by Jess Dee
“How’re you doing on that button and zip?” The freezer closed and she opened a drawer. “Making any progress?”
If he could will his clothes away, he would. But since he was, oh, just an ordinary man with an unfortunate deficiency in supernatural ability, he was shit out of luck. “Not as much as you’re about to make on that ice cream, apparently.” A tub of Ben & Jerry’s now stood on the countertop.
Ava took it and a spoon and headed back into the lounge, peeling off the lid as she walked. She tossed the lid on the coffee table and eyed his pants in amusement. “You didn’t get very far, did you?”
“No point starting without you.” Christ, the woman was slowly redirecting every drop of blood away from every vital organ in his body.
She scooped out a spoonful of Phish Food and put it in her mouth. Her lips closed around it, and her eyes closed in ecstasy. “Yum.”
“Good?”
She swallowed and licked her lips, and Jared feared he’d come then and there. “Delicious.”
“You going to share?” The only way he’d get any Ben & Jerry’s was if she fed it to him. Not that he was interested in the ice cream. He just wanted her close enough to feed him.
“But of course.” Another mouthful for her, another stab of lust for him. “As soon as you get those pants off.”
And another frustrated groan from Jared.
Laughter pealed out of her. “Just kidding.” Lithe and athletic, she stepped over him, bracketing his legs with her feet. And then she straddled him, seating her naked butt on his lap.
No, not her butt. Her pussy. Her sweet, tasty, wet pussy. And not his lap. His aching dick.
His best friend sat—butt-assed naked—on his dick. The same dick that was currently encased in snug (too-fucking-snug) boxers and chinos that had fit comfortably every other time he’d worn them. Tonight they felt like compression pants.
“Pity about that lack of progress.” Ava shrugged and dug out another spoonful of dessert. “If you’d gotten rid of your pants, I’d be fucking you right now.”
Jared closed his eyes as need slammed into him. Perspiration broke out on his brow, and sweat trickled down his spine. And his cock.
No, wait. That wasn’t perspiration.
“Having fun?” he ground out.
Christ, if his hands were free…
They weren’t. No point even contemplating what he might do with them if they were.
“Heaps.” She grinned. “You’re looking a little hot around the edges though.”
He bared his teeth, about as happy as a caged tiger.
“Here you go. Have some ice cream. It’ll cool you down.” She placed a small spoonful at his mouth, nudging his lips open.
He didn’t want ice cream. He wanted her. This was the Ava he knew. The confident, playful, fun-loving Goddess before him. The woman who showed no fear. Who felt no fear.
She nudged the spoon in farther, and Jared gave in and opened his mouth. She could feed him poison and he’d open for her.
The Phish Food was sweet. And creamy. And, thankfully, cold. He let it melt on his tongue then chewed on the chocolate before swallowing.
Ava watched him the entire time. “Taste good?”
“Not as good as you.”
She leaned in and pressed her cold, sticky lips to his.
He smiled. “I’m crazy about you, Torres.”
She smiled back as she kissed him again. “I kinda like you too, Thurston.”
Thank fuck for small miracles. “If you got rid of my pants, you could be fucking me right now. There’s a condom in my back pocket.”
“Good to know about the condom.” She painted his mouth with ice cream. “But I’m eating.” She licked every drop off his lips and searched for more between them.
Long, satisfying moments later, she helped herself to another spoonful, but Jared didn’t give her the chance to swallow. He kissed her, ice cream and all, and this time he couldn’t deny the Phish Food tasted sinfully good.
“If I had my hands, I’d dribble that ice cream all over your body and take my time licking up the mess.”
“You do have your hands. You just can’t use them.”
“But you can use yours,” he prompted.
“You’re right. I can.” She put the ice cream on the floor and drew an icy palm across his chest.
He shuddered at the cold. And the heat.
Ava stuck a finger in the tub and pulled it out covered in ice cream. Then she drew a chilly, gooey line from his chin down his throat and onto his nipple—and cleaned it up with her tongue.
