Chasing after You, page 9
I shift, slide my hand up along the scruff of his beard, and lower my lips to his. Effortlessly, he stands from the chair and carries me to the comfy pillow pile on the other side of the patio.
Chapter Eleven
Leonardo
I lower Lily onto the soft, fleece blanket and hover over her. The amber color from the fire dances across her flawless skin. Her chest rises and falls with a few deep breaths.
“You too?”
“A little.” I narrow the space between us more. “Lily.” There’s no reason for me to be nervous. We’ve already gone past where we are in this moment. Yet the moment I kissed her, everything changed. My world shifted on its axis to revolve around her.
“Kiss me again, Leo.”
Her demand is all it takes.
I drag my tongue across her lower lip and then sweep into her mouth like I’ve been kissing Lily for years instead of a few days. The more I kiss and touch my best friend, the more I crave. Only she has ever made me yearn for the softness of a woman’s touch. It took me far too long to realize she would never make me choose between her and our family. Now I’m never letting her go. Her hands snake beneath the hem of my shirt and climb my chest.
“This needs to come off.”
I drop onto one forearm, and she lifts half my shirt off. Crossing over her, she repeats on the other side.
“Better?”
“For now.” There’s a twinkle in her eye that I’ve never seen before, and it sends heat streaking down my spine.
Lily may not have been overstating when she indicated she was demanding. She unzips her hoodie and wiggles out of her tee beneath me. At least she is allowing me some fun. When I lower my mouth to her earlobe and nip slightly, Lily bows upward, and her heated center is against my hard length. A desire-addled moan escapes her pouty, pink lips. I work my way over the corner of her jaw, along her neck, and down to the sweet-smelling valley between her ample breasts.
Her fingernails burrow into my shoulder blades. Noted, Lilianna. I slip the strap of her bra down her arm and take her aroused nipple between my teeth while working the silk and lace away from her curves. Determined to draw whimpers of pleasure from her, I bring her closer and shove two pillows under her. I cover one breast with my hand and roll her nipple between my fingers, while I suck the other into my mouth.
Her hands glide down my flanks and dip under the waistband of my joggers and boxer briefs, pushing them over my hips. I freeze the instant her small hands surround me. A mixture of emotions fly through my mind. First on the list is Lily is topless and her hands are pumping me with equal, precise movements. The flush in her cheeks is from my mouth exploring her lush body. The mere fact she’s still wearing any clothes is a testament to the inner battle going on in my mind. As much as I want to make love to Lily, I don’t want to skip the other steps either.
Her hands glide over me with increasing speed.
Hot desire rushes through my body. My breathing hitches, and I manage, “Lily, I would prefer you come first and often before me.”
She raises an eyebrow, as if my words weren’t a warning for her to stop. Molten heat bubbles at the base of my shaft. She doubles her speed, sets her hot mouth on my chest, and continues until I burst onto her belly.
Holy hell! I glance down at Lily and see she has a devilish smile on her face. I rock onto my heels and locate some napkins to clean up. Then I lie beside her and gather her against me, our legs tangled.
“I wasn’t kidding, sweetheart.”
“As intriguing as your words were, and I’m sufficiently intrigued, I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t think you were kidding, but I knew you wouldn’t stop me. Arguably, now it’s balanced. S’mores, then more sexy time later?” she asks.
I laugh. “I’m not even close to done with you for today.” For the rest of my life, more accurately. “I need to make one thing clear.”
A sliver of doubt cast over her face. “What?”
“I don’t want to skip over the exploration of your body and how to make you scream my name and shudder from my touch because we’ve been best friends forever. It’s an important aspect of our relationship.”
Silencing Lily has never been a feat I’ve successfully completed often, but it takes her longer than usual to reply. “No more sexy time today?” she frowns.
“Stella, you’re killing me. I didn’t say that. I merely want to slow down a little.”
“I can deal with a little, but not much.”
I groan, kiss her quickly, and push to my feet. When I return with our snack, she has my shirt tied at her waist. Lily has been wearing my clothes since middle school—a hoodie here, my varsity jacket in high school, and shorts once. The possession I feel is more significant in this moment.
“It’s wrong to cover up when I only recently garnered the ability to stare,” I inform her.
She wrinkles her nose, a quirk she’s had as long as I can remember, and it’s equally as adorable as the first time I noticed. “You promised I wouldn’t get cold, so I stole your shirt.”
My shirt that hangs off her shoulder. “Were you cold?”
“Only because you let go.”
I never realized before, but Lily is a vixen. She owns her wants in the bedroom, or patio in this case.
“What am I going to do with you?”
She winks at me. “Whatever you want.”
I growl, set down the tray with s’more fixings, and haul her between my outstretched legs.
“Better,” she notes and giggles softly when I bite down on her exposed shoulder. The muffled moan caught in her throat catches my attention. I tuck the information away for a later time.
We prepare our roasting forks and scoot closer to the flames. She rolls her marshmallow slowly and methodically while I hold it directly in the flames and watch it burn to a crisp. While I wait for Lily to finish hers, my marshmallow starts to droop.
“Catch it, Lily!”
