“Did you just refer to me as a geek?”
“Yeah, my geek.” He leaned down, brushing his nose along mine before kissing me.
“I think I like the sound of that.”
We fell into the kiss. Avery took his time learning all the ways to make me sigh and squirm. His fingers explored my skin, painting letters of love on my ribs and gently squeezing my breasts.
When I was a ball of tightly sprung energy, he finally dipped his fingers inside my panties and touched me where I needed him most.
“I can’t wait to be inside you,” he rasped, watching me as he curled his fingers deeper, rolling his thumb over my clit.
“Oh God,” I cried.
My fingers twisted into the bed covers as the waves of pleasure rose inside of me. “Kiss me,” I breathed. “I need you to kiss me.”
Avery chuckled, diving at me and capturing my lips in a hard kiss. His tongue plunged into my mouth, swallowing the moans crawling up my throat. “Come for me, Miley.”
His words send me hurtling over the edge, my body splintering apart.
Avery kissed me again before rolling off me to remove his jeans. He grabbed a condom from his wallet and came back to the bed. “Are you sure?”
I nodded, watching with rapt fascination as he ripped open the foil packet with his teeth and sheathed himself.
He covered my body, sliding his hand under one of my thighs and hitching it around his waist. “This might hurt.” Avery rocked into me slowly, inch by inch. My breath caught at the sudden fullness, but the pain quickly gave way to pleasure as he began moving inside me.
“You are so fucking beautiful.” He ran his thumb down my cheek and let it linger on the pillow of my lip before replacing it with his mouth.
“I can feel you everywhere,” I whispered, clinging to him as I tried to catch my breath.
“Fuck, Miley…” He dropped his lips to my throat and sucked gently.
My hands ran over his shoulders and down his back. I could feel every muscle, every dip and plane. He was a work of art, sculpted from years of dedication to football.
“You feel incredible.” His teeth grazed my shoulder, sending shockwaves rippling through me.
He slipped his hand between us, rubbing my clit in lazy circles. Liquid lust coursed through my veins as I felt another wave build inside me.
“Avery…” I cried.
“Just let go, babe. I got you.”
The rope snapped and my body shuddered around him. Avery swallowed my moans, lapping at my mouth with his tongue. He went faster, chasing his own release. The second he crashed over the edge, he kissed me, my name an echo on his tongue.
We lay there in the aftermath, sated and silent.
“Are you okay?” he asked me.
“Yeah. That was…”
How did I even begin to explain to him what I felt in this moment?
Avery touched his head to mine and smiled. “I know. Everything you felt. I felt it too.”
Relief slammed into me. This wasn’t some joke or cruel revenge plan… it was real.
And it was more than I could have ever hoped for.
“Sweetheart, you’re going to burn a hole in the carpet,” Mom said as I paced the living room. “He’ll be here.”
“I know.” I did.
Avery had already texted me three times to say he’d see me soon. But it was Monday morning, and I was so freaking nervous about walking into school as his girlfriend.
Avery Chase’s freaking girlfriend.
I still couldn’t believe it.
We’d spend most of the weekend together. He’d met my mom Saturday and then I’d been over to his house yesterday to meet his parents.
It was moving fast. But Avery said we’d wasted too much time already, and I was inclined to agree.
But school?
School was a whole other deal.
“I think I see his car,” Mom clapped, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.
I wasn’t sure she’d be so excited if she knew what we’d been up to in my room Saturday night, but what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. Besides, I was almost eighteen.
It still amused me that I was older than Avery. He didn’t turn eighteen until next spring, but there was nothing boyish about the way he made me feel or the dirty things he did to me.
“Okay, sweetheart, this is it.”
“Please, Mom. I’m already nervous enough.”
“You’ve got this, baby. I’m so proud of you. You and Avery make such a cute couple. Don’t let anyone tell you any different, okay?”
“Thanks, Mom.” I hugged her. “For everything.”
“Oh, sweetheart, it’s me who should be thanking you. I don’t know what I would have done without you these last couple of years.”
There was a knock at the door and my heart catapulted into my throat.
“That’s him,” Mom shrieked.
“Oh my God, Mom, stop.” I waved her off as I grabbed my bag and went to the door. “Hey,” I said to Avery, trying to play it cool.
“Hey?” His brows crinkled. “Get over here.” He pulled me into his arms and kissed me thoroughly.
“What was that for?” I asked, my cheeks burning.
“I missed you. Morning, Ms. Fuller.”
“Good morning, Avery. Now you drive safe, okay?”
“I will, ma’am.”
“Okay then, off you two go. And ‘Go Raiders.’”
“Oh my God,” I murmured, “make it stop.”
“I think it’s cute.” Avery grabbed my hand and pulled me toward his car. “Ready?” He opened the door for me, but I hesitated.
“Miley… we’re doing this. Together, okay?”
“I know,” I flashed him a weak smile and climbed into his car.
Before I changed my mind.
“You’ve got to get out eventually,” Avery said. We’d been sitting in his car for five minutes.
“I know, I just need another minute.”
“Babe,” he grabbed my hand across the center console, “what’s the worst that can happen?”
“Seriously?” I balked. “Have you met Kendall?”
“Kendall will fall in line because I’ll tell her to fall in line. I think you’re forgetting one key thing here. I’m a god in this place. What I say goes. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Did you just refer to yourself as a god?”
“That’s what
