Fighting for Flight (16 page)

“Please.”

Her final plea shatters the last of my control. I
cover her mouth with mine. My hand slides up her shirt along her
spine, desperate to feel her skin. She arches her back, and pulls
me in, shifting her weight so that our torsos are touching from
chest to hip.

With her body soft and pliable in my hands, the
taste of her tongue flooding my mouth, my chest tightens with
feelings I’m only beginning to name. She owns me completely. The
pull I felt toward her when we met, waking up with her in my arms,
my conversation with Owen, my compulsion to protect her, everything
jumbles in my head until need coils in my sternum. Not the usual
need that rips at me, but something stronger. It’s been seeping in
slowly and now crushes me from the inside out.

I hold her to me, hoping the strength in my arms
will give me the power to do what I’ve never done before. Breaking
the kiss, her eyes lock on mine, questioning. Even through my
nervousness, in this moment, nothing has looked as clear or as
obvious.

“I love you, Raven.”

She gasps and her body jerks. She looks at me as if
seeing me for the first time. Her shaky hand covers her mouth. Her
head rocks back and forth slowly in what looks like disbelief. She
doesn’t say it back and I don’t care. I love her. If she’s not
there yet, I’ll wait as long as it takes until she is.

Without warning, she launches into me, our lips
fusing together in wild passion. Her tongue slides into my mouth
along with a soft moan that shoots to my throat. I tilt her head to
plunge in deep, walking her backwards to the closest lounger. I
crave Raven in a way that makes the dozen yards to the house seem
like miles.

Laying her back, I brace my body above hers to keep
from crushing her. I flex my hips into the warmth between her legs.
She grinds into me, and I fight the urge to claim her here by the
pool. Not like this. She deserves better.

I move to my spot at her neck and feel her racing
pulse against my tongue. Her hands slide from my lower back to my
stomach where she runs her fingers along the waistline of my
shorts. She pulls at my zipper.

“Not yet, baby. Soon, but not tonight,” I whisper
against her skin before nipping at her earlobe.

Her hands fall away on a hopeless sigh. I nuzzle her
neck to avoid the look of rejection that I’m sure colors her face.
My body screams to join with hers. To show her how deep my feelings
run. But I’d never forgive myself for taking her in my backyard
like a cheap party date.

“Baby, I’m sorry. I want you, I do. But you
deserve—”

“It’s okay. But you said soon. Promise?”

I grimace at the dejected sound in her voice.

My lips skate along her jawline to her mouth. “Yes.
I promise.”

Sliding my hand against the smooth skin of her
belly, she writhes against me. I pull her shirt over her head and
take in her bright green bra. My thumbs make firm passes over the
sensitive tips through the silk. Feeling isn’t enough. I need to
see them. I tug the fabric down, releasing her full breasts to the
tepid night air.
Fucking gorgeous.

I kiss the valley between them, breathing in her
subtle sweet fragrance. She arches her back in a silent plea. I
smile against her eager little body before taking her breasts into
my mouth, first one and then the other. The sweet taste of her
delicate skin increases my appetite for more.

I pop the button of her shorts, and she lifts her
hips for me to slide them down her legs.

“Good girl.”

“Jonah—”

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of you.”

Her eyes flare and she bites her lip. I take a deep
breath and remind myself to take it slow. This isn’t the
get in,
get out
operation I’m used to. For the first time, I’m not
thinking of my own needs. Only about taking Raven’s body to new
places, to express what I feel emotionally through loving her
physically.

Her lips curl in a wicked grin as she shimmies off
her matching lace panties. I watch in awe as she reveals her
perfect body to me. Sitting up to unhook her bra, she removes the
last scrap of covering, my gaze held firm by her seductive show.
She’s completely exposed, and I stare in wonder as she falls back
on the lounger, legs parted.

“You’re stunning.” My voice sounds heavy and rough
with desire.

I rip my shirt off over my head and toss it behind
me. My lips ache with the urge to taste every inch of her olive
skin.

“Hmm, I was just thinking the same thing.”

I run my hands along her thighs, her knees falling
wide open in response. “Raven, I need to taste you.”

