Page 99 of Beneath the Blue Moon

***Casey***

“Bye, Jan. Thanks for coming by.”

“No problem, sweetie. Take care.”

“You, too.”

I love my friends, but God knows if I have to endure another

look of pity, I’ll go crazy. That’s all I’ve been getting for the last ten days,

except from Sandy… and Ethan. He’s been wonderful. He even made the

arrangements for my father after asking me what I wanted to do. I decided to

have him cremated; I’ll fly back to New York with his ashes and bury the urn in

his plot next to Mom.

I’ve cried on Ethan’s shoulder more times than I can count. He’s

taken care of me, been here for me, and asked nothing in return. I see the

hungry looks he gives me, but he hasn’t acted on them. Sometimes I wish he

would; it might take my mind off my situation, infection be damned. The

spotting stopped two days ago, so it’s not like I can’t.

As if my thoughts can conjure him up, he walks into the

bedroom, a duffel bag in one hand.

“Clara brought some of your stuff,” he announces.

He drops it on the floor and perches on the edge of the bed.

“Thank God. Not that I don’t love the T-shirt and boxer

briefs look.”

He gives me one of those looks, his eyes roaming my body

hungrily. A shiver runs down my spine and goose bumps pepper my skin.

“Looks good to me,” he says.

I can’t do this anymore. He wants me. I need him. I move to

my knees and crawl to him. I see and hear his sudden intake of breath as I slide

my fingertips down his arm.

“Feels good, too. They smell like you… and I love knowing

that they touched your skin before they touch mine.”

“We can’t.”

My need is mirrored in his eyes. “I don’t care.”

His arm curls around my waist, and he pulls me across his

lap, cradling me in his arms.

“What do you want, Casey? Tell me what you need.”

“I want you. I need you.”

With a moan, his head descends toward mine. The instant our

lips touch, it’s like the last two months never happened. Hunger soars through

my body. When our tongues meet, heat gathers between my thighs. His kiss is

unrelenting, a testament to what I’ve denied us for so long. I writhe on his

lap as his erection swells beneath my backside, desperate to have it inside me.

His hand slips beneath the T-shirt, sliding up my stomach, his thumb brushing

the underside of my breast.

“Ethan… please. Make the pain go away.”

He gently places me on the bed and stands to remove his

shirt. As he drags it over his head, I do the same, tossing mine on the floor.

His breath hitches, and we both scramble to remove the rest of our clothes.

Finally, he joins me on the bed, resting between my thighs. His lips move along

the curve of my cheek and down my neck as he whispers sweet words.

“So beautiful… missed you… Love you so much.”

My back arches as he takes my nipple into his mouth. His

large hands massage both breasts until I feel I might explode from need. He

kisses his way down my stomach while parting me with his fingers. I spread my

legs for him as he settles between them.

“You’re like a tropical rainforest, warm and wet.”

“Ethan, please. I need you.”

“I need to take care of you first. I know I won’t last.”

“I don’t care. I want you inside me now.”

I don’t care that I’m begging either; I’ll positively burst

if I don’t have him now. I look down, watching him as he strokes me, his cheek

resting on my thigh.

“So sweet… and it’s all mine.”

I grab the sheets, falling back against the pillows when his

tongue flicks against my clit. I close my eyes as he slowly uses his tongue to

elevate my body to dizzying heights of pleasure. My hips rise of their own

accord, moving back and forth against his lips. My thighs tremble as he closes

his lips around my clit, swirling his tongue on the sensitive bud. I open my

eyes, staring at but not really seeing the night sky on the ceiling. Slipping

his finger inside me, he moans. Pleasure courses through my body, and I sink my

fingers into his hair. His finger goes in, out, and around while his tongue

swirls on my clit. Two fingers move inside me now, slowly massaging my top

wall. His lips close around my clit again, and my hips buck upward.

“Ethan… I’m coming!”

He rears up and slides inside me just as my orgasm rips

through me. My body vibrates with the intensity, and I cling to him tightly. Oh,

God, I missed him!

“Casey… Fuck!”

My back arches and I wrap my legs around him as he also experiences

the clench and release of my muscles. Breathless, I stare up at him when he

doesn’t attempt to move.

“Did you come?” I ask.

“I told you I wouldn’t last.” I smile up at him, happy I

affect him just as much as he affects me. “Oh, don’t worry. Just give me a few

seconds. Never mind.”

He wasn’t kidding about a few seconds. I feel him harden

inside me and clench my muscles in anticipation.

“Dear God, I love when you do that.”

“Then you’ll love this even more.”

I contract my muscles once more, holding on to him tightly.

He closes his eyes and makes an incoherent sound as he begins to rock his hips.

“Holy fuck.”

Another string of curses leaves his lips as I move my hips

against him, matching his rhythm. He rolls over, putting me on top, and I

instantly take over. I slide back and forth, raking my nails across his

stomach, and watch as his body quivers beneath me. His fingers dig into the

flesh of my hips, and he whispers my name. I’m pushed forward as he plants his

feet on the bed and thrusts upward.

“Ethan!”

The sounds of skin slapping against skin and labored

breathing fill the room as he drives into me again and again. I lay my palms on

his hard chest, wondering how I’ve survived without him. He is the other half

of my soul. Without him, I am incomplete.

“Come for me, Casey.”

My body obeys his command blindly. He makes one hard thrust

and growls his release. I collapse on top of him, both of us breathing heavily.

Moving the sweat-drenched hair from my forehead, he places a light kiss there.

“Don’t ever leave me again.”

Right before my eyes close from exhaustion, I kiss his chest.

I’m sorry, but that’s a promise I just can’t make.