"Bed." He rips the bed cover back. More clothes are abandoned and the next kiss is accented by my hard nipples skimming his naked chest. We both sigh at the poetry of skin against skin, only inches separating our hearts.
"You"re so beautiful," he whispers, running his fingers along the sides of my face.
"And you."
"Me?"
"You"re a Greek G.o.d...an Italian masterpiece. I"d take you over Michelangelo"s David any day."
He grins. "Well, I"m definitely warmer to the touch."
I lean down to kiss his chest, and my lips graze over his nipples lightly and then harder, spurred by the heady power as I watch his skin flush and his breathing accelerate. He groans, and he takes my hand and presses it against his arousal that"s tightly straining against his jeans. I sink down until I"m sitting on the edge of the bed so I can focus on getting his jeans off. After all of this time I"m finally going to see him and stroke him, and I fumble with the b.u.t.ton and zipper, like a child trying to tear open a present on Christmas morning.
"Can I help you?" he laughs as I struggle.
"Yes," I huff, anxious as his hands make quick work of his b.u.t.ton and zipper.
When we"ve finally pushed his jeans and boxers off, I try to imagine how I will be able to take him in. But that concern is pushed aside by l.u.s.t as I run my hand up and down his impressive arousal and guide him to me so I can roll my wet tongue around the head. He gasps, and when I look up, his eyes are as wild as a feral animal.
My arousal flairs as I take him into my mouth, pausing to watch him. As he gazes down with dark l.u.s.t, he holds my head gently and runs his fingers through my hair.
"Mmm," he moans. It"s unbelievable how sensitive he is. Every roll of my tongue elicits a shiver or groan.
"Baby, your mouth..." He moans again and his head falls back as he pulsates in my mouth. My tongue swirls again and I take him in deeper.
He suddenly draws back. "Ava...I need to be inside you..."
I don"t need convincing. I release him and slide back across the sheets.
Each moment now is preserved in my heart, a high definition film of our lives that shifts from slow motion to high speed and back to slow again. He takes my b.r.e.a.s.t.s in his hands, and as he moves closer, his mouth replaces his hands-teasing, kissing, and twisting me up again with burning need. I cradle his head lovingly before he gently pushes me back against the pillows.
"Condom," he says, pausing.
G.o.d, I hope he has one.
He reaches down to the floor for his backpack and frantically drags stuff out. Finally, after digging around in the bottom of the inside pocket, he yanks a strip out.
"Yay!" we both cheer, victorious.
He kneels before me as I part my legs, and he hands me the foil packet.
I tear it open, never losing eye contact with him. He"s so d.a.m.n s.e.xy with his dark desire, yet the devotion reflected in his eyes is a homemade valentine made just for me. I carefully roll the condom over him before falling back against the pillows. I"ve never been more ready.
"I"ve waited so long for this," he whispers, as he runs his hands along the inside of my thighs. He leans forward until his lips are on mine with a kiss full of reverence.
His c.o.c.k presses against me, and while I could arch my hips to take him in, I want him to lead.
He pauses and he looks at me. "I"m so in love with you, Ava."
My heart soars as he says the words I"ve been waiting for...always hoping to hear. I look in his eyes and see Max for the very first time-the joy, the tenderness-and I see that the man he"d abandoned so long ago has finally returned home.
"Tell me again, Max," I whisper, as I ease my legs further apart, drawing him to me.
Never blinking, he gazes into my eyes and pushes into my wetness.
"I..."
I groan with the most intense pleasure as I take everything he"s offering me.
"Love..."
He gasps, his eyes rolling back, but then he gazes at me again. His eyes are windows I can peer into and see his full heart. He pushes harder as I tighten around him. Nothing"s ever felt like this before.
"You."
He moans as he sinks all the way into me.
The fullness is the most exquisite thing I"ve ever felt. I"m flying, and I push my hips up to take him in that much more. Max stills, his eyes widening with the sensation. In all the ways that count, this is the first time for both of us, and he seems full of wonder to finally give the love he"d stored away.
I cradle his handsome face in my hands as my eyes fill with tears again. "I love you too, Max...with all of my heart."
A smile explodes across his face, and I can feel his bliss surround and lift us.
We are whole.
Chapter Thirteen / My Brilliant Mess.
There is magic in this miraculous life. If you open yourself, you do make yourself vulnerable to pain but the deeper pain you experience, the deeper joy you can have.
~ Mark Ryden I"m Gustav Klimt"s pale dark-haired beauty swathed in a patchwork quilt of gold. My breath rises and falls as my lover presses against me. His fingers push the gilded cloth away and circle my breast and then my belly. His wet lips meet my swollen nipple, his tongue teasing as heat burns between my legs. I moan, fighting the urge to open my eyes, because when I do, the dream will slip out of my grasp.
His hardness presses against my thigh as his mouth continues to pleasure me. He gently takes my nipple between his teeth and tugs before sucking it again and again. His hand slips lower and lower, finally sliding between my legs and when his fingers push inside me, he moans.
It slowly occurs to me that this may not be a dream. I open my eyes to see Max at my breast, his eyes closed, and his hand moving over me. I silently watch him as my arousal fully blossoms. I part my thighs and his eyes flash open, hooded and drunk with l.u.s.t.
