Neither of us moves for a moment. Instead, we lay impossibly still and absorb everything about this experience. The last time Gavin saw this much of my body, I was a sixteen-year-old girl. Although my body hasn’t changed drastically over the last thirteen years, I am not the same. And neither is he. Not just our bodies, but also who we are as people. Yes, I am still that girl under the tree in the courtyard who fell desperately in love with Gavin Hunt. A boy who only wanted to share the shady tree with me.
But now, I am the woman who has fallen in love all over again. The woman who is brave enough to give myself over to him, wholeheartedly. As heartbroken and devastated as I was over the last thirteen years, I forgive him for the things he could not control. Things neither of us could control. For all the moments he wanted to come back to me and was unable to. As much as I tried to deny it, Gavin was always here. Tucked away in my heart. Rooted deep in my bones. Flowing through my veins. Hiding in the corners of my mind. Holding me captive. Telling me to be patient and wait for him. I see this now. All these reasons are why I was never able to truly let anyone else into my heart. Because Gavin had it. Has it.
And he always will.
“I love you, Gavin,” I whisper as I comb my fingers through his hair.
He shudders above me before he feathers a kiss to my navel. The pads of his fingers imprint my back, my sides, my hips. They knead and paw and bruise in the most delicious way. His kisses transition from sweet to hungry and ravenous. I curl my fingers into fists and tug his hair as my back arches off the bed and I gasp at his touch. Gavin nips along the hemline of my underwear until he reaches my hip. He sucks and sucks and sucks, and it is not until a moment later that I realize he is marking me. Claiming me. As his. The notion of his lips and tongue bruising my skin sets me on fire and I moan.
After he is satisfied with his work, he raises enough to peer up at me. “Fuck. The way your soul coos for me, baby. You’re my own personal heaven and I never want to leave.”
“Never.”
“Never,” he repeats.
Gavin slips his fingers beneath the band of my panties, grazes the skin below one, two, three times, then hooks the cotton in his grip and peels it away from my body. After he tosses them to the floor, he stands at the foot of the bed and ogles every inch of me. His steely eyes sear my flesh as he takes in every inch of me.
Normally, I would be shy under such scrutiny. But with Gavin, I crave his appraisal. Long for his eyes to drink in every fragment of my wanton body. Beg for his undeniable need for me.
Over the years, I never allowed this with the few people I’d been with. Never let them that close to me. Hell, I never removed my clothes. I was good with celibacy.
But with Gavin… I willingly bared every aspect of myself to him. Heart. Soul. The good, bad and ugly. He is the missing piece. My forever. The be-all and end-all. And there will never be anything that stands between us.
My eyes lock on his for three panting breaths before he breaks the connection. His drift down the lines and curves of my body, and mine do the same. Down his neck, across his collar bones, the hollow spot at the base of his throat. When I get to his pecs, I groan as I read my name permanently imprinted on his skin. Who knew something so simple could be the hottest display of affection. My heart is a fierce monster beneath my breast bone—pound, pound, pounding to be set free.
In my periphery, Gavin unbuttons and lowers his shorts. Black boxer briefs barely contain his erection, and I unabashedly stare at his groin. Was he always that big? I swallow and know he hears it.
He palms his erection through the cotton. “See something you like, baby?” A hint of sarcasm laces his question.
“You have no idea,” I say, brazen.
My eyes pop back to his as he shoves his underwear to the floor. A second later, he presses a knee into the mattress and crawls back up my body. No barriers. No secrets. Just me and Gavin.
He kisses up my stomach, my breast, my neck, and stops when we are eye to eye. “I want nothing between us, Cora. Ever.” He inhales deeply and shuts his eyes a second. “I’ve always used condoms. It’s been a while since the last… and I got tested after.”
I reach up and lace my fingers behind his neck, draw him down to me and press my lips to his. He doesn’t want either of us to admit that we have been with other people since each other. Doesn’t want to tell me the ways he filled the void. And neither do I. But this is us. Open. No holds barred. No skeletons.
“Thank you.” I kiss him again. “I’ve been tested, too. And I’m on the pill.”
