Essential Beginnings (17 page)

By the time Mav had reached her rough-hewn pine log four-poster bed, he’d had the pleasure of drinking from her lips. His tongue had danced with hers and he’d memorized the shape of her swollen lips with his. With one hand wrapped around her waist, he used his other to take off her holster, remove her hair tie, and let her hair flow free down her back. Her legs loosened and then her tiny feet finally hit the floor, giving him the ability to grab the hem of her sweater. It was the release of her lips that had him catching his breath along with bits of lucidity.

“Henley, I don’t want this to happen because you need someone to make you feel alive tonight or hopeful for the future,” Mav murmured, his fingers brushing against the warm skin of her abdomen. He tightened his jaw to prevent himself from going higher until he’d received the answer he needed. He pulled away when she went to place her palm on his cheek. “I need to know you want
me
.”

“I want you more than my next breath, Maverick,” Henley replied, resting her hands on his arms as she stilled the rest of her movements. She looked up at him, but the room was too dark for him to make out what she was thinking. It was her next words that told him what he needed to know. “There is nowhere else I’d rather be than in your strong arms if we were to wake up to the end of the world. What’s happened has put things into perspective for me and it has nothing to do with fear. It has more to do with desire. It also has everything to do with not wasting any more time. I want
you
, Maverick Becket. No one else but you.”

The moonlight chose that moment to shine through the clouds and highlight the truth in Henley’s eyes. She truly believed what she was saying and Mav decided he wouldn’t waste another moment second-guessing what he had waited years to hear her say. Without knowing what the future held, he wanted her by his side for the rest of the duration, however long that might be. With as much restraint as he could muster, he slowly lifted the soft sweater that he still held tightly in his fingers over her head. Her hair flowed through the opening but stayed behind her as the material fell from his grasp to the floor.

Henley looked up at him as his gaze touched over her body. She was wearing a plain bra without any frills. It was beige with no lace or trim and yet it cupped her rounded breasts perfectly, holding them up to him as if they were an offering to the gods. Her mounds were flawlessly aligned and he momentarily suppressed the urge to reveal what was underneath the material. He hadn’t celebrated many holidays when he was younger and he found this was very much like Christmas morning. He wanted that feeling to last a little longer, so he unbuttoned her jeans instead.

“I can take off my—”

“Don’t. Mine,” Mav ordered, keeping his tone as low as hers. He didn’t want to break the bubble of ecstasy around them. He swore he could hear it crackle due to the sexual tension being so intense. Henley had a way about her that he’d never before seen or felt from any woman. It was more than her physical beauty, though that was certainly there. It was the intrinsic nature of her feminine grace in this moment. Maverick wanted to savor it and sear it into his memory. “Give me this, please.”

Henley must have understood his need because her hands slowly fell back down to her sides from her attempt to reach behind and unhook her bra. Her breathing had become somewhat uneven as he then continued to leisurely unbutton her jeans only to pull down the zipper one tooth at a time. The anticipation built until he finally slid the heavy material off of her hips and down her thighs as he knelt in front of her. He couldn’t prevent a small smile when he saw the basic white French cut panties, as ordinary as her bra and yet the most seductive thing he’d ever seen on a woman.

Mav continued to pull down her denim until the material bunched at her ankles and then he had her step out of them one leg at a time, removing her long red fuzzy socks with them. He was currently kneeling on one knee, but he didn’t stand right away. He leaned forward instead and brushed his lips against her thighs. Her fingers made their way into his hair and he could have sworn he heard a low moan of need escape her throat. Still not wanting to rush this, he gradually kissed along her panty line until he made it to the V in between her warm legs. She tightened her hold of his hair, letting him know that she was enjoying his attentions as much as he was. He inhaled deeply and it left him wondering how her lavender scent could be everywhere on her. He suddenly had a yearning to taste such a sweet fragrance, like licking the swirl off a freshly served vanilla ice cream cone, but he forced himself to trace the other side of her skin all the way up to her hip.

