Page 44 of Juniper Unraveling

I catch the bob of his throat as he swallows, staring back at me as though he might try to kiss me. It’ll be the first time, if he does.

In a week, Six has kept himself trained not to indulge in these moments, but the way he’s looking at me, I wonder if today might be the exception.

I’d certainly welcome it. Spending every day with him has only served to bring us closer, and the closer we’ve gotten, the stronger my attraction to him has grown.

His gaze dips lower, and he leans in, his nose skimming the surface of my throat, inhaling my scent.

Eyes shuttered, my lips part, scarcely taking a breath as I wait for him to kiss me.

His hand skims down over my curves until he finds the hem of my shirt, and his skin is on mine. It startles me at first, kicking my head to the side, but I remain still, not wanting to discourage him. The light tickle of his fingertips draws lines down the center of my back, and his palms skate along the edges of my body, lifting my shirt higher and higher, prompting me roll onto my back. He tips his head, watching me, while the fabric glides up my stomach, his gentle caress leaving a trail of goose bumps across my flesh.

I raise my arms, until the shirt bunches at my neck. Arms stretched over my head, I lie with my breasts on display for him.

Part of me wants to crawl into myself, or hide beneath a pillow, but his eyes, the way he’s staring at me with such enchantment, somehow push away my embarrassment.

He crawls over me until straddling my stomach, and his rough and calloused palms glide along my body’s contours. A slight tremble tells me he’s nervous to touch me. Or perhaps excited.

I am, too.

My toes curl as his caresses tease a damp rush between my thighs. Arousal soaks my cotton panties, warmed by the heat he’s stoked there.

Palms holding either side of my body, he presses his lips against my belly. He leaves a trail of kisses up along the center of my ribcage, until his hand cups my breast. The moment his thumb brushes over my hardened nipple, the dam inside me breaks, and the dampness of my panties turns unbearably wet.

Lips parted, he watches my reaction, those blue eyes studying mine as he rubs his thumb back and forth, and when he mimics the movement at the other breast, I arch up off the blanket, squirming beneath him. Arms still caught at either side of my head, I turn away from his gaze, closing my eyes as I imagine the birds eye view of us. A quiet moan escapes my mouth, and when I open my eyes again, Six licks his lips, joy and fascination battling for dominance as he stares down at my breasts.

Warm mint scatters across my skin with his breaths, and the first nudge of his erection pushes through his jeans. The bulge is hard as stone, and the course fabric scratches along the top of my thighs.

Head bowed, he pauses, eyes clamped to a painful pinch of agony.

“Six,” I whisper. “It’s okay. I want you to.”

Lips forming a hard line, the grooves in his forehead deepen with his frown, and he shakes his head.

“It’s okay. You have my permission. You can touch me.” Taking his hand in mine, I set his palm against my breast once more.

Chest rising and falling, he opens his eyes, staring at my body. Trading his palm for his lips, he bends forward, and the heat of his exhale dances across my sensitive skin, before his tongue curls around the small bud of my breast.

“Oh—” My voice chokes as the sensation strangles the air in my lungs.

His lips close around my nipple, tongue still circling the tip and when he sucks, my hands fly down to his shoulders, desperate to hold onto something.

“Six.” I say his name mindlessly, digging my nails into his muscles while he suckles my breast. With every tug, an invisible string pulls at my core, and I writhe against his mouth, with my heels plowing into the blanket.

A whimper rides on each forced breath, and when he switches, imparting the same attention to the other breast, my body bellows with the first long suck at my nipple.

I want more. I don’t even know what I want more of, just that I do. The feeling drives me insane, and at the same time, I never want it to stop. I roll my head against the blanket, caught in some kind of demonic possession. My stomach contracts with every pulse of this strange craving that’s building inside of me, and I can’t steady my breathing. Gripping tight to the back of his skull, I rake my nails across the short stubble of his hair and press him into my breast.

Six lets out an animalistic grunt, and I feel his fingers curl around each breast.

His grip tightens.

Tighter.

The soft suckling turns into the stinging pinch of his teeth.

I flinch at the spasm of pain, and my hand jerks with the sensation, tightening my grip of his skull.

Something in the air shifts around us.