His whole body relaxes. A second later, his lips are on mine as he grinds his length against the apex of my thighs. I lift my hips and add more pressure. And god is it amazing. His pecs squash my breasts as his abdomen slides against my belly. Strong hands frame my face and Gavin worships my mouth with his. I caress his biceps, the sides of his torso and slip my hands around to his lower back. Time has made Gavin’s body a work of art. A sculpture. A god-like effigy worthy of worship and devotion.
I grab hold of his ass and paw at the muscular flesh in my palms. His hips rock into mine as his erection coasts up and down my entrance. A moment later, his palm grazes down my side and slips between us. With a lift of his hips, he slips his hand between my thighs and runs a finger over my slit.
“Fuck, baby,” he growls. “You are so damn wet.”
As his finger toys with my lower lips, I pivot my hips at the perfect time and his digit sinks inside me. It may be only one finger, but it consumes me. A second later, I rock forward again. Back and forth. Faster, faster. Gavin inserts another finger and I moan. His hand pistons as my hips plunge and we form the perfect rhythm.
As I fuck his fingers, he reveres my mouth, my neck, my breasts. He is everywhere. Every molecule. Every fiber. Every beat of my heart and breath in my lungs. Too much and not enough at the same time. Breath and heat and sweat. Friction and passion. While one hand pistons inside me, his other slides into my hair and clutches at the crown. He locks me in place with his grip and his lips and his fingers.
Fire blazes hot in my epicenter. Building faster, hotter. Gavin nips along my jaw and stops at my ear. “So fucking hot, baby,” he whisper-growls. Then sucks at the spot just behind my ear. The one only he knows about. The spot that tips me over the edge.
White hot heat detonates low in my belly and ricochets through every muscle. I pinch my eyes shut and stars glow on the backs of my lids. I bow into his body as mine clutches his fingers with every ounce of strength. High pitch gasps for air whine from my lungs and Gavin crashes his mouth to mine. Dizziness warps my vision as I ride the wave of my high.
For a moment, we lay motionless—Gavin hovering above me. Panting as the scent of sex floats in the air. I haven’t had an orgasm like that in years. Too many years. And I want more. So much more.
“Gavin?”
“Yeah, baby?” His breaths as labored as my own.
I kiss along his jaw and graze the flesh with my teeth before reaching his lips. Pressing one, two, three kisses to the soft lips I could lose myself in for days on end. When I break the kiss, I frame his face with my hands and lock eyes with him. Then kiss him one last time. “Please, I need you inside me,” I whimper.
A growl reverberates low in his diaphragm and ripples into me like a tidal wave. He scoops one arm around the back of my shoulders and the other around my hips. Before I realize what is happening, he flips us over and straddles me over his thighs. All the times we had been together years ago, I never sat atop him. Never had control when we had sex. And now, I feel like a goddess. Like the master of our world. Of Gavin.
“Ride me, baby,” he purrs.
His request is gasoline to the fire blazing in my belly, I press my palms flat on his chest, lift myself and position my entrance over his cock. Inhaling deeply, I lower myself onto him slowly. Inch by inch, I take him to the hilt and audibly gasp once I am seated.
Gavin sets his hands on my hips and locks me in place. And for a moment, nei
ther of us moves. We relish in being connected like this once again. Skin to skin. Completely vulnerable. Absolute exposure.
His breathing spikes and I lean down and take his mouth with mine. The kiss starts slow. Sweet, gentle pecks. Then I paint his lower lip with my tongue and he invites me in. Our tongues taste and devour one another for a beat. And then I rock my hips back and slam them forward.
He breaks our kiss, my mouth an inch above his, and hisses. “Fuuuuck…”
I do it again, sinking my nails into the flesh just beneath his pecs. When I roll my hips again, Gavin thrusts up and hits a spot deep inside me, a place only he reaches, and I cry out. One thrust, then another, until we find a rhythmic dance only two lovers know. His hands roam my abdomen and my breasts before he sits up. One, two, three more rocks of my hips and I orgasm a second time.
A second passes and before I catch my breath, Gavin flips us back over and hovers above me. “Wrap your legs around me, baby.”
I do as he says, locking my ankles together, and he thrusts hard and fast into me. Gone are the moments of sweet caresses and gentle strokes. Now, the inferno blazing between us is set to atomic levels. And if this burn doesn’t get satiated, both of us will implode.
