All I had to do was jump.

CHAPTER 19.

Avett

3 weeks later ...

I used the key Quaid had given me a couple weeks ago to let myself into his loft and simultaneously wrinkled my nose and covered my ears as I walked into what looked like a culinary ma.s.sacre.

When he texted and told me that he would take care of dinner tonight, that he wanted to cook for me, I was surprised. The only person that ever got any use of that amazing kitchen in his loft was me, and the delivery guy who brought in packages of carryout and set them on the counter. Quaid wasn't exactly comfortable amidst the pots and pans, but the gesture was sweet and I knew the reason he was doing it was because I had been beyond anxious the last few days about what the future had in store for me.

Jared's trial had been pushed back because of all the new charges and empirical evidence against Acosta and his goons. His attorney had filed a motion for continuance while he tried to figure out how to argue against the new kidnapping, attempted murder, attempted arson, tampering with a witness, and coercion charges that his client was now charged with. Quaid was sure the feds were going to step in now that there was enough evidence to put Acosta away for a long time, but so far everything was still happening on the state level. Realizing he was very much the low man on the totem pole, Jared had swung back the other way on the legal pendulum, and fired Tyrell, and was singing at the top of his lungs to the D.A.'s office. He missed his shot at a deal, but in exchange for his testimony against Acosta, the D.A. had agreed to move him to a secure facility where Acosta's reach on the inside couldn't get to him. Quaid thought my ex was hoping for a federal deal that would move him into witness protection, but he a.s.sured me that wouldn't happen. Jared was going to do jail time, and I didn't feel bad about it at all.

I was still going to have to testify at Jared's trial when he finally went to court, and now I was looking at having to be involved in the other trial against Acosta as well, but I was no longer scared or hesitant to face either my ex or the men that had made me run for my life. I wanted to see them all behind bars and I wanted justice served. I was ready and willing to do the right thing and I knew that I wouldn't have to do it alone. My parents and Quaid would be right by my side as I told my story and that gave me all the courage I needed.

I watched with wide eyes as Quaid swore and wrestled a pan with something black and smoldering in it into the sink as he wrenched on the water and swore like a biker. I shut the door behind me before the smoke from whatever he incinerated could set off the fire alarm in the entire building. He gave me an exasperated look as he climbed on top of the marble countertop with a towel and started to fan the shrieking alarm.

"Hey."

"Hey, back." The words came out on a laugh that quickly turned into a sigh of appreciation as his T-shirt rode up when he lifted his arms and exposed the ridged slats of his tight stomach. I'd had a lot of casual Quaid time since he wasn't working right now, and I was getting used to him in faded jeans and T-shirts. I knew it wouldn't last because he was already fending offers left and right from other law firms that wanted him, but I planned on soaking up as much of the softer, gentler Quaid as I could get. It was so much easier to get him out of jeans and a T-shirt than it was a three-piece suit, and ever since he jumped after me, and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he loved me and whatever kind of chaos I came with, I hadn't been able to keep my hands, mouth, and the rest of me off of him. It wasn't merely celebrating the fact that we both made it out alive and reaffirming the life we had together; it was a desperation to have as much of him, the need to make as many memories, and the desire to have as many stories that surround him and me as I could. Nothing was guaranteed, and I wanted to make sure the time I had with this man was spent in goodness, and a big part of that was getting him naked and inside me as often as I possibly could.

It was a bonus that the guy who jumped for me also happened to be smoking hot and a serious professional in the bedroom.

The smoke alarm finally quieted as I waved a hand in front of my face and made my way over to the counter. He climbed down and pulled me to him for a quick and biting kiss. His fingers brushed over the section of my hair that was shaved off and currently sporting a raised and pink scar from where my head and the rock collided. The other side was wound together in a long, rosy braid that he yanked on the end of as he leaned away from my greedy lips. Initially, the hospital had only buzzed a tiny section, but it was right above my ear and impossible to cover so I took the whole side of my head down in a buzz cut and was rocking a seriously asymmetrical and edgy haircut. The pink was back, bright and vivid, but Quaid seemed to like all of it and didn't blink an eye at any of the drastic changes.

