24. Lark

Chapter twenty-four

Lark

“Dan,” I whisper seconds before crashing my lips onto his. I’m overcome with emotion, floating on an endless sea. He’s loved me for so long. He carries me with him, every day of his life, and has for years.

And what have I done?

I’ve allowed myself to believe that doing what I thought was expected of me was the right choice. I believed so little of myself, I was able to overlook this beautiful man and his love.

It would be so simple to spiral into self-flagellation and guilt over how much time I wasted. Time I could have spent with Dan. But now, when those thoughts creep in, it’s easier to push them away. To center myself in his kiss, in his arms around me, and in the deep sense of knowing this is exactly how it should be.

Eventually, we break apart, and I remember my curiosity when I found him in the bathroom, bare from the waist down.

“What exactly are you doing?” I don’t bother trying to hide the way my gaze travels down his body, landing on that beautiful cock of his that’s so hard, it’s pointing at me. But something’s different. I lean forward slightly, squinting. “Um, Dan, why is your —”

“It’s all Yami’s fault!” he blurts out, attempting to cover himself with his hands.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Dan groans, his head falling forward. “He was with me when I was grabbing groceries for tonight and you know how he can’t shut up. I swear, I didn’t tell him anything. And I’m definitely not presuming something’s gonna happen, but just in case, he said something about manscaping, and I started googling, and then you showed up, and fuck .”

I’m openly laughing now, and Dan’s cheeks are bright red. I’m starting to understand the bizarre sight I walked in on. My laughter dies as I comprehend more of what he’s saying.

“Are you saying you want to…”

His eyes flash with something indescribable, and his head moves in the barest of nods. “I do. With you. I want you, Lark. In every possible way. It doesn’t have to be tonight, not if you don’t feel ready yet. But when you are, just know, so am I.”

How do I tell him I’ve been ready for this, for him, ever since I realized my feelings went way beyond friendship?

How do I tell him it’s been many, many months since I had sex, and my body is already aching for relief?

How do I tell him I feel so incredibly honoured that he wants me for his first time?

I register the downturn of Dan’s face a second later and realize I’ve been so caught up in my own feelings, I didn’t actually respond to him.

I lean in and press my lips to his jawline, peppering kisses down the column of his throat. Then, knowing I have to be brave and bold, I take his hand and slide it down the front of my leggings.

His fingers brush over my damp panties and his head falls to my shoulder with a groan.

“In case that isn’t clear enough, I’m very much ready.”

With a deep rumbling sound, Dan lifts me up and throws me over his shoulder, bringing me almost eye level with his bare ass. “Oh my God!” I shriek, closing my eyes and giggling. Wait. Why am I closing my eyes? I open them and take a good look at the round, tight bubble butt on my favourite catcher.

When my hand just so happens to pinch it, Dan yelps, and then I’m tossed down, bouncing on his mattress. “Did you just pinch my ass, Birdie?”

He sounds so outraged, my giggle turns into a full body laugh. Which grows even more when I look at him standing there, his arms folded across his chest, his dick jutting out at me. It’s clear he’s also barely holding back his laughter, and a second later, it breaks free. He jumps on the bed, making me bounce and shriek again. But this time he muffles the sound with his lips on mine as he lowers his large body between my legs.

My hands wrap around his back and find the hem of his shirt. Tugging, I lift it up. Dan raises his upper body and quickly pulls it the rest of the way off until he’s completely nude.

“You look way too damn satisfied for a woman who hasn’t even had an orgasm yet.”

I can feel my smile grow even wider. “With a view like this, who wouldn’t be satisfied?”

He sits back on his heels and pulls me up. “No fair. I wanna be satisfied with my view, too.”

I let him strip off my shirt, but when he goes to unclasp my bra, I stop him with a mock frown. “Are you saying the view isn’t any good unless I’m naked?”

The look of horror on his face is comical, and I bust out laughing. “Oh my God, I’m joking. I promise, I’m not that insecure!”

Dan recovers quickly, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his chest, nuzzling my neck. “Lark, you’re the most beautiful woman in the entire goddamn world. You could be wearing a unicorn costume and I’d still find you sexy as hell.”

“I think you’d prefer me to wear an Ewok outfit.”

He draws back, sees my grin, and narrows his eyes. “Woman, you need to stop mocking me.”

“Or?”

“Or…”

I get no other warning before his fingers dig into my side, instantly finding the ticklish spots. “Dan!” I scream, squirming and trying to get away. But he’s got me pinned between his strong thighs, and there’s no escape. Then he stops, with one hand holding both of mine above my head, and the other wrapped around my rib cage just below my breasts.

“You’re so fucking amazing, Lark,” he says, his voice hoarse. “If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up.”

“It’s not a dream,” I whisper back. “It’s real. And I’m here. Yours.”

“Mine.”

The rest of my clothes come off in a matter of seconds. And then our naked bodies are slipping against each other as we lose ourselves in a kiss so full of passion and love, it would take my breath away if Dan wasn’t already stealing it.

He lifts his head just enough to look down at me, releasing my hands so he can stroke my cheek. There’s a vulnerable expression on his face that I ache to ease.

“I don’t know if I’ll be any good at this, Birdie. There’s only so much you can learn from locker room chatter and porn. But I want to be good for you.”

I slide my hands up and down his strong back, feeling the ripple of muscles. “You will be.”

“Teach me? Teach me what you like, what feels good.”

My cheeks burn with a mixture of desire and embarrassment. Proving how in tune he is with me, Dan pulls back.

“What’s wrong. What did I say?”

I shake my head and cup his cheek. “It’s not you, it’s me. I…I don’t know if I can teach you, because I don’t know if I even know what feels good.”

His confused frown is adorable, lightening the mood. “What the hell does that mean?” It doesn’t take long before he realizes exactly what I meant. “Hold on a fucking second. Are you telling me Baron didn’t…”

My gaze slides to the side, but Dan takes my chin and turns my head so I’m looking at him.

“Did he not know how to make you come?”

I clear my throat. “I mean, he did, like, once or twice, but the rest of the time I either faked it or got myself there with toys after.”

His eyes narrow thoughtfully, and then he leans down and kisses my forehead, then the tip of my nose, then finally, my lips .

“I have learned a couple of things from listening to the guys. First, toys can be fun, and I definitely want to play with them with you at some point. But second, and most important is that you come first. No matter what. So I need you to promise me something, Birdie. Never fake it. Not with me. Because your pleasure, your happiness, means more to me than anything else. Certainly more than my own.” He pauses, kissing me again, keeping his eyes open and trained on me. Then he grins. “And if it takes a lot of practice to get there, well, Coach always did say I had a good work ethic.”