Gavin buries his face in the crook of my neck, lips and tongue sucking my skin. One arm braces my shoulder while the other clutches my hip. He pumps in and out of me—faster, harder, hungrier. His mouth, his cock, his heart, it is almost too much to bear. Almost.
Sweat pulses from our pores and slicks us from head to toe. His breath hot on my neck as his teeth clamp down on the tender skin. Our cries of pleasure mingle in the air and bounce off the walls. And I climb, climb, climb back up the peak once again. “Oh god, Gavin. Don’t. Fucking. Stop,” I pant out.
His grip on me tightens as his hips buck harder. He grunts into my skin, and I know he resists his own need to come. Resisting so we can prolong this reunion. And that fact sets me off again. Has my walls constricting and my vision fading.
My body a limp noodle as I come down from my orgasm. Gavin brings his lips back to mine, kisses them tenderly, and whispers, “One more, baby.” I nod and he pulls out of me, flips me on my belly, and hikes my ass in the air.
With my profile against the sheets, I stretch my arms above my head and clutch the pillows in my fists. He lines himself up with my entrance, but doesn’t push inside. Not yet. He leans over me and whispers in my ear. “I love you to the ends of the earth, Cora. Forever.” When he lifts off of me, his fingertips dance over my neck before tracing down the length of my spine to the base of my tailbone. It is more than just a touch. It is devotion. Awe. Adulation. Reverence. Intimacy. Worship.
With both hands squeezing my hips, he eases inside of me. Each inch forward is a step closer to heaven. Closer to where Gavin and I will be for all eternity. Together. Connected. Unbreakable. Inseparable.
When he is fully seated inside me, I mewl into the sheets and tighten my fists. He relaxes his hands for a split second before clamping down harder. Tomorrow, my body will artfully display the evidence of our reunion. And I plan to revel in every single line and stroke and strawberry on my skin. Cherish them and create new ones before they fade. Memorize the feel of them and how they came to be.
Gavin doesn’t move for a minute and I peer over my shoulder at him. His eyes closed and brow furrowed. Before I open my mouth to ask if everything is okay, a tear rolls down his cheek. I push up so I’m on my hands and knees, ready to spin around and soothe whatever sadness has taken hold. Just as I straighten, he presses a palm flat between my shoulder blades and presses me down to the bed.
“Gavin, are you okay?” I ask, genuinely worried.
His hand rests between my scapulae a beat before gliding back to my hip. “Never better, baby,” he chokes out.
“Then why are you crying?”
My eyes still trained on his as he stares down at me. “Because I haven’t been this happy in a really long time.”
“Happy tears?” I ask because I have to be certain.
“Yes, baby. Happy tears.” And then he rocks his hips back and drives forward.
He fills me so fully, I forget how to breathe. How to speak. My eyes roll back and I groan. “Oh fuck…”
In. Out. Stroke after stroke, he brings us both closer to nirvana. His hips slap my ass, balls whack my clit, head of his cock rubs the nerve endings inside my walls. Building. Climbing. Taller. Higher. His tempo increases and I know he is trying to get me there before he lets go. As if confirmation of my thoughts, his hand snakes around my waist and his finger circles my clit. His hips piston faster as our moans consume every lick of empty space in the room.
“Gavin…” I wring the sheets in my fists. “So close. Don’t stop.”
He adds more pressure to my clit and circles faster as his hips thrust like a well-oiled machine. I clamp my eyes shut as my breath comes in short, staggered whimpers. On the next stroke, the head of his cock strokes perfectly over the nerve cluster in my walls and I detonate. A grunting scream rips from my throat as he continues to slam into me. My vision blanks as I convulse and milk his cock.
My orgasm feels like a never-ending stream of consciousness as Gavin releases inside me. Only when his hips slow and he collapses over top of me, does my body calm down.
“Holy shit,” he breathes into my hair.
Gavin rests his head beside mine, arms clutching my breasts and belly, and heaves. No intimacy compares to what Gavin and I share. It isn’t just the sex—although sex with Gavin is literal euphoria.
Intimacy with Gavin is so much more. Friendship and love. Sunsets and strolls in the park. Shared whispers and tender kisses. Side glances and subtle smiles. Speaking without words. Acceptance. An incomparable bond. A life force all its own. The promise of forever.