"How did it go today?" His voice was curious, but also supportive. I knew that if I was bringing bad news in with me he would not only be there to help me through it but also to help me come up with an alternate game plan. One amazing side benefit of dating a man that was as sharp and as smart as Quaid was that he never saw anything as a dead end. All he saw was a way that was blocked for the time being, which meant an alternate route was needed. Because of him, I had finally found my new course and the dead end I was stuck in was no more.

"It went okay. My grades aren't really good enough to enroll for this semester because of dropping out before. I need to go back to community college and get the basics out of the way and get decent grades for a year, then I should be accepted into the culinary program at the arts inst.i.tute. I can afford the cla.s.ses at the community college, no problem, and if I take Asa up on his offer to work in his new bar, I should be able to save up enough money over the next year to pay for at least the first semester of culinary school when I get there. I want to do it all the right way and I think I'm on the right track."

It was scary to have such serious plans so far out in the future and I'd never been a very good student but I wanted to cook and I wanted to be the best at it that I could. I wanted to not only prove to myself that I could commit to something that mattered to me but I also wanted to prove to my parents and even to Quaid that I wasn't falling anymore. I was climbing my way up and they didn't need to worry about me slipping back down like they used to. I could still see rock bottom when I looked down, but after everything I'd been through in the last few months, I knew it wasn't a place I ever wanted to be again. Rock bottom no longer felt comfortable or necessary.

"Sounds like a plan. Whatever you need holler at me and I'm here for you." He put his hands on my hips and backed me away from the still-smoky kitchen towards the ma.s.sive leather couch that took up the entire center of the living room.

I put my hands on his shoulders when my a.s.s. .h.i.t the back edge of the sofa and parted my legs so he would press himself right into the notch that I swore was designed to fit around him and only him. "You can help me with my math homework ... naked."

He chuckled and bent his tawny head down so that he could brush his lips across mine. The soft caress made me catch my breath and the hitch quickly turned into a sigh as he pressed me back even farther so that my feet were no longer touching the ground and I had to wrap my legs around his lean waist to avoid falling backwards. I curled my hands around his biceps and watched with heavy lidded eyes as he shifted his attention to my combat boots-pulling one off and tossing it over his shoulder, where it landed with a heavy thud.

"Homework won't get done if either of us is naked. I can't even boil water when I start thinking about you in my bed, under me, and calling my name. I almost burned the f.u.c.king loft down trying to toast bread when my mind wanders and all I can picture is you on your knees in front of me, with that pouty mouth wrapped around my c.o.c.k. You are the best and worst kind of distraction, so really it's your fault dinner is in the trash."

I let out a strangled laugh as he slid his hands under the waistband of the black-and-white leggings I had on underneath the plaid shirtdress I had worn to meet with the advisers at the arts inst.i.tute. The stretchy fabric was down my legs and thrown over his shoulder within seconds, and the abrasive sc.r.a.pe of his jeans against my inner thighs as he pressed right into my center made me groan and shift against that prominent bulge that was making its presence known.

I lifted my eyebrows at him as he put one hand on the curve of my a.s.s and used the other to slowly start opening the front of my top. "Sorry about dinner." The dry humor in my tone made him grin at me and the lightness in his expression, the pure, unfiltered happiness that now shone out of him on a regular basis, made me love him harder than I already did. Quaid finding his balance, his place between who he was and who he thought he was meant to be, was a beautiful thing and it inspired me to always try and be the best me I could going forward.

"You can make it up to me by offering to be dessert." He finally had all the b.u.t.tons free and pushed the fabric to the side so that I was sitting before him in nothing more than dark red panties and the matching bra.

He hooked a finger under the leg of my lacy underwear and I bit out a gasp as his knuckle brushed delicately across my outer folds. "Are you calling me dessert because I look like candy?" The words were harsh because his finger found its way into the damp cleft that never failed to quiver and tremble for him.

"You're dessert because you're sweet, Avett. So very sweet, and you would be that way whether you had cotton-candy-colored hair or not."

