Chapter 52: Breakaway: Chapter 52

IT’S POURING by the time we get back from Pine Ridge, and somehow, in the dash from my truck to the door, we manage to get soaked to the bone. I’m shivering uncontrollably. The moment we get inside my house, I push Penny against the door, kissing her so deeply I taste the sugar on her tongue. She’s chilly like me, but at least there are sparks in the way our breath washes over each other. She wraps her arms around my neck, tugging me even closer; I’ve been with her long enough to know that means she wants my full weight on her. My cock is responding. It stirred when she whispered those filthy things in my ear right before we went to Ryan’s game, and now that’s all rushing back. I oblige her, pressing her right up against the door, my leg between hers. I push her coat off her shoulders and unwind the scarf from her neck, and I’m just about to tug down her sweater for a glimpse of her tits when someone coughs.

Penny’s eyes widen. “Cooper!” she whispers, hitting my arm.

I groan, turning around. Sebastian, Rafael, and Hunter are on the couch, jostling each other as they play a video game. Victoria is sitting on the loveseat; Remmy’s stretched out on it, his head in her lap. Izzy is on the floor with Tangy, reading a book—or at least she was, until she spotted us.

“You couldn’t do that in the car?” she drawls. “Or, I don’t know, your room?”

“Why are all of you here?”

“Believe it or not, we have lives that don’t always involve you,” Sebastian says. He glances over for half a second. “You hungry? I made stew.”

“It was fucking great stew,” Hunter says. He doesn’t take his eyes off the game; he’s concentrating so hard his tongue is poking out of the corner of his mouth.

“The way he toasted the sourdough? Perfection,” Rafael chimes in.

Remmy waves. “Hey, Coop,” he says. “I’m guessing Pen’s there somewhere behind the wall of muscle, so hi, Penny.”

“Hey,” Penny says as she runs her fingers through her wet hair. “Stew sounds, um, great, Sebastian, thanks.”

“Later,” I add. “We have something to take care of first.”

“Sure,” Izzy says exaggeratedly. “Don’t be too loud.”

Penny pouts. “I really would like stew,” she says. “At least stew is hot.”

I tug her upstairs. “I have a better idea for warming you up.”

When she sees that I’m taking her to the bathroom, not my room, the lingering hesitation on her face slips away. She grins, kissing me as soon as we click the door shut.

“Can it even fit us both?”

I turn on the shower spray, then tug off my clothes. “We’ll see.”

“Always thinking of ways to get me naked,” she teases. I watch hungrily as she slips out of her clothes, baring all that smooth, freckled skin.

I raise my eyebrows. “You were the brat first.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, cocking her hip. My mouth goes dry at the sight of her; she’s in nothing but a cotton thong and socks. Her blue eyes blink at me, soft as a spring morning, as she licks her lips. A raindrop rolls down her cheek, a tantalizing preview of what she’ll look like once she’s soaked in the shower. “And you made me promises, Cooper.”

“Let’s not make a liar out of me.”

She slides the thong down her long legs along with the socks, then steps past me to push open the glass door. It’s fogged up already, warming the whole bathroom. She sighs with pleasure as the water washes over her. My cock, already growing heavy, unencumbered by anything as silly as a pair of boxers, twitches at the noise. It’s like when she made that fucking interrobang our code for sex; one glance at it and I was halfway stiff.

I join her in the swirl of steam, pulling her back against my chest and pressing a fast kiss to the place her shoulder meets her neck. She moans, tilting her head back. I splay my hand over her belly, pressing my fingertips against her slick skin. She sways slightly, not a dance but as close as it comes in a shower stall, and I move with her, relishing in the heat that chases the damp from my bones. There’s something contemplative about her right now. A deliberateness in the way she looks up at me through her lashes. My belly tightens at the sight of her parted lips, her flushed cheeks, the pale pink buds of her nipples gone stiff.

“You okay?” I murmur. Maybe she’s thinking about her therapy session. I’ve never been to therapy, but I have no doubt that it’s hard. It sounds like writing, honestly—holding a piece of yourself out to someone else willingly and hoping that they understand it. She’s my brave girl for doing both. “What’s on your mind?”

She shakes her head slightly as she turns in my arms, so we’re facing each other. “Just something Dr. Faber said earlier.”

