Chapter 27

Twenty-Seven

Gemma

G race: The kids talked me into taking them to the aquarium in the city today. I’ll drop Sutton off once we’re done, but it won’t be until later. And FYI, sister of mine, I expect ALL the details. And wine. Wine and slutty details. ;)

Smiling while I sip my coffee on the back porch, I send my sister back a zipped lips emoji before setting the phone down on the table and enjoying the peaceful morning. Everett’s still asleep in my bed right now, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. No sleeping over was one of our rules, but after what we shared last night, the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms as I felt his chest move in time with mine with steady, even breaths, the last thing I wanted to do was put a stop to it.

It’s been so long since I’ve been held like that. So long since I fell asleep next to somebody who wasn’t Sutton, and even then, that’s rare anymore. This morning when I woke up, Everett’s leg was draped over mine, his arm possessively thrown over my waist, and after the fog from sleep cleared, I panicked a little. I shoved the covers off, climbed out from under his hold as gently as I could, and I locked myself in the bathroom.

Not because of what we did last night, but because of what breaking a rule might have meant. They’re there for a reason, to keep things from being messy. I can’t do messy; I’ve already got my plate full, and if we’re doing this, it’s got to be a stress relief, not stress-inducing. But after I brushed my teeth, threw on my robe, and tossed my hair up into a bun, I realized breaking one rule one time doesn’t change anything.

The birds chirp in the distance, and it’s one of my favorite sounds. I’ve always been an early riser, at least since becoming a mom. After Dylan died, it was the only time I had to myself when I could write and get anything done before Sutton woke up for the day. I remember when he was born, the early mornings were rough. I dreaded them. Once I adjusted to parenthood, I learned to find the beauty in them. In the quietness that comes with the early morning sunrise. In the smell of the fresh dew laced around the grass. In the soft way the light just barely touches everything. And in the comfort I find curled up on the porch with a hot cup of coffee and one of my huge, fuzzy blankets as my senses all wake up.

Which is what I’ve been doing for the last twenty minutes. Last night replays in my mind, and even though I’m alone out here, I find my cheeks heating at the sordid slideshow and the various aches on my body. Sex with Everett is… it’s mind-blowing. I never knew sex could be li ke that. I’d like to think that Dylan and I had a fairly healthy sex life, but we were so young, and we were each other’s firsts. We didn’t know what we liked right away, and then, as we got more comfortable together, we had Sutton. And sex with a baby around is more than a little challenging.

There were things I’d read about in mommy Facebook groups—things women did with their husbands—or things I’d watch in porn on the few occasions that I actually watched it that I wanted to try but was too shy to ask. Not because I thought Dylan would make me feel bad about asking, but because I was young and inexperienced. It never occurred to me that sex and intimacy could be anything more than missionary with the lights off.

Sure, I had orgasms with Dylan, sometimes even more than one in a session, but with Everett… he makes me feel like my pleasure is the top priority. That’s different, and it’s empowering. Last night, I nearly lost track of how many times he made me come, and each one harder than the last. My body felt so wrung out, I thought I was going to pass out. I’ve never felt that type of pleasure.

The sliding glass door opens, pulling me from my thoughts, and a smile lifts my lips as a sleepy Everett walks outside, sitting in the chair beside mine. Pillow lines mark the side of his face, his hair all mussed up, and he looks like if I went over there and wrapped myself around him, he’d be nice and warm. The idea is tempting.

“Morning,” he rasps, his voice thick with sleep.

“Morning. How’d you sleep?”

“Fan-fucking-tastic.” Rubbing his fist into his eye socket, he asks, “Been up long? ”

Taking a sip from my coffee, I say, “Only about thirty minutes.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“I did,” I reply honestly. Slept better than well, actually.

Everett’s quiet for a moment before he says, “Listen, I know last night we got swept up in the moment, and I realize I didn’t use a condom, and I also didn’t have a discussion with you before I did that.”

“It’s okay,” I cut in, not wanting him to feel bad for something I didn’t push for either. “If I’m being honest, it was really fucking hot having you fill me up.”

My cheeks heat, but I hold his gaze as his responding smile makes my stomach dip. “Really?”

“Mmhmm.” I bite my lip as I remember how his cock felt inside of me. The way he’s watching me lets me know he’s probably thinking about it too. “Want some coffee?”

Everett nods, a chuckle spilling out of him at my change of subject. “Please.”

Heading inside to make him a cup, an idea hits me. Back outside, I ask him, “Have you done any type of exploring since moving here?”

Taking the mug from me, our fingers brush, the small touch sending a zap of electricity through my whole arm and down into my chest. “A little,” he replies. “But not much. Why do you ask?”