That made my heart swell and my body go liquid and loose around his probing finger. I went to pull him closer so I could kiss the s.h.i.t out of him for being so sweet himself, but instead I yelped as he suddenly tugged the lace down and off of me right before he lowered himself to his knees in front of me and moved my legs so that they were resting on his wide shoulders. I had to wrap my fingers in his thick, golden hair to keep my balance as he pushed my legs open wider and moved his head to the side so that he could place a sucking kiss on the inside of my thigh. My flesh pebbled in antic.i.p.ation and I saw his eyes narrow and his nostrils flare as my s.e.x started to glisten in eagerness.

His face was covered in golden scruff, and the rasp of it against my most tender of places had my toes curling and my mouth watering as he traced lazy patterns with the tip of his tongue against my skin.

My hips rocked towards his face involuntarily and I made a noise as I almost toppled backwards on the couch. He grunted as I pulled on the fistful of hair I was still holding on to for balance and looked up at me with humor and desire clouding his pale gaze. "Careful."

"I can't be held responsible for my actions when your mouth is that close to my v.a.g.i.n.a." I forced myself to loosen my hold on his hair, but my entire body tensed when his low chuckle hit all the aching and exposed nerves right at the heart of me.

Both of his hands settled on the outsides of my hips to hold me steady as he tugged me closer to his mouth. I muttered his name as his tongue darted out and swiped at my slit from the top to the bottom, sending chills and desire scattering all across my skin. I instinctively parted my legs even wider and arched into the elusive touch of his mouth. His stubble sc.r.a.ped across my skin as he settled in and used his mouth to fully devour me like I was, indeed, the sweetest dessert he had ever tasted.

The tip of his nose dragged through my folds and brushed across my c.l.i.t; it made me jerk and had his hands tightening on my hips to keep me upright. He laughed again, and the puff of air and the vibration from his mouth had me whispering his name and letting my eyes float closed as pleasure wrapped its way around every nerve ending and cell in my body. The flat of his tongue dragged its way through my sensitive valley and then circled my c.l.i.t playfully. The rough sc.r.a.pe of his teeth across the sensitive bud followed and I threw my head back with a loud moan.

He barked at me to hold on to the back of the couch so he could let go of his hold on me with one hand, and the next thing I knew his fingers were filling me up as his hungry mouth worked its way over and around that taut bundle of nerves that pulsed and throbbed at his every stroke. My body bent and bowed towards him and my thighs shifted restlessly next to his ears as the slick sound of s.e.x and pleasure started to fill the loft. He had no problem making my body respond to him in the most delicious and obvious ways. There was never any hiding how turned on I was, or how much I wanted him when he put his mouth on me.

My spine stiffened and my entire body thrummed in antic.i.p.ation as I rode his pumping fingers and moved my desperate center against his biting and sucking mouth. I moved my hand from his silken hair to his bristly cheek and shivered when I felt it hollow out under my palm as he sucked my overly sensitized c.l.i.t between his teeth for an artful nibble.

"Quaid." I muttered his name and rocked my hips up as he added another finger to the mix and I whimpered when I felt my own wetness start to trickle down the inside of my leg. He didn't act like he heard me or if he did he was ignoring me, so I tapped his cheek with my fingers and said much louder, "Dennis, I need a minute."

At the use of his given name, Quaid's head jerked back and I wanted to groan at the sight of his too-pretty face flushed, damp, and shiny with all the amazing things he did to me. His brows pulled together in a tight V over his faded blue eyes as I scrambled over the edge of the couch so that I was on my knees facing him as he rose back to his feet in front of me. I reached out a hand and ran it over the delineated lines of his abs and up the front of him until I had his sculpted chest and all that marvelous artwork visible to my greedy gaze. He shrugged the shirt the rest of the way off over the top of his head and took a step towards me as I grabbed the top of his jeans and popped the b.u.t.ton loose so that I could circle the tip of his c.o.c.k with my thumb where it peeked out over the edge of his dark boxer briefs.

"Dessert is meant to be shared. You got your bite first, and now I want mine." I'd been salivating to have him in my mouth ever since he told me it was the image of me on my knees in front of him that had made him ruin dinner in the first place. Getting when Quaid was the one giving was amazing, but giving when he was the one receiving had its own kind of heady power and was its own special kind of thrill. I liked that I could make him as weak in the knees and as needy as he made me on the regular.

