Page 8

CHAPTER 8

MONROE

Paxton walks me backward through the living area, gently laying me down on the closest available surface, which is the couch that sits next to the open patio. The sounds of crashing ocean waves float in from just a few feet away.

He doesn’t break our kiss, even as he gently nudges me back against the soft couch, his hands roaming over my body like he’s trying to memorize it. My skin burns everywhere he touches, tightening and trembling with every graze like he’s striking a match beneath my skin.

In the back of my mind, I know this is going to hurt tomorrow…or whenever this all comes crashing down. How can it not when so much is at stake?

But I can’t help the way I feel, the way I’ve felt about my best friend for longer than I’ve ever admitted. And he feels so damn good right now, every hard inch of himself pressing against me as he settles between my thighs.

His kiss is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, all sure strokes and teasing nips. He kisses me like there’s no one else in the world he’d rather be kissing. Touches me like I’m something precious, something desirable.

Paxton draws back, both of our breaths rushed as he looks down at me. “If I do something you don’t like, tell me.” He says it so matter-of-factly I almost laugh.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” I admit, knowing he’s doing things to my body I’ve never felt before, and we’re just getting started.

“Still,” he says, grinning at me before he shifts lower, moving down the couch, his powerful hands gliding over my skin as he makes his way to hover between my thighs. “Promise?” he asks, and I can feel the heat from his breath over the lace covering my center.

I look down my body at him, swallowing at the sight. He’s gorgeous, his eyes lust-starved, his broad shoulders pressing my thighs father apart.

“Promise,” I whisper the word, my body shivering with anticipation.

“Good,” he says, grinning at me before he dips his head down, his warm breath washing over me and making me tremble. He shifts, dragging a free hand between my thighs, teasing the lace against my sensitive flesh.

I arch into the touch on instinct, my mind swirling with need.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he says, working the fabric over my clit in too-light circles. “I’ve dreamed about this, but you’re better than anything I could’ve imagined.”

I want to respond to that, want to tell him I’ve dreamed about this moment a hundred times, but he hooks his fingers into the lace, dragging it down my legs before tossing it to the floor.

And then he licks me.

Right through my heat.

A long, slow, hot lap that sends a bolt of electricity right down my spine.

I gasp, my fingers gripping the couch, my hips arching up, needing more.

“Taste fucking great too,” he groans against me, his tongue dragging through my slit before circling my pulsing clit. “Goddamn.”

“Paxton,” I whimper, my entire body shivering from how quickly he’s winding me up. I’ve never needed someone so badly, never wanted someone in this capacity before. It’s like a hunger only he can satisfy.

He licks me again, plunging his tongue into me, alternating between thrusts of his tongue and circling my clit, the motions making me clench.

“You’re already there,” he groans. “You needy little thing.”

“Omigod,” I breathe the words, unable to respond coherently. Unable to think about anything but the precipice he’s danced me up to. I’m there, on the edge, being held by a fucking string.

Pax shifts a hand between my thighs, gliding two fingers into my wetness, curling them while he tongues my clit. My hips come off the couch, seeking out more of his touch, more of his mouth, begging for the pressure that will set me off?—

He sucks me into his mouth, pumping those fingers at the perfect pace, each graze pushing me right over the edge.

Pleasure bursts beneath my skin, warmth cascading from me in waves as my orgasm barrels through me.

“Paxton!” I cry out, unable to contain his name as I come.

His fingers slow, the touch languid as I shiver around them. Shifting up to look down at me, he licks his lips, a confident grin there.

“Tell me you brought condoms,” I say on an exhaled breath.

His eyes flare wide and he visibly swallows.

“I did,” he says, almost like a question.

“Get one?”

“You want that?”

“More than anything,” I say.

His smile deepens and he bends down, kissing the inside of my thigh before he hurries off the couch.

By the time he’s back, I’ve slipped off my bra, and he pauses halfway to me, eyes drinking me in.

For a second, I feel self-conscious. I love my body, but this is Paxton . This is my best friend and he’s seeing me naked for the very first time in our lives.

But he’s looking at me like I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, and it does things to my body, to my heart.

“ Pax ,” I almost a whine as I eye him and what I can see is very hard beneath his black boxer briefs.

He blinks a few times. “You’re fucking gorgeous,” he says, stepping out of his boxer briefs, his cock springing free.

And holy shit, what a cock it is. Anticipation curls through me at the sight.

He rolls on a condom, stepping toward me. “Do you trust me?”

“More than anything.” I move on the couch, reaching for him, maneuvering him to sit. I’m acting wholly on instinct now, not allowing my brain to get in the way of what my heart and body is dying for.

He does as I silently request, and in seconds, I’m straddling him, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

“Fuck,” he groans, his hands flying to my hips as I shift over him, lining him up with my aching, oversensitive center. “ Monroe .”

I span the distance between our mouths, kissing him, sighing at the contact as I hover over his cock, butterflies flapping in my stomach.

I pull back just enough to catch his eyes as I lower myself on top of him, allowing him to fill me to the hilt.

His eyes flare, his muscles tensing beneath me, his fingers gripping my hips just a bit harder.

I release a stuttered breath, my heart racing as I allow myself time to adjust to the sheer size of him.

“ Pax ,” I practically moan as I timidly move on him. “You feel…” I can’t breathe, can’t think. “So good.”

He shudders beneath me, groaning as I lift up and sink down on him again. “You feel like heaven,” he says, his lips capturing mine again.

I fall into the kiss, into the way his mouth feels against mine, coated in the taste of us both. It’s intoxicating, sending my already whirling mind into overdrive as I test out just how damn well we fit together.

I can’t get enough of him—his kiss, the way he feels inside me. Every time I move against him is like a spark of life deep inside me.

“Look at you,” he groans as I draw back for the two of us to catch our breath, still rocking against him. “So damn sexy.” His hands are everywhere, roaming over my skin, squeezing the globes of my ass before gliding around and up to play with my breasts.

I gasp at the sensation, my head tipped back as I ride him, holding onto his shoulder as I seek out more and more of him.

“You don’t know,” I gasp, looking back at him, kissing him quickly as I continue to move on him. “How long I’ve wanted to do this.” The words wrench from me like a confession, everything in me narrowing to the way we’re connected in every way possible.

We’re nose to nose, chest to chest, not an inch of space between us, and it feels right .

Beyond right.

I feel safe and seen and wanted all at the same time. I meant it when I said I trusted him more than anyone, and this level of trust opens doors for pleasure the likes of which I didn’t know existed.

“Fucking hell,” he groans, lips pressing against mine, his tongue rubbing mine in a dominant way that steals my breath. “You feel so damn good wrapped around me.”

“Oh, God ,” I moan, my senses firing, sparking to life as I hurtle toward release again.

Pax wraps a strong arm around my lower back, holding me so damn tightly as we crash against each other, taking control even though I’m on top of him. He thrusts into me, faster, harder, hitting every spot I possess, as he pushes me over the edge, shoving one release right into another.

“Monroe,” he growls my name as his pace increases, and he captures my mouth as he pumps into me. I wrap my arms around him, drawing him close, holding onto him as tightly as he’s holding onto me, knowing I have no intention of letting him go. “Fuck,” he groans as I rock harder against him, chasing another round of bliss as we find our release together.

I shiver atop him, our kiss turning softer, slower, as we catch our breath.

And as we come down, I slowly draw back enough to look at him.

His eyes find mine, sated and happy, and I swear I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight.