LYRA

07.15.15

Tavian was right. Nothing could’ve prepared me for the mind-blowing awesomeness that was today. After waking up for the second morning in a row engulfed in Tavian’s strong arms with his morning erection snuggled against my ass, I astonished even myself and pushed past my fears. I was rewarded with the most incredible hour soaring through the mountains and gaining a whole new perspective on and appreciation for living life to the fullest. Paragliding is now officially my third favorite thing to do, with photography being my second and kissing Tavian ranking first. I’m not sure anything can top that.

Once our feet were firmly back on the ground and we thanked our pilots a million times, we drove to Urtijëi, a quaint little storybook town nestled in the heart of the Alps, and spent the afternoon strolling the stone streets, stopping in different shops and cafes. Tavian held my hand the entire time and snuck kisses every chance he got, and I relished every little bit of it, knowing we only have a couple days left. Hours flew by in seconds, and before we knew it, the summer sun had begun her descent and it was time to head back to our rental house.

Now, here I am in the pool, after somehow wrestling myself into my swimsuit with my one functioning hand, waiting for Tavian to join me. The blanket of stars above is no less spectacular than last night, but tonight I’m too anxious to pay attention. All day I’ve been thinking about how I can thank Tavian for this morning. Hell, for this entire trip.

No matter what transpires when we get back to the states, I will always hold him in the highest regard. He’s given me a second chance at this life one only gets to live once. And though I can tell him how appreciative I am for everything he’s done for me, I want to show him. To give him everything I have.

“Are you thirsty?” Tavian asks from behind me, tearing me from my thoughts.

I spin around and hiss under my breath at the sight of him, looking like a Greek god with the glow of the light behind him, emphasizing his hard lines and broad shoulders. My nipples tingle in reaction to his eyes sweeping over my chest as I stand in the waist-deep water, and I’m glad my bikini bottoms are already wet to hide what’s going on down there.

“Huh?” I ask, my own gaze lingering at the defined V that disappears into his snug board shorts.

“Drink?” He chuckles and holds up a bottle of wine and two glasses. “I asked if you were thirsty, but maybe I should grab some food instead, because you look hungry.”

I snap my focus back to his face and my cheeks burn with mortification. I can only hope it’s dark enough out here that he can’t see how red they must be. “No food, but yes to wine.” I somehow manage to say, then use the time it takes him to pour the glasses to regroup and get control of my overactive hormones.

Spastic isn’t sexy, Lyra. It’s bad enough you have absolutely zero experience in any of this other than what you’ve seen in movies and read about in books. Don’t make it more awkward than it’s already going to be.

My back is to him when he enters the pool, but I am keenly aware as he draws near. His spicy, stimulating scent reaches me first and all the hairs on my arm stand up seconds before his front is pressed to my back and his forearm drapes over my shoulder, grazing my boob in the process, to hand me my drink.

“Here you go, bella donna,” he sings then kisses the top of my head.

“Thank you, bello uomo.”

I take a long gulp of the velvety red for liquid courage, savoring the warmth it provides in my chest, while watching Tavian glide through the water to sit on the built-in bench next to the side. Not wanting to seem overly desperate, even though I want to touch him so badly I feel like a supernova at the end of its life cycle, I hang back in the middle of the pool and wait for him to give final confirmation he wants this too before I make a complete fool of myself.

Luckily, I don’t have to wait long.

Leveling me with his heated gaze, he sets his glass down on the concrete edge then beckons me with his finger. "Bring your gorgeous ass over here, buttercup. I have a promise to make good on," he says, his voice low and throaty.

A shiver snakes up my spine as I feel a sharp tug in my lower belly. The nerves and insecurities are wiped away as carnal desire takes over.

“A promise?” I ask, slowly inching in his direction, careful not to spill my drink.

When I get within reaching distance, he leans forward and plucks the glass out of my hand, setting it next to his. He then grasps me by the waist and hauls me onto his lap, claiming my lips with his. I forget all about whatever I just asked him and dive head first into the kiss, my arms locking around his neck as his fingertips dig into my hipbones. Our tongues glide fluidly together while our hearts beat in sync. Two people created to move as one.

I’m breathless by the time our mouths finally break apart, and despite the cool water I’m submerged in, my body is ablaze. Especially directly between my thighs, where I’m balanced on his shaft. Which I can feel thickening and twitching through the thin material of our swimsuits. It takes every ounce of willpower I have not to shamelessly rub myself against him and try to extinguish the fire burning inside me.

“I promised you I’d kiss you stupid.” Tavian weaves his fingers around my nape and into my wet hair while peppering kisses along my jawline and up to my ear. "And since my little photographer is as smart as she is sexy, I’d better get started. This may take a while.”

