She smiled against my lips. "Just kiss me." I did, my mind emptying again as I focused on the sensations she was creating in my body. She leaned her head back as I kissed down the silken skin of her throat, darting my tongue out to taste her there. I wanted to taste her everywhere, learn the taste that was her and nobody else.
"Lily . . ." I reached for her dress. A few buttons and the top slid down her shoulders, the creamy swell of her breasts rising and falling above her white bra. I reached behind her and unhooked it, her breasts spilling free, the deep pink nipples already tight and hard. I took a shuddery breath and leaned forward, kissing the space between her breasts, breathing in her scent, hot and concentrated in that spot. All Lily. The effect she had on me was new and familiar all at once—as if we really had known each other in another lifetime—and my soul held the mere hint of a memory, even if my mind and flesh were just learning her now. I felt woozy with the mixture of deep emotion and powerful lust.
Lily gasped and brought her hands to my head as my mouth closed over one sweet nipple. I swirled my tongue around, pulling gently and then moved to the other one. Lily ground down on my erection, and I hissed in a breath, stopping momentarily to get hold of myself. "Oh, don't stop," she gasped, pushing her damp breast into my mouth. I smiled against her skin, taking the nipple into my mouth again and sucking lightly.
Quiet sounds of pleasure rose from her throat, and she slid lower, bringing her mouth back to mine. "I want you," she whispered.
"I want you, too. So much. But not out here. Not on the ground. I have to . . . I have to give you better than that."
"This is fine," she said, and I couldn't help smiling at the desperate note in her voice.
"No. It isn't fine. But I won't leave you unsatisfied. Can I touch you?"
Her eyes met mine and widened very slightly. They were a darker shade of violet, glazed with passion.
"Yes," she said. I brought my mouth back to hers, reaching beneath her dress and letting my hand trail up her thigh. She froze.
"Trust me," I said. Her body relaxed, and she began kissing me again.
I used my finger to trace the waistband of her underwear, and she shivered above me. Reaching inside, I found the small swollen nub hidden at the top of her folds and circled my finger around it. She pushed herself into my hand and moaned. I thought I was probably going to come in my pants at the excitement of seeing her so aroused. I parted my own legs under her so I had room to bring my hand lower and slipped one finger into her wet entrance. "Oh, God," I murmured. "You're so wet, so sweet." She brought her face into the side of my neck and I felt her mouth open on a gasp as I went just a little deeper with my finger, using my thumb to circle and play with her sensitive peak. Her hot breaths against my neck made me lose my mind with desire. But this was about her. This was about bringing her pleasure.
Just as I thought it, Lily's body went taut, her small cry muffled against my neck as she shuddered and came on my hand. After a moment, I slipped my finger out of her and brought my hand to her neck so I could lift her mouth gently to mine. Before our lips met, I glimpsed her face, drunk with pleasure, a small smile on her lips. I kissed her slowly, trying desperately to rein in my own unfulfilled need.
Lily let out a small sigh, resting against me for several moments. We breathed together, the downpour shifting to a gentle smattering on the leaves above. "The rain is stopping," she murmured softly.
"Does that mean we have to go back?" I asked.
She smiled and put her lips back on mine, nodding her head.
"Come back with me. Stay with me tonight."
"I can't. My mother . . ."
"You're a grown woman, Lily. Surely she can't expect you not to live your life."
She sighed, pulling away from me and scooting off my lap. I was still half hard and I adjusted myself slightly. "That's exactly what she expects. For her, I'll never grow up. It's . . . complicated."
"Then explain it to me."
She stood up and I did, too. "I'll find a way to come to your lodge in the next few days, okay?" She smiled. "And in the meantime, we still have the forest."
"I'll take whatever I can get, Lily of the Night." I smiled and kissed her again. We still have the forest.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Holden
The next few days were among the happiest I'd ever spent, despite feeling sick and chained to the pills I hadn't yet found the courage to stop taking. That chore weighed on me, a dark shadow in the back of my mind. I knew I needed to do it and do it soon—I wanted Lily to know all of me, not the shell of the man I'd become.