How We Deal With Gravity (18 page)

He looks at my eyes and then to my hand, chewing at his
cheek, considering, before finally gripping my hand, cupping it with his other
hand. When he looks back up at me, he’s a little teary eyed—it’s barely
there, but I notice.

When Avery walks out, she sees us shaking hands, and she
stops—she doesn’t want to interrupt, so instead she waits for my cue.
“I’ll see you at the house. I’m gonna head out, as soon as Avery’s done,” I
say, and Ray pats my hand once more and stands with his books, nodding. Avery
starts to make noise and walks out of the kitchen just then.

“Hey, Dad. I’m heading home. Need anything?” she asks, her
eyes locked on mine.

“No, I’m fine baby girl. It’s inventory night, so I’ll be
late. You go on,” he says, not quite looking her squarely in the face, probably
because he doesn’t want her to see how emotional he is.

Ray heads through the kitchen, back to his office, and Avery
leans against the bar, looking at me with her lips curled into a faint smirk.

“What’s that look for?” I ask, reaching out my hand, which
she grabs. It feels so damn good, and natural, like it’s how it’s always been.

“You’re good to my dad. That’s all,” she says, leaning into
me as we head through the front door and out into the empty parking lot. “I
like that.”

“Yeah, well, I like you,” I say, putting my arm completely
around her, and drawing her close. I wish like hell I could just take her home
in my car—because I’d probably find a reason to pull over somewhere in
the desert and put my lips on her body for the next thirty minutes before
getting her home. But I know she needs to take Max to school in the morning, so
I walk her to her car, then head to mine to follow her the few blocks to her
house.

When we enter the kitchen at home, Claire eyes us and gives
me a wink—Avery doesn’t notice our silent exchange. Honestly, I think
Claire is almost as excited about my date night with Avery as I am.
 

“Max is already asleep, and I think he’s actually
sleeping
tonight,” Claire says, giving
her friend a quick hug and then gathering her things.

“Okay, that’s good. I’ve got a paper to write tonight,”
Avery says, and I can’t help but feel a little disappointment. Claire laughs at
me, shaking her head before heading out the back door.

“You need anything to eat?” Avery asks, pulling out the
bread and peanut butter. I help her with the jar and slide it back to her. Her
hand is better today, but she still has a bandage wrapped over the side.

“Well, I’m a little hungry, but I’m not sure I want to eat a
sack lunch for dinner,” I joke. She shrugs and continues to make her sandwich.

“Suit yourself,” she says, licking the leftover peanut
butter off the dull end of the butter knife. I’ve never wanted to be a knife
more in my entire life; seeing her tongue slide up the edge of the metal has my
mind flipping through a dozen various inappropriate thoughts.

She takes three large bites, and her sandwich is almost
gone. I’m staring at her in awe, watching her pull the milk from the fridge and
drink it right from the carton in front of me too. “What?” she says, her mouth
muffled from the bite still inside. She raises the carton to hand it over to
me. I shake my head and laugh. “It’s not like you haven’t shared my cooties.”

“Ave, believe me, I LOVE sharing your cooties. It’s just
kind of nice seeing you relax, and honestly, watching you chug milk right from
the carton is kinda…well…hot,” I say, my eyes almost daring her with the way
I’m looking at her.

At first, she makes a tight smile and looks down, a little
embarrassed. But then she reaches into the freezer to grab an ice cube, and
when she turns her attention back to me, she’s making an entirely different
face. Her eyes are hooded, and her smile is soft and wicked.

“You mean, hot like this?” She says, holding the ice cube
between two fingers and sucking on the end, making sure I can see her tongue
run a slow circle around the entire thing. She drags it slowly across her lips,
her eyes on mine the entire time. I almost grab her then and replace the ice
with my own tongue, but I stop when she slowly trails the cube down her chin
and to her neck, drawing a wet line along her collarbone before softly circling
it over the rise of her breast.

Fuck me.
I’m
usually pretty good with signs, but for some reason, this girl has me
second-guessing everything. My feet are twitching with the need to charge at
her, but my brain is waiting for a clear signal. Avery must sense my
hesitation, though, because she steps toward me slowly, reaching for my hand,
and placing the melting ice in my palm before pulling the edges of her T-shirt
up slowly.

