by Lisa Simmons
"I had to, Reece. Don't you see that?" I said, my voice catching in my throat as the images from that night flashed through my mind again.
"I understand why. It just... killed me to see you walking away," he admitted quietly, his head hanging low as his fingers never stopped their weaving in and out of mine.
"Reece..." I said quietly, steeling myself to say what would either be very brave or very stupid.
"What?" he said, lifting his eyes to look at me once more.
"Whatever this is between us... it's not normal," I told him slowly, hoping he understood what I was trying to say. "This isn't how most people feel when they're in... relationships."
He blinked slowly, and his lip pulled between his teeth as he absorbed my words.
"I figured so... because everything about you scares the shit out of me but I can't seem to be away from you without losing it."
His words echoed in my head as my heart pounded erratically in my chest. To hear him admit something so vulnerable made me feel like I was glowing, and I couldn't stop the grin that split across my face.
"That's really how you feel?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said, nodding slowly as he held my eye contact. This conversation was so loaded with emotion I felt like I couldn't possibly absorb any more. "I just... I want to be yours."
A shudder of a breath sucked between my lips at his words, tears once again stinging at my eyes but for a completely different reason this time. These words were the words I needed to hear to heal the wounds he had inflicted; this was what I needed to give me faith once again in our relationship, and the idea that it could actually go somewhere beautiful.
"If that's what you want, then that makes me really happy," I told him. I vaguely noticed our hands had stopped moving against each other's and were simply clinging together now.
"Would you let me?" he asked, his voice so low and deep and quiet I could hardly hear him.
"Would I let you what?" I needed to hear him say it.
"Would you let me be yours?" Both of us held our breath as he waited for my answer, every possible whisper of air stolen from my lungs.
"In a heartbeat," I answered honestly. There was nothing I wanted more than to be able to claim him as mine. For what felt like the first time, a smile stretched across his beautiful face, the grin lighting up his features and making his green eyes that I loved so much glow.
One of his hands unlocked itself from mine before reaching up to wrap around to the nape of my neck, pulling me forward so he could press a kiss to my lips. I could tell he was trying to reign in his smile while he kissed me, but he failed as his lips split to reveal the most devastatingly beautiful smile I was certain I had ever seen. His hand didn't leave it's place where it burned against my skin as his forehead dropped to mine once more.
"Than I am," he said. "You win."
I grinned, his perfect smile infecting me.
"I win? What do I win?" I asked, my wide smile making it difficult to sit still. Such a sudden euphoric feeling flooded through me I felt like crying all over again, but this time tears of joy. Something major had changed tonight, and it was palpable in the air that surrounded us.
"My heart," he replied, his voice so heavy with emotion and laden with sincerity I could feel it seeping through my skin.
I had won his heart, but little did I know, he had already won mine a long time ago.
"And you keep coming back, coming back again. Keep running round, running round, running round my head.... And there's certain things that I adore, and there's certain things that I ignore, but I'm certain that I'm yours."
Chapter 28
I wasn't exactly sure how it had happened, but at some point during our kiss, Reece had pushed me backward to his bed. His long body hovered over mine, his hips falling lightly between my thighs as he held what little of his weight that wasn't supported by my body with his elbows. One of his forearms had wound beneath my neck, his fingers twisting in my hair while his other fell lazily by my head.
I hummed quietly as I felt his lips tickle at my neck, their soft fullness pressing into my skin every so often in a whisper of a kiss. My hands never stopped raking gently down his sides, my fingers grazing over the soft fabric of his sweater. His chest was pressed against mine, the weight of it pushing me into the mattress in the most comforting way. I loved the way he rested his weight on me, the pressure of his body lingering against every inch of mine, and I found myself wishing he'd let his arms relax so all of his weight would be on me.
Neither of us were speaking, the crushing emotion of the past few days and the revelation we had made tonight mentally exhausting us. I was drained, and I knew he was, too; I could feel it in the lazy way he laid on top of me, in the languid kisses he placed on my neck, and the tightness that remained in his chest when he breathed above me.
