“God, you’re beautiful.”
She turned around fully to face me again. I could tell by the look on her face and the way she was fighting to keep her hands from covering herself that she didn’t believe me. There would be none of that tonight. She flashed me a slight smile. “You already said that.”
Pulling her against me, I reached under her ass and lifted. She wrapped her arms around my neck. We were so close to being skin to skin with her stomach pressed to mine and bare thighs around my back, yet it wasn’t close enough. “I’ll say it a million more times until you believe it too.”
The same time she lowered her lips to mine, I lowered her onto her bed. I didn’t let go until her head lay on her pillow.
She kept her legs wrapped around me, and I kept my body pressed to hers as we kissed. And kissed. Then kissed some more. Each kiss was more powerful than the one before. We only stopped to take a quick breath, but then we were right back there again until we were both panting, and her body was rocking against mine.
I didn’t know if at that point I was going to be able to stop. I was beyond wanting her. I needed her. I was desperate for her. But I would never do anything if she wasn’t ready, and I needed her to know it too. “Baby, we don’t have to if you’re not ready.”
She brushed my fallen hair back. “I’m ready.”
My body shivered. “Are you sure?”
“I’m so ready, Preston. I’ve been ready for this for a long time.”
I didn’t have time to think about her words. Tenley sat up, reached behind her back, and unlatched her bra. When the material was gone and her breasts spilled out, I thought I was halfway to heaven. Naturally lighter skin was surrounded by her darker skin that had been kissed by the sun. Her aroused nipples sat like teardrops begging for my attention. They had every ounce of it.
She laid back down, and my palm itched to touch her. So I did.
I brushed my thumb across her nipple, and Tenley’s breathing stopped. I lowered my mouth to her flesh and slowly sucked. Tenley’s breathing picked up. When I moved to the other side, she fisted the sheets in her hands. I sucked harder and harder until I left her flesh red and tender. I was marking her because she was mine.
I moved lower, kissing her stomach, then just below her belly button where I discovered she was ticklish.
Good to know.
She stopped laughing when I kissed the fabric blocking me from tasting her and fisted the sheets tighter. I kissed her until the cotton was soaked through by both me and her. I kissed until I was desperate to have a real taste of her. I only stopped to peel the sexy as hell panties down her hips, over her thighs, and past her feet.
We hadn’t spoken a word, and I wish my words were better than the ones I kept using over and over again. “God, Tenley. You’re so fucking beautiful.” Because she was. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life.
“Preston.”
“Yeah, baby.”
“Let me see your beauty too,” she said shyly. Her whole body flushed. And that was beautiful too.
I lowered my boxer briefs until I was free from its confines. And Tenley repeated my words back to me. “God, Preston. You’re so fucking beautiful.”
I didn't think a man should like being called beautiful, but right then, I did. Maybe it was the way she added a dirty word before it because when Tenley swore, it was a special occasion. Maybe it was the way she bit her lip after. Maybe it was the way she rubbed her thighs together when she saw me. But maybe, it was all of it.
I lowered back to the bed, ready to have my first taste of her, but she stopped me. “No.”
I froze, thinking it was something she wasn’t into.
“Preston, I want you. Next time, we can do all the other stuff, but tonight, I just need you.”
I grew harder at the thought of next time. And the time after that. All the things we would explore together. Then I froze again. Because the what-ifs came back. A flash of that damn list Chanel wrote.
What if Tenley was disappointed?
What if I wasn’t good enough?
And the big what-if… what if she faked it with me too?
“Don’t,” Tenley said as she sat up.
I looked at her probably with a slight panic in my eyes.
“Don’t go there.” She pressed her hands to the sides of my face.
For the first time, I was scared. I was so fucking scared I was going to ruin it. This. Us. And I was honest when I told Tenley so. “I don’t want to mess this up.”
“You’re not going to.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it’s me and you. And you haven’t messed it up in the eighteen years I’ve known you. You’ve been there for me, and I’ve been there for you. So right now, we’re going to be there for each other. Together. And it’s going to be amazing.”
And right then, I knew. I was in love with Tenley Ray. I was so unbelievably in love with her my heart swelled.
She lowered herself onto the bed, pulling me with her. I hovered over her for a beat because I never wanted to forget this moment. Our moment together. I took my time entering her. Though it was torture, it was heavenly torture. I couldn’t help but watch as I sank deeper and deeper. She was everything and more—warm, wet, inviting, tight, soft against my hard. It was so goddamn perfect, and I never wanted it to end.
She sighed while I moaned.
And when I was fully inside her, I stopped.
“You okay?” I checked.
“I’m okay,” she purred.
I moved my hand under her thigh and raised it higher. “Still okay?” I checked again.
She moved her fingers to my face once again. “I’m so okay.”
I rocked into her slowly, keeping myself deep. The position couldn’t be comfortable for her, but I couldn’t help leaning down for a kiss. Her hand glided up my arm until it was behind my neck. As we kissed, I grinded myself against her, my body moving on its own.
