The trail of hair was one of my favorite parts of Crescent’s body. I grabbed the waistband of his pajamas, looking up at him for permission. I didn’t dare move until he nodded enthusiastically. Crescent looking down at me like that?Powerful.So fucking powerful in an entirely different way than I’d ever imagined.
Being the one to appreciate him like this was so fulfilling, I didn’t think anything else could ever top it. I pulled his pants down, letting him kick them off before settling right between his legs.
I worshipped his cock through his briefs, suckling on the tip, stroking him through the fabric, running my hands up and down his thighs.
A bright, colorful horizon after a stormy day. Birds of every color, chirping from their perches. Thousands of swirls of every color I could possibly think of. They all exploded before me, falling in the form of petals and feathers and everything that made usus.
The first press of his cock on my tongue without fabric between us was heavenly. Perfect. Crescent’s hands found their place on my head, not pushing or grabbing, just resting there as he tried his hardest to stay quiet. His head was against the pillows, writhing in time with the rest of his body.
I sucked him into my mouth, swirling my tongue around him, groaning as small drops of precum dribbled onto my taste buds. Was it odd to say he tasted like my future? Because he did.
Crescent Miller was everything I’d ever needed, even if I hadn’t known it before.
Pulling my mouth off his dick, I stroked him as I sucked on one of his balls. His thighs tightened, and so did his grip on my head. “El, baby. Oh, fuck.” He was trying so hard to whisper, but he was failing so far.
I looked up at him, surprised to see him looking at me too. We didn’t take our eyes off each other, even as I sucked his cock back into my mouth, deeper this time. I watched his face scrunch, his eyebrows pulling down as he bit his lip through every moan.
His hips were thrusting languidly, sliding him against my tongue at the pace he decided on. I didn’t dare look away, letting him feel what I was feeling through my eyes. Letting him see just how much I adored him. How much I cared about him.
After years of heartless love and loveless sex, I finally knew what I’d been missing out on. Unconditional, limitless, genuine connection through the soul.
I think I loved Crescent before I ever knew what love was.
My hips thrust against the mattress as I moaned against his dick, my eyes falling shut. I couldn’t stop myself. Not with so many things in my body happening at the same time.
“I’m gonna come. Oh, fuck, baby, I’m gonna come.” Crescent’s voice was almost squeaky, rising higher in pitch with each word.
I hummed against him, sucking him deep, letting him hit the back of my tongue and throat. I wanted it. I needed it. He let out a long, deep groan, his hips thrusting a final time as cum started to spurt against the back of my throat. I swallowed around him, drinking as much of it as I could before it threatened to dribble out of my mouth.
My entire body tensed, the muscles in my thighs tightening as I drove myself into the mattress. Within seconds, all the tension was released, and I was gyrating against whatever was below me. My eyes were squeezed shut so tightly, I began to see colors from all the different paintings I’d done in my life.
“Holy fuck, El. Did you just?—”
“Oh yeah.” I was panting, my lungs seizing for breath. “Sure did, Cres. Sure fucking did.”
“Holy fuck. Holy fuck.”
“You could say that again.”
For the first time in my life, I was truly, genuinely complete. No matter how scary, sad, or heartbreaking the past was, I had him with me for the future. A future with a whole lot of new memories and a whole lot of kissing.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Nine Years Ago
The blank canvas frightened me.Just another piece of myself I’d dared to leave behind. I’d lost it already, though. My creativity and joy for the landscapes, birds, and gorgeous flowers I’d usually paint. I stared at the pristine, white square sitting atop the easel, waiting to be something else. Something new and vibrant. But my hands wouldn’t work like that anymore. I just knew it. I’d lost it, and soon I’d lose everything else too.
A soft knock sounded at my door. I didn’t have it in me to smile like I normally would, even as I opened the door to see Crescent standing on the other side.
His lips turned down into a frown immediately. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shrugged, moving aside to let him in. I sat on the edgeof my bed, waiting until he was in my desk chair. “Nothing much.”
“Are you and Jude fighting?”
I huffed a humorless laugh, looking up at him. “That obvious?”
“Yeah, kinda. What’s going on?”
