Skin (McCullough Mountain 2) (25 page)

“Marry me.” The words fell out and she
laughed.

“What is it with guys and blow jobs?” she
asked.

“You’re incredible at that.”

“Well, I usually don’t like doing that, but
with you it’s different.”

That’s how he felt about her too. Everything
was going so fast with them, he wondered if it was a bad thing. His
family broke his stones, but none of them seemed overly
concerned.

Once he caught his breath, he turned to her
and smiled. “Your turn.”

She squealed as he undid her pants and
yanked them off her legs. His hands spread her thighs and his
thumbs opened her. She was all pink and glossy and plump. He dove
in for a taste and she cried out. He gave as good as he got,
rushing her to climax until she was shouting his name.

He scrambled up her body and reached for the
condoms, but his cock made contact with her sex and they both froze
and sighed at the incredible feeling of skin on skin. She moaned
and wiggled her hips. The tip of his erection settled at her
opening and their eyes met. Fuck, she felt good.

They breathed and she lifted. Heat engulfed
his length and he was halfway in. He’d never had sex without
protection. He should be the sensible one and pull out now, get a
condom on, and get back to business, but then she did something
crazy with her internal muscles and he nearly came out of his
skin.

“My period’s due tomorrow or the next day. I
think that makes us safe,” she said under a sweet pink flush.

His breath shook. Maybe just a little. He
pressed deeper and they moaned. “You feel incredible right
now.”

“I’ve never done it without…”

“Me neither,” he confessed.

“I trust you, Finn.”

“We shouldn’t.”

“Okay,” she said softly, but he thrust again
and she made a sound of absolute pleasure.

Again. Just a few more times in and out and
then he would grab a condom. Her body tightened around him and he
continued. He couldn’t seem to find the will to leave her heat. His
body began to tingle and he knew he didn’t have much time. The fact
that she made him come once, bought him some stamina, but she was
so incredible it wouldn’t last.

He let his mind go. Filling her, loving the
way she tightened around him, they went at it. Nails dragged over
skin. Hair was pulled. His name on her lips was pure poetry to his
ears.

Before he knew what happened he felt his
release bursting out of him. She tightened and cried out her own
release. In the last second, he had the good sense to pull out. He
spilled his release over her soft tummy and breathed hard. As he
stared down at her, he saw perhaps the prettiest expression he’d
ever seen her make. She was so damn sexy.

The only thing that broke his mood was the
crashing realization that he might have just majorly fucked up.
“I’m sorry. That was my fault. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Finn, it’s fine. I’m sure it’s fine. You
didn’t finish in me and, I told you, I’m not ovulating right
now.”

He felt terrible. He was usually
responsible. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He kissed her. “Let’s take a shower together
and I’ll clean you up.”

Her expression shuttered. “I’ll just take
one by myself real quick. I don’t mind.”

He frowned. “But I want to take one with
you.”

“I don’t do that.”

“What, shower?”

“Not with others. Gravity is not my
friend.”

“Stop. I’ve seen you naked. You’re naked
now. What’s the difference? I’ll be naked too.”

“No.”

He saw there was no convincing her otherwise
and he was disappointed. He wanted to touch her and play under the
water, but this was one of those silly hang-ups she had. He didn’t
feel like getting into how ridiculous that was, so he let it go and
kissed her on the cheek. “Fine. Hurry up, though. I’m not done with
you.”

The following weeks, Mallory knew, would
forever be categorized as the best time of her life. She and Finn
saw each other every day. He had become a necessary part of her
life.

The parts of her life that didn’t
necessarily include Finn were doing wonderful also. She loved her
job, had forgiven Sammy for setting her up with the family dinner,
and, on October seventeenth, something incredible happened. She got
on the scale and read a number she hadn’t seen since her early
twenties.

Since then, she had dropped another eight
pounds. It was insane to her that she would soon be a weight she
hadn’t seen since she was a teenager. Her body was still a work in
progress, but she felt incredible.

She could carry groceries up her apartment
steps without getting winded. She could dance for hours on end. And
she was becoming quite the acrobat in the bed sport department.

