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I opened my mouth to respond, then snapped it shut when he gave me a pointed look.
“I don’t know what your relationship used to be like, but I hear you’ve been friends since you were ten years old.” He paused, so I nodded. “I’ve watched you with her over the years … Never by her side, but always watching closely from a far. Now, I don’t know what happened to muddy your relationship with Gwen, but now that you’ve gotten her back, I know that you won’t make the same mistake that you’ve been making the past few years.”
He had my full attention, so I stood before him, beer forgotten in my grasp as I waited to hear what he had to say next.
“She doesn’t need space. She doesn’t need your distance, or to give her room … even if she says she does. If she pushes, you pull her back.” Brock bent his head, his eyes searing into mine, even as his words registered in my mind. “The girl loves you, that’s as plain as her love for her camera, but she fears rejection. Abandonment. You need to prove to her that you’re going to stick.”
Brock watched me for a moment, as if making sure that what he said had penetrated, then he turned to leave me.
He stopped, looked over his shoulder, and grinned wickedly.
“Oh yeah, and if you break her heart, I’ll bury you.”
I stood there, still as a statue, wondering if he was right, and, if so, how he knew so much.
“You okay?” I heard Gwen ask. I shook my head to clear it, then realized it probably looked like I was saying, no, I wasn’t okay, so I responded, “Yes.”
“What was that?” Gwen asked. I looked down and saw she was looking toward Brock, who was now talking to TJ.
I tried to get a handle on my emotions and put a smile on my face to reassure her. This was her night, and I wasn’t going to ruin it for her by trying to get her to talk to me.
“Oh you know, just your basic older brother-type protectiveness.” I forced a soft laugh to hide the panic that I felt rising in me. “He’ll kick my ass if I hurt you.”
Rather than shrug it off, or laugh, Gwen’s face got soft and she said, “Really?” I couldn’t believe that she’d be surprised by Brock’s protectiveness of her, but she was, and I knew Brock was on to something.
Chapter Thirty ~ Gwen
Present Day (20 years old)
“It was a great night,” Craig said as he pulled his shirt over his head, folded it, and placed it on my dresser.
Maybe it was time for me to clear out a drawer for him or something. I wasn’t really sure how this stuff worked. I’d never been in a serious relationship before.
“It was perfect,” I gushed, and it had been. I’d thought about seeing my pictures hanging in a studio for as long as I’ve lived, and if it never happened again, I’d be okay with that. “I wish everyone didn’t have to leave again. Sometimes I wish that school was already over so I could move back home. I miss being a part of everyone’s lives.”
“Yeah, me too,” Craig replied as he unbuttoned his pants and took them off slowly, unaware that I was watching him undress and getting more turned on with each passing second. “But we’ll never get this opportunity again, so we should enjoy it. Once we move back, we’ll be getting jobs, then, eventually, getting married and having kids.” The last he said with his eyes on me, causing my heart to palpitate.
God, I wanted that. A future with Craig.
I didn’t realize that I was still standing there watching him, unmoving and not saying anything, un
til he crooked his finger and said, “Come here.”
I walked to him slowly, my long skirt swishing at my ankles, and stopped a few inches in front of him. Clad only in his boxer briefs, he brought his hands to the hem of my shirt and lifted, urging me to lift my arms so he could pull the silky fabric over my head. My tank top followed, then my bra. Craig brought his hands to my breasts and cupped them lightly, running the pads of his thumbs of my now hardened nipples. The pleasure had me tipping my head back and closing my eyes, which was why I didn’t know his head had descended until I felt the wet heat of his mouth on my breast.
I whimpered when he pulled my sensitive nipple into his mouth, suckling, then nipping me gently. I ran my hands up his arms, over his shoulders, and into his soft hair, fisting it as I held him tightly to me, hoping he’d never stop.
Although, when he kissed his way up my chest and collarbone, then brought his eyes to me and said, “I was so proud of you tonight,” I was alright with him stopping. I felt myself glowing at his words, then heating for another reason when his hands glided down my sides, into the waistband of my skirt and panties, and slid them down my legs.
He followed the progression of his hands, stopping when his knees hit the floor, and my clothes pooled at my feet.
Craig moved his head forward to nuzzle my belly, placing a soft kiss there before moving his lips lower. And lower. Until finally, his tongue flicked out of his mouth and hit my clit, causing me to widen my stance. Not just to brace myself and gain better balance, but to give him better access to where I wanted that mouth the most.
He took my hint, and extended his tongue to lick me thoroughly. I put my hands on his shoulders and inched a little wider, moaning loudly when he entered me with a finger and began moving it in and out, as he simultaneously stimulated me with his tongue.
My body began to catch fire, and my knees started to buckle, as I felt that crazy need for release begin to build inside of me.
Attuned to the signs of my mounting pleasure, Craig added another finger and curled them slightly as he pumped in and out of me. When I was so close I thought I’d lose my mind, Craig sucked my clit into his mouth and flicked it rapidly with his tongue.