A smile spreads on my face. “Because I have an idea for something we can do today.” And then, because I realize how presumptuous that sounded, I add, “If you don’t already have something going on.”

Breathing out a laugh, he takes a sip from the steaming cup before holding it in his lap like he’s trying to keep his hands warm. “I don’t have anything else going on, and I’m down for whatever you have in mind.”

“We can get ready once we’re done with our coffee, then.”

“Deal. But how about while we’re working on these”—he gestures toward my coffee, then his—“we play a little twenty questions?”

I giggle, the suggestion taking me by surprise. “Okay, you first.”

“Have you always wanted to be an author?”

I truly love when people ask me about my career. Not in a vain, let’s-talk-about-me type of way, but because I am so in love with what I get to do for a living.

“Yes,” I reply, my grin growing wider. “I’ve written stories for as long as I can remember. Teachers and my parents used to tell me all the time that I have a very creative mind. It was never something I truly thought I could achieve, but it was still a dream of mine, nonetheless.”

“I’m not the least bit surprised that you achieved your dreams, Gemma.” A chill racks through my body at the intensity of his stare as he says that with such conviction. “In the short time I’ve known you, you’re one of the strongest women I know, and you don’t strike me as somebody who doesn’t go after exactly what they want.”

My cheeks heat as a lump forms in my throat, and I don’t quite know how to handle the compliment. It makes me want to squirm, but instead, I take my turn. “What’s something that used to bother you about yourself when you were younger that you’ve learned to embrace?”

Everett whistles. “Damn, hitting me with the deep ones right off the bat, huh?”

I laugh, shrugging my shoulders.

He appears in thought for a moment. “Probably my lack of desire to become an attorney.” Everett’s eyes meet mine, and I can see vulnerability shining back at me, similar to the other times we’ve talked about his family and career path. It’s not an easy topic for him. “I used to hate that I couldn’t force myself to follow the path laid out for me. Like if I could just suck it up and do what was expected of me, my life would’ve been a hell of a lot simpler.”

“And now?”

“Now I’m proud of younger me for following my heart because my life is simpler now, but in a much better way. I know that I’m significantly happier than I ever would’ve been otherwise.”

I tilt my head, feeling an emotion I can’t place swell in my chest. “I’m proud of younger you too.” His throat rolls against a swallow, and a moment passes between us before I add, “Your turn.”

A flirty grin tugs at his lips. “Am I allowed to ask dirty questions?”

Dragging my bottom lip between my teeth, my core aches as I shrug. “It’s your game, Mr. Windward. You make the rules.”

My stomach flutters as I watch his cheeks darken. The juxtaposition of his sweet, nice guy side and his filthy, dirty-talking, sexual side is such a turn on.

A gentleman in the streets and a freak in the sheets.

“What’s a fantasy you’ve had that you’ve never been able to do?” he asks, a throaty rasp to his voice that spreads through my veins like wildfire.

Heart rate speeding up, the answer is there immediately. I don’t even have to think about it, but the idea of saying it out loud has my mouth drying with nerves. He must see it all over my face, my apprehension, because he says, “You don’t have to be nervous. I want to know what you’re into so I can better please you.”

Goosebumps bloom all over my body at that statement. I clear my throat, deciding to just go for it. “Double penetration.” My pulse roars in my ears as I continue. “You know last night when you had me on all fours, and you put your thumb in my ass?” He nods, an unmistakable flicker of heat in his gaze. “I really liked that and want more.”

God, the way Everett looks at me… I could combust just from his gaze.

I’ve never had anybody look at me the way he does. How did I not see it before?

“We can definitely explore that,” he rasps. “Seeing the way you reacted to me doing that, and hearing the sounds you made, turned me on so much.”

My thighs clench at hearing him say that. Something about him makes me feel free and comfortable, like I can explore this part of myself that I never gave a voice to before. It wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be to let him see me naked and have me in that way. His attention makes me feel empowered.

And horny. Definitely horny. Everett heats my blood in a way that I haven’t felt in years. After going so many years without sex of any kind, I kind of thought maybe I lost that drive. Sure, I have my toys and I enjoy alone time pretty frequently, but that’s different. The burning ache is rarely there when I’m by myself. This overwhelming, throbbing need, the primal urge to let go and lose myself in somebody. In him.

But I know if I let myself give in to those urges right now, we’ll never leave my house, and I want to take him somewhere today, and maybe fulfill one of his fantasies too. So, as much as it pains me, I shove those desires to the back of my mind and finish the rest of my coffee.

“All right, as much as I’d love to continue this little game, we should get ready so I can take you to explore. And who knows, maybe we will get to continue it there.”

