by Avery Aster
He slid his hands to her hips, lifting her to him and kissed along the notches of her spine. “I want to do really dirty things to you, cher.”
“And I want to let you.”
He reached around to stroke his fingers over her heat and groaned at the slippery feel of her arousal. So. Damn. Sexy. “I love that you’re this hot for me already.”
“You seem to have that effect on me,” she said, her words getting a little choppy as he explored.
He eased his fingers inside her, slow, purposeful. “Would you get this way when we had our coffee dates?”
She tilted into his touch, hungry for it. “God, yes. I couldn’t get home fast enough afterward.”
“Mmm.” Visions of Gretchen going home after one of their talks, stretching out on her sheets, and touching herself with thoughts of him had any remaining blood in his head rushing south. “Guess I owe you for all that teasing.”
He coasted his fingertip over her hot button and enjoyed the ensuing moan.
“Yes, so much,” she said between breaths. “So much debt to pay off.”
He grabbed the condom he’d tossed on the bed after binding her, but Gretchen must’ve recognized the sound of the package opening.
“I’m on the pill. You don’t have to unless you want to.”
He paused, caught off guard. He’d never had sex without a condom, had never dated anyone long enough to get to that monogamous point. But the thought of being inside Gretchen with no barrier, of being skin to skin. He closed his eyes and breathed through the blinding rush of need.
He tossed the condom to the side and positioned himself behind her. She angled back, the hot clasp of her body teasing the head of his cock. Holy. Christ. His hand tightened on her. “Fuuuuck.”
“Yes, that. Let’s do that.”
He laughed, though it came out a little strangled, and rocked forward, giving them what they both were desperate for. She took him fully inside her body and the feel of her heat wrapping around him was like nothing he’d ever experienced. Perfect transcendent pleasure. Everything in his world seemed to shift into place all at once. They were joined—body and soul.
He’d waited his whole life for this. For her.
The island knows what you need.
Indeed, it did. And maybe it was still in a giving mood because time seemed to grind to a crawl in that room as they made love, the hours going on and on for the two of them. Their bodies didn’t tire, their pleasure didn’t wane, and their stamina seemed unending. As soon as they’d reach a peak, they’d find another around the bend. The island was giving them back some of their lost time.
And as the sun rose high outside the windowless room, Gretchen came for a final time with a shout, her body bowing up and his name falling from her lips. He closed his eyes, holding back his own orgasm a little longer, to revel in the ecstasy of hers.
“Burke, Burke, Burke.”
He’d never heard his name sound so good.
This was Gretchen untethered. Not the Gretchen who had forgotten the past. Not Gretchen in denial. This was Gretchen who loved him back despite it all. Because of it.
This was Gretchen free.
And this was him in love.
He’d never let her go again.
Epilogue
~ Gretchen ~
I shouldn’t be up this late, but I was too close to being done. I put one last stroke of orange on the painting that’d been inspired by our honeymoon in Brazil last week. I stood back to see if I’d properly caught the way the sunset hit the colorful row of buildings and the face of the man who’d been leaning against one of the doors. My attention flicked back and forth between the canvas and the photograph I’d taken of the scene. The man wasn’t in the photograph. No camera would’ve been able to catch what I’d seen, but his face was emblazoned in my mind.
“Hey, my little painting insomniac.” Hands landed on my shoulders from behind. “Can’t sleep or have you taken up sleepwalking again?”
“Nope, fully conscious, just wanted to get this done.” I put my hand over his. “Did I wake you?”
“Nah, the barking dog next door had that privilege.” Burke kissed the top of my head and looped his arms around my waist. “That painting’s gorgeous, cher. Even more beautiful than it was in person.”
I set my brush down and turned in Burke’s arms. “Thanks.”
He squinted and leaned a little closer to the painting, his expression changing. “Is that?”
“Yeah,” I said quietly.
He looked back to me, concern there. “Everything okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Everything’s good.”
He glanced at the painting again. “You just wanted to paint him?”
The fact that Burke seemed to have no issue with that warmed my heart. It also gave me the courage to be honest about why I’d put Harris in the piece. “No, I’m painting it as I saw it. He was there that day.”
Burke’s focus returned to me, the concern lingering. “I thought on the island…I thought he said good-bye.”
I exhaled. “Gran told me that even when souls know they’ll be happier on the other side, that the in between is no place to linger, it’s still hard to let go. Harris and I made our peace with each other on Eden, but I think he needed to see things for himself. You and me.”
Frown lines appeared around his mouth.
“I started taking photos of the buildings and then there he was. I don’t think he realized I could see him at first.”
“God, cher, you should’ve told me. That must’ve been hard for you. Did he say anything?”
“He didn’t get the chance. As soon as I realized he was there, you came out of the shop you’d been in, the one where you bought me that ridiculous hat. You plopped the hat on my head, picked me up off my feet, and kissed me. I didn’t have time to say anything.”
