Instead of answering, he leans forward to kiss me deeply. His hot tongue sends jolts of electricity down my spine and straight to my dick that pulsates in his grip. My own hand eagerly strokes his erection, desperate to make him feel good. Just as our kiss grows more heated, he pulls away. His blue eyes blaze with intensity.
With love.
My heart responds with a thundering of beats. Copeland is my other half. He makes me complete. My best friend, and now lover, is the key to my every happy thought, sensation, and experience. Cope’s my whole damn world and then some.
“I love you,” I blurt out. I know I sound desperate and stupid. I even expect him to laugh at me.
Cope does none of those things.
His nose nuzzles mine and he kisses me softly. “I love you too.”
A squeeze around my heart makes me higher than a kite. I’m buzzing on all the feelings that rush through me. All of them good. All of them hopeful.
He pulls away and finds my stare again. “Penn,” he starts, his blue eyes a storm of conflicting emotions. “I want…I, uh, I want to try it.”
“What?”
A snort escapes him. “Don’t act dumb, asshole.”
I can’t help but smirk at him. “What do you want, Cope? Tell me and I will give it to you. I’ll give you anything.”
Wickedness gleams in his eyes. “Anything?”
“Anything.”
All devious and probably illegal thoughts bleed from him as panic once again pinches his brows together. “Your fingers…your tongue…” he trails off and lets out a heavy sigh. “They feel so good…”
“But?” I definitely feel the unsaid but lingering in the air.
“But they’re not enough. I want you…I want you to fuck me.” He swallows and I ignore the racing of my heart. Cope’s having reservations and I’ll be damned if I coerce him into something he’s unsure about. “I’m afraid,” he finally utters, shame stealing his eyes from mine.
Reaching up, I grab his neck gently and stroke my thumb along his jaw, bringing his attention back to me. “I would never hurt you. Fucking never.”
He swallows and I feel the action beneath my palm. “If I say stop—”
“I’ll stop,” I vow. “You know I will.”
His lips press to mine again for a jittery kiss. I can feel his nerves practically buzzing through our connection. When he pulls away, I smile at him.
“I will go slow and if it’s too much, we’ll stop. If you decide you hate it, we’ll never do it again. Having you, even here just kissing you, is more than I ever hoped for. You are enough for me, Cope. It was always you. The sex stuff could be taken completely out of the equation and it’d still be all about you.”
He flashes me a devious grin. “Don’t get all crazy now. I’m pretty fucking fond of the sex stuff. So fond, I want to do more. Explore more unknowns with you. All I ask is don’t laugh at me if I cry like a baby.”
I chuckle and give him a wicked look. “Oh, I’ll laugh. You can count on it.”
Copeland
Unease settles in my gut as Penn slides off the bed. I watch him carefully, as though he’s a viper that might strike when I least expect it. My heart rate skitters like crazy. This man is going to give me a heart attack one day.
His dark brow lifts in a slightly challenging way that used to antagonize me. Now, it sends a thrill surging through me. He’s so fucking hot. From his deep brown eyes and messy as fuck hair all the way down his perfectly sculpted chest to his impressive dick that’s straining in his boxers.
That damn dick is about to rip me in two, I just know it.
He smirks and pushes the boxers down, freeing his erection. It bobs out heavily. My mouth waters to have his salty taste on my tongue. I like sucking dick. Who knew? I sure as hell would have never assumed it would’ve been something I’d ever try, much less love. But with Penn, I love it. I love it all. I love him.
A calmness settles over me.
This is right. This is us. It’s time to come together in this final way. I feel like it’ll seal us together as a real couple. In all the ways. Of the flesh, of the heart, of the soul.
I’m drowning in Penn McAlister.
He’s pulling me under and it’s a descent that makes me crazed with excitement.
Into the unknown. Together. Forever.
It’s right then I realize what I want on his chest. Immerse your soul in love. A phrase—the same phrase—written twice to signify the two of us. Drowning in love.
Penn catches my eyes searing into his chest. “I’ll come by tomorrow. Do it tomorrow.”
The trust he so easily gives me makes my chest ache. I’ve been practicing at Fenway Ink. My boss, Lars, says I’m a quick study and is already letting me take on clients. I can’t wait to get my hands on Penn and mark him up permanently. Kind of like I wear his purple love marks on my neck continuously and for all to see. This will be permanent and a representation of us.