Page 103 of Until the Last Star Fades

Chasing breaths, her mind raced. Why? WHY? Because of Christmas socks and candy heart hellos, peanut butter breakfasts and bedhead hair. Because you make me laugh even when my heart is breaking. Because you ask and really listen to my answers. You see me like no one else has…you were my escape. Her mouth gaped. You were my island.

“Riles, why do you care who I was with?”

Because… Riley swallowed, her heart pounding, leaping into her throat. “Because I—” She flung her arms around his neck and pulled him in, capturing Ben’s mouth with her own. Soft and warm, his lips responded immediately, parting with a surprised moan as his hands claimed her waist, fingers digging in, tugging her close.

His lips…oh, wow…I’m not imaging this—this is happening! A pleasurable tingling sensation swept from Riley’s chest through her body. She tilted her head and slipped her tongue in his mouth, kissing him harder, deeper, tasting him as her hands weaved into his hair, so fluffy and thick. She clutched fistfuls, refusing to let go, holding on so her knees—trembling with relief, excitement, lust—didn’t give way and end their impromptu clinch.

A heavy warmth grew in her cotton panties and she pressed her hips against his, prompting Ben’s fingers to grip her sweater. The sounds he’s making…little moans in my mouth, and his kiss—so eager, so…confident, it’s all unraveling me deep inside and it feels…amazing! HE feels amazing. She reluctantly left his mouth, catching her breath.

Ben gasped with a smile and returned to her mouth, his tongue flirting along her lips. Riley let him in, desperate to taste him again, desperate to prove how much she cared. His hands roamed up her back, pressing her into his chest as if he was afraid he would lose her to the neon circus beyond their embrace.

More! Oh, God, I want more! Riley melted into him; all her pretending, all her denial surrendered to her desire and their kiss. The roar of impatient taxis and the glare of glittering billboards faded away as two lost souls found their escape in one another.

Forty-Four

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor even touched, but just felt in the heart.”

– Helen Keller

We’re here…finally. A flutter danced in Riley’s chest as the fairy lights, left behind from Ben’s party, doused the darkness and twinkled overhead like a sky full of stars. “Ben…tonight, I’ve thought about this for ages.”

He closed her apartment door, his gaze heavy and never wavering. “I have, too.”

She reunited with his mouth, impatient to recapture the heat of his body, of his lips, and make up for lost time. She pressed him against the door and widened her stance, taking his thigh between her legs.

Ben didn’t need any coaxing. Closing his eyes, he ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her deeply, sinking into the coat-covered door as Riley’s hands slipped underneath his jacket and above his belt. One palm took a detour through the gap between his shirt’s buttons. Abs! Firm, mmmm! And hair—happy trail hair! Grown back! Her cheeks flushed, but curiosity overruled shyness as the confident strokes of his tongue and the sounds coming from him urged her fingers to explore. I love that he’s not quiet! It’s so HOT. She chased the trail higher, her persistence sacrificing one button, then another, her fingers skimming the shallow dip of his belly button to drift and ride each subtle ridge of toned muscle. Oh God, he feels SO good.

Heat pulsed through her core, the wait to feel skin against skin dizzying, but Ben wasn’t in a hurry. He moaned his approval against her lips as he took his time, caressing her back through her sweater, memorizing every inch. His hands roamed down to her skirt and lingered over the curve of her ass, his mouth kissing her with reverence, like she was a hard-earned prize. Such care and patience felt new to Riley. Is he for real? Not that I’m complaining! She couldn’t remember a kiss with Josh that didn’t feel like a hurried necessity, a means to an end-ing—always his happy ending. She had forgotten what real intimacy felt like, but as Ben savored their embrace and the sweetness of her mouth, it all came flooding back, how it felt to be appreciated, respected…adored. A smile graced her lips when Ben broke away with a soft groan.

“Riles, is Piper—”

She shook her head, her hand exiting his shirt to join the other, sweeping up the path of buttons to his collar. “Cicely’s on Fridays.” Her fingers swooped, teasing the soft hair at the nape of his neck as she sighed into another long, deep kiss.

Squeezing her ass, Ben’s lips moved to her neck, each gentle lick and suck intensifying the ache in her panties. I want to feel his mouth everywhere…but what I did with Josh…will that be good enough for Ben? She gasped and Ben pulled back as if he sensed her uncertainty.

“We don’t have to…you know…” His tone was breathy and playful with a vulnerable sincerity that made Riley’s heart bolt into an even faster sprint. “We could just kiss…you’re an amazing kisser, Riles.”

Respect is such an aphrodisiac. “So are you. I could kiss you all night.” She claimed his mouth again and pressed into his hips, feeling him hard, thick, and eager. Ben wants ME! A giddy euphoria bubbled in her chest, enticing her not to hold back. “I—” A shuddering breath parted her lips as she played with this hair. “I want ALL of you, Benjamin Fagan.”

He burst into a smile. “You sure now?”

The words barely touched her lips. “More than anything.”

“Riley.” Eyes drunk with desire, he licked his lip. “You took the words out of my mouth.”

“Good, ’cause I want to leave you speechless.” Her hands fell to his belt, threading it open.

He laughed, his hands leaving her ass to skim underneath her sweater, the first time his fingertips had ventured beyond her clothes. Confident yet gentle, they left a path of heat in their wake as they traced upward, lifting her sweater higher over her bra and her shoulders.

Raising her arms toward the crisscrossed strings of lights, Riley smiled under the passing wool. I’ve wanted him so badly and it’s actually happening!

Her sweater’s departure left her hair wild and falling into her eyes, but Ben’s fingers tenderly swept it aside. “Beautiful Hope…I catch my breath every time I see you.” He pressed his lips against her jaw, leaving sweet, barely there kisses in a path towards her ear, his warm breath on her skin teasing the heavy ache throbbing between her thighs.

“Come with me.” Riley moaned and clasped his hand, leading him to the cozy rug keeping her loveseat company. Ben lowered himself to the floor, eyes not leaving her for a second as she pulled the throw onto the rug and reached into her toiletries box, turning around with a smile and a condom.

Entwined together under the soft glow of the glistening lights, they kissed and held each other, each sweep of a hand or tug of fingers removing his shirt, her skirt, his trousers, her tights…an intoxicating dance of rushed breaths and deep sighs, skin against skin pressing hot and tight.

Removing Riley’s bra, Ben filled his hands with her breasts, his touch not rough or grabby. Ben was tender. Taking her in his mouth, his tongue flirted, peaking her nipple. He’s goooood. Waves of pleasure rippled through her chest, pushing a sharp groan from her throat.