That’s enough of a sign for me, and soon I’m helping her
pull the shirt entirely over her head, pushing her back against the counter.
We’re far enough in the corner that we would be able to move to the living room
to hide if someone came in.

Unable to take it, I kiss her hard, my tongue diving deep
into her mouth, tangling with hers. The feeling of the cold from the ice only
makes me want to explore her more, and I suck her bottom lip into my mouth,
grazing my teeth against it when I finally let go. As soon as my lips leave
hers, she lets out a faint cry, and it drives me absolutely crazy.

My hand starts at her cheek, and then I move it slowly along
her neck and shoulders, pulling her bra straps down against her arms. She’s
arching for me, and I know she wants me to touch her desperately, but I
won’t—not yet. Instead, I stand in front of her and look at her bare
skin, not touching her, until her eyes open to mine, and she’s practically
begging.

I move closer, and take the ice in my hand, drawing it
slowly along her neck and down her breast, right to the edge of her bra line,
forcing her to pant. I hold it there, and I stare into her eyes, just watching
her breathe—in and out, her rhythm the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

I move my lips to her chest and grip the lace trim of her
bra in my teeth, pulling it away from her skin slowly until her nipple is
exposed. I blow gently, just long enough for her to think I’m going to pull it
into my mouth, and then I move to the next one and do the same.

When I back away again, her eyes are closed, and her
breathing is rapid. Seeing her stand there—her breasts barely exposed and
being held up by the stretched white lace bra—has me so goddamned hard, I
think about speeding this up. But I know these opportunities won’t come often,
so I’m going to make sure this one lasts.

I move in closer, and once again trail the ice cube over her
lips, her pink tongue peeking out just enough to taste it. I move it down her
body, along the center of her chest so I can trace my way along the line of the
bra to her now hard-as-hell nipple. I stop right before I touch the ice to the
tip, waiting; Avery shifts her weight, squeezing her legs once. I’m driving her
crazy, and it’s such a fucking turn on.

When I move the ice to the very tip of her nipple, she lets
her lips fall open with another cry, and this time she says my name, and that
only makes me want to torture her more. I hold the ice to the round, red peak,
and don’t let her move, even though she’s squirming to try to get away. Then I
move it to the other one, pinching with my fingers to press the ice against
her, bringing her other nipple to the same hardness as the first.

“Mason,” she whimpers, and I feel her breath fall down my
entire body.

Unable to stand it, I have to taste her. I take her frozen
nipple into my mouth, sucking hard, and holding it tightly with my teeth until
it’s warm again. My hand works her other breast, pinching and pulling at the
tip until I feel her shift her legs once more. I reach behind her, and unhook
her bra to let it fall completely from her body. I wrap my hands around her
fucking amazing tits, my thumbs rubbing against the hard tips while she lifts
herself up on the counter.

I move my hands to her face, cupping it hard, and bringing
her lips to mine. She does the same, her hands starting around my neck and
quickly gripping at my T-shirt, pulling it up and over my head. There’s no way
I’m going to be able to
not
finish
this, but I have to make sure Avery’s on the same page.

“I’m taking you to my bed,” I say, not really asking. When
she holds her forehead to mine, and wraps her legs firmly around my waist, I
know she’s letting me have her completely. I move my hands to her ass and press
her body against mine, lifting her from the counter and walking her to the
stairs.

I kiss her hard all the way into my bedroom. After I set her
down on the mattress, I shut the door behind me, and lock it. Kicking my shoes
off, I move closer to her, getting down on my knees since the mattress is so
low to the floor. Looping my thumbs into the belt loops of her shorts, I slide
her closer to the edge of the bed, staring into her eyes the entire time,
hoping like hell I don’t read any hesitation. When I don’t, I pull off her
shoes and socks, then slowly take down her zipper and slide the shorts from her
legs, leaving her there in only a small pair of pink lace panties.

