Page 39 of Always and Forever
“Fucking hell, Summer,” he rasps, his eyes drifting closed. My fingers are pressing into his chest, curled into the ropes of muscle that are straining with the passion that’s overtaking us both. Whether it’s the firelight, the sound of the waves, or the feel of Ethan, I sense my body taking over. I’m pulled by some unseen force into a rhythm that I don’t control anymore. I give myself up to it, to him and to this moment. My senses are reduced to the warmth of his skin on mine, the sound of our moans and grunts as we come together thrust after thrust, and the fire building inside of me.
I lean forward to kiss him, needing his lips the way a junkie needs their next fix. I’m high on Ethan. He takes over, speeding us up, lifting my hips and slamming me back down on him. The sensation rides the fine line between pleasure and pain, hovering on the side of intense pleasure with perfect balance. He’s claiming me with every thrust, his cock hitting my inner walls from every angle.
“You’re perfect. This is perfect,” he says, and his voice is filled with sensual wonder. “Fuck yes, God, shorty, you’re squeezing me so tightly.”
“Ethan,” I gasp, tilting my hips forward so that every stroke of his cock hits me exactly where I need it.
The heat he is stoking inside of me is overwhelming my senses from the inside out, sending me higher than any human should possibly go. Any fear about the higher I climb, the further I fall, is fleeting at best, because I know he is right there with me, holding me, anchoring me to him. When we hurtle over the edge into ecstasy, we go together, clutching each other tightly. For several minutes we stay like that, tangled together, our hearts pounding in time. Eventually, Ethan’s hands come up to brush the hair out of my face.
“When I said earlier that you consume me, I meant it. You’ve come back into my life and turned me inside out in the best possible way. I get lost in you, babe.”
“That’s okay. You can get lost. Because I found myself in you,” I answer simply.
Ethan’s hands still.
“Summer.”
Then he kisses me again. And just like the kiss earlier, this one is laden with promises unspoken. Promises of forever, of love, of all the things I thought were impossible dreams.
Eventually hunger drives us to cook the hot dogs, turning the energy between us from romantic to playful. I’ve never had a boyfriend that I can have so much fun with. It’s a layer of our relationship that I cherish almost as much as the more intimate moments. And after, Ethan pulls out the bag of marshmallows and we try to see who can roast the perfect one. When I lick marshmallow off of my fingers one by one, emphasizing the swirl of my tongue around the tip of my finger, his reaction is exactly what I hoped for.
“For fuck’s sake, I’m never going to be able to eat s’mores again without getting a hard on,” he growls, and I giggle.
“I’m not sorry for that,” I tease. “You’ll just have to never eat s’mores without me.”
“Deal.” He presses his lips against mine firmly, his tongue swiping at my upper lip. “Mmm. Sweet.”
I lean my head down on his shoulder, and we sit there quietly watching the fire until it dies down again. Ethan tucks the blanket more securely around me.
“Do you want to go into the cabin?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“No, I want to look at the moon for a little while longer.”
The silvery light reflecting on the water makes me realize I want a lifetime of moments like this. The peace and contentment that fills me, listening to the water lap against the shore, seeing the stars twinkling above us, this is what I’ve spent my life searching for and never finding. Eventually, the cold air seeps in and I start to shiver.
“Come on, shorty.” Ethan kisses the top of my hair before standing up, still holding me, and carrying me, cradled into his arms toward the cabin. He kicks the door open before setting me down on my feet in the dark.
“Hang on.” I hear him moving around, then one by one he turns on countless small LED candles until the cabin is bathed in a warm glow that mimics the fire we had outside.
“Oh, Ethan,” I breathe. No one has ever done something so romantic, so thoughtful, for me. An air mattress is on the floor of the empty room, piled high with blankets and pillows, and the flickering lights are on every surface.
“Best part is, no raccoons,” he says with a grin, kicking off his shoes and putting them by the door. “Come here.” He holds his hand out to me, beckoning me closer. I take my shoes off as well before padding across the floor to him. I let him fold me into his strong embrace, breathing in the musky scent of him deeply. Together we lower down to the mattress. Ethan stretches out beside me, his fingers drifting in circles over my stomach and hips. His lips nip at my neck, licking and kissing a path down to my shoulder where he pulls down the hemline of my shirt to bare more skin. Earlier we were consumed with a frantic sort of passion, now it’s more luxurious. We have nothing but time and each other.
I push him away, and we make quick work of our clothes. Then in the warmth of the nest of blankets he set up, Ethan makes me fly again and again.
Later, when I’m tucked into him, his chest pressed against my back as we cuddle together in the afterglow, he presses a kiss to my shoulder.
“Are you feeling better about the resort after today?”
I roll over in his arms so I can face him, bringing my hands underneath my head. He slides a leg in between mine so that we are still fully entwined in each other. I love the way he needs the connection just as much as I do.
“Yeah, I think I am,” I reply. “There’s still so much to do, but I’m starting to be able to see what this place will be eventually. I think…I think my dad would be happy,” I say softly. Ethan leans forward and kisses a spot under my eyes that was damp with unshed tears.
“I know he would be.”
The certainty in his voice makes me smile. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have this man believe in me like he does. But I won’t take a second of our time together for granted. Remembering what Mila told me about his ex, and how she up and left him with no warning, I pull him tighter. I don’t think I could give this man up for anything.
18