“Oh, Gretch.”
“When I looked back, he was still there, just like this. And then he was gone.”
Burke released me and stepped in front of the painting to study the little details. I knew what he’d see. Harris’s lips were curved in the hint of a wistful smile and his hand was raised.
Burke cleared his throat. “Is he…”
I put my chin on his shoulder. “Saying good-bye? Yeah, I think so.”
He let out a breath. “He’s wearing the ball cap I gave him. The one I’d sent as a joke when the Saints beat his beloved Giants.”
I smiled. “When he got that in the mail, he’d laughed so hard about it, especially the embroidered inscription on the back that said #1 Fan. I remember him saying, Well played, bro. He wore it more often than he would’ve ever admitted to you.”
Burke’s head lowered between his shoulders and he put a hand over his eyes. “Christ, Harris.”
I held Burke from behind, feeling the bounce of his shoulders and letting him have his grief. “I think that was his way of telling us both that he’s okay now. That we’re all okay. That he wishes us well.” I took a deep breath. “I can’t…I can’t feel him anymore.”
Since we’d gotten back from Eden, I’d had moments where I sensed him when I was alone. He’d never shown himself or talked to me, but I’d known that when I’d said good-bye on the island, he hadn’t done the same. But now there was a noticeable gap in the energy around me. I couldn’t feel him anymore. He was gone for good to wherever we went after this life.
He was finally at peace.
And so was I.
I took Burke by the hand and led him back to bed. Without a word, we crawled under the covers, and he curved his arms around me. I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes. “Forever, Burke Brennan.”
“Forever, my love.”
I fell asleep without any worries of sleepwalking.
I had nowhere else I wanted to be.
I was home.
# # #
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About Roni Loren
Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son.
If she’s not working on her latest story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that's it. She is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of The Loving on the Edge series and other sexy things.
Other Books by Roni Loren
Contemporary Erotic Romance
The Loving on the Edge Series
Crash Into You
Still Into You (novella)
Melt Into You
Fall Into You
Not Until You
Caught Up In You
Need You Tonight
Forever Starts Tonight (novella)
Nothing Between Us
Call On Me – coming July 2015
Other Works
Nice Girls Don’t Ride (novella) – Coming April 2015 – Sexy New Adult
Wanderlust in the Sweet Seduction charity boxed set – Coming May 2015 – Erotic contemporary novel
“Two in the Morning” in the Fifty First Times anthology – Male/Male New Adult
An Excerpt from Roni Loren
If you would like to read more Roni Loren stories, you can start from the beginning with CRASH INTO YOU, the first in the Loving on the Edge series. Or, feel free to jump into whichever book catches your eye first because though they are part of a series, they can also be read as standalones. The latest release is a hot m/m/f ménage romance, NOTHING BETWEEN US.
Here is a short excerpt from NOTHING BETWEEN US...
Nothing Between Us
Roni Loren
From the New York Times bestselling author of Need You Tonight comes a steamy Loving on the Edge novel that proves watching is only half the fun...
Unlike the heroine of her popular thriller series, Georgia Delaune can't afford to take risks or push sexual boundaries--unless you count spying through her neighbor's bedroom window, and never missing a single move he makes.
Colby Wilkes is more than willing to put on a show for the alluring woman next door. But his dominant side aches to show her the pleasures of submission up close. As a counselor, Colby is sensitive to Georgia's fears. As a Dom at The Ranch, a private BDSM retreat, he's the perfect teacher to unleash her passion.
But just as Georgia lowers her emotional barriers, an unexpected complication arrives: a bad boy musician from Colby's past who adds fuel to her heated imagination. Now, the lonely author has two gorgeous men eager to fulfill every fantasy she's ever written--and one she's never dared to dream....
Excerpt
Georgia swung the door open, finding the hulking mass of Colby Wilkes filling the doorway. He looked nothing like the fresh and spry guy he’d been when he’d left that morning. His hair was disheveled, his eyes a little bloodshot, and his clothes looked like they’d been rained on.
“Hey,” she said tentatively.
He gave her a brief up-and-down glance. “Good, you’re still up. I saw the TV was on and took a chance.”
“Yeah, I was just about to go up to bed.”
Something flickered over his expression at that, but he shifted his weight, bracing his hand on the doorjamb, and the flicker was gone. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry I didn’t stop by tonight like I said I would.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay. I didn’t really know if you were serious anyway.”
He sighed and ran a hand over the back of his head. “I was. But today has been . . . complicated.” He glanced toward his house and the guy leaning against the side of Colby’s truck. “And is still complicated.”
“Everything okay?” she asked, eyeing Colby’s guest.
“I don’t know if it can be defined as okay, but I have things under control. Mostly.”
“Who’s the guy?” she blurted, then cringed when she realized how nosy she sounded. “Sorry, none of my business.”
Colby rubbed his jaw, considering her. “He’s . . . a guy I used to know and who needed a place to crash tonight. Long story.”
