Page 44 of Second Chance Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings #5)
When he finally reached out to touch her, he dragged his fingertips along the curved line of her torso so lightly she could barely feel it except for the trail of goosebumps left in his wake.
He paused, his hands framing her waist. His fingers gripped her as his thumbs brushed the soft skin at her ribs.
She held his gaze, silently begging him for more.
He relented, cupping her breasts in his palms, sensually massaging them with the perfect combination of tenderness and force.
His thumbs teased at the barest edge of her nipples, brushing them in slow, lazy circles, building the tension between her legs until her knees threatened to buckle and her toes curled against the hardwood floor.
She arched her back, pushing herself into his touch, her body begging for more.
A tingle of pleasure burst low in her belly, forcing a soft whimper to slip from her lips.
He answered her wordless plea, leaning in to press his lips to the hollow of her throat.
Her head fell back, giving him full access to her, as his mouth moved lower and lower, planting tiny, featherlight kisses down her chest, along the line of her sternum, and then, finally, capturing her nipple between his lips.
The tip of his tongue flicked across her pebbled nub as his teeth gently sank into the sensitive area surrounding her areola, and the sensation was electric.
She gasped, one hand clutching his bicep, the other cupping the back of his head, tangling in his thick, brown hair.
“Caleb,” she whispered, subconsciously pleading for him to never stop what he was doing.
“Hmmm,” he hummed in response, as if his agreement was a taste he wanted to savor on his tongue.
For a few dizzying seconds, all she could do was feel: the rasp of his stubble against her skin, the wet texture of his tongue, the sting of his bite, the slow, deliberate way his hands explored her sides and spine, and the way her body had started to tremble with a need that bordered on desperation.
He moved to her other breast, giving it the same attention, then let his hands slide down her flanks, fingers splaying wide across her hips.
Every touch, every caress, felt like a small act of worship.
For so many years, she’d been made to feel self-conscious, like she wasn’t enough during sex, but with Caleb, she felt bold, unashamed.
She wanted him to see everything, to know every inch of her.
Desperation, unlike any she’d ever felt before, overwhelmed her as she whimpered his name in an urgent plea, “Caleb, please .”
Everything stopped. His hands fell from her waist as he took a step back.
Her stomach dropped with fear that she’d ruined the moment.
She looked up at him, his lips parted, chest heaving, half-lidded eyes full of need that nearly brought her to tears.
The impact of the desire mirroring her own that she saw in his gaze caused her to gasp, and her body flushed with anticipation.
Seeing her reaction, the corners of Caleb’s mouth curled, slow and sly, into a smile that had tingles spreading through Taylor’s body like butter melting in a hot pan.
She watched as Caleb kneeled down in front of her, leaned forward, and pressed his lips to her stomach, placing a trail of gentle, open-mouthed kisses from her ribs all the way to the low rise of her waistband.
His fingers hooked at the waist of her sweats, or rather his sweats, but he didn’t pull them down right away.
His eyes lifted to hers, searching her face for some sign to stop or slow down, but she met his gaze and nodded, urging him on.
He traced the waistband with his fingertips before he pulled them down, revealing her bare legs and the scrap of lace that barely covered her sex.
He then hooked his thumbs in the strings on her hips and tugged her panties down to her ankles.
A thrill raced down Taylor’s spine in anticipation of what was to come as she placed her hand on Caleb’ shoulder and stepped out of her clothes.
“Are you cold?” he asked softly, his voice husky and sweet as honey.
“A little,” she replied, though it wasn’t the truth. She was burning up from the inside out.
He stood and lifted her effortlessly in one motion, his hands supporting her thighs as her legs wrapped around his waist. She nuzzled into the crux of his neck, inhaling the masculine scent that was uniquely him.
She could feel his pulse against her cheek, strong and steady, as he carried her to the bed, then ever so gently lowered her down.
The mattress dipped beneath their weight.
She was on her back as he straightened and quickly and efficiently removed his jeans and boxer briefs, pushing them down his legs as he climbed onto the bed.
