He pulled away for a moment, spreading lube over the vibrator before turning back to her.
“Oh God. Josh. I…” She forgot what she wanted to say as he guided the vibrator inside her, just to her entrance, and licked her clit once more.
His free hand came up to pluck her nipple, and she gasped. He was everywhere. His lips and tongue teased and circled, his fingers tugged and tortured, and the deep, powerful vibrations spread through her in heated waves.
“Are you ready, Ellie?” His mouth moved over her clit. “Can you take more?”
She lifted her hips, pushing closer, and he chuckled, sliding the vibrator deeper even as he returned his attention to her clit, tonguing her in tight circles. She was sweating now, the pleasure shuddering through her. All the blood in her body pooled in the places where he was touching her. Her hips pushed forward, taking more, every part of her rushing toward him, toward the paradise he offered. She whimpered, reaching for it.
“Ellie. God. That whimper. I’ve been dreaming of it. I’ve been needing it.” His lips closed around her clit, and he sucked. She shattered once more, keening as her body shuddered through the most intense orgasm she’d ever had.
Josh crawled forward to hold himself on his elbows over her. His bare chest pressed against hers, a comforting weight, and his skin smelled of heat and salt. “More?” he asked.
She lifted her head to kiss him, tasting herself, musky and sweet, before agreeing. “More. I want you inside me now.” She pointed to her bedside table. “Condoms are in there.”
He rolled off her to strip out of his jeans and then pulled out the sealed box, ripping off the plastic and pulling out a condom. He tore open the wrapper and rolled it on before crawling over her again. His heavy cock settled between her thighs, nudging at her entrance. “How are your ribs?” he asked, voice rough.
The ache had faded far into the background. “Fine.” She cupped his face with her hand, wrapped her legs around his hips, and dragged him closer. “Thank you.”
“Good.” He bit his lip, brow furrowed as he concentrated. And slid into her so steadily, so smoothly, that she could feel every inch of him joining her in one long, lush penetration. Their breaths heaved together, bodies slowly merging until eventually he was fully seated inside her. And even then he held himself tightly controlled, letting her get used to his length. Letting the need to move build.
Ellie was still tingling with the power of the orgasms she’d had, her body floating and languid, but the strength of his body over hers, the way he filled her, brought her back. She raised her head to lick his tortured lip. To tease and soothe it. The movement settled her body even closer to his, and she reveled in the connection.
Josh began to move, a sensuous retreat followed by an intoxicating return. She was soft and flushed and molten, awashin a sea of pleasure. He lifted his head to watch her, his eyes on hers, and she couldn’t look away, couldn’t break that primal connection. He saw her. And she saw him.
And then he pressed his pubic bone against her clit, and her pleasure started to spiral upward once more. Her body tightened, clasping around his, and she moaned, lifting her hips, trying to drive him even deeper.
“You’re so beautiful when you come, Ellie. I want to see it again.” Josh’s voice was hoarse, the skin on his back hot and sweat-slick as she smoothed her hands over him, needing to hold him. “You look like a forbidden feast. For me to lick and taste and devour.” He dipped his face into her neck and thrust harder, deeper, grinding against her clit with every motion, somehow finding that swollen, aching place inside her.
Her hands slid into his hair, holding him against her neck as she arched her back, hunger building once more. He circled his hips, sparking new currents through her feverish nerves. “And you sound… God. You sound like an erotic fantasy. You sound like I dreamed you.”
His pace picked up, and she met him thrust for thrust. His teeth were on her throat, his body locked with hers. He dragged his free hand along her arm to find her hand and thread his fingers through hers, and she gripped it tightly, clinging to him as he drove into her, as he took her all the way to the top.
“Are you going to come for me, Ellie? One more time? Are you going to take us over the edge?”
“Yes.” She panted the word. “I am.” She tightened her inner muscles, holding him deep inside her. He ground against her clit as she arched into him, his breath hot on her neck as he whispered her name, and she flew.
Incandescent pleasure flowed over her in wave after wave as she clung to him. He lost his steady rhythm to desperate thrusts, finding his own peak and exploding through it.
And then he collapsed over her as they both shuddered, holding each other through the aftershocks as they slowly found their breath and returned to earth once more.
He shifted to her side, pulling her with him, pressing soft kisses to her cheek and hair. And she held him long after, turning to rest her head against his chest where she could hear his heart beating. Taking her chance to trace the lines of ink up his arm, following the story they told. They were trees, she could see them now. A dense, impenetrable forest.
Perhaps it would be wiser to let him go. To stay clear of the forbidden woods and the dangers they held. To keep emotions out, as she’d promised.
But she didn’t. Shecouldn’t. Whatever hurt came later as a consequence, she’d take it.
Chapter Fifteen
Josh tightenedhis arm over Ellie’s shoulder where she lay cuddled up against his side. Their bodies were naked under the covers, heated skin pressed against heated skin.
She unlocked him. Her kiss had given him back his name. Sinking into her body… God. It had given him so much more.
His memories—his life—were closer than ever. He could feel the shape of them, almost in reach. He could recall individual moments. Raising a pint glass to his lips in a familiar pub. A heron taking flight over a canal as he hurried to class. Serving breakfast for a younger boy, helping him with his homework. He remembered the moment he’d cut his lip: flicking a skateboard up through the air, intending to catch it and impress a girl he liked. But he’d misjudged and slammed it into his face instead. His teenage friends thought it was hilarious. And the girl… He reached for the memory and found only fog.
He didn’t know what she’d thought. Or who she was. Or if he’d ever even seen her again. He didn’t know who the boy was, only that he was important. Or where his home was. He had images and flashes, but the complete picture was still missing.
Outside Ellie’s house, a pair of tawny owls called to each other, their soft hooting a haunting melody drifting in throughthe open window. Goose bumps rose along his arms; his body heat was slowly fading. He pulled Ellie in a little closer, sharing her warmth, the comfort she offered so freely.