“God, you feel good.”
“You too. So good, Preston.” And I believed it. I believed her.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Tenley. I was memorizing everything about her. The way she licked her lips when I hit a spot she liked. Or how when I slowed down, her eyes would close. She looked as though she was savoring the feeling right along with me. Then when I thrust deeper, her eyes would scrunch up and her lips would part. She made this sound—a deep and sexy moan, but it very well could have been me.
At this point, I couldn’t tell. I was lost.
Lost in her.
Lost in the moment.
And I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to be found again.
“I’m so close,” she moaned. And I believed that too. I could feel it. It was like nothing I’d ever felt. The way she tightened around me. She got quieter. Her breathing would stop, then pick up, and then she’d make this breathy sound.
I was close too. So close I could feel it in my spine. It was moving lower and lower, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold back much longer. “I’m going to come.”
Her arms held me tighter, yet her legs fell wider. “Yes.”
I moved faster inside her, trying to get us both there at the same time. She clenched around me, and I groaned. I encouraged her. “That’s it, baby. Like that.”
Every muscle in me went stiff.
My arms tightened.
My back.
My legs.
Tenley spasmed around me, causing me to grow harder still. Her head fell back, and I wasn’t having that. “Look at me, baby. Always look at me.”
Tenley’s brown eyes opened, but she was fighting it when her orgasm hit.
She was pulsing around me, and I couldn’t hold it any longer. Like a rubber band, the tension in my back snapped, and I was coming. I was coming like I never had before.
We were breathing together. New sounds were filling the room, and it was the most fucking beautiful thing in the world.
I almost said it. I almost told her how I felt, but I didn’
t want to cheapen it. She deserved better. So when our breathing was back under control, and I laid flat against her, I asked her four words. “So how was it?”
She laughed and joked. “It was okay.”
Then a new fear hit me. When I pulled out of her, I realized I made the biggest mistake a man could make.
I forgot the condom.
18
Preston
Trust is everything.
I WAS AN IDIOT. And now I had to explain to Tenley how much of an idiot I was.
I was so wrapped up in everything, I didn’t think of her safety. I mean, yes, I knew I was clean and she was too, but still, I didn’t give her a choice.
“Preston, stop.”
I stood still. I hadn’t even realized I was pacing. My hands were clenched behind my back, and I was walking back and forth across her bedroom floor. Tenley moved to stand in front of me and did that thing she did to calm me down again.
She pressed her fingers to my cheeks. “It’s okay.”
I lowered my forehead to hers. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I forgot to protect you.”
She said it again. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not. I never forget. Ever,” I promised her.
“I trust you.”
The words were everything that I wanted her to say them again. “What?”
“I said I trust you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I do.”
If it was possible, my heart swelled even bigger, and I fell for her even more. Her trust meant everything. But protecting her meant more. I didn’t want to assume she was on birth control. “If anything happens, you know I’ll be there, right?”
Tenley laughed at me. “Preston, I’ve been on the birth control shot since I was fifteen. And I never forget it. I think we are okay.”
I think I breathed out in relief. “I’m still sorry.”
“Well, I’m not. At all.”
I moved my hands behind her back. “You’re not?”
She gave me a peck on the lips, and I already wanted more. “No. But what I am is hungry.”
“Again?”
“What can I say, Griffin, you worked up an appetite in me.”
I took that as a good thing. “What are you hungry for?”
“Ice cream.”
“Yeah?”
“With whipped cream.”
I hummed my approval.
“And sprinkles.”
It sounded delicious.
“One spoon.”
That sounded even better. Tenley pulled out of my embrace and started walking to the door. I watched her bare ass sashay away, and I groaned.
“And if you’re good, I might even share.”
She took off down the hall in a slow run. I all out sprinted after her.
I caught her from behind before she could get the freezer open, and she squealed loudly. I loved it. I scooped her up in my arms, gave her a quick kiss, then deposited her on the counter.
“It’s cold,” she complained when her ass hit the granite.
“It’s about to get colder, baby.”
From the drawer, I took out one spoon, per her request. Next, I grabbed the container of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Lastly, the whipped cream and sprinkles.
Tenley patiently waited as I opened the container. I shook the whipped cream can, and because I couldn’t help myself, I sprayed a dollop on her nipple, licked it off, then gave her a wink. “Tastes good.”
She licked her lips, but I went about my business of making my woman a sundae. I sprayed the can of cream on top of the ice cream container and the sprinkles on top of that. With the spoon, I scooped up a bite and fed it to my woman.
“Yum,” she purred. “Want some?”
I nodded. Of course, I did. She took the spoon and fed me a bite twice the size of the one I fed her.
We ate until we were full. Leaving the mess for later, I carried my girl back to bed where I made love to her again.
When we were both exhausted and half asleep, I told her, “I want to come with you to your parents' house for your birthday.”
She was lying on my chest with her arm and leg draped over me. I was lazily running my fingers through her hair. “Really?”
“Yes. I haven’t seen them in a while.” And I don’t want to be away from you for a weekend.
