His grip goes slack as he pants to catch his breath. I use the moment to slide off him. I land on my side, my mouth near his hip. My breathing’s short and staccato as well.
After a while, I say softly, “It’s pretty great, right? The way we are together?”
“It’s exceptional.” His voice is husky and confident.
Exceptional.That makes me smile. Iknowwe’re good together, but I like hearing him admit it. He’s the one with experience.
We lie along each others’ bodies for a long time, lips near hips, my toes tucked into the grooves of his headboard.
“You should tell my dad and your mom the truth.”
“About what?” I scoff with a small laugh.
“This.”
My head turns sharply, surprise jarring me out of my stupor. “What? No way.” I sit up slowly, crossing my arms over my chest and bringing my knees together.
“I don’t mean the details, Ave. I meant you should tell them we’re in a relationship.”
“It’s way too soon to tell anyone anything.”
He sits up and grabs me, pulling me toward the head of the bed. “Sure. Too soon.” The teasing in his voice softens the sarcasm. He twists so I’m half-pinned beneath him.“Over the past couple days, you’ve swallowed a river of my cum.” His hand slides down to my belly and presses, then his head drops so he can suck on my nipple.
I squirm, trying to escape. Though, I don’t really want to.
He raises his head slightly and licks the wet nipple. “When is it time to make it official, baby? When someone catches us with my cock in your mouth in Colorado?”
I’m pretty sure he’s being purposely crude to make it harder for me to argue with him. Shane brings his mouth close to mine, but I turn my head to avoid his kiss.
“Cut it out,” I protest.
“No,” he says, pinning my arms over my head. His green eyes hold mine, then he lowers his face and kisses my neck before he whispers in my ear. “You belong to me. I’ll do what I want to you.” He licks my throat slowly, and, God help me, it feels so sexy and delicious.
“I won’t tell them. You can’t make me.” Sounding childish, even to my own ears, makes me roll my eyes.
“Doesn’t matter.” His unconcerned tone matches his words. “Deep down, they know.”
My body stiffens.No, they don’t.
The flat of his tongue grazes my nipple. “Anyone who sees us together can tell.”
“Not true,” I whisper, trying again to twist free of his grip, this time in earnest.
He pins my arms again easily and exhales a small laugh. “Are you really still so innocent?” His lips brush mine in a kiss that’s more of a caress. “All right, stay a kitten as long as you want.”
“I’m not playing games.” I force some backbone into my voice. “They noticed our new rapport because it’s so unexpected—and shocking, given how big the rift was. But they don’t think we’re togetherlike this.”
A smirk persists as he shakes his head. “I’m telling you, they’ve got their suspicions. To keep it a secret, you’ll have to lie. And liewell. That’s what you want to do?”
“If I need to, yes.”
An edge of dark unrest settles into his expression and his voice. “The innocent virgin princess for as long as possible?”
“I guess. What’s wrong with that? You certainly liked finding out I’m still a virgin. Which is mostly your fault.”
His head is bent over me, but it rises at my last accusation. Shane’s sharp scrutiny makes me uncomfortable.
“I love that you’re a virgin, Avery, but I’m not planning to keep you one. I’ll enjoy your body even more when you’re not, and so will you.”