"Relax, baby," I breathed as I let my hands shift to his lower back, the pads of my fingers circling into the tight muscles there. He let out a soft exhale, the warm air trickling across my neck as he let his muscles loosen, his weight pressing down on me even more. Again, his lips pressed lightly into the soft skin of my neck, their pucker lingering against me for a few seconds.
"I feel like I'm crushing you," he grumbled lightly, his voice muffled by my neck.
"You're not. I love it," I told him. I could feel him smiling against my throat.
"Good."
I tilted my head to the side to kiss his temple, which was the only bit of him I could reach with my lips. I let my hands slip under his sweater, the soft fabric brushing against the backs of my hands as I let my fingers trace light patterns against his skin, which felt hot against my own.
It felt so incredible to be back here with him, his body wrapped around and covering mine and his lips tickling my skin just as I had longed for. Every gentle touch he gave me soothed the ache I had dealt with for the last few days, and it was all but erased at this point. He was healing me so quickly, the damage he had inflicted nearly gone as I lay beneath him. I couldn't stop touching him, my fingers needing to feel the tangible proof that we were actually together again.
I had missed him so much in only two days of being without him.
One of Reece's feet slid down mine, his long legs bending to allow him to do so. His smile against my neck widened and I heard him chuckle deeply.
"What?" I asked, curious as to what had suddenly made him laugh.
"Did you forget to wear shoes?" he asked, raising his head from my neck to look at me, an amused expression on his face.
I blinked, thinking back to stumbling from my apartment and tripping on the tile... the tile that had been cold and uneven against my bare feet.
"I did," I said, the sudden realization hitting me. I had been so preoccupied with going to Reece and coming to his house that I hadn't even realized I was still barefoot. His laughter grew even more, his chest shaking against mine as the beautiful sound of it filled the room.
"I can't believe you forgot to wear shoes," he laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners and his dimple dipping into his cheek as he grinned at me. I tried not to laugh, pretending to be offended as I lightly swatted at his sides.
"Shut up," I said, my eyebrows pinching together as a smile cracked across my face anyway. Reece continued to laugh, his body twisting on top of mine now as his cackles invaded my senses. I tried to shove him off me, my feigned indignation difficult to maintain as I watched his face light up above me. He resisted my attempts at pushing him off, the weight of his body too heavy for me to move with him now working against me.
"Hey, don't push me because you couldn't remember to put shoes on," he teased, his hand easily catching both of mine as he stopped me from fighting against him. Both of us were laughing now he wrapped his long fingers over my wrists and pinned them above my head. My body continued to squirm beneath his, desperately fighting his grip and the laughter bubbling from my chest.
"Reece, stop!" I gasped as he laughed
above me, his grip easily holding me down despite my best efforts to free myself. My laughter was cut off when he ducked his head down, smile still extremely prevalent on his face, and pressed his lips against mine. It was hard to reign in my smile, but the second his lips touched mine I couldn't help but respond. My lips molded against his, the kiss as light as the mood had just been.
His lips folded over mine before he pulled back and grinned at me. "Looks like you'll be going home barefoot as well."
My mouth fell open in amused shock.
"Oh really? Even if the reason I didn't put on shoes was so I could get to you sooner?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him playfully. He cocked his head to the side, grin still stretching across his lips as he observed me.
"Really?" he asked, surprise crossing his features. His hand released mine above my head and I pulled them back down to pet down his back slowly.
"Yeah. The second I decided to go I couldn't even think straight," I told him, the laughter slipping from his face as he realized how frantic I must have been.
"If that's the case, I can maybe let you borrow some socks. I don't think you'll fit in my shoes," he said, content smile returning to his lips. I smiled up at him.
"Thank you," I said.
"But I hope you don't think you're leaving tonight," he said, his eyebrow cocking up suggestively.
