Fine Line (Inked Duet #1)

by Persephone Autumn

  I get to work in the kitchen and prep the muffin-sized personal pies. Assembled in the pan, I cover and set them in the fridge until it’s time to put them in the oven. Then I get to work on the baked macaroni and cheese, coconut chicken bites, and parmesan zucchini fries.

  I move around the kitchen with ease and send silent thanks to my mom for teaching me how to cook and bake. Whether it was only for me or me and others, learning how to cook is one of the most valuable gifts she has bestowed upon me.

  As I slide the pan of coconut chicken in the oven, Spartan perks his head up from his spot on the couch and barks like a loon. Jumping down, he continues to bark while running in circles. When there is a knock at the door, he practically rips it off the hinges. I laugh as I walk from the kitchen to the front door.

  When I open the door, Spartan launches forward and licks every square inch of Clementine’s face. She giggles and wraps her little arms around his neck. “Sparty,” she giggle-squeals.

  “C’mon, buddy. Let them in.”

  Spartan scoots back. Autumn and Clementine step in and I take a deep breath. We have done this many times before, but it suddenly feels as if this is our first time. Anxiety surges in my belly like a summer storm rolling in off the coast. I step into Autumn and kiss her chastely. And just as quickly as the storm rolled in, her warm lips against mine brings out the sun.

  “Hey, scarlet,” I croak.

  She looks up at me from under her lashes, a shy smile on her lips. “Hey.” Lifting the bag in her hand, she asks, “Where should I set this?” Her overnight bag.

  This is really happening. Autumn and Clementine are here. And they are staying overnight. Not leaving until tomorrow.

  “Let me.” I take the bag from her and walk it back to my bedroom, setting it on the bed. When I spin around, Autumn stands in the doorway. Her eyes scan every inch of the room, stopping on me when she finishes.

  Is she as nervous as I am? Maybe more. Neither of us has spent the night with another person in a long time. Not like this. Not with hearts out in the open and on the line.

  In three short strides, I stand inches from her. Lower my mouth to hers and taste her again. Sweet and addictive. She grips the hem of my shirt and drags me closer. A soft moan spilling from her into me. My hands frame her face as I deepen the kiss. Consume her. Share one of the many ways I need her.

  The timer on the stove beeps, letting us know a minute remains. Reluctantly, I break the kiss and inch back. “Help me finish dinner?” Autumn nods and presses her fingers to her lips.

  “What’re we having?” she asks as we stroll back into the kitchen.

  The buzzer rings through the kitchen and I shut off the timer as I open the oven door. “Coconut chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, and zucchini fries,” I tell her as I flip the chicken over and add the zucchini fries to the oven.

  “Wow. Maybe I need to get cookies for your mom, too.” I shake my head. “What? Not only are your parents generous, but your mom made you into every woman’s dream man.” She waves a hand toward the living room. “You clean. You cook. What other domestic duties do you fulfill?”

  I cock a brow and smirk at her. “Hmm… I’ll have to show you later.” A blush I haven’t seen on Autumn’s skin in several days makes an appearance. And I love how her mind goes to exactly where I wanted it to.

  She licks her lips and tucks them between her teeth a moment. “Later.”

  Soon, dinner is out of the oven and cool enough to serve. I pop in the muffin pan pies so they finish baking by the time we clear our plates. Autumn fills a plate for Clementine, then herself as I make mine. We sit at the breakfast bar and eat in silence for a few minutes. There is no unease. If anything, eating dinner with both of them feels like the most natural part of my day.

  We all grab mini pies and ice cream after dinner and cozy up on the couch. Spartan tries and fails to eat Clementine’s dessert, but she giggles each time his snout gets close. “What are we watching tonight?” I ask Clementine.

  “Mama bought The Secret Life of Pets 2 for tonight,” she says, dancing in her seat as the movie starts.

  I laugh alongside Autumn as we watch the silly animated kid’s movie and finish our dessert. An hour later, Clementine softly snores on the chaise section of the couch with Spartan as her pillow. Quietly, I rise from the couch, collect our dishes, and take them to the kitchen.

  As I rinse the bowls, Autumn wraps her arms around my waist and kisses over my spine. “She’ll be out for the rest of the night,” she whispers into my shirt.