“Oh, Tavian,” I moan as he angles my head back and drops his mouth to my neck, licking and nipping a heated trail down to my throat. The threads of my restraint stretch taut, and with every passing second, the strain increases exponentially. The tension is deliciously frustrating.

“That’s it,” he growls into my neck. “Gonna make you feel so damn good all you remember is my name.”

Eager to please him, I open my mouth to say his name again, but before any sound comes out, he tilts his hips upward and presses his throbbing erection against my seam. And just like that, my self-control snaps and instincts take over.

"Yessss,” I hiss as I brazenly grind my aching core up and down his hard length, inhibition and uncertainty be damned. “Oh my God, yes.”

He releases his grip on my hair and fumbles briefly with the ties on my bikini top until the purple fabric separates from my chest and drifts away, leaving my bare breasts bobbing at the surface of the water. I gasp as the cool mountain breeze tickles my exposed skin and causes my already hard nipples to pull impossibly tight.

Smirking, he lowers his mouth to my chest and murmurs, "Not God, just Tavian,” before flicking his tongue across the rosy peak on the left and then capturing it between his teeth.

I squeak at the slight sting from his playful bite, but the prickle quickly morphs into pure pleasure when he licks and sucks on the pebbled tip like it’s his favorite-flavored lollipop. My eyes roll back into my head and I arch into his touch as he shifts his attention to the right side. I want him to do this all night. And then all day tomorrow, too.

Somehow, while he’s busy teasing and taunting my nipples with his mouth, Tavian spins us around and lifts me out of the pool so that my ass is perched on the edge and he’s kneeling on the bench, situated between my legs. It’s not until my butt cheeks hit the rough concrete that my lids flutter open and I realize we’ve moved.

“Tavian,” I breathe when our hungry eyes find each other, my heart beating at light speed.

“That’s me, baby.” He treats me to that cocky grin I love so much. Damn chin dimple. “Now lay back and enjoy. Gonna make you fly higher than you did this morning.”

Leaning back on my elbows, I watch as he begins a slow descent down my wet frame, his lips and tongue forging a sizzling path from between my boobs down to the top of my bikini. His fingers skim up my parted thighs to grasp the soaked fabric and wriggle it down over my hips. I lift up instinctively, forgetting to freak out that I’m about to be completely naked in front of him.

He slides the bottoms down my legs and tosses them to the side then drops down to be eye-level with my slick lower lips. I know I should feel embarrassed, ashamed even, but I don’t. Not even a little bit. I want him to make me his in every way.

“So fucking beautiful, Lyra,” he murmurs. His hot breath against my inner thighs sends a shot of fervent lust rippling through my veins.

Parting me with his fingers, his touch gentle but firm, he swipes his tongue down my center once, twice, then a third time, until my hips jerk and lift off the ground and I’m whimpering and pleading for more. His thumb finds and presses on my tiny bundle of nerves as his tongue teases my slit until he finally pushes inside my burning core.

“Uhhh,” I groan, bucking my hips at the foreign yet gratifying sensation. Other than my own fingers and my trusty old vibrator, Tavian is officially in uncharted territory.

He pauses momentarily to look up at me and smirk. “How smart are you feeling? Do I need to keep going?”

“I’m still a genius, get back to work,” I half-laugh, half-growl, pushing his head back down with my good hand.

His chuckle vibrates through my body as his mouth returns to my sex. One of his fingers traces around my entrance while he sucks on my clit, and I’m unraveling quickly. Entranced with each thrust of his finger, every caress of his tongue, my senses shift into overdrive as he worships my body.

“Tavian, I’m close. So close.”

He gazes up at me and my breath catches in the back of my throat as the water droplets from the pool glisten on his chiseled moonlit face. I can’t believe this is my life right now.

Please don’t ever let this end.

Working his wrist in a twisting motion, he holds me captive under his spell with his intense stare. His finger skims against my inner wall, curling up to brush over my sweet spot, and I suck in a sharp, gasping breath, alerting him of his discovery. Instead of backing off, his lips close around my clit for maximum effect and he sucks greedily.

I tilt my face to the heavens as he strums me like his favorite song, my release rapidly building. He holds nothing back—licking, sucking, grazing, and pinching—as I lose complete control, soaring higher and higher into oblivion. With one final stroke of his tongue over my swollen nub, my hands clutch his head—hurt fingers the last thing on my mind—and I shatter into more pieces than there are stars in the sky.

I lied. Paragliding is my fourth favorite thing to do. I officially have a new first.