"Oh no?" I replied playfully. He shook his head slowly, holding my eye contact. I didn't miss the light pressure between my legs as he shifted his weight slightly. The smirk that crept across his face told me he'd done it on purpose. I bit my lip gently into my mouth before releasing it as my grin widened. He was going to have to work for it if he expected me to finally break the rule.
"Nope. You're staying here with me. All night," he said, voice dropping to a husky whisper as he ducked his head again, his lips falling to the space below my ear. They folded over my skin, the heat from the kiss and his tongue that lapped out against my throat sending a shiver through me. It felt like it had been ages since I'd been with him properly, and my body was craving his.
I sucked in a deep breath when his teeth nibbled at my skin, and it took every ounce of will-power I had to twist away from him, trying to roll out from beneath him. My sudden action took him by surprise, and I managed to slide out underneath his arm, my legs getting tangled with his as he wrapped his long arms around my torso so my upper body was free but he still had a firm grip on me.
"No!" I gasped, laughing once more as I flailed wildly, trying to escape his warm grasp.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked playfully, his face burying into my back as he hugged me to him, his arms heating my stomach. I was laying on my stomach, my hips twisted awkwardly and still pinned down by his.
"Ahh!" I squirmed more beneath him and I felt him convulse suddenly as some part of my flailing body connected with his groin. He let out a burst of air and his grip slackened on me, his eyes squeezing shut in pain as he reacted to the blow. I took advantage of his distraction to slip out from beneath him, falling clumsily to the floor before picking myself up to stand. I tried to stifle my laughter as I looked at him curled into himself on the bed, his hands pressed lightly between his legs as his breathing dragged shakily from his chest.
"That wasn't fair," he groaned, a grimace on his face as he came down from the pain. I giggled and put my hand over my lips.
"Sorry," I said innocently. He rolled slowly to his stomach before placing his wide hands on the bed and pushed himself up. I tried not to drool as I watched the muscles in his back flex beneath the thin sweater he wore.
"You're gonna be," he threatened jokingly, pulling himself off the bed and stalking toward me. I squeaked and jerked away from him, darting quickly around the bed toward the door as he lunged at me. Maniacal giggles escaped my lips as I fled down the hall, running from him as he chased me slowly, still not fully recovered from his hit below the belt. I twisted quickly as I moved, glancing over my shoulder to see his large frame coming down the hallway after me, a dark grin on his face that sent a shock through my body.
I turned the corner to head into the kitchen, my eyes searching frantically for somewhere to hide and falling on the table- the only real place for me to hide. As quickly as I could, I moved to slide my body beneath it. The second I had myself settled, I clamped my hand over the grin on my lips, attempting to quiet my laughter as I saw his feet appear in the kitchen.
He stood still for a second, surely looking around, and I knew it would only take seconds for him to find me. He took a slow step toward me, his black socks padding his quiet footfalls on the wood floor.
"Abigailll," he sang quietly, his voice sounding menacing despite being playful. My grin widened even more as I watched him stalk closer.
"You really wanna hide from me, baby?" he continued, his steps bringing him even closer.
"You're gonna regret that, Abby," he whispered as he stopped only feet from me, close enough to hear him despite being beneath the table. I sucked in a breath as I watched him walk around the back of the table, stopping once he was behind me. My head curled around to watch, my heart pounding surprisingly hard as I watched his frame lower into line of vision. He crouched down slowly, his legs bending beneath him as his torso slid past the table. His lips were pulled into a smirk when I finally saw his face, his green eyes burning darkly into mine.
"Hi baby," he said slowly, his hands reaching forward to grip my ankles. He flipped me over easily, twisting my legs in his grip so I landed on my butt before he yanked me forward. I gasped as I slid across the floor easily, my legs spreading as his hips slid between them. His wide hands moved up my thighs, their path burning into my skin thanks to the athletic shorts I was wearing, another indication that I'd run to him without considering my outfit in the slightest.