“Maverick, I don’t think my legs can hold me up much longer.” There was a need in Henley’s voice that resonated with him and her hands finally fell away from his hair as he rose to stand in front of her. He couldn’t take not seeing the emotions in her eyes, so he stepped away from her and made his way to her bedside table. “What are you doing?”

“I’m turning on your light so that I can see you.” Mav twisted the small black knob, lighting the bedroom with a soft golden hue. He’d never taken his eyes off of her form, so he caught the vulnerability in her eyes when the room was finally lit. He could finally take his time to treasure the sight in front of him and her true beauty left him in awe. Beauty actually arises from the small flaws that make each of us different and Henley had them just like any woman did—the pinch here or the crease there, and of course the freckles that sprinkled her maiden form. He stayed where he was so that he could get his words out. “Whatever I say is going to be no different than any other man, but I can see further beneath your surface. You are a beautiful woman, Henley. Your physical appearance is stunning no matter how you try to hide it—whether by wearing no make-up, wearing plain underwear, or going around in a burlap bag. But that’s not all. What I also perceive is a woman who is independent, intelligent, compassionate, with a dry sense of humor to match my own. You never back down when you think you’re right and you’re radiant when you force yourself to come out of that shell you have constructed around you. I could just live to see you smile…that genuine smile that you don’t think anyone notices. I want to share in your vivacity of life, Henley, and not hide anymore. Are you willing to do that with me?”

Henley’s green eyes had deepened in color until he swore he saw his reflection. She walked toward him with pride, every step showing her confidence in the body she’d grown to love. She was nowhere near that overly thin model on the pages of magazines. She was a woman who’d allowed her natural curves to flourish and he for one was grateful.

“Yes, but you’ll have to undress, Maverick,” Henley said with desire written all over her classically beautiful features. “In case you missed it, I’m also impatient.”

Mav loved to hear his full name fall from her lips and he planned to hear it a lot within the next hour. He unfastened his own holster and carefully set it beside the lamp before discarding his shirt, never once taking his eyes from hers. He tossed his shirt to the ground and had sat down on the bed to work on his rough side out combat boots when she knelt in front of him, her fingers already pulling at the laces in their speed-lacing loops. Seeing her in such a submissive pose sent adrenaline pumping through his body at high pressure.

“Being impatient doesn’t allow you to enjoy the moment, so let’s see what we can do about that,” Mav murmured, waiting to speak until she’d helped him take his boots off. He held out his hands and helped her to stand, bringing her close enough that she was snuggled in between his knees and he could finally reach behind her to unhook her bra. “Put your hands on my shoulders and leave them there.”

“Why?” Henley asked with humor lacing her tone, all the while doing as he asked. “I want to touch you too.”

“Because if you touch me right now you’ll find yourself flat on your back with me buried deep within you,” Mav replied candidly, glancing up to find her studying him with her eyes wide open with a ravenous look. She exhaled a trembling breath when she saw that he wasn’t kidding around. “Keep your hands on my shoulders.”

Henley’s bronze skin broke out with goose bumps as the straps fell down her arms and into the crooks of her elbows. Mav didn’t bother to follow the direction of the thin material because his gaze had stopped at the sight of her ample breasts and the hardened rosy peaks of her nipples. She was perfect.

“Maverick, please don’t keep me waiting,” Henley whispered breathlessly, her fingers digging into his bare skin.

It was the
please
that boiled his blood in desire and he leaned forward, pushing past her bra to allow access to his tongue, drawing a wet circle around her areola. He tenderly kissed the gentle curve of the side of her breast while caressing each globe in his firm hands. There was something addicting about being the one in control and Henley incited his craving by following his lead. He brought one hand around to the front of her in order to palm the underside of her breast and raise it to his mouth. He kissed, licked, and nibbled every inch of her with the exception of her nipple. He saved her nipples for last, pulling them into his mouth.

Henley cried out his full name when Mav finally drew her delicate peak into his mouth. He used the tip of his tongue to tease the hardened nub and it was only when she tried to get closer to him that he lightly used his teeth to graze the sensitive tissue.