  Spinning to face her, I glance over her shoulder and take in the sight of Clementine and Spartan cuddling. “Should we leave the light over the stove on? In case she wakes,” I ask and Autumn nods.

  I take her hand in mine and weave our fingers together. Without a word, I flip the light over the stove on and steer us out of the kitchen. After we turn off the television and drape the throw blanket over Clementine, I lead Autumn down the hall and into the bedroom.

  This is it. The moment that will change our relationship. Add more definition. Sharpen the edges. Bring us closer. Closer than I have ever been with any other person. Make us never want to be apart—at least for me.

  Autumn closes the door behind us, and I have never heard the latch click so loudly. Facing Autumn, I walk us to the bed, my eyes tracing the curves of her silhouette as we move. The back of my knees hit the mattress and I draw her close. Wrap her in my arms. Feel the tremble of her hands as they snake around my waist and under my shirt.

  I drop my chin, bring my lips within a breath of hers. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for. If you only want to sleep, then I’ll happily hold you in my arms all night. Okay?”

  She nods and pushes up on her toes. Our lips connect and I roll my eyes closed. Heat swelters in my chest and blooms across every lick of my skin. And the second she paints her tongue across my lower lip, I open for her and deepen the kiss. Her heat matches mine and ignites the kindling simmering low in my groin.

  I groan, slip my hands under her ass, lift her up and spin around to toss her on the bed. She thumps against the mattress and I crawl up her body, slamming my mouth back to hers. Our hands fevered. Lips irrational. Breaths erratic.

  Autumn slowly peels my shirt up my torso and over my head, then discards it on the floor. She trails her fingers down my pecs, my abdomen, and along the waistband of my jeans. Reading every dip and line and ridge of my skin like braille. I suck in a sharp breath as she charts new territory and memorizes the landscape. Her fingertips sear my skin, leaving a tingling trail of sparks in their wake.

  Her fingers wrap around the button above my fly and I stop her. “Slow. There’s no rush.” I dip down and kiss her sweet mouth. “I want us to savor this. To savor us.”

  I roll us over and relish the sight of her straddling me, my palms cupping her hips. She strips her shirt off and tosses it in the same direction as mine. In the dim lighting, I make out the scalloped curves of her bra cups and sit up to get a closer look. The dark lace teases me. Taunts me. Sticks out its proverbial tongue and sneers.

  I give her hips a quick squeeze before winding my hands to her backside and softly grazing them up the sides of her spine. She arches and presses her breasts closer to my face. And I can no longer resist the urge to taste her skin. Savor her uncharted territory.

  Leaning in, I kiss the swell of her breast. Once. Twice. Lick along the lace edge of her bra cup. She rocks her hips against me, and I pin her in place as I grip her waist. Switch to the opposite breast and pay it equal attention. She threads her fingers in my hair, tips her head back, and moans at the ceiling.

  As my tongue trails the swell of her breast, I unhook her bra and flatten my palms against her bare back as the lacy material falls between us. For the first time, the heat of her bare skin presses flush with mine. Fevered and damp and absolutely perfect. I stop breathing. Stop kissing her skin. Close my eyes and savor the moment. The heat, the longing, the absolute need for this connecti
on.

  After a beat, I roll Autumn to her back again. Kiss her lips. Kiss down the column of her throat. Along her midline to her navel. To her left hip, then her right.

  She pants into the darkness as I unbutton her pants and drag the zipper down the teeth. As I peel the denim down her thighs, I spot her matching lace panties and smile. I pause to press my lips to the material. She groans and fists my hair.

  I trace a finger along the waistband of her panties. “Did you wear matching bra and panties for me?” I rasp against her skin.

  “Yes.”

  “You’ll have to show them to me when the lights are on.”

  She moans. “Promise.”

  I kiss her hip and continue peeling away her jeans. Drop them to the floor, followed by my own. Pressing one knee, then the other, into the mattress, I crawl back up her body. Hover above and lock eyes with her. With exception of her panties and my boxer briefs, we are skin to skin. Her eyes swirl like the Great Red Spot of Jupiter. Call out to me. Seduce me.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Never been more sure,” she answers and lifts her lips to mine. Sucks my lower lip. Then clutches the back of my neck and draws me low, low, lower until my weight presses into her.

