Climb (Club Kitten Dancers Book 3)

by Sophie Stern

  “Why would you love me?”

  This can’t be real. Am I going into shock? Is that what this is? I’ve wanted Elliott for so long, craved him for so long. I’ve hoped for him for so long, and now he’s here, and he’s whispering the words I’ve longed to hear for an eternity.

  He’s whispering all the right words and somehow, I feel like I’m going to go crazy.

  “Why wouldn’t I love you, Sassy? Fuck. I’ve been wanting to say this for so long and I feel like I’m screwing it up.”

  “How long?”

  “Forever.”

  “Me too.”

  I cover my mouth as I blurt out the words. I said, “Me too.” I told him I feel the same way. I told him I love him.

  “I love you, too,” I whisper. “I can’t believe I’m really saying it. This doesn’t seem real. It’s been forever and I’ve…I’ve thought about this so many times, you know? I’ve thought about this so many times. It doesn’t seem real.”

  “How about this?” Elliott says. He’s finally standing right in front of me. He’s close and he’s getting in my space and then he leans down a little bit closer and whispers in my ear. “Does this feel real?”

  Then he presses his lips to mine and the whole world starts to spin.

  Chapter 6

  Elliott

  When I was a little boy, my parents moved with me to a new city. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know a single damn person, and I was terrified.

  Going to school as a kid in a new place was awful. Everyone already had their set of friends because they’d all been in school together since preschool. Social standings and peer groups had been well-established by the time we all reached third grade.

  So when I walked into class and sat in the only empty desk I could find, I wasn’t expecting much. I wasn’t expecting anything. I wasn’t expecting the scrawny little girl sitting next to me to lean over and introduce herself.

  “Hey,” she hissed. “I’m Serenity.”

  “That’s a dumb name,” I said, not wanting to seem un-cool or eager. I didn’t want to seem like the fact that someone was saying “hello” to me was the best thing that had happened all day. I wasn’t about to let anyone know the move bothered me. I wasn’t about to let anyone know how hurtful it was to be the new kid, the lonely kid, the weird kid.

  “You got a better one?” Serenity asked me.

  “Elliott,” I told her.

  “That name is just as bad as mine,” she said, and she laughed quietly. The teacher started taking roll call, but Serenity ignored her and she whispered to me. “Come over after school.”

  I don’t remember what I said at first, but she just shrugged and looked at me.

  “We can have bad names together,” she told me, as if that made perfect sense, as if it was silly I hadn’t considered it myself.

  It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. It was the beginning of the best, most wonderful friendship of my life. It was the beginning of a friendship I should have turned into a romance long ago, but was too scared to.

  It was the beginning.

  And this is the end of that friendship, I realize. When I kiss Sassy, when I press my lips to hers, I’m saying goodbye to Serenity. I’m saying goodbye to the sweet little girl I grew up with and I’m saying hello to Sassy McMittens: pole dancer extraordinaire. I’m saying goodbye to my buddy and saying hello to my wife. I’m ending the friendship. I’m making it something more.

  And oh, it’s going to be something more.

  Sassy hesitates only for a fraction of a second when I kiss her. She hesitates only just for a brief moment, and then she kisses me back like it’s the most natural thing in the world. She kisses me like she means it, like she can’t stop, like she can’t control herself.

  She kisses me like there’s never been anyone else.

  “Serenity,” I whisper, murmuring against her lips.

  “Sassy,” she corrects me.

  “Serenity,” I whisper again.

  “What?”

  “Tell me.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “You know what I want to hear you say, baby.”

  “Yeah,” she pulls back and presses her hand to my cheek. “I know what you want to hear me say.”

  She presses her forehead to mine, then, and says the words I’ve been longing to hear. Every day of deployment, I thought of her whispering these words to me. I thought of how she would sound telling me how much she cared for me. I thought of the way her lips would look when she spoke. I thought of how perfect everything would feel.

  The reality is so much sweeter.

  “I love you, Elliott,” she says, and then Sassy kisses me again. Her lips are soft and sweet against mine. She’s a delicate flower to my harsh exterior, but I love her, and the knowledge that she loves me in return just makes my heart soar.

  “I’ve waited so long to hear you say it.”

  “Why did you wait?”

  “Why did you?” I ask, pushing her. I shouldn’t. It’s not the time or the moment, but I have to know.

  Was she as scared as me?

  As worried as me?

  Was she as nervous I would reject her as I was?

  “You already know.”

  “You were scared?”

  “Weren’t you?”

  “Always.”

  “Maybe it was a waste of time,” she says. “Not telling each other sooner.”

  “Maybe it just gave us a chance to grow up a little.”

  “Maybe it means we’ll appreciate this moment even more.”

  She starts kissing me again, slowly, softly. Sassy is treating this like we’ve got all the time in the world, and to be honest, she’s right. We’ve waited a lifetime to be together. We can wait a little bit more. We take this slowly.

  There’s no reason we have to rush. Neither one of us has anywhere to be. We have no one to please, no one to impress. It’s just her and me now.

  “You and me, baby.”

  “Forever.”

