Page 40 of Summer's Echo
“Grant me my wish, E,”I said, my lips just inches from his.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. I felt his hesitation, the way his fingers hovered over my waist,asking without words if I was sure.
I was. I lifted my chin, letting my lipsgrazehis, just enough to send a slow shiver down my spine.
“Make this moment special for me,” I said.
For a long, intoxicating second, he just stared at me. Then, like someone who had just been given permission to breathe, he kissed me. Slow, almost worshipping. Like I wassomething sacred, something fragile, and powerful all at once. And as he finally pulled me closer, pressing me against the heat of his body, I knew this wasn’t just a moment, it wasthe beginning of everything.
He stilled, his eyes searching mine as if he wasgrasping for certainty, trying to find the ground beneath his feet. Because this moment? It wasn’t small or a casual fling. It was monumental. And he knew it. He knew how important it was to me.
“Summer.” His voice was thick,gravelly with emotion.
That’s how I knew he was serious because he rarely called me by my name. His fingers twitched at his sides, like he wanted toreach for me, to hold me but didn’t trust himself to move just yet.
“Are you sure?” His voice was low, a quiet battle between hope and restraint. Like he wanted tobelieve me so badlybut was terrified to fall…to fail. I swallowed, feeling my pulsedrum against my ribs, an anxious beat of anticipation. Then, I nodded. And in that moment, I felt my certaintywrap around me like a protective shield.
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” The words left my lipslike a vow, a promiseetched in something deeper.
Hisshoulders relaxed—just barely—like the tension gripping his bodywas finally loosening its hold. Then—finally,finally—his hands found me, his fingers sliding gently to my waist, his touch sending a slow burn through my skin. That’s when I knew he believed me, andhe was all in.
Chapter Seventeen
Echo
Post-Graduation, Summer 2005
I blinked rapidly, replaying her words over in my head. I stared at her for what felt like forever, almost waiting to wake up from this dream. Since the first day I’d stepped foot on these grounds, Summer Knight had been everything I wanted—everything I dreamed of having. And now, here she was, looking at me with a raw vulnerability that shook me to my core. She wanted this. She wanted me.
I kissed her lips softly, savoring the moment, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. She was still panting, her chest rising and falling in unsteady waves from the aftermath of her orgasm. I gently laid her down on the blanket, shifting her effortlessly as if she weighed nothing at all. Refusing to let even an inch of space grow between us, I nestled against her, burying my nose into the curve of her neck.But then I noticed how still she was—too still. My heart clenched with an unfamiliar panic as fear began to creep in.
“You don’t have to do this, Sun,” I said, my voice a mix of reassurance and quiet pleading. “We can wait. We have time.” Even as I said the words, I knew I was hoping for the opposite. I wanted her to want this—want me—even just a fraction of how much I desired her.
“I want to,” she whimpered, her voice a trembling blend of doubt and desire that made my chest constrict.
“Touch me,” I urged, needing her to reassure me, to make this feel like this was ours, not just mine. I needed to feel like we were in this together.
“Where? How?” she asked, her innocence shining through, sending a jolt straight to my heart.
“However. Wherever,” I rasped, my voice thick with emotion.
The moment was heavy with the kind of tension that was both exhilarating and terrifying. Her touch was timid and tender. My breath hitched as her hesitant fingers brushed against my skin, her touch igniting a flame burning deep within me. It was simple but immediately caused my erection to swell, pressing against the zipper of my shorts, transmitting both pain and pleasure.
Our kisses began soft and sweet, an innocent dance that made me fall in love with every sway. But then I parted her lips with my tongue, and everything seemed to tilt. She responded with a rhythm that caught me off guard, a skillfulness that made my pulse quicken.
She’s a good kisser,I thought, surprised by the realization. Summer always carried thisquiet innocence, a kind of effortless grace that made me wonderif she’d ever even kissed a boy. There was a softness to her,a resistance when it came to certain things. Not out of fear, but out of choice. Like she was alwaysholding something back, waiting for the right moment, the right person. And I wanted to be that person. Hell, Ineededto be.
My hands moved over her body, exploring with a tenderness that was barely held together by my control. She was so soft beneath my touch, so inviting. My lips trailed down to the curve of her neck, kissing, tasting, and lingering. The delicate scent of her skin filled my senses. Summer always smelled fresh and floral, like the first day of spring. I stayed there for a moment longer than I intended, nuzzling into the folds of her neck. This…shewas becoming my favorite place to be.
I lifted her tank top, anda sharp inhale filled my lungs. Chocolate-brown perky breasts wrapped in a black bra covered with tiny bumblebees greeted me. I brushed my lips against the satiny fabric before reaching behind her to unhook the fastener. The anticipation was killing me. Her plump, round breasts spilled from the bra—big, brown, and perfect. Summer’s eyesfollowed mine, her expression shifting as the fabric slipped from her skin. It held something—uncertainty, maybe even vulnerability. I saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes, and a rush of anxiety prickled my skin. Did she think I wouldn’t find her beautiful? Did she not knowshe was already the most breathtaking thing I’d ever seen?
I slipped my tongue between the deep split of her cleavage, trailing it over the arc of her fullness. I kissed around the smooth edges of the more defined fudge-colored flesh before sucking in a gumdrop nipple.
“Oh my…oh,” she stuttered as I gave the same attention to the left.
I moved with patience and care, fully aware of how important this moment was for her. I wanted to honor it, to ensure it was everything she’d dreamed of and more. Every touch, every kiss was intentional, as if I was memorizing her—every curve, every reaction. My lips continued down the soft, curvy path of her body, my hands gliding gently as I slid her shorts over thick, goose bump–covered thighs. She trembled beneath my fingertips, her body reacting to each touch in ways that made me shiver. I pressed a kiss to her navel, anda soft giggle escaped her lips.
“Silly girl,”I said against her skin, my lips curving into a smile. I kissed her there again, this timelingering. With each breath, her body rose and fell beneath my lips. From there, I trailed tender kisses, one at a time, down the slope of her stomach, my lips sweeping over against the delicate expanse of her skin until I landed just above her center. The wispy hairs were short and tamed. She tensed beneath me, clutching the blanket tightly, as if anticipating what was to come. She was nervous, and that was okay. This moment was enormous, monumental, and I understood that, but I didn’t want her to be afraid, not with me because I would never rush her, never be anything butexactly what she needed me to be. I paused, lifting my gaze to meet hers, looking for a change, searching her face for any reservations.