Jared began to understand why cats purred. A satisfied rumble hummed from his chest.
She repeated the process, this time painting the other nipple before drawing a line down to his waist.
Every muscle in his stomach contracted as she licked it off, shifting backward so she could reach down low. When her fingers found his button and zip—and opened them—those same muscles went rigid.
And finally, she tugged on the pants while climbing off him.
“Lift your butt, Jar.”
He did, and she slid the chinos over his hips, down his legs and onto his feet. He kicked them away without obstruction, having lost his shoes at some unidentified point during the evening.
“Again.” Her fingers slid under the waistband of his boxers, and Jared had to breathe deep several times before enough oxygen reached his brain to process her demand. He lifted his ass clear off the floor.
Then he was as naked as Ava.
She took her sweet time looking him over. Her gaze traveled from his toes up his legs to his hips and snagged there. She spent long seconds staring at his erection, which throbbed in response to the hunger in her eyes.
“You approve?” There it was again. The Neanderthal speech pattern. But how the fuck could he talk when she looked at him like she was Gheeri and he was the helpless mouse who’d wondered into the panther’s enclosure?
“Curved.” She licked her lips.
“Huh?” Oh, man. His grasp of the English language just kept getting better and better.
“Your penis. It’s curved.”
“Problem?”
“Far from it. Very, very far from it.” She wrapped her hand around him, enclosing his cock in a tight, hot and slightly sticky fist.
Jared gave up trying to speak altogether.
“I’ve always said a curved penis is more satisfying than a straight one.” She ran her fist up his length and back again.
Jared gave up breathing too. Who needed it?
“Curved, it reaches places a straight one never can.”
“Ungh.” Yep, that about covered his thoughts on the matter. Especially since Ava was now stroking him steadily.
She scooped up a blob of ice cream and smeared it around the head of his cock.
Jesus! “Cold!” Cold, cold, cold.
And yet so hot.
The hot got hotter as her mouth covered his shaft. Jared’s eyes closed and his head thunked against the couch cushion. He’d lost all ability to hold his neck up.
Fuck, her lips. Her tongue. Her greedy licks. They did mad things to his heart, making it beat like crazy. It pounded against his ribs before sprinting a hundred meters. Then it stopped. Dead. Or that’s what it felt like. Matter of fact, as Ava ran her mouth up and down the length of his dick, everything stopped—except the ability to feel.
Time lost meaning. He forgot where he was, and who he was. All he felt was the pleasure. The sweet, tantalizing, thrilling pleasure. The wet warmth of Ava’s mouth, the velvety softness of her tongue, the grazing sharpness of her teeth. It was relentless. Rapturous. Each suck felt better than the last.
It was…too good. If she continued, he’d lose control. He’d have no ability to stop, and if he planned on making love to her any time soon, he had to stop. Hell, they were both naked now. There were no clothes between them. All she need do was reseat herself on his lap, and she’d be fucking him.
“Av…baby…g
otta stop.”
Ava ignored him.
“C-can’t last.” Not like this. Not with her mouth seducing him, swallowing him whole—and in small bits at a time. “Too…good.”
And still that greedy mouth consumed him.
He’d spoken out loud, hadn’t he? “Ava…” His nuts pulled tight against the base of his dick, his release imminent. “Baby—”
Warmth covered his balls. Her hand? Bare skin caressed them, massaging gently but with enough pressure to cloak the world in bright light.
Oh, Jesus, he wouldn’t last. Couldn’t last. “Torres!”
She increased her pace, sucked harder, her mouth a salacious, hungry, wet, hot glove of ecstasy.
His muscles stiffened. His cock thickened and his balls grew ever heavier.
He was toast. History. No way he could hold back now. He was a goner, lost to the joys of her mouth and her skill. He was…
Oh, fuck. He was coming. He was fucking coming—in Ava’s mouth.
His cock spasmed and jerked, and he spurted. Once, then again. Still she sucked and licked, her soft moans of satisfaction swirling in the air.
