CHAPTER 25 — SKIN TO SKIN

My eyes widened for a split second and then, I closed my eyes and sighed into the kiss, my body melting into his as strong hands gathered me into his arms and held me against his defined, muscular body.

He broke the kiss, his pink lips red and swollen, his heartbeat racing against mine, his eyes heavy with emotions. "You're not a failure. You're not a rip off. You're certainly not a mess. Verity Brooks, you're the most passionate, hardworking goddamn woman I have ever met."

My lips trembled. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. I clenched my fists around the lapels of his shirt, tugging him closer to me. I pressed my lips onto his desperately, clinging to him like he was my lifeline, and I was falling off a cliff. Like he was the only thing tethering me to existence.

He moaned into the kiss, the sound created a wave that tore through my body and throbbed at my core. His hands coasted along my back, all the way to the base of my spine and he pressed me into his frame, his fingertips burning holes in my skin.

He lowered me into the couch, capturing my breath with his kisses, with the way his hands traced a fiery path along my skin. His weight was divine on top mine, and I couldn't stop myself from bringing my legs up to wrap around his hips, rubbing my aching core against his hardened groin.

His lips suddenly left mine and I sobbed out loud from the loss of his warmth. My hands were trembling and there was a painful lump wedged in my throat. A metaphoric elephant sat on my chest, and I didn't know I was full on crying now until he started kissing my tears away, muttering sweet reassuring things to me, his voice was a chant, a prayer, a ward against the pain I felt in my chest.

"Verity, look at me." His deep, suave voice coaxed me, like a command I couldn't deny.

My eyes fluttered open. I swallowed when I saw the look in his eyes. The earnest desperation in those electrifying blue orbs were a punch to my stomach that knocked the breath out of my lungs. My heart was doing cartwheels and my lungs were going to burst any second.

I tried to talk but I choked on another painful sob.

"You're beautiful, kind, pure and strong. There's not a single thing wrong with you. You're not Penelope and you will never be. Her dreams are not yours to chase."

I shook my head, trying and failing to form coherent words. "Y... You don't understand," I whispered, tears spilling out of my eyes and obstructing my vision. "She saved my life, I owe her–"

"Nothing," he said firmly. "You owe her both. You don't have to live her life because she saved yours. You don't have to prove anything to anyone. Do what makes you happy and the people who love you will be happy that you're happy. She will be happy that you're happy."

My voice broke. "It should have been... me."

His breathing stuttered to a stop. A pained look flashed across his face, but his eyes hardened stubbornly almost immediately. "Well, it wasn't you and call me an asshole or a monster but I'm glad it wasn't you that died that day. I'm glad I met someone like you. You're determined, strong, witty. You're a beautiful dancer. I know because I've seen you dance. I watched you move for the first time, and I never wanted to look away. I want you to want to live and to live for yourself. This heart, this body," his hands stroked my hips tenderly and fire coursed through my veins, "I wouldn't change anything about you. I'm glad you're alive. I'm glad it's you here today."

As he said those words, his lips captured mine again, soft, gentle, pleading and prodding. He coaxed me with his tongue and when our tongues connected, he let out a moan that made my entire body tremble.

My forgotten desire erupted again and pulsed with violent need and when his hand maneuvered between our writhing bodies and traced the skin of my inner thigh, I spread my legs wider, granting him permission. His thumb stroked directly on my clit, I let out a feverish moan, tugging on his hair, my toes curling at the incredibly delicious feeling.

His thumb padded along my clit, eliciting happy gasps and soft moans from my lips and when his adept fingers shifted my panties and his middle and index fingers slid into me, I threw my head back, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I let out a breathy moan that I would probably be embarrassed about the next morning.

"Fuck, V," he whispered, his breathing labored, his voice pained. He buried his face into the crook of my neck, his skilled fingers pumping in and out of me, eliciting quakes, moans and shivers from me. "Fuck, let me make you feel good, baby. You're so wet. Let me make you cum."

I was writhing on the couch, he was drawing out an orgasm from me, coaxing it from its hiding place. I was grinding shamelessly on his fingers now and he was whispering sweet things, dirty things he wanted to do to me. He wanted me to do to him.

