Page 65 of Muddy Messy Love

The ice anklet holds as I swing my legs off the bed, and I manage to stand just fine as Cole rushes around towards me. I hold up my hand to stop him. “I’m fine. See?” I take a quick step with my good foot and flash him a triumphant smile, but when I take my next one, a sharp pinch of pain catches me off guard, and I buckle straight into his arms.

I stare at my hand clutching his colourful ink—my nails digging into that warm rainbow flesh—then slowly look up. Cole’s pupils are huge.Hungry. And I feel them right in my core. “Avery,” he gravels, so rough and low I shiver.

“Touch me,” I whisper.

So he does.

His mouth and body crash to mine. Hands knot through my hair. I scratch my fingers up his back, over the fine cotton of his dress shirt, and moan into his mouth as he delves in with his tongue—lapping and tasting.Devouring.

He slips his thumbs under the hem of my camisole, bunching it against my waist, then meets my eyes, seeking silent permission. I lift my arms, and in one smooth sweep, he pulls the satin over my head and flings it to the floor.

Ravenous eyes roam my naked chest. The backs of his fingers graze down the sides of my breasts. “Christ,” he whispers, ragged and breathy. He flickers his gaze to mine, then down again and slides his hands over the full mounds, circling each pointy pink nipple with his thumbs before pinching them. I gasp, but theshock of pain fires south, making my knees press together and squirm. “Lie back down,” he says.

So I do. I settle across the width of my bed with my knees bent over the edge, while Cole sinks to his on the plush carpet at my feet. Gently, he unties my ice anklet, placing a kiss on the numb purple bruise. Then he hooks his fingers inside the waistband of my pants and meets my eyes again.

My heart jackhammers, but I lift my hips, allowing him access to slip them off. I’m bare underneath, as Cole fast discovers. “Avery,” he says again, swallowing hard. And the gritty, hungry way he does sets my skin on fire. I’m naked—vulnerable—while he’s still fully clothed, but he’s witnessed my worst and so far rejected nothing.

He runs his strong hands slowly down my ribs and stomach, then out to massage my hips, littering goosebumps across my tingling skin. “You’re gorgeous,” he whispers as he drinks me in, sliding his hands down my thighs to dip between my knees. The mezzanine air buzzes. My pussy clenches around naught. And Cole searches my face, checking in. Ensuring I’m with him.

I think he’s about to do what no man’s done to me before—with a light on, no less—but I’msowith him. Well…90 percent with him. The other ten churns my stomach and scrambles to ruin everything.What if I taste bad? What if I stink? What if I’m…ugly down there?The shower I had after dinner brings little comfort as the sound of blood rushes through my ears.

“Are you okay?” Cole asks.

“Yeah,” I lie. No way I’m letting my fear kill this.

Cole parts my knees and falls still, rubbing two fingers over his bottom lip as he soaks up the view. “Christ,” he rasps again before sliding his thumb over my clit and through my folds.

I gasp as warm sparks chase his touch, and a metallic ache throbs deep inside me. With a groan, Cole hitches my knee over his shoulder, then dives in to lick me in one long sweep.My hips jump, but he clamps them down, plunging his tongue inside me. It’s scorching hot, wickedly soft, and deeply intimate, but nothing more so than what he says next. “Watch us in the windows.”

My gaze snaps to the ceiling, and I liquify. The naked, desperate siren, grasping hair and grinding against the face of this delicious man isn’t me—she’s another creature entirely. One ripe with need. In a trance of pleasure. Face flushed and slack with lust. And the suited god between her legs—devouring her like she’s his last meal, sucking every morsel of delight, wringing every note of pleasure from her body like he’s built for nothing else—is breathtaking.

As Cole moves, his muscles contract, tightening the thin cotton across his back. His fierce grip digs into my soft thighs, and his stubble grazes my most sensitive skin as he laps at my clit, driving me absolutely fucking wild. Thick fingers push inside me, and I moan. “Cole.”

Holy fuck.

I melt into the mattress, and a euphoric wave hurls to life. It’s insanely intense. Unlike anything I’ve ever felt. And that scares me to fucking death. “Stop,” I gasp. Cole immediately listens as I breathlessly sit up. “Something’s not right.” The wave recedes over several heavy breaths, but I scoot back to sit against the headboard and hide behind my knees.

Was that what I think it was?

Cole shoots to his feet. “Are you okay?” His confusion ripples through the air and roots inside my bones. Clearly, that’s not a reaction he’s experienced before.

A heavy fog of shame smothers me. “I’m… I’m fine. Sorry.” I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head, wanting to disappear. “It’s just…”

You’re an idiot, Avery. What did you think might happen?

Nothing! Nothing ever happens.

Cole’s frown deepens, but he drops to sit beside me, bringing a fluffy blanket from the end of the bed to drape over my shoulders. When he subtly wipes away my glisten from around his mouth, I shrink even more, but he lifts my chin, forcing my eyes to his. “Talk to me, Aves.”

It’s the first time he’s used my nickname, and it washes over me like warm aloe balm. My mild yet strange, tangy scent floats from his lips. I’ve never felt more exposed—naked in every terrifying way possible. I almost lost control in front of him. Hell knows what he might have witnessed then.

Inhaling through my nose, I stare at the pointy part of his collar. “I’m sorry. It’s just…that’s never happened before. Even when…I’ve tried.” My cheeks are lava, but the words still tumble free. “I thought something was wrong with me. You caught me by surprise, that’s all. And I never imagined it would feel like so…much.”

Cole blinks rapidly. “Are you a virgin?”

“No,” I say, “but Slade never…” My words trail off, and I chance meeting his eyes, cringing. A million emotions flash through them—anger one of them.

Anger. I hope that’s not for me.

---