ashley
26 YEARS OLD
Serenity doesn’t speak as I lead her into the house. Thankfully, Zuri is already sleeping and so are my parents. I direct her to my room, and when she enters, she gasps. I’d forgotten about our first encounter at the bakery. She’d been appreciating my paintings. Her flattery had me puffing out my chest and my ego growing by the second.
She walks up to my unfinished painting on the easel. “It’s you,” she whispers to the painting. “You’re the painter. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was actually going to surprise you. I’m making this one for you.” But now she’s leaving. It’s a half-finished landscape with a clear blue sky. The water is serene and sparkles from the sunlight, and the flowers I always see her admiring along the bank are in full bloom.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I clear my throat. “I’ll make a spot on the floor for me. And I’ll lock the door so nobody…” I turn to lock the door.
With my back to her, I grip the door handle as her sweet voice demands, “Lie with me.”
In painfully slow motion, I turn around. I’m almost scared that if I make any sudden moves, she’s going to bolt out the door or window. When I face her, she undresses down to her underwear. I should tell her to stop. I should do a lot of things, but instead, what I do is watch. When she turns her back to me, revealing the thin material of her panties hugging the curves of her ass, I begin to remove my clothing. She pulls the cover back and slides under them. I go to the other side of the bed and do the same. She snuggles into me, and I hold her tight. A feeling of calm washes over me, one like I’ve never felt before. This feels right. This is where she was always meant to be.
“This feels so…” I can’t even form words.
She sighs. “Yes.”
“Sugar?”
“Mmm?”
“You want this?” I ask her. I need to know she’s sure. I’m hard as steel and want nothing more than to make love to her all night, but only if she wants it.
“Yes.”
She said yes. She said yes.I need to be one hundred percent because she’s eighteen and I’m twenty-six. She’s my brother’s girlfriend—or was. She’s my brother’s ex for fuck’s sake. There are so many reasons this is wrong. But it feels right. We’re both adults, just at different stages of our lives. She’s going back home or away to college. But tonight, right now, she’s here in my arms.
“Yes,” she tells me again. “Yes, Ashley.”
My name on her lips snaps me out of my thoughts. I grab a condom and watch her for any signs of doubt as I roll it on. I pause, giving her time to still back out, and when she doesn’t, I place a kiss on her collarbone. Then I trail kisses down her chest and stomach, to final settle between her legs. Her surprised gasp sends a thrill of delight through me. My brother wasn’t her first for everything evidently. I place my hand on her lower abdomen to keep her firmly in place. Her muscles contract as her body twists and writhes in pleasure.
I can’t resist any longer. One last taste that has her knees crushing my temples, and I raise up. Leaning forward, I press my lips to hers as I position myself between her legs. Slowly, I hold myself tighter to her and then ease a little bit more inside. My eyes roll back at the feel of her tightening around me. But I want this to be good for her. I spit on my finger and then reach down between us. Gently, I massage her clit while I slide in and out of her.
She moans into my throat as she holds me tightly against her. “Ashley, this feels… It feels… incredible.”
It does. God help me, how will I ever let her leave? There’s no way. Things are going to be complicated between me and Adam, but they always have been. I’ve never wanted anything for myself, but I want her. I want to spend the rest of my life like this with her. I’ll never ask for anything else, and I’ll spend each day worshiping her.
“I—” I stop because I don’t trust myself to speak. I don’t want to scare her, but I can’t be trusted with all these emotions consuming me. Her ankles lock around my ass and she pushes me in deeper. I press against her clit, applying more pressure, and then I pull out almost completely only to thrust harder. The gasps. The moans. The sighs of pleasure followed by my name on her lips. It’s too much. As a tremor runs through her body, it squeezes mine, and I have to fight back my own release. Each thrust rewards me with another moan from her. This is better than I could have ever imagined. Her body hugging mine as I fill her with each powerful long thrust. Finally getting to have her sigh my name, giving her all of me, and connecting with her this way is all I’ve dreamed of since she walked into that bakery. I kiss her and keep kissing, swallowing her moans of pleasure. As she continues to ride out her orgasm, it sends me over the edge. Pleasure seizes me and I come so fucking hard I lose my vision.
I lie next to her, and she cuddles against me. Serenity gives me a smile just before her eyes close. I fall asleep the happiest I can ever remember being.
* * *
When the sun rises, I wake up to an empty bed and find Serenity gone. So is my painting.