Page 27 of Saving Jared

"Of course," he said, keeping his focus on her face and the play of emotions crossing it. He slowly tugged his pajama bottoms over his hard length and ass, before letting them slide down his legs on their own and stepped out of them.

"Oh." The slow glide of her tongue over her lips tested his control as the bed dipped with his weight and he slid his body alongside hers. Then she was in his arms again. Having nothing between them was so much better.

Unlike Willa, this was far from his first time being intimate with another person. But it was his first time being with her. And he took his time, stroking over her body—reveling in each of her tentative touches that grew bolder with every drugging kiss. And though he didn’t explore why it all felt new to him—better—he just knew it did.

It wasn't just her lips holding him nearly captive. There was so much of her body to learn, to memorize, to make love to. So, he reluctantly left her mouth, though her little whimper of distress and arms around his neck urged him to stay.

"I’m not done," he murmured against the honeyed skin of her collarbone, then took a little nip. "Let me show you." He glanced up to find her eyes tightly closed, while her body arched into his mouth when he gave her nipple a long, slow lick.

But that wasn't where he would start. It had to be the tattoo that had so beguiled him since he’d first been laid out flat by her calendar photo. His tongue lovingly traced over the purple petals where they started just below her taut nipple—taking his time. Then he followed the path the stem took around the outer swell of her breast, while one hand played over the opposite one. Willa’s shallow pants filled his ears, and her lower body squirmed the higher he explored.

He traced his tongue over the last petal, then glanced up to find her hands clutching the pillow on either side of her head. He loved how her lips remained slightly parted and brows drew down in concentration. She was thinking too hard, and he couldn’t have that. He needed her to feel.

So, he drew the tip of her breast into his mouth again and suckled it deep—just to make sure he had her attention.

"Please, Jared," she moaned.

But he couldn’t have her wanting, so he moved his lips further down her body. Everything about her was a feast to his senses—the slight saltiness of her skin, her sighs and whimpers, the way her hips moved, enticing him to go lower. Soon her fingers tangled in his hair, adding to his journey, pulling on the strands. He licked, nipped, and kissed his way to the very heart of her body. The fingers in his hair tightened, stinging his scalp, as he slowly pulled her thighs apart and settled between them.

He added her scent to all that would be forever Willa in his mind. And soon he was tasting—taking in her very essence—while above him, her moans and low keening cries urged him on, begging him without words to bring her to completion. And then she was chanting his name, her body trembling and hands pounding at her sides until she finally, slowly, melted into the mattress on a long, low, replete sigh.

"That was… that was…"

"Just the beginning," Jared murmured as he reached for the condom. He settled back beside Willa where she’d scooted over in the bed. Her eyes fixed on him while he opened the packet. One blunt-tipped fingernail traced down Jared’s chest as he rolled the condom over his length. But he gently grabbed her hand and stopped her just shy of where his body ached for her. There would be plenty of time for more touching later, but he couldn’t wait any longer to make her his.

He took her hand and kissed the center of her palm before pressing it back beside her head on the pillow. Then he held it there and bent to her lips for another kiss as his body covered her welcoming one—settling in the cradle of her thighs.

He found her waiting heat and carefully entered, going as slowly as he could as he tenderly kissed her—withdrawing before going in for another shallow thrust. But soon her body begged for more, moving in tandem with his as she met him thrust for thrust, taking him deeper and deeper until they were one.

He stilled, savoring the sensation of her fluttering core hugging around him. Then he began the slow rhythm of lovemaking, guiding her with his body until they synced into the perfect dance. Gliding against each other, giving and taking—and giving again—until Jared stood on the precipice of release.

"Jared," Willa whispered against his lips as her movements became hurried and restless, while her core gripped him tight and her eyes staring up at him glazed with need. If anything, it all pushed him closer to the edge. But he needed her with him, so he reached between their bodies and found that one spot that would take her over.

All it took was a few brushes of his fingers and she leapt—her movements wild while his name turned into a hoarse litany that sent him over the edge after her, where they both soared into a free fall of bliss.

Jared collapsed atop her, panting out, "That was… That was…"

"Wonderful," she said on a slight chuckle—between a few pants of her own—as her fingers traced slow circles over his back with a light touch. "But you stole my line."

He joined in on her slight laughter as he rose up on his forearms and searched her smiling, glowing face. But he gradually sobered as their heaving breaths mingled. He became lost in her clear, guileless eyes staring up into his. It sparked something inside him he hadn’t planned for.

It can’t be.

He continued to stare down and get his bearings as her forehead crinkled. Then she brought her hand to his brow and smoothed over the frown he hadn’t realized was there.

"Wha—"

He cut her off with another lingering kiss before rolling to his side, whispering, "Give me a minute," as he left the bed. His heart pounded out an uneven rhythm as he entered the bathroom and shut the door.

What am I doing?

He took care of the condom, then grabbed the sink counter and took a good look at himself in the mirror.

"It was just sex," he murmured to his reflection. He knew it. Willa knew it. They'd both had a need and sex had been the answer. So why was he making more of it?

"Just sex."

He groaned.

But it had been her first time. And instead of standing here he should be out there caring for her—making sure she was comfortable. So, he dampened a washcloth and left the bathroom, pausing halfway to the bed when one of her little snores filled the quiet room. He eased closer and found she’d fallen asleep in the same position he’d left her.

And he wanted to be there with her again—like this. So, he laid the washcloth aside and turned off the lamp before sliding back into bed beside her—grinning at another snore. He’d never been one for after-sex cuddling, but he needed her back in his arms. So, he pulled her against his body—careful not to wake her—so her back fit firmly against his front and his arms surrounded her.

Finally.

He began to doze off, knowing Willa was exactly where she should be.

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