spoke. “And I can tell he adores you, sis. Do . . . do you feel the same?”
“I . . . I might.” Suddenly I wanted to see Bennett right that instant. To show him how much I
craved his company. How much I cared. Maybe even reveal what was deeply hidden— my longing, my
doubts, how his nearness was overpowering because it filled up the hollow places inside of me.
“Which reminds me,” I mumbled. “I . . . I’ll be right back. I forgot to tell Bennett something.”
I flew out the door before they could see how flushed I’d become.
I needed to hold him. Kiss him. Taste him. I was nearly blinded by my desire for him.
When Bennett pulled open his door, he seemed bowled over to see me. “What are you—”
Before he could get the words out, my lips were on his. I walked him backward into his apartment,
shut the door with my foot, and forced him hard against the wall. “Avery,” he moaned into my mouth.
Yanking his shirt over his head, I saw goose bumps swell across his skin.
I licked and sucked his neck before dragging my tongue down his chest. I stopped to flick against
each of his nipples and watched how they hardened in response.
Bennett knocked his head against the wall. “Jesus.”
I felt powerful in ways I hadn’t experienced before. And it was a major turn-on.
When I continued down Bennett’s stomach, his breaths shot out fast and hard.
I kissed along the path of the tornado on his ribcage, and his stomach trembled in my wake.
Then I trailed my tongue along his hip bone, turning him to continue on to his back. I was
determined to get a decent look at his hourglass tattoo.
I studied it, caressing it with my fingers. It was outlined in black, with the sand inside a burnt
orange hue. The hourglass itself was misshaped—almost like it was melted—just like the one in his
drawing.
“Tell me about this one.”
He was trying hard to control his breathing. “Always been interested in the concept of bending
time.”
I slid my hands along his waistline while he panted.
“There’s a saying that goes like this: The hourglass freezes in moments of sorrow. Races along in
moments of bliss.” He spun and pulled me to my feet. Cupping my cheeks, he gazed into my eyes. “The
very concept of time is a demand. That you own it, savor it, mean it. Before you waste it . . . or it wastes
you.
”
Then he fused his mouth to mine, his kiss so intense, it was as if I were unraveling from the inside.
Like he was siphoning my breaths out of my body.
He broke the kiss, and we stood gasping against each other.
“That’s totally hot,” I mumbled. He reached around my waist. “
You’re
totally hot.”
My fingers inched to his waistband, and I fastened my eyes on his. “I want my mouth on you.”
He sucked in a harsh breath.
“I want to taste every part of you. Will you let me?”
“Holy shit, Avery. When you put it like that . . .”
His eyes turned dark with want, and I felt the tickle of need between my legs.
But tonight was all about him.
I worked to unbutton his jeans, then tugged them down, and he kicked them off his legs.
His cotton boxers were molded to his shape, and I could see the anticipation bulging beneath them.
My fingers stroked him through the fabric, and his head rolled back with a shudder.
When I pulled them off, he stood stark naked before me. Never had I seen anyone as breathtaking
in my life. “God, you’re amazing. I could look at you all day
long
.”
He yanked my face to his, and his tongue lapped against mine in a deep and powerful kiss.
I felt him hard and taut against my stomach as I walked him backward to the couch. I positioned
myself on my knees between his legs and stared into his hooded eyes. He was devastatingly handsome.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he whispered. His hand snaked to my neck, and he freed my hair
from its ponytail. My blond locks fell around my shoulders like a curtain, and he twirled the ends with
his fingers. “You’re like a dream.”
As my fingers traveled up his thighs to fasten around him, his shaft involuntarily twitched in
expectation. “I want you to come inside my mouth.”
“Fuck, baby.” I watched his lips tremble as I dragged my tongue up the length of him.
When I swirled my tongue around the head, he closed his eyes and groaned.
Inch by inch I took him into my mouth until I felt him hit the back of my throat.
I thrust in and out in a steady rhythm, my fingers low on his shaft.
“Oh God, Avery.” He fisted my hair in his fingers, careful not to press too hard. “Mmmm . . . you taste good.” When I closed my lips around his tip, his breaths became frantic, and
I knew he was close.
“I’ve never swallowed for a guy before.” I looked into his eyes. “You’d be my first.”
I plunged my mouth down the length of him, and that was the tipping point.
He cried out as warm salty liquid shot past my lips and I lapped up every single drop.
He let out a deep groan that made the hairs stand on the back of my neck. “Baby, that . . . no one’s
ever . . .
that
was incredible.”
He pulled me onto to his lap and I straddled him. I held him against me until his breaths became slow and steady.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ella, Rachel, and I were at the coffee shop between classes. I had a shift soon and needed some
sustenance. And some girl time.
I’d received a text from Bennett that morning saying that he had a class and would be heading to
work after. Since that night I’d come up to his place, things seemed different between us. Cozier,
sweeter, more personal—despite us not directly discussing it.
“So, when are we rescheduling our road trip?” Ella asked before taking a huge bite of her blueberry
muffin.
“I’ve already asked for two Saturdays off in as little as two months,” I said. “I’m pretty sure I won’t
be granted another one for awhile.”
“Let’s try again after the holidays,” Rachel said, and then shot Ella an evil look. “And no boy plans
messing it up.”
“Right, asshead,” Ella said. “So, Avery, what’s happening with the police case? Are they any closer
to finding the intruder?”
“They said there’d been plenty of break-ins around the area. But so far, no leads,” I said, and then
took a bite of my bagel. “He must be in hiding, because the detective said they haven’t had another
report since that night at my building.”
