The Girl Next Door
The Boy Next Door Chapter 24

Just because I can be assertive and know what I want, doesn't mean that I don't enjoy submitting and made to feel as if I've been rendered powerless. To have my senses eclipsed by physical strength wielded in a manner that isn't an attack but one that makes me feel emboldened by my own sexuality. It's nothing more than an illusion. A trick of the imagination. It requires a man to walk a fine line and Colton knows exactly how to do it.

And that, like everything else he does, is a turn-on.

As much as I hate to admit it, there were too many nights since our breakup when I laid awake in my bed, unable to replace sleep, as thoughts of him swirled unbidden through my head. The way he touched me. Stroking my flesh to life. Sliding deep inside my heat until there was no choice but to shudder with o****m. Inevitably, my fingers would slip beneath the elastic band of my panties before stroking my lower lips and circling my c**t until I was gasping out his name.

Every time I caved to the temptation, I told myself that it was because I would never feel Colton's touch again. He was like a ghostly specter hovering over me, dredging up painful yet delicious memories. Which is precisely why this feels more like a dream than anything else. Tomorrow morning, I'll be chalk-full of regrets and recriminations but tonight?

Tonight, I'm going to blot out common sense and enjoy this experience to the fullest.

By the time he pulls away to nip at my chin with sharp teeth, my lips feel bruised and swollen. As loath as I am to admit it, Jack's kisses were nothing like this. They didn't stir anything beneath the surface. They were a pleasant distraction I'd hoped would grow into something more. As soon as that thought bursts into my brain, I force it away.

Jack is sweet, kind, and nice. He's one of the most caring and considerate people I've ever met. We built a solid base of friendship before it grew into something more. And even then, when it turned romantic, I insisted on taking my time and easing into a relationship. But we never generated this kind of...

Combustible energy that feels like it has the potential to destroy everything in its path.

That's exactly how it feels when I'm with Colton. There's no other way to describe it. He's all I can see.

All I'm able to think about. It's addictive.

It's the rough scrape of hands sliding beneath the hem of my dress as it rides up my thighs that grounds me in the here and now. The tips of his fingers dance across my flesh, inching their way beneath the fabric. Air gets trapped in my throat when they stroke over my panties, grazing my lower lips.

The warm August air wafting over my flushed cheeks isn't nearly enough to cool them. I'm not sure if anything can extinguish the heat that has exploded to life in my core. As he drops to a crouch in front of me, I know exactly how this scenario will play out. I also know that I'm not going to prevent it from happening. I don't have that kind of strength. If I'm being completely honest with myself, I don't want to stop it.

I want him.

And I want this.

I'll deal with the ramifications of my stupidity tomorrow.

Colton's hands slide upward, lifting the dress with them until my panties are exposed to him. He leans forward, brushing a soft kiss against the cotton. His fingers hook into the elastic band on each side of my hips before dragging the fabric down my thighs, past my knees, until it's stretched taut between my ankles. I expel a shaky breath from my lungs as anticipation coils like a spring deep in the pit of my gut.

Actually, the excitement unfurling inside me is much lower.

It's carefully that he lifts one foot, removing the scrap of material serving as protection before repeating the movement with the other side. Silently he pockets the panties in his jeans.

His face hovers no more than six inches from t he heat of my core. Every inhale has him breathing me in before exhaling a warm puff of air against my bared flesh. A thick shudder works its way through me as his gaze stays focused on me. "You're so f*****g beautiful," he rasps.

My heart jackhammers a painful staccato against my ribcage. My gaze stays locked on him, watching every move, taking in every detail about this moment. Wanting to etch it into my memory so that I'll be able to take it out anytime I want to revisit it.

Time stretches between us until it becomes almost unbearable. I shift restlessly beneath his hands. When he finally leans forward, I expect him to attack in much the same manner he did a handful of minutes ago, devouring me in one hungry gulp. Instead, he buries his nose against me before inhaling deeply. It's as if he's trying to breathe in my very essence.

My soul.

"No matter how much p***y I attempted to lose myself in after we broke up, it was never you." My breath hitches at the admittance.

Slowly, gently, as if we have all the time in the world, as is we're not standing in the back of a crowded parking lot, he rubs his face against me. The slight stubble on his cheeks abrades my delicate flesh, releasing a thousand tiny shivers inside the confines of my belly. My spine arches as I give in to the feelings he's created deep inside me. The havoc he's wreaking on me.

Just when I don't think I can take another moment of this sweet t*****e, his lips press against me. My skin is so over sensitized and achy, I want to scream with the storm brewing inside me, pushing to the surface. The first flick of his velvety softness sends me soaring and I groan, my head rolling back as my eyes shutter so I can focus on his touch.

He draws one plump lip between his teeth and nibbles at it before repeating the maneuver on the other side. His tongue thrusts into my throbbing heat, falling into a devasting rhythm. Just when I begin to spiral, he backs off, allowing his soft breath to drift over me as if trying to cool my lust. Before I can utter a word, he circles my c**t with his tongue, pushing me relentlessly toward o****m.

I'm moments away from splintering apart when he eases back for a second time. Frustration explodes inside me. I can't take much more of his teasing. My fingers curl with the need to claw at him, to pull him against me and finish what he started. I open my mouth to protest when he lifts one heeled foot from the ground and plants it on his shoulder so that I'm spread impossibly wide. Even though the night air is warm, it cools my damp flesh, and a shudder works its way through me at the erotic image we must make. "f*****g gorgeous." As he presses forward, my leg bends, opening me even more. Exposing every pink delicate inch of me for him to feast upon.

And he does.

The first swipe of his tongue nearly sends me hurtling over the edge of insanity. My fingers tangle in his hair to hold him in place as he nibbles at me. With his face buried against my heat, he pushes me relentlessly toward o****m until I have no choice but to hurtle over the edge.

Stars explode behind my eyelids as my heart beats wildly. Wave after wave crashes over me, threatening to suck me under. If I die like this, I would have zero regrets. My p***y continues to throb against him as he focuses on my c**t. A moan threatens to break free. I have to pin my lower lip with my teeth to keep all the sound buried deep inside where it belongs.

It's only after Colton has wrung every last drop of pleasure from me does he rise to his feet and press his body against mine. If he didn't, I would slide to the pavement. My bones feel limp. My mind slightly dazed.

"You're even more delicious than I remember. I've missed your sweet taste."

With that, his lips slant over mine and I replace myself lost in a sea of turbulent emotion.