  Her kiss rages and amplifies and turns white hot. Has me sweltering and begging for more. Rocking forward and grinding my erection against the junction of her thighs. Her nails scrape along either side of my spine. I hiss as she tucks them beneath the elastic of my briefs and shoves them toward my ankles.

  We fumble and laugh as we maneuver the last scraps of our clothes to the floor. And when they drop away, all laughing stops. I kiss her gently. More tender than any time previous. Trace the curve of her jaw with my lips and pepper kisses down, down, down her body.

  When I stop at the junction of her thighs, she sucks in a breath and holds it. I trace up the midline of her body with my eyes and revel in the sight of her. Fuck, she is perfect. “Is this okay?” I ask as it dawns on me that not all women enjoy oral sex.

  “God, yes,” she moans and I chuckle.

  But it’s the second she threads her fingers in my hair and thrusts my head between her thighs that I stop laughing. I clutch her hips, run my nose along the thin strip of hair, and inhale. Fuck.

  As if a light flips on in my head and my primal nature surfaces, I lick up her center and taste her for the first time. Sweet and salty and one-hundred-percent Autumn. Addictive and crucial. God, I could exist solely with the taste of her on my tongue.

  I take my time. Devour her. Flick her clit with my tongue and lick up her seam. Insert a finger. Then another. Watch her writhe as I bring her higher and higher. Inhale her pheromones as she edges closer to orgasm. Groan against her skin as her whimpers escalate. Suck and lick her flesh when her release spills around my fingers. Holy Christ.

  “Jonas…” she whimpers. “I need you. Need to feel you inside me.”

  I crawl back up her body and kiss her as if I never will again. She moans against my tongue as her hand dips between us and wraps around my erection. I break the kiss and gasp as her hand slides up and down my length.

  Shifting closer to the bedside table, I open the drawer and grab a condom. I tear open the foil, slip out the condom and roll it on. Pressing my weight back over her, I line myself up with her entrance and wait.

  In this monumental moment between us, there is one thing I want to say to her. Tell her. What this means to me. What she means to me. How much I cherish her. How I always will. But it might be too soon for her.

  I lower my lips to hers. Kiss her tenderly. Tell her with my lips and not my voice. Sweep my knuckles lightly over her cheek as I slowly rock forward and push inside her. We both gasp into the silence. Lock eyes and hold. Don’t flinch as her body adjusts to my invasion.

  Her nails bite my upper glutes. “Please, Jonas,” she pleas.

  I rock back, then forward again. Her nails dig deeper and my eyes roll back. I drop my head into the crook of her neck and find my rhythm with her. Relish in her heat and the vice-like grip her body has on mine. I kiss and nip at the base of her throat. Stroke slowly in and out. Kiss my way back up to her lips and express how much she means to me with my body.

  For the first time, Autumn breaks our kiss. Gasps and whimpers as her nails rake up my back. Her body hugs me like a glove. Squeezes. And Jesus fucking Christ… I bite my lip and restrain myself as I wait for her climax to peak. She pants sweet little whimpers into my ear as it hits. Takes her over.

  White-hot heat snakes around my spine and fuses in my groin as her body milks mine and I lose all sense of reality. I slam my eyes closed as stars steal my vision. Blind me and help me see clearly for the first time in my life. I clamp down on her shoulder with my teeth and release inside her. My pulse throbs behind my ears. Pounds viciously and creates white noise.

  I breathe her in as she strokes her fingers up and down my spine. I love you. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I bite them back. Instead, I lift my head and lock onto her gaze. Drown in her fiery cognac irises. Get drunk in them.

  A cluster of loose strands lay haphazardly on her face, and I sweep them away. Kiss her slow and sweet.

  “Jonas, I…” She stares up at me with unsaid words on the tip of her tongue. Words I want to tell her too.

  I brush my knuckles over her cheek and press another kiss to her lips. “I know. Me too,” I whisper.

  And without actually saying the words, we have both just said we love each other. The actual words may not have left either of our lips, but it’s there. Pumping through the atriums and ventricles of our hearts. Ebbing and flowing with each breath we take. Rooted deep in the confines of our marrow. Consuming us.