She parted her legs, and he hovered above her, bracing his weight on his forearms, their faces inches apart.
There was nothing rushed or greedy in his movements.
He kissed her—soft, then urgent, then soft again—while his hands roamed down her body, teasing the sensitive skin at her waist, the dip of her stomach, and the curve above her hipbone.
Every touch seemed to ask for permission, and every sigh and arch of her back answered, yes, yes, yes, please, yes .
She lost herself in the feel of him, the taste of him, the weight of him, and the sure and steady way he moved.
Her hands explored him, memorizing the way his body responded to her touch.
He matched her actions, his fingers grazing over every inch of her.
He shifted his body to the side and trailed his hand down her stomach.
She reached between them and wrapped her hand around his rock-hard shaft.
He pulsed heavily in her palm as her thighs opened wider for him.
His finger found her swollen clit, and he began to flick it lightly as she tightened her hold on him and stroked him up and then down.
He swelled, growing larger in her hand as a jolt of pleasure rushed through her.
Her thumb circled his sensitive tip with each upward motion as she writhed beneath him, coating his finger with her arousal.
He groaned into her mouth; his hips moved in sync with the rhythm of her steady, firm strokes.
Every caress and touch ignited her senses like a live wire coursing through her veins.
She felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge and knew that she wanted him to go over it with her.
She pulled his lower lip between her teeth and bit down on it as she tightened her grip around the base of his shaft and sped up the motion of her hand jerking him off.
Within seconds, she felt his body tense, but he moved away from her and shifted down the bed, replacing his hand with his mouth.
Instead of his finger flicking her swollen nub, it was now his tongue lapping over her pleasure button.
His fingers pushed inside of her as he sucked and licked her clit.
No one had ever touched her like this before, not with such tender intent, not with such soul-stirring devotion.
The moment Caleb’s mouth closed around her, the world seemed to snap into hyper-focus: her senses lit up edge to edge, nerves singing with a need that built and built until all she could do was hold on and let herself be carried away.
Her fingers fisted in the comforter beside her as her hips jerked up to meet him, her thighs trembling as Caleb buried his face between her legs.
She arched her back into him, moaning as his rough stubble grazed her inner thighs.
He circled the bundle of nerves at the hood of her sex with his tongue, flicking and sucking until she was writhing underneath him.
Taylor gasped at the sensation, bucking against his mouth as she felt herself getting wetter by the second.
She wanted more than anything for him to be inside of her when she came, but before she could communicate that, the built-up sexual tension in her body reached critical mass, causing an orgasmic chain reaction.
She saw stars, literally, as flashes of white exploded behind her closed lids while she came apart with a full-body shudder.
It was raw and beautiful and more powerful than anything she’d ever felt—like a dam bursting and every wound being washed clean in the flood.
She heard herself whimper his name again, gasping with pleasure as he kept his mouth steady, riding the aftershocks until her legs finally went limp beside his shoulders.
Taylor didn’t even have time to recover before he slid smoothly back up, his face flushed with heat.
He kissed her, slow and deep, and she tasted herself on his tongue, which only served to make the experience feel more intimate.
He gathered her against his chest and flipped their positions so he was on his back.
She felt the wild hammer of his heartbeat and the solid safety of his arms as her body molded to him, boneless and sated.
She blinked up at him, tears stinging her eyes—not from sadness, but from the sheer, overwhelming tenderness of it all.
He brushed her hair gently behind her ear, his expression wide open, and in that instant, Taylor saw a future she’d never allowed herself to imagine, one that held the promise of safety and happiness.
She was still breathless, still tingling, still hungry for him, but now it was mixed with something daring and bright and impossibly hopeful.
C aleb held Taylor tightly to him, his hand running up and down her back, as he tried to get his body under control.
He just wanted to relish every second of just being this close to another person.
It had been so long since he’d experienced any intimacy, he’d forgotten how good it felt.
Or maybe he’d never actually felt this way with anyone.
His entire body ached, emotionally and physically.