Taylor gripped the hem of my shirt, pausing just as the skin on my stomach became exposed. A tortured look set across his face and his brows knitted together as if he was fighting an internal battle with himself. I wanted to tell him that it was okay, that I was ready for whatever he was about to give me, but I wasn’t sure I could have spoken even if I’d wanted to. He looked so beautiful, and in that moment, I felt like I would let him do whatever he wanted to me.

I brought my thumb up to his cheek and brushed away the droplets of rain that clung to his skin, ignoring the small tremble of my hands as I nodded. I had granted him the permission he so desperately needed. Taylor swallowed hard and I watched his thick Adam’s apple bobbing up and down before he leaned forward, his eyes lowering to mine. “I’ll be gentle,” he whispered, and his warm breath made me shiver.

I wasn’t sure what that meant or how far we would even go. Did he mean sex? Sex with me? Was I even ready? So many questions, yet I would’ve been lying if I’d said I didn’t find comfort in knowing that he cared enough to worry about hurting me.

Even if his eyes were telling me different.

When I didn’t say anything, his thumbs brushed against my hip in slow, light circles and I sucked in a sharp breath at the small piece of contact. Moments ago I’d been freezing. The thunderstorm had turned me into a drowned rat, leaving me shaking in my boots, but I was far from cold now. Taylor’s touch had heated me to my core, sending jolts of electricity through every nerve in my body.

“Don’t do that,” he said in a warning tone that did nothing to stop the shivers of anticipation. “I’m trying to go slow, babe, but if you continue to make those noises I won’t be able to keep from breaking my promise.”

“Oh…” was all I could say in response. I wasn’t aware of the noises I’d been making. Everything was hazy when Taylor was around.

“I’m kidding, Lola. Just breathe…”

I hadn’t realised I’d stopped breathing either, until a rush of air left my lungs so quickly that I began to feel lightheaded. I nodded again, earning a smile from Taylor. I closed my eyes as his fingers began to tease my skin. Gradually, they went higher and I felt the heavy, wet fabric leave my stomach.

“Lift your arms,” he said, and I did just that. He eased the material up and over my head. My damp hair slapped against my bare back and I slowly opened my eyes.

Taylor was staring at me in a way that had me clenching my thighs together. His brown eyes were dark and smouldering as he drank me in. The golden streak I adored so much was no longer evident. “You are so beautiful,” he said, licking his lips.

“Taylor, I—”

“Shush,” he said, capturing my words in a kiss.

I wasn't sure how to respond, or even if I could. Instead, I melted against him, loving the way his arms came around my waist and his palms rested against my back. The moment his tongue touched mine, I groaned. Kissing Taylor was quickly becoming my new favourite thing.

He pulled me impossibly closer and breathed me in. My breasts pressed against his chest and ached to be touched. This time it was Taylor’s turn to groan and it was by far the hottest sound I had ever heard.

Feeling confident, I swept my tongue across his, the warmth invading my senses and stirring something inside that, up until recently, had been alien to me. The kiss became frantic, like neither one of us could get enough of the other. And I couldn’t.

“Taylor, I need…” I wasn’t sure what I needed. I just knew I needed something. The heat was building and I was all too aware how soaked my underwear had become… And not from the storm.

“What do you need, babe?” he said, breaking the kiss.

I stared up at him, my legs trembling unsteadily. “I don’t know.”

Taylor chuckled and guided us to the bed before lowering me carefully onto the mattress. He stood at the foot, gazing at me appreciatively. “We can’t do that. Not tonight. Not like this.”

“But I thought…” The words left me in a whisper and my bottom lip trembled. I could feel tears welling in my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them fall. I was all cried out. After tonight, I had thought he wanted me, too. Maybe I had been wrong. Why didn’t he want me? What was so wrong with me? How could he give that part of himself to Melanie as if it were the easiest thing in the world and not to me?

“Stop. Stop overthinking. I want to. Trust me when I tell you I want nothing more than to bury my dick inside of you. And I will. Just not tonight. Tonight isn’t about me. I want you to understand how good we can be together, that we’re not just one big fucked up mess. Tonight, I want to show you how fucking crazy you make me, and when I fuck you, it will be the best fucking feeling ever. I promise.”

Something about the crude way Taylor spoke to me had me shifting on the bed. If he wasn’t going to fuck me then what was he going to do?

