Falling for Autumn, page 14
“I didn’t expect that to be the last time I saw her.” His voice was so low she had to strain to hear him. “I was a grown-ass man, but I cried when my mom told me what had happened. The director of the women’s-aid program had contacted her. I couldn’t believe that I had missed two chances to make things right with her and I’d lost any chance of ever seeing her again. Mom and Dad didn’t even ask me any questions about how I felt. They just consoled me and informed me that they were paying for my birth mother to be buried in the same cemetery as my grandmother. I’ve still never been there. Can’t bring myself to go.”
“Your parents really are amazing.”
“They are. I don’t deserve them.
“Yes, you do.” She adjusted herself on the rock so she was facing him. “You’ve blamed yourself for years, but your birth mother made the choice to do drugs that night. I know you hate that you were never able to have an honest conversation with her, but you’ve carried this burden for ten years and you have to understand that even if you had spoken with her, the outcome may not have been different.”
He dragged his long fingers down his face. “Trust me. I’m working on it. Speaking at the next program meeting is a big step for me, but it won’t change the past.”
“You’re right, it won’t. But it’s definitely a step you need to take to start the process of forgiving yourself...and forgiving your mom. I, of all people, know how hard that can be. But I have faith in you, and as soon as you realize what an amazing man you are and understand that you can’t let the past dictate your future, you’ll be surprised at how much quicker the forgiveness process goes.”
“Did you forgive your ex?”
“I’m still working on it. But I have forgiven my mom. I had to for my own sanity...”
He studied her eyes the way he had earlier, and just like before, she sat there and let him get his fill. “I happen to think you’re pretty amazing, too.”
She felt her cheeks grow warm under his gaze. Separately, they had their share of problems, but together, she couldn’t help but think there was anything they couldn’t overcome. Opening up to Ajay was something she’d expected once she gave in to her attraction. Falling in love with Ajay wasn’t the plan, but she had a feeling that was exactly where she was headed.
He leaned toward her and captured her lips in a kiss. She didn’t know if it was possible, but each kiss seemed to be more passionate than the last. The only thing that would have been better was if they hadn’t been sitting on hard rocks.
“You guys are never going to win that way.”
Reluctantly, they broke the kiss. She lightly shook her head to clear away the lustful fog and spotted Jaleen and Danni standing a few feet away with big smiles on their faces.
“I don’t know about that, Jaleen,” Danni said, crossing her arms. “It all depends on if they are trying to win this hiking game or if they are trying to win something else entirely.”
A witty remark was right on the tip of her tongue, but Ajay chose that moment to gaze into her eyes momentarily, cutting off all the oxygen to her brain. Not only did she read the look in his eyes, but they’d turned from light brown to deep gray. The change was taking her mind to a very naughty place. She wished she had the guts to ask him if he agreed with Danni. Were they playing for something else entirely? Was he playing for keeps or was she just his current fixation?
When his lips curled into a sexy side smile, she bit her bottom lip and moaned.
“I just need one more,” he said before going in for another kiss, disregarding the fact that they had an audience. If anyone would have asked her months ago if she would have been sitting on a mountain publicly kissing the sexiest man she’d ever known, she would have laughed in the person’s face. And now she wasn’t sure she would stop the kiss even if ten more couples showed up to watch.
“Looks as though you’re the lone wolf left in Chicago,” Danni said, patting Jaleen on his back. “Better start planning single bachelor activities for one.”
Chapter 16
Autumn yawned and stretched her aching muscles. It was a good sore, but she definitely needed to take a bath sometime today. Last night, she’d decided to stay in Ajay’s room. Jaleen and Danni had bragged about winning the hiking game all last night, leaving out the part about Ajay and Autumn letting them win.
The vibrant sunrise lit the dark room, reminding her that they would eventually need to shower and change for the day. She couldn’t believe the wedding was tomorrow. They had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner, so the day would be packed with final wedding details.
She felt Ajay stir beside her and looked over to see if he was awake. He even looks sexy when he sleeps. She swore, the man didn’t have an ugly bone in his body. She brushed her hand down the side of his face before running her fingers over his abs. He stirred again, but he didn’t wake up. The sheets were twisted around their bodies, but the most appetizing parts of Ajay were covered, and that just wasn’t acceptable.
Oral sex had never been something she was really into, but she was realizing that with Ajay, she was enjoying a whole lot of things she didn’t normally relish. The challenge that they’d agreed upon entered her mind. He’d successfully been knocking down the walls she’d built around her heart, and the past couple of nights he’d knocked down yet another as she’d experienced her first real orgasm through sexual intercourse. There was no faking it with Ajay. She didn’t have to pretend to have a passionate release and then pretend to be asleep. With him, she could only give in to what she was feeling. Unleash the passion she’d always hoped was there buried deep inside.
Since she’d arrived on the island, she’d made a promise that she would enjoy herself without overanalyzing a situation. There was no room for overthinking in paradise.