She nods her head once, her body yielding to my
every touch.
Perfect.

Taking my time, I kiss the tender skin of her inner
thigh. With teasingly long swipes of my tongue, I give her a sample
of what’s to come. Her heels dig into the lounger, and she pushes
her hips up, searching for contact. Just the invitation I need.

I take my first taste and growl in pleasure.
So
sweet.
I fight the urge devour her, wanting to take my time and
make it last. She moans and rolls her hips. I look up the length of
her toned stomach to see her eyes squeezed shut.
That won’t
do.

I back off. “Baby, look at me.”

Her eyes lock on mine, passion swirling in their
blue-green depths. I slow down, but maintain eye contact. Every
hitch of her breath stimulates my need to please her.

This is so different. And more arousing than
anything I’ve experienced in the past. My love takes a front seat
to my body’s desire for release.

I stare, absorbed in the visual of her mouth dropped
open as she pants for breath. Her bare chest heaves with every
flick of my tongue. Moans turn into desperate cries and her legs
quake. Slow is no longer an option. I want nothing more than to
hold her, to feel her against my lips while she falls apart for me.
Her hips push and roll, seeking. I lock my hands on her hips,
holding her still, and give into her body’s demands.

She grabs a fistful of my hair, holding me to her,
pressing me deeper. Her voice catches and she calls out my name in
release. Moans of pleasure fall from her lips, and the sound sends
shockwaves straight between my legs. My stomach tightens, and I
flex my hips into the lounger, groaning at the relief in the
friction. I continue until she squirms, unable to give her up. With
a final, tender kiss, I pull away. She falls back, her body sated
and limp.

My girl.
Her eyes are closed, and I’m
entranced by the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathes. I
gently press her legs together, removing myself from in between, to
climb in next to her. Moving her hair from her damp face, her eyes
flutter open.

“That was amazing.” I marvel in the beauty of her
satisfied expression.

“I thought that was my line.” Her sexy post-orgasm
voice vibrates in a way that I feel in my shorts.

I grab a towel from the table next to us and cover
her naked body.

“Do you want to go inside?” I trace the delicate
angles of her face with my fingertip.

Her mouth tilts to a grin. “I have a better
idea.”

She pushes herself up off the lounger, leaving the
towel behind. With her back toward me, I admire the luscious curves
of her bare flesh in the moonlight. She winks at me over her
shoulder and, with a small bend of her knees, she jumps into the
pool.
Skinny dipping?
Hell, yeah!

Kicking off my shorts, I jump in after her, keenly
aware of my killer hard-on that even the cool water won’t tame.

She floats on her back, and I shamelessly gawk at
her perfect breasts poking out from the water. Catching my stare,
she swims over to me in the shallow end.

“It’s your turn,” she says as she pushes me back to
the steps of the pool.

My heart pounds in my chest. Does she mean what I
think she means?

“Sit.” She directs me to sit on the top step where
the water is the shallowest.

Eyes still locked on mine, she pulls my legs apart
and crawls between them. Her soft, slick body brushes the insides
of my thighs, heating my oversensitive skin. With her knees on the
step below me, she props herself up to meet my eyes. Her breasts
drip with pool water and sex appeal.

“I’ve never done this before, so don’t expect much.”
Even in the dim light, I catch the red that colors her cheeks.

“Raven, you don’t have to do this.”

She places her finger against my lips, silencing
further protest.

Was I just talking her out of giving me a blow job?
That’s a first.

“I’ll just, um, go for it, but if I do something
wrong, will you show me?” Her innocent eyes implore mine.

“No way you could do it wrong, baby. I’m almost
there just listening to you talk about it.”

With a nod and a smile, she sits back on her heels.
Her wet sexy body glistens in the dark, and I know I’m not going to
last long. She looks down and licks her lips, then takes me into
her mouth. Sucking in a breath, I dig my teeth into my lower lip to
keep from groaning in pleasure. My hands fist in her damp hair, not
to control her speed or caress, but in pure animal possession.

To think that I could experience this all-consuming
lust, as well as the soul-shackling love that I would die to keep,
is life changing. This tiny girl who works on cars, laughs at
stupid jokes, and blushes at the slightest flirtation is mine.
There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I would spend the rest of
my life making her happy if she’d let me.

