Page 57 of Duress
Heaven. This is what heaven feels like. It has to be. Nothing has ever felt so perfect and sorightin my whole damn life, as Everly does, legs wrapped around my waist, my hands cupping her ass, our tongues dancing together in a rhythm only they know. I carry her up the stairs, as our kiss grows more and more passionate. Frenetic energy builds between us, so charged and heated it feels like we will combust if we don’t come together right this second.
“First door on the right.” Her words are little more than a gasp between swipes of her tongue but it’s enough to get me to our destination. I steer us into her bedroom and kick the door shut behind me so we don’t wind up with an uninvited four-legged guest interrupting us. When my shins meet her bed, I drop Everly on the soft, colorful bedding. She looks like an angel, framed by stained glass, the riotous colors of the pillows and blankets surrounding her are so…her.
Her cheeks are flushed with the prettiest shade of pink, her lips swollen and a little raw from my beard. The way her chest heaves as she stares up at me, breathless, anticipating, desperate, goes straight to my dick. My god, this woman is perfect. I stand there, just staring at her, almost unable to believe this is real. That we really are here. Together. Just us. No secrets, no shame, no guilt.
“Ever, you are so fucking perfect. I hope you know that.” Her eyes widen at my compliment, but I have to make sure she knows this is so much more to me than just sex. This is it. My forever. I want nothing else in this life but this woman in my arms. By my side. Under my skin. In my lungs. Running through my veins.
When she doesn’t say anything, I lean over her, forcing her back on her elbows as I cage her in with my arms on either side of her body. I run my nose along her neck, trace my lips against the shell of her ear, and she leans into the touch, a silent plea for more.
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what?” Her words are a little whiny, a little frustrated, and I can’t help but let out a low husky chuckle that causes her to shiver.
“Tell me that you know you’re fucking perfect. Tell me you understand how absolutely fucking magnificent you are to me.” Her breath hitches, and I can tell she’s not used to being adored like this. A brief flash of anger erupts inside me at my brother and how fucking foolish he was, but it’s quickly doused by the realization thatIwill get to be the one to show Everly her worth. I will be the one who gets to adore her. Cherish her. Love her. Until my heartgives out and stops beating. It will be my only purpose in life.
I pepper teasing, featherlight kisses along her jaw and down her neck. She arches into them, thrusting her breasts into my face, trying to distract me from what I want her to do.
Pulling back, I let out a disappointed tsk. “Nu-uh, gorgeous, I’m not going any further until you give me what I want.” I have to fight the smirk that wants to break free when she looks up at me, lips turned down in such an adorable pout. I’m torturing myself at this point, but I’m having too much fun watching her squirm, desperate and needy for my dick.
“I’m perfect.” She mumbles the words then reaches up to pull my shirt off, but I lean back, quirking an eyebrow up, not satisfied with her lackluster answer. The glare she shoots me would shrivel a weaker man’s dick, but I love her feistiness. I trail one hand up her leg, slowly, meticulously teasing her by letting my fingers dance along the soft skin of her inner thigh, barely grazing the hem of her tiny shorts before pulling back. Her legs fall open wider, and I can see she isn’t wearing anything under the skimpy pajama bottoms as I glimpse a patch of dark hair covering her gorgeous pussy.Fuuuuck.My resolve is being tested.
Time feels like it stretches for an eternity between us. We are frozen in this moment, and I want it to last forever. The moment we become us.
“I’m fucking perfect.”
“Good girl.” I let the smirk that was fighting to break free unfurl and ravel in the way her face flushes more atthe praise. In one swift motion, I tug her shorts off and bare her glistening cunt to me. My mouth is on her in an instant. I am ravenous for her taste. The need to make her come apart is my only driving force right now. Her fingers dig into my hair, pulling until my scalp stings, so I burrow in further, desperate to make her come on my tongue. I lick, suck, savor, and fuck every inch of her pussy with my mouth until she lets out the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. Her body seizes up, those thick, luscious thigh muscles locking me in place as her release coats my tongue.Euphoria.That is the only word that can describe what I’m feeling right now.
When her orgasm finally relents, she falls back on the bed, panting. The dazed, blissed out expression on her face is now my greatest accomplishment in life. I take the opportunity to strip my clothes off, which results in a delighted gasp that is so goddamn girlish and sexy, it makes my cock twitch. I revel in the way her eyes seem to soak up every part of me, like she’s committing my body to memory the same way I am hers. I can’t stay away any longer.
