I nod, happy he remembers. There is one other night, the last night we saw each other, but I don’t think either of us is actually ready to walk down that memory lane. “Yeah, you packed apples, crackers, and soda. It was sweet, not really a picnic, but still sweet.”
“We have a lot of good memories from back then,” he whispers.
“Yeah, we do,” I say. Getting him to open up has been such a challenge. I need to reverse this before he starts closing in on himself. “What’s your favorite memory?”
Subtle, Avalee. Subtle.
He laughs, tilting his head to the side, and scratches his cheek. “I think it’s a tie for favorite,” he says. “But one of them is definitely the first time I saw you with that pouty lip and gave you an ice cream. Do you remember that?”
I scan my memory, and sure enough, I remember being the only kid without an ice cream, and Ruin actually split his with me. Some of the other kids had teased me about my predicament, and here was this sweet, blue-gray–eyed boy holding out a wrapped ice cream for me. That was probably the start of my lifelong crush on Ruin Lautner, but I would have to say that all of the in-between is what solidified it for me. “You brought me an ice cream and were so nice to me. I was being teased for my hair and my looks, and then for not having ice cream like the rest of the kids.”
He nods. “I remember, because I had a friendly little chat with R.J. Tomlin about treating others the way you wish to be treated.”
“And how did that go?”
“Not awful, but not great,” he says.
“Geez, how many times have you put yourself on the line for me?” I ask.
He turns those storm-cloud eyes on me. “Not enough.”
We finish our food and start a movie we both have been wanting to see. But after he hits play, all I can do is think about him and what the night might still have in store for us.
“Ruin,” I say.
“Yeah?”
“I think I’d like to share those ideas with you that I was talking about the other day,” I say, placing a hand on his thigh. He glances at my hand and then my eyes. His smile turns devilish, and he tilts my chin to kiss me gently. The kiss deepens, and he leans me back on the couch, my legs straddling his waist.
He stops and plants his hands on either side of my head. “Are you sure, Avalee? If you are not one-hundred-percent, completely sure about this, we can wait. There’s no rush. I’m not going anywhere.”
His reassurance only reminds me of the night we almost went all the way. We had set out a blanket and snuggled for what seemed like hours—talking about everything from the random bits of information I had stored to the New Year’s ball. But this isn’t that night, and there is no one to interrupt us like that time.
In response to his question, I pull his face toward mine and kiss him. My hands find their way to his back, and I pull more than just his face down on top of me. His lips move off my mouth and across my cheek to my neck, sending sweet chills down into my fingertips and core. Slowly, he pulls down one shoulder of my dress and kisses the bare flesh he reveals.
I shudder, gooseflesh breaking out across my neck, and push myself as tight against him as possible. He reaches his hand up and under my dress, discovering my lacy underwear and nothing else. With his thumb, he finds my clitoris under the lace garment and begins making a slow circle around the sensitive flesh.
I stifle a moan, tilting my head back into the couch cushions while arching my back and hips to meet him. Waves of pleasure crash over me as he continues that steady, circular beat.
After he is clearly satisfied with turning me into buttery mush, Ruin pulls his shirt over his head and then steps out of his pants. His erection presses hard against his underwear, and I squirm, longing to know what he feels like inside me. He resumes his place between my legs, and lost in a wave of ecstasy, I run my hands over his smooth, muscular chest and back, planting kisses as I go.
“Avalee,” he moans into my ear, then takes my mouth with his own again. After the connection of our lips is severed, I reach down to hook a finger in the side of my underwear, but Ruin takes point. He tugs at the lacy fabric, sliding it down my thighs, over my knees, and without even looking, he tosses it to the side. I glance at him, and one last time, he asks me if I am ready, to which I nod softly, pleading. Ruin kisses me and slides down so that his face is between my legs. I peek at him through slitted eyes and am greeted by the most amazing sensation as he runs his tongue over my most sensitive places. The need to be free of this dress and to feel his skin against mine sends me scrambling for the zipper on the side.
Ruin reaches up and halts my frantic hands, still turning me to jelly with his tongue and lips. I stop trying to unzip my dress and lie back, savoring the waves. He tests a finger, slowly inserting it, and then another, which is almost more than I can stand. I release a breath I’ve been holding and cover my eyes with my arms. He goes back and forth, switching between hand and mouth, until my core tightens and my breath quickens. My pulse races ahead, and my knees liquefy at his sides. The orgasm washes over and through me, and I groan as my toes curl against the fabric of the couch. A pulsing heat wave explodes within me, and I claw at the couch for anything to keep myself tethered to right here and now.
This is new. Is this what I’ve been missing?I shudder, my legs falling to the sides as the little tingles and ripples begin to ebb. It is somewhat embarrassing just how little I know about sexual pleasure, but given my background, I guess it is to be expected. Ruin is being so gentle and caring, but now I just want more of him.
Chasing a trail of kisses up my tummy and over to my side, he takes the zipper of my dress and slowly pulls it down. Standing, he bends down and scoops me up into his arms. I wrap my own around his neck and nestle my head against his warm cheek, still out of breath from the magic he just worked. He carts me through the living room to a door leading into the master bedroom. I haven’t even had a proper tour of the place, but I couldn’t care less. I want more of that magic from the couch. I want all of him.
He lays me on the bed and strips down to nothing then slides open a drawer by the bed to pull out a shiny little square, tearing it open with his teeth. I bite my bottom lip and prop myself up on my elbow to get a good, full look at him. He’s even larger than I had imagined, and my eyes slide up the length of him.
His muscles ripple as he climbs onto the bed, and I nervously trace the lines and swoops of the ink covering his arms and chest.
I close my eyes as he brings his lips to mine and kisses me so softly. Slowly, he positions himself, and with one easy motion, he’s inside me. I gasp, my eyes fluttering open. Pain and pleasure collide as he pushes himself all the way and waits, his gray eyes full of lust and care. After giving me a moment to adjust to the pressure of taking him fully, he pulls his hips back and thrusts again. I moan, arching my neck and back.
Ruin plants soft kisses on my neck and chin, and I meet his lips with my own, hungry for every inch of him. He kisses me so deep, I’m breathless. My hips rise to meet his thrusts, and that same growing, quivering wave begins again. With each thrust of his hips, I lose myself in the rhythm. He cups one of my breasts and brings his warm mouth down to lick and suck at my hard nipple, the sensations almost too much to bear. As his pace quickens, I lock my legs around his waist, squeezing him closer.
This time, the pulsing in my core is more pronounced than before. I grip the sheets, the pillow, my other hand leaves his back to brace against the headboard, and my legs shoot up and out to the sides. I cry out, the pleasure reaching a crescendo I couldn’t have fathomed, and I tremble as he thrusts harder now. Growing even larger, he groans and presses himself deep inside me. I dig my heels into the bed for support, and his body quakes.