I felt my orgasm building inside of me, gathering and threatening to burst out of me. One last flick of my clit did the trick, and I came harder than I ever had in my life.

My orgasm ripped out of me in a mind shattering ripple that left me a breathless, winded, sweaty mess on Lennox's ten-thousand-dollar couch.

Suddenly, I was being lifted off the couch and I felt the entire room move by in a blur as Lennox carried me out of the living room - bridal style.

He laid me gently in his soft bed and I was floating in a sea of clouds and cotton candy. The bed gave way beneath me as he climbed on top, swallowing me up and I couldn't get enough of him as I tried to rip off his shirt, my hand trembling with need.

I wanted him. I wanted him so bad, it hurt.

I finally got rid of his shirt and desperately clawed away his top, ripping it open, buttons popped and flew everywhere and soon he was shirtless above me, his beautiful chest, bare against mine.

He took the hem of the T-shirt I was wearing and pulled it over my head. He sucked in a deep breath, his eyes plastered on my body, naked except for my black lacy panties and for a second, he just stared at me with a hot gaze that burned into me like a brand.

"Beautiful," he whispered, his eyes bluer than they've ever been. "You're so fucking beautiful, Verity."

I swallowed and reached for his belt buckle, my pussy throbbing with need but he gently pushed my hands away and unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants, and freed his dick from his Calvin Kleins.

My head swooned, my mouth watered at the sight of him. There was already a pearly drop of precum that had gathered at the tip.

That thing shouldn't be in his pants. It belonged in a rifle case.

I sat up from under him and reached for him, my hands trembling slightly. He was quiet as he watched me take him in my hand, a pained breath leaving his lips when I took his hard length firmly in my hands and rubbed my thumb along the tip, spreading the precum all over the tip.

He didn't expect it when I bent over and took him in my mouth.

A tortured gasp escaped his lips as I sucked on him and his hands went fervently to my hair, his fingers soothingly dug into my blonde tresses, gathering up my hair as I sucked on him, moaning at the taste of him and feeling myself get wet all over again.

He suddenly let out a curse and pushed me unto the bed, his hands closed around my throat and in a second, he had my panties shifted to the side and sunk into me in one long, hard stroke.

My breath left my lungs at the feel of him stretching me out, my pussy, throbbing in pleasure.

He collapsed on top of me, his body shivering slightly, his voice was a barely controlled groan as he muttered into my ear, "Fuck! You're so tight, Verity."

I whimpered softly as he pulled out of me, only to sink back into me, lodging himself deeper than before and hitting a spot in me that made me cry out in pure ecstasy and wrap my legs around his hips, locking him in place.

He gathered my hands and clasped my wrists in one hand, pinning them above my head. He bent over and kissed me softly on the lips as he drew his hips back and plunged into me, deep, deep, deeper than ever, hitting that same spot and sending me over the roof with ecstasy.

He did it again, again, again and again, his pace and tempo increasing until he was basically fucking me into the bed, leaning down once in a while to kiss me senseless and steal what was left of my sanity and breath from my lungs.

It didn't take long to reach my climax and I was crying my orgasm in his mouth when he plunged in one more time, rupturing the ball of pleasure that pooled out of me and slid along my thighs in gooey, sticky wetness. I arched my back, crying out as I came even harder than the last time. Shudders of pleasure, ripping through my skin and shattering my nerves.

His moan chorused with mine and I knew he was getting to the same height I just reached because he let out a soft 'fuck' as his thrusts lost their rhythm, his entire body froze for a second and shuddered violently over mine. He moaned into the crook of my neck, biting down on my skin, gasping and breathless and sweaty as reached his climax.

He dropped down in the space beside me, pulling me into his arms and kissing my hair.

My ears were about to deafen from the sound of his heart beating wildly against my cheek.

My eyes fluttered shut. Sated pleasure coursed through my veins, lulling me to sleep.

I fell asleep to Lennox's raging heartbeat, his strong hands protectively around me and his fingertips tracing a soft circles around the skin of my arm.