Page 48

47

Summer

C onnor falls into bed with me, nearly glowing. “Thank you for planning this whole thing and coming with me, babe.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, smiling up at him.

Connor leans down, brushing his lips over mine. The kiss is soft, but I’m tugging at his shirt, trying to pull it off, needing to touch his skin. Connor sits up on his knees and rips his shirt off, tossing it aside. I slide my hands over his thighs, and his eyes dilate with lust. He tugs at my clothes with the same urgency I feel. I moan and shift beneath him, sliding my fingers over the growing bulge beneath his jeans. A loud bang comes from downstairs, and we both freeze. Connor looks over his shoulder at the door.

“It’s probably nothing.” He looks back at me. “The walls are pretty thin.”

I moan. “Right, so maybe we should… wait until we’re back on campus?”

Connor glances at my lips. “But?—”

I kiss him again, cutting off his protest. He groans and slides his hand beneath my shirt. His fingers glide over the dip of my waist, and I can’t hold back my moan when he cups my breast and gently squeezes. I open the button on his pants and am working on lowering his zipper when there is another loud bang from downstairs, followed by someone running up the steps.

“Zach, you’re a moron!” Zane chides as he chases Zach.

I sigh heavily and drop my hand from his throbbing length. My core pulses with need, but a theoretical bucket of ice water has been tossed onto my libido.

Connor groans and rolls off me. “Movie?”

I nod and turn my head to look at him. Connor looks at me, and we burst out laughing at the absolute absurdity of the situation. Once we get ourselves back under control, we both get up to put on our pajamas. As I remove my clothes, I try not to watch as Connor strips down and pulls on a pair of gray sweatpants. Inhaling deeply, I steal one of the t-shirts from his bag and slip it on.

We snuggle back into bed, and Connor turns to look at me, his expression soft. “I couldn’t have… felt normal without you here,” he admits, watching me.

I curl my pinky finger around his, linking our hands.

“It’s hard to act…” He pauses for a beat. “To feel normal after?—”

I roll to face him, cupping his cheek. “My big guy.”

“You ground me,” Connor says, closing his eyes and relaxing into my touch.

I lean in, brushing my lips over his again. There is no intent behind it this time, only care and affection. I lie back down, and Connor opens his eyes, looking at me.

“My parents love you.”

“Yeah?”

Connor nods.

“I have no idea what being loved by a parent feels like.” The words slip from my lips, resonating heavily the moment they hit the air between us. My smile slowly falls, and I blink as the grief of them sits heavily on my shoulders.

Connor brushes the back of his fingers along my cheek. “My parents are more than happy to show you.”

I try to smile, attempting to accept the comfort he is offering me with his words. I hope I can at least make him think I’ve found it, but I can tell I’ve been unsuccessful when he pulls me close.

“Babe.”

I brush my fingertips along his cheek. “What movie do you want to watch?”

Connor watches me for another moment before he sits up, grabs his bag, and pulls out his laptop. He lies back down and chooses a movie at random. I barely pay attention, unable to ignore the grief from the lack. I didn’t even understand what I was missing until I saw what a family is supposed to look like.

“I’ll be your family. If you want me to be,” Connor whispers into my hair, not turning his attention away from the movie, allowing me the space if I need it. Affection bubbles up inside of me, and I can’t help but grab his face, kissing him hard. Connor groans and opens eagerly. I climb on top of him, straddling his hips. His hands grip my waist, digging his fingers in to hold me to him. The desperation came out of nowhere, my body responding to his words with overwhelming need.

“You’re going to have to be quiet, big guy.”

Connor groans. “Fuck, okay.”

I lift myself onto my knees and push down his sweatpants before shifting my panties to the side, the soaked lace slick against my fingers. I roll my hips until the tip of his cock lines up with my entrance. Bracing my hands on his chest, I meet his eyes and press down, slowly taking him inside my pussy. Connor’s groan is guttural and so filled with need that it takes my breath away.

I lean down and claim his mouth hungrily, muffling our sounds of pleasure and tasting his need. Slowly, his cock fills me, my body sinking onto him until I have taken him to the hilt. My inner walls tighten and pulse around his length, adjusting to the delicious stretch. Connor moans loudly, and I pull back, covering his mouth with my hand and stilling my hips. I pant as I look down at him. “You need to be quiet. Okay?” I whisper.

