Page 71 of Rivals
He rips his mouth away from mine and pants against my skin. Then he switches positions and leans back against the couch, bringing me onto his lap. He licks around my nipple before biting down on the bud, and I swivel my hips against him. “Come on, baby,” he grunts, looking up at me. He raises his hips again, braces himself on the edge of the couch, and lifts us up.
“Lachlan,” I cry. He drives into me like he’s trying to get me to understand, to see what he is wholly convinced of. I lean over and try to leverage my feet on the floor as our bodies work together, building closer and closer to that edge. I’m almost there. Then he picks me up and takes us to his bed, forcing the tension to drop to a simmer.
He lays us gently on the bed and continues his disruption of everything I’ve thought about myself. My eyes close as I let my heart feel every bit of what he gives me, and in our collective destruction, we begin rebuilding together.
“Eyes, Revna” he grunts. My eyes spring back open, watching him move rhythmically above me. My heart pangs, and I know this will never be temporary. Lachlan will be a part of me whether I stay or go. Whether he abandons me or not. He sees me as I am and only wants more. There is no stopping it, not anymore. But I don’t know that there ever was because it may have been inevitable the first time I laid eyes on him so many years ago.
His hand sneaks between my legs, and he rubs against me, and I go off, biting his shoulder and digging my nails into his skin. He groans at the pain, but it urges him on. “That’s it, Revna,” he says, encouraging me. I float into the ocean of stars and let go, and then he slows, edging me to the brink of insanity.
My eyes open, and I lift my head. “Why did you stop?” I ask him, out of breath. He’s staring at me with an expression that I can’t place. I don’t have a name for it. I wouldn’t say it out loud or in my head if I did. “You are so beautiful when you just let go.” He thrusts into me, and I feel every inch of it. Our skin pressed against each other feels like pulses of lightning thrumming, and it keeps jump-starting my heart.
He picks up his pace again, and I dig my nails deeper into his skin. “One more, baby. One more. Let me see that beauty again.” His brows are furrowed in concentration as he drives into me. I feel it so profoundly I cry out from the pleasure and the emotions he rips from me.
“Yes, Lach,” I moan. I can feel him bringing me to the edge again, but I want him to go with me. I lock my ankles at the base of his spine and push up. He groans and kisses me again. We pant in between our kisses, and we've almost reached the peak.
“Baby, I —”
I kiss him again to stop him. “I know. Let go, Lachlan.”
So, he does.
He shoves me forward, and we fall over the ledge together. We chase the pleasure, but we both know it’s much more than that. I see it. I cry out as he grabs his headboard for stability while he shouts my name. He takes deep breaths, bringing us down slowly. Every muscle in my body has turned to jelly.
Lachlan stays still, his hand still on the headboard as he looks down at me with a longing in his eyes. Needing to touch him, I run my hand through his messy hair. He closes his eyes as I scratch his scalp, and he leans forward, kissing my nose and each of my cheeks, leaving one last kiss on my lips.
I fall asleep soon after, but right before the sandman takes me, I feel Lachlan’s arms cradle me tightly against his broad chest, like he’s afraid I will fly away from him. This is the kind of dark I could live in.
Chapter 45
Lachlan
Sheleftforworkthis morning extra early because she had to go to her place for her uniform. She wouldn’t tell me what was going on, yet again. I thought maybe if we could talk about everything else, it would eventually come out, but it didn’t. We ended up tearing into each other for mutually beneficial reasons.
I’m a sucker when it comes to her, and I know it. Those lips, the way her eyes stare at me like I have something to give to the world. Well, they are hard to resist. She has been since day one and is even more so now.
I take a deep breath and look at my calendar, trying to force the anger away. I know I’m starting to reach my limit. She said we were all entitled to our secrets, which is true, but hers seem to continue to hurt her instead of letting them be something you carry with you. Hers are going to kill her, and I can’t stand here and let that happen. But I don’t know what else to do.
***
I haven’t seen her for another two weeks, and she doesn’t answer my calls or texts. I even called the diner again, and Betty said she didn’t want to speak to me. I don’t know how to take that. Is she quitting on me? Is she trying to tell me something she doesn’t have words to say? She is avoiding me. That much is obvious.
I tried going to her place last time to bribe her with food and general conversation. But that didn’t work, either. I thought maybe it would come out after we had sex. I thought she might feel the way my heart only opens for her. The look in her eyes told me she did. Yet, her mouth still stayed closed.
We are at the end of the month. If she hasn’t made her portion of what we needed, then it will be time to pay the piper. Maybe then I can get some answers.
Lachlan: meet me at school tonight at 8
I’m about to go over to the school now. We may have graduated, but I befriended a few professors, and they still let me in to use the wheels and kilns.
Revna: why
Lachlan: because I want to, and I want you to come with me
Revna: I’m sure you do
Lachlan: come to school at 8
Lachlan: …you know you want to
