by Lexy Timms
I felt tears rush to my eyes as Bryan’s hand descended onto my lower back.
“I had this picture blown up and put in my original office. It’s now Drew’s office alone, but he wanted to keep the painting up there,” he said.
“It’s...”
I had no words. I was looking at the original painting while seeing the painting I had in my possession in the back of my mind. The painting John did for me back when I was in L.A. was more detailed, more fleshed out, but it was definitely the same cabin.
And he had painted these pictures with the same emotions.
“What does this painting mean to you?” I asked.
“Innocence. A happier time. Positive memories of my brother and I running around,” he said.
“What do you think it meant to your brother?” I asked.
“I’d like to think it meant the same thing. He loved that place. He begged our parents to go every summer. I’d get mad at him at first because I wanted to stay in San Diego and play with my friends all summer. But whenever we’d get there, we’d start running around and playing in the creek out back, and all would be forgotten. Just like that.”
“Just like that,” I said.
“I figured you might like it down here,” he said.
“I’d like anywhere we went, so long as I was with you.”
I panned my gaze up to him, and I could see the growing seriousness behind his eyes. He took my hands and led me to the bed, sitting me down before he sat down next to me. The talk was coming, I could feel it. He was ready to define our relationship, or at least talk about it.
I had to tell him.
I had to tell him everything before he made such a grave mistake.
“Can I be honest for a second?” he asked.
“You can always be honest with me,” I said.
The guilt just bubbled up my throat with every word that flew from my mouth.
“I really enjoy spending time with you,” he said.
“I enjoy spending time with you, too, Bryan.”
“But I’m worried that there’s a great deal unspoken between us.”
“Honestly? I feel the same way. I really think we should talk this through,” I said.
“Good. Because I always want to be upfront with you. Hailey, I’m not the most emotionally stable guy. I hang onto a lot from my past, especially regarding my brother’s death.”
“I understand. I can’t imagine the toll that must’ve taken on you.”
“I’m worried that my emotional instability will drive you away,” he said. “I’m worried that you’re still doing this with me because you think you’re somehow still repaying me for the gallery.”
Wait. He felt what?
“Bryan, you don’t ever have to worry about that,” I said. “This is so much more than you helping me out with the gallery. There’s a real connection between us. A genuine one. I feel it every single time we spend time together.”
“So, you don’t feel that you’re doing this because of our deal? Because if you did, I’d never be able to—”
I leaned forward, silencing him with my lips. I didn’t want to hear another word about it. I couldn’t believe we’d had all the encounters we’d had with this in the back of his mind. I wanted him to enjoy this time with me. I wanted him to lose himself in me the way I lost myself in him.
I wanted to enjoy every single second of our time together before he found out the truth about my life.
He kissed me back, his hand migrating to the back of my head. He sat up and pulled me closer to him as my body shifted into his lap. His long, strong arms held me to him as our lips danced in tandem, a tango breathing life into our bodies as I felt him come alive against my legs. His tongue was so soft, and his lips tasted so sweet, and soon all the hesitations and lies and deceits fell to the background. I knew I had to tell him. I knew I had to come clean. I knew I held the key to him finally being able to gain closure on what had happened to John.
To his brother.
To the one person who was in his life that he loved more than anyone else.
“I really like you, Bryan,” I said breathlessly.
“I really like you, too, Hailey,” he said, smiling.
“Remember this,” I said.
“What?”
“This moment. How you feel right now. Remember it.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Well, we’re bound to fight sometime, right?” I asked. “When we do, I want you to remember how you feel at this moment. Because—”
“Hailey,” he said. “No matter what we fight about, we’ll work it out, okay? Don’t fret about something like that now.”
His hand rose to cup my heated cheek, and I knew in the back of my mind that statement wasn’t true. He’d be infuriated. Irate. He’d cast me out without a second thought, and all because I couldn't be honest with him in the beginning.
All because I told him I wasn’t at that memorial service.
“Hailey? You all right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“You know we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he said. “I’d be more than happy just lying here with you.”
“I know,” I said, grinning. “But there’s something I’d like to do first.”
“What’s that?”
My lips planted onto his neck as my body slowly slid from his lap. My hands planted on his hips, rushing up his thighs as I felt for the button on his pants. I heard him groaning, his hands removing his shirt as his rippling chest came into view. There wasn’t a view of his body that wasn’t exquisite to behold, and I allowed my lips to take their time memorizing every single crevice while I slid off his pants. I could feel his body humming, trembling with anticipation of where my lips were finally heading. The red tint that followed the path of my lips lit a fire of happiness in my chest. One I wouldn’t forget for years to come.
No matter what happened between the two of us.
Bryan scooted himself up onto the bed, his body draped in nothing but his skin as he stood tall and proud for me. I slithered between his legs and kissed up his thighs, feeling his muscles twitch and jump as I nipped at his skin. I felt myself diving into the pool of his body, holding my breath as long as I could as I wrapped my lips around him. He tasted of salt and passion and desire, and I felt his hands searching for mine.