I have to rub my hand over my face once just to snap myself
back to reality—reminding myself that this isn’t a dream, I’m really here
for this. Her skin is so unbelievably soft, and she tastes just like she
smells—like vanilla.

When I move forward to kiss her, she reaches her hands to
the button on my jeans, and I almost lose it right there. “Hang on,” I say,
holding my forehead to hers and taking a deep breath. “Being with you, Avery.
It’s…it’s hard to take it slow.”

“So don’t,” she says, her eyes boring into mine with desire.

Oh fuck.
On her
command, I unzip my jeans and kick off the rest of my clothes, leaving the only
thing between us the small strip of satin on her panties. I start my lips at
her knees, and kiss my way all the way up to the tender spot between her legs.
I test it once with my tongue over the silky fabric, and when I do, she writhes
beneath me, a soft moan almost doing me in again.

I take the sides of her panties in both of my hands and
slide them away from her body, slowly down her legs, watching every new part of
her as I reveal it. She’s fucking breathtaking, and I’ve never wanted to be
inside a woman more.

“Avery, I really care about you, and this is different than
anything I’ve ever done, or anyone I’ve ever been with,” I say, my eyes unable
to leave the small line of hair that points right between her legs. Like a
fucking animal, I actually lick my lips, and I hear her breath pause when I do.
“I just want you to know that—that you, and
this—
is special. But I’m not going to be able to hold back.
I’m going to fuck you, and it’s going to be hard and rough and…it’s just gonna
be that way.”

I manage to pull my gaze to her face for just a moment, and
in that second, she sits up and reaches her arm around my neck, pulling me down
on her. “Okay,” she says, her smile so unbelievably seductive I start to wonder
if I’ve ever really known this girl at all.

“I have protection, in my jeans…” I start to say, but she
pulls me back to her, shaking her head
no
.

“I’m on the pill; it’s okay,” she says, her words breathy
and
oh my god, I’m going to feel all of
her completely.

Her lips hit mine hard, and she digs her fingers into the
muscles of my back, pushing them lower into my sides, begging me to thrust into
her. It doesn’t take long for me to find her entrance, and when I feel the tip
against her soft, warm folds, I can no longer control myself. I push into her
fast and hard, and she lets out a small gasp when I do. I look at her, wanting
to make sure she’s all right, and she grabs my head and pulls me to her once
again, kissing me hard.

“Again,” she says against my ear. So I thrust into her
again, this time a little slower, but much deeper. With my next movement,
Avery’s legs are wrapped around my body and her hands are clutching at the top
edge of the mattress.

“Oh my god, Avery. You feel so fucking good,” I whisper
roughly in her ear. I’m trying my best to be quiet, but I want to shout her name
to the entire fucking world every time I feel her take me in. I know I don’t
have long left, but I do my best to hold on as long as I can. I grip her leg
and bring her thigh up high against me so I can move in and out with even more
force.

Avery’s eyes open to mine, and the look of want and need on
her face is so goddamned sexy. When she starts to nod
yes
and bites down on the back of her fist to keep herself from
screaming, I completely lose control, hoping like hell I can move hard enough
to take her with me. When I feel her shudder against me, I let go of everything
and release it all inside of her, collapsing against her with exhaustion.

“Unbelievable. That was…I don’t even have a word for that,”
I say, wishing like hell I wasn’t so wiped out so I could lift her up and do it
all again. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

When I look at her, there’s a tiny tear forming in the
corner of her eye, and my heart literally sinks. I reach up immediately and
wipe it away with my thumb gently, kissing her forehead and moving her to my
side so I can hold her close. “Oh my god, Ave, did I hurt you? I’m so sorry,” I
say, suddenly angry with myself for not being in control.

“No, I’m fine. Please, Mason, you didn’t hurt me at all. It
was amazing,” she says, her voice cracking a little.

“You don’t sound fine,” I say, pulling her face away just
enough so I can look into her eyes, trying to read her thoughts. She smiles
softly when I do, her hand coming up slowly and caressing my cheek.

“I think the intensity just struck me…I…
oh god
, I’m embarrassed to say this,” she says, covering her face
with her hand. I grab it to pull it away and kiss her nose.