Page 38 of Always and Forever
“That sounds wonderful.”
I turn to gather some things from my truck while she moves the chairs. When I drop the pile of wood down beside the stone fire ring she’s building, I whistle appreciatively. “Good to know you still remember how to do that.”
Summer huffs out a laugh. “It’s a circle of rocks, Ethan. Pretty sure it’s a hard thing to forget.” She stands up and brushes her hands together. “I’m going to disappear into the bushes for a minute. Be right back.”
Fixing the plumbing in the cabin is our next priority. While she’s gone, I quickly move the rest of my surprise into the cabin. It’s a good thing we finished the work we were planning on doing today, or my surprise wouldn’t work. Now I just hope she’s into the idea. I set things up as quickly as I can, then shut the door to the cabin before Summer can get back.
When she returns, I’ve got the fire started, and have laid out some food.
“Hot dogs and s’mores?” she says with a laugh, sinking down into the chair next to mine.
“Perfect food for a campout at the beach, wouldn’t you say?”
Her blinding smile shows no hint of her previous sadness, and I know without a doubt that I’ll do anything on earth to make that happen again and again.
17
Summer
“A campout?” I say, my heart filling with happiness that washes away the sadness from before. All thoughts of my mom’s lies, or my dad’s passing disappear.
Ethan looks at me, a grin stretching across his face. The flames from the fire dance on his skin, giving him a warm glow. “Yeah. You, me, a sleeping bag, a campfire, and the stars. Sound good?”
Chills dance over my skin, and not because it’s cold.
“That sounds amazing,” I whisper.
He rises out of his chair only to tug me out of mine and sit back down with me on his lap. His eyes penetrate me, seeing to the depths of my soul.
“Amazing is what you deserve, and more.” This time when he kisses me, it’s different. This isn’t a kiss of passion or lust. This is a kiss of something deeper, more intense. This is a kiss of knowing, of seeing, of loving. His lips are promising forever, even if we haven’t yet said the words. I don’t need them, because I can sense what he isn’t saying in his touch. I slant my mouth over his, eager to feel more of him, to send him the same unspoken message. Our tongues are dancing together, sliding over each other, as our hands grapple for an even stronger attachment.
When we break apart, we’re both panting. I can feel his shoulders rising and falling underneath my touch, and the light from the campfire illuminates the lines of his jaw dusted with stubble; the shadows give him a dangerous air that is so at odds with the Ethan I know, the gentle lumberjack who feels so deeply.
“You look fierce and wild, like you might consume me.”
Somehow his gaze both softens and grows more intense at the same time. His large hand comes up to cup the back of my neck, pulling our foreheads together so they touch.
“Youdoconsume me.”
His words wash over me, soft as silk sliding on my skin.
“Are you hungry, Summer?”
I shake my head. “Not for food.”
In one swift move he stands and walks over to the cabin. At the door he pauses, and glances back at the fire.
“We can’t leave that unattended,” he says, his voice full of regret and indecision. “And once I get you inside, there’s no way my attention will be anywhere but on you.”
My inner vixen roars to life, giving me an idea. I push at him to get him to set me down. When he does, I take his hand and lead him back to the chairs by the fire. Slowly, I lift my shirt up and over my head. I see his eyes darken as he realizes what I’m up to. Then his shirt is off, and he’s reaching for my pants, sliding them down my body, lowering himself to the ground. When he’s on his knees in front of me, he stares up at me with reverence.
“Summer,” he murmurs, and my heart seizes waiting to hear what he might say next. But no more words come. Instead of speaking, his mouth starts kissing. My stomach, my hips, the line where my skin meets my panties. Then his fingers are hooking in the sides of my underwear, and tugging them down, lifting my legs one by one to take them off. Everywhere his hands touch, his mouth follows, drawing lines and patterns up and down my legs until they are quivering so violently, I am certain I’ll collapse.
The fire is slowly dying with no fresh wood being added, and the dimming light continues to trip across our skin, shining in parts and throwing shadows in others. Ethan stands, his gaze firmly planted on mine as he takes his jeans off. Then he sits down in a chair before guiding me to sit in his lap. His cock is straining upward, pushing against the fabric of his boxer briefs. I shift my hips slightly, freeing it and taking him in my hands. His head drops back, his mouth opening slightly, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallows. I lean in and lick up the line of his throat, feeling his cock throb in my palm in response.
“I want you, Ethan.” I whisper against his neck.
“Then take me.” He reaches down and pulls out a condom from his shorts. As soon as it’s rolled on him, I use my hands to guide the tip of his cock to my entrance and slide down his length with a low moan. No one and nothing have ever filled me the way he does. I start to rock my hips as his hands come down to hold me. His fingers dig in, possessing me with his touch.
