Leap of Faith (Iris Boys Book 3)

by Lucy Smoke

  Marv was tense against me. "And Grayson?"

  I released the hem of his shirt. "Grayson's like me, I think. He needs you and me. He needs us. He needs Iris. But he doesn’t have anyone pushing him to take that leap of faith."

  Silence echoed in the room.

  "We talked," Marv said. I slid down further into the bed until my head was finally level with his again.

  "You and Grayson?" I clarified.

  Marv shook his head. Confused, I moved to sit up again, but his hand landed on my chest, between my breasts and held me down. "We all talked," Marv said. "All of us." The way he said it made it clear that whatever conversation he had gone to have had morphed into something more...and I had missed it. I frowned.

  "I think we needed it," Marv continued. "After what you said at the hospital, we needed to talk." His eyes met mine, an apology in them as his lips quirked. "Just us—you've made it clear what you want. We needed to work out what we could and couldn't handle." His eyes dropped away from mine as if he feared that I might pull back. I didn't. My gut churned too hard to even move. “I think it’s more than obvious that none of us are willing to back down unless you make a decision, and you’ve made it pretty clear that making a decision is not something you can do. The ball’s in our court and there really are only two options for us to choose from.” Marv's finger stilled when he realized I hadn't said anything. “Harlow?"

  I swallowed reflexively. "And you made this decision?”

  My gaze found the pulse in Marv’s neck.

  By way of answer, he leaned forward slowly. Every inch he drew nearer, my heart thudded louder and louder in my ears until it was all I could hear. I wasn't even sure if I was breathing anymore. Keeping his eyes open, Marv lowered his head until his lips brushed mine. His body moved closer, over me, pushing me deeper into the mattress.

  He pulled back briefly, and I arched up, my mouth seeking his again. "It appears none of us can let you go," he said, just before diving back into me.

  My spine bowed as his hands slid under my shirt, clutching against my skin. I gasped as he licked a path down my jaw until he found the space between my neck and shoulder and gently kissed it before biting down. I cried out, a rush of warmth between my thighs.

  "Wait. Wait. Wait." I pushed against his chest. "What about the others?"

  "They know." Marv kissed my mouth and then moved to the other side of my neck, distracting me further.

  "They know about..." I trailed off on a moan as he bit down again and then shoved up the fabric of my tank top until my belly was bared to him.

  "Yes. They know what we're doing in here," he said, moving down.

  I bit my lip as my thighs clenched in want. "And they're okay with..." Marv pressed a kiss just above my belly button, effectively cutting me off. I wasn't sure if I could even breathe, much less speak at this point.

  "Yes." Marv's amusement was clear as he looked up from where he rested comfortably with his chin on my stomach. I couldn't believe this was really happening. My breath caught.

  "Harlow..." I sucked in a breath and stared at him. His hand touched my hip, pulling me closer as his fingers slid beneath the fabric of my panties. "We don't—I don't want to push you if you’re not ready. But, Sunshine, I'm dying here. Tell me now so I know if I need to back off.”

  Marv's eyes were pleading as he gazed down at me. I felt my skin flush and I knew it wasn't pretty. I never was when I blushed. Either he didn't notice, or he didn't care, though, because the desire in his eyes never wavered.

  "I just have to know," he said. "You like me enough to kiss me, you say you need me." Marv moved closer, leaving my stomach in favor of rising over me until his chest almost reached my face as he looked down at me. "Do you want more?"

  "M-more?" I gulped.

  "I want to kiss you," he said. "Will you let me do that? Will you let me touch you too?" I shook under his gaze, wanting and needy and, yet, confused. I licked my lips and his eyes zeroed in. "Please tell me that's a yes, Sunshine," he practically begged.

  My brain short-circuited, and I couldn't think of anything but telling him yes. I nodded. He wanted it. I wanted it. What was wrong with that? He knew about Bellamy, Knix, Texas...and Grayson—they knew about him—it wasn't wrong, was it? They knew what we were doing. I trusted that Marv hadn’t lied about that. What else had they talked about in their secret boys’ meeting?