“Well, I like the sound of that,” he replies huskily before finishing off the rest of what’s in his mug too. “I’ll head next door and take a shower while you do the same?”

“Sounds good. I’ll text you once I’m ready since it’ll probably take me longer.”

“Can you believe I’ve never been to one of these before?” Everett asks as we trek through the sand.

“Really?” I glance over at him, finding him already watching me. “They don’t have lighthouses in Washington?”

“I’m sure they do.” He huffs out a laugh. “I’ve just never been to one.”

“I’ve been to a few, but this one is by far my favorite.” Taking in the sight before us—the sandy beach, the waves lapping at the shore, the clear blue sky—a sense of calm washes over me, like it does every time I come here. “This lighthouse has been here since the mid-1800s, but it was rebuilt after it was destroyed in the Civil War.”

Everett slips his hand into mine, linking our fingers together as we walk. The feel of his warm, rough palm against mine makes me shiver in a way that has nothing to do with the breeze. “It’s hard to believe something has been here for that long,” he says, eyes trained ahead. “Imagining people building something of this caliber back then. It’s amazing.”

“Did you know that lighthouse keeping was one of the first U.S. government jobs available to women?”

Looking over, I find Everett watching me from behind his sunglasses, lip quirked up on one side. “Gemma, I had no idea you were such a lighthouse aficionado.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, I did a project on them in school once, and I’ve been fascinated with them ever since. Not to mention, this was where I hung out a lot as a teenager.”

“Really?” He arches a brow. “Tell me another fact.”

Tapping my index finger on my chin, I hum for a moment before saying, “There are more than one hundred and fifteen lighthouses along the Great Lakes in Michigan, making it the state with the most in all of the country.”

“Damn.” His thumb rubs mindlessly along my skin; such a simple touch that I can feel everywhere. “That’s really cool.”

“I’d love to visit Michigan one day to see them all.”

“It would be worth the trip,” he murmurs as we walk into the lighthouse. “You should do it.”

You should come with me.

The thought forms in my mind, taking me by surprise, because where the hell did that come from? I don’t let myself obsess over it for long. I mean, friends travel together…

This specific lighthouse has a self-guided tour where you can stop at various sections and a video will play, telling you various facts about this location and what it was known for when it was still running. For it being a Sunday, I’m surprised there aren’t more people here. It’s practically empty as we make our way to the top. My favorite part.

“It’s huge in here,” Everett says as we step off the last flight of stairs. “From far away, you’d never think it was this big.”

“I know. Imagine being a drunk sixteen-year-old taking these stairs.” I can’t help but laugh at the memory.

Everett gawks at me, smirking. “You broke into a lighthouse?”

Giggling, I say, “I’d hardly call it breaking in, since it’s never locked. I’m sure it’s different in bigger areas, but most people leave this spot alone, which worked in my favor.”

Up at the very top, there’s a lookout over the ocean. Hands on the railing, I peer out, nothing but crystal blue water for as far as the eye can see. Everett comes up behind me, hands going on the railing beside mine, boxing me in. I let my head rest on his shoulder as we simply exist for a moment, taking in the beauty in front of us.

Everett dips his head down, hot breath fanning my neck, sending goosebumps all over my flesh. “Ever bring any guys up here?”

I breathe out a laugh. “Once or twice.”

A groan sounds in his throat, vibrating from his chest and into me. “Ever fuck any of them in here? ”

Heat zips through my body as a smile splits my face. I shake my head. “Never.”

Clicking his tongue, he rasps, “Such a shame.”

“Why is that?” I practically purr the question, barely recognizing my own voice.

“Because…” Hot kisses press down on my neck, and I lean into the touch, my body awakening in every sense of the word. “Up here all alone,” he murmurs against my skin, “with a view like this, what I wouldn’t give to bend you over.”

I smile, heat spreading through my veins as I push my ass back into him. His hand fists the material of my dress as his groan rumbles through me. “But what if somebody came in here?” I ask, voice breathy, desire wrapped around every syllable.

“Then they’d get quite the show, wouldn’t they, mama?”

The thick ridge from Everett’s erection rubs up against my ass, driving me wild. My skin tingles and my head feels hazy, like I’m drunk on this verbal foreplay.

“Would you stop?” I ask. “If somebody walked in.”

“Fuck no,” he growls. “Let ’em watch what I do to you. Let them see what a good little slut you are for my cock.”

Oh, Jesus Christ. The mouth on this man. Even with the breeze coming in from the window, it’s scorching up here.

“Does the idea of somebody watching you, watching us, turn you on?”

I already know the answer, but hearing him say it makes it immensely hotter.