“Did you tell her about me?” I cup her jaw. “Not that you need to talk about it, if it’s hard.”

“No, it’s okay,” she says. “I told her. She approves.”

“I’m glad.”

She smiles. I love the way she smiles at me when we’re alone. It’s like she’s giving me part of herself, a little slice of the sunshine that lives inside her soul. I run my thumb over her lower lip, then groan, as I always do, when she bites down.

“Did you really mean what you said earlier?” she asks.

“I’m no liar.” Hell, this girl could tell me she wants to fuck me, and I’d take her to Dark Allure to pick out a strap-on. We’ve mostly finished her list, so maybe it’s time to make a new one together. I’ve never been scared when it comes to sex, and I’m not scared now. “That massage oil I like is in the corner next to the shampoo.”

Her smile turns sly. She tosses her wet hair, made several shades darker by the water, over her shoulder—and then sinks to her knees. “Sebastian must love that.”

“He thinks it’s beard oil.”

She bursts into laughter as she reaches back and grabs it. “Why is it here?”

“Because I can’t get you off my goddamn mind, and at least in the shower, I have some privacy.” I steady her as she works to get the cap off the bottle. “Tell me if the tile hurts your knee too much.”

She just waves her hand. “I’m fine.”

“It hurts worse when you’re cold.”

She looks up at me, dragging her teeth over her lip as she pumps my cock with one delicate hand. “I’m not cold anymore.”

I brace one hand flat against the shower wall, then sink the other into her hair. The water pounds on my back, making me groan as much as the first touch of Penny’s lips to my cock. She kisses me all over, then mouths at the head, doing that swirling thing with her tongue that makes my balls tighten.

“Fucking hell.”

She pulls off deliberately. “Don’t you mean heaven?”

The cheesiness makes me snort. She laughs before going back to work, taking me deep into her throat. I’m so focused on the sensations, how warm, wet, and tight she feels, that I’m not expecting the press of her finger against my asshole. It’s slick with oil, rubbing in a way that adds a new level to the sensations already running through me. I choke out a groan, bracing myself more firmly against the tile.

She pulls off. “Is this okay?” she asks, pressing the tip of her finger up into me just slightly.

I tug at her hair sharply. It feels odd, but not in a bad way. “Yeah, sweetheart. Keep going.”

She works her finger in the rest of the way, torturously slow, lavishing my cock with attention all the while. When she crooks it, she brushes against my prostate, and I grunt, just barely resisting the urge to shove down her throat. She gets the hint anyway, taking me all the way as she explores that spot inside me. She even adds a second finger; there’s a moment of discomfort, but then it washes into everything else. I’ve only massaged myself here from the outside, and I thought that felt good, but this is on a completely different level. It sparks deep waves of pleasure that leave me near panting, on the verge of coming right down her throat. She doesn’t let up, either, on a mission to fucking torture the one of the best orgasms of my life right out of me.

I shut my eyes; I’m tense all over, nearly shaking again, this time from heat and pleasure instead of cold rain. She drags the nails of her free hand down my stomach. I gasp, pressing against her more firmly, unable to keep from forcing the rest of my cock down her throat.

I open my eyes, gazing down at her. She takes me beautifully, my good girl, as she continues to tease my prostate. I feel like I’m coming already, full of so much pleasure I’m bursting. The moment she presses the tips of both her fingers against that little nub, massaging firmly, I come for real.

She swallows it all, looking like a goddamn dream as she does. She eases her fingers out of me as I pull away. Her mouth isn’t just wet from the shower water; there’s spit all over her lips and her chin. I help her up, and she winces, but she’s smiling as she kisses me.

“Holy fuck,” I say right against her mouth.

“Good?”

“I must be in heaven, like you said.” I rub my hand down her side. “Does your knee hurt?”

She presses another kiss to my lips, softer this time. “Worth it.”

“So that’s a yes.” I reach over and turn off the shower. I help her out of the stall and wrap her in a towel, then pull one around my waist. “Let’s finish this in my bedroom.”

She protests when I pick her up, but I don’t want her falling if she’s feeling unsteady. “Meaning I’m gonna come?”

“Yeah, baby. You’re gonna come.”