I forcibly tugged the denim down around his hips, taking his underwear with the rough fabric so that I had unfettered access to his long, thick c.o.c.k. It jutted out at me, ready and willing for whatever I had in mind. I grinned up at Quaid and used the tips of my short nails to rake through the tuft of darker blond hair that his happy trail led to. All of him was so golden and glorious I was sure there was no way I would run out of ways to revel in touching him. Being with this man was always the best decision I could ever make, and the rightness of it all made things between us even better than they already were.

I bent my head down so I could swipe my tongue across his rigid length from root to tip, pausing when I got to the leaking slit and spending extra time savoring his taste and his desire. Quaid grunted and moved one of his hands to the top of my head as I worked my mouth up and down in combination with a circling and gliding fist around the base of his shaft. His other hand slid down across my spine and rested in the center of my back as I leaned over on the couch so that I could swallow as much of his insistent direction as I could.

I could hear his breathing shift as I squeezed him tighter and sucked him harder. I felt his nails drag across my skin and watched as his muscular thighs tightened as I hummed my appreciation of all his masculine glory along the unyielding flesh that was riding my tongue like it was a carnival attraction. I was struggling to breathe as he started to move against my face but I wasn't complaining. I liked him out of control, crazy with l.u.s.t, and lost in his own pleasure and taking for himself. As long as I was the one giving him what he wanted, he could be as selfish and as greedy with me as he wanted.

But this was Quaid. This was the man that loved me and had made it his mission to bring goodness back into my life, so right when I was sure he was going to come down my throat with a shudder and a shout, I was suddenly left sucking in lungfuls of air as he wrenched his now glistening and wet c.o.c.k out of my mouth and with a dirty word groaned loudly and desperately.

Before I could ask him what he was doing, he had his hands under my arms and he was lifting me over the backside of the sofa and turning me around so that my back was to him as he bent me over and told me to put my hands on the edge. The back clasp of my bra was undone and my b.r.e.a.s.t.s fell heavy and full into his waiting grasp as he stepped up behind me so that his heart beat right against my spine. He used his feet to spread mine wider and I felt the steely probe of his erection as it slid through my soaked folds as he rocked his hips against my backside.

His lips. .h.i.t the back of my neck as his talented fingers plucked and rolled my eager nipples. "How 'bout we feed each other dessert?" His warm breath made the tiny hairs that were exposed by my braid dance and had my entire body shivering.

I nodded weakly and put one of my hands over the top of his as he continued to fondle me with equal parts gentleness and roughness. "Sounds like a plan."

He chuckled as I used his earlier words, but we both stopped being able to make any noises beyond a gasp and a moan as his tip hit my begging opening. I canted my hips a little to help him slide in, and as soon as we had the position right, he slipped all the way in and I felt the stretch and burn of his body overtaking mine through every single part of me.

He pulled back and rocked forward with more force, which had my teeth clamping down on my lip and made me lift up onto the tips of my toes so I could take even more of him inside of me. My channel spasmed around him and I could feel my body pulling on his, asking for more. Begging him to go farther, to push deeper, and because he was an executive he knew what I wanted without my having to ask.

He put a hand on my back and bent me over even more so that my a.s.s was in the air and my hands were on the seat cushions in front of me. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but he was in me so deep and thrusting so hard and wild that I could have been bent in half and I wouldn't have cared, and when he wrapped the end of my braid around his hand and used it to pull my head back and ordered me to look at him while he f.u.c.ked me, I was pretty sure I was going to explode on the spot. The sounds of our hips slapping together, and the slick sounds of his body thrusting and filling mine, was making me hot and squirmy where I was impaled on his hammer c.o.c.k. And the sight of his tattooed chest heaving and slick with sweat as he worked us both to the point of incoherent pleasure was so animalistic and s.e.xy that I had to squeeze my eyes shut again to avoid losing it all simply from watching what he was doing. I loved all of Quaid and all the different types of men that were housed inside his gorgeous body, but this version of him was undoubtedly my favorite. When he f.u.c.ked me raw and untamed, when he owned me, the sensations he brought to life in me-that was when he was the most authentic and the most honest. He knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it. He also knew what I wanted and knew that he was the only man that was capable of giving it to me. It made s.e.x with him a memorable and an exciting experience, every single time.

