And there would be a next time. That is, if he has anything to say about it. As for Cera, well her thoughts and feelings remained to be seen.
“Oh, Ivan,” She reached down with both fists and clutched the hair on the top of his head.
The move created an almost pleasurable sting, the sensation spurring him on with gusto.
He moved his hand harder. Moved the tip of his tongue in faster, tighter circles.
Cera’s whole body trembled with her impending climax, and just knowing he was the one bringing her so much pleasure made Ivan feel like king of the fucking jungle.
Come on, baby. Let me hear you roar!
“Yes!” The grip on his hair grew tighter. “Ah, god. Oh, yeah. Ivan…I’m gonna…Oh, god! I’m going to—”
A rush of molten liquid coated his fingers as the powerful orgasm rolled through her stiffening body. Cera’s climax seemed to hit her so hard, socompletely, her enticing form contorted from the intense wave of pleasure.
“Oh, wow!” She fell back onto the bed with a harsh exhale. “I’ve never been so...that was seriously so…” Her lungs sucked in a full breath before she blew it out slowly. Lifting her head and upper body, Cera balanced her weight with her elbows as she looked up at him and said, “I’m pretty sure I blacked out for a second.”
Even with the silvery moonlight, he could tell she was flushed. Her cheeks were crimson, and a look of pure and utter satisfaction was weighing down her delicate lids.
Cera’s long, brown hair fell in disheveled waves, the tangles falling in a way that screamed “I just had the best orgasm of my life”.
Simply put, she was, without a doubt, the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen.
Fucking. Ever.
His gaze lowered, taking in the way her breasts rose and fell to the rhythm of her labored breaths, and the urge to get a taste was too great to resist. Or maybe he was simply too weak a man.
He’d take weak. For this woman, he’d use any damn label society wanted to throw his way. Because a woman like this one could make even the strongest of men drop to their knees.
Ivan knew because he was picture fucking proof.
Already on his knees, he slid himself back up, taking his time to trace an invisible line from slit to cleavage. And when he settled himself between her thighs and felt his hot, aching tip brush against her wet, swollen core, Ivan suddenly couldn’t wait to get inside.
“You ready, sweetheart?” He searched for even the slightest hint of hesitation. His lungs released a slow, undetectable sigh of relief when she smiled up at him.
“Are you?”
A rush of unexpected emotion struck, getting stuck at the base of his throat. But as with every other challenge he’d faced in his thirty-two years, he fought past what was impeding his progress and forged on.
In this case, that meant allowing himself to show his vulnerability. Something no one else—no one—ever saw.
Here goes nothing…
“I know this sounds crazy. Certifiable, even. But I…” He brushed a wayward lock of hair from her eyes and swallowed hard. “I feel like I’ve been ready for you my whole life. I just needed to find you, first.”
The sex and physical aspect wasn’t the only thing that drew him to Cera. It wasn’t even the biggest. No, what made Ivan toss out every self-imposed rule he’d ever written was knowing she got it.
She understood loss and sorrow. She understood living a life filled with guilt and regret. Though she had nothing to feel guilty for, survivor’s guilt was a very real thing. He’d seen it first-hand in former SEAL teammates.
He’d experienced it himself. More than once.
Every single day, in fact.
It was during that first sliver of consciousness, when you aren’t quite awake, but you’re no longer sleeping. Because it was in that moment, for just a split second each morning, that Ivan would forget.
After all this time, he’d still forget his little sister was gone. Even worse than the forgetting? Remembering.
So yeah. He understood the struggles Cera had faced—as best as anyone else could, that is. And when she looked back at him, he knew…