Pull You Through
Page 22
“Tonight?”
He nods. “Yeah, I think so, man. I’m tired of waiting. We had a good talk last night about her fears and reservations of being a marine wife. I think I helped ease some of her worry. She said Austyn really helped her too.”
I nod. “They’re close.”
“So, yeah, I think tonight. I talked to her parents already, so I just need to jump.”
“Anything I can do to help? Lure her out of the room so you can get ready? Anything?”
“Nah, I’m just going to throw it out there. Pour my heart out and pray she says yes.” Even though he’s laughing, I know him well enough to see he’s nervous.
“You ever wonder what else is out there? I mean she’s been your only one, right?” I already know the answer to this, but I also know that when he thinks about it, the answer will calm his nerves. No way is she going to say no.
He nods, understanding my question. “Yeah, and no. I’ve never wondered or thought about being with someone else. She’s it for me.” He takes a sip of his drink. “You?”
“We’re not there yet,” I confess.
“Really? I would have thought it was a done deal. You’re tied up in knots. That much is obvious.”
“Nope.” I have the urge to tell him it’s none of his business, but he’s been friends with Austyn a long time, and other than Austyn, Combs is the closest thing I have to family. Besides, he’s right. I am tied up in knots, or more like tied up in Austyn.
“She’s good for you,” he says, his eyes still trailing his girlfriend.
“She is.”
“What are you two conspiring over there?” Savannah asks, laughing.
“Guy talk.” Combs winks.
“Uh-huh.” She blows him a kiss and turns her attention back to the dishes.
When the girls are finished cleaning up, they settle themselves on our laps, and we watch the euchre game unfold. Jeffers and Spiller come out on top, leaving Combs and me to play them. The girls pull up chairs and sit beside us, trying to learn how to play. That’s how the rest of the day goes. We play cards, switching back and forth, and the girls ask questions, watching and learning when we play, and sitting with us when we’re not.
“Well, ladies, it was a pleasure. Thank you for dinner,” Spiller says, standing.
“You guys heading out?”
“Yeah.” All four of them stand at the same time, and while it’s been a great day and they’ve been good company, I admit I’ll be pleased to have my girl back to myself. “We’ll get out of your hair.”
“Thank you for coming,” Savannah and Austyn say at the same time.
Combs and Savannah call it a night as well, which is more than fine with me. It leaves me with more Austyn time. It’s precious and rare, and I want to soak up as much of it as I can get.
“I’m tired.” She yawns from her place on my lap.
“Want to take a nap?” I ask, rubbing my hand softly up and down her back.
“It’s after five. We’ll never sleep tonight if we nap now.”
“And? We’ve got nothing to do and nowhere to be.”
“You tired?” she asks, covering yet another yawn.
“Yeah, angel, up you go,” I say, tapping her thigh. She stands, and I follow her to the bedroom.
“I’m going to check the door,” I say to her back, as I turn and head back to the living area to double check that the door is locked. I add the Do Not Disturb tag to the outside of the door for good measure. There’s nothing that we need that we don’t already have. Turing off all the lights, I make my way back to the bedroom. I’m greeted with a naked Austyn climbing under the covers. “Comfy?” I ask her. My voice is calm despite the way my body reacts to seeing her like this. My cock takes notice. My palms are sweating and my breath hitches in my chest.
She shrugs. “It’s my new favorite thing, to lie with you… skin to skin,” she adds.
Damn. I make quick work of discarding my clothes and climb in beside her. “Come here.” I hold open my arm and she takes her spot snuggled up against me, her head resting on my chest.
“Thank you for today, for cooking for everyone.”
“It was Savannah’s idea.”
“Regardless, you did just as much, and I appreciate it.” I pause, gathering my thoughts. “It was my first Thanksgiving without Gran. It’s tied for my best. That first year I went to live with her, that year was like a feast. My parents never celebrated any of the holidays, so the only real exposure I had was from school, on the days they actually got me there.” I hate talking about my past, but for some reason with Austyn, it comes naturally. I want her to know all of me.
