Lovestrung: A friends to lovers romance

by Karen Ferry

  “What do you want me to do?” he sighed and leaned down. I arched my back as his mouth came down on the sensitive skin behind my ear. I shivered as he kissed and licked and nibbled down my neck in a slow pace, taking his sweet time. He nuzzled against me, rumbling with pleasure. “Tell me,” he whispered. “Talk to me.”

  I reached behind me and swept my curls over my left shoulder, giving him more room.

  “Touch me everywhere, Ethan,” I whispered, my breaths coming out in loud tufts. “Consume me. Take control over my body and my mind just like you promised you would.”

  “So many possibilities,” he chuckled. “As you wish, darlin’. I’m all yours.”

  My instincts told me that Ethan wanted to be in control in all things, and that included sex. I was more than willing to let him do that.

  For now, anyway.

  His hands moved up to my heavy breasts and I moaned when he finally gave me what I craved and started to tug at my nipples while his mouth kept busy on my neck. My body turned to liquid while it remained taut at the way his lips felt on my feverish skin.

  “Too many clothes on.”

  Our breathing was loud in my ears as his hands left me and went to the nape of my neck, unbuttoning the top. I counted them as he kept the pace achingly slow.

  One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten…

  “How the fuck do you get this thing off in a hurry?” he grumbled.

  I laughed at the frustration in his voice. The fact that he could make me laugh at such an intimate moment surprised me.

  “It’s meant to be sexy and torturous to the man doing the undressing.”

  “Mission accomplished,” he grumbled, making me laugh even more. But as soon as the last button came undone and he practically wrenched the lace down my arms, my laughter died. I felt one of his hands on my spine, pressing down gently, and I leaned over the counter before me. “My dick is so hard, darlin’. I’m desperate to take you.”

  The coolness of the counter send a shudder through my heated skin. More, I begged silently. Make me burn up.

  “All this girly tulle has made me wonder what’s underneath your skirt all night.” The sound of the zipper of my skirt felt loud in his dimmed kitchen and he pulled it down. “Fuck, black lace,” he groaned, making me smile in triumph. “My fucking weakness is black lace.”

  “I’ll buy more for you,” I promised.

  One of his fingers followed the line of my thong as he shimmied the skirt down, making me whimper at the tantalizing touch.

  “No, I’ll buy more,” he sighed, his hands now splayed on my ass cheeks, spreading them wide. “Are you particularly fond of these panties?”

  “Not really, why do – oh!” I gasped when the seams pinched, biting into my hips seconds before I heard a ripping sound. I raised my head and stared at my frayed thong dangling from his index finger. “Good God.”

  He grinned at me, a devilish look in his eyes. “I’d tell you I was sorry, but that would be a lie.”

  I lowered my eyes and shook my head. “Such a guy. I always thought it couldn’t be done when I read it in a book, but I guess you just proved me wrong.”

  “Hmm, now I wonder what kind of books you read.” I watched my panties disappear into his pocket, and I was about to answer him, but I lost my train of thought when he reached behind his neck and pulled his T-shirt over his head.

  “Fuck. Me,” I whispered at the sight of his chest. His abs looked even more pronounced than the last time I saw them – had it really only been a year ago? – and I couldn’t say I objected to it.

  “Not yet,” he grinned. “I haven’t even started tormenting you.”

  I smiled at him and stepped out of my skirt, widening my stance even more. Heat flashed in his eyes and he leaned across me, making quick work of ridding me of my bra before he gave me his weight. His arms caged me in as he rested them against the tabletop, and it caused me to hum with pleasure.

  It was intimate. And hot as hell.

  “I want to hear you scream,” he whispered, his lips so close to mine. “But first, kiss me.” His warm chest felt wonderful against my back, though also a little constricting as I leaned up and caught his bottom lip between my teeth. The groan that fell from him sent shots of lust down my belly, making my pussy throb, and I took the kiss deeper. I licked his lips, basking in his gasps, my tongue fucked his mouth, and I’d never felt more fulfilled than I did right then. The outline of his cock pressed into my ass, and I wanted to curse at him for still having his pants on.