She moved the sheet that was covering the part she was searching for and was surprised to see him enlarged. Clearly, even in his sleep, he had a high sex drive. She hesitantly moved fingers up and down his shaft, enjoying the feel of his skin rubbing against the palm of her hand. She stopped touching him long enough to move the rest of the sheets from his body. Lord have mercy. She didn’t think she’d ever tire of seeing his magnificent body in all its naked glory. As she ran her hands over his muscular thighs, she got an idea of how she could collect on her end of the bet.
As carefully as she could, she eased his legs apart and nestled herself right in between both limbs. She wasn’t positive, but it seemed as if his erection grew even more before her eyes. As if he knew what she was about to do. His body was still slowly rising and falling, so he was definitely still asleep. Good. If you stay asleep long enough, I’ll have you right where I want you.
Ever so slowly, she eased her mouth over the tip of his erection and lightly sucked before sliding her tongue down one side of his shaft and then down the opposite side. She watched his face twitch, so she slowed her movements so that he would fall back into a deep sleep. When she was satisfied that he was back in dreamland, she continued her plan to please him to the point of no return. Since Ajay had a problem losing control in the bedroom and he was a lot stronger than she was, she knew she couldn’t get away with doing whatever she wanted to him without him seductively turning the tables, as he’d done last night. She loved that he’d rather please her than please himself, but it was time for her to give back, and she was going to do so one lick at a time.
She got into a nice rhythm and figured it was time for her to add her hands to the mix. By the time he woke up, it would be too late for him to do anything about it, and he’d have no choice but to release the orgasm that he’d deprived her of last night.
* * *
Off in fantasyland, Ajay refused to wake up from the amazing dream he was having about Autumn. Dreams this good were meant to last, and even though he felt himself being tugged awake by sounds and noises that he couldn’t understand, he refused to open his eyes.
He tried to stay in the moment and keep his dream alive, but the noises were really starting to bother him.
“Keep that, oh, yeah, there.” What in the world was that? It sounded a lot like his voice, but he couldn’t make out the words. Maybe you should wake up... He shook his head and ignored his thoughts. He didn’t want to wake up. Men never woke up from great dreams like this. In his dream, Autumn was sexily kneeling in between his legs, sucking him so good, he couldn’t help but wonder what she’d do when his dream turned to a reality. He usually didn’t care for oral sex because he liked remaining in control. But for Autumn, he might reconsider, if the way this dream was going was any indication of how liberating it would feel to have her mouth on him.
In his dream, she increased the movements of her tongue and appeared to be trying to take him in whole, which was no easy feat. She started humming, and he didn’t know if it was to drive him insane or make room in her throat for him. Either way, it was sexy as hell and he felt the pleasure all the way to his toes.
“Baby, what you do.” What the hell? Once again, that gibberish sounded a lot like his voice. His entire body tensed and he started shaking his head from side to side. He was going to release himself, and the power of his orgasm was going to be forceful. More forceful than any orgasm he’d ever had in this position. He’d never recalled a dream feeling so real. So right.
Shit, I can’t hold back any longer. Even in his dream he was trying to hold back, but Autumn’s mouth was too demanding. His erection had grown considerably and her tongue hadn’t eased up at all. You have to wake up for this. Wake up!
His hazy eyes flew open and the sight that he saw was absolutely breathtaking. Kneeling in between his thighs relentlessly sucking his erection and fondling him with her hands was Autumn Dupree. The woman who’d been the star of his latest dream.
He realized that the jumbled words he’d heard had actually been his. He felt caught off guard, and there was nothing gentlemanly about the way he was thrusting his hips into her mouth. Her eyes twinkled in amusement. She knew what she was doing and she knew there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He was already too far gone.
“Autumn,” he said as a warning. He was on the brink and he couldn’t stop it. Instead of slowing down, she sucked him even harder. He released a powerful orgasm followed by a range of grunts and growls that didn’t even sound human. He was still convulsing from aftershock when he felt her hands on him again, only this time, she was rolling on a condom.
“What are you doing?” he asked when she began crawling up the bed.
She smiled slyly. “What does it look like I’m doing?” She straddled him and brought her mouth to his right ear. “Right now, I’m easing you inside me.” And, oh, man, was she! It was the slowest entrance he’d ever experienced, and his erection was already sensitive from the orgasm he’d just had. His hands flew to her butt as she began moving up and down in a slow rhythm.
“If you want me to stop, then tell me right now.” He heard her words, but he wasn’t about to respond to them. There was no way he wanted her to stop what she was doing. He started rolling his hips to meet her movements.
“I’ll take that as a no.” With that, she briefly kissed his lips before leaning back up and slightly increasing her pace. When she dropped her head to the ceiling and placed her hands behind her on the bed, he made a mental note to see what other twists and turns she could do as a result of all that yoga she did.
