Fresh Meet

by Miller, Jasmin

  A shiver runs through me when he stops to suck on the curve of my collarbone.

  Goodness, this feels good.

  I blindly weave my hands in his hair, tugging at the strands because I need more. So much more. When he pushes the strap of my tank top aside to follow the path of his fingers with his tongue, I’m done for. Filled to the brim with a mixture of anticipation and lust that might as well be the end of me.

  “You taste so fucking good.” The words have barely left his mouth before he nips at my skin, setting it ablaze as he steps around me.

  Gathering my hair, he pushes it to the opposite side, allowing him access to my upper back and neck. His mouth is back on my skin, his hands under my shirt, gently massaging my lower back as he pulls me back against him, showing me how much this game arouses him.

  My body temperature must have gone up by at least ten degrees; or at least that’s how flushed I feel, ready to rip off my clothes, and offer myself to Jace. His hands move up farther, pushing my top up with it. When he reaches my shoulder blades, I wordlessly lift my arms, silently inviting him to take it off.

  Who am I kidding, it’s pretty much begging at this point.

  My shirt hits the floor and his hands find my breasts a moment later, squeezing and massaging, playing with my nipples. Driving me absolutely insane.

  And I love the feel of his warm chest on my naked back. The skin-to-skin connection feels so amazing, I drop my head against his shoulder in pure contentment.

  He uses that moment to suck and nibble at my neck once more, extending his thorough caresses all the way to my ear. I gasp when he reaches the top part of it. I had no idea how sensitive it is, or that it’s an erogenous zone for me.

  A moan slips past my lips before I register the tingles between my legs. Holy crap.

  “You like that, huh?” Jace chuckles into my ear while also pressing his hard-on further into me. Then he does it all again, making me arch into him, my breasts heavier and tighter than before.

  He plays some more with my nipples, and the buzzing inside my body intensifies.

  “I can’t . . . I need . . . Jace, please.” I turn around in his arms, pressing my breasts to his hard pecs. The need to find some form of release is growing stronger by the minute, and I’m close to rubbing myself all over him in desperation.

  When he slowly walks me back to the bed, I pull him down with me, welcoming his weight on top of me. Somehow it makes this whole situation more real as I greedily paw at his back while also pushing my soles on his butt, urging him closer.

  The contact is delicious, the pressure perfect, and I need more.

  More of Jace.

  I also know this won’t be enough.

  Right now, I can’t see myself ever growing old of this intense connection between us that’s about to pull me under, and I have a feeling it might take me to places I’ve never been before.

  Twenty-Four

  Jace

  Savoring this woman is officially on my list of favorite things to do.

  Her warm, soft skin welcomes me like it’s been waiting for me its whole life. The noises she makes when I kiss her, nip and lick at her skin, are driving me wild. I feel like a fourteen-year-old, ready to shoot my load in my pants.

  The buzz along my spine intensifies with each passing moment, my heart like I just finished a whole set of races. And my dick . . . he’s never been this eager and desperate to be engulfed by warm flesh.

  Even though he won’t be happy once he figures out we won’t be getting what we really want tonight. I’d die to sink into her this very second, but I don’t want to rush into things either.

  Usually, I don’t think about things like this, but I want to do things right with Em. Not screwing this up by pushing too much too fast is important.

  There’s also the fact that she can’t completely mask her exhaustion, no matter how much she writhes and moans underneath my needy hands and mouth.

  “You think my boobs are a good spot for a tattoo?” She giggles and pulls me closer by my hair at the same time.

  Situated with my body between her spread legs, I’ve made it my mission to give her breasts the attention they deserve. They’re a perfect handful, the nipples a beautiful rosy color, and I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of the night playing with them.

  “Hell no.” I gaze at her, flicking her nipple with my tongue. “Is someone getting impatient?”

  “Why would you think that?” She wiggles her pelvis against mine and we both groan. After closing her eyes for a moment, she opens her mouth slightly, fixating her gaze back on me before giving me a shy smile. “Maybe a little?”