  “Jeans off,” I panted against his mouth. “Now.”

  I wanted to damn him to hell when he chuckled against my lips. “Bossy Penelope. I like it.”

  I almost growled when he ignored me but then jerked when I felt his hips move away, replacing the weight of him with hot air. Lightly, he pressed his thumb against my anus, but quickly moved on when I tensed at the intrusion. When it glided down between the cracks of my ass and he swirled it around my wetness instead, we moaned together, going to war on each other with our mouths, tongues and teeth. His determination and skill as he rubbed my clit, pinching and teasing it, made me rotate my hips, urging him for more.

  “Ethan,” I mewled against him. “More, baby, more.”

  Maybe I should have felt embarrassed about sounding so needy – so filled up with flames – but I couldn’t give a damn. This was more than I’d ever hoped to have. This kind of passion was the stuff of romance novels and movies, and I’d never dared to hope it was actually real.

  But now I knew it was, and I wasn’t giving it up for anything in the world.

  I had to fight to keep my eyes open, but I wanted to. God, how I wanted to. The look in his eyes – the sheer desperation coupled with tenderness – was more than I could handle, but I basked in the way he looked at me.

  I craved this.

  I needed this.

  “Tip your ass, darlin’.” He hitched my left leg until my knee rested on the tabletop, and my head dipped as his fingers stretched me wider. Sweat beaded on my head and violent shudders tore through me as he finger fucked me deeper. I’d never been able to come from penetration alone but the way he worked me, his mouth trailing hot kisses down my spine, making my body break out in goose bumps, sent me into a tailspin of pleasure.

  “Like that, baby,” I panted. “Just like that. Fuck me. I need…I want…”

  He grunted, his breaths coming out as fast as mine. It thrilled me that he was as consumed with my body as I was.

  “What do you need? What do you want? Tell me.”

  “God, I need to come. Don’t ever stop,” I pleaded as I came closer and closer to my release. His arm banded around me, his hand and fingers found my right breast, claiming me. The tug and pull at my aching nipple shot a line of lust down my belly, and I leaned my head back, resting it on his chest. Whimpering, I started to fly and fall all at once.

  “Ethan!”

  The orgasm tore through me, making me chant his name over and over again while he kept up his relentless pace. I felt wetness on my cheeks, surprising me, but I welcomed the tears.

  This was already more than I’d ever dreamed of. It was everything. The pleasure was that intense, I had blind spots behind my closed eyes.

  “Fucking. Beautiful,” he whispered as I collapsed on the counter, blissed out and spent. “I knew it would be like this. You’re everything, darlin’.”

  I felt a soft kiss on my back followed by the sound of a belt buckle clinking.

  “I fucking hope I haven’t worn you out yet,” he rasped as the crinkle of foil being torn reached my ears. “I need to be inside that tight pussy now, or I’ll die.”

  His dirty words sent a delicious shiver down my spine, and I smiled lazily against the cool tabletop. I opened my eyes when I felt his hands rub my ass, around my hip, up my back, and I wanted to purr like a cat. Finally, he took a tight hold on my shoulders. The sight behind me made me gasp. The savage gleam in his eyes – the passion and unrestrai
ned lust – shined back at me, his gaze never leaving mine when I felt his dick crowning me. I tried to relax when he pushed inside of me, inch by inch, and I had to bite down on my lip from the sting.

  “Fuck, you’re so tight,” he grunted and looked down, taking in where we were joined.

  “It’s been a long time,” I croaked.

  “Fuck, yes, and I love that I’m the only one who’ll get this from you now.”

  I couldn’t see his cock from this angle, but oh, how I could feel it. He pulled out, coating the head around my sensitive clit, and I moaned when he finally thrust deep and kept still for two heart beats. His chest and abs were glistening with sweat, and the tangy smell of sex wafted in the air.

  “Fucking. Beautiful,” I repeated his words on a low moan.

  He was. He was so beautiful in his savagery; he took my breath away.

  “Hold on.” He was still staring down intently, his jaw clenched and his body shaking with the strain. “This will be quick. I can’t hold back.”