His palms pressed into the sides of my thighs as the slide higher, his fingers snaking beneath the fabric of the shorts to tickle at the sensitive skin there. My body was supported by my arms, which suddenly felt weak, as they splayed out behind me. I could feel his breath washing over my face as he lowered his head to mine, his lips dangerously close to my own. My chest rose and fell as my breathing became ragged; what had started out as a playful game had quickly turned into a tension filled moment, and every inch of my body was yearning for him.
"You gonna give in to me yet, baby?" he whispered, his gaze burning through me and setting my nerves on fire. I bit my lip into my mouth to try and control my panting and the thudding of my heart. Every bit of my body yearned for him, and I knew that the time had finally come for me to give up the stupid rule that had haunted me for what felt like ages.
"And if you wanna run away, I won't hesistate, 'cause I'd have nothing if they take you away."
Chapter 29
“You gonna give in to me yet, baby?”
My heart thudded almost painfully in my chest, my body reacting to his words and the surprisingly arousing game of chase we’d just played. His fingers tickled at my skin as he kept them slipped beneath the fabric of my shorts, his touch burning into me and singeing away any sense I tried to cling to. A ragged breath fell from my lips into the small space separating us. “Hmm?” he urged, ducking his head so it was even closer. He let his lips brush softly against mine, their touch so feather soft I almost couldn’t feel the shock that ran through me. My lips automatically puckered against his just as he pulled back, the air thick with want and need between us. I wanted him so bad, I felt like I was going to start shaking. I stared into his burning green eyes, his brows pulled low over them as he waited for me to give him permission to break the rule.
“Yes,” I breathed, my heart beating louder than my voice. The word had barely passed my lips before his were on mine again. The kiss was urgent as he pulled on my hips, yanking me out from under the table fully while his lips parted mine hastily. He pulled me up to my knees as he remained in his crouched position, my body falling between his legs as my arms wrapped around his neck desperate
ly. His palms slid up the sides of my body, hastily pushing beneath my shirt and heating the skin over my ribs as he let his thumbs travel across the fabric of my bra. My arms tightened around his neck, pulling his chest against mine even tighter than before; I needed to feel every inch of him against me. His tongue pushed into my mouth and he slid it smoothly across my own as he deepened the kiss. Heat seared through my skin as he slid his palms back down my sides and around my back, lifting me with him as he rose from the ground. He never broke the kiss as we found our feet and he pushed me backward, my butt colliding with the table. A groan escaped my lips as he pushed his hips against me, the heavy weight of him evident there beneath the black jeans he wore. It had been so long since we’d actually slept together that surely he was feeling this burning need for our bodies to be connected that I did. Then again, I always felt like that. After holding out for so long, we were both going crazy without each other. Our entire relationship had started because of this incomparable physical need for each other, and it only felt natural now that we were finally giving in to each other’s bodies again. His hands slipped beneath my shirt again, this time gripping the hem and tugging it up over my head before tossing it carelessly to the floor. My mouth fell open in satisfaction as he dove into my neck, his lips attacking the skin there with an assault of kisses, laps of his tongue, and small bites of his teeth. His sweater was clenched in my hands as his head dipped lower, his lips sucking on my collarbone. A gasp fell from my lips when his hands shifted down my body again, his long fingers closing over my hips before he dug them beneath the waistband of my shorts. Without any hesitation, he tugged them down from my hips, pulling my panties with them. I shivered as he smoothed both hands back up the tops of my thighs before he slid one between my legs, his long fingers brushing lightly up my center.