Connor nods, but I don’t move my hand from his mouth as I start to move on him. I lift my hips and slowly drop them down again. His eyes roll back in pleasure, and I bite my lip to mute my moan as I move faster on him. Connor grabs my waist and digs his fingers into me. His grip is just about hard enough to bring me pleasure, but not quite. I drop my hips down harder, the sound of my labored breathing and our skin slapping together the only thing that fills the room. It is erotic and filthy in its own way, made more so by the occasional muffled groan.

I look down at him, recognizing the way his eyes have darkened. He’s close, too. I add my free hand to the one covering his mouth to muffle his shout and bite my lip hard enough to make it bleed as I come. My orgasm surges through me, and I throw my head back in ecstasy. Connor’s shout is still loud even beneath both of my hands, but I am too lost in orgasmic bliss to care. His shout could have blown the house down, and I wouldn’t have given a fuck.

I roll off him, panting. Connor lays next to me, completely spent. He links his fingers through mine.

“Babe?” he asks breathlessly.

“Hm?” I roll, curling into his side.

“Does it bother you when I tell you I love you?”

I frown. “What?”

Connor looks at me. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“No, I… I like it,” I answer honestly. I like the way it makes me feel. I like the way the truth of it surrounds me like a fuzzy blanket.

Connor nuzzles his nose against mine. “Good. I like saying it. I just wanted to make sure.”

I tense a little. “Does it bother you that I?—”

“No.” Connor stops me, his eyes locked on mine. “Because you show me.”

I cup his cheek, staring up at him. “Con?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“That angel earlier.” I brush my thumb along his cheek, desperate to give him a truth. This truth. “It was,” I drop my voice to a whisper, “the Almighty.”

Connor blinks, taking a moment to process. “Shit, it was? What did she say?”

My lips twitch. “That you’re a good guy. But I’ve to tell you that you won’t get anywhere by being an ass.”

Connor quirks a brow. “I’m calling bullshit. No way she’d say the word ass.”

I laugh. “It was something to that effect.”

Connor laughs with me and nuzzles my nose. “I knew you were special.”

I briefly consider telling him about the question she granted me and the answer I so desperately needed, but a part of me wants to keep it for myself. It’s a slim beam of hope amongst the ruin that is my soul.

“You will find more than peace, my child. You will find happiness. Joy. Belonging.”

Connor pulls me against his chest, wrapping me in his warmth and scent. Safe and warm and loved, I fall into a deep sleep.

The bed shifts as Connor climbs out, and I bury my face into his pillow, inhaling deeply. I brush my fingers against the sheets, still warm from his body, and I groan at the lack of hard muscle beneath my fingers. Barely awake, I stumble out of bed and through to his bathroom. I strip off on the way and then climb in beside him. The warm spray of the water is soothing and comforting against my skin. Connor pulls me into him, wrapping his strong arms around me. I nuzzle against his chest, pressing kisses along his collarbone and neck.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

I mumble sleepily in response and brush my lips back and forth over the stubble on his jaw.

“You know, I like waking up to you, but I love how you followed me into the shower, still mostly asleep.”

I smile and lean heavily against him, my breasts crushed against his chest. “Oh yeah? Why is that?” I ask, my voice still thick from sleep.

Connor cups my cheeks and tilts my head back. I finally blink my eyes open.

“Because you were barely awake, but you came to find me.”

“I needed my big guy,” I say, kissing him deeply.

Connor groans, and I can feel him smile. “Fuck, I love when you call me that.”

“Big guy?”

Connor nods. “Yeah, it makes me smile.”

“Why?”

“You only call me that when you’re happy.”

“You make me happy.” I glide my hands over his biceps. “And you’re so big and strong…”

Connor flexes his muscles beneath my touch. “Oh?”

I nod, moaning softly as I dig my nails into his bulging muscles.

Connor smirks. “Maybe I should get some training in with my dad before we head back to Avalon.”

I lean in, kissing his neck. “Can I watch?”

“You want to watch me train?”

I bite his neck. “Watch my big guy in action? Fuck, yes. And then I want you to fuck me against something.”

Connor groans, snaking his hands around my back. “You are just… You have so much control over me…”

“Control?” The word sparks a flicker of heat in my core,

“Kids! Breakfast in thirty minutes!” Farrah chirps, knocking on the door.

Connor jumps. “Coming!” he yelps, blushing.

“Surely she won’t come in here.”

Connor gives me a look. “She absolutely will, and when we protest, she’ll hit us with a, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

I chuckle, but Connor and I quickly finish in the shower and get dressed for breakfast.