“What about Christmas?”
“Nah, they spent every dime we had on their next fix.”
“That’s awful,” she says, kissing my bare chest.
“Gran made up for it. Even though it was just the two of us, she showed me what it was about. Not just the gifts but caring enough about someone and wanting to spend time with them, and yes finding and giving the perfect gift.”
“I wish I could have met her.”
I smile at the thought. “She would have loved you. I’m sure of it.” I brush my fingers across her naked back as I continue. “When I enlisted, they asked about being away from family for long periods of time, missing holidays, birthdays, things like that. It wasn’t an issue for me, you know. I mean I had me, myself, and I. Then I met you and the thought of missing those things with you tears me up inside.”
“You’re always with me, knight, remember?”
“I am, I know, but physically… to be able to watch you open your present in person, to be able to kiss you at midnight on New Year’s Eve… they’re all things I’ll miss with you.”
“Well, I don’t need presents and video chat takes care of that. As far as kisses, we’ll just have to stock up now so we have what we need to pull us through.”
I tighten my grip on her, wanting her to be tethered to me with no space between us. Eventually, her breathing evens out, and I allow myself to fall asleep as well.
I wake up what feels like hours later. It’s dark outside, and my girl is still sleeping soundly next to me. Our positions have changed, but she’s still in my arms. Her back is pressed to my front, my hand resting on her belly, holding her close. Her body is warm nestled up next to mine. Unable to resist, I place a kiss on her bare shoulder. She rolls over onto her belly and I freeze, hoping I didn’t wake her.
My fingers trace their way up and down her back. Her skin is smooth, and I can’t get enough of her. I crave the feel of her soft skin against my lips. Leaning down, I place a tender kiss at the base of her neck and then instead of pulling back, I continue on, my lips trailing her spine. When I reach the globes of her ass, I know I should stop, but I can’t, nor do I want to. I kiss each cheek. My hands roam over her, and my cock hardens with every touch.
I’m startled when she rolls over onto her back, and her hand rests on the base of my neck. She’s awake. She’s awake and isn’t stopping me. My hand glides up and down her silky-smooth legs until I reach her thighs. I kiss her tenderly just inside her knee. Moving forward, I kiss up her thighs. When I reach her core, I move to settle between her legs. She opens for me, neither one of us saying a word.
Needing my hands and mouth all over her, I continue my exploration of her body. Slowly, carefully, I capture a nipple between my lips. Nipping and sucking, I soothe the aches with my tongue.
“Slade.” My name is a whisper on her lips.
I release my friend and move on to its twin, needing to pay them both equal attention. This time when I nip the hardened bud, her hips rise, causing my cock to graze over her center. She’s wet, and I thought nothing could make me harder than I was, from my need for her. I was wrong. My cock twitches between us. I feel like I could lose control any second.
“I’m ready,” she murmurs. “For you,” she adds, as if I didn’t understand what she meant.
I understand. All too well, I understand.
I also understand that I’m unprepared. I didn’t expect this, not tonight, hell, not this weekend. I curse inwardly as I close my eyes and rest my forehead against hers.
“You don’t want to?” Her voice is small.
I lift my head and cup her cheek with one hand, still holding my weight on one elbow, careful not to crush her. “I want.” I swallow hard. “I want you more than anything, but I’m not… I don’t have a condom. I didn’t expect this.”
“I’m on the pill, but I think it’s best if we still take all precautions.” I nod. Defeated. “In the bathroom, my pink bag on the sink. There’s a box.”
“Angel?”
“I just thought you know, that just in case we should be prepared, or I should. I didn’t know what would happen, but I didn’t want to be in this exact situation and not be.”
I drop a kiss on her lips and climb out of bed. In the bathroom. The realization hits me that she really wants this with me. You can’t change your first time, that gift that you give someone. She’s giving it to me. I’m overwhelmed with emotion—fear, happiness, and most of all, love. I see the pink bag she’s referring to. My hands shake as I slide open the zipper, I see a box of unopened condoms staring back at me. Opening the box, I grab one, then decide to bring the entire box. I don’t know if or when we’ll need them, but having them close by so I don’t have to leave her is my aim.
