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My parents tried to compensate the unkind words of strangers by telling me how beautiful I was. But they were two people, and there were so many strangers, relatives, and friends repeating the same words again and again. The words of strangers carried more weight than my parents’ words did. As they tend to.

Your mom and dad are supposed to say you are beautiful, right? How could I believe them when everyone else and the mirror said differently?

You’d think all that attention would have made River shallow and conceited. But it didn’t. Our parents made sure of it. They instilled in us values that have nothing to do with physical appearance or possessions. For River, having heard she’s beautiful her whole life is just empty words. She has always been my defender, the force that stood between me and the world. She fought my battles, put mean people in their places, squelched rumors before they started, and made sure I was invited to every party and event, even if I didn’t much want to attend. If people wanted to be liked by her, they had to be nice to me first.

I was as intensely grateful to my sister as I was resentful for needing all that protection from her as young teens. Not that I’ve ever let it be known—except to Mom, with her sixth sense, the woman knows everything. I love my sister. I can’t fault her for my own insecurities, even if she has indirectly played a part in making me feel this way.

A petty and shallow part of me wishes I could trade places with her, just once. I’ve always wanted to know what it was like to be looked at with such admiration and adoration. To have strangers come up to me to say I’m beautiful. To have guys tripping over themselves. And I never thought it would happen.

Not until now.

Not until Logan.

He makes me feel beautiful and wanted. He makes me feel like I’m enough.

And I want to let him know this. So, today is the day.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The moviein the DVD player is long forgotten as our bodies move in tandem with each other, seeking the same thing. We tease, push, and retreat, move back and forward, pressing in and pulling back. I’m so hard it’s painful, but it feels so good to have Sky sitting astride me, rocking into me, her tongue in my mouth and my hands under her dress, grasping her ass and guiding her over me. I push up and she presses down.

The moment I saw her walk through the door in the flirty baby blue dress, I knew I’d have my hands under it. There was just no way she could come over and go home without it happening, but I’m getting so much more than I expected when Skye came over for a lazy afternoon of movies and snacks. She is my snack now, and I’m going to devour her.

If she’ll let me.

Skye is so much smaller than me that even in my lap, I’m still taller than her, and as she tilts her head to deepen the kiss, I pull one hand away from her ass and caress my way up her waist and the side of her breast. She arches her back into me. I let my hand travel around her stomach and up until I cup her in my palm. She moans into my mouth and I squeeze her breast into my hand gently. Her nipple is as hard as my dick. Jesus! I don’t think she’s wearing a bra.

I pull my mouth from hers and let my lips travel down her neck with open-mouthed kisses. I lick the curve of her neck where it meets her shoulder and then blow on it. Skye shivers in my arms. I pull the hand still holding her ass down her thigh and up her side as I make my way to her other breast and then cup them both over her dress. The bodice of her dress is tight to her chest and my fingers slide under the cap sleeve seeking skin. I move slow, giving her a chance to stop me, letting her know of my intentions. Her mouth finds mine again and sucks my bottom lip into hers. My shy little Skye is not so shy anymore, and she’s driving me crazy with need. I want to bury myself into her.

No. Ineedto bury myself into her.

I slide the top of her dress down, and I stop when the fabric is just above her nipples, the swell of her small breasts begging to be tasted.

“Skye,” I whisper into her lips.

“Logan,” she whispers back into mine.

I tug her dress down.

“Is this okay?” I ask, looking into her eyes and waiting for her response.

Her skin is flushed pink and her lips swollen. Her eyes are dark with lust, and I know they’re a mirror of my own. She responds by pulling her arms away from my neck and tugging her dress down herself.

My eyes fall to her breasts, small but round and perky, and notice there are no tan lines on Skye’s skin. She is so fair. My hands come around to cup her bare breasts. I love the contrast between my tanned hands and her creamy white skin. Skye moans and pushes into my hands, and I oblige by bending my head to her and taking one nipple into my mouth as my thumb caresses the other. Skye stretches up, her knees on either side of my legs, and grabs the back of my head as she brings herself up, eliminating the height difference. Her breasts are now level with my face, and I feast on them. I was never really a breast man, but I’m one now. I lick and nibble and tease her nipples with my fingers, tongue, and teeth. All I want to do is rip this dress off her and get her skin on mine. She slides her hands over my shoulders, down my back, and under my T-shirt, dragging it up. I break away from her just long enough to pull my T-shirt off and toss it to the floor. Then I pull her into me so I can feel her skin on mine and tug her in for a kiss. As soon as my lips touch hers, she opens for me, and my tongue dips into her mouth, tasting her, devouring her. Her breasts brush against my chest, and I can feel her hard nipples pressed into my skin. I’m on fire.

“Skye.”

I pull away and close my eyes, touching my forehead to hers. My breath comes out in short pants and my heart is thundering.

“Skye, I can’t—I can’t—God, I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.”

Her hands palm my face and she tilts me up to meet her eyes.

“I don’t want you to stop, Logan.”

I search her face because I want her to be sure.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to. I don’t want you to feel like you have to. That I’m expecting you to.”