  Holy shit. This woman is so doing it for me.

  “Well, let me continue my search, then.” After giving one of her nipples another twist, I move below her breasts, placing a kiss to the spot where the bottom of her breast meets her rib cage. “I have to admit, this would be an awesome spot.”

  Before she can say anything, I slide my tongue down the side of her belly. “But so would this.” Over her navel and to the edge of her pajama shorts, pushing them down a couple of inches. “Or this.”

  “Jace.” My name is a mixture of a plea and desperation on her lips, and it spurs me on.

  She lifts her butt, making it abundantly clear what she wants. Where she wants me to go next. And even though it will test my restraint to the absolute max, there’s no place else I’d like to go right now.

  Her chest heaves when I put my fingers in the waistband of her shorts, slowly pulling them down inch by inch. My mouth waters as I expose more creamy skin and my balls tighten in my pants.

  I toss the shorts behind me, and they land somewhere on the floor in a quiet thud. Time to devour this beauty in front of me. Her eyes are on me, her teeth tugging on her bottom lip.

  Starting with her left leg, I grab her ankle, lifting it up to my mouth and kissing it. “This would be a great spot.”

  “Mm-hmm.” She bites the tip of her pointer finger, and it’s hot as fuck. Knowing this is driving her as wild as me almost snaps my willpower.

  I lick my way up the inside of her leg, stopping a few inches below the spot we both want to give attention to so desperately. “I think this would be a fantastic spot.”

  I ignore her whimpering demands and move to her other side, latching on to the soft skin of her other inner thigh. “Or here.”

  Instead of making my way down that leg, I move up her pelvis and over her hip bone, all the while she continues to writhe underneath me like she’s about to go off like a firecracker.

  Her lower stomach. “Here.”

  Her other hip bone. “Here.”

  When I make it back between her legs, Em’s quivering so much, I have to hold her down. “Shhh, baby. I’ve got you.”

  When my mouth finally touches her hot center, I’m done for. I tease her. Taste her. I could do this for hours. Over and over.

  I’ve always enjoyed pleasuring women, but it feels different with Em. It’s like the world is shifting underneath our feet, putting us in the position we need to be in for this to work. For this to be perfect. For this to feel better than any other encounter I’ve ever had. For this to be magical.

  Pure fucking magic.

  When I latch on to her bundle of nerves, while also entering her with two fingers, she goes off, flying to a place I hope we can soon visit together. She grabs at me blindly, trying to get a good grip on my hair but failing miserably. Her body spasms, clenching around my fingers so hard that I almost come.

  Her moans are the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard, and I don’t want it to stop. Em’s gaze is on me, but I don’t know if she can see me, her eyes glazed over with lust-filled ecstasy. I remove my fingers and mouth and crawl up her body.

  The need to have her lips on mine, to feel that simple connection of our mouths together, is strong and impossible to ignore.

  “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. You are so fucking sexy, I can barely handle it.” I don’t give her a c
hance to say anything before I press my lips to hers, hungrily taking what I’m starving for. And she gives it back. Lick for lick. Bite for bite. Devouring me as much as I devour her.

  When I pull back, both of our breathing is labored, and Em is openly gasping for air. “Oh my gosh, are you trying to kill me? I thought that orgasm was going to split me apart. I was sure I was on my way to explode into a million pieces of stardust, ready to float into the sky, carrying enough charge to illuminate the whole world.”

  I chuckle at her analogy but can’t deny the burst of pride that fills me, making me want to pound my fists on my chest because I did well by this woman. I made her orgasm harder than she’s ever had in her life. I can be cocky about that. I want to be cocky about that. “Glad to be of service.”

  She holds up a finger. “Just give me one moment. Just one second.” Her chest expands in quick succession as she tries to calm her breathing.