  "Thank God," he said, yanking me from my thoughts right before his mouth came down on mine. I gasped as his tongue crept out and sank into my mouth. With a moan, I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him. Marv's palms slid down my sides and then he gripped the back of my thighs, hoisting me up into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his middle.

  I kissed Marv back, wanting so badly to hold him to me, to keep his lips locked with mine for years to come. His hands trailed up and down my sides, goosebumps following in their wake. I shivered against him, pressed up against the hardness between his thighs. He, too, moaned and then rubbed himself against my stomach. "I want you so badly, Harlow," he rasped.

  "I want you, too," I confessed. “I need you.”

  Marv groaned at that and slammed his mouth back over mine. One of his hands moved down and palmed a breast through my tank top. I could feel my nipple harden through the thin fabric. I gasped into his lips as his thumb and forefinger found it and rolled it. I moved up, pushing against his chest until he rolled over and I was on top.

  I couldn’t help it. After so long, so much waiting, I ground down against him, causing him to moan into my mouth. The sound was heady, a power trip I didn’t know I craved until that very moment. I sat back until I was astride him, our mouths breaking apart. Reaching down, my fingers found the hem of my tank top and I slowly pulled it up and off. Marv's eyes widened.

  "More," I panted, diving for his mouth again.

  "Shit.” He hissed as his cock met the place between my thighs when I ground down on him again. The only thing separating us was the minuscule fabric of my panties and his clothes. I pushed his shirt up. I wanted to rectify that as soon as possible.

  Marv stopped and when his hands pulled away from my breast and hip, I nearly cried in disappointment. But he was only pulling away long enough to rip his shirt over his head and once again he was back, drowning me in his kiss as my breasts rubbed against his hard pecs. I moaned as I twined my tongue with his and pressed myself down over him, riding along his length, feeling it through the fabric, loving the shocks of electricity it sent shivering up my spine.

  Marv couldn't take it though. With another hiss, he threw me off him and I landed with my back against the bed once more. It wasn't but mere moments later that he was back over me, grabbing one leg and pulling it around his hip until he was able to control the pace. He shoved himself against me and took my mouth with a fiery passion. Something built inside me. Something strong and heated. I sank my nails into Marv's shoulders and kissed him back wildly, deeply.

  One of Marv's hands made its way down my bare stomach. His fingers teased along the edge of my panties, pausing and asking for permission. "Can I?" he asked.

  "Take them off," I begged, "please." I needed him skin to skin. I needed him further than that. I needed him inside me.

  Marv broke off kissing me, his hands going to either side of my underwear. He tugged and yanked them down as quickly as possible, moving further down as he went, until they hung off one foot. He pulled them off and held my foot in his hand at the end of the bed, looking back up at me.

  "You're fucking gorgeous, Harlow." His voice was thick with emotion, raspy and dark. His hands went to his pants. Looking at me quickly, he stripped them down long muscular legs. I watched with interest and a whirling need inside me. Marv crawled back up the length of my body and re-anchored my legs around his waist. His cock pressed against me, skin to skin—this time, more insistently.

  He pumped against me, rubbing, but never entering. Was he trying to kill me? If he was, it was a strange and fascinating way to go. It was tortu
rous. I grabbed his shoulders and yanked my mouth away from his. I stared up at him. My brown eyes to his thunderous ones.

  "I want you," I said.

  His chest rose and fell. “Be sure,” he warned, “because if we move any further, I won’t be able to stop.”

  I shook my head vehemently. I already wasn’t able to. "I don’t want to stop," I promised. "I want it, please. Marv, don't make me beg."

  His eyes softened, and he leaned forward, brushing a light, loving kiss on my brow. "You don't have to beg for anything, Sunshine. I'll always give you whatever you want."