  My hands are on her waist, but then they’re not. They’re tracing little lines on her waist and slowly moving up. Just like in my dreams, I’m going to take my time touching every inch of this woman.

  I’m going to make it count.

  I’m going to make it sweet.

  I kiss her neck and her collarbone, and she groans as I do.

  “That’s it. You keep making those noises.”

  “I can’t help it.”

  “You’re egging me on.”

  “I think you love it.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  My hands inch up her body. I want to savor her, to take my time, but she moans in protest.

  “Dude!” She says, finally, pushing me away.

  “What?” Fuck. What did I do wrong?

  “Stop fucking teasing me,” she says with a growl. “You want to fuck me? Fuck me. Don’t make me wait, Elliott. It’s been months, baby. It’s been years. Fuck me like you mean it.”

  Chapter 7

  Sassy

  I’m in uncharted territory here.

  Yeah, I might run a pole dancing club and teach my students how to feel, look, and act sexy, but I’m rarely the sexual aggressor in my own personal relationships.

  I’m rarely the one begging people to fuck me hard.

  Yet I know that’s exactly what I’m going to get when Elliott growls and pulls my tank top up over my head. My breasts are suddenly on display, but I’m not nervous. How could I be? He’s looking at me like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world, like I’m the most perfect thing he’s ever seen.

  Fuck, forget that.

  He’s looking at me like he’s going to fucking devour me.

  And damn, if that’s not the hottest thing that’s ever happened to me.

  Elliott leans his head down and takes one of my nipples between his lips. He licks, teasing me with his tongue, tracing little circles.

  “You like that baby?”

  “Hell yes.”<
br />
  “You think I taste good?”

  “Like heaven.”

  “How’s the other one?”

  “Time for me to find out.”

  His mouth moves to my other breast and it’s my turn to growl when he begins sucking this one hard and fast, forgoing the easygoing tempo for something a little harder, something a little more exciting.

  Something a little dirtier.

  Then he moves lower. He kisses down my stomach. Over the years, I’ve danced away most of my problem areas, but one thing I’ve learned from teaching is that everyone has their own insecurities. Mine has always been my stomach. Despite the fact that I’m toned and fit now, I still have thin silver lines on my hips from growing too fast as a teenager. I was overweight for a few years, and while I’ve lost the excess belly fat, those stretch marks have remained.

  I’m a little nervous to have Elliott see them so close.

  If he notices them, though, he doesn’t seem to care. To be honest, most guys don’t, but every once in awhile, one of my partners will point out my imperfections, and that hurts.

  We all have our little flaws, but Elliott seems like he doesn’t even notice mine as he kisses his way down my body. Soon he’s kneeling in front of me, planting soft kisses on my belly and hips.

  “What…what are you going to do now?” I ask. A million thoughts race through my head. He’s kneeling in front of me. He’s kneeling there, looking up at me like I’m his damn queen. He’s looking at me like he’s never seen anyone so beautiful.

  He’s looking at me like he wants to worship me.

  “What would you like me to do, Serenity?”

  “I asked you first.”

  “The way I see it, I have several options.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Well, I could pull these shorts off you,” he slips a finger under the edge of my shorts, and my pussy clenches. He’s so close that if he slides his finger just a little bit higher, he’ll be inside of me.

  And how would that feel?

  I bet Elliott is a fucking wonderful lover. I bet he’s good and amazing and fun, and I want to find out exactly what it feels like, but right now he’s teasing me again.

  “And then what could you do?”

  “Hmm,” he says, and he rubs his finger against my skin. “I could slide my fingers up a little higher, Serenity.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Would you like that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would you like me to slide my fingers inside of you?”

  “Yes.”

  He moves his fingers up the opening on my shorts and soon he’s stroking my pussy softly. I keep myself shaved because I dance so much. I wear a lot of short-shorts for dancing and sometimes I even just dance in panties. While the girls I dance with would never judge me, I want everything clean and tidy in case there ever actually is some slippage.

  Being bare makes me feel everything much more intensely. He slides his finger over my pussy and through my soft folds.

  “Oh,” I groan. “Please.”

  “You’re going to have to be more specific than that, baby. I asked you what you wanted. I didn’t ask you to beg.”

  So that’s how this is going to go down.

  He’s going to make me say it.

  He’s going to make me ask.

  If I want something, he’s going to make me tell him because that’s exactly who Elliott is. He’s precise. He’s intuitive. He’s a genius. He’s smart and calculating and he’s going to give me what I want, but he’s going to make me be brave.

  He’s going to make me tell him.

  Am I horny enough for that? Am I aroused enough to be blunt and bold? Am I past the part of my life where I’m afraid to ask a man for something in bed? I’d like to think so. I’d like to think that as a grown-ass woman, I can tell the guy I’m sleeping with, the guy I love, exactly what I want.

  “Your fingers,” I say. “Give me two.”

  “Two?” He raises an eyebrow. “I think I can handle that.”

  Immediately, he fills me, and I groan once more. I close my eyes and just focus on the way it feels, on the way the sensations are washing over me. Everything feels tight and his fingers feel big, but good. I feel full.