His dick pulsed and he spurted again, blood roaring in his ears.
Pulse, spurt.
Pulse, spurt.
Her mouth stilled, constricted—and then she swallowed.
God help him, he spurted again. Twice. And then once more, although he was pretty sure he shot blanks that last time. And the time after that. There couldn’t possibly be anything left to give.
Jared’s body went limp. His chest heaved, his heart raced and his hands, still tied behind his back, shook. His cock, now softening in her mouth, was suddenly too sensitive for her caresses. “Ungh.”
Ava released him. Those hot lips glided off his shaft and her hand freed his balls.
It took a good decade before Jared had the coordination or energy to move again.
“So, you brought a condom along, huh?”
Jared had shifted forward so Ava could slip in behind him and free his hands. Before working on the knot, she made herself comfortable, sitting on the floor with a leg on either side of Jared’s, cradling him. Her pussy was pressed snug against his ass.
And what an ass. Hard and muscular. She couldn’t wait to nip at it with her teeth.
“Maybe more than one. In my pocket. But, baby…” His shoulders heaved. “After what you just did? I’m gonna need a little time.”
“No worries there, Jar. Me too.” Ava was so satiated, the thought of doing anything more vigorous than leaning against him and holding him exhausted her. “I was kinda thinking of later.” Maybe in bed, with a soft mattress beneath them, the lights dimmed…
“I like the idea of later. ’Specially if it means I’ll still be here, with you.”
“I like it too.” She picked at the knot, which was tighter than she remembered tying it—a good indication that Jared had struggled against his bondage. He must have wanted to get free pretty badly, and yet not once had he asked her to untie him.
Ava pressed a kiss to his back.
“Mm.” He shivered.
“Thank you.” The tie finally slackened as she loosened the smallest knot and pulled it free.
“For what?”
“The tie.” Without it, Ava would never have relaxed enough to do what they’d just done. She’d never have let her guard down.
“Ah, right.” He nodded. “You’re very welcome.”
A minute later, his hands were free.
Jared’s shoulders drooped and his hands fell to her belly, as though he didn’t have the strength to stop them. Long seconds later he brought them slowly to his sides, his movements floppy and uncoordinated. Jerkily, he shook his arms, stretching his fingers and rolling his shoulders. “Phew. Blood flow again. Might take a while ’til I can feel them though.”
“Are you in pain?”
“Nah. Just a bit numb. It’ll pass.”
“Soon, I hope.” She kissed his back a second time.
“You know I’d do it again in a heartbeat, right?”
“I…I’m hoping next time you won’t need to.” Ava leaned into him, resting her face on his back and wrapping her arms around his firm waist. His stomach and ribs moved in a rhythmic pattern in time to his breaths. She’d always loved being physically close to Jared, but this desire to hold him now… It was different. More persistent than before. And more satisfying.
“It’d be good to touch you, baby. Feel every inch of your gorgeous body.”
Ava nodded her agreement against his back. “I’d like to feel your hands all over my body.” Wait. Was that true? Sure, the idea of Jared’s touch was enticing. But the reality?
She inhaled a shuddery breath. Okay, the reality was still frightening.
Jared placed his hands on hers, gently running them up her arms. “Let’s keep the tie handy. In case.”
Ava squeezed her eyes shut. She had no idea how Jared knew she’d needed the reassurance, but he did. And she was so damn grateful for it. She held him a little tighter, and Jared let out that soft rumble he’d emitted earlier. Like a cat’s purr.
For long moments they sat together, Ava utterly content.
“Torres?”
“Hm?” She yawned, every muscle in her body loose and relaxed.
“You ever going to tell me why we need the tie?”
Tension swept through her. The knots she’d recently released reformed—in her shoulders. She didn’t answer, and thankfully, he didn’t ask again.
Although…
Jared’s silence was torturous. It wasn’t like he’d let the subject go. He just patiently waited for her answer.
