“Of course it was possible for it to have been real,” I say, standing up and taking a seat beside her. “Avery, just because one element in her life wasn’t happy doesn’t mean the rest was taken down with it. She was unhappy with your dad, and she clearly found something worth fighting for in this other man. I’m the perfect example of that. You give me hope, you let me breathe again; coming to you, seeing your smile, it’s the only way I can keep fighting.”

“Is it strange for me to say I want to meet him?” she says, her voice low and shaky.

I shake my head. “Of course not. He has answers she can’t give you.”

She’s silent a moment, and then she lifts her eyes to mine and searches my face again, like she’s looking for an answer there.

“I’m sorry for what I said the other night, Nate. I didn’t mean it. This . . . us . . . what I feel here—it’s terrifying. This isn’t the girl I ever wanted to be, but I can’t stay away from you. Logic is lost on me. You’re all I see, all I want.”

I reach out and stroke her bottom lip. “It’s forgotten.”

She stares at my mouth and suddenly heat sparks in my chest again. I shouldn’t be doing this—I shouldn’t want to do this but when I’m here with her, I can’t seem to make myself think of anything else. All my guilt is washed away; the only thing I can see is a pair of devastating eyes that hold so much pain, so much love and so much compassion I never want to stare at anything else.

“I’m goin’ to kiss you now,” I murmur, “because I can’t stop thinking about your mouth.”

Her cheeks turn pink and she nods, her eyes not moving from mine. I lean forward, lifting my hand and gently cupping her cheek, running my thumb over the soft skin there. She shudders and shifts closer to me, dropping her hands to my thighs and holding them. I lean down and gently graze her lips, my skin prickling with need. She feels so good. So fucking good.

She deepens the kiss, sliding her hand up my thigh and slipping it underneath my shirt. I groan and slip my tongue between her pink lips, tangling it with hers. A whimper escapes her and travels through me, and her hands find my abs. She runs her fingers up and down, stroking my skin in the most delicate way. She’s fucking perfect, so graceful and elegant. A true lady.

My lady.

CHAPTER 22

AVERY

“Oh God,” I whimper, running my nails down his arms.

Nate grips my backside, riding my pussy against his jean-clad cock. My clit tingles with need as he rocks me against him, his hands on my ass, his lips on my neck. He’s taunting me, teasing me, making me want him.

“You’re going to come like this,” he breathes into my ear. “Then you’re going to come with my tongue in your pussy, then you’re going to come around my cock.”

Oh.

God.

He rocks his hips again, using his hands to pull my ass harder against him. The friction is divine, sending me up and over the edge quickly. I cry out his name, my fingernails running down his arms as I shudder.

I don’t have the chance to recover because he’s moving down my body, taking my pants with him. He discards them quickly and then takes my foot, lifting it and placing it on his shoulder.

My cheeks are heated. I’m so exposed to him, but there’s nothing that could make me turn away. Especially when his tongue slides out and slowly travels up my slit, stirring my aching pussy back to life. I cry out his name again and drop my head back against the wall, tilting my hips and pressing my sex into his mouth harder. He chuckles against my flesh and one of his hands slaps my ass, causing a sting of pain to radiate through my legs. It’s worth it, though. My blood begins to warm and my body tingles all over.

His tongue hits my clit, stiff and unrelenting. My cries become garbled and my legs feel as though they’ve turned to jelly. He releases my hip and slips his hand beneath us, bringing it up to my wet sex. He slips two fingers in, stretching me, filling me, making my groans turn into cries. So good, oh God, so good. His tongue works harder, his fingers pound into me and in seconds I’m coming—again.

“Nate,” I scream. “Oh, fuck.”

He pulls his fingers from my sex before I’ve finished trembling and then he’s standing, jerking his jeans down just enough to free his cock. He lifts my leg and puts it around his waist. Before I’ve got the chance to steady myself, he’s plunging inside me, deep and fast, causing my entire body to jerk with need. I open my mouth and it seems to take ten seconds before my strangled groan escapes. Nate is silent—all I can hear is his ragged breathing as he uses my ass to drive his thrusts. His arms bulge, his shoulders pull under his shirt and his mouth is on my neck again, sucking, nibbling, occasionally biting.

My pussy tightens around him, and I know it won’t be long before I come for him again. He’s driving into me with force, causing our skin to slap together. His fingers are tight on my ass, biting into my flesh as he fucks me. And boy, is he fucking me. This is pure, raw, primal fucking. The kind that has your pussy clenching just thinking about it. At that thought I’m coming again, utterly exhausted but completely content. My orgasm seems to rip all the stress from my body, relaxing me.

Nate is close behind me, his thrusts becoming frantic as he gets close to his release. When he finds it, he quickly pulls out, taking his cock in his hand and jerking it furiously. I stare down at it, my body tingling with awareness. His cock is big and thick, and right now it’s glistening with our arousal. He stops jerking and lets out a ragged groan as he begins to come, releasing onto my belly. I tremble as the warm liquid touches my skin.