  I watch her, with her gorgeous red hair all over my pillow, and her beautiful body spread out on my bed. With a hand to her mouth, she tries to stifle a yawn, but she can’t hide it.

  Brushing a few strands of hair away from her forehead, I lean in and kiss the tip of her nose. “Let’s go to sleep.”

  That gets her attention, her eyes widening as she tries, and fails, to lean up on her elbows. “What? No. We aren’t done yet. I still want to . . . you know, return the favor.”

  “We’ll have plenty of time for that. Right now, it’s bedtime.”

  She pretends to pout. “Fine. I don’t think I can move anyway.”

  With a laugh, I get up and grab her clothes. Together, we manage to put her top and shorts back on.

  When I pull the blanket over us and cuddle next to her, she caresses my face. “I know it sounds lame, but thank you.” Another big yawn escapes her. “And I’m sorry for ruining this evening with my exhaustion.”

  “Nothing to apologize for. I think this evening was pretty dang perfect.”

  She looks down and places her hands to her cheek. “It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

  “Come here.” I pull her halfway on my chest, and she gets comfortable with her head on my shoulder, and her hand on my chest. I place my own on top of hers, wanting as much contact as I can.

  “I love this.” Her words are so quiet, I wonder if she meant to say them out loud.

  But I heard them. And I felt them.

  “I do too.” I lean closer, kissing her head before leaning mine against hers.

  She shifts around so she can look at me. “I feel bad about tonight. Are you sure you don’t want to . . . I really don’t mind. I want to.”

  “Nope. We’re all good.” I might have blue balls by tomorrow, but I mean it. Despite this slightly uncomfortable situation, I’m happy and content. Being around Em does that to me. That thought triggers something completely different. “You still want to go to Nationals next week with Tanner?”

  “You bet. I’ve already thought of toys and activities to bring to keep Tanner happy.”

  “And my mom will be there too to help.”

  She chuckles. “I’m excited to see you in action.”

  “I like knowing you’ll be there.”

  This time, I’m the one yawning, Em following two seconds later. “Let’s go to sleep, ladybug. We both have a long week ahead of us.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I turn off the dimmed light on my nightstand and find her mouth one more time, kissing her lazily, yet thoroughly. Em’s sigh sounds satisfied, and my heart pounds happily under her hand.

  I might be miserable down south, but this is all worth it.

  Holding her in my arms, listening to her fall asleep, and knowing she’ll be by my side during one of the most stressful weeks of the year.

  This week’s already a success.

  Twenty-Five

  Emilia

  That wonderful night in Jace’s arms feels like a distant memory even though it only happened last week. Jace had to focus on his training, and even more so on getting the rest he needs, and I couldn’t stand in the way of that.

  Jace, Patricia, and I sat down to talk about logistics, and together we came up with a plan. Jace stays at the hotel next to the aquatic center where the Nationals will be held, while Patricia and I will hold down the fort back home so to speak, taking care of Tanner while Jace focuses on his swims.

  The few days before the event started, Jace and Tanner video chatted as much as they could, and I spent my evenings on the phone with Jace.

  I miss him like crazy, but I try to push down those lonely feelings that arise often.

  This isn’t something to worry about, right? It’s perfectly normal to support the people in your life, even if you take a backseat for a while. How would it feel like to be on the receiving end of this?

  Thoughts like that usually end in a pity party, which is why I’ve stayed busy with my program. My audition is happening next week, and I plan on wowing every single person of Kinder Street.

  Today is the last day of Jace’s five-day swim event, and it’s been an interesting experience. Preliminaries are in the morning of each day, and finals are in the evening.

  Jace has been extra busy, not only with training, racing, and meetings but also with interviews and meet and greets. He’s certainly a popular guy, the crowd cheering louder when he’s around.

  So far, he’s won gold medals in the 100m and 200m butterfly, and tonight is the final of the 200m individual medley, which is his strength, as his current world record indicates loud and clear to anyone in doubt.

