Page 50 of Last Light

“I can help you feel more in control without—”

“But I want to do this. Why shouldn’t I? Why shouldn’t we?”

His eyes are wide and still searching my face. “With me?”

“Yes. With you. I like you. I like how you look. And I want to do this.” I take a loud, shaky breath. “Do you... do you like how I look?”

He’s so tense he’s almost shaking too. “You know I do.”

“And it seemed like... you might want... twice now...”

“It’s been more’n twice.” His eyes drop down like mine were earlier.

I’m hit with the memory of hearing him jerk off in the bathroom of that house. The way I slipped my own hand beneath my panties to rub. My whole body flushes with heat, all of it centered between my legs.

When I can make my throat work, I say, “Okay. So. We both want to. Why shouldn’t we? Why do we always have to... have to work and suffer and hurt and fight? Why can’t we... why can’t we have something good?”

He’s staring at me now, and I see the tension on his face. He’s tempted. He’s deciding. He wants this like I do.

It gives me courage enough to stand up. “Please, Travis. I want to. You wouldn’t be taking advantage of me. I want to make my own decisions about things, and this is my choice. So... so do you want to?”

The question hangs in the air for a long moment.

Then something flickers on his face as he murmurs, “Yeah.”

I inhale and let it out. I shift so I’m facing him as he’s sitting on the foot of the bed. “Is now okay with you?”

“Y-yeah. Now is good.” His cheeks are flushed slightly, and his back is stiff. His eyes never leave me as I take a step closer to him.

I’m not exactly sure what to do, but his steady gaze is doing something wild to my insides. I lean over to carefully take off my leggings, and then I’m standing in front of him in just my tank and white cotton panties.

His gaze moves up and down quickly and then returns to my chest. Then my groin. I see a flash of heat in his eyes, and it reassures me.

He does want this. He’s just cautious. Worried about overstepping lines.

But he does want this.

And I do too.

I take a step even closer until his knees brush against my legs. His head is at the level of my neck.

He reaches out and gently touches my sides. I feel his hands through the fabric of my top. He slides them up slowly until he’s nudging the underside of my breasts. Both of us stare at his hands as his fingers move up to delicately tweak my nipples, which are jutting out against the worn cotton.

I gasp at the tug of sensation.

His eyes shoot up to my face. “You sure ’bout this?”

“Yes. I’m sure. Please. Touch me. I want to feel something... good.”

He takes the bottom of my top in both hands and pulls it off over my head. My breasts bounce free, and Travis makes a strange sound in his throat as he stares at them.

He reaches for my breasts again, this time nothing between his callused skin and mine.

I shift from foot to foot, that coil of heat between my legs intensifying.

He explores my body like this for a long time. Touching me softly, carefully. My breasts. My stomach. My arms. When his hands finally return to my chest, he rolls my nipples beneath his thumbs, and I arch my back into them with a gasp.

My knees are getting shaky. I hold on to his shoulders for support.

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