Turning off the light, I make my way back to the bed. Placing the now opened box on the nightstand, my hands are shaking so bad. I’m not sure how I manage to tear open the one in my hand, and roll it down my length. “You sure about this?” I ask, my voice gruff as I take my place nestled between her thighs. There is a part of me that wants to rush this, to feel her wrapped around me. To finally feel what I’ve imagined so many times since the night we met. The other part is worried that I’m going to hurt her, hell, that I’m going to come as soon as I feel her warmth and ruin this moment for both of us. We’re only ever going to have one first time, not just with each other, but in general. I want this to be memorable for both of us.
She tosses the cover over us. “Positive.” There’s not an ounce of hesitation in her answer, although I can feel a slight tremble in her hands as they grip my arms. Somehow, that manages to calm me a little—knowing she’s just as affected by this moment as I am.
“I’ve never… I mean, I don’t know—” I blow out a breath. Trying to find the words and not sound like a loser is difficult. “I’m not going to last,” I blurt out. “I’m already hard as steel and ready to lose my shit, so I need to get you there first,” I explain, my voice shaking. I’m grateful it’s dark in the room, so she can’t see my blush.
“It’s our first time, right?”
“Yes, nothing’s changed since we last talked about this. It’s only you.”
“It’s not supposed to be earth-shattering,” she says, her voice cracking. “It gets better. At least that’s what Savannah says.” Her hands grip tightly to my arms, bracing for what’s about to happen. “It’s us,” she whispers into the darkness. “No matter how it turns out, it’s us.”
“I just thought I should warn you. I don’t want you to be disappointed.” Fuck, disappointing her is something I never want to do.
Her hands cup my cheeks and she pulls me into a kiss. “That’s not possible, Slade Reeves.” She releases me, and once again wraps her hands around my arms, digging her nails into my flesh. I welcome the feeling, knowing it’s her that’s marking me. That it’s her beneath me.
I don’t give her time to say anything else as my lips merge with hers. My tongue lazily rolls with hers as we get lost in the kiss. Moving my hand between us, I rub her clit. She gasps against my lips, and I move away, burying my face in her neck. I inhale her warm vanilla scent and push a finger inside her.
“Slade,” she pants.
Her plea spurs me on. I increase my thrusts and just like that, she’s digging her nails into my arms. Her pussy squeezes my fingers, and she moans deep in her throat. Hearing her need, I fight like hell not to come at the combination. I don’t stop until her grip on my arm releases, and she relaxes into the mattress.
Resting my hands on either side of her head, I poise myself over her, my cock at her entrance. My arms are shaking, and I wish I could say it was from the effort of holding my weight off her.
It’s not.
This moment, it’s bigger than losing our virginity. It’s bigger than sex; it feels like a turning point in my life. Like all the shit I had to go through to get here, brought me to this one moment. The moment where my future is defined. The moment where I hand my heart and soul to this blue-eyed angel lying beneath me. I feel it in every fiber of my being, with every steady thump of my heart against my chest, every touch of her skin. In this moment, she has all of me.
“Slade.” She cups my cheek with her hand.
Turning, I place a tender kiss on her palm. “Do you know what you mean to me?”
“Tell me,” she whispers.
“I don’t want to scare you away.”
“I’m right here.” As if she needs to prove her point, she wraps her legs around me, crossing them at the ankles, holding me near.
“I don’t have the words, Austyn. I can’t describe all of these feelings swirling inside of me.”
“Try,” she pleads.
I swallow back the emotion in my throat, afraid to say the words, worried I’ll lose her with my admission. Worried I’ll lose her without it.
“It’s you and me knight,” she whispers into the darkness.
A smile tips my lips when she calls me knight. I want to live up to that, for her. I want to be her knight. I want to be her everything. “I’ve never felt this way, not ever.” I know she wants more than that, but I can’t force the words past my lips.