I didn’t have to think about that for too long before he circled my waist with both hands and lowered his head to my stomach. He began to trail kisses from my belly button upwards, each kiss slow and gentle, warm and enticing. As he reached the front fastening of my bra, he cupped my breasts and placed a kiss to the swell of flesh. My chest rose and fell, and I began to struggle for oxygen, each breath coming quicker than the last in an attempt to steady my heart.

Goosebumps broke out, covering every inch of me, and my nipples hardened, straining against the lacy fabric. Taylor peered up at me before standing back again. Everything was happening too slowly and it felt like a lifetime before his hands found the waistband of my jeans. His thumb brushed my stomach one final time before he began to undo the button and then the zipper, eventually tugging them down.

“Lift your arse,” he said. His voice was hoarse and I swallowed again, doing as he asked.

His eyes locked onto mine and stayed there the whole time, even long after he had removed my jeans and underwear from my legs. Panic had slowly begun to set in when I became aware of how exposed I was. No one had ever seen me this way before, and here I was, letting someone I’d known for only a few short months drink me in. Just me. No clothes, no barriers, just me. And I really, really liked it.

If someone had told me that tonight would’ve ended up the way it had, I wouldn’t have believed them. After every thought, every feeling I had towards Lola, all the self-doubt, and there I was, about to take the one thing I’d craved since I’d first laid eyes on her.

To taste her.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away. The scared, unsure twinkle in her eyes told me that she, too, couldn’t quite believe this was happening. I wanted to go slow, to savour this moment forever. Maybe I was scared she’d change her mind. Maybe I just had no control over myself when it came to Lola Henderson. Either way, there was no way I could hold back on taking what I wanted. And fuck if I didn’t want it all.

“Lift your arse,” I said, my eyes still locked on hers.

When she did exactly as I told her to, I waited for her eyelids to fall shut before I tugged the tight jeans down her legs. I took in every inch of her until there was nothing more left to see. I’d committed her to memory. A memory I knew would stay with me long after she realised how wrong I was for her. And she would. She just didn’t know it yet.

Her creamy thighs were pressed together as if she was holding back. The minute I dropped to the floor and parted them, I knew for sure there would be no going back. Her slick pussy begged to be touched, and the small smattering of hair glistened in the dimly lit room. She was already so wet and I hadn’t even touched her yet.

I reached under her arse and tugged her closer, the scent of her arousal only making my dick harder as I pressed my middle finger to her clit and ran it along her folds.

“Fuck,” I cursed. “You are so fucking wet, baby,” I eased a finger gently inside. Her tight pussy clenched around it, warm and needy. I’d never felt anything like it. I wanted to shove my dick inside her and feel her clench around me. But tonight wasn’t about what I wanted, no matter how much it pained me to say it. I wanted her to feel good, to feel delirious and content. I also wanted to hear her scream my name as I made her come. Ever since that night at the lake house, it had been all I could think about.

I continued to drive my finger in and out, each thrust harder and faster than the last. Lola’s soft moans only fuelled my need to push harder. Easing another finger inside of her, I circled her walls and slowly pulled out, teasing back and forth.

Lola whimpered at the loss of contact, and her eyes opened just as I placed both fingers in my mouth and sucked. Her mouth formed an O, and I smirked as I dipped my head, buried my face in her pussy and inhaled deeply.

“Oh God,” she murmured and lifted her arse off the bed, seeking more friction.

Nothing could have prepared me for the moment I slipped my tongue inside of her. The world faded to black as I sucked and nibbled her swollen clit into my mouth. Lola started to move against me and I slipped my free hand under her arse while my fingers circled her hip, controlling her every move. Her soft little moans were growing louder as I slipped my tongue inside of her and pressed my thumb to her bud. Circling and pinching, easing farther inside, I relished every groan and shift of her hips. I was damn near close to coming in my pants when her pussy tightened and began to pulse.

“Taylor, please, I’m…”

Her pleas only urged me forward as I lapped it up and continued my assault on her clit.

“That’s it, baby. I want it all,” I murmured against her, holding her arse in place as she trembled beneath me.

With a final whimper, she pressed her shaking thighs together and dropped her head back on the bed. Lola was sated. And all I could think about was how much I wanted to do that all over again.