  “How do you like that, dirty girl?”

  “Good.”

  “Think you can take a third?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Hmm, shall we find out?”

  I feel a third digit at my entrance and I want to protest, but I also don’t want to. I also want to see exactly what it’s going to feel like to have Elliott’s fingers inside of me, moving in and out, pushing me closer to an orgasm.

  “Yes, please.”

  “What do you want, Serenity?”

  “Please put a third finger in me.”

  “So polite,” he presses a kiss to each nipple. “I like it.”

  Then he slides the third finger inside of me. Immediately, I realize I’m going to come. Quickly. If he moves, at all, I’m going to come. I’m close, suddenly. I’m on edge, and as soon as he begins to slide his fingers in and out of me, I’m going to explode on him. I’m going to have a killer fucking orgasm and it’s going to make me scream.

  But Elliott doesn’t move.

  He just watches me.

  “What would you like me to do now, Serenity?”

  “What?”

  “I said there were a few options. Having my fingers inside of you is just one.”

  “But…”

  “But what?”

  “I’m close, Elliott.”

  “I know, baby. I can feel you. I can fucking feel your tight pussy around my fingers. I can feel you clenching me so hard you’re about to make yourself come even without me moving. I know that if I slide any deeper into you at all, I’m going to hit your G-spot and you’re going to reward me with the most beautiful orgasm of your life.”

  “Please.”

  “Tell me. Tell me what you want. I love you, Serenity. This isn’t just one night for me. This isn’t just some fling. I want forever with you, baby. I want to marry you and give you babies and I want to travel the world with you. I want to love you, but I’m going to start by showing you that communication will always have an important place in our relationship. Even in the bedroom, especially in the bedroom, we have to talk to each other.”

  “Make me come,” I say. I don’t even hesitate. I don’t wait. I don’t spend time thinking about all the wonderful things Elliott just promised me.

  I just ask him to make me come.

  And my sweet knight obliges.

  He pushes his fingers deeper inside of me and his thumb brushes my clit. At the same time, his fingers push against my G-spot, and I do it.

  I come.

  I explode.

  I cry out.

  I growl.

  An orgasm so fierce, so powerful, so incredible that I think I might pass out washes over me. Elliott keeps his fingers inside of me the whole time. Then, when my body finally returns to its normal state of being, when the room stops spinning, he slowly pulls them out.

  Immediately, I feel an emptiness, an aching where he once was. It’s strange because I shouldn’t feel this way. I’ve never felt this way. Not with a guy. Not with anyone. Somehow, though, with Elliott, I do.

  “You’re fucking gorgeous when you come, sweetheart.”

  All I can do is look at him. I stare down at him, grip his short hair, and hold on. I hold on because if I don’t, I’m afraid I’m going to wake up and it’ll all have been just a dream.

  “What do you want me to do now, Serenity? What comes next?”

  I bite my lip.

  Am I brave enough?

  Bold enough?

  Ready enough?

  “I want you to lick my pussy, Elliott. Make me come again.”

  Chapter 8

  Elliott

  She came.

  My sweet little Sassy McMittens came apart beneath my touch and it felt fucking a
mazing.

  Fantastic.

  It felt damn sweet.

  And now she’s begging me for more, asking for my mouth, and I’m going to give it to her. I’ll give it all to her.

  I run my hands up and down her thighs, spreading her juices all over her legs. She doesn’t seem to mind. I fucking love it. I trace little circles and then I lean close enough to lick.

  “What are you doing?” She asks. “That’s not my pussy.”

  “I want to taste you now,” I tell her. “And I’m taking my time, princess, so don’t you even think about rushing me.”

  I get close to her and then I lick her legs. I move my tongue slowly along her skin, just like I promised. She’s sweet, and she smells like vanilla. I’m guessing that’s the type of body wash she uses. Her skin is still a little damp from the shower, but now she’s wet from herself. She’s wet from coming all over my fingers. She’s wet from being a naughty little thing.

  I lick up and down her thighs. Part of me wonders if anyone has ever done this with Sassy before. I’d like to think they haven’t, that I’m the first. Even if I’m not, I bet I’m going to be the best. No one else is going to treat my darling the way I will. No one else is going to treat her so damn wonderfully because Sassy is exactly that.

  Wonderful.

  I can tell her body is calming down after her orgasm. It takes a few minutes, but soon her breathing normalizes. Her heart isn’t racing anymore, and that’s when I know it’s time to step up the pace.

  I grab her shorts with my mouth and tug down, slowly pulling them over her hips and down her thighs. I tug until they get to her knees, then I let them fall the rest of the way to the floor. Sassy carefully steps out of the shorts and kicks them to the side, and I look at her soft, sweet pussy.

  “You’re shaved.”

  “I am.”

  “For me?”

  She blushes, and my heart swells. Did she think we were going to fool around tonight? Did she think there was a chance? Is there any way Sassy thought she would be the one to say “I love you” first?

  Is there any chance she thought we’d be doing this tonight?

  “You wanted me to see you, didn’t you?”