I prowl onto the bed once more, settling back into my new favorite place to be, in between her thighs. I take my time dusting her skin with kisses and gentle nips with my teeth as I slowly make my way up her body. She’s so responsive—her body responds to every touch, chasing the pleasure my mouth is bringing her. When I reach Everly’s breasts, I lavish them with the same careful attention I gave her pussy. I suck on each nipple until they’re as red and swollen as her lips. My cock notches against her pussy, justbarely gliding along her seam, slick with her own arousal. Her hips jump at the teasing bit of contact, and I feel her body chase after mine, searching for more. Begging for more.
I release her nipple with a loud pop, then I surge forward and capture her mouth with mine. Her arms wrap around my neck, fingers digging into my hair again as she pulls me to her, a feral sort of need driving her movements now. I thrust my dick into her slick heat, just the barest inch, enjoying the way her body reacts to everything I do to her. Everly tightens her grip on my hair to the point of pain, letting me know exactly how much I’m frustrating her. Just as I think about sinking in one more slow, teasing inch, I feel her lips next to my ear.
“Dane! Fuck me. Please.” Her husky request is kryptonite to my will power and my hips surge forward, sheathing my cock in her to the root.
“Fuuuck…” I groan.
She whimpers as she adjusts to the sudden intrusion, but before I can wonder if I hurt her, she begins grinding against me, seeking more. Aching to be fucked. And fuck her I do. I thrust in and out of her tight heat, snapping my pelvis against her ass in a steady rhythm. Her eyes close in bliss, and she drops her hands to her breasts to play with her nipples. Every moment of this is my new favorite memory. When I slide her legs over my shoulders and bend down to capture her mouth with mine, she lets out a groan of pleasure so erotic I’m afraid I’m going to come right then and there. Instead, I silence her with my tongue and thrust into the one spot I know will be her undoing. Iswallow every cry, whimper, moan, and plea. Her sounds becoming so frantic and desperate I know she’s almost there.
With a few more pounding thrusts, she comes with a shout. Her walls clench around my cock, triggering my own release. Her pulsing walls controlling the pulse of my dick. Coming into her is rapturous. Our bodies stay locked together as our kiss transforms from something animalistic to something sweet, languorous and comfortable. Our chests, hot and sticky with sweat, press together, and I collapse on top of her. I can feel her heartbeat, rapid as a hummingbird’s, as clearly as my own.
When the sweat on our bodies cools and heart rates return to normal, I roll off her and pull her into my side to cuddle. She fits so perfectly in the curve of my shoulder, her head nestled under my chin. This is where we belong. This is home now.
CHAPTER 53
EVERLY
Dane and I are lying in bed facing one another as we eat the cold grilled cheese sandwiches that somehow miraculously didn’t get eaten by the four-legged date saboteur that’s currently snoring at the foot of my bed. The pasta salad must have actually satiated the beast.
I watch Dane lick butter off his fingers, and the wink he shoots me when he catches me staring causes my cheeks to heat. It’s so easy with him. Lying in bed, eating cold sandwiches, just enjoying the moment as it is. There is a feeling of tranquility between us right now that is so comfortable and settled, I’m afraid I’m going to ruin everything with my next question, but it’s the last hurdle we have to clear before we can move forward for real with a relationship. I know where I stand, but I also know Dane is much younger than me and may still have certain expectations for his life, and the last thing I want to do is rob him of any of his dreams.
I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath to fortifymyself in case I ruin everything with this next question. I commit this moment to memory. How perfect it is. No matter what else happens, we will always have this one perfect moment. When I open my eyes again, I find Dane staring at me—brows furrowed, eyes questioning, full lips turned down in a worried frown. He’s sensed the shift in my energy. He knows I’ve got something on my mind. The way this man can read me never fails to stun me. Especially after how clueless Bryce seemed to be of my every emotion.
The way Dane can look at me and seeinsideme makes me feel vulnerable but seen in a way I’ve never felt before. This is why I have to say this now, before we get too far along and fall too deep and realize that this won’t work. I need to know while I still have one foot still firmly planted inI’m a strong independent woman and I can do it on my ownland. Once he’s embedded into my soul for good, losing him will cleave me in two, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to recover from that. A girl can only be patched together so many times before she becomes just the shattered remains of what could have been.
“Do you want kids?” The question hangs in the air between us, heavy, almost corporeal. Thick like fog on the mountains before the sunrise. Dane studies my face, like he’s trying to figure out if there is a right answer to the question. I bite back the urge to tell him I can’t have children. My heart thunders in my chest from anxiety. I don’t want to influence his answer. I have to know if it’s something his heart truly wants. I don’t want him to say what he thinks I want to hear.
Dane reaches up with his free hand and gently cups my cheeks, swiping away an errant tear with his thumb. I didn’t even realize I was crying.