He intertwined our fingers while my lips pulled moans from his throat.
I lavished him with my tongue and felt him press against my body. I reveled in the way his hips rolled into me, taking in each and every motion while his body glistened in the pale lights of his basement. In that very moment, he was nothing but vulnerable. His eyes were closed, and his hands were threaded tightly with mine. I could feel his hips rolling faster and faster, chasing an end I wanted to bring to him, if only because he deserved it.
If only because it was a good man who deserved the pleasure he was currently experiencing.
His back arched and his heels dug into the mattress. I hummed around his body, pressing myself into him as he shook and writhed. Never had I heard the sounds tumble from Bryan’s lips that were currently filling his basement, and I smiled once my name finally dripped from his lips.
“Oh, Hailey. So good. Oh.”
His body settled onto the bed, his chest panting for air. His eyes stayed closed while his hands loosened his grip, and I took the opportunity to clean him off with my lips before I stalked up his body. I committed everything to memory: his sinewy muscles, the way they bulged after he sought his own pleasure. The veins rising to the surface of his beautifully-tanned skin while his blood cascaded through his body at lightning speed. I kissed every single mark I left behind on his skin, grinning as his muscles twitched underneath my surprise pressures.
I slid to his side while my fingertips danced in the crevices of his rippling muscles.
“Fuck,” Bryan said breathlessly.
“Just allow it to wash over you,” I said
mindlessly.
But the moment didn’t last for long because, as soon as he composed himself and his muscles found their strength again, his lips attached themselves readily to my neck.
And I allowed myself to sink to the depths of his body, drowning myself in him while the darkness was held at bay by the walls of his beautiful home.
Chapter 21
Bryan
The way her body simply arched into mine tugged at something deep in my chest. I slowly pulled her wrap from around her shoulders, tossing it to the floor as my fingertips played at the hem of her shirt. Her body was covered, and I wanted to see her. I wanted to take in all of her and drink up the milky skin she had underneath her clothes. I helped her peel her shirt off, her skin already reddening at the anticipation of my touch.
I smiled into her eyes, seeing a look of pure admiration roll over them as I unhooked the front clasp of her bra.
Her body was stunning. A work of art not even I could’ve concocted. I kissed down her breasts while my hands held me above her body. I wanted to praise her and worship her the way I knew she deserved. I wanted my tongue to dive into every crevice she had. I could feel her working her skirt off, trying desperately to press every inch of her skin into mine as my lips nipped and sucked at her beautiful chest.
She was stunning, even in the dimly lit fluorescent lighting of my basement. Her curves beckoned to me in ways no other woman had, and her smile drew me in with the way it sparkled her eyes. The attention she had given me shook me to my core. A toe-curling orgasm I’d never experienced at the mouth of another woman. She was so warm and inviting, just like the rest of her body as her mouth sent me to places I’d never been. That pink mass of hair she had seated itself between my legs and made a silent vow to not come up for air until she’d pulled from me exactly what she wanted.
And my body had been more than willing to give it to her.
Her body filled the palms of my hands perfectly. Her softness spilled over the edges of my body, wrapping me in a warmth I never knew I could find in another human being. It was as if her light was pushing against my darkness, battling for dominance while her body pressed into my lips. I covered every inch of her body with my tongue, feeling her goosebumps against my skin. I grinned at the reaction, loving how she never attempted to hide from me.
She was a blank canvas, and every time we were together, she allowed me to paint on it whatever design I wanted. That was what I adored about her the most. Women always had secrets. They felt those secrets made them mysterious. More alluring, somehow. But I always found them to be a hassle. It was a chore, pulling secrets from a woman. It was as if every single secret was a test to see how hard I would work to get to know her.
But Hailey, she was completely open to me. With her thoughts. With her emotions. With her sounds. With her body. Every reaction, sound, and word that poured forth from her was honest. There wasn’t a bit of her I didn’t trust, and I was insatiably drawn to that.
I was drawn to her honesty in a world full of disgusting mistrust.
My hands slid down her sides while my tongue traced over to the dip of her waist. I felt her squirm and push, trying to get me to go where I knew I would eventually end up. She whimpered and gasped while my teeth grazed over her breasts, but the moment I got to the dip of her waist, she lunged so far up the bed, I thought she was going to hit the headboard.
“What was that?” I asked.
“I-I don’t know,” she said breathlessly.
See? Nothing but pure, beautiful honesty.
I never wanted to lose that dynamic with her.
I wrapped my lips around that spot again and a loud moan escaped her lips. I ran my teeth across it and felt her shiver against me. Every inch of her body was darting and weaving as I latched onto that spot against her body, and for a moment, I simply allowed my tongue to flutter around it. Her hands rushed to my hair, and her lips sputtered for words. Never had I seen her react this way to anything, and suddenly, I raced my fingers up her legs toward the place I knew she wanted me to be.
The heat her body was radiating threatened to singe the skin right off my fingertips as I parted her body to accept mine.
“Bryan. Oh, oh, my-... stop. You gotta... I don’t... I can’t take it. Please.”