The hand that wasn't wrapped in my hair rubbed across my hip, skated over the lifted curve of my a.s.s, and expertly dipped and played in that darkened valley I had yet to let him explore. Quaid liked to play and liked to explore every single inch of me but I wasn't quite at his level yet and he never pushed me past what I was comfortable with. That didn't mean that he didn't tempt and tease with erotic and dangerous touches that hinted at the pleasure and surprise that was waiting for me when I relented and put myself in his very skilled hands. His palm slipped down the front of me where I was leaning against the back of the couch. I knew where he was headed so I sucked in a breath and let it out slowly at the first brush of his fingers across my c.l.i.t. Everything swirled and spiraled into a vortex of s.e.x and pleasure as my o.r.g.a.s.m hit with the force of a tidal wave and I couldn't stop the shriek that tumbled across my lips. I fisted my hands on the couch cushions and let my head fall forward as he finally released my hair and he shifted his hands to my hips as he pounded into me jerkily, frantic in search of his own release.

His breathing was harsh and rustled through the fog of satisfaction that engulfed me. He mumbled my name and it was the sweetest sound I'd ever heard, so I found my balance and lifted the knee of one of my legs up on the back of the couch so that he could go even deeper and get even closer to the edge of his own completion. He growled something dirty and s.e.xy as the new position opened me up even further to him, and it didn't take long before I felt his big body tense where it hovered over mine and felt the heat and rush of his o.r.g.a.s.m fill me as his c.o.c.k jerked and his movements stilled.

We stayed that way for a minute as he worked to catch his breath and as I floated around in a happy bubble of fulfillment and languid love. I muttered a soft protest as his strong arms were suddenly wrapped around my middle and pulling me upright so that I was pressed all along the front of him, the tattoo of the eagle so close to me I could swear that I could feel each and every single one of the feathers on its ma.s.sive wings. Quaid's arms wrapped around me in a tight hug and his lips rested on the top of my head as he whispered, "Now you really look like dessert, pink hair all tangled and wild around your head and covered in cream. If anyone besides me thinks they get a taste, I may have to murder them."

I snorted at the filthy words and lifted my arms so that I could hold on to the hands that were holding on to me so tightly. "You may suck at dinner but you've got dessert handled, hotshot."

He kissed the top of my head again and I leaned back into him with a sigh as s.e.x and love covered both of us from head to toe.

"Hey, Quaid." My voice was soft and so was my heart.

"Yeah?"

"You're the best bad decision I ever made, and you are, by far, my favorite story to tell."

He pulled out of both the embrace and where we were still joined and turned me so that I was facing him. He put his hands on either of my cheeks and bent so that his mouth touched mine in the lightest kiss he could give me and still have it be considered a kiss.

"You're the best decision I made period, Avett. Our story is only at the beginning so I hope you want to tell it for years and years to come."

I laughed and pulled him in for a real kiss, and all I could think was, Of course my dad was right about everything.

Bad decisions did lead to great stories and, in my case, great love. I'd make every single c.r.a.ppy choice and foolish error again if it meant I would end up exactly where I was right now. Every mistake was a piece of me, a part of my story, and without each of them there was no way I would be starting my own happy-ever-after in his perfect, stormy, blue-gray eyes.

EPILOGUE.

Quaid.

Christmas Day ...

She was everything I ever wanted and then some.

Her multicolored eyes sparkled up at me with humor and knowing as I braced a hand on the wall in front of me and used the other to roll her velvety nipple around with my thumb. When she told me she had a Christmas present for me, I a.s.sumed it would be a new tie now that I was back at work or some homemade sweet treat that she made now that she had taken over my kitchen as thoroughly as she had taken over my heart.