  Marv moved off me, then, returning seconds later with a condom in hand. He paused before ripping it open, hesitant gaze finding mine. I shook my head at him with a smile. "I want you," I repeated. "I'm okay."

  He nodded and then proceeded to open the condom. He slid the latex material down his cock. The sight of Marv holding himself before me sent a fresh wave of desire coursing through my veins. His abs tightened as he put one knee up on the bed. "It might hurt," he warned me. "If it’s your first time…” he paused, looking at me for confirmation. I nodded, but I wasn’t scared. “I'll be as gentle as possible," he assured me. It was unnecessary, but he wouldn’t be my Marv if he didn’t do the gentlemanly thing.

  I opened my arms, wanting him to hurry up and get back to me. "I trust you," I said.

  Marv spread my thighs and fit himself to me. My heart thundered in my ears, pulsing loudly, drowning out everything in the room but Marv and what he was doing to me. The tornado flames in his eyes watched me as he pushed in. At first, it wasn't so bad, just a pressure I wasn't used to. There was no tear like I expected there to be, just an uncomfortable stretching that stung but eased the further in he pressed. With an apologetic twist of his lips, Marv moved back and then thrust forward all the way as if he couldn’t help himself. I gasped and reached for him. He came down on top of me, remaining still as I worked through the twinges of pain and discomfort. After several moments, I tentatively moved my hips—wondering. Marv caught on, sliding himself out and then back in. I shuddered and clutched at him harder.

  I gasped. "Do that again."

  He smiled at me and then held my hips down on the bed with both hands as my legs came up, wrapping around his back once more. He thrust into me, sliding along the sensitive tissues. Our hips met as he sank into me and I moaned, feeling the sparks catch fire. That something I had felt before was barreling forth, heading directly for me. My breath caught. I shifted against Marv, needing to press that something away and pull it closer in the same breath.

  My eyes found the grooves of Marv's chest, the hollows and dips of his body. I leaned forward and, without thinking, I licked a bead of sweat from his chest. He groaned and ground against me even harder. More ricochets of heat and flares of passion rolled through me. I did it again, shifting and then licking his neck, sinking my teeth in—not hard enough to hurt or leave a mark, but a sharp pressure against the cords of his throat.

  "Fuck!" Marv pulled out and slammed back into me.

  I screamed. That something popped, and a wave crested over the horizon, filling me to the brim and then overflowed. I panted and gasped as Marv came down on top of me. "Fuck, Sunshine..." He was panting as well.

  I laughed, reaching up to touch his hairline. He sat up, looking down at me. "Are you okay?" he asked.

  I smiled, nodding. "I'm more than okay," I promised.

  Marv smiled back, a lightness in his eyes. “Give me a minute, I’ll be right back,” he said.

  I frowned as he got up and disposed of the condom. After tugging on his discarded underwear, he left the room and came back with a slightly damp washcloth. “What’s that for?” I asked.

  With a light blush, he handed it to me. “It’s for you. If you want to...clean up. I know it was uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to…” He trailed off before reaching for it. “I can—”

  Realization hit me. “No! No, I’m fine.” I turned around to do just as he said, peeking over my shoulder when Marv chuckled lightly before turning his back on me as well. Even with my virginity gone, I still felt odd doing this in front of him and I appreciated the gesture he took to give me some privacy. After disposing of the washcloth in a laundry hamper across the room, I crawled back into the bed and yanked the covers up. With another chuckle, Marv joined me.

  He leaned down, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Goodnight, Sunshine.”

  “Night,” I whispered. Marv settled against me, pulling me back until I was nestled into his chest, my back to his front. Closing my eyes, I sighed, releasing all the embarrassing tension of uncertainty. There, in Marv’s arms, I had never felt such irrevocable bliss. I only hoped it would last.

