16. BAGGASFM

BAGGASFM

PENELOPE

M y heart pounded as Everett carried me down the stairs to Declan's newly finished basement. First of all, no one had ever carried me anywhere in my entire life. And while I felt like I should be worried about him dropping me, with visions of us both tumbling down the stairs, he didn't even grunt or waver. Not once.

I'd never felt more safe or secure.

Each step felt momentous, like I was walking towards something that would change everything. Everett's arms around me were so warm, his thumb tracing soothing circles on my skin, which just juiced up the butterflies in my stomach.

We reached the bottom of the stairs, and Everett released my legs, slowly sliding me down his body. His eyes were soft and sparkling in the dim light. "You're so fucking beautiful."

I was exhilarated, terrified, and everything in between. It had been ages since I'd let any man see me naked, much less had sex.

"Maybe if you lost some weight, I'd be more into it."

"Leave your shirt on."

"You've got plenty of cushion for the pushing I want to do to you."

I shoved the voices away, focusing instead on Everett's steady breathing, on the way he held me like I was something precious. This was Everett. He wasn't like those other guys.

Everett must have sensed my nervousness because he pulled me close, resting his forehead against mine. "We don't have to do anything. If you want to stay up all night talking, just holding each other, I'll be happy. We'll never do anything you're not comfortable with, you know that, right?"

"I know," I whispered back. "I trust you, Ev."

He smiled, that heart-stopping smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners. "Good. Because I'd really love to do a whole lot more than just hold you tonight."

As if to prove his point, his hands slid down to my hips and then brushed across the bulge of my belly. I tensed instinctively, waiting for him to pull away in disgust. Dammit. I knew he wouldn't, but while my mind wanted every dirty little thing we could do with each other, it was as if my body was running on muscle memory of all my shitty past experiences.

I didn't want to be anxious. I meant what said. I did trust him. But the doing was a lot harder than the thinking, and that made me sad and mad.

But Everett definitely didn't pull away in disgust. Instead, he leaned in and kissed me, slow and deep, his hands never leaving my body. When we finally broke apart, both breathless, I saw nothing but desire in his eyes.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me, Pen?" he murmured, his voice husky.

My breath caught in my throat. Part of me wanted to say no, to deny that I could possibly turn him on like this. The small, traumatized part of me wanted to hide away the parts of myself I'd always been told were too much, to repulsive to be attractive, to be loved.

But a bigger, better part, the part that had been silenced for too long, whispered yes .

"Show me," I said, surprising myself with how much I meant it, wanted it.

Everett's smile was radiant as he led me to the fancy new guest bedroom, and once inside the doorway, his hands were all over me again. He pulled me to the bed and sat me on the edge, then he knelt in front of me, looking up with such adoration that it made my heart ache.

"Tell me that you want me as much as I want you." Did I... did I detect a little bit of uncertainty in his voice? Was there any question that any woman he'd ever been with wanted him? Unlikely. He was one of the hottest men in the whole entire world.

His hands rested lightly on my knees, waiting for my response. I nodded, unable to look away from his intense gaze, and I remembered what he'd said earlier about enthusiastic consent. That must be what this was. Not self-doubt from him, but just him making sure I was doing okay. That made more sense.

I smiled and cupped his cheeks in my hands. "I enthusiastically want you, Everett Kingman."

His smile lit up his whole face, and he slowly unbuttoned my pajama top. With each button, more of my skin was exposed, and I fought the urge to cover myself.

But then Everett leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my collarbone, then another to the swell of my breast. "God, you're so perfect," he whispered against my skin.

And for the first time in my life, I started to believe it might be true.

Everett's hands were gentle as they pushed my pajama top off my shoulders. For a fraction of a second, my muscles moved to cross my arms over my chest, to hide from his gaze. But the way he looked at me—like I really was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen—gave me the courage to continue to stay open, vulnerable.

"Do you want me to take this off too?" he asked softly, his fingers tracing the lace edge of my bra.

I nodded, then found my voice so he would never doubt that everything he was doing was exactly what I wanted. "Yes," I whispered. "Please."

He reached behind me to unclasp my bra. As it fell away, I held my breath, waiting for the moment his expression would change, for the disappointment to set in.

But it never came. Because this was not some dickface from my past. This was my future.