“They’d like that. They’ve been asking about you.”
“Did you tell them about us?” I didn’t know if I wanted her to say yes or no.
“There was nothing to tell.” She looked up from under her lashes. “Was there?”
I pulled her up so she was on top of me. “No. But there is now.”
“Is there?” I squinted my eyes because how could she doubt it, but she elaborated. “I mean, I know there is. I just mean, do we have a label? Because what would I tell them? Mom, Dad, you know Preston, my best friend? Well, we kind of went on a date, then slept with each other.”
It was much more than what she said, though. And I was about to tell her so. “Your boyfriend.”
“What?”
“Tell them I’m your boyfriend.”
She smiled. “Is that what you are now?”
I sure as hell hoped so. “Fuck yeah, I am.”
She laughed. “Then what am I? I mean, what will you tell your parents I am to you?”
“Mine.” I pulled her in for another kiss, and suddenly, I wasn’t tired anymore.
“I like that,” she said as she straddled my thighs.
“Me too, baby. We’ll save telling them about sleeping together until after dessert.”
She hit my chest. “Don’t even joke about that.”
I started rolling my hips under her. Tenley started moving with me. We were officially done joking when I slid inside her for the third time.
After round three, our bodies were officially spent. I couldn’t even tell you when I fell asleep. But I knew when I was awake. Tenley body was spooned against mine, her hair was a tangled mane in my face, and my hand was cupping her boob.
Best morning ever.
Since she was still sleeping, and Tenley hardly ever slept in, I reluctantly untangled myself from her. She moaned her disapproval.
I whispered in her ear, “Sleep. I’m going to make the coffee.”
She purred at the mention of her favorite drink in the whole world.
I pulled on my briefs, then padded into her kitchen to fire up the coffeepot. While it was warming, I cleaned the melted mess from the night before. A smile broke out on my lips a mile wide as I recalled everything. I tried to remember a time when I ever felt this happy with Chanel. The answer was never. I had never felt this content or as relaxed as I did in Tenley’s apartment. This fulfilled. That feeling only grew bigger when Tenley came walking into the kitchen dressed in one of my old shirts and a pair of white lace boy short panties. The bottom had frayed years ago to the point she cut it and resewed the bottom. Her belly was exposed. I adjusted myself in my briefs.
“You still have that thing?” I questioned even though I knew she wore it a lot. It was practically threadbare.
She held the fabric away from her skin. “I love this shirt.”
I love it on you. I didn’t say that, though. “It looks good on you.”
She strutted toward me. “So my boyfriend approves?”
I liked the words coming from her. “He one hundred and ten percent approves.”
Her hips swayed as she closed the distance between us. “I got an extra ten percent.”
“For being so hot.” I planted a playful smack on her ass as I scooted around her, and she jumped. I started pouring the coffee into our cups.
“Careful, Griffin. Your numbers talk turns me on.” She swiped her coffee from the counter and took a sip.
Finding new ways to turn her on was going to become my new goal. A goal I was going to explore every day. Today, we were going to do whatever she wanted to do. “What do you want to do today?”
As she thought f
or a moment, she tapped her finger mindlessly against her cup. I took a sip of my coffee, letting the caffeine work its way through my system. “Breakfast.”
Done. I’d make her favorite eggs over easy on the five-grain bread she had next to the coffeepot. “And after?”
“A shower.”
She didn’t know it, but I’d be joining her. “Then?”
“Watching my boyfriend surf while I work on my tan.”
We had a winner. “Only if my girlfriend promises to join me every now and again for a swim.” I took her in my arms.
“She most definitely will be joining her boyfriend for a swim.”
“Then maybe your boyfriend could convince you to have dinner at his place after.”
She smiled, and it lit me up. “I think that could be arranged.”
I tapped my fingers to my lip. “And convince you to spend the night in his bed.”
Her eyes closed, and she hummed. “Mmm. Sounds like the perfect day.”
It did to me too.
And that was what we did. The entire day, we explored the new side of Preston and Tenley. I surfed while she laid on the beach in her little black and white bikini. She joined me for a swim where I splashed her, and then she chased me around until I was chest deep in the water holding her up as we kissed. Then we walked hand in hand down the beach looking for sea glass for her collection.
When the sun began to set, we picked up food to eat at my place after we showered together for the second time. Then we got lost in each other for the rest of the night.
It was the second-best day of my life. The first being the day before.
19
Tenley
Romance isn’t dead.
I WAS FLOATING ON CLOUD NINE. No, I was even higher than that. Cloud ten was my new home, and each day, I was floating higher.
Waking up with Preston beside me in the morning was so much more than I ever thought, pictured, or dreamed. After our date and the sex—god, the sex—I decided Chanel was, in fact, the crazy person I always thought she was. Preston was nothing like the wrong man she described on that paper. He was the complete opposite.
He was attentive. He was thoughtful. He was caring. And by God, he was the best lover I’d ever had.
All the Right Moves Page 12
