Before I knew what was happening, Crosby sank to his knees. My head snapped down, the sight in front of me so enticing that my muscles clenched. The top of Crosby’s head, his dark hair gleaming, his eyes focused solely on the apex of my thighs. His finger slipped beneath the lace at my hips. “I’m partial to you in lace. I might just have to keep these as a reminder of this picture. So damn pretty.” He rubbed the tip of his nose over the lace covering my center. I couldn’t hold in my gasp.
“And you smell so damn good.” Crosby tugged at my thong, moving so slowly I burned with each drag of his fingers down my thighs. As the lace fell to the floor, Crosby lifted one of my legs and then the other. He took the panties and shoved them into his back pocket. I opened my mouth to protest, but he gripped my thighs. “I need to remember this moment.”
I swallowed but nodded my assent. Crosby kept a firm grip on my quads as if holding me in place. But for a moment, he only stared, taking in every detail of that innermost part of me, seemingly burning it into his memory.
One hand moved, skimming up the inside of my thigh, sending the most pleasant shiver up my spine. His fingers parted me, one dipping inside, just slightly, taking the wetness gathering there and spreading it. He explored and teased, leaving no part left unattended except that most potent bundle of nerves. “Love the way you feel. The softest silk.”
I let out what sounded almost like a mewl.
Crosby chuckled. “You need more?”
“Please.” I would’ve begged at that moment.
Crosby’s hands moved, gripping the backs of my thighs and pulling me to him. My hands flashed out, gripping his shoulders as his tongue met my flesh. This was no teasing exploration. This was a hungry attack. His tongue went straight for my clit, the one place so desperate for touch that I worried one stroke would send me over the edge.
One hand left my thigh. Suddenly, two fingers filled me just as the tip of his tongue flicked that bundle of nerves. My legs shook, and I had to focus on keeping myself upright. My fingers dug into Crosby’s shoulders, a silent plea for more.
Crosby began stroking in a motion that had him hitting that hidden spot inside that made me tremble more violently. My breathing picked up its pace, my heart hammering against my ribs as he pushed in deeper.
I gasped as Crosby’s lips surrounded my clit, sucking hard as his fingers stroked faster, curling just right. It was all I could handle. The world seemed to fall away. Blood roared in my ears. But I could do nothing but feel. Everything went silent. Still. It was my own Universe of sensation.
And I never wanted it to end.
22
Crosby
Watching Kenna straighten her hair was hypnotic. The smooth, downward strokes, the flick of her delicate wrist. I still hated it. It was as if she were hiding some part of herself away. And what she hid was the part of her that called to me on some primal level.
“Why do you do that with your hair?”
Kenna’s lips thinned. She had this dainty little vanity thing in her bedroom, and I had the perfect view of her reflection from my spot on her bed. She’d let me stay the night this time. Well, not so much let since we’d nearly collapsed after last night’s festivities, and she’d passed out before she could utter the words “get out.” But I was still taking it as a win.
She moved the hair tool over another section of her mahogany locks. “I told you, I like it straight. It’s easier to deal with that way.”
More like it was easier to control. To fit into that neat little box she was determined to mold herself into. But Kenna couldn’t be contained by any rigid rules or boundaries. She just hadn’t seen what a gift that was yet. That her strength, her fire, her empathy, they weren’t things to hide away. They were the most beautiful things about her. “One day, I’m going to get you to rock the curls.”
“Don’t hold your breath.” She set the tool down, clicking it off and then unplugging it. Moving on to makeup.
“When’s the last time you wore it wild?”
A shadow passed over her eyes, a signal that she was shutting down. “I don’t know. Probably when I was sick or something.”
There was a tone to Kenna’s voice when she lied, a slightly higher pitch that gave her away. Why she’d lie about that, I had no idea. I tensed. “Did Grant like it curly or something?”
Kenna’s hand, holding a makeup brush, froze halfway to her face. “No. He liked it straight. Why does it matter what he liked or not?”
“It doesn’t. I just—trying to figure out that shadow that’s in your eyes sometimes.”
Her movements were stiff as she continued applying eye shadow. “Just woolgathering. You know better than most that not all my memories are the best.”
But I wanted to know even more. That was a lie. I wanted to know everything. Yet it felt as if I were walking through a minefield. One wrong step and I’d blow us both sky-high. We’d never recover.
I pushed up in bed, swinging my legs over the side. “I’d like to hear more about that.”
A battle waged beneath the surface of her skin as if there were two halves of her—one who wanted nothing more than to unburden herself, and the other holding tight to every secret she’d ever locked away. “Okay.”
It wasn’t the thing she guarded so fiercely, but it wasn’t a denial either. “That request has no expiration date.”
“Thank you.”
I could’ve given her an out. Told her that there was no pressure. But that would’ve been a lie. I wanted her secrets because it felt wrong to have pieces of her hidden from me, especially if it caused her pain. I knew every inch of her body, but that wasn’t enough. I wanted every inch of her soul, too. The thought had me rearing back. What the hell was going on with me? Kenna wanted the white picket fence and a stable, predictable man in her life. I was not that. But maybe underneath it all, Kenna didn’t need that. I’d just have to find a way to get her to accept it. That might be as difficult as getting her to open that vault she’d locked up so tightly.
“Kenna!”
Zoe flew at Kenna with a speed I worried would knock her over, but I should’ve known not to underestimate my girl’s strength. Kenna swung the little girl up in her arms with an ease that was beautiful to watch. “Missed you, sweet girl.”
Zoe ducked her head. “Missed you, too. I’m glad Crosby brought you.”
Kenna laughed, setting Zoe down. “Brought me? I hounded him to bring me over last night, but he made me wait till this morning.”
“You did?”
“Ask him. I was super annoying.”
Zoe grinned at me. “Was she annoying?”
“The absolute worst.”
Zoe giggled, and Kenna gave one of her braids a tug. “How are you holding up?”
Zoe rolled her lips together before answering. “I like it a lot better here.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are a lot nicer, and I have a whole room to myself. I don’t have to share with anyone. And Daniel isn’t mean, he even let me play Xbox with him.”
“Daniel is Mr. and Mrs. Wilson’s son,” I explained to Kenna.