She frantically nodded and bit her bottom lip.
My mouth gaped open. “Oh, Cricket,” I told her, my voice dropping an octave. “I told you never to do that.”
She released her lip and I found my hand reaching for it. I ran my thumb across its glossy fullness, feeling her warm breath against the pad. I followed the plump line to the crease of her mouth then back.
Her hands reached for my shoulders but I stopped them, earning me another soft gasp. I pinned both her wrists above her head with one hand. With the other, I continued to explore her exquisite mouth before tracing my thumb down the line of her throat. She swallowed, making me smile.
“Your neck is delectable,” I told her, studying it reverently. “Stay still,” I ordered. I bent into the curve of her neck and inhaled. “My God do you smell incredible,” I quieted into her skin, which earned me a soft moan. I stood once more but kept her wrists pinned. “Not another sound, Cricket Hunt, or I’ll kiss you so hard your head will spin.” Her mouth parted in disbelief but she obeyed.
I do believe she wouldn’t have complained if I had, but she was enjoying our game as much as I was.
My free hand found the base of her throat and my thumb pressed between her collarbones briefly before running the length of each. My hand glided up the side of her neck before finding her jaw. I tilted her head up slightly and slowly inched my way closer until my lips met underneath the line of her jaw. I pressed the softest kiss there but delayed a little, letting my breath fan across her sensitive flesh before pulling away again. She exhaled when I did and sagged a little against my chest.
“Stand up, Cricket,” I uttered against her skin.
She sagged a little farther before supporting herself once more. This was torture for us both, but it was such a good hurt.
I studied her body, trying to decide where to explore next. The flat of my hand found the top of her chest and stayed there while I felt her heartbeat, causing goosebumps to spread across her skin.
I pulled her hands down and let them fall into the water to warm her but then flattened her hands against the rock. “Keep them there,” I instructed.
Both my hands met her hips and I pinched the bones between my forefingers and thumbs before sliding them up her sides, feeling every curve, learning every contour. When I met the undersides of her breasts, I slid them to the side, then up her arms and shoulders before coming back down, lingering at the swell of her breasts and meeting her hips once more.
Her eyes had drifted shut.
I shifted toward her ear. “Answer me this.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Yes,” she barely breathed.
“Do you like my touch?”
“V-very much,” she answered, sounding almost drugged.
My palm found the back of her neck and I angled her closer to me. I snatched her away from the rock and she breathed in sharply, pleasing me to no end. I sat her in the shallow end of the water, on its natural shelf underneath the pool, and wedged myself between her legs. I let my head fall at the base of her neck and let my lips procrastinate there, resting my forehead into her shoulder and driving myself crazy in the process.
I softly kissed up the base of her throat to the line of her jaw and lingered at the crease of her mouth. As if she were drugged, she tried to move her mouth toward mine but her movements were too heavy and I stopped her.
I chuckled. “No, no, Cricket. We’ll kiss when I say we kiss.” She nodded sluggishly and closed her eyes once more. “And when that happens, I want your tongue with mine. I don’t want to know where you begin or I end.” She groaned softly but nodded.
My lips found her throat again and I flicked my tongue out quickly and tasted salt, making my tongue swell in anticipation of the kiss.
“Cricket?” we heard Ethan call out.
Cricket let out a panicked gasp and pushed me away. She separated herself from me by sliding down the shelf. All I could do was stare at her in disbelief.
“I cheated,” she said, placing her hand over her mouth as if in disgust.
“With who?” I bit, frustrated beyond belief that she was abandoning me yet again.
“You!” she whisper yelled.
“We haven’t even kissed!” I yelled low.
“I’m an awful person,” she said desperately. “I cheated.”
“You are an awful person,” I replied with acid and she began to cry. “But not because you supposedly cheated. It’s because you haven’t really been with Ethan for months now, yet you keep stringing him along. Just like me. You’re cruel, Cricket Hunt. And I’m officially done with you.”
“Wait!” she begged. “Please, let me explain. I’m ready to tell you everything. You have to understand!”