His Plaything(43)

“But what about when you are ready?”

“Then I'll figure that out my own damn self! You don't get to decide what's best for me. I decide. Me and only me. And I have every right to choose you if that’s what I want.”

This was just terrific. How did I always manage to piss her off right when I was trying to reach her? What the hell was I going to do now? How could I salvage this—wait a minute. Was I hallucinating, or had Avery just said she was choosing me?

“And if I want you, that means I want your career, too. Because I know that being a SEAL is part of you. If you quit now, or if you'd never enlisted in the first place, you wouldn't be the man I love.”

Something seized in my chest. The big bad L-word had finally come out to play. But as soon as she said it, I realized that love was the only word for how I felt about her.

“People think my career is stupid,” she barreled on, either not noticing my stunned epiphany or not caring. “Even when they don't tell me out loud, I can see it in their faces. But fashion and blogging are still my dream—and I would never ask you to give up yours. I would never want you to put aside that part of yourself. Not for me, not for anyone.” She cut her hand sharply through the air. “I came into this relationship with open eyes. I knew what I was signing up for. So don't try to protect me from my own decisions.”

Out of steam at last, Avery fell silent, panting slightly from how hard she'd just torn me a new asshole. All I could do was stare at her. Face flushed and sweaty, messy hair springing out from her ponytail, eyes bright with passion…

I had never seen her look so beautiful.

Unable to resist a single second longer, I swept her up in my arms and kissed her like my life depended on it. She squeaked in shock—then melted against me, mouth opening to mine with a sweet sigh. Even the slight touch of her hands resting on my back raised goose bumps. She soothed my nerves and sparked them alive, all at the same time. God, I'd needed this. I was nothing without this. How the hell had I survived so long without the taste of her? This past week and a half might as well have been a year.

I suppressed a groan of disappointment when Avery pulled back. “N-not that that wasn't nice, but … what's going on?” she asked.

“You just said everything I needed to hear,” I replied, echoing the rough note of desire in her voice. I laced our fingers together and started walking us back to my room. The temptation to just take her right here on the living-room carpet was mounting, but I wanted her in my bed. In between kisses that I struggled to keep short, I continued, “If I could marry you someday, I'd be the luckiest man in the world. And I'd never leave you alone once I got you.”

“But with your job you—”

“No man can stay a SEAL forever. It's just too physically demanding. I've got two, maybe three years left before my body can't hack it anymore.” At the threshold of my bedroom, I paused to look into her brimming eyes. “So when that time comes … if you still want me, I'll make you mine. And I won't be going anywhere.”

With a joyful laugh, she threw herself into my arms. Her kiss was all the answer I needed.

I lay her down on the bed and undressed her at my leisure, drinking in every inch of her perfect, soft curves. When she was naked to my hungry eyes, I knelt over her and sealed my mouth to her nipple, sucking and flicking it with my tongue. Her husky sigh spurred me on. I let my hand slip down between her legs—feather-light touches at first, just enough to make her squirm for more and feel how wet she had already gotten. Wanting to feel even more, I pushed two fingers inside her and crooked them to reach her G-spot. She cried out when my thumb moved up to circle her clit.

Her hands fluttered at my shoulders, weakly trying to push me off. “S-stop for a minute,” she panted.

I quickly pulled my fingers out. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, but if you keep going like that, I'll … ”

My eyes widened. “Already?”

“I guess I missed you.” She bit her lip in a shy, but happy grin that made my chest ache as much as my cock. “I want you inside me. I want us to come together.”

I moved up to kiss her, feeling her smile against mine, and pushed inside slowly—until she crossed her ankles behind my back and yanked me in up to the hilt. I took the hint and started thrusting as hard as I could. Moaning aloud now, she clawed at me, just as hungry for this connection as I was. Lips locked tight, our tongues danced until we were dizzy with lack of oxygen, forcing us to break apart for quick gasps before we dove back into each other again.

My eyes slid shut as I concentrated on coaxing more of those intoxicating noises out of her. All my other senses were full to the brim: the salt of dried sweat on her velvety skin, her cries of pleasure already climbing to their peak, her slick tight heat gripping my cock like it never wanted me to leave again, her smell of floral shampoo and musky arousal and something else that was simply, uniquely Avery.