Page 101 of Sweet Dreams

Gideon crawls on the bed and tosses the pillows to one side. He rearranges himself so that his back is to the headboard. He spreads his legs and beckons me forward. “Sit, right here between my legs,” he commands. “Your back against my chest.”

Like always, I melt under that stern voice he uses in the bedroom. I obey immediately, settling against him. We’re both still dressed, but my silky blue shirt is unbuttoned. He pulls out a bottle of massage oil from his pocket and pours the contents on my chest and abs.

The silky glide of the liquid trails down my body. Gideon reaches around and starts caressing the oil against my skin. At the same time, he finds that sensitive spot near my ear and nips the lobe. I gasp. The combination of the oil and Gideon’s fingers must be magic, because in seconds I’m a whimpering mess, hornier than ever.

“That’s it, babe.” He blows hot air into my ear. “I want you trembling under me.” Both of his slippery hands find my nipples, and he starts playing with them. I moan, long and loud. Holy shit. Did I tell him that I’m into nipple play, or did he just figure it out from the other times we’ve been together?

I reach for the button on my pants, but he smacks my hand away. “Nope.” Gideon laughs. “No touching. Just feel.”

His fingers work my nipples, tugging harder and faster. My eyes roll to the back of my head, and he uses that opportunity to suck on my exposed neck. All of the sensations are overriding my thoughts, and I don’t even care. I’ve always been so damn sensitive to touch. My hard cock is trapped in my pants, but it doesn’t matter. The friction of my pants is enough. I thrust forward. At the same time, Gideon groans against my neck and thrusts as well.

He’s just as hard in his dark jeans. I can feel his thick cock against my back. I thrust again, and his hands get to work, touching me all over my exposed chest and abs. He alternates between sucking and licking my neck, and it’s too fucking much. I whimper, already about to come. This is crazy. I’m about to come, hands-free with nothing but this sensual god of a man tugging my nipples and caressing my chest.

He’s breathing heavily, we both are. Then he starts talking—filthy, dirty words—growling about how he’s so damn proud of me and how he’s going to fuck me all night. The throbbing head of my cock feels so damn sensitive against the material of my pants. The pressure is enough to make me fly high. All the sensations and words cause me to tumble over the edge.

Just like that, I orgasm like a teenager coming in his pants.

“Fuck, that’s it, babe. This sexy little body belongs to me.”

“Yes,” I murmur, lust drunk and barely aware of the way he undresses me and cleans me up. Several minutes later we’re both naked in bed. My body is probably too satiated to come again, but I beg him to stretch me open and make love to me anyway.

When our bare skin meets, a collective, shaky breath breaks from both of us. He is radiating an intense, intoxicating heat, his body slick with all the oil he was playing with earlier.

I tug him back down to me, my hands sliding over the muscles of his shoulders, tracing the deep ridges of his back as he worships my mouth, my jaw, and the sensitive skin at the base of my throat. Every low moan that leaves my mouth is a promise; I’ll return the favor someday soon. I want to play with his body and get him worked up just like he did to me. Just like he always does.

Once I’m stretched open and he’s sinking inside of me, I place my hand on his chest. I swear, the thudding rhythm of our hearts are beating in perfect sync. It doesn’t take long for him to come, because there’s something charged about the way he makes love to me tonight.

Afterwards, we sneak into the kitchen, where he makes me some of those delicious Filipino grilled cheese and pimiento sandwiches and we cuddle on the couch, feeding them to each other.

A wild, crazy thought drifts into my mind, but I can’t seem to stop it from forming.

This feels like home. Gideon feels like home.

Chapter fifteen

Avery

The advance copy of the next Dee Rama Magazine sits on the center of the studio’s cutting island, its glossy cover teasing me.

Ezra, Kai, and I stand around the table in silence. Nobody wants to touch it. The familiar tick of the wall clock and the faint hum of a delivery truck driving down Main Street is the only thing breaking up the silence, as we just stare at the damn thing.

"Well," Kai says, finally breaking the awkward moment as he leans his hands against the island, staring at the magazine. "Are we going to read it, or what? I have an eager cowboy waiting for me at home."

Ezra lets out a soft chuckle, though his eyes are bright with anticipation. He looks over at me, nodding his head toward the page. "It’s your collection, Avery. You do the honors."

My heart does a nervous, happy flutter in my chest. I step forward, my fingers trembling as I pull the glossy cover and flip the magazine open. I flip past the cosmetics ads, and past the lifestyle columns, until I reach the center fold.

There, spread across four full pages, is the ‘Honey & Harvest’ line and all its praise.

Praise!

The photography is breathtaking. The images capture the rich textures of our stunning collection. Right there for everyone to see is our carefully chosen color scheme of chocolate, burnt orange, and leafy greens. In the center, a stunning full-page shot of the amber charmeuse gown. The text below the image is bold and clear.

"In the unexpected hills of Foggy Basin, independent brand, Beauty and the Boutique, has engineered a structural masterpiece. Guest designer, Avery Wade, has delivered a revolutionary textile concept, utilizing local raw beeswax to create an architectural, seamless drape that defies the natural fluidity of silk. These designs represent a brilliant achievement in sustainable innovation. It’s a collection that doesn't just challenge high fashion but completely redefines it."

— Scott Woods

Everyone around me is quiet. Shock heavy in the air. Then, Kai lets out a wild shriek of pure joy, jumping up and down ecstatically before throwing his arms around my neck. "Holy shit, Avery! You did it!"