Everett's eyes flashed and hecupped my breasts, thumbs brushing over my nipples. I couldn't hold back a soft moan. No one outside of my dreams touched me so... reverently. Encouraged by my response, he leaned in, replacing his fingers with his mouth.

"Ev," I gasped. The sensation was overwhelming. I arched into him, my fingers tangling in his hair.

He looked up at me, his lips curved in a smile. "Good?"

"So good," I admitted, and I could hardly wait for more.

He slid his hands down to my waist, thumbs stroking the soft skin of my belly. I tensed. I didn't mean to, but I did.

His touch lightened, but he didn't move away. "Tell me what you like or don't, sweet Penny. I want to hear a whole lot more of those soft little moans."

I bit my lip, embarrassed. "I'm not sure I like having my stomach touched. It's not exactly a sensual zone for me."

Understanding dawned in his eyes, and I was trying so hard to be the beautiful confident Penelope that he wanted.

"Pen," he said, his voice serious. "I won't touch you there if you don't want, but give me a chance to show you how every part of you is beautiful to me first. Including this." He bent down and pressed a kiss to my stomach, right above my navel, then looked up to see my reaction.

I licked my lips and gave him the tiniest of nods.

He pulled the waistband of the pajama pants down. "And this." Another kiss, this time to that bit of muffin top right above my panties.

Everett must have sensed my nervousness because he paused, looking up at me with those earnest blue eyes. "We can stop anytime, Pen. Just say the word."

But I didn't want to stop. For the first time in my life, I felt truly seen. Which was empowering, even if it was also uncomfortable.

"Don't stop," I said, reaching out to cup his face. "Please, Ev. I want this. I want you."

In a quick move that took my breath away, he pushed me back and crawled up over me, his fingers playing with the waistband of my pajama bottoms. "Can I take these off?"

"Yes," I said, more confidently this time.

Slowly, reverently, he slid my pajamas and underwear down my legs. I resisted the urge to close my thighs, to hide myself from him.

"And definitely this." His lips brushed against a silvery stretch mark on my thigh.

Tears pricked at my eyes. No one had ever touched me like this, like my body was something to be cherished rather than tolerated.

He continued pressing kisses to my skin, telling me how beautiful each little part of my body was. Including, and especially, bits that I'd definitely always considered flaws. With each kiss, each word in praise of my body, he crept closer to my pussy.

Oh my giddy vagina. Was he going to...? He pressed his next kiss the curls on my mound, and then ducked his head lower.

He was. Everett was going down on me. I... I thought that was only in romance novels. Guys didn't actually like doing that, did they?

"God, I'm going to love eating this sweet, soft pussy, Penelope." He pressed another kiss to my core, just above my clit, but didn't touch it. "Put your hands in my hair. Show me how you like it, where you want my tongue and lips."

"How am I supposed to know that?" I whimpered.

Everett's head popped up and stared up at me like I just asked if he was the Wizard of Oz. But then he shook his head and his eyes went narrow. "Pen, if you tell me no guy has ever gone down on you before, I'm moving murderous honey badgers for all of your exes higher up on my to-do list. No, wait. Honey badgers are too good for the utter shit boyfriends you've had, because I can already see it in your face. Snakes, Penny. I am sending deadly-ass snakes to all of their houses immediately if not sooner."

When he started this line of questioning, I was ready to curl up into a ball and hide, but the way he was so utterly and adorably angry on my behalf that he would threaten someone with his greatest fear, well, he made me laugh instead.

That was everything I ever needed from him.

"I'll help you find said assassin snakes, because I'm starting to think I really did have shitty exes." I wasn't quite ready to tell him I wouldn't consider any of the schmoes I'd dated or slept with an actual boyfriend.

"First thing tomorrow. Because right now, I'm going to make you forget every other man's name. I want you chanting mine as I make you come on my face at least a half dozen times."

"A half dozen?" Yes, that did come out as a squeak. He was under the impression my body did things that I wasn't sure it was capable of.

He waggled his eyebrows at me. "Oh yeah. So put your hands in my hair like I told you to so you can show me exactly what gets you all hot and bothered."

Everett dipped his head and pushed my thighs open wider, but he just sort of hovered there. Now that he was face-to-face with my wide open pussy, had he changed his mind?