  I extended my right arm behind me until I reached his fingers clamped strongly on my hip.

  “Fuck me,” I urged as my fingers entwined with his, holding on as tightly as he held on to me.

  He threw his head back, and I reveled in the sight of the cords in his neck as he thrusted against me, making me grow even wetter. My clit throbbed, and I had to touch myself. My left hand snaked down between my legs, and I felt his cock as he pushed in, then out, before I brushed my clit.

  “My girl. Mine,” he moaned when he felt my fingers, working myself up. “Yes, give me that. Shit. You’re dripping down my balls.”

  I was never into talking dirty while having sex, but it was different with Ethan. Hearing how lost he was inside me, and how hot he was for me, made me even wetter, and when he started to grunt, his movements becoming more forceful, I rubbed myself harder, panting loudly.

  “That’s it,” he crooned. “Come for me, darlin’. Come on my dick. Milk me dry.”

  “Ah!” I cried out, my inner walls clamping against his cock. I could feel him rutting against me, pounding as he chased his own release. He thrust three more times until he buried his cock to the hilt, making my body slide higher up the tabletop until he stilled and collapsed on top of me, panting hard and fast. I trembled when the scruff on his chin rubbed against me, caressing me while his mouth brushed against my neck.

  “Unbelievable,” I whispered.

  The romantic in me wanted to believe that I’d be the only one to ever see this tender side of him, but could I trust the moment? There were still so many things I didn’t know about him or myself, for that matter, that I didn’t dare hope that there was a real future for us.

  “Your mind is spinning,” Ethan whispered against my shoulder, still buried inside me.

  “What?” I puffed, completely befuddled.

  “I can practically hear the wheels turning, they’re spinning so fast.”

  “Sorry. I doubt I’m able to think coherently right now.”

  The weight of him was starting to constrict my lungs, but I didn’t want to let him go just yet.

  He chuckled and left my sweaty back. “That was only a warm-up. There’s so much more to come.”

  My eyes widened.

  “More?” I squeaked as I pushed up from the counter. My legs felt like jelly, and I wobbled as I turned around. My eyes fell on his hands holding the base of his semi-erect cock and as he carefully removed the condom, I licked my lips.

  Oh, boy.

  Ethan was definitely not a boy anymore. How could his cock look so big after he’d already come? I’d never thought the most intimate part of a man could be considered beautiful, but the more I looked at it, the more I had to admit that his was a work of art. Perfectly straight, the head a mouthwatering reddish-purple color, and the girth…oh, my god.

  The sound of his pleased chuckle brought my gaze up, and I rolled my eyes when he smirked at me.

  “Like what you see?” he asked.

  He tied the condom and stepped out of his jeans before moving to the trash can underneath the sink. After tossing it out, he came back to me and caged me in. He bent down and the urge to release the lovesick sigh I was keeping locked up behind my lips was strong.

  “Answer me,” he murmured softly, his nose circling mine.

  The gesture was so sweet – so different from the savage way he’d taken me – that I had to relent. I gave him what he wanted.

  “I don’t think I need to tell you I like what I see,” I murmured against his swollen lips.

  No longer grinning at me, he hummed as he pressed his cock against my tummy. “Ready for round two?”

  I shook my head but it disappeared on a gasp when he bent his head and his lips swallowed my left nipple. His warm mouth and tongue was driving me wild for the second time tonight, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to thread my fingers through his hair, pulling softly as he did the same to my heavy breasts.

  “You’re going to kill me,” I whimpered.

  He kneeled before me, wrapping his arms around my thighs and didn’t stop his ferocious attack on my sensitive skin. For the second time tonight, he had me enthralled, shivering and a complete hot mess now that I knew what sex with him felt like.

  “Oh, well.” I closed my eyes on a low moan. “Better to go out with a bang, I guess.”

  His promises from the other night were true.

  He used me, broke me and then mended me with his lovemaking until I was so spent, I collapsed in a stupor on his bed, drunk on sex, hours later.

  One more thing to learn about Ethan.

  He had the stamina of a horse.