I latched my teeth further into her, marking her skin as her back arched into me. Her jaw unhinged in a roar of pleasure as my fingers slid into her body, and then, she was rushing over the edge of her first orgasm. My name fell from her lips while my tongue danced along her skin, and I pressed against every edge of her I could until she finally collapsed back onto the bed. I felt myself coming alive against her skin as my lips trailed down to her pulsing bundle of nerves, and she lifted her eyes to look down at me.
They were half-hooded in pleasure while my lips pressed small, dainty little kisses in the areas I knew would make her jump the most.
Her legs locked around my body, and her thighs clamped down onto my cheeks. I could feel her pulling me deeper and deeper as I tasted the salted honey she had brewing for me. It never ceased to amaze me how unabashed she was in bed and how her sounds could swirl around my ears and blanket my body in comfort. Never had I been with a woman who was so open with her sounds and so unashamed of the way her body reacted when it came to my lips.
When it came on my lips.
I licked every inch of her between her legs while my fingertips ran along her swollen walls. The way her body undulated onto my tongue was nothing short of exotic, and all I wanted to do was hear my name fall from her lips again. I felt my arousal pressing deep into the mattress, ready and willing to take her whenever she wanted me. I wanted to hold her in my arms and look her in her eyes while we rushed over the edge together, but I could feel her bucking against my hand while she was chasing her own inevitable ending.
“Bryan. Yes. Just like that. Don’t stop, please. Don’t stop.”
My name tumbling from her lips was music to my ears every single time. Her back bowed like a tightened instrument, threatening to snap her body in two as her heels dug into my back. I parted my body from hers only to rush back up to her lips. I could feel her tongue dancing around my lips, drinking her essence off my skin as my body played at her entrance. She locked her legs around mine, pulling me closer as she offered herself to me. Her body was covered with a thin layer of sweat, her mind at a standstill as I searched for any sign of her wanting me to stop.
But all she did was raise her hips, taking my body within hers before we both gasped for each other’s breath.
My hands roamed her body while her fingertips dug into my back. I could feel her matching me thrust for thrust while we moved as one. The way her legs locked around mine and the way her hips rolled upward while she trembled with exhaustion was just another thing I had to admire about her. I quivered every time her fingertips raked down my muscles, pulling from me groans that found their home deep within the crook of her neck. Her lips puckered, planting kisses just behind my ear as my entire body raised in goosebumps.
This woman had me, body and soul, and I had no intentions of allowing her to let me go.
Breathlessly, the two of us moved with one another. I pulled her closer and closer as my knees dug into the mattress for leverage. My lips found hers, encasing them sloppily as her hands ran through my hair over and over again. I could feel myself sinking into her. The deeper she pulled me in, the more I never wanted to leave. She was succulent. Entrancing. Hypnotizing in a way I didn’t understand. She was free and vivacious, and all I wanted to do was bask in her presence and learn from her example. I wanted her to teach me how to be free. I wanted her to teach me how to let go. The further I dove into her body, the further I dove into her mind, the more I felt myself wanting to let go and the more I felt myself wanting to move forward.
I thrust harder into her, and her body bounced against me. Random words dripped from her lips as she whispered them into my ear. I breathed her in, her musky scent of sweat, sex, and the residue of her berry per
fume. It was a scent that was known only to her. Something I couldn’t find out in the world no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to bathe myself in it. I wanted to lose myself in it.
She clung to me, like two lost people on the rocky shores of a deserted island, and for the first time, I felt her truly vulnerable against me. She was whimpering and moaning, her voice getting higher and higher as I felt her body concaving into me. I pressed myself into her, rolling my hips deep as I pinned her to the mattress. Her breath pulsated on the tip of my nose, and for the first time since I’d struck this up with her, I saw something behind her eyes.
Fear.
The vulnerability she was experiencing made her afraid.
I could feel my body growing taut as I throbbed deep within her, and my hips began to stutter with their movements as she bucked wildly against me. The fear soon dissipated into mind-melding pleasure, and the heat that coursed throughout my veins threatened to take me over the edge too soon. I wanted her to come with me. I wanted her electricity to skate across my skin. I wanted her to pull me deep into her body and dig her fingernails into my skin.
I wanted her to hook her life into mine and never let me go.
“Almost there. Almost there. Please. Just yes. Oh, oh, Bryan.”
Her head pressed deeply into the pillow on the bed as I buried myself into her one last time. Her body molded perfectly to my intrusion as I filled her to the brim. I could feel her arousal trickling down my thighs as my sweat began to drip onto her body. She quaked and shook, her hands finally falling out to the side as I collapsed on top of her, feeling the way her body simply allowed me to stay seated in her.
Even in her most vulnerable state, she didn’t want me to leave.
I nuzzled her cheek, pulling a breathless giggle from her as our eyes met. She reached up to push a sweaty strand of hair from my forehead, but all I could process was the look in her eye. It was filled with admiration and joy. Exhaustion and happiness. I saw everything I wanted to be within her beautiful stare, and I realized something.
