hands over his.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Gabe,” I answer, feeling his muscles bunch and his body start to pull away from mine. I don’t let him go. I wrap my arms tighter around his and hold on.
“Bre—”
“He spent a lot of time outside under the night sky after we found out what was wrong with him,” I start, and his arms tighten painfully, making it hard for me to pull in a breath, but I fight through it. “He’d sit in his chair on the deck with his head tipped back, staring at the stars.” My eyes close briefly at the memory. “Once, I asked him what he was looking for, and he told me he was waiting on shooting stars.” My vision goes blurry. “When he’d see one, he’d never make a wish to get better.” My throat starts to tighten. “All his wishes were for me.” I swallow over the lump, breathe through it, and continue, “He was my best friend. He was good to me. We were happy. I don’t regret the life we had together, but I…”
“Don’t,” he growls, his word and his arms squeezing to cut me off. “Don’t even say it. I wouldn’t want that. He meant something to you, baby, and yeah, sometimes it’s hard for me to accept. But you’re right. You were happy. I’m glad you were happy. I always want that for you, then and now.”
“It’s so weird,” I whisper, turning in his arms and looking into his eyes that I have always loved.
“What’s weird?”
“Happiness. Being happy. It’s weird. I thought I was happy then.” I shake my head. “No, I know I was happy then. But I’m happy now.” I slide my hands up and wrap them around both sides of his neck. “It’s a different kind of happiness. A happiness I feel all the way down to my soul. These last two days, I realized that with you I feel full. I feel complete. I didn’t know I wasn’t that before but you gave that to me.”
“Baby—”
I interrupt him, knowing I need to make him understand, even though it hurts. “If I had the power to make things different, I wouldn’t.” I look off into the distance, hating myself for even admitting the truth out loud. “I wouldn’t change losing him.” I drop my head forward as a sob slips from my throat and the tears I’ve been fighting fall free. “I wouldn’t change anything, because without that, I wouldn’t be able to have you. And I can’t imagine not being able to experience this.”
“Bre.” His tone is tortured.
“I know that makes me a horrible person.”
“It doesn’t,” he states firmly, leaning back, taking my face between his large hands, and using his thumbs to wipe away each tear as they fall. “It doesn’t, and baby, he’s not the only one who spent time wishing on stars. I’ve spent the last few years staring up at the night sky, hoping to see the star that would bring you to me.” He rests his forehead against mine. “I hate that you lost him, but I’m not sorry I have a shot at making you happy for the rest of your life.”
“Denver.”
“I love you, Bre, have loved you since I understood what the emotions you gave me meant. If I could take your pain, your hurt, your regret, I would. I’d do anything for you, baby. Anything.” He leans back, looking into my eyes. “This is our story. This is the way our story was meant to unfold. Who knows if we would have ended up taking each other for granted had we found each other so young? Who knows what would have happened between us if things didn’t work out like they did? All I do know is I will cherish every second I have with you, and I will appreciate everything you give me, and I will never take one second with you for granted.”
With his words, the sincerity in his eyes, and his hands gently holding my face, I know things will be okay, that we will find a way to work through whatever life throws at us. We will find a way to give each other the happiness we both deserve.
“I love you,” I tell him through my tears and the pain in my chest. “Thank you for waiting on me to sort my head out. But most of all, thank you for fighting for us.”
“Fuck,” he rumbles, pulling me against him, curving his hand around the back of my head, and holding me close. “It’s cold. I gotta get you inside.”
I nod but don’t move from where I am, and neither does he. We stand just like that until I start to shiver, and only then does he take me back downstairs. We make love, slow and unhurried, building each other up until we both come apart. Then he tucks me against him with my head on his chest, his heart beating in a solid tempo against my ear.
“What do you want baby?”
“You.”
“You have me, you’ll always have me.” I rest my forehead against his and close my eyes against his skin.
“I wished for you,” I whisper my confession. “When I was just a kid I wished on a shooting star that you’d notice me, I wished that you’d be mine.”
“Bre.” He slides one hand up my back into my hair his voice sounding tortured.
I open my eyes and look down into his handsome face and beautiful eyes. “It took a while for my wish to come true but I’m really happy that it did.” I touch my mouth to his and lick against his lips, and when he kisses me back I pour into our kiss everything I feel for him, wanting, no needing him to know that he’s everything to me.
Chapter 11
_______________
Aubrey
STANDING IN THE KITCHEN AT the stove, I dump a jar of pasta sauce into the meat I already browned while I listen to Ly. I
watch her as she colors a page in the coloring book in front of her, and laugh as she talks a mile a minute about what she did while I was gone. When Denver and I returned back into town this afternoon, he brought me home, said a quick goodbye to me before he gave Ly a long hug, and told her he’d be back to the house for dinner tonight.
I didn’t know we were going to have dinner together, but I was happy we were. After the last two days with him, I didn’t want what we shared to come to an end. I wanted to keep living in the moment, to keep feeling happy and complete, and to keep adding on to what we were building, but to stir Ly into the mix to make it even better.
“When you and Denver get married, can I call him Daddy?” At Ly’s sudden and unexpected question, my hand stirring the sauce stills and my heart starts to pound.
“I….” I have no idea what I’m going to say, but I don’t get a chance to say anything, because she continues without looking up at me.
“I know he’s not my daddy,” she says before lifting her head. “But Penelope said he would be my stepdad, so can I call him Dad?” Holy shit! I thought I was ready for this. I was totally, totally wrong. My mind scrambles for a way to answer her question as she drops her eyes back down to what she was doing, continuing on to something new to freak me out. “Can I be the flower girl?” A vision of me walking in a wedding dress toward Denver while Ly tosses out flowers in front of me fills my mind. It’s a beautiful image, one that scares the crap out of me and makes me want to do girly cartwheels all over the house. “Can I wear a dress like Princess Elsa?”
How cute would that be? Crap, I need to grab a hold of this and be an adult, not start searching for a flower girl dress. “Baby.” Her eyes lift to meet mine. “Denver and I are seeing each other, but we are not getting married anytime soon.”
“But Penelope said you guys are in love, had always been in love with each other.”
Okay, my baby sister, who is only a few years older than Ly, has a big mouth. “She said she overheard Grandma Shel and Grandma Joe talking about it.”
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