12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Josh

I'm in the bathroom, brushing my teeth in nothing but my grey sweatpants in an effort to stall from going back out into the room. Layla is still asleep, and I'm terrified to wake her up. What if she regrets last night? Is she going to wake up and remember how much she hates me?

After last night, I can't go back to being friends—or enemies—or whatever the hell we were.

When I woke up with her in my arms, I felt relieved that it wasn't a dream, until I realized that if she does regret this, our relationship would be ruined forever.

Since I can't hide in the bathroom forever like a creeper, I check myself in the mirror, then open the door and walk back out into the room. She rolls over when I walk out, then yawns as she rubs her eyes.

"Morning," she says as she stretches her arms above her head.

Images flash in my brain of what it felt like to touch her last night, and my dick starts to twitch in my pants .

"Mornin'" I reply, as I walk over to the coffee maker. "Did you sleep okay?"

I lean against the counter, not wanting to turn my back to her just yet. I'm desperate and will overanalyze every single movement she makes.

"I slept great," she says as she throws the covers off her. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna use the bathroom."

I nod my head. Great. She's been up for thirty seconds and is already trying to avoid me. I start to make myself a cup of coffee as I feel a heaviness in my chest.

I'm not sure why I thought it would be any different. I watch the coffee pour in a steady stream into my cup as a dark cloud hangs over me. I must not have realized she was back in the room because I feel her fingers glide over my shoulder.

I turn around and she's standing in front of me with a smile. I hold my breath, waiting for a rejection. But instead, she gets on her tippy toes and throws her arms around my neck. Her lips are on mine in a searing kiss that I feel all over my body.

She kisses me with a hunger that I match in an instant. I wrap my arms around her and pull her against my body. The kiss is a mix between slow and fast. I grip her ponytail as our tongues work together, exploring each other's mouths lazily like we have all the time in the world.

When she pulls away, she looks at me with a bit of humor in her eyes.

"Are you done freaking out?" she asks coyly.

"What are you talking about? I wasn't freaking out," I lie .

"Really? So, the look of complete devastation when I said I had to use the restroom was all in my head? I just wanted to brush my teeth before I threw myself at you."

I smile, keeping her in my arms, refusing to let her go. I tickle her side, then slap her ass as her head falls back with laughter. "You just love torturing me, don't you?"

She shrugs as she bites her lip. "You seem to like doing the same thing to me."

I'm not about to get into that argument with her right now. Instead, I pull her in for another kiss.

"I have another idea for today," I tell her. "How about we go to Venice?"

"Venice?" her voice raises an octave. "You want to go today?"

"Why not? You want to go. We only have three days left. Let's do it. It's only a three-hour train ride from here. We can leave now and get there before lunch. Go on, get ready. I'm gonna look into a few more things on my phone."

While she is getting ready in the bathroom, I get on my phone and find a hotel that has an availably for tonight. If we're going to Venice, it's not gonna be for a couple of hours just to turn back. These websites that have all the hotels with their availability make it simple to find something within minutes.

I'm not picky. All I need is a place to sleep, and this one looks nice enough. It's right on the main canal too, with really good reviews. I grab my backpack and start throwing a change of clothes into it, making sure to leave enough room for her things as well. I don't want her trying to carry her own bag through the streets of Venice .

"Just booked a hotel for the night. Pack whatever you want in my backpack," I tell her the second she walks out of the bathroom.

"You're serious right now?" she says with a smile.

I laugh to myself as I hand her the bag. "Why is this so hard for you to believe?"

She seems to ponder my words. "I don't know. I've never been with anyone who's willing to be so spontaneous."

I'm not sure what to do with that. Who would be with a woman as incredible as her and not strive to make every single day special for her? It irks me that she's been with such selfish assholes.

She packs her things in my backpack while I purchase our train tickets. By the time she's done, I have a car waiting downstairs for us. I don't know how people traveled in foreign countries before everything was available in the blink of an eye on your phone.

We grab a breakfast bar and a to-go cup of coffee, then hop in the car.

On the train ride, she scoots closer to me and leans her head on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her, and we both sit there in silence while I hold her like she's mine. It's a bit surreal that I get to do this.

