Choosing Fate (Love in Eden 1.70)

Jolene continued to caress my cheek for a moment, but then her fingers trailed lower. First over my beard, then along my lower lip. All the need I'd managed to tamp down on came roaring back as she caressed my mouth with her soft finger. Her eyes were on what she was doing, but my eyes were on her. She looked entranced. If I hadn’t known better, I would've guessed it was the first time she'd ever touched a man.

Her eyes stayed on my mouth for a moment, then lifted to meet mine, and I saw that I wasn't the only one whose desire was building again. But there was also a softness in her expression that made it feel like someone was literally squeezing my heart in my chest. I wanted to be buried deep inside of her and I wanted to hear her cries as she came around me, but for the first time, there was something I wanted even more. Something I hadn’t really ever cared about with other women. So this time, I was the one begging for something my body needed.

"Joli," I choked out.

Her eyes softened even more and then her hand was back on my cheek. I'd been with countless women in the past and there'd even been a few times I'd been nervous early on when I'd started having sex, but something about this moment terrified me. Maybe because deep down I knew it would change things. I knew it would mean this thing between us would be more than just a hookup. But none of that had me trying to move away or distract Jolene as she leaned in. If anything, I held perfectly still so I wouldn't scare her off. And when her lips finally met mine, I inwardly sighed in relief at the same time that I made a declaration I had no right to make.

She was mine now.

Chapter 6

Jolene

I didn't give myself time to think about what I was doing.

That was a new thing for me because I tended to overthink everything in life and always did what people expected of me.

But this… this moment with Zander was mine. Mine and his.

Maybe if I'd sensed any hesitation on his part, I would've stopped. I wouldn't have put my lips on his or let myself go when he’d told me to for any of the very un-Jolene things I’d done from the moment he'd stepped into my house. At this moment, I was his Joli and nothing else. I’d go back to being the good girl who did everything she was supposed to tomorrow.

I'd always liked kissing my ex, but as Zander began taking control of my mouth, I realized that what Jackson and I had been doing couldn't compare to this. I'd never felt so consumed before, so overwhelmed with need.

Zander's mouth moved expertly over mine. I clung to him because I didn't know what else to do. The kisses were so drugging that I felt completely out of control… separate from my body in some ways.

But connected to it in others.

I felt connected to him.

From just a kiss.

I wasn't sure how much time passed before Zander's tongue probed the seam of my lips. I opened for him immediately and then it was like all hell broke loose in my head. The sensation of his tongue gliding over mine nearly stole my breath. When he did the move again, my instincts kicked in and I kissed him back. I loved that when I did, some switch inside of him seemed to flip too. He growled into my mouth and then he was everywhere. His big hands gripped my backside as he pulled me forward. There was no mistaking what the hardness pressed against my belly was. When his tongue wasn't exploring the recesses of my mouth, mine was in his.

I wound my arms around his neck and slid one hand down his back and the other into his hair. I didn't even consider what I was doing before twining my fingers through his thick locks and forcing his head back. I ate at his mouth, loving the sensation of his beard against my own skin. When I needed to catch my breath, I dragged my mouth from his and began placing soft kisses along his jawline. His hands roamed up my naked back and then one was massaging one of my breasts. Electricity fired through my body at the contact. Never in a million years would I have guessed I was so sensitive there. Need began to tug at my insides and I could practically feel my clit throbbing in anticipation.

"That's it, baby, ride me," Zander murmured against my mouth. I hadn't even realized I was grinding my groin against his, trying to get myself off again.

"Zander," I breathed and then I was ripping at his shirt. Thankfully, he helped me work it off his body. He was like a work of art with tattoos in various spots all over his chest, sides, and back. I wanted to touch each one. Hell, I even wanted to lick them. There were so many things I wanted to do, but I knew my body wasn't going to wait. I needed to come again, but this time I wanted to do it with him inside me.