“Okay, Maverick,” Henley muttered eagerly, her right hand leaving his shoulder and moving to the back of his neck. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to draw him closer or pull him away. “Finish undressing me before I come in my panties.”

“In my own sweet time, sweetheart.” Mav massaged her swollen flesh and he swore it became heavier the more attention he gave it. He pressed his other hand against her lower back, keeping her in place as he continued to suckle her nipple. He brought the delicate nub up to the roof of his mouth, dragging his tongue over and over it until her moans became longer and louder. Her whimpers were sweet music to his ears and he couldn’t get enough. She’d tightened her hold on his hair until it was quite painful and he had no choice but to stop. “Here, let’s get this off of you.”

Mav pulled back long enough to bring both of Henley’s arms down, finally allowing her bra to drop onto the ground. He took advantage of the moment and wrapped his hand around her wrists, pinning them behind her and giving him full access to the front of her. He paused to see her reaction, not wanting to push her too far with his need for control that she wasn’t enjoying herself. Much to his gratification, Henley’s parted her lips as she said exactly what he wanted to hear.

“I like this side of you, Maverick.” Henley arched slightly, letting him know that she was his to have as he wanted. His cock strained against his zipper when she laced her fingers together, but he ignored the discomfort as he focused on the woman in front of him. “Show me more.”

Mav decided that her other breast needed just as much attention as the first, but he wanted her pleasure to continue to be drawn out. He used the pad of his coarse finger to glide beneath the swelling of her flesh, outlining the underside until he reached her cleavage. He caressed upward, tracing her globe in circles until the movements became smaller and smaller, finally reaching her nipple. He took the sensitive peak in between his thumb and finger, massaging and rolling it until Henley pressed her lower half into his chest. She was radiating heat and while he couldn’t wait to sample her delectable flavor, he didn’t deter from his current mission.

“Do you like your nipples played with?” Mav asked, tearing his eyes away from what he was doing to her so that he could look up into her face filled with enticing desire. Henley’s gaze switched from his to where his fingers were still rolling her nipple and he squeezed when it became apparent she wasn’t going to answer him. “Henley, do you like when I play with your nipples?”

“Yes.” Henley tried to pull against his grasp for the first time since he’d taken a hold of her wrists and pinned them behind her, but he wouldn’t release her. “Why are you drawing this out? I’m more than ready, Maverick, and I’m not sure I can take much more foreplay.”

“I like to take my time,” Mav explained, not nearly done having his fill of hearing her small cries at his detailed attention. He was coming to understand that the men she’d been with hadn’t done her justice and that was an utter crime that he needed to rectify. That insight made him even more determined to show her how good this could be between them. “Now, where was I?”

Mav released her nipple and then licked away the ache that he’d placed there with the pressure of his fingers. He drew on her swollen peak until it was distended, soothingly laving any throbbing that remained. His treatment didn’t seem to be working from the way she was writhing against him. That didn’t stop him for pleasuring her for the next few minutes and when he finally had his fill of her breasts, he decided it was time to move on to other areas of her body.

“Take a step back and then slowly discard your panties.” Mav had released her wrists and was already standing himself, shedding his pants and briefs after he’d retrieved a condom from his wallet. He set it next to his holster before turning his attention back to her. Henley was devouring his body with her eyes, which wasn’t helping his restraint. “Sweetheart, you need to take your panties off if we’re going to continue.”

“I needed a minute,” Henley said shakily, as her arms remained at her side with what appeared to be no intention of doing as he’d asked. Her gaze had lowered to his hardened cock. “I think it’s my turn to taste.”

“Do you remember our earlier conversation when we agreed to change our bad habits? One of them was arguing all the time and I’m not about to get into another quarrel with you,” Mav explained patiently, not willing to compromise on this. He’d waited a very long time for her and her haste to rush this to the end just wasn’t going to happen. “There are different ways to use the straps on that bra, Henley. From the looks of your headboard, I could easily keep your hands tied while I continue to take my pleasure from your body.”