I ignore the whoops coming from downstairs as I ease my bedroom door open. I set Penny down on the bed, then unwrap the towel. Water dots her body, flushed grapefruit-pink from the heat. She sits up on her elbows, meeting my gaze as she spreads her legs.

“Now I’m wishing I came on your face,” I murmur. Even though I’m spent from the orgasm, my cock stirs with interest.

She smiles cheekily. “You know I love when you’re inside me.”

Possessiveness unfurls like a sail, sending warmth from my scalp to my toes. I take a step forward and press my hand against her belly. “Here.”

She shudders as she puts her hand over mine. “There, babe.”

I sink to my knees, kissing her on the lips before dragging my mouth lower, to her perfect tits. I cup her pussy, warm and wet, and grind the heel of my hand against her clit. She whimpers, pressing against me, seeking as much contact as possible. I’d planned on kneeling, massaging her knee while using my mouth to get her off, but instead I stretch out on the bed and tug her so we’re spooning.

My softened cock fits into the crease of her ass snugly. I hook my chin over her shoulder as I work her with my fingers. She’s such a mess already, it’s easy; I get two fingers into her and find her g-spot as I continue to rub her clit. She’s shaking, letting out a string of little sighs and moans. My come is in her belly. She’s all fucking mine. The thought makes me choke out another moan.

I wring one orgasm out of her, then keep going until she gives me a second. I don’t want to stop touching her, even for a moment, but eventually she twists in my arms. Her pupils are blown wide, her bottom lip bitten. She cups my face on either side and kisses me like it’s the last thing she’ll ever do. She’s shaking even worse than when we got home, but at least she’s warm.

“Fuck my ass later,” she murmurs. “I wanna feel you deep.”

Then she slides off the bed and uses the towel to dry off the rest of the way.

I don’t move for a moment, caught up in her words—words she apparently means for me to sit with for the rest of the evening—and in watching the way she moves as she walks around. She raids my dresser for a t-shirt, then peeks into the hallway. Apparently, the coast is clear, because she darts out, coming back a moment later with our discarded clothes.

“Cooper?” she asks as she tosses me my clothes. “Did I break you?”

“In a good way.” I shake my head slightly. “You sure you want to go back downstairs?”

She wavers, but then her stomach growls loudly. “Gummy bears aren’t dinner,” she says, somewhat sadly. “I’ve learned that the hard way.”

When we head downstairs, Penny settles on the loveseat with Victoria—the guys pulled Remmy into the game—and takes out her notebook. I detour to the kitchen and heat two bowls of stew, then bring them out with bread and iced tea.

“That was way too long,” Izzy says, glancing over at me. She’s still on the floor, a couple cat toys spread out around her. Tangy is sitting a foot away, flicking her tail. She doesn’t look very impressed by the display. It takes my daughter a lot to get excited. A simple toy won’t do; you need to break out the tuna or the catnip or, on special occasions, the bird videos, for that.

“Agreed,” Sebastian says dryly. He pumps his fist as he makes a kill. Hunter high-fives him. “We were about to send a search party.”

Penny laughs, thanking me as she takes her bowl of stew. “Don’t go searching if you’re not sure you’ll like the answer.”

Izzy cups her hands over Tangy’s ears. “Excuse you, there are innocents here.”

“What’re you playing?” I ask pointedly. I join Izzy on the floor, but scoot so I’m leaning against Penny’s legs. Instead of changing into the clothes she’d been wearing, she opted to stay in my shirt, adding a pair of sweatpants that she had to roll up half a dozen times before they’d stay on her slim hips. I set my bowl aside to let it cool, massaging Penny’s knee through the fabric. She rests her hand on my shoulder and squeezes, a subtle thank you.

“Halo,” Rafael says. “Wanna join in?”

“Maybe after I eat.”

Tangy slinks past Izzy and settles in my lap. I cuddle the warm weight of her against my stomach as I work my fingers over Penny’s knee. Outside, lightning flashes, followed a few moments later by the rumble of thunder. Penny sinks her hand into my hair, half-dry now, and scratches her nails over my scalp. My eyes slide shut.

People talk about love like it’s a given, but until now, I didn’t know if that included me. Yet every moment like this? Penny by my side, working her way into my life just as thoroughly as Tangerine? I thank the universe that I’m lucky enough to experience them.