The moment we walk out of the train station, it's like we're magically transported into another world. We're immediately in front of the water of one of the canals. There is a row of public water buses and private water taxis docked directly in front of us .

Without the hassle of lugging two large suitcases around, we don't really have to worry about hopping on a bus or taxi.

I grab her hand and lace our fingers together. "Where to first, Freckles?"

"Food?" she asks with excitement. "Somewhere on the water."

I smile. "I don't think we'll have a hard time finding that here."

We stroll across so many bridges that I lose count, walking along the water until we find this great place right on the main canal that has outdoor seating. Of course, we order a bottle of wine because it's Italy, and why not?

I struggle with the menu as usual since it's all in Italian. "What's this?" I ask Layla as I point to the menu.

"Oh, Spaghetti al Nero Di Seppia. It's spaghetti cooked in black squid ink. It's a Venetian specialty. You should try it."

"Cooked in squid ink? Interesting. I guess I'll give it a try. When in Rome," I say with a wink.

She chuckles. "Haha…you're hilarious."

We drink our wine and admire the view of boats and gondolas going by. Once our food is out, I look down at my pasta, wondering what the hell I got myself into. It's completely black. I've never even heard of putting squid ink on something; the color in itself is intimidating.

"I promise if you like seafood, you'll like this," she tells me, clearly picking up on my hesitation. "Ooh, they even put some scallops on top for you."

I'm not so sure, but I spin the spaghetti on my fork and give it a try. Layla watches me intently, trying to gauge my reaction .

I nod my head as I chew. It's actually delicious. The pasta is cooked perfectly, while the lemon and garlic sauce seem to have a saltier taste to it. I wonder if it's the ink.

I smile up at her. "It's incredible."

Layla's eyes open wide. Her head falls back as she begins laughing. "Oh my god!"

"What?" I ask, looking behind me.

She claps her hands together as tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She grabs her phone on the table. "Please, please, smile for me again."

"Smile for you? Why?"

"The ink," she continues through her laughs. "Your teeth are black."

I try to picture what the hell I must look like, grinning like a fool with black teeth, but the thought of it makes me laugh myself. I'm sure I'm giving Layla more lovely views of my teeth because she just laughs harder and then holds her camera up and takes a picture.

I grab a glass of water and try to swirl it around my teeth.

"Better?" I ask with a smile.

"Better." She takes a bite of her own pasta. "I think that's going to be my screensaver from now on."

I shrug. "If it makes you smile every day, I'm okay with it."

After lunch, we walk over to the famous St. Mark's Square to get some gelato and see St. Marks Basilica. We stroll around through the streets, hand in hand, as we walk into shops and buy some souvenirs.

It's a slow day where we wander around seeing nothing and yet everything. It seems like every turn you make, there's another bridge, another small canal, an alleyway. Gondolas float by, and I hear the gondolier serenading his passengers.

We get dinner after we check into our hotel, the place recommended by our hotel concierge.

Venice, as the sun is starting to set, is truly something else. We happen to walk by a canal with several gondoliers standing next to their gondolas.

"You wanna be cheesy and take a ride?" I ask Layla.

"You'd take a ride with me? I'd love to do that!" she bounces on her toes with excitement.

I walk up to one of the gondoliers to see if he's available. He looks over at Layla behind me and winks. "I was done for the day, but I can make an exception."

I thank him profusely and pay him the obscenely expensive amount for a ride and a bottle of champagne to accompany it. We sit down on the red, velvety seats as our gondolier hops on the back and begins to paddle away from the dock.

"Ah, Venice. The city of love," he says as we move along the water. "Perfect for a couple like you."

Neither of us correct him. This time, being called a couple seems fitting. I hand her a champagne flute and wrap my arm around her. The lights are beginning to shine brighter, reflecting off the water as the sun goes further down .

She leans her entire body into mine and we sit in silence as we drink and watch the scenery pass us by.

"I'll never forget this trip," she whispers to me as her hand rests on my thigh. "Thank you for making it so perfect."

I smile down at her. "Even with all the fighting?"