  Thankfully, our seating area is in the shade this afternoon. I’ve brought the whole arsenal of coloring books, Play-Doh, new books and small toys for Tanner, who’s happily playing between Patricia and me, even though that usually only lasts for so long.

  Toddlers certainly aren’t meant to sit in the stands for hours on end, so Patricia and I have been occupying him as much as we can when Jace isn’t racing.

  Even though we drive back home every evening—to disrupt Tanner’s routine as little as possible—Jace has rented an extra hotel room for us so we have a quiet and cool place for some downtime during the day and for Tanner’s nap. It’s not ideal, and Tanner’s not always happy with it, but we’ve been managing okay and the event is almost over.

  We’re here to support Jace, and we’re making do.

  Speaking of the devil—an incredibly sexy one at that—he’s in line with the other seven final swimmers, making his way to the pool. They all dispose of their things—tracksuits, sneakers, and headphones—and begin their various pre-race routines.

  My eyes are on Jace. Even though I still don’t know too much about this sport, I’ve become quite obsessed with it and Jace’s performances this week. I’m usually on the edge of my uncomfortable plastic seat, wanting nothing more than to jump up and pace around in nerves and anticipation. I’m sure that wouldn’t go too well with the other spectators though.

  “Look, Tanner, there’s Daddy.” Patricia points her finger toward the pool, where Jace is getting on his starting block.

  His swimsuit sits low on his hips, the compression shorts tight, leaving little room to the imagination. It’s a pretty sweet sight to behold.

  Jace swings his arms around his upper body, easily reaching his opposite shoulder blades. Talk about arm span.

  After repeating it a few times, he presses the heels of his hands to his goggles before adjusting his cap one more time. I’ve seen him do the exact same thing a million times on video or live this week.

  “Daddy.” Tanner claps his hands excitedly when introductions are made and Jace pops up on the big screen. It sounds more like “Dead-ee” when Tanner says it, but he’s been trying hard this week.

  Of course, like so often with children, Jace has yet to hear it in person since Tanner acts like he’s never said it before whenever Jace is around.

  Thank goodness for phones and videos.

  I finally got it on video this morning, and I’m not sur
e I’ve ever seen Jace smile so big before. Talk about a proud dad moment.

  I’ve been all emotional about it too. I think it’s a big deal, so it makes it extra special to be a part of it.

  Everyone around us quiets down as the swimmers settle on the starting blocks and take their mark.

  My heart jumps when the start signal sounds, and the swimmers push off to glide into the water effortlessly. With their arms stretched ahead of them, their feet propel them forward as far as they can before they break the surface of the water, immediately going into the butterfly for the first lap.

  Backstroke is next, followed by breaststroke. Jace started out in the lead, but the more laps swum, the easier it is to tell that he’s struggling. The distance between him and his competitors keeps shrinking, and by the time he enters the last lap, freestyle, he’s head-to-head with the swimmer from lane three.

  My eyes flicker to the huge screen to get a better look now that it’s such a tight race. They are only a few feet left from the wall and Jace’s head pops out to look at his opponent.

  They reach the wall. The crowd cheers as the results are announced.

  The guy from lane number three won.

  Not Jace.

  It’s not Jace.

  Jace didn’t win.

  The guy from lane three also broke Jace’s world record.

  Tanner claps next to me. “Yaaaaaay.”

  When he looks at me expectantly, I join in and clap with him, trying my best to smile back. The second I can, my eyes find Patricia’s, who still looks as shocked as I feel.

  We take Tanner for a walk while the swimmers do their cool down and take a shower. I think we can all use a break before the medal ceremony.

  The medal ceremony is a little underwhelming to me, but then I’m not an Olympic athlete.

  But tonight’s worse. It’s definitely the hardest one to watch with Jace on the silver step. This was his race. It should be his gold. He’s smiling, offering congratulations to the gold-medal winner, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. Once it’s over, we make our way to the spot outside the center where we always meet with Jace.