  15

  What Now?

  I looked down at my hand wrapped up in Ethan’s larger one as we finally got dressed the next morning – or was it closer to midday? – and went out to share brunch. I couldn’t stop wondering how we’d actually gotten here. Even though it felt so right walking next to him, my heart was racing, and my pulse felt like it was beating as quickly as a hummingbird’s wings.

  Being with him last night, not to mention waking up in his arms this morning, had been like a dream come true. The way he held me – legs and arms tangled up in my body, cocooning me in a heat that should have felt stifling, but absolutely wasn’t – made me feel special.

  He made me feel special.

  I had to admit it had been the best date of my life, but I worried if this would shift the balance of our past relationship too much. Maybe, what we were doing was bound to lead to heartache instead of the bright future I had always longed for us to have.

  Could there be more than only sex between us – this all-consuming attraction we both felt was remarkable and, yes, the stuff of fairy tales, but was it possible to turn it into more?

  What we had at this very moment, right here and now…it was wonderful, new and thrilling, but would we burn ourselves out fast, hurtling into a tailspin of hurt or indifference?

  The latter was even worse than being hurt. If you were hurting, it meant that you were feeling deeply. But indifference? Ugh. Being indifferent to another person who had meant the world to me for so long…I doubted I’d be able to survive it.

  All these questions were stupid and made my head spin, but I couldn’t switch my brain off.

  “You’re being very quiet,” Ethan murmured as he kissed the top of my head before we entered the café not too far from his place.

  I shrugged, pleased when he held the door for me, gesturing for me to go first. “I’m just trying to absorb everything that’s happened since I came home, I guess.”

  The hand he placed on my lower back made me acutely aware of him walking behind me, and I had to suppress the simmering need that seemed to only lie dormant, ready to flare up without notice whenever we were close.

  I shook it off as he led me to a corner booth where we could people watch while enjoying our meal.

  “Has it been too much too fast?” he asked, a concerned frown marring his forehead as we sa
t down opposite each other.

  I bit my lip. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just been…a lot.”

  He leaned closer and placed his hands on top of both of mine resting on the table.

  “Penelope, why don’t you tell me exactly what you mean?” He gave me a crooked smile. “I’m not a mind reader.”

  Afraid he’d bolt if I confessed my jumbling thoughts to him, I shook my head and looked out the window.

  “Honestly, I’m fine, Ethan.” I squeezed his hands to reassure him but still didn’t meet his gaze.

  “Hey…”

  Unable to deny him anything, I moved my head and glanced at him.

  “You know,” he started, but that was as far as he got.

  “Ethan, babe, what are you doing here?”

  My eyes widened at the very beautiful brunette who placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder.

  Where the hell did she come from?

  Ethan’s eyes turned guarded when he looked up at her.

  “Hi, Astrid. I’m trying to have brunch with my…friend.”

  The sting at being called his friend made me wince, but I hoped neither of them noticed it. I loosened my hold around Ethan’s hands as discreetly as possible and smiled up at the woman.

  “Hi, I’m Penelope.” I tried to infuse warmth to my voice as I extended my hand for her to shake, all the time wanting to scratch her eyes out for the possessive hand that moved to linger on the nape of his neck.

  Her smile was as fake as mine, but I had to give her points for making an effort.

  “Nice to meet you, Penelope. I’m Astrid.” Her eyes flickered down at Ethan as her lips tipped up in the corners. “Funny how you’ve never mentioned this one, Ethan.”

  My smile faltered.

  This one?

  “Probably because we’ve always been working when we’ve seen each other, Astrid,” he murmured, his jaw set in a stubborn line.

  I looked back and forth between them, wondering how they knew each other.

  “Ah, yes, that must be it.” Astrid pursed her lips before she finally removed her hand from his body and waved at someone down the back. “I won’t keep y’all. I’m here with a friend myself, and in need of some food after the amazing party at Callum’s yesterday.” Completely ignoring me, she bent down until her face was so close to Ethan’s, I almost hissed at her. “You should’ve been there, babe,” she purred. “I missed you.”