"Sorry I woke you, baby. I just couldn"t resist."
The moon is hanging low in our picture window, painting us with silver light. I lace my fingers through his hair and pull him back to me. "Well, don"t stop now," I moan. He hums with contentment and takes my other nipple in his mouth while he thrusts his fingers deeper inside me.
We"d made love twice before falling asleep, but he"s ready for more. "Are you always insatiable?" I tease him, as his fingers swirl over and in me. I take ragged breaths and gradually fall completely open and raw.
"Just for you. I"ve never felt like this before...like I could explode from the impact of it."
I let out a long, happy sigh. "Me too."
"This feel good?" His fingers circle slowly between my legs while he rocks his hips and slides his erection against me.
"So good."
"So, while I f.u.c.k you, I"m going to tell you all my secrets."
"You aren"t going to f.u.c.k me, cowboy...we"re making love."
"Yes, we"re making love, my hopeless romantic, but we"re f.u.c.king too. Don"t knock f.u.c.king...f.u.c.king is great."
I laugh and bite his earlobe.
He moans. "You"re wicked, woman."
"Yes, I am. Now, tell me your secrets."
He squints for a moment, focusing in the distance before shifting back to me. "Remember the day we met in New York and I took you to that little Italian restaurant in the Village?"
"Um-hmm," I moan.
"Well, that I night I dreamed we made love. It was so vivid that, when I woke up, I thought you were with me."
"Were you hard when you woke up?" I remember the dreams I"d had about him when I woke up aroused.
He grins as if I"m clueless. "What do you think?"
"Sounds hot," I whisper.
"You have no idea."
"I love it. I want more secrets."
He lets out a low laugh as he teases my nipple with his other hand and brushes his lips against my ear. "The next night in New York, when I saw Jonathan hone in on you, I was so jealous. That was the night I knew I had to have you all to myself."
"Really?" I ask, surprisingly turned on by his instinctive reaction. "Kind of territorial, aren"t you?"
"Oh yeah. Jonathan"s infatuation made me crazy. It had built over time, so that night at Dylan"s parents when I pulled him off you, I would have hit him if you hadn"t stopped me."
"I"m glad you didn"t, or I"d be visiting you in jail," I say, as I rock back against his erection. "Besides, Jonathan could never hold a candle to you, my love."
"Yeah, the old man wasn"t all that, was he?"
"What you should know is that, when I would lie in bed at night, it was always you I imagined making love to...always you as I pleasured myself. Your face was the face I saw when I came."
"Ava," he moans, rolling to his back and pulling me on top of him. I wrap my hand around him and tease him by sliding him back and forth between my legs before finally sinking down on him.
His back arches with pleasure and he fondles my b.r.e.a.s.t.s as I slowly begin to rock my hips.
"This is happening isn"t it?" he says.
I breathe out a long happy sigh. "Yes, it is. And it"s better than I could"ve dreamed."
Hours later, the light skims over us. We"re a tangle of sheets, limbs, and contentment. I glance at the clock and remember we"re supposed to meet the group for breakfast in a half hour. I sigh and watch his sweet expression before regretfully wiggling out from his embrace and heading to the bathroom. I take a quick shower and get dressed without waking him, but then slide on the bed to feather kisses across his forehead.
"Wake up, sleepyhead."
He opens eyes and pulls me closer. "Hey, where are you going? Get back in bed."
I yank the sheets back. "We"re meeting everyone for breakfast, remember? Mich.e.l.le probably thinks I"ve been kidnapped. They"ll worry if we don"t come."
He rolls his eyes and sits up. "Okay, okay," he grumbles, and swings his legs over the side of the bed. When he stands and walks to the bathroom, I admire his long and lean body. It"s muscular in a solid way, and he has a great a.s.s too.
I"ll have to check it out in more detail.
He stops in the doorway and turns around. "Next shower, you"re joining me." He gives me a hot look before slipping inside.
When we finally walk into the dining room, we"re hand-in-hand, as if it"s the most natural thing in the world, and I tighten my fingers as we locate our friends. Within moments, everyone will see us and the questions will begin. If he doesn"t care, I won"t either.
As we approach the table, a few people look up. Max smiles and pulls my chair out before he slides down next to me.
"What"s up, Max? You look like you"re in a good mood," Dylan asks rather loudly, getting everyone"s attention.
Joe laughs and tips his chair back, as if he"s about to see a show.
Max smiles. "d.a.m.n right. This is the best day of my life."
The entire table falls silent and everyone turns to him.
"The best day of your life?" Dylan asks, as he looks from Max to me.
"Yes, this is the best day of my life because I finally told Ava I"m in love with her, and you know what? She loves me too!" He grins like a schoolboy and kisses me, and I let him...in front of everyone.
Dylan rolls his eyes. "It"s about time."
"Whoa!" Jess exclaims.
"Get a room!" adds Brian.
My cheeks grow hot and Max smiles.
"We have our room," he whispers in my ear and sighs. He lifts my hand and kisses it before he turns back to the table.
Our room, I repeat in my head, not missing the significance of our.
"Where are the menus?" he demands. "I"m starving!"