Three Rivers (A Gateway to Love Novel)

by Barlow, Chloe T.

  Althea pulled away, gasping for air and hungrily eyeing the sexy man in front of her. "I wish I could look at more of you." She eased off the glass of the window and yanked off his sport jacket, noticing how smooth the linen felt against her hands.

  He grinned. "Excellent idea." And with even more force he shoved down the top of her dress, pushing it just below the rise of her breasts, forcing them upward. Her already upturned nipples pointed directly at him. He wrapped his hands around the sides and placed his lips gently across the dusty rose tips. "No bra?"

  "Not much room in this dress to hide one. Is that a problem?" she asked with a smirk.

  "Absolutely not. I just can't believe I sat across from you all that time and this little scrap of fabric was all that was between me and these perfect breasts." He licked one breast then the other, repeating the motion, but this time sucking and nibbling on her taut nipples.

  She gasped and smiled back at him, "Mmm, my turn." Her hands rested at his waist. "What delicious options. Do I look at what I'm sure is a beautiful chest or go right for the gold?" she asked, stroking up his chest then lowering her slightly trembling hands, just barely grazing the top edge of the distinct bulge in his pants until a frustrated deep groan rumbled from his throat.

  The masculine sound was so alien to her ears that Althea paused for a second, swallowing hard. She looked up at Griffen's handsome face, his eyelids slightly hooded with arousal.

  The reality of her actions began sinking in and Althea's nerves rattled and zinged rapidly through her veins even as her whole body was humming at the deliriously exciting effect of this contact with his.

  She breathed in and let her fingers trail back up his hard stomach and taut chest. So much time had passed since she felt like this — sensual and liberated.

  Tonight, she could imagine she was a fully realized woman, defined by nothing more than her own needs and desires. Here, in this moment, there was no tragedy, no loss, only two people reveling in the pleasure they could bring to the other.

  The thought of losing this chance was more sickening to her than any doubt could be. She couldn't — wouldn't — let herself back out now.

  "Gorgeous, if you don't make up your mind soon, I might jump your turn," he threatened with a hard thrust of his clothed erection between her legs.

  Althea gasped but grappled within herself to regain some of her composure. "We wouldn't want that, would we? I can't let you cheat. I have to keep you honest. I am a good girl, after all," she breathed out, letting herself sink back into the experience.

  "That's right, you're my good girl," Griffen added rubbing his hard cock against the tiny scrap of material covering her pussy, stroking her legs through her dress as she stood flush against him.

  "Your good girl, hmm, I like the sound of that." And she did, even if it was just this one night, this felt so good, so right. More right than she'd felt for a long time. With that, she tore at his soft long sleeve shirt and pulled it over his head. "Holy shit," she gasped, when she caught sight of his bronze muscular chest, with a dark trail of hair traversing between his perfect pecs down the ripples of his abs into the slacks she couldn't wait to get off his body. "Griffen, Jesus, you're perfect," she whispered, running a finger back and forth under his waistband.

  "You're the perfect one, gorgeous," Griffen said, running his hands up her waist, across her collar bones, between her breasts, finally resting them along the sides of her neck, his fingers reaching into her hair. "But, you won't distract me from my turn." He pulled down her zipper slowly, so the cool metal shocked the warm flesh of her back, then slid her dress down until it pooled at her feet. As he pinned her with his hips against the window she gasped at the chill of the cool glass against her overheated skin.

  He looked up and down her body, naked but for a tiny red thong. "You're so fucking beautiful." He cupped a hand on her bare hip and the other against her chin, his fingers wrapping around her mouth and whispered, "So fucking beautiful," and he kissed her hard again.

  She thrust her tongue into his mouth and he sucked it. He pulled away and she stared at him. She opened her lips, feeling how swollen they were from his aggressive kisses. She shifted her chin slightly, just enough to pull two of his fingers into her mouth, rolling her tongue over them, sucking them in and out of her mouth as she stared into his eyes. It was a sensual promise that made him groan.