She and Finn went climbing often. Today she
was determined to ring that bell at the top of the tree.

She laced up the boots Finn had surprised
her with last month and grabbed the flannel he’d left at her
apartment. It was her flannel now. She wasn’t giving it back. As
she ran down the stairs he was waiting in his truck. It was damp
out. Rain misted in the air, too insignificant to form actual
drops.

She hopped in the truck and buckled up.

“Ready, champ?” Finn asked as he leaned over
to greet her with a kiss.

“That bell is mine,” she declared
proudly.

As they drove to the lumberyard, the wipers
swiped over the windshield every few minutes as mist gathered. The
ground was muddy, but she was determined this was her day.
Thanksgiving was just around the corner and, while the Rocky steps
were on her bucket list, tree climbing came first.

Finn grabbed the equipment and helped her
climb into the harness. He cupped the apex of her jeans and
teasingly suggested he’d be ringing her bell later. She swatted him
away, all business, and proceeded to buckle up her spikes.

She got the rope around the trunk on the
first swing and took a deep breath. Her spikes cut into the bark
and she hoisted herself up. Shimmying the rope and taking small
steps, she was soon twenty feet off the ground. Getting down was
the hardest part, but she’d learned not to look at the ground.

Her muscles shook the higher she climbed.
Sweat gathered under the leather of her gloves. A strand of hair
tickled from under her helmet, but she blew it out of her way.

It was November and the temperature had
lowered quite a bit. That was why today was important. It would be
snowing in Center County soon and she didn’t want to have to wait
until spring to try and ring the bell again.

Unfiltered winds gusted at her, strong and
steady, the farther up she climbed. She squinted through her
protective glasses toward the top. It was difficult to see, since
the misty air had started to form drops on her lenses.

“You’re almost there, babe!” Finn shouted
from far below.

She dug in her spikes and took another step.
Glancing up, she spotted the old rusted bell at the top. Winded,
she took a few minutes to gather her wits.

“You all right?”

“Yes,” she shouted back.

Once she caught her breath, she whipped the
rope up and took two more steps. A little closer. She breathed and
grunted as she whipped the rope up again. Two steps and she
reached, but she wasn’t there yet. Bracing herself, she shimmied
the rope again and shut her eyes. The treetops were a daunting
reminder of how far she was from the ground. Step. Hoist. Kick.
Step.

Looking up, she spotted the weathered tail
of the frayed rope hanging over the sprout of an old branch. She
reached and her leather-clad fingertips teased the threads closer.
Her fist closed over the rope’s end as her weight leaned into the
harness. She tugged and the loud clank of the rusted bell echoed
through the forest.

Finn whistled and clapped and cheered and a
rush of pride had her blinking back tears. She did it!

Taking a deep breath, she stood there for a
moment. Her gloves wiped across her glasses and she took in the
magnificent view. The green horizon met blue sky. It was likely the
closest she’d ever come to flying.

Peace settled over her and she suddenly felt
very close to God. As though she had His ear for that brief moment
in time, she whispered to Him. She could have asked for something,
but that wasn’t what she wanted. Rather, she stared at the heavens
and told Him, “Thank you.”

As she climbed down, she focused on making
it to the ground safely. By the time she was below the canopy of
trees her legs were practically numb. Her steps grew clumsy and her
fingers were slowly starting to slip.

Sweat beaded at her forehead and trickled
into her eyes. There was nothing she could compare to the rushing
sense of relief she felt the moment Finns arms closed around
her.

“I got you,” he whispered and her limbs
nearly gave out as he helped her down.

The ground met the bottom of her cleats hard
and she suffered the quick bite of vertigo as her equilibrium
reacquainted itself with the earth. She turned and pulled off her
helmet and glasses. “I did it!”

Just then the sky opened up and cooling rain
began to pelt her shoulders. Finn smiled and hugged her tight.
“Yeah you did!”

They spun in the rain, laughing and kissing.
She was so proud of herself.

“I knew you could do it,” he said, his lips
pressed to hers. “You’re amazing!”