The way he said it, the underlining current of regret in his voice, had her curiosity welling, but she kept her questions to herself. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Not really.” His lip curled at the corner. “Having dinner with you tonight would’ve helped. I was looking forward to that. Rain check?”
“Sure, okay.”
“Good. I’ll hold you to that.” He leaned over, cupping her elbow, and panic stiffened her for a second as he entered her space. But all he did was press a light kiss to her cheek.
He smelled faintly of maple syrup, but the rough brush of his beard against her skin sent a current straight downward. She had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from making a sound. He lingered close for a moment, and she swallowed hard. She could turn her head—just a few inches and those lips would be on hers. If she were her old self, she would’ve done it. That girl didn’t cower. That girl took chances.
But that girl wasn’t her. Not anymore.
He pulled back before she could even attempt to get the nerve. He gave her that heartbreaker smile of his, though she could see the tiredness and strain lingering in his eyes, and stepped back onto her porch. The whole exchange had her wanting to reach out, run her hands along his jaw, and offer comfort—possibly of the naked variety. But all she could do was tell him good night and close the door.
When Georgia went upstairs a little while later, she tried to walk past the guest room without stopping in. But it was a siren call she couldn’t shut off. After slipping into her oversized nightshirt, she padded barefoot into the dark guest room. A few lights went on and off in Colby’s house, but eventually he appeared in his bedroom doorway. He shut his door and leaned against it. He ran a hand over his face in a fuck-my-life motion. It was the first time she could remember seeing him look so beat down. He headed into his bathroom. She knew she needed to close the curtains and go to bed, but she remained in her chair, somehow feeling less alone sitting here instead of in her room.
A few minutes later, she was rewarded with the sight of Colby stepping out of his bathroom with only a towel around his hips. His hair was still wet and his skin still damp. She picked up the binoculars. Colby turned off the overhead light, leaving his bedside lamp on, and then he glanced toward her window. Her heart stuttered for a second, but his gaze moved away as quickly as it had come. He undid the towel, exposing a backside that could inspire her to take up sculpting as a hobby, and tossed the towel into a hamper.
When he turned to the side, her magnified gaze tracked down his profile, tracing along the lines of his nose and jaw, going over his honed biceps and the cut of his hip, and then hovering on the hand he’d just wrapped around his quickly stiffening erection.
A shiver went straight through Georgia. She’d never seen him masturbate. She’d long ago assumed he did it in the shower or something. But tonight it seemed he had other intentions. She couldn’t pull her focus away from that big hand of his stroking upward. She could see the flesh start to broaden in his hand, the head going a darker shade.
But right when she was getting lost in the show, he moved out of the binoculars’ view. She quickly adjusted the focus, unzooming, and gasped when she realized he was looking right at her. She jerked back for a second, that caught! feeling racing through her. But of course he couldn’t see her. He was just looking
that way. Maybe he was thinking about her? The idea sent warmth stirring low.
She held her hands steady on the binoculars, watching as something flared in his eyes—desire, need, maybe a little loneliness, all of it was in that look. But the moment passed and he turned away, grabbing something from a bedside drawer—a bottle of clear liquid. Without pulling back the covers, he stretched out on his bed and took himself in his lubricated hand, stroking in long, luxuriating motions.
God. Georgia was going to fucking lose it.
The tip of her tongue touched the center of her lip as she let the desire wake up her body. This hadn’t been her plan when she’d sat down in front of the window. She’d only wanted to see what kind of “friend” Colby had brought home. But now there was no way she’d be able to sit here and watch Colby pleasure himself without relieving the tension building between her thighs.
She kept her focus glued to Colby as she pulled open the drawer in the table that flanked the window and pulled out the small vibrator she’d stowed in there. She slipped her fingers inside her panties. She groaned under her breath at the feel of her touch and how wet she was already. Watching Colby flipped her switch like nothing else, it seemed. She turned the vibrator onto a low setting, which sent a shudder of pleasure up her spine, but she forced her eyes to stay open. Colby had cupped his balls with one hand and was sliding his fist along his shaft with the other. He didn’t look to be in any kind of rush, and Georgia imagined it was her there giving him that slow, sensual pleasure instead—teasing him until he begged for more. She knew he’d feel heavy in her hands and hot. She could only imagine how he’d feel sliding inside her. It’d been so damn long...
The slowly weaved fantasy made her sex clench around the vibrator and her thighs tighten. She wouldn’t last long at this rate. Her heartbeat was already pounding right behind her clit, the demand for release building. Colby looked to be getting closer as well, his movements speeding up and his thighs flexing.
She couldn’t wait for him. Her body seized around the stimulation and orgasm rocketed through her. She panted her way through the hills and valleys of it, tasting sweat on her upper lip. But right as she was drifting down from her quick high, she caught movement at the edge of her view. She swung her binoculars to the left.