"Penelope." His voice was low and growly and somehow still sing-songy at the same time. "Put your hands in my hair so you can show me what you like. Unless you're trying to tease me with how fucking wet you are for me right now."

"Okay, but my fingers are probably just going to sit there, because I don't—holy sweet mother of tongues." I was very, very wrong about my fingers not knowing what to do. With that very first swipe of his tongue across my clit, I gripped his hair so hard, I may have pulled a few pieces out.

He chuckled. Which I would have to be irritated about later because he was so damn right about how many orgasms I was about to have, but I couldn't be mad because his laugh vibrated through me, and I was too busy moaning and falling to pieces.

The closer he brought me to the edge of coming, the more I agreed that we were hiring snake assassins for my previous lovers. This was unbelievable and I could hardly wait to see what it would be like to give Everett as much pleasure with my mouth as he was giving me.

Damn if he wasn't also right about me chanting his name. I couldn't help it. "Everett, god, yes, Ev, Ev, Evvvvvv."

With one more flick of his tongue, I came so hard, my mouth and brain and body all clenched down and I saw stars as my body released. The pleasure crashed through me, and yet Everett didn't stop. No, he pushed two fingers inside of me and drew out that orgasm until I thought I was going to pass out.

It was too much and not enough. I needed more, but of what, I didn't know. He was already taking me so far beyond any pleasure I'd ever experienced, and I was lost in the bliss. "Everett, please."

He raised his head but continued to move his fingers inside of me. "Please, what, pretty Penny? Tell me what you need."

My hands fell to the blanket under me, and I gripped it just as hard as I had his hair. "You, more of you."

"I've got you, babe. Trust me?"

"Yes, totally, completely." I let my eyes drift shut as more of the lovely orgasm endorphins or oxytocin or whatever it was that made me feel practically high washed through me.

"Good, then let me take you even higher." He put one of my legs over his shoulder and leaned against the bed so he was over me again. "Look at me, Pen. Look at me."

I opened my eyes and stared up at him. "I want to hear you scream my name when I make you squirt all over me."

I'd already questioned whether a guy going down on a girl was real or just in romances. I didn't think it wise to question whether squirting was real or just in porn.

Everett leaned forward a bit more, stretching the back of my thigh, and moved his fingers inside of me. But this time, instead of pushing them in and out like he had when his mouth was on me, he did something quite different. It felt like he was dragging the tips across the inner walls, which didn't seem so very sensual, until he hit some magical spot.

"There it is," he crooned.

He moved his fingers faster, and the moan I made wasn't even my own voice. It was otherworldly, just like whatever he was doing to me.

"Come on, Penelope, let, go, baby. Be a good girl and squirt for me." He flicked his fingers even faster and then pressed his thumb against my clit, and I absolutely came apart.

This was a whole other kind of orgasm that rushed through me. Instead of my body clenching down like before, it was like everything exploded in pulsing waves.

"Yes, fuck, yes, baby, that's it. That's my girl." His hand and arm were drenched, and I was falling into euphoria.

I blinked up at Everett, the literal love guru who was smiling down upon me. "What kind of sex magic did you just cast on me?"

"I'm just proving to you that you're a sex goddess who deserves to be worshipped."

"Oh. Is that all?" I wasn't even sure actual coherent words were coming out of my mouth right now.

Everett leaned in and gave me a long, lingering kiss. "Yes. Because any man who thinks you're not good in bed is a dumbass. But I'm really fucking grateful they were, because now I get you all to myself."

His smile was radiant as he stood, quickly shedding his own clothes. And then he was there, all golden skin and defined muscles, and I definitely forgot the names of every other man on the planet.

"Like what you see?" he teased gently, but once again, I could see a hint of vulnerability in his eyes.

"You're... like a work of art," I said honestly, because he was.

Everett joined me on the bed, pulling me up to the headboard and pillows. Oh, and away from the huge wet spot at the foot of the bed. We'd be doing some laundry before morning.

He wrapped his arms around me, so we were chest to chest, skin to skin. The feeling was electric, intimate in another way I'd never experienced before.

He kissed my forehead and then rested his against mine. "Tell me what you want from me, Penny."

In answer, I kissed him, pouring all my desire, all my newfound confidence into it. I whispered against his lips. "I want you. I want you to make love to me now, Everett."