  Griffen slid out his fingers and trailed them between her breasts down her belly and over her silk covered mound. He slowly moved the material aside and slid his fingers up and down her wet slit.

  She grunted anxiously and moaned, "Please Griffen. Please."

  "Fucking amazing," he groaned again and knelt down as he put one finger inside of her. The sensations were overwhelming and she unconsciously rocked against his hand. Griffen suddenly removed his finger from inside of her and she whimpered at the loss of his touch.

  "Sorry, gorgeous," he said "but you've teased me till I can't see straight. I need to taste you. Now."

  He pulled her panties down. "I love this cherry red thong, baby, but it needs to go." He stroked her smooth skin, "You're hairless, gorgeous. I guess you're not that good of a girl. I like that. You're so sexy everywhere." He pushed a finger back in her and twisted it around, curving it into the soft front wall of her vagina.

  She writhed and he took one of her legs over his shoulder and stared at her. She knew she was wet and ready for him. "Griffen," she whispered.

  "I told you, gorgeous, you're my good girl tonight. And I want to take my time." He looked up at her as he placed another finger inside and then licked up the full length of her slit. He slowed his ascent, flicking his tongue against her swollen clitoris until her legs shook and she moaned from so deeply in her belly that she thought he must feel the vibrations against his tongue. He pushed and pulled his two fingers repeatedly inside her. His own sensual promise of what was to come when he finally put his cock inside her.

  As Althea's legs began to quiver faster, Griffen increased the pace of his fingers, curving into her most sensitive area. She was gripping his hair so hard she thought he might have a sore head the next day, but she couldn't stop. His tongue quickly flicked over her clitoris, finally sucking until she screamed his name.

  Althea fell apart around his fingers inside her, as his other hand grasped her ass so firmly that she was sure she'd have a bruise there the next day, but she didn't care. In fact she hoped — no, craved even — for him to mark her and leave her with a physical reminder of their one night together.

  He pulled her harder against his tongue that was worshipping her clit. She tensed against a pleasure so intense it felt close to pain until all she saw was light as she shattered on his tongue. She came against his mouth and she could've sworn he murmured something about cherries. He stroked her legs, looking up at her as her chest heaved.

  "I could look at you come all night, Althea," he said with more than a bit of reverence in his voice.

  "Well, stud, you promise to make it feel like that each time, you got a deal."

  "I aim to make it even better, gorgeous."

  "Oh shit," she gasped and Griffen barked a laugh, hugging around her waist and burying his nose into her warm mound before he slithered up her body, trailing his mouth, still wet with her juices, slowly up her belly and between her breasts. Althea couldn't stop looking down at his sexy face and body. God, he called her gorgeous, but he was beyond anything she could imagine and he'd made her feel so damn good. It was years since Althea had climaxed with another person. It had just been her hand and mechanical friends since Jack died, making it all the more surprising that she'd come so quickly with Griffen. Christ, she almost came just from taking off his shirt.

  He stroked her slowly as he stood. Kissing her, idolizing her body with his hands. He'd put on a condom and was poised at her entrance hesitating, until she begged, "Please, Griffen. Yes."

  He smiled for a moment before thrusting inside her. She'd barely colle
cted her breath and her brain from her first orgasm, when the force of his thick, hard cock inside her reignited her climax as though it had never abated. She grabbed his hair and thrust her tongue in his mouth. Mirroring the delicious work he'd done on her with his incredible mouth. Griffen lifted her behind her knees and wrapped her legs tightly around him so he could spin her around and sit her butt on the desk next to the floor to ceiling windows. The rivers flowed beneath her as he entered her intensely and repeatedly. He was big and thick — even bigger than Jack, who'd been substantial — and her unused body had to stretch every time he entered.

  "Christ. You feel so good. You're so tight," he whispered against her cheek as she leaned her head back against the wall.