  Early morning sunlight drifted in through the slatted blinds and I stretched, feeling the muscles in my thighs ache. The memory of the night before hit me and I sat up, nervousness and anxiety filling up my heart like hot air. I glanced to the side, but Marv’s side of the bed was empty. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved or not. Pulling the sheets from the bed in case the door opened as I moved to gather clothes into my arms, I quickly dressed in a new bra and the tank top I had been wearing the night before. I grabbed a pair of shorts someone had laid out for me on the end of the bed and pulled those on as well, sans underwear.

  After I finished getting dressed, I stared down at my hands, wondering if I had just made a mistake. It didn’t feel like a mistake. Marv had promised that it was okay. Even still, my stomach felt uncomfortably weighted and my head throbbed. I sucked in a shaky breath and then released. Somehow, just the act of focusing on my breathing made me feel slightly better. I repeated the process several times before I was ready to face anyone.

  Despite the reality of what I had done last night, I knew that today was a very important day. Today was the day we went after Erika. Though that was what I told myself, I still cracked the bedroom door open and peered into the hallway. It was empty. I opened the door further and stepped out, heading for the common areas. The closer I got the higher the voices rose.

  "—make it to this location at a little after 10:30." That was Knix in the living room. I paused just around the corner, looking down. Did I look any different? I didn't feel different...well, other than the high I was still feeling from the night before. But no one could actually see that, right?

  Of course not, I reminded myself. It's not like guys have x-ray vision to tell them if you're still a virgin or not.

  With that in mind, I sucked up my nervousness and stepped around the corner into the living room. Knix paused mid-sentence when he saw me. He blinked once and then shook his head as if clearing it. "Yeah," he said, "that'll work. We'll be in the middle, it seems the most likely—further away from land. No. Just keep me up to date. Yeah, okay. Bye." He hung up and once again, his baby-blues were back on me.

  "Harlow."

  I bit my lip. "Knix."

  "You...uh...we're keeping in contact with the teams going out today," he said hesitantly. Knix—for all his giantness—appeared just as nervous as I was.

  I moved further into the room. "That's good." What else was I supposed to say? I should have been focusing on Erika and what we were doing today, but all I could see was the flush that rose over Knix's cheeks as he averted his eyes, choosing instead to look at a spot on the wall and fixate there. I knew that he—and everyone else—had probably heard me last night. They knew what had happened. I sighed. It seemed I would be the one to break the ice, then. Before I could say something, however, another voice beat me to it.

  "So, are we just going to stand here not saying anything or are we gonna kick some ass?"

  I swung my gaze to Texas, who stood grinning in the doorway to the kitchen. I blinked. Texas' eyes met mine and they practically glimmered with amusement. He strode right up to me and smacked his lips against mine. "Glad to see you're up, Princess." Shocked, confused, and also more than a little relieved, I watched as Texas turned to Knix. "Let's go, big man. Got things to do. P
eople to see. Damsels in distress to rescue."

  "Sunshine." Marv's gruff voice had me turning again as he strode back up the hall, his hair wet from a recent shower. He looked me up and down before coming to me and winding an arm around my waist. "We should stop by your dorm and grab more appropriate clothing for you before we head out."

  "Where exactly are we going?" I asked. “What kind of clothes do I need?”

  Bellamy approached right behind Texas. "Back to Charleston," he answered. "They leave from three different locations. We're taking the middle. Another team is taking Myrtle Beach and another to Hilton Head. You’ll need clothes you don’t mind getting wet."

  "Why those places?" I wondered aloud.

  "They're tourist attractions," Knix answered, drawing my attention back to him as he drew to his full height and appeared to regain his composure. He went from nervous uncertainty to the leader once more. So quickly, it was hard to reconcile his manner just moments before with how he appeared now—confident and ready for action. I needed to remember, though, that each of these guys were different. Texas appeared to be comfortable as if nothing had changed. He didn't seem to mind showing affection or for the others to show affection. While I noted, even though Knix was now all business, his eyes still trailed to the way Marv's arm wrapped around my waist. It was almost as if the touch was a magnet for his attention.