He pushes my panties to the side and plants an open-mouth kiss there. Holy Toledo, the sensation is like nothing else. Jase’s warm, wet mouth sends my hips shooting off of the mattress. His tongue slides against me again, and I come undone, bunching the comforter in my fists and calling out his name. The pressure intensifies and then waves of pleasure crash through me. The feeling is more than I ever expected. I will need to do that again. Often.
Jase holds me after, and continues lightly stroking his fingertips down the length of my bare arms as aftershocks make my muscles tremble. My emotions tangle inside me. I feel pure bliss in this moment, happy and safe with him. Then I’m struck by a wave of guilt, because as nice as all this, I know it’s been built on a lie.
A few seconds later, Jase returns to kissing me, his hips pressing insistently into mine. His entire body is hard and ready. I run a hand through his hair, like I’ve wanted to do since the first night I saw him. Dropping one more light kiss against my mouth, Jase leans back just slightly to watch me. My breathing is finally returning to normal, though my heart is still pounding.
“That feel good, babe?” he asks.
“Amazing. Thank you.”
His smile grows. He’s clearly proud of himself over my loud and very unladylike orgasm. “Anytime.”
“I’m sorry I can’t…return the favor.”
“It’s okay,” his voice is thick. “That’s not why I did it. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“It’s not that…it’s just, I’ll gag.”
“Hmm.” He stokes my cheek. “We’ll work up to it.”
“Is it really that important?”
“It’s kind of my favorite.” His lips curve in a soft smile.
Oh brother…
Chapter 18
Jase
I offer Avery one of my T-shirts, and she quietly slips it on over her head, then curls against my pillow in an unspoken agreement that she’s staying the night. Seeing her lying in my bed, swallowed up in my shirt is the best sight ever. Knowing she’s sleeping in my arms tonight, that she’s sharing parts of herself with me despite her fears, does heady things to my protective instincts. I still wish I knew what was going on inside that pretty head of hers, but I know we’ll get there. Tonight was a big step forward. And I won’t soon forget the way she tastes, the sultry sound of her raspy gasps calling my name. Fuck, that was hot.
I turn off the light and join her in the bed, spooning up against her back so I can fold her into my arms. Her hair smells like strawberries and I lean in to kiss the back of her neck. “Just rest. Everything’s going to be okay,” I mumble against her skin.
She lets out a soft sigh and relaxes against me.
I don’t know what set her off tonight, but I’m happy that she came to me for comfort. I’ll never forget the feeling of panic when I heard that whistle cut through the party. I didn’t even realize she carried it with her; I’d sort of gotten it as a joke. But part of me loved knowing she kept it with her, and used it to call me when she needed me.
In the morning, we sleep late, and grab coffee and muffins on campus before I drive her to her dorm. I wouldn’t mind spending the day with her just lounging in my bed, but she says she has homework, so I reluctantly let her go.
At the curb outside her building, I hold her tightly to my chest and kiss her.
“Thanks for everything last night,” she says, blinking up at me.
“Anytime.” I kiss her once more and let her go. “Better go write that journaling assignment on orgasms now…” I grin.
She takes a step away and stumbles on the sidewalk, but I catch her elbow before she goes down. Heat blossoms in her cheeks and she shoots me a glare.
“Call me later, babe.”
She nods once, then flees into her dorm.
Chapter 19
Jase
I clean my room twice, even maneuvering the clunky vacuum up three flights of stairs, because I can’t remember the last time I actually used it, which means I’m probably due.
By the time I’m done, there are vacuum lines on the rug beside my bed, and the room smells like citrus furniture polish.
I can’t ever remember feeling this way about a girl before – it’s kind of intense. Avery and I are opposites in every way, yet still I love being around her. But maybe that’s why we work well together – I’m outgoing and she’s closed off; I’ve lived and taken chances where she’s been guarded; I pull her out of her shell and she keeps me sane. She gets my sense of humor; she hit it off with my mom, and last night… Fuck. Last night is in a category all its own. Watching her come undone like that. Shit, that was hot. Tasting her, hearing her breathy moans, I’m half hard just thinking about it. Avery arouses so many emotions in me. I want to protect her, make her smile, and take care of her every need.
It’s a far cry from how I ever was with Stacia. I hate to say it, but I put myself before her needs pretty much every time. With Avery, putting her first is what I want. It’s weird.
I finish cleaning my room, lug the vacuum cleaner back downstairs and stash it in a closet that contains a half-inflated blow up doll and a collection of sports equipment. Then I jump in the shower. I want to be fresh for Avery. I even shave and take a little time on manscaping, making sure things are presentable in case she wants to venture south. It’s probably hopeful thinking on my part. But I want it to be her idea to go there. And I pray that she does, because as awesome as last night was, it was f**king hard. Literally. I barely constrained the urge to go jerk off while she was getting ready for bed. But I won’t pressure her. Clearly this is all new for her, and even though I don’t know much about her past yet, I know her jackass ex-boyfriend did something to make her cautious.