Her hand starts to run up and down my leg. "It's kind of been like a little bit of foreplay. Don't you think?"

She leans up and kisses me softly on the lips.

"Fuck, Freckles. You're creating a bit of a situation for me in my pants."

Her hand lifts a bit higher until it grazes my dick. My jaw falls as I suppress the groan I want to release.

"Over here. Bridge of Sighs," our gondolier shouts. "Legend has it that if you kiss while passing underneath, you will enjoy eternal love."

He turns down the canal for us and starts singing some song in Italian while we approach the bridge. Layla seems a bit uncomfortable.

"You don't have to kiss me," she fidgets in the seat. "Eternity is a long time."

I raise my eyebrow. "You don't want to spend eternity with me? Am I that annoying?"

She loosens up and laughs lightly. "No. I just wouldn't think you would want to spend eternity with me. You know, it's me. Just your best friend's little sister. "

Everything gets darker as we head further into the small canal. The bridge is approaching, and I don't know what makes me do it, but I lean in and kiss her while we glide under the bridge.

My hand reaches for her cheek and tilts her head so I have the perfect angle to open my mouth and deepen the kiss. Her tongue against mine sends shivers of desire racing through me.

I pull away slowly. "You're more than just my best friend's little sister, Freckles."

Her voice cracks as she starts to reply, but I crush my lips back onto hers. We lean back in the seat and enjoy the slow, drugging kisses. I don't even know how long we make out in the gondola, but all of a sudden, we are out at the main canal as our gondolier drops us off.

My dick is stiff as hell in my pants as I reach down and help her out of the gondola. There is eagerness in her eyes when she looks down at my dick while we're walking hand in hand back to the hotel. The prolonged anticipation is almost unbearable. I can't take another second.

We cross over a small bridge, and there's a dark alley between two buildings. I pull her into the alley and press her up against the wall, and then my mouth covers hers hungrily. There's urgency in my kiss as I chase some sort of relief.

I grab her hands and place them above her head on the brick wall. "Do you feel what you do to me, Freckles?"

I push my dick against her hip so she knows what these kisses are doing to me.

"I could fuck you right here," I growl. "Pull those damn shorts down and fill you with my cock. "

I kiss down her neck as our hands clutch each other's above her head.

"We should go," she exhales, "to our hotel room."

I kiss up her neck and behind her ear, then take her face in my hands and kiss her swollen lips again. "Baby, I'm trying to figure out how to keep my hands and mouth off you long enough to get from here to the hotel."

She giggles through my kiss. "Who said you need to keep your hands off me? Come on," she grabs my hand and pulls me. "The hotel is like two minutes away."

I don't know how I manage it, but we make it to the hotel without me taking her right in front of everyone. I've wanted this woman for a decade, craved her every night. I've compared every woman who came into my life to her, and they all failed miserably because there is no comparison.

As soon as we get to our room, she turns around and smiles brightly at me. She walks backwards towards the window and pulls her shirt over her head.

"Is this what you want?" she teases me.

I grab my straining dick in my shorts and rub it just to ease the pain. "Fuck yes," I say as I slowly follow her.

"Do I get your cock now that I've proven I don't regret last night?" Her shorts fall to the floor. She's standing in front of me in a red lace matching set of underwear. I don't know when she managed to sneak those on without me noticing, but I'm thankful I had no idea. If I knew that was underneath, I wouldn't have made it through the day without having her .

Her eyebrows raise suggestively. "Are you going to take your clothes off?"

I reach behind my head and pull my shirt off. She bites her lip as her eyes ogle my chest. She watches as my hand unbuttons and unzips my shorts. Then I pull them down with my boxers until I'm standing completely naked in front of her.

I stroke my dick, and a bead of precum releases out of me. I graze my thumb at the tip and wipe up my cum. I stand in her space and bring my thumb up to her lips.

"Open," I demand. "Suck my cum off of me."

She obeys my command and opens her mouth slowly, then swirls her tongue around my thumb before closing it around me and sucking. She closes her eyes and looks like she just tasted the most amazing treat she's ever had.

Fuck, it's hot as hell. "How does it taste?"