So this is love.

My life will never be the same.

I pull her hand from my thigh and wrap it around
myself, guiding her strokes before leaving her to it. Her velvety
touch striking deep in my core, my hips push off the step. She
leans in, the silky push from her breasts at my thighs dropping my
head back. Sensations combine with hunger and love, and
fuck—
My stomach tightens, my release coiling in my abdomen.
I’ve got seconds.

“Baby, stop.” I lose her mouth as a delirious groan
falls from my lips. I unravel in her hand. Her tight little fist
continues to pump and the euphoria intensifies.
What the
hell?
I’m panting, colors swirling behind my eyelids. My legs
tense as I’m rocked with aftershocks. “Oh shit.” I blink open my
eyes, fascinated that Raven’s first blowjob is the most consuming
sexual experience I’ve ever had.

“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” Her arms are wrapped
around her chest, a concerned expression on her perfect face.

I fight what could very well be a goofy smile, and
lose. “Hurt me?” I lean in, elbows to knees. “Does it look like
that hurt me?”

Pushing off from the step, I meet her in the shallow
end. I walk her back to the side of the pool and gather her in my
arms. Her muscles relax against my own.

“Baby, this has been the most amazing night of my
life. Everything about it is perfect, including that kick-ass blow
job you just gave me.”

Her giggles erupt against my chest, and I kiss the
top of her head.

“I love you, Raven,” I say into her hair.

She tilts her chin up, resting it on my chest. Her
wet hair is slicked back, black eyelashes thick with water, and her
lips deep red and swollen from taking me. Her stare bores into
mine, and I watch something heavy working in her aquamarine
eyes.

“I love you too.”

Raven

I’m pulling out of Jonah’s garage at exactly nine
twenty-eight a.m. I’m second-guessing that third cup of coffee, my
hands shake on the steering wheel, and my empty belly churns.
There’s no way I can eat until this meeting with Dominick is over.
Trying to calm my angry stomach, I roll down the window for some
fresh air. My mind wanders back to last night in an attempt to
soothe my nerves.

Lying in bed, wrapped in Jonah’s arms, I found the
courage to tell him why I have to meet with Dominick. As a little
girl, I’d daydream about him pulling up to our house. He’d have a
big box in his hands, wrapped in pink paper. I pictured him
kneeling down and telling me how much he missed me. That he’d made
a huge mistake in severing himself from my life, and that he was
going to make up for lost time. He would beg for forgiveness. I’d
finally get the dad I needed.

It’s because of that dream that I have to meet with
Dominick. Even if it’s on his terms, I’ll do it. I owe it to that
little girl.

Lux, the high-rise condominium just off the strip,
comes into view. I take a right into the circle driveway. A valet
scurries to my door. On his heels is a tall, broad man, in a black
suit. His formal attire at ten in the morning is unusual for a
summer in Las Vegas. Is he a lawyer? He looks more like a hit
man.

I ignore the valet’s proffered hand and step out of
my car.

Suit guy steps to me, a forced-looking smile
plastered across his wide face. “Good morning, Miss Morretti.”

My eyes narrow at him.
How does he know me?
“Um, good morning.”

“Mr. Morretti is waiting for you.” He motions for me
to follow him into the building.

Pushing through the rotating door into the lobby,
the smell of floor wax and fresh flowers fills my nose. The
intricate-carved, dark wood reception desk and marble floor scream
money. I smooth my cotton shirt in response.

We reach the elevator that has only one button with
the letters ‘PH’ on it. As we ascend in silence, I take in the man
in front of me. He must be a bodyguard. He isn’t as tall as Jonah,
but he’s almost as wide. Every one of the light brown hairs on his
head is stuck in place by a decent amount of hair product. The
diamond earring in his left earlobe is far too big for a man’s
ear.

The elevator comes to a stop and the doors slide
open.

“After you.” He says it in a way that would be
polite if his tone wasn’t so condescending. Without reason, I’d say
this guy doesn’t like me. Now I’m really nervous.