Her breasts bouncing in front of his face looked too appetizing to leave unattended. He moved his thumbs in a circular formation over her sensitive nipples and was rewarded by a piercing moan that echoed through the spacious room.
She was so responsive, and not just sexually—although her moans were definitely becoming the sweetest song he’d ever heard. She was responsive when it came to everything they did and everything they were learning about one another. She didn’t just offer advice and comfort when he discussed his past. She empathized with his pain. She shed tears of sadness for what he’d experienced. Everyone had certain fears they had to face, and every time he spoke to Autumn, she made him feel as though she wanted to be by his side to face them, as well.
When she finally leaned up and looked back down at him, he couldn’t hold in his emotions any longer. He needed to switch their positions. Snaking an arm around her waist, he pulled her to his chest before gently laying her on her back, making sure he remained buried deep inside her.
She glanced up at him, her eyes a little uncertain. “Is this your way of stopping me from giving you another orgasm?” She’s so adorable. That definitely wasn’t the reason. He didn’t want to express any serious sentiments in the act of making love, but he wanted to put her mind at ease, as well.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m completely captivated by you, Autumn Dupree. So to answer your question, no, I don’t plan on stopping anything.” He watched the worry leave her features, replaced by the passion he’d been witnessing all morning.
His thrusts into her body were slow. Precise. Calculated. His eyes held hers as he tried to show her through his eyes what he felt in his heart. He’d often heard men say that they knew they’d found the one when they couldn’t imagine their life without that person. They were great together. The perfect combination of a challenging and exhilarating relationship. He didn’t know if she thought that anything that happened in Bora Bora would end here, but if she did she was sadly mistaken. He was fine with easing into dating, but he wasn’t fine with being friends, and before they left paradise, he would make sure she knew that.
He grabbed her hands and placed her arms above her head as his thrusts quickened. Her labored breathing and the way she clenched her thighs were the signs he’d been waiting for. He was close himself.
He closed his eyes at the onslaught of passion flowing through his body. When he opened his eyes, a lazy smile was present on her face. It wasn’t lost on him how monumental their moment was. Within seconds, she released a moan that he felt throughout his entire body. His own orgasm quickly followed, and was just as powerful as the first. The last thought to cross his mind as his spasms subsided was that Autumn had finally done it. She’d shown him what it felt like to lose yourself in someone else.
Chapter 17
“What do you mean we aren’t meeting up with the group?” Ajay was leading her to a boat and away from the main villa, where she thought they were meeting a few people for breakfast.
“I already told Winter and Taheim that we will be taking the morning off. They didn’t mind as long as I promised to be back in time for rehearsal.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” he said with a laugh. “Now get in this boat so I can show you your surprise.”
She shivered, and it wasn’t from the cool breeze that had just wafted through her hair. Normally, Ajay was the guy whom everyone ran to when they had a problem. He was strong. Kind. He cared about those he loved and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for them. But he also had a dominating side that made her turn into a pile of mush when his voice grew all deep and husky. It was the same voice she heard when he released an orgasm loud enough to rock the villa.
She couldn’t be sure, but it felt as if they were on a twenty-minute boat ride before a gorgeous green mountain came into view. Ajay got out of the boat first and lifted her out with ease. She followed him through a small crowd of people and down the dirt road to an open-window trolley that had a symbol and name on the side indicating that they were going on some type of tour. He held her hand as he led her to a couple of seats toward the middle.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” she asked when the trolley began going uphill and passing an array of colorful plant life.
“You’ll see soon,” he said as he placed a soft kiss on her mouth. Convinced he wasn’t going to give her a clue as to where they were going, she leaned into his arms to enjoy the beautiful view. Fifteen minutes later, the trolley stopped and passengers began exiting the vehicle.
“This is so adorable,” she said as they walked through the small island village with a variety of souvenir huts, a couple of restaurants and a group of Polynesian dancers and singers entertaining the crowd.
“I thought we’d get off the resort grounds and experience more of the neighboring islands.”
“I love it,” she said, leaning up to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Where do you want to go first?”
“How about over there?” She followed the direction he pointed to and couldn’t make out what it was. He led her over to a couple of men who were placing harnesses on a few other people.
“What is this?”
“This is the activity we’re signed up for.” He went to a man holding a clipboard and signed some paperwork. She walked over to glance over his shoulder right as he was signing the last page.
“Zip-lining! Where? We are practically at the top of the mountain.”
“Exactly.” He flashed her a sneaky smile. “We’re zip-lining down the mountain.”
Her jaw dropped and she looked around at the others seemingly excited about this adventure. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Are you afraid of heights?”
“No.”
“Then, what’s the problem?”
She studied his eyes, not sure if she had an answer for him. “I don’t know. I just wasn’t prepared to zip-line down a mountain today.”
“Baby, you’ll be fine.” There he goes calling me “baby” again. How the heck was she supposed to focus when he spoke to her in such an endearing way? He pulled her away from the crowd.
