Page 57 of Love Out Loud

She raises herself up to grab the back of my neck and pull me down. Her tongue darts out. “Mmm,” she hums. “Sunshine. I could see that.”

Fuck, that’s hot. I growl as I claim her mouth with mine, kissing her until she’s needy and panting and I can barely stand the hardness of my cock straining against my shorts. Lark slips a hand inside them to circle it around me. My forehead drops to the space between her shoulder and neck.

“I know you have condoms around here somewhere,” she teases.

It takes a second for me to register what she’s saying, and as I hop off the bed and run into my room to quickly one. I pause briefly before turning around and grabbing a few more. When I rush back into the room to the sound of her laughter, I have the distinct sense of feeling the same way I remember from my first time with a woman. Needy and giddy and ready.

Lark kneels at the edge of the bed in front of where I’m standing. Her gaze drops to my cock, and she licks her lips. “I need you, Lennon. Please.”

I cup her jaw, soaking in her warmth. “You have me, Lark.” I make quick work of the condom and join her on the bed. She lies beneath me, and I hover over her again as her nails scrape along my back. Shuddering, I line myself up with her. In one thrust, I slide inside. She sucks in a breath, and her nails dig even harder into my back as her eyes flutter closed.

I go still. “Are you okay?”

“Ohmygodyes.” She exhales it all in one, frantic word. “More. I need more.”

“Happily,” I say as I draw out and in again, further this time. Her softness meets my hardness, opening for me, taking me. After a few slow thrusts her breathing picks up, little moans and pleas escaping her with each movement. Her hips meet mine, driving me further in. Her perfect breasts bounce as I work harder, reaching a hand between us to stroke her still-sensitive clit.

She’s even more beautiful in the ambient light of the room than any other time I’ve seen her, her hair mussed and her body writhing. Even in the dimness, I can tell her cheeks are flushed. I draw her bottom lip through my teeth, and she clutches desperately at my back. When she arches into me, I know she’s close, and I’ve never wanted anything more than I want to feel her come on me.

I grit my teeth, trying to hold on just a little longer. “I need you to come again for me,” I whisper into her skin. “I know you can.”

“Mm-hmm,” she grinds out. “I’m so close.”

I increase the pace of the circles I’m making between her legs, and she cries out, the waves of her release clutching me, drawing me in. In two more thrusts, I’m following her.

When we both come to, our breaths slowing and our eyes opening, we find each other. She grins, and I can’t help but answer her smile with one of my own as I pull out of her and flop onto the bed.

“That was…” I trail off, idly scratching my stomach. “Wow.”

“Yeah.” She giggles into her pillow. When she faces me, I kiss her forehead and excuse myself to take care of the condom as quickly as I can.

As I climb underneath the covers again, she’s on her stomach, watching me with her face turned outward and her hands tucked underneath the pillow. I graze my fingers over the soft expanse of her back. “Can I stay here tonight?”

“I’d be sad if you didn’t.” A look of uncertainty crosses over her features as she chews on her bottom lip. “Are we… I mean…”

I remove one of her hands from under her pillow so I can hold it between us. “I’m yours if you want me.”

She watches as our fingers intertwine, the cream of the pillow contrasting our shadowed hands. “I can’t imagine not having you or you not having me.”

“Good.” I kiss her forehead, and she closes her eyes.

It doesn’t take long for her breathing to deepen, but I lie awake for longer, watching her relax into a deep sleep. It’s been a long time since I’ve allowed myself to want anything with the ferocity that I want to keep Lark here with me. Things in my life are rarely permanent, and her presence here is no exception.

Richard was probably right all those years ago. She deserves something stable, especially now that she’s worked so hard to get it and can finally enjoy the fruits of her labor.

But Richard was wrong, too. He tried to keep her tied down. I want her to be free to choose, even if I want her choice to be to stay with me. Maybe I could go to Michigan with her, like she suggested. It would mean feeling landlocked and bored, but at least I’d have her.

We’ll figure it out. She had sounded so full of hope, so sure. Maybe she’s right. Maybe we can. We’ve remained long-distance best friends for almost two decades—surely that’s the hard part, right?

She shifts in her sleep, her leg hooking over mine as she snuggles in close to me. Her contented sigh tickles the hairs on my chest. That’s all it takes to persuade me to worry about this later. For now, she’s here, and I make a silent promise to myself to soak up every minute before we have to figure out what’s next.