She rests her stick on the ground in time to catch my melted marshmallow in her hands. Her laugh surrounds us, and it’s glorious. “Now what?”
I grab a graham cracker in one hand and attempt to scoop the gooey confection from her hands. I fail miserably. Not only are her hands covered, so are mine. Undeterred, Lily lifts my hand to her lips and swipes her tongue along my sticky skin. I think I’m more upset about not thinking of this method of eating the marshmallow before she did.
“You have to share,” I demand.
She laughs and releases my finger from her warm mouth. I dip my head and suck the sugary goo from her hands and drag my tongue up her arm until my shirt gets in the way. I skip over the fabric and reach for her lips. Without breaking our connection, she turns and settles with her legs over my thighs. Her heat nestles against my rock-hard shaft. The fabric of her leggings block nothing. Her eyebrow rises, but otherwise she says nothing. Unlike earlier today, we have time to learn each other. I untie my shirt, lift it over her head, and cast it aside.
I retrace a path down the center of her chest with my tongue and snake my hands beneath the waistband of her leggings. My attraction to Lily was well controlled until recently. The sheer notion her panties match the bra from earlier nearly pushes me to hurry. I don’t. Instead, I peel her leggings downward as if I’m unwrapping a present—one I have waited to open for at least a decade.
I pause at her hips when I see a tattoo. There is extraordinarily little about Lily I don’t know. The ink is new information. It’s a crescent moon with a star over the middle and an ornate lotus flower design. I finish removing her pants, hook the side of her lace panties, and lower them to see the entire tattoo on her olive skin. I bend forward and kiss her inked skin. For the moment, I intend to ignore the distinct scent of her arousal and the darker spot on her thong. “When did you get the ink?”
Her eyes glisten with potential tears, but none fall. “Three days after the draft.”
I dig deep into my brain and attempt to recall any time between then and now when I could’ve seen her tattoo and fail. She has had a tattoo symbolizing us on her body for as long as I’ve shelved my feelings for her.
“Did you go to Keith at The Ink Shoppe in Boston?”
She frowns. “Yeah, how did you know that?”
I drop another kiss on her skin, eliciting goose bumps and a slow exhale. Rocking back on my heels, I lower my joggers and boxer briefs to reveal a remarkably similar tattoo on my upper thigh. The unshed tear from before falls down her cheek. I swipe it away with the back of my hand.
She presses a kiss to my knuckles before I lower my hand. “When?”
“Not long after you got yours.”
“Why?”
I exhale sharply. “I wanted to have a piece of you with me wherever I ended up.”
“You always had one.” Her hand rests over my heart.
“Inwardly, sure. I wanted an outward symbol too. A reminder of where I came from and where I wanted to go.”
“Did it work?”
“Yes and no. It was a double-edged sword after Gran. Before she died, the tattoo reminded me you were always with me even if I ended up being traded to San Francisco. It was a small piece of you I could carry with me always, even if I pushed you away.”
“And now?” Her tone is soft and hopeful. Her chocolate eyes bore into mine.
I push back and kiss her tattooed skin again and reply, “Now, I want to memorize every inch of you until I know you completely.”
Drawing her close again, I kiss her deeply and possessively. I tangle one hand into her silky hair and slide the other down her torso and into her panties. I expected her to be wet, but soaked would be a more apt description. My finger skims over her clit and slides through her folds. I saw back and forth as my thumb draws circles over her nub at the same time. As I slide one finger into her sopping center, she bites down on my lower lip and moans.
Without discontinuing the circles with my thumb, I withdraw my finger earning a whimper from my breathtaking woman.
“Don’t worry, Stella.” I replace my single digit with two. “I’ve got you.”
Her breathing falters and shallows as her inner muscles pulse around my fingers. Lily claws at my back when the pulses ripple through her entire body, and she shudders against me. I refuse to relent until the waves of pleasure cease. When they end, I redouble my efforts until she shatters again, screaming my name. I gather her against me and lower us to the blankets closer to the warm embers. Aside from screaming my name, Lily hasn’t uttered a single word. Rarely can I render her speechless, it seems I’ve done it twice in one evening.
“You okay?” I drop a kiss to the top of her head. Mind reading would be an exceptionally useful skill right now. Before anything romantic happened, I could read Lily better than anyone. In this moment, I’m still figuring her out.
She nods against my chest and burrows deeper into my arms. I didn’t plan on exhausting her propane tank. When the flames fizzle out, we clean up and snuggle into bed until morning.
Chapter Twelve
Lilianna
Bright and early the next morning, I find myself wrapped in Leo’s arms in the center of my bed. He’s warm, and his hold on me is tight enough to keep me close and doesn’t allow me to slip out of bed. Flashes of the first part of our exceptionally long date tiptoe through my head.
Compartmentalizing my feelings for Leo was difficult over the years. Now having his full-fledged attention is more than I anticipated. Partially accurate, Leo, my best friend, was attentive before Danica. Leo as my other half—still isn’t an accurate description—has always been a part of me. Adding in physical affection is life altering, and I haven’t even—
“What are you thinking about so hard so early in the morning?” Leo murmurs against my neck.
“You.”
“Care to share?”