“Me too,” she assures me.
Unable to wait any longer, I align my cock at her entrance. “I’m sorry if this hurts you.”
“Just go slow.”
I nod, knowing she can feel the movement from her hand that’s still resting against my cheek. Slowly, I push inside, inch by painful inch. Halfway in, she winces. “I’m sorry.” I lean down and kiss the corner of her mouth. Her hands slip under my arms and her nails dig into my shoulder blades.
“It’s fine. I’m good. More,” she instructs. “All the way.”
Closing my eyes, I battle the need to thrust into her, and the need to go slow, to be tender. “You feel,” I grit my teeth as I move a little further inside of her, “incredible.”
“More, Slade.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, then push the rest of the way inside. She winces again, her nails digging deeper into my shoulders, but she remains silent.
“Angel, talk to me. I’m so sorry.” I lift to pull out, but she stops me.
“No. Don’t move.”
Burying my face in her neck, I breathe her in. My cock twitches inside of her, wanting me to get with the program, but I need to give her time.
“Did you do that?” she asks.
“Did I do what?”
“Make it… move.”
I can’t hold back my laugh. “No, baby, that’s out of my control. You did that. You’re tight and warm, and… yeah, that was all you.”
“I think that I need you to move.”
Thank God. “Tell me if I need to stop.” Slowly, I withdraw and then enter her, one long stroke after another. “You good, Aust? I need you to talk to me, Angel.”
“So good,” she murmurs. Tilting her hips brings me in deeper. “Yes,” she pants.
Fisting the sheets in my hands, I keep the rhythm of long, even strokes. I bite down on my bottom lip, hoping the slight pain will help hold off my orgasm. “Austyn, I don’t know—” Her nails dig into my back, and her lips touch my neck. “—how long I can hold off,” I grit out. “I’m so close.”
“Let go.” Her soft voice washes over me.
Two more long quick strokes and fireworks release behind my eyes. My body is wracked with pleas
ure as my orgasm rolls through me. Pulse after pulse, my cock releases inside of her. How will I survive without this?
WHEN SLADE TRIES TO MOVE, I tighten my grip on him. I’m not ready to let this feeling go. The feeling of being full, of feeling that he’s a part of me. I can’t imagine that all first times are like this one. After the initial pinch of pain, there was nothing but pleasure. It was more than sex. It was… spiritual. While it sounds crazy even as I think it, it’s the truth.
“You okay?” he asks, placing a kiss at the corner of my mouth.
I chuckle. “I’m more than okay.” Content, I release a happy sigh. “You? You’re trembling.” I felt it earlier. I thought it was more nerves than anything. Oddly enough, his reaction calmed me. It was reassuring to know he is just as nervous and affected by what’s happening between us as I was.
“That—” He sucks in a deep breath. “—rocked me to my core.”
I’m glad it’s dark so he can’t see the cheesy grin I’m sporting. “I’d say we’re pretty good at that.”
“Not yet, but we will be.”
“Not yet? Did you black out on me?”
Soft laughter echoes in the darkness. “I was there, and I felt it all, but you didn’t come, so yeah, next time. I’ll do better I promise.”
“I did.”
“You didn’t while I was inside of you. That’s not how this works.”
“I guess we’re just going to have to practice until we get it right.”
“There’s not a whole lot to do here on base,” he says. I can hear the humor in his voice. “I need to take care of this,” he says, slowly pulling out. I miss him immediately—the feel of his weight on top of me, the feeling of being full while he’s inside me. He stands from the bed. “Up you go, Angel” he says, reaching for me in the darkness. His hands roam over my naked breasts before he rolls my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. I’m ready to tell him to grab another condom when he releases me, and reaches for my hand, giving it a gentle tug. “Let’s shower.”
I let him guide us into the bathroom. He surprises me when he fumbles in the dark to turn on the water without turning the light on. “You want the light?” I ask, already turning to feel for the switch.