Page 70 of Then and Now
“Making it clear to you that I’m not going anywhere, either.”
I drop to my knees, push her legs open firmly, and lean in to kiss her inner thigh.
Her sultry moan and her hands tangling in my hair send my lips higher. I bite down gently, right at the crease of her hip, then suck just enough so that I know it’ll leave a mark. Iwantto mark her. Claim her. Make it clear she is mine forever.
“Oh God.” She tugs on the strands of my hair unintentionally, but fuck, does that bite of pain feel good.
I lift my head slightly so I can meet her gaze, my hands gripping the tops of her thighs, my thumbs slowly sweeping closer and closer to where I know she wants me.
“I want you to take what you need, baby. I want you to know I’m here for you, that it’s okay to need me, to want me, touseme. I’m yours, Serena.”
Her eyes widen, then fill with a lusty haze. Goddamn, she’s beautiful.
“Leo,” she murmurs, and I know from the decadent tone of her voice that she’s right where I want her to be. Her grip on my head tightens again, and I let her move my head down. Her long legs lift up and drape over my shoulders, and her heels dig in, pushing my body forward.
Going down on Serena when she’s wearing nothing but my high school sweatshirt is undoubtedly the hottest thing I have ever done with her. Hell, with any woman.
Serena taking control of it all?
Even hotter.
My tongue sweeps out, and I’m engulfed in the taste and scent of her arousal. Her legs squeeze the sides of my head as she holds me firmly, right where she wants me.
It’s exactly where I want to be as well.
I lap at her, licking her entire slit before focusing on her clit. It’s my sole purpose in this moment to get her off with nothing but my tongue. To prove to her that I’ve got her, that my hands will always hold her up, my mouth will always worship her, and my heart will always love her.
And when I suck her clit in between my teeth, letting them graze lightly over her sensitized skin, the sound of her screaming my name is the best sound in the world.
It’s a sound I want to hear again and again for the rest of my life.
Chapter twenty-three
Serena
“I’m nervous. This is stupid. Why the hell am I doing this?”
Mila, Summer, and Paige are all sitting on my couch, watching me pace the small distance in front of my coffee table. Their expressions range from amused to thoughtful to compassionate.
No surprise who’s wearing each face.
“Serena, I recognize he is your father, but he is also just a man. Why can you not treat him as such? Pretend he is a stranger come to discuss a trivial matter. Separate your emotions from the reality of the situation.”
“Paige,” Summer says gently, her eyes on me. “I don’t think this is the time for logic. Speaking from my own experience, if my dad and I had managed to reconnect before he died, I think I would be a nervous wreck, also.”
“Thank you.” I sink down to the floor, lying on my back with my legs crossed. It’s a weird position, but I find it comfortable and grounding. “I don’t know, guys, I just can’t figure out why he wants to see me now. God. What if he has another family he wants me to meet?” I sit upright, suddenly nauseous. “What if he replaced me and my mom with someone else. What if he —”
“Oh my God, stop.” Mila throws her hands up in the air. “Serena, we love you. Seriously. Majorly. Big time. But you are spiraling and out of all of us, you arenotthe one who spirals. So snap out of it, babe, put on your big girl panties and do this.”
Unconventional as it is, Mila’s pep talk seems to work. Because she’s right about at least one thing.
“I’m not spiraling. I don’t spiral.” I sit up and turn to face my friends. “Okay, maybe I’m spiraling a little, but you’re right, this isn’t me.”
“To be fair, you're also still dealing with all the drama from the other night.”
“I adore you and your sensitive soul, Summer, but I’m fine. Honestly. Leo said they’re working with the Westport Police to see if my break-in was connected to a series of vandalisms over there, but so far it seems like a one-off thing. At the end of the day, I’m safe.”
“And the studio?” Summer murmurs, her face still etched in concern. I appreciate it, but it’s also kind of annoying me right now. I don’t want to dwell on the bad stuff in my life. I want to get today over with and move forward with Leo and our future.