  "Er, it's been a while," Althea gasped sheepishly as she looked up into his eyes. He slowed for a moment, his eyebrows raised, then smirked, slamming into her even harder, until her back was arched and her breasts grazed his bare chest. She started screaming his name again. He tilted her chin up until he could look in her eyes and tenderly stroke her cheek, a stark contrast from the intense physical pleasure he'd been relentlessly releasing on her below.

  "I like that, baby. I want this pussy and I want you to remember that it’s mine, that right here, right now, it's mine." He thrust again and Althea felt his possessive words driving her crazy. "You feel incredible my gorgeous good girl," he whispered and kissed her tenderly, even as he slammed into her again. She could feel herself spasming and tightening intensely around his cock.

  Had sex always been like this? Althea wondered as waves of warmth crashed over her.

  She'd been a pretty reserved bookworm growing up. Not really blossoming until senior year of high school, she'd not lost her virginity until she was nineteen, having had sex with two guys before she met Jack. Bumbling college boys, both of them. One was a sensitive guy who was also an English major, like her, with little to no knowledge of the female anatomy. The second was a short-lived boyfriend from a good fraternity and an even better family who'd bored the hell out of her. Once she met Jack, that was it, there was never anyone else. Until now.

  She was indeed Griffen's right then and it felt amazing.

  Sex with Jack had been wonderful — sweet, loving and intimate. The safe lovemaking of two people who knew each other better than anyone because they'd grown up together. But there was nothing safe about this. This experience was animalistic and intense, while also protective and warm. Griffen was no boy and her body was acting all woman.

  "Christ," she gasped, as Griffen pulled his head up, trapping her with his eyes as he placed his hands under her ass, tilting it up until he went even deeper, hitting some point inside her that made her clench, the warmth turning to ripples of energy throughout her body, and she screamed his name yet again.

  Griffen used his other hand to stroke her still sensitized clit. "I feel you tightening around me, gorgeous. You're so incredible." The words, the stroking, the pumping of his hard body and the intense look on his face were all too much. Althea tingled from her core ubiquitously, coming even more spectacularly around him.

  "Oh Griffen. Oh God."

  "Yes. Yes gorgeous. Fuck, yes."

  She came again, as Griffen grew harder and stiffened inside of her, coming right along with her.

  "Althea," he shouted. Griffen held her as she stayed seated on the desk and they caught their breaths. He disposed of the condom, then his slacks and boxer briefs, which they hadn't made it to taking off yet.

  He picked her up, which gave her a burst of awkwardness, but she tamped it down — like everything else tonight, she would let herself enjoy it. He carried her to the nearby bed with an amount of ease that made her feel downright girly. They were both still lightly panting, kissing each other everywhere they could reach. He placed her gently on the bed and lay down beside her.

  "Jesus, Althea, you were amazing," he whispered as he stared at her and ran his hand up and down her body.

  "Well, I, uh, do a lot of yoga," she whispered seriously.

  He barked out a laugh. "That's not what I meant, but good to know," he said with a smirk.

  She laughed and looked up at him as he stroked her hair. "In that case, you aren't so bad yourself, stud."

  Althea felt warm and content, yet also exposed, stripped bare and mildly terrified in the best way imaginable. She felt so free, and that was the scariest thing for her.

  Maybe the girls were on to something. Break herself in with a sexy stranger just passing through. No worry of seeing him again or him expecting anything. No risk that he would want her to be whole — someone capable of any real future with another person. This was all she could give, and if it gave her so much pleasure in return, it couldn't be bad, right?

  But if I want no strings, then why did I love the closeness, his possessiveness? Why did I like being his good girl so much?

  She told herself, that's because this was a perfect fantasy.

  She'd belonged to no one but a ghost for years — simply living out her life sentence of grief without parole — subject to solitary confinement with nothing but memories to keep her warm in her cell.

  But this was real. This was beautiful. She was owned by this stunning man for this tiny safe moment in time, and it had felt wonderful.

