He cups my face.
“I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
“I know, but I hate to see you suffer. I want you to know this isn’t your fault.”
He smiles. “I believe you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Zach
The moisture in her eyes, her lip trembling, and the sadness in her voice makes me want to hold her forever. Protect her. Make sure she never sheds a tear. I’m shaken by how overpowering my instincts and emotions toward her grow.
They increase by the minute, perhaps by the second. I close the small distance between us, brushing her mouth with mine.
When our lips touch, something inside me explodes.
A thundering rush of adrenaline and desire.
It feels like a midsummer night.
My tongue traces her lips, hoping she’ll open for me. I groan as she lets me inside. At first, I try to possess her with an urgent, demanding kiss, but I stop myself because I don’t want to rush anything between us.
I slow down the kiss.
I want to savor her.
She tastes like mint, lavender, and honey.
Kissing her is like the thrill of riding a roller coaster. The safety of the wings of an angel. As I explore her, I feel them—all the pieces of her heart torn into tatters. I want to gather all of them and put them together. What is it with this woman? I feel connected to her. The force that keeps pulling me toward her gets stronger by the day.
Everything with Autumn is need, desire, and dreams.
Everything is hope, light, and strength.
I want her.
I want to offer the little that I have left.
I can’t.
I stop.
Her glassy eyes filled with desire call to me. They’re trying to suck me into a vortex of light that my broken spirit wants to refuse. I’m not deserving, though I want to continue. I should apologize for wanting something I don’t merit from someone so pure. Yet I want to get closer to her. So close our hearts will beat against each other. I want to erase all the bad memories while kissing every inch of her body.
All I can say is, “I didn’t bring you home to…”
“I know,” she whispers, biting her lip.
“We don’t have to…”
“But we could.” Her voice is so faint when she says, “I want to.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods.
I grab her hand, and we rush to my room.
As soon as we reach my bedroom, I shut the door behind us and push her against the wall. Her eyes flare with lust as I crash my mouth to hers.
I kiss her slowly, possessively.
I devour her, kissing all the air out of her.
She kisses me back with the same raw passion.
I’m not only kissing her.
I’m satiating a craving.
I’m discovering her flaming soul.
I grab her ponytail, yanking it and tracing my open mouth down her neck, sucking on the sensitive skin.
“I need you. I need to feel you in every way,” I groan. “But if you need to, stop me now.”
“Don’t stop,” she begs me.
I comply, taking her lips again, pushing down her jacket, pulling up her tank top. Her body is gorgeous. I study it as I unzip her jeans and push them slowly as I trace kisses along her skin. Once she’s down to her lacy bra and cotton panties, I look at her. My blood pulses hot through my body.
Autumn is a vision. The most beautiful woman in the world.
I want to dig my cock out of my pants and just fuck her. It wouldn’t last. I’m not going to last because it’s been so long. Too long, and I’m breaking my celibacy with this perfect woman who’s trusting me with her body.
I stand and undress in record time. I’m not sure how I want her—against the wall, on top of me…underneath me. I plan on doing all that. We have all night.
I take her mouth. My new favorite thing might be kissing her. My hands touch her hardening nipples. She whimpers as I interrupt our kiss and moan when my mouth trails down her jaw, her neck and eventually pulls and bites on her hardened nipples. I don’t like the feel of the fabric. I reach toward her back and unclasp her bra, releasing her beautiful, perky breasts.
Fuck, her tits are perfect. I suck on one of them again. Her back arches, and I move her hands away from her pussy as she tries to touch herself.
“I’m in charge,” I say, moving my mouth down on her, kissing every inch of her body until I reach her core. The scent of her arousal sends heat to my groin. All I want is to taste her warm, tender, beautiful pussy. I slide my tongue through her folds, sliding one finger inside of her.
“You taste delicious,” I mumble against her sweet pearl, blowing on it.
She grunts, pushing her hips to my mouth, grabbing my hair when I thrust a second finger inside and nip her clit.
“Harder,” she orders. “Fuck me harder!”
I like that she knows what she wants. I look up, and our eyes lock. “Patience. I want to taste you. Devour you slowly. I promise to fuck you hard later.”
I stand, reaching out for the box of condoms that Burke gifted me a month ago with a note that said before you knock up your hand. I roll the rubber along my length, then push her gently toward the bed and kiss her hard, teasing her entrance with my dick.
“Are you sure about this?”
She nods and whimpers when I thrust a finger inside her.
Kissing my way down her slicked torso, I return to her center. Slowly, I stroke her with my tongue, brushing it against her wanting, quivering pussy. She whimpers as I strum my fingers over her swollen clit. I insert three fingers and continue consuming her with my mouth. When I feel her inner muscles contract, squeezing my fingers tight, I change the speed, slowing it down. She’s about to explode, but I want her to explode when I’m inside her.
“Why did you stop?”
I grin at her frustrated voice and relish the look of her eyes burning with desire.
Carefully, I climb between her legs. I place the head of my cock at her entrance before sliding into her. Her eyes meet mine. She holds her breath as I push myself slowly until I’m deep inside her. She’s tight and warm, and fuck if I want to lose myself inside her forever.
We fit just right. I don’t want to own her or possess her. I want to fuse with her. My hands thread through her hair as I cradle her beautiful face. I lean forward, capturing her mouth, and kiss her deeply as I thrust in and out of her. Pleasure, craving, and lust drip from every pore of my body as we become one.
Too soon, we reach the edge. We are at the peak of the mountain, touching heaven, and about to fall into each other. A shock of electricity zings from the base of my spine all the way to my groin, exploding into dust. I feel like I’m being yanked out of my body and sent to another universe. I’m in the middle of a hurricane, caught in the perfect storm. Her pussy milks me dry.
I feel like I’m falling, and there’s no net. I don’t have a parachute. Either I jump back to the edge of the cliff or I learn to fly away. The final choice—falling with her until the end of time—isn’t an option. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but for now, I’m going to enjoy every second she’s gifting me.
Chapter Twenty-Three