What I wasn't expecting was for her to lead me to our bed, strip, and tell me she wanted to give me my biggest s.e.xual fantasy for Christmas. She was always open and giving in bed, but I was aware that there were some things I wanted from her and to do to her she wasn't ready for. So, when she laid back with those spectacular t.i.ts all oiled up and waiting for me, I was pretty sure I'd died and gone to s.e.xual heaven.

I could never take from her without giving everything I had to give first, so before I took advantage of the gift she was giving I kissed my way up her body, making sure I spent plenty of time to stop and savor her where she was already wet and willing. She looked like a pretty confection, so colorful and covered in a hard sh.e.l.l that she needed to keep her soft center safe, but she tasted like dreams and promises. There was no actual definition for the way she tasted when she blossomed and went slick against my tongue, but each time she did, I swore she tasted better than the last time I had my fill of her.

I circled the tiny indent of her belly b.u.t.ton with the tip of my tongue and used my fingers to tweak and tug on her c.l.i.t as I worked my way up her delectable body as slowly as I could. When I got to the valley between her glistening b.r.e.a.s.t.s, I chuckled and whispered, "Cotton candy," against her slippery skin.

"Your favorite." Her voice was thready and tight with antic.i.p.ation and desire. Her legs shifted under me and her hips lifted and dropped with each thrust and retreat of my plundering fingers.

I bent so I could nibble on her candy-flavored nipple and told her, "You're my favorite- period."

She muttered her appreciation and wound her fingers through my hair as I started to circle her c.l.i.t with my thumb. My d.i.c.k was harder than it had ever been and I couldn't resist wrapping my fist around it as I simultaneously worked her and myself to the breaking point. Her tongue darted out and swiped at her full lower lip and I was a goner. Knowing I wouldn't last much longer, I maneuvered myself the rest of the way up her body and swallowed a flood of dirty words as she pressed her pillowy flesh around my d.i.c.k. Her plump b.r.e.a.s.t.s, tipped with those luscious and pointy nipples engulfing my c.o.c.k so that all I could see was her and the tip, which was even better than my fantasy.

The position wasn't quite right for her to get her mouth around the leaking head as I rocked my hips carefully across her chest, making sure I didn't crush her much smaller frame with my weight or my overzealous reaction to how good what she was doing felt. My b.a.l.l.s dragged across her slick skin and my d.i.c.k throbbed where it was trapped in the best vice ever. She couldn't get the head in her mouth but each time the tip moved towards her mouth she managed to stroke the flat of her tongue across the slit, and each time she cleared away the evidence of how good this felt only to have another pearly drop rise up to replace it. She cased my pleasure with her wet tongue and I rode her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with a c.o.c.k that felt like it was made of stone. I'd never been so hard that it hurt before, but leave it to this little hurricane to take me somewhere else I'd never been and leave me disoriented and so f.u.c.king happy I could hardly stand it.

I felt the desire coil tight at the base of my spine and felt my b.a.l.l.s start to ache in a way that let me know it wasn't going to be long before those flushed and thoroughly worked-over t.i.ts were going to have more than cotton-candy-flavored oil covering them.

In my mind, marking her and claiming her in all the ways I possibly could was s.e.xy and appealed to the need I had to completely make her mine. The reality of it was that nothing felt better than being inside her tight, wet heat. There was no place that made me feel more like the man I was supposed to, the man that deserved this woman and all the wildness and sweetness that she offered than when I was seated all the way inside her. When my heart touched hers and when she breathed me in, as I breathed my love for her out, that was the s.e.xiest thing that could ever happen between the two of us.

So even though I was mere seconds away from blowing all over her, I pushed off the wall where I was bracing myself and scooted back down her body, dropping a kiss on her surprised mouth as I hovered over her in a one-armed pushup as I lined my now very angry erection up with her opening. I could see confusion in her eyes but it was quickly replaced by pa.s.sion as I pushed my way into her with a contented sigh. Her body welcomed me with quivering muscles and featherlight pulses.

"You feel better than anything ever has, Avett."

She sighed and wound her arms around my shoulders as I lowered myself to cover her fully. She wrapped her legs around my hips and her heels dug into my a.s.s as she whispered into my ear, "So do you."