A groan climbs up his throat as his hand slips under the hem of my dress, traveling slowly up my thigh, leaving goosebumps as he goes. “Like you wouldn’t believe,” he rasps, his hand freezing as he reaches my bare hip. “Well, what do we have here?” I clench my thighs to relieve some of the ache. “No panties?”

Biting down on my bottom lip, I shake my head, pressing my ass farther into him.

“What a dirty girl you are. Is this for me?” Fingertips dancing across my overheated flesh, he teases. My clit throbs the closer he gets, but he never makes contact. “Did you wear this because you wanted me to fuck you up here where anybody could catch us?”

“Maybe,” I murmur. God, it’s so fucked up. Why does the idea of getting caught suddenly turn me on so much?

Everett brings his hand around, palming my bare ass and squeezing as his lips find my neck again, teeth nipping, tongue soothing. His other hand leaves my hip, the sound of his zipper sliding down reaching my ears, sending a thrill down my spine. I’m damn near panting by the time I feel the tip of his cock glide along the crease of my ass.

“You want this?” he asks, nipping my earlobe and making me gasp, the sound quickly morphing into a moan as I nod feverishly. “Ask for it then, mama.” His index finger slides through my lips, easily finding my clit, and rubbing it just barely before he goes on. “Beg me to fuck you up here. Beg me to hike this sexy little dress up to your waist and sink into your hot, drenched pussy right here, where anybody could see.”

I can’t think. I’m so turned on I feel like I’m already right on the edge of release, and he’s barely touching me. His words, the way he says them, the smell of him in my nostrils, and the way his body feels pressed up against mine, all of it has me spinning out of control. His attraction and appreciation have unlocked something inside of me, something I never knew existed. It breathes confidence into me.

Which is why I let my head fall back onto his shoulder and I give him what he wants—what I need. “Please, Everett,” I purr. “Fuck me right here, make me come all over your cock, and then fill me up with your cum.”

“God, you’re fucking sexy,” he growls, bringing his hand up to his face and spitting in his palm before it disappears between us.

My body is thrumming with need as he lines himself up and eases inside my pussy. I clench around him, and my jaw relaxes with a throat-deep groan as he inches deeper. He’s so fucking big and thick, and it hurts so damn good.

“Relax for me, baby,” he purrs into my ear as he grips my hips and gives me a moment to adjust. “You can take it, mama. Just relax for me. Let me make you feel good.” As if he’s my puppeteer guiding my strings, I feel myself take a deep breath, leaning into him as I do just that, relax. “That’s my girl. That’s my good fucking girl.”

Reaching around, his fingers massage my clit as he pulls out and sinks back in, setting a mind-numbing pace that has my toes curling and my eyelids fluttering. He fucks me deep and hard, bringing my body higher and higher with each rock of his hips.

“I wish you could see yourself right now,” he grits out into my ear, breath coming out harshly. “See the flush to your cheeks and the way your eyes can barely stay open. See the way you look stretched around my cock. You take me so. Fucking. Good.”

Each word is emphasized with a snap of his hips .

“I can’t get enough of you,” he admits, and I wonder if he even realizes he’s saying all of this out loud, or if maybe he’s as lost in the pleasure as I am. “The way you look, the way you smell, the way you sound when you laugh, or the way you blush so fucking easily when I flirt with you. You’re breathtaking, Gemma. The sunset over the ocean in front of us has fucking nothing on you, do you hear me?”

My stomach flips as I nod, biting down on my lip as my body crests higher and higher with each word sung into my ear, with each thrust into my pussy, with each swirl of his fingers against my throbbing clit. My lungs can’t seem to expand fast enough to drag in enough air, my head light, and I’m realizing I don’t fucking care at all if somebody were to walk in right now. It wouldn’t take this feeling away.

Everett has my body under his spell, and I don’t ever want to come down.

“Come on, mama,” he growls. “Let me feel this cunt come all over my cock like a good fucking girl.” His voice is strained, and I can feel how tense he is behind me. He’s close, but so am I.

My knees wobble, hands gripping the railing in front of me as I turn my head into his neck and cry out, my release washing over me like a tsunami. “Oh, god!” Pleasure rips through every inch of my body, spreading and pulsing as wave after wave hits me. “Everett, fuck!”

Groans rasp out of him as his grip on my hip tightens. Turning his head, his lips find mine as his tongue surges into my mouth just as his body tenses and I feel him spill inside of me. He kisses me long after his hips stop moving, taking his time like he’s savoring the moment .

By the time we pull apart and I fix my dress, my heart is a steady, chaotic drum, and it feels like my legs are made of Jell-O. Thankfully, I have a pair of panties stashed in my purse in the car because I can already feel him dripping out of me. The walk down the several flights of stairs should be fun.

But holy shit… that was the hottest damn thing I’ve ever done.