Seventeen
Luke
When I woke up the next morning, the first thought in my head was actually not from me at all. It was from my bear, and it wasn’t so much a thought as it was a feeling. A victorious, proud, possessive feeling. It took me only a moment to remember the warm shape in the bed next to me wasn’t just another random girl from the bar, but it was Claire. The woman I’ve fallen head over heels for.
I didn’t want to admit it. Not before I’d spent real time with her, not before she knew about my furry pal, but all that was behind us now. She’d seen me for what I really was and she accepted it. I wasn’t sure that last night could have gone any better. It was the most perfect outcome I could have hoped for — more than I could have hoped for if I was being honest.
Memories of her moans filled my head, the look of her complete ecstasy forever etched into my memory. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close against me, her golden halo of curls pressed into my nose, the sweet scent of vanilla filling me with a calm and contentment I’d never had before.
Was this what it was like to not have the curse looming over your head? To have your bear finally at ease? Because for once, he wasn’t being an unbearable asshole. He was quiet, just as happy to spend this time with Claire as I was.
I knew in that moment that there was no way I could ever let this woman go. I could never let her out of my life. We were bound in a way that could not be broken, and even though it should terrify me, it just made me happy.
The only thing that was missing from this perfect morning was Ella. I could imagine her on Saturday morning charging into our bedroom and jumping on the bed, trying to drag us out for fun activities or French toast for breakfast. The thought brought a smile to my face, but there would be time for all of that. Right now, I was happy to have Claire to myself with no interruptions.
If anyone had asked me a month ago if I thought I’d find the woman I was meant to settle down with, I would have laughed in their face. But it wasn’t just one woman I found to fill my home with love and laughter, it was both of them. I only hoped she’d be as eager for the idea as I was.
“What are you smiling about?” Claire asked, her voice groggy and slow as she turned toward me, blinking away sleep.
“What’s not to smile about when I’ve got you in my arms?”
She rolled her eyes, but her grin only grew. “That’s the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because there’s a lot more cheese where that came from,” I said, leaning in for a kiss. She melted into me for a moment, but then pulled back quickly, her eyes wide and horrified, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. For a split second, panic gripped my chest. Was she suddenly regretting things now?
“What’s wrong?”
“Morning breath,” she said, not moving her hand.
I laughed and pulled her hand away, kissing her anyway. “It’s going to take more than that to stop me.”
It was a slow lazy kiss, the perfect way to wake up, full of soft sighs and slow exploratory touches. When Claire pushed her hips back against me, she gasped and I chuckled under my breath, our lips never parting. I pushed my hips forward, grinding against her sweet plump ass, and she moved one leg forward, letting me slide into her from behind. Our sighs rose up in unison as I entered her, my arms still around her, her back to my chest. I kissed along her neck, across her shoulder, every sound from her a new delight. Every moan, every sigh, every gasp. And I knew I’d never get enough.
I moved slow, teasing us both, but enjoying the leisurely pace. It wasn’t the frantic, desperate need of the night before. This was love-making. This was me knowing I had all the time in the world to enjoy this woman, and I planned to make every moment count.
Claire’s hands lifted to her own breasts, slowly twirling her nipples as I ground in deep, making her push back against me with a needy whimper. Her pale skin had a warm sensual glow in the morning light. This had to be the best damn way to wake up in the whole world.
“Luke,” she whispered, her eyes shut tight, her fingers still on her nipples as she sucked in a sharp breath.
“Come for me Claire,” I said, my voice hardly any louder than hers as I nibbled her neck. We continued pressing against each other rhythmically, low, passionate moans coming from us both as we took each other in. It was a quiet, shuddering climax that claimed us in a single moment, her fluttering muscles working me while I poured myself into her with every surge until all I saw was white and then I was lost to the pleasure of it all too.
It took a few minutes for us to catch our breath and come back down to earth. There was something so intense about that quiet, slow love-making that had me shook to my very core. And from the looks of it, Claire was too.
She eventually turned to face me, long after I’d slipped out of her, and flattened her palm against my chest, kissing right above her fingertips.
“Good morning,” she said, an impish grin fighting its way through her innocent look.
I laughed and pulled her closer, kissing her with all the exuberant joy I felt. “Good morning. How about some coffee?”
She groaned, grinning and kissing me even harder. “Yes please. As much as I enjoyed that wake-up call, caffeine sounds amazing.”
I didn’t say it then, I knew there would be plenty of time later, but I was sure that just about anything would sound amazing as long as I was sharing it with Claire and Ella.