She didn't only feel better, she felt right. The way she moved against me, the way she responded to me, the way she took and gave with equal pa.s.sion, the way she said my name, the way she came for me ... wild and sweet ... every single time. She never held back and every single time I took her to bed I found something new to love about her; this time it was the way she shifted below me and urged me to roll with her so that we could switch places and she was the one doing the f.u.c.king.

I complied and immediately put my hands on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The soft flesh was still shiny and slick from the oil and she moaned in pleasure as her nipples slipped and slid in and out of my fingers as I tried to catch them as she bounced vigorously up and down on my shaft. I loved watching her ride me. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the place where we were joined, the way her body pulled me in and released me as we both glinted with s.e.x and pa.s.sion.

When she dipped her fingers between her legs and started to circle her c.l.i.t as she rocked even more quickly on me, I knew she was close. I let go of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and shoved my hand behind her head so I could pull her down for a kiss as she stiffened above me and let out a little whimper of pleasure. She always came beautifully, but when she was above me, I could see the rose-colored flush flood her entire body. I could watch her odd colored eyes spin out in a tie-dye of satisfaction and completion. It brought my own o.r.g.a.s.m racing forward when I watched her s.e.x flutter and flex so delicately and prettily around my much more aggressive arousal.

I bucked into her wetness as she planted her hands on my chest and rode out the rest of the storm with me. It only took a few more thrusts and her telling me that she loved me for me to find my own finish, and once I did, she collapsed on top of me and used her fingers to lightly trace along one of the eagle's wings. I swear I was so far gone for this woman that the feathers ruffled and fluffed up under her touch.

"Best present I ever got." I turned my head so I could kiss her cheek but ended up kissing her nose as her head jerked up so that she could look down at me with wide eyes.

"I got you something else. When I get the feeling back in everything below my v.a.g.i.n.a, I'll get it for you."

I twisted her long, colorful hair around my hand and used that to pull her down for another kiss. "I told you that we didn't have to exchange gifts. I get you in my bed every single night and that's all I want. That's all I'll ever want."

I'd asked her to move in with me over a month ago and she said no. She said she was still working on trying to do the right thing without thinking about it and she wanted to keep working on her relationship with her mom. Plus, Brite hadn't quite gotten over almost losing her so the bearded giant wasn't exactly ready to let his little girl go yet. I'd given her a key to my loft and told her she was always welcome and luckily she spent more nights than not in my bed. But apparently, a couple of days ago she had come home early after a meeting with the D.A.'s office and found her mom and dad in a fairly compromising situation on the kitchen table.

Avett laughed it off and told them she was glad they couldn't keep their hands off each other but the run-in had finally convinced her to move in with me, which meant I got to put her in a compromising position on our kitchen table ... twice.

She wiggled loose and we both let out a moan as our bodies separated. She was glossy from head to toe, covered in all kinds of s.e.x and good times, and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and tumble her back underneath me on the bed.

She lifted her hands up and tried unsuccessfully to unstick her hair from her still-oiled-up chest and made a face at me as I licked my lips. "Lofts don't really offer much in the way of hiding places, but luckily you've avoided the kitchen like the plague since that disastrous dinner incident."

She made her way over to where the fridge was and I saw her wiggle and shake, her naked backside making my tired d.i.c.k take notice. She let out a triumphant sound and came back towards the bed with something as big as she was wrapped in brown paper covering her almost completely up. She hefted the burden onto the mattress and pushed it towards me with a mischievous grin.

"Merry Christmas, Quaid."

I grabbed the edge of the giant package and started to carefully peel the corner back as I picked at the tape holding it shut. She watched me with wide eyes and the longer I took with the wrapping, the more impatient she became. By the time I had one side of the tape free and opened, she had her arms crossed over her bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s and was tapping her foot impatiently. The fierce look was ruined by her lack of clothing but I didn't tell her that. Instead, I took hold of the big flap I'd worked free and ripped the front of the packaging off with a quick jerk of my arm.

I blinked and lost the ability to breathe when the image waiting for me on the ma.s.sive canvas was revealed. The bed sank down a little as Avett crawled back up next to me. She reached out and touched the eagle on my chest as I traced the identical image that was staring up at me from the painting in my hands.