  After I dispose of the condom, I crawl back into the bed, curl up behind Autumn, and swathe her in my arms. She draws lines with her fingers over my forearms before rolling over to face me. Autumn inches as close as humanly possible and hugs me tight.

  “Good night, Jonas.” She presses her lips to the hollow point at the base of my throat.

  I kiss the crown of her head and secure my arms around her. “‘Night, scarlet.”

  Twenty-Five

  Autumn

  I have no clue what time it is right now. Nor do I care. Only one thing, one person, matters right now. Jonas.

  His still sleeping form lays peacefully beneath me. Chest rising and falling in a slow, rhythmic pattern. Disheveled hair I itch to comb my fingers through. Long lashes brushing softly against his sun-kissed skin. A peppering of stubble that makes my mouth water and has my thighs squeezing together.

  Thin rays of sunlight dance across his bare chest as I lay with my chin on my hands just over his heart. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Steady and sure, I study the pattern of his heartbeat and lock it in my memory. A safe place. So any time we are apart, I can rest my hand over mine and imagine his is there with me.

  And then the rhythm changes. Picks up speed. Wakes up.

  His breathing becomes more noticeable. Not louder, just deeper. His body stirring to life as he leaves the land of dreams.

  When his arm shifts and his hand slowly trails up my spine, I hold my breath. Relish in the warmth of his skin skirting over mine. The trail of fire his touch leaves in its wake. Watch as his eyes slowly open and notice me ogling him. The way his incandescent irises swirl with love and hunger and bliss. I lose focus as a soft, radiant smile lifts the corners of his lips. The lips I want to kiss all day. Every day.

  He tucks his hands under my arms and slides me up his body. Brings us face to face. And it strikes a match low in my core. Roars into a bonfire. A wildfire.

  “‘Morning, scarlet,” he whispers against my lips. His fingertips dance up and down my spine. Create a buzz in my veins. A hum low in my belly.

  I press my lips to his and kiss him as if he is my lifeblood. Breathe him in as our lips break apart. Revel in the flutter swelling in my chest. “‘Morning.”

  He turns his head and glances at the clock on the bedside table. J
ust after seven. Feels I have been awake hours. “I haven’t slept this late in a while.”

  “Did I wear you out?” I tease.

  He groans and brings his lips back to mine. Slips a hand into my hair and presses the other against my lower back. Curls his fingers in my hair as the kiss morphs from wholesome to libidinous. Rolls me over and pins me to the mattress with my hands above my head as he peppers kisses down my throat, my breasts, my belly.

  Freeing my hands, he nips and licks a path down to the apex of my thighs. Inhaling deeply before his tongue darts out and sweeps a line up my slit. I bow off the bed, rock my hips into him, and fist his hair.

  “Fuck, I love the taste of you.”

  A moan bubbles in my throat and spills from my lips. With every flick of his tongue, a new flash of euphoria glows in my vision. With each pinch and roll of my nipples, white noise fizzles my hearing. Fever blazes inside me and slicks my skin. Builds. Expands. Then constricts and erupts and renders me senseless.

  Slowly, the room comes back into focus.

  Jonas is above me on his haunches. He rips open a condom wrapper and rolls it down his length. I lick my lips.

  One day, I will taste him on my tongue. Feel his silky hardness against my lips and down my throat.

  Without preamble, he lines himself up with my entrance and rocks his hips forward. I tip my head back and gasp. Solid and thick and perfect. When I open my eyes, his are locked on the line of my face. Watching me. Memorizing me.

  He slips a hand under my neck and holds me in place as he pulls out to the tip and drives back forward to the hilt. The entire time, his mesmerizing gaze stays locked with mine. An inferno of heaven and earth.

  Then he rocks his hips again. And again. Eyes never straying. Speaking volumes all on their own as we make love. As he places a chaste kiss here and there.

  And when his lips part, when I know he is close, a new sensation floods my veins. Red and potent and fervent. It fills my vision and expands the thumping organ in my chest. Intensifies. Surmounts every doubt in my heart. I allow it to consume me and hold me captive as I bend to its will.