My head fell backward as his thumb found my clit and circled around it, his lips dipping lower on my chest to kiss the swell of my breast. In a brief moment of clarity, I realized we were in the middle of his kitchen, where windows made it very possible to see inside. I opened my eyes, after much difficulty, and managed to look around. I was beyond pleased to see all the shades were closed, locking us in our own private world where we could do whatever we wanted without worrying about anyone else seeing. My short moment of rationalization was wiped away, however, when Reece’s fingers circled my entrance once and pushed into me. A pitiful moan rattled from my throat, his touch so welcome and needed after what felt like years without him. He pushed his hip into me once, nudging me further back against the table. “Get up there,” he muttered against my skin, his eyes flashing up to burn into my own. My heart thudded in my chest as I obeyed, hoisting myself to sit on the edge of the table. His eyes watched me, his hand pulling from between my legs to allow both of them to rest on my knees, which were pressed together. His touch seared up my leg as he slowly slid his palms up my thighs, forcing my legs apart as he moved his hips between them. He held my eye contact the entire time, and I thought I would surely burst into flames. He leaned forward, his fingers toying with the skin so close to where I wanted him as he let his lips brush dangerously lightly against mine. His lips folded over mine as he effortlessly parted mine to allow his tongue to dip into my mouth. It rolled languidly across my own, the kiss deep and sensual and enough to drive me crazy. Teeth tugged on my lower lip before he released it, giving me one last burning look before ducking his head to my neck once more. My skin seared wherever his lips landed, first on my neck, then my collarbone. My fingers tangled in his hair as his head dipped lower, his lips moving over my breasts to trail kisses down my stomach. I knew what he was going to do, and I was practically shaking with excitement because while he’d never gone down on me, I had no doubt in my mind he would be incredible at it. My body shuddered when his lips trailed across my hip, and my fingers never released their grip on his soft strands of hair. He neared closer and closer, teasing me with his fingers and they slid across my opening again. A quiet whimper left my lips as his thumb found my clit again, the circling movements nearly causing me to beg Reece to hurry up. I could feel him smirk against my skin, his lips and tongue dangerously close to where I needed him. Finally, mercifully, he let his tongue drag devastatingly slowly up my core, the wet heat of it nearly setting me on fire. He pulled his hand from me to clamp it onto my thighs, his arms curling around them as my legs rested over his shoulders. His fingers pressed firmly into my skin, holding me in place as I already squirmed under his assault. His tongue slid up my complete entrance once more before filling the void his thumb had left at my clit, the tip of it circling torturously around the sensitive nerves. My hands tightened their grip on his hair as his tongue continued to swirl over me, his actions alternating between circling and precise flicking movements that were quickly unraveling me. I hissed when his teeth gently nipped at my clit, something that I had never experienced in my life as it sent a jolt through my entire body. Surely I would have fallen off the table if he hadn’t been holding me down. He released my clit and let his tongue travel down to my entrance, teasing the edge of it before curling up into me. I nearly fell back onto the table as he flicked it harder against me, his mouth doing things to me I had never felt before. The moment he had touched me, I had started to feel the burning in the pit of my stomach quickly rising and I knew if he kept this up, I would be done for in a matter of seconds. My breathing was as uneven as ever and I was fairly certain I was going to pull all of his hair out as his tongue curled into me once more before returning it’s attention to my clit. A loud moan fell from my lips when his fingers released their hold on my thigh to slide inside me, the combination of his tongue and his fingers moving inside me sending my orgasm rocketing through me. My body seemed to collapse as euphoria flooded through me, my fingers becoming limp in Reece’s hair and pulling from the strands as I actually did fall back onto the table. I could feel my thundering pulse throughout my body as I rode out my high, Reece’s attention to my center continuing throughout my orgasm. My back arched off the table when he finally pulled his fingers from me, his lips sucking one more time around my clit before he moved up my body. His arms looped behind my back and he pulled me up, my body limp like a rag doll in his strong arms. One arm stayed locked firmly behind my back and his other rose to clamp onto my jaw, holding my head up and in front of him while he leaned forward to kiss me roughly. I could taste myself on his tongue, but I didn’t care in the least. I felt like my entire body was vibrating as he kissed me, the bulge beneath his jeans making it clear he was nowhere done with me yet.