MARCH 22
My arm stays linked with his the whole way to the hotel after dinner and drinks. Teddy doesn’t comment on the way I sway slightly when we reach the elevator. I’m tipsy, not wasted or out of control. I’m looser and warmer with my chest full of all the lovey-dovey feelings I’ve been holding back.
We walk down the hallway in silence, save for the sound of our boots and the keycard clicking when I let us into the room. It’s dim inside, the faint yellow glow from the bedside lamp I left on earlier reflecting in the space. Our bags are where we left them when I brought mine over before dinner. My medals catch the light as I shrug out of my coat and set it on the coat stand near the entrance.
Teddy closes the door behind us and I turn toward him, heart pounding. He’s still wearing his sunglasses and I ache to see those gorgeous eyes again. I gently touch his hand, dragging my fingers over his knuckles and he lets out a shaky breath when our palms meet.
“I don’t want to wait to have you,” I tell him.
“Ivy—”
“I’ve had only a few drinks,” I point out quickly, reading the tension in his posture. “It doesn’t change how much I want you.”
He lifts my hand and kisses the center of my palm. “You deserve better than something rushed because we’re caught in the high of tonight.”
“This isn’t about tonight or the champagne I drank. This is about you and me.” I move closer, hands finding his chest. “I need to feel you against me.”
He groans, the sound filled with regret. “I don’t have any condoms.”
“I’m still on the shot and haven’t been with anyone else as we’re together.”
“Then let me touch you everywhere you’ve been aching for me.”
The second the words leave his mouth, I’m on him, kissing him hard enough to make my pulse skyrocket. He responds instantly, his mouth moving against mine like he’s been starving for this. His hands slide up my sides, guiding me closer, sending heat curling low in my belly.
He reaches for the hem of my top and lifts the fabric over my head, tossing it aside before his hands move to slip off his sunglasses. My breath catches at the sight of his eyes—those stormy blue-green swirls I’ve missed so damn much.
“Damn,” I murmur, unable to hold it back. “You’re more than I ever thought I could have.”
His throat works on a swallow, and I swear he’s blushing undermy praise. “You’ll never know what it does to me, hearing those words from you.”
The room is warm, but I shiver in anticipation. My hands graze his chest, tracing the lean muscle beneath the healed skin; there’s no more bruising or cuts. His body is familiar and new all at once. I strip down and he takes every piece of clothing off.
Then his hands are everywhere—they skim my sides, spread over my back, and tease down the curve of my backside. His mouth trails kisses across my collarbone and lower, his wicked tongue making me moan. When he licks a path over one pierced nipple, my knees nearly buckle. He steadies me with strong arms, groaning as though the taste of me is everything he’s been starving for.
“You still okay?” he asks, voice rough with restraint.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
“Then get on the bed for me. Lie back and spread wide,” he orders low.
I do as he says. He grabs a travel-sized lube from the nightstand, slicking his fingers before sliding two inside me. I gasp at the sudden fullness, rocking against his hand as he works me open. His thumb teases across my clit, deliberate strokes that make my thighs quiver. The tension winds tight inside my belly.
The overwhelming sensations stack higher and higher until I can barely think. My skin is on fire, my pulse hammering in my ears. I feel myself teetering on the edge, suspended between unbearable pleasure and the desperate need.
Then he presses just a little harder and everything unravels at once. My back arches off the mattress as a strangled cry tearsfree from my lips. Every nerve feels molten, my body pulses around his digits as heat surges through me in bursts. I ride out the release until I collapse back against the sheets, shivering through the aftershocks.
Coming down from the high, I sit up and reach forward. Wrapping my fingers around him, I glide them over his hardened length. His breath catches every time I run my thumb over the sensitive pierced head glistening with precum. The slick metal drags deliciously against my palm with every stroke. I watch his chest rise and fall faster, each breath a plea for more. He’s leaking steadily now, slick and hot in my palm, and I love how responsive he is.
“On your back,Theodore.”
He obeys instantly, his chest rising fast as he lays down. My hands trail over the toned muscles of his stomach, and I stroke his cock again. I climb over him, his hands gripping my thighs. The unrestrained hunger between us crackles in the air.
Straddling him, I take his hard length in my hand before guiding the thick, pierced head to my entrance. My thighs quake with anticipation as I sink down, inch by inch, until I can’t take more of him. The stretch makes my toes curl. As I rock my hips, his mouth drops open and a guttural groan comes out. His fingers dig into my hips hard enough to leave marks, but I welcome the dull pain.
“Ivy,” he breathes, my name a prayer on his lips.
I ride him slowly at first, then faster. Teddy thrusts up to meet me, his piercing dragging inside me again and again until I’m crying out with every stroke. The sound of our bodies colliding fills the room, raw and desperate, like neither of us can get enough. He’s so deep, and the sensation is borderline unbearable in the best possible way.
