He turns and catches me in my pathetic attempt at removing the headband-veil combo from my head and stops me.
“Let me.”
With gentleness that makes my heartbeat stutter, he removes countless bobby pins, releasing my hair from their confines, as well as the headband and attached veil, before setting everything aside. I turn around, gathering my hair in hand and draping it over one shoulder.
“The zipper and the hooks are—”
“I’ve got this.” His husky voice sends a rush of shivers through me. Roughened fingertips lightly abrade my skin as he carefully unfastens my dress. Soft lips press to the side of my neck, his beard rasping at my sensitive flesh, before his tongue darts out for a quick taste.
He continues unfastening, landing tender kisses, taking tiny little tastes with his tongue, until he finally eases the dress off me, leaving me completely bare. Fiery hot need pulses through my veins. I turn to face him, and his dark gaze locks with mine.
“Shortcake,” he says hoarsely. “Tell me you weren’t like this the entire night.”
I can’t resist the mischievous grin that forms on my lips. “I took off my panties earlier, hopin’ you’d…” I trail off with a blush.
“Hopin’ I’d what?”
He tugs me close, and I make quick work of the buttons of his shirt, which is a feat with his hands caressing my body, leaving a blaze of searing heat in their wake. When he dips his head, his playful nips along my neck have me gasping.
“Hopin’ I’d touch you here?”
One hand skims between my thighs, his thick fingers teasing my entrance, causing my breath to lodge in my throat.
“Or…” Hollis places my palm over the impossibly hard ridge of his erection. “Maybe you wanted this?”
A rush of breath escapes my lips. “Yes.”
I unfasten his pants and hastily shove them down. He kicks them aside before my hand dives beneath his boxers to wrap around his thick shaft. His fingers close over mine, guiding me to slide down to the base before gliding back up his steely length.
Releasing his hold on my hand, he drops his arm to his side. His fists clench, his struggle for control evident. Heavy-lidded eyes watch me while I stroke him. The harsh groan that erupts from his lips, the guttural way he says my name when I graze the pad of my thumb over the slit, gathering the moisture there, intensifies the needy ache between my legs.
An edge of desperation colors his voice. “Fuck, that feels good.”
His hips arch into my touch, silently begging for more. Then I shove his boxers down past his muscular thighs, letting them drop to his ankles before he kicks them off. I help him remove his shirt, leaving him perfectly bare.
Now, I get to look at him. My Hollis. The man, not the boy.
Intricate tattooed designs cover his arms and chest and I trace them with my fingertips, in awe of the beautiful abstract art displayed on his skin. He cups my nape, fusing his mouth to mine before gliding one blunt fingertip inside me. I gasp at his touch, the throbbing between my legs becoming incessant. His beard rasps against my skin in the most delicious way possible while his tongue dives inside to tangle with my own.
I clutch at him, one of my hands moving to sift through his hair. His touch, his kiss, is so different yet so familiar. My body burns for him, my nipples hard against the firm wall of his muscled chest.
He breaks the kiss, his breath coming in harsh pants. Leaning away just a fraction to gaze at me, his expression is raw and fierce. “You won’t regret this.”
At the vulnerability in his tone, I move to cradle his jaw in my hands. Eyes locked, I whisper the truth. “I could never regret you.”
I hesitate, and he seems to somehow understand, waiting patiently. “You’re the only one I’ve ever been with…” I trail off, a blush rising on my cheeks.
“Bare?” His voice is low and gravelly. His eyes flare, turning molten, searing me with heated lust. “Is that what you’re sayin’, baby girl?” He adds a second finger, the long, thick digits sliding inside me languidly. “My cock is the only one you let inside you without protection?” His words incinerate me from within.
My answer comes out as a whimper. “Yes.”
He groans against my lips, nipping gently, before lifting and carrying me to the mattress now covered by the sleeping bag.
With such reverence it nearly brings tears to my eyes, he lays me down before covering me with his hard body. Resting his weight on his forearms, he tunnels his fingers in my hair and buries his face in my neck, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses in his wake.
“Same goes for me,” he whispers hoarsely.
Then, catching my lower lip between his, he sucks gently before releasing it. I groan and arch my body, desperate to relieve the incessant pressure between my thighs.
“Tell me what you want.” His tone is raspy with need.
“You.” I gasp when the tip of his arousal brushes against my clit.
A slight grimace flickers across his face. “This time’ll be short.” He ducks his head, capturing my nipple between his lips and sucking hard before pressing a light kiss to the very tip. Shivers skitter down the length of my spine, and a rush of wetness floods me between my thighs. “But I swear I’ll make up for it.”
When I take his heavy length in my palm, he lets out a tortured-sounding groan. I guide his flared head to my entrance and drag the tip through my wetness before lining him up. His heated gaze bores into mine as he nudges my opening, teasing me briefly before sinking inside the slightest fraction. I arch on a gasp co-mingled with his throaty groan.
He stares down at me, eyes glazed with lust, and presses deeper. I clutch at him with a tiny whimper.
“More,” I demand.
He fuses his mouth to mine, our tongues colliding in a devouring kiss a split second before he fills me with every inch of his rigid length. My inner muscles instinctively grip him and his guttural moan vibrates against my lips.
Once he begins moving, driving deep in a seductive rhythm, I break the kiss and bring my focus to where our bodies join. Slick with our combined arousal, he slides in and out of me. His abdominals flex and ripple with each thrust.
I drag a finger down the center of his chest to trace the light dusting of hair leading from below his navel to his groin. His body tenses, his eyes falling closed as though to savor my touch. A low growl rumbles in the back of his throat and his eyes flash open, a wildness in the depths.
Capturing my bottom lip between his teeth, he tugs playfully before soothing it with a kiss. Then he drapes one of my knees over the crook of his elbow, and the instant he does, the angle allows him to slide even deeper.
“Want you to come hard for me.” My inner muscles clench around him in response to his seductive words, and he sucks in a ragged breath.
I clutch at him. “Hollis.”
Panting breaths rush from his lips. “I’ve got you, baby girl.” He murmurs this a split second before his mouth lands on mine in a hot, hard, possessive kiss that makes me frantic for more. His thumb finds my clit, applying the perfect amount of pressure while circling it. I whimper against his lips as I grow wetter and wetter, coating him with more of my arousal.
Powerful thrusts combined with his thumb working my clit drive me closer to the edge. The instant he tugs at my sensitive flesh with his thumb and forefinger, it triggers my orgasm. Hollis continues driving deep, working me through my release as my inner muscles spasm around him, pleasure coursing through my body. He goes taut a split second before a powerful shudder overtakes him and he releases inside me in wet, hot spurts.