I gasped against his lips, then again when he began to slowly circle the sensitive nub, matching the unhurried roll of my hips. I squeezed my eyes closed, almost resisting the first sparks of an orgasm as it conjured deep in my core.
Avery hissed a curse. “You’re holding back, Hells. I can feel it.”
“I want your hands on my neck,” I panted.
Dusky blue eyes met mine. “It’ll help?”
I bit my lip and nodded, brows drawing together in the center with concentration. The instant his long fingers wrapped around my throat and squeezed a little, a wash similar to relief swept through me. I couldn’t stand him treating me differently than before. I needed this. Needed him to handle me without inhibition and underlying fear getting in the way.
My rhythm increased, as did Avery’s praise.
“That’s it, babe. Fuck, you’re getting tight. Oh shit.” He threw his head back while his fingers flexed on my neck. His thumb brushed faster, matching my increased tempo with ease, until I finally,finallyshattered around him.
His urgent touch bit into my hip and kept the rhythm going when I faltered through my orgasm. Avery used the back of the couch as leverage to thrust up with his hips and drive into me hard while seeking his own release.
Returning the favor, I wrapped my fingers around his throat and squeezed, not easing my grip until he came with a guttural moan that filled the living room. The red hue to his face drained away when I let go and sat back on his thighs to catch my breath.
I leaned into Avery’s palm when he cupped my cheek. “Are you okay?” he panted.
“I’m okay,” I breathed out and nodded against his heated palm.
I almost emotionally cracked when he gathered me against his chest. One bubbling sob snagged in my chest as I locked down, hating how my body vibrated with the effort of doing so.
Avery hugged the hell out of me and didn’t let go until well after his spent length slid from my body.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Avery
Holy fuck, I thought I would fracture from how much I loved her. As terrifying as it was, I’d simply never tire from falling for her.
I’d been awake since four—an hour and twenty minutes ago—when Hallie’s nightmare shook me from an equally restless sleep. She’d clung to me when I roused her by rubbing soothing circles on her back, then immediately relaxed when she realized she was safe and in my arms.
The last ten minutes before my alarm activated crawled by but passed much too fast in the same instance. By the time I silenced it and returned to my side facing Hells, her hazel eyes caught the first hints of the dim morning light as she watched me through the shadows.
“Morning,” I breathed out around the kick of my pulse.
“Hey,” she whispered.
I reached for her hip under the sheets and hummed when my fingers connected with her bare skin. “Ready to make today your bitch?”
“Not really.”
“First day is always the hardest, babe.”
“I know. I just feel like shit. Sorry for keeping you awake.”
I gave her thigh a little squeeze of reassurance and kissed her cheek. “It’s no problem.”
She groaned and rolled from the bed, then hastened to the bathroom. By the time she returned, I’d pulled on shorts and a tee, and paused tying my laces. I couldn’t help the smitten smile that wove across my lips while she dressed in leggings and a loose-fitting tank, then dug in her bag for socks.
“I love you, Hallie.” My murmur halted her snappy movements.
She whipped her head around and frowned. “It’s not like you to be sappy.”
I scoffed. “Right? I guess almost losing the best thing that ever happened to me does that.”
“Ayve…” Her expression softened and she met me at the bedside. Standing between my open knees, she pulled my face into her chest. “You didn’t lose me though. I’m right here.”