Chapter Nine

Iwoke up to a bang. The bang of the front door. The bed by my side was empty, sheets crumpled, the sun shining on an empty space. I closed my eyes to remember his touch, how shamelessly I wanted it again, and more. Oh, so much more.

The water was running in the bathroom next door and I knew what it meant. Alice was away.

A light tingle was vibrating inside me already when I stood up and walked to the window, looking outside. The small space of a backyard was neatly maintained. Two chairs stood under an old oak, the leaves all yellow, and glistening from yesterday"s rain under the fall sun.

A door opened behind me.

"You're up," he said.

A towel was draped around his hips, showing his abs. I followed the lines forming a v that disappeared beneath the fabric. I walked silently to him, running my fingers across the muscles when I reached him.

"Give me a minute," I breathed and ducked around him into the bathroom.

As I studied myself in the mirror I saw that my lower lip was ruined from trying to muffle my moans yesterday. Dark eyes looked back at me, glistening. A new pink blush glowed on my cheeks. It took me a few moments to freshen up, and when I stepped back into his bedroom, Jake was standing by the window.

He turned back to me and I saw how much he needed this, how he needed me. As our eyes locked, he stepped closer, his grip tightening around the shirt I was wearing, pulling it up. The black strands of my hair fell back onto my breasts. His fingers traced the dark skin around my nipple; his eyes followed the movement.

Jake wrapped his hands around my hips and pressed me into the wall, catching the brunt of the force with his palms. I barely registered the chill of the wall on my burning skin. He kissed me with such a force that we could barely breathe. I ached. My body was firmly pressed between the wall and him. I felt the need in his lips, in his hard length pressing into me.

Our eyes met for a second, both breathing hard, and Jake gently caught my wrist, and the other, and pressed them both above my head. He took a tiny step back, and I arched my back, not wanting our skin to part. I was breathless as he slid his fingers down the length of my body, excruciatingly slowly, starting from my neck, pausing on my breasts, moving down.

Then he bent to drag my panties down, his breath on my navel. Just to stand up again. His lips were inches from mine when he gingerly rubbed his fingers between my legs. He watched as my lips parted, my eyes half closing as my head tilted back.

My skin crackled with anticipation, as I stood in front of him, naked. As his finger went inside me, a tiny noise escaped my lips. He teased me with that finger, brushing the spot that burned, but not enough, keeping me on edge, the edge that I was ready to plummet from any second.

But he released my hands and went down, propping my leg on the chair, his lips and tongue doing the painfully pleasant job as I was slowly slipping into the mist of pleasure. It was difficult to stand as trembling waves rocked my body, so I pressed myself harder into the wall. My fingers were lost in Jake's curls. I wanted to take a breath but could not.

My body was out of control, my mind, shut, as I moaned, my body sleek as I peaked, barely managing to stand. Jake found my lips with his and I kissed my flavor away.

I placed a hand on his chest, making my way down, hooking onto the towel he still was wearing around his hips. My eyes went down to my fingers wrapping around him, sliding up and down. And then I lowered to my knees, taking him in my mouth. I looked up as he scooped my hair in his hand, wrapping it gently around his fist. He wanted to watch me, but his eyes were closing to the sweet delirium, just to be snapped open again. His breathing became ragged. "Stop, Emily, I can't …"

And I was on my back on his bed, as he slipped a condom on. He paused, finding my gaze as he plunged inside. A tremble went through my body and a raw sound scraped at my throat. He filled me in places I never knew existed. I felt him everywhere. We were moving, a tangle of limbs, lips forming uneven kisses between moans that pushed through me. His hands were on my bouncing breasts, lightly trapping my nipples, tugging. My fingernails scraped his back as I arched. Wanting to be even closer, my legs wrapped around him.

Jake caught my hand, and guided it between my legs, softly pressing and rubbing it on my clit. Oh god. We moved together as our fingers added the pressure that I was not sure my body could hold. I was shattering, deep rolling waves rocking my body as I was coming, drowning in the light. And as a final cry reverberated through me, my limbs went slack. Jake fell on top of me, shaking.

Our skin was sticky, pressed into each other, as we slowly kissed.

I didn't know that it could be like that. I'd never had the chance to wake, never had a person to respond to in such a way. But I was waking up then, to the deep ocean eyes that looked into mine.