She looks over me seductively. "I want more."

I grip her hair and pull her head back. "I'll give you all the cum you want."

Our lips come together in a punishing rhythm. I reach behind her and snap her bra off, then grab her breasts.

She moans into my mouth. "I thought you didn't want me. All these years. I thought I wasn't pretty enough for you."

I look at her in surprise. "You're the most beautiful woman I have ever met. But let's save this talk for another time. Right now, I just want to make you feel good."

I lean her back against the window and fall to my knees. My mouth is literally salivating for a taste of her. I pull her underwear to the side and spread her open with my thumbs. She is already glistening for me. But instead of giving her my tongue right away, I want to savor every second. I want to admire what's in front of me.

I run my thumb along her opening, getting it nice and slick, then run it over her clit. I do the same with my other thumb, alternating between the two as I continue to spread her open for me and stimulate her clit.

Her jaw is slack as she watches me. Her eyes tell me she's already in dire need of a release, but I'm not done playing.

"Does it feel good when I tease your clit like this?" I ask her as I continue.

Her eyes get heavy as she nods her head.

I slap her clit. "Answer me, Freckles."

"Yes," she breathes heavily. "It feels amazing."

While continuously rubbing her clit with one thumb, I use my fingers from my other hand and slowly push them inside of her. I go slow first, watching as they get coated more every time I pull them out. Then I leave them inside of her and work them quickly back and forth, flicking over her g-spot while my thumb is still working her clit.

"Holy shit!" she screams, and I can't help but smile up at her.

I replace my thumb with my mouth and moan the second I get a taste of her. She's perfect. While I suck on her clit, I begin to shake my fingers inside of her with more force, making sure to hit her g-spot repeatedly.

"Oh my god! I'm fucking coming!" she screams loudly .

Then I feel her release hit me. I smile up at her as I let it happen, and she screams in shock. After her body has calmed down, she looks horrified.

"What just happened?" she whispers.

"I just made you squirt, Freckles."

She seems baffled by this. I've done it before. It just takes a bit of research on the guy's part to know what to do.

"That felt…" she begins as her chest rises and falls quickly, "I don't know—weird, but amazing."

I stand up and reach behind her head. "Come here," I tell her as I bring her in for a searing kiss. I begin to stroke my dick as I break the kiss and turn her around.

"Place your hands on the window," I tell her. "Good girl. Now spread those legs wide for me."

She looks like a wet dream standing there with her round cheeks poking out of her lacy underwear, her face turned towards me with a freshly fucked looked on it.

I stroke my dick while her eyes take it in. I grin at her, knowing that beneath all of this, it's just Freckles and me. She smiles back at me.

Then I reach for the top of her underwear and pull them down her long, slender legs. Before I forget, I grab a condom out of my jeans and sheath myself. Then I grip her hips and slam into her from behind.

She moans loudly as soon as I bottom out, and I am right there with her as I groan my appreciation. It's like coming home. It feels like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, where I was meant to be .

Thank God I have the condom on. It gives me a little barrier between the two of us, which will hopefully help me last longer because just the thought of this woman can make me come. Let alone feeling the real thing.

"This pussy was made for me," I growl. "Do you feel it? Do you feel how perfect we are together?"

She turns around, and I think I see a bit of moisture in her eyes. "I feel it, Josh. I feel all of you."

I pull myself out, wincing at how good it feels to watch my dick come out fully coated then I slam back in. I keep the rhythm slower at first, just wanting to savor every second of our first time together.

The view from the window, the feel of her soft skin on my hands, her tight cunt squeezing my dick, but most importantly—the way she's looking at me right now.

"From now on, no one else touches you but me. Do you understand?" I demand. "You're mine."

I slap her ass. "Answer me, Freckles."

"Yes. I'm yours," she cries.

"That's right. You're mine," I growl as I begin to fuck her as hard as I can.

We both scream through our releases as I empty myself inside of her, now wishing there wasn't a condom between us.

I slowly pull myself out of her and throw the condom in the trash right beside me. Then I pull her up off the window and kiss her softly.

"Let's get cleaned up."