Damn it, the rest of her friends had learned not to push. Why couldn’t Jared? But then Ava had always known he’d never let her wallow in her silence. Sooner or later she was going to spill her heart to him. It was just a matter of time.
The tub of ice cream snagged her attention. She nudged it with her toe, then worried she’d knock it over. By now it must surely have melted.
Mustn’t let it topple. The mess would be a pain to clean. And God knew, Anthony hated mess. Better to neaten the room now. Empty the ice cream into the sink and toss the tub in the garbage.
She released him and pushed herself to her feet, careful to use the couch for balance, and not the man. “Got to tidy up,” she explained. “Don’t want this landing all over the floor by accident.”
Ava picked up the ice cream and headed for the kitchen, stopping only to snag the lid and her shirt on the way. She slipped the shirt over her head, covering as much of herself as possible, before rinsing the tub and throwing it and the lid away. Then she spent a very long time staring into the half-filled garbage bin.
The contents were fascinating. There were…well…there was, um…
Okay, so she didn’t have a clue what was in there. All she saw was Anthony’s face, the rage in his eyes, the intent in each angry footstep. And his hand, with his fingers flexing and stretching at his side.
Oh God.
Not again.
Please…please, not again.
She shook her head. He wasn’t there. It wasn’t real.
Ava breathed deep.
Inhale. Exhale.
In. Out. In. Out.
God, she was an idiot. Of course he wasn’t there. He wasn’t allowed within a hundred meters of her. She was safe.
I’m okay.
He touched her shoulder.
Ava jumped about a foot in the air, knocking over the bin in the process. It crashed to the ground with a sickening thud. Garbage spilled onto the floor.
Her heart flew into her throat. She would have screamed, but the sound was muffled by her heartbeat. Terror suffocated her.
Not again.
It took a good few seconds—the longest, most terrifying seconds of her life—until her sense of self-preservation kicked in, and she remembered.
She wasn’t helpless anymore. She was no longer the weak, feeble nothing Anthony had made her.
No, she was ready for him. She was ready for this.
Ava straightened her spine.
Let him come. Let him try. Let him lift a finger in her direction.
She flipped around, landing on the balls of her feet so she could dance from side to side, dart in whichever direction he wouldn’t expect. Her hands were in the air, ready to defend—or attack—whichever she needed to do first.
He wouldn’t hurt her again. Ever.
Only it wasn’t Anthony who stood before her, and the malice and evil she’d expected to see on his face wasn’t there. Instead there was shock. And devastation. And sorrow. So much sorrow.
Her arms twitched, and she almost dropped them. Almost. But one could never be too cautious.
“Ava.” The pain wasn’t just reflected on his face or in his narrowed eyes. She heard it in his voice too.
He took a step back, then another and a third, lifting his hands to show them to her. There were visible lines around both wrists, as though something had pressed tight against his skin.
Wait. Something had. The tie.
She bounced from foot to foot.
“It’s just me, baby.” His tone was soft, soothing, but still filled with sorrow. “Jared.”
Jared?
Wait. Yes. It was him. Jared. Her friend. Her…lover?
She stopped bouncing. “Jar?”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
Perplexed, she stared at him. Her heart still beat that rapid staccato beat.
“I’m not gonna hurt you, baby. You’re always safe with me.”
Ava eyed his hands. They weren’t balled into fists. His fingers weren’t flexing or stretching. He wasn’t pulling his elbow back. No, he’d raised both arms, his hands fully visible and posing no threat.
There was no menace to his posture and no dangerous gleam in his eye. He meant her no harm.
Still, it took a while for Ava to lower her arms, and then a while longer to drop her guard. She was with Jared. She was absolutely safe.
Then the unthinkable happened.
The instant she dropped her guard, every one of her defenses came crashing down. All those walls she’d so carefully erected to protect herself were just…gone, leaving her vulnerable. Exposed and open to attack.
She didn’t mean for them to collapse. Hell, she never wanted to let go of them. They kept her safe. They protected her. They kept her alive.