I twist slowly in his arms and set my hands flat on his chest. “It isn’t new information. More like observations of our friendship and how this level is insanely awesome.”
“I agree. Part of me is upset—”
“No, no backtracking. Any decision either of us made about our relationship was what needed to happen before now.”
“We could’ve had more time, and I wouldn’t be dealing with—”
“Don’t you dare. We didn’t lose time. We gained a new aspect of our relationship.”
“Not completely,” he reminds me.
“Being cheeky about making me wait, I see.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead and pushes out a harsh breath. “We can’t go back after I make love to you, Lily.”
“Could you now?”
His silence shares volumes about Leo’s thoughts.
“Neither can I.”
A little while later, he breaks the silence. “Ready to continue our epic first date?”
I giggle. “Sure. Are we eating here or out?”
“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t get your favorite breakfast for our first date?”
“One who wouldn’t know what my favorite breakfast is.”
“Fair enough. We may have extensive knowledge, but still… we’re picking up breakfast.”
“Are you going to share where we’re going?” I wonder if he will keep it a surprise.
“I would prefer not to, but I still can’t drive, so… our first stop is the Perk. The dress code is exercise clothes.”
I smile widely at him. “Oooohhh! I like this so far.”
“I thought you might. Get moving, beautiful.”
After a quick kiss, I hustle into the bathroom and fuss with my hair. We’re backing out of the garage less than forty minutes later. Hand in hand, we stroll into the Perk and pick up our order. As expected, Leo orders my coffee perfectly and makes the best scone choice given the options on the daily menu.
I smile and sink my teeth into the first bite of the strawberry walnut scone.
Leo lowers his mouth near the shell of my ear. “I did good, huh?”
I nod. “You already knew that, didn’t you?”
“Of course. Your smile is all the confirmation I need. I’ve had years to learn almost everything about you. We’re working on the rest.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, and we make our way back to the car.
He opens the driver door and hurries around to the passenger side. Leo’s manners aren’t new information, but I appreciate them more given he acted similarly when we weren’t dating. Dating? It doesn’t seem like enough for what we are. I push those thoughts away for another time, set my hand on the shifter, and turn my head in his direction.
“Do you want me to direct you or just tell you now?”
I lean over the console so I’m close enough to kiss him. Before he even tells me, I know without a shred of doubt it will be perfect. “You can tell me. Then I’ll kiss you breathless for the perfect choice. Then we can go enjoy your date-planning prowess.”
“It isn’t prowess. It’s using the inside, best-friend information to my advantage.”
I tilt my head in anticipation. “So?”
He eliminates all but a sliver of space between our mouths. “We’re going to walk Marginal Way and then walk through the village.”
I pepper his lips and face with fast kisses before slowing to a toe-curling, bone-deep kiss of love and happiness. “You hate shopping.”
“I’ll shop with you.”
“I see you, Leonardo, and your sweet words.”
“Good. It won’t change.”
I pull into traffic and drive to the parking lot for the Marginal Way. The ride isn’t terribly long, but it’s long on actions. Leo’s fingers are linked with mine, and he didn’t change the station on the radio even though I know country isn’t his favorite.
Parking in the closest spot to the trail, we silence our phones then meander down the path. It winds along the shore with exquisite views. We pause near the lighthouse and simply soak in the feel of us here as a couple. If we’ve been here together before, it wasn’t memorable, which likely means we were in a group. While the walk isn’t long, we take a seat on bench sixteen and absorb the salty breeze and soothing waves.
Taking photos isn’t really my thing. I prefer to live in the moment. However, I make an exception now. I pluck my phone from my pocket, outstretch my arm, and take a selfie with my lips plastered on Leo’s cheek. After lowering the phone, I snuggle into Leo, and we sit on the bench for quite some time, lost in us and our thoughts. I don’t like to compare my past relationships, but I could never just be with anyone other than Leo. He’s always the first person who comes to mind when I need advice or consolation, even when either of us was dating someone else.
“Ready to keep going?” He sets a kiss to my forehead.
Sweet mercy! I never realized how intimate those were until he unknowingly kissed me at the hospital. Now it’s purposeful and means exponentially more. With our hands intertwined, we casually stroll the rest of the path. Instead of walking the path back, we meander through the village and poke around in a few shops, just being goofy, trying on sunglasses and hats.
As we near the car, Leo pulls out his phone and scrolls through his messages.
“What else are you up to?”
A devilish glint materializes in his jade eyes. I’ve never met anyone whose eyes express more than Leo’s.
“I’m making sure the rest of our date is all set up.”
I inhale and smile up at him. “Okay.” I wait impatiently for him to elaborate. “And?”
“No details, Stella.”
“Okay.”
Surprise crosses his face. Nothing about Leo would fall into the pretty category. He’s scruffy, scarred, and mine. There’s a tenderness about him he only shares with me, and I’m grateful only I know that facet of him.
“You aren’t going to push and prod until I cave?”
“No. You don’t need to do all of this for me though.”
Leo guides me between two of the quaint stores and lifts my hands to his lips. “I know you don’t need me to take care of you. Your self-sufficiency is hot as hell. I need you to allow me to care for you because I want to.”