She sealed her lips to his and pulled him
tight. She had yet to catch her breath. The kiss slowed and
excitement bubbled in her belly. Her clothing clung to her body,
damp from the rain.

“Come on, let’s get out of the rain,” he
said, taking her hand and running toward the truck.

Thunder cracked and she jumped. “Wait. I
can’t run in these spikes.”

He stopped and pulled her under a nearby
tree. Bending to one knee, he quickly unlatched her spikes. She
leaned into the trunk of the tree, her legs still burning from
exertion.

He glanced up at her, his face wet with
rain, a smile splitting his face. “I want you, Philly. Now.”

Breath sawed out of her lungs. How could she
say no to him? “You have me.”

He reached up and undid the leather harness
around her hips and thighs. His fingers pulled at the buttons of
her jeans until he had the zipper flayed wide. His warm mouth
pressed into the silk patch of her panties and he tugged the denim
down her thighs.

Rough bark bit into her palms as she braced
herself. Once her hips were exposed she shivered. The rain was cool
and although her skin was hot, the temperature was low.

His thumb followed the seam of her panties
and tugged it aside. He lifted from his heels and brought his mouth
to her sex, piercing her folds with his tongue. He growled. “You
taste so fucking good.”

Her head fell back, her hair catching on the
bark of the tree. She breathed fast as he licked, kissed, and
fucked her with his tongue. Thunder rumbled followed by the
unmistakable rip of silk. He used both hands to part her folds and
teased at her clit. Her knees bucked, but he held her there, pinned
to a tree, in the middle of the woods as rain pelted them from
every direction.

Her voice echoed through the forest over the
shelling sound of rain. He pressed a finger into her sex, then two,
and she tightened. His mouth was relentless. Heart racing, she
shook and shivered as the first wave of her climax crashed over
her.

“Finn!”

He continued to draw out her orgasm until
she could take no more. As she caught her breath, he stood. “I need
you now, Mallory.”

She yanked her pants somewhat back in place.
He laced his fingers in hers and tugged her toward the truck. It
was really raining now. Their clothes were drenched and she
struggled to yank her soaked jeans over her hips as they ran.

Every few steps Finn glanced back at her
from over his shoulder. She knew she’d always remember the way he
looked in that moment, happy, intense…in love.

They reached the truck and he spun her so
her back pressed into the metal. His lips tasted of her. Her fists
closed over his saturated shirt. “Fuck me, Finnegan. Now.”

He growled and threw open the driver door.
The keys were still in the ignition and the mechanism made a
repetitive ding. He tugged her wrist. “Here, lay down. No, on your
stomach.”

She rested her arms under her chest as she
bent over. He yanked her jeans down and rain spattered over her
ass. She heard him fumbling with his own clothes and then he kicked
out her booted feet. She could only spread her legs so much with
her jeans twisted around her knees.

“Shit. No condom,” he suddenly said.

“I don’t care.” She needed him.

“Me neither.”

His lips pressed into the cheek of her ass
and then the blunt tip of his erection parted her folds and filled
her in one deep thrust. She went up on her toes as he thrust again
and again, taking her hard.

Her fingernails bit into the leather
upholstery of the seat and she panted, crying out with each hard
thrust. Her body contracted and clamped down on him, a rapid
thrumming starting somewhere in her womb and bursting outward. He
cursed and fucked her harder. As her second climax peaked, he
filled her completely, his body stiff yet quivering, and warmth
bathed her channel.

His body fell onto hers and she shivered.
His lips kissed her cheek, the other side of her face stuck to the
seat of the truck. “I love you, Mallory, so much.”

She loved him too. So much it terrified her.
She blinked back at him and smiled. “Ditto.” As she saw his hair
she laughed. “You’re soaked.”

“I don’t care.”

“Come on, get in the truck.” She wiggled,
but he growled in protest as she tried to peel apart their
bodies.

Once she climbed into the passenger seat,
Finn ran off to get the equipment. The rain let up and returned to
the soft misting it had been all morning. He climbed in the truck
and slammed the door. They studied each other and burst out
laughing. They were soaked to the bone.