Page 42 of Wildflower and Whiskey
“It isn’t enough,” I said as I flattened my tongue on her bundle of nerves. Her cries broke free, despite her attempt to muffle them against her arm.
“Come for me,” I murmured, flicking her faster. “You’re so swollen and wet for me, Elyna.”
“Yes,” she cried out.
“This is my pussy, Elyna.”
“Yes,” she repeated.
“Yours, Phoenix.”
She shattered, crying out my name, her whole body tensing and then breaking apart in waves. I held on, drinking her down, until she finally sagged against the futon, boneless.
I reached down to where my jeans lay on the floor and grabbed a condom. I didn’t take my eyes off her as I sheathed my cock. Then I slid up her body and thrust inside her in onesmooth, claiming stroke. Her sharp gasp tore through the loft. I was hungry for her, hungry to bury my cock deep inside her.
“Yes,” she moaned, wrapping her legs tight around me. “Don’t stop.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” I ground out, my hips snapping forward, finding a rhythm that had both of us panting. I caught her wrists and pinned them above her head, my weight holding her in place, forcing her to take every deep thrust. She met me eagerly, moaning my name over and over, her walls gripping me so tight I thought I might lose it.
I bent low, nipping at her jaw, whispering, “You’re mine, Elyna. Always wanted you like this.”
Her eyes found mine, glassy and wild. “Then take me. Don’t hold back.”
That was all I needed. I drove harder, faster, until she was writhing beneath me, crying out as another climax ripped through her. The sound of her falling apart under me pushed me over the edge. With a hoarse groan, I spilled into her, holding her as tight as I could, burying myself deep as the world went white around us.
We stayed like that for a long moment, our bodies locked, sweat slicking our skin, the air thick with the scent of sex and apples still lingering from the crumble on the counter. Finally, I eased down beside her, dragging her with me so she lay sprawled across my chest.
Our hearts thundered in sync. Neither of us spoke. We didn’t need to.
For the first time in forever, collapsing together didn’t feel like an ending. It felt like the beginning of something we’d both been running from for years.
CHAPTER 22
Elyna
The first thing I noticed was the weight. A steady, grounding warmth pinning me against the futon cushions. My body ached in the best way possible, but my mind fought to catch up, sifting through the haze of last night. Phoenix was sound asleep beside me and my breath hitched. His arm was draped heavy across my waist, his chest pressed against my back, his slow even breaths tickling the crown of my hair. We’d fallen asleep tangled up together. For a moment, I just lay here. Listening. Feeling. Letting myself believe this was something normal. That I was the kind of woman who woke up in the arms of a man who wanted her, instead of the girl who made one bad decision after another. I tilted my head slightly. His plaid shirt was balled up on the floor near the coffee table, my sweatshirt half hanging off the futon.
I should’ve panicked. I should’ve slipped out from under his arm, straightened up, reminded myself this was reckless. But instead, my chest swelled with something I hadn’t felt in years, safety. That was followed by a sense of guilt because, did I have the right to feel safe? I’d known Phoenix almost my whole life.Stable, responsible Phoenix. But could he be all those things to me?
Braden stirred, pulling me from my thoughts. It was faint at first, just the rustle of sheets from his playpen that was inside the bedroom. A whimper, then another. I froze, instinct tugging me to go, to pick him up before the cries grew. But Phoenix shifted behind me.
“You want me to get him?” he murmured, voice deep and gravelly with sleep.
The words hit me harder than they should have. No one had ever offered that before. No one had even thought to. Since Braden was born I had done everything. Even when Riley came around for visits, he didn’t offer to feed him or change a diaper. It was obvious it would be me doing all those things. I turned my head, catching his dark eyes blinking open. Soft. Unarmored.
“You don’t have to. . .” The words caught in my throat.
“I want to,” he said and I stared into his eyes, seeing nothing but sincerity there. Before I could respond, he was up. Barefoot he slipped on his jeans, which slung low on his hips. I watched the muscles in his broad back as he went into the bedroom. I think I was in shock. That’s why I was frozen in my spot. Braden’s cries quieted.
“Hey, buddy,” Phoenix said softly, lifting him like it wasn’t the first time. His big hands dwarfed Braden’s little body, but he held him steady, gently. “Rough night? Yeah, me too.”
The sight made my throat ache. Watching Phoenix with my son, so natural, so unhesitating, was a sucker punch straight to the heart. Because it was everything I wanted and everything I was terrified of.
Braden patted his cheek, gurgling happily, and Phoenix smiled. Really smiled. That rare, full thing that transformed his whole face. He carried Braden over and sat on the futon besideme, settling the baby in my arms but keeping one hand on his back.
“He’s perfect,” Phoenix said simply.
“Y-you don’t have to say that,” I mumbled still stunned.