  They lay together in his bed for some time, kissing and occasionally talking in hushed tones. Althea rolled over revealing her rounded breasts above the sheet and Griffen had to take them in his mouth again.

  Pulling up, he rested his face in her neck, whispering, "So beautiful. Althea," as he moved her hair to kiss her earlobe and neck. She moaned and his cock began to harden again like he was a teenager who couldn't be satisfied. "Baby. You keep moaning like that and I'll have to take you again."

  Althea turned and smiled wickedly. "You promise?"

  She made him as hard as he could ever remember being. Talking to her all night had been stimulating, to say the least, but now he could barely contain himself from thrusting inside her again. It felt good to feel. To be excited about something for the first time in years. Certainly the most interested he'd ever been in every aspect of a woman.

  He wanted her so pleased by each part of him that she couldn't forget him. He had no idea why, but he knew he had to mark himself on her and he wasn't going to question it.

  Griffen growled and rolled on top of her. He grabbed a condom packet, tore it open with his teeth and had it on in a matter of seconds, so quickly ready to be inside her again. Griffen bracketed her chest with his arms, his shoulders and biceps tense and flexed. He looked down at her, his heart feeling a strange clench.

  "Griffen," she whispered looking at him with her huge hazel eyes, green flecks dancing in the dim light of the room. She stroked a lock of wavy, dark hair off his forehead and he pressed his face into her hand.

  He smiled at her and entered in one slow thrust. They moaned and leaned toward each other. Griffen stroked into her, gently this time, slowly bringing her body to another orgasm, even as he kissed her entire face, her eyelids, her cheeks, and her lips. Althea held him tightly as she moaned, curling into his body.

  Jesus, she is way too hot for it to have been so long like she said.

  It had surprised Griffen how much he'd liked hearing that. He didn't want to think about her with some other guy, even though that had never mattered to him before. The thought of her choosing to be with him rather than anyone else made him even harder inside her. He grabbed her hands in one of his and held them above her head, pushing her back so he could pound into her even more deeply — possessively and intense.

  "Griffen!" she shouted as he thrust into her deep, until his balls were flush with her body as they both came again.

  He shouted her name like a song and collapsed on her, still semi-hard inside her tight body. "Fuck, Althea, I think I need to chain you to this bed. You're so incredible."

  "Hey, you promised my friends you weren't crazy," she laughed.

  "I promised I wasn
't a serial killer. Never said anything about not being crazy. And you," he said as he brushed his lips against her neck, "make me crazy." He rolled off, and immediately missed the feeling of her body wrapped around him. He tossed the condom in the trashcan by the bed and gathered her in his arms.

  As Griffen began to doze off, he pulled her soft body closer against his hard, muscular frame, fitting his legs between hers. She was warm and stunning, but he felt something greater — joy, perhaps. Though that was one sensation with which he was not very familiar. Especially not here in Pittsburgh.

  Something about her was so familiar but also so exciting. He was overtaken by a desire to enjoy that feeling again, like a drug that he knew would get more potent with each hit. He began to work out the possibilities in his head.

  Griffen didn't do relationships. It wasn't that he had anything against them in theory, but he'd learned the hard way that committing yourself to someone — relying on them in any way — left you open for a world of hurt. It was better for both parties to know their limits, and for him, his cutoff came at attachment. Maybe if he and his Mom had lived by that code when he was growing up, they could've been spared years of torment at the hands of his father.

  But, that didn't mean he couldn't spend some more unattached time with Althea. That would certainly make his stay in this place that had been the site of so much hurt for him more bearable — pleasurable even.

  In the morning he would propose she help him enjoy his two weeks in town — preferably in his suite, but he was flexible on location.

  Suddenly being back in his hometown didn't seem so heart-wrenching after all.

  "Goodnight, my gorgeous good girl," he whispered against her hair. "See you in the morning." Griffen felt peaceful and happy, in a way that was alien to him. He pulled her close and fell into a deep sleep.