My hips drop to the mattress and I relax more than I have in thirteen years. Gavin lays beside me and I roll to face him. He drags me closer to him, weaves our legs together, and plays with the ends of my hair. Tenderness bleeds from his pores into mine. So pure and true. He leans in and kisses my lips, the tip of my nose, then my forehead.
When our breathing regulates, he traces my cheekbones with his finger, then my lips—his eyes fixed on the movement. One, two, three heartbeats later, his gray eyes lock on mine. Gets lost in them. We lay like this for minutes or hours, entranced with each other. No words are spoken—not that they need to be. We simply breathe each other in. Realign our souls. Remember the feeling of us.
For the next several hours, we memorize every inch of the other’s body. Learn all the new lines and curves and dips and scars. And get lost in paradise time and time again.
I peek over Gavin’s shoulder at the clock and check the time. Five twenty-one. For the last seven-plus hours, we have worshiped one another. And although I would love nothing more than to pass out wrapped in his arms right now, a different idea pops in my head.
I bolt up and fumble through the darkness. “Cora, what are you doing?” His mumble is sweet and inquisitive as he props himself up on his elbows.
“Get dressed. I want to go somewhere.”
Gavin glances at the clock, then flops on his back. “Come back to the bed and cuddle with me. We can go later.” As adorable as he is in this very moment, I resist the temptation of falling back into the sheets with him.
After stepping into a fresh pair of lacy boy short panties, I slip on a pair of black jeans. “Can’t wait. It’s time sensitive.”
Gavin sits up and stares at me as I yank a shirt from a hanger. In the dark, I have no idea what shirt it is, nor do I care. I tug it over my head then walk over to the bed and grab his hand. He gives in and stands up, pulling me to his chest and kissing me. “Okay, baby. Where are we going?” he asks as he locates his clothes and dresses.
“It’s a surprise. But you’ll love it. Promise.”
While Gavin finishes dressing, I head out to the kitchen, feed and love on Luna, and make us both a large to-go mug of coffee. When he emerges from the be
droom, I hand him a steaming mug and place a kiss on his cheek. We’re quiet as we walk out the back door and get into my car. After a little maneuvering around Gavin’s car, we get on the road as I speed toward our destination.
Less than thirty minutes later, we land on Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg and head toward the water. The streets are still dark, but slowly waking up in the early morning hours. Soon, I park the car, feed a meter on Beach Drive and grab a blanket from the back of the car—one I kept back there to protect my camera equipment when I cart it onto the beach during shoots.
Gavin slips his hand around mine and I guide us near the waterfront. Near the new pier is a small man-made beach. We open up the blanket and spread it out on the sand. Gavin sits with knees up and legs spread, and I sit down between them. He wraps his arms around me and pins me close to his body.
“This is perfect, baby,” he whispers, his chin resting on my shoulder as we stare out at the Bay.
I relax into him more. “It’s time for a sunrise. Our lives have been filled with countless sunsets. Time to start fresh with new traditions. I want just as many sunrises as sunsets.”
Sunrises are the start of something new and invigorating. Although Gavin and I have known each other for what feels like a lifetime, we hit a snafu. A fault we couldn’t scale until the time was right. During that time, we grew. Into ourselves and into adulthood. We had the chance to discover who we are without each other. And fate still found a way to reconnect us. Make us whole again. Give us a chance to start anew.
A sunrise after the darkest sunset.
The sky pinks near the horizon and Gavin squeezes me tighter. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Believe me when I say, if I had known it’d be this long, I would have done things differently.”
I shake my head. “No, Gavin. Everything is how it’s meant to be. Was our time apart the most gut-wrenching experience of my life? Yes. There has been no pain worse than losing you. Never will be. But would I change any of it? I don’t think I would. It sounds wrong, but I think the years have taught us so much. Taught us how to love. Showed us what we’d miss without one another. Many couples stay together for years and grow unhappy with their relationship. A rift divides them and they fall out of love.” I pause, take a deep breath, and collect myself. “If that would’ve happened between us… as hurt as I was when we lost touch, I never stopped loving you. I suppressed it. Smothered it. Buried it deep in the corners of my heart and packed it tight with dirt. But it has always been there.”
Time Exposure (Click Duet #2) (Bay Area Duet Series) Page 15