“Maybe Bennett spooked him that night,” Ella said. “He got a good look
and
caught him in the
act.”
“True. I don’t think he’ll return, but if he does, I’ll be ready for him.”
I had been channeling all of my kickboxing energy into imagining that intruder. I felt stronger, readier, should anything happen again.
Except that’s what I thought prior to it happening, too. I was imagining someone like Tim, though.
Someone that I
knew
. Not a complete stranger.
“Whoa, you badass,” Rachel said. “Don’t be practicing any of those moves on me.”
“You and I could stand to learn a few of those moves,” Ella said, paging through her psychology
book, prepping for the test she had in an hour.
“Speaking of
intruders
,” Rachel said a bit too loudly for my taste. “What about Virgin Boy?”
I cringed. “What about him?”
“Have you broken him down yet—finally slept with him?” She batted her eyelashes at me. “Wasn’t
that your ultimate plan?”
“Don’t be a dick. Of course it wasn’t.”
“Oh c’mon. You could have bet me some cold hard cash, because I knew you’d weaken his resolve,
have him begging you for sex. Is he at least well-hung?”
Rachel could be ridiculous. Sometimes it was best not to even argue the point with her. She always
got in the last word, and usually it was hilarious.
Unless it involved something personal and someone you cared about.
I decided to just let it go. Let her have her fun.
“Yeah, sure, Rachel. His package is perfect and we’ve had some good sexy-time.”
“I knew Virgin Boy would come through for you. I bet he begs for it all the time now. Be sure to
send him my way next.”
She tried to high-five me but I just shook my head.
I heard a muffled gasp from Ella. When I looked up, her lower jaw hung open and her eyes were
focused on something behind me. I turned to see the blur of a red baseball cap and Bennett storming out
the door. I could only see a side view, but his lips were drawn tight, his eyes narrowed.
“Fuck.” My ass was suddenly glued to my seat. “Go after him, dickhead,” Ella hissed at me.
Her words unstuck me. I jolted up and raced for the door. I looked both up and down the street but
he was nowhere in sight.
I dragged myself back to my seat, my stomach bunched into a hard ball.
“Shit, was that Virgin Boy?” Rachel squealed. “Did he hear our conversation?”
Ella looked at me with a mixture of sadness and frustration in her eyes.
“Was he standing behind me for long?” I groaned and slumped forward.
“Probably long enough to hear everything,” she said. “He looked . . . hurt, Avery.”
“Who the fuck cares?” Rachel said. “You got what you wanted from him, right?”
“Wrong, Rachel. I’ve been . . . lying to you. And to myself.” I felt the prickle of tears behind my
eyes. “I really like him, Rachel.
Like
him, like him.”
She remained silent, probably shocked by my revelation. Stunned, because for as long as I’d known
her, I’d never uttered anything remotely close to those words.
I pulled out my phone and typed a message with shaky fingers.
It’s not how it sounded.
No response.
Please, let me explain.
Again, no response.
My shoulders sagged.
Ella was studying me, words I probably didn’t want to hear hanging from her lips.
“Just say it already.” I pushed away the plate of my half-eaten bagel a little too roughly. “I know I
fucked up, okay?”
“Maybe it’s time you told Bennett how you really feel about him.”
“What if I don’t know yet?”
“You
know
, dill weed,” she said, slapping her hand on the table. “You’re just afraid to admit it out loud. Is it worth losing him over?”
“Wait, what?” Rachel said, clueing in to the seriousness of our conversation. “Was the sex that
good?”
“There hasn’t even been any sex yet.” I stood up and gathered my stuff to leave. “Just lots of build
up.”
“Maybe
that’s
it, then,” Rachel said. “Maybe the sexual frustration is messing with your head.”
I rolled my eyes and walked out the door. I got what Rachel was saying. There was some seriously
strong sexual frustration between us. But that wasn’t all I craved from Bennett.
Sure, I wanted him. I wanted
all
of him.
His love of poetry. His integrity. His quiet grace.
“Avery, wait.” I stopped at the corner of the street and turned to face Rachel.
“What’s up?” I kept my voice steady, but I was in no mood for her jokes or sarcasm.
“Listen, I’m sorry,” she said, her cheeks a bit flushed. “Ella told me I was being a dickwad.”
“It’s cool.” I wasn’t sure if Rachel was actually capable of having a heart-to-heart, so I figured if
she was big enough to apologize, I’d leave it at that.
“I know what that’s like, you know,” she said, gripping my arm. “To feel that way about
somebody.”
“I know you do, but you never talk about it.”
“That’s because it hurts too much.” She bit her lip. I’d never seen her look that vulnerable before.
“And I made a lot of mistakes.”
“Got it,” I said. “We all have, Rach. So if you ever want to talk . . .”
“Okay, enough of this touchy-feely shit,” she said, making a wrap-it-up signal with her finger. She
backed away from me to cross the street to her car. “If you want that nice piece of ass, then go after
him.”
All I could do was shake my head and laugh. I texted Bennett one last time on my way to work.
I hope you’re willing to talk to me after my shift. Can I come by?
Still no response. I almost threw my phone at the ground, smashing it into a thousand pieces.
I arrived at work fifteen minutes before shift change. Passing the security desk in the lobby, I
showed my badge and gave a small wave to Robert, our security guard on duty.
Comment [MC1]:
ED/AU: Maybe just “the security guard,” since that would show that he’s a regular employee?
Lillian was behind the nurses’ station jotting down notes.
She looked up. “Morning, Avery.”
“It’s almost lunchtime, actually.” I took a deep breath and tried to remove the snotty attitude from
