Page 73 of The Perfect Deal
Knocking too loud would give everyone a heads-up that we were up to something, so I only tapped on the door softly. It didn’t matter. He was waiting for me. Joshua opened the door, and I flew into his arms, barely giving him time to close the door behind me before my lips consumed his.
He tasted like the wine from dinner, and while we were both a little tipsy, we certainly had our heads on straight as our hands roamed one another’s bodies and our tongues entangled. My lungs began to burn, craving oxygen the way my body craved his, so I pulled away for a moment, and we both sucked in a deep breath.
“Hello there, beautiful.” Joshua gazed down at me, longing sizzling in his eyes. “I was hoping you’d come over.”
“How could I resist?” I asked him, already reaching for the buttons on his shirt.
I told myself to take my time, to relish every moment we had together, but the hunger burning deep within me wouldn’t allow for even an extra second. I flew through the buttons of his shirt and then pulled it down off his shoulders, peeling it from his chiseled torso. Joshua helped me work his arms out, and then his hands were on my body again, tugging down the zipper on the back of my floral dress.
His room was laid out similarly to mine, though the reverse, with everything on the other side. With the lights out, it was difficult for us to navigate to the bed in an unfamiliar place, especially with our lips melded together. We fumbled our way forward, stripping clothing and shoes along the way so that, when we reached his bed, I was down to my lacy red thong and bra and Joshua was only wearing his boxers.
His hands trailed fire along my ribcage to my waist as Joshua slowed his kisses down, making each of them last a little longer, consume me a little more. With my heart still pounding in my chest, I willed myself again to take it easy. We had all night. No one knew I was there, and no one would come looking for us.
Joshua pulled away from me, his thumbs pressed to the lower edge of my bra. “I want to worship you, Liberty. I want to savor your body, taste every inch of you.”
A chill went down my spine as I bit down on my bottom lip, hearing his request and physically responding to it. “Whatever you want, baby,” I whispered, not even sure if I had complete control of my tongue.
A crooked smile took over his face as he lifted my bottom and dropped me onto the bed so that my legs were hanging over the edge of the mattress. Joshua dropped to his knees, his warm breath fanning over my inner thighs as he took his time planning whatever he was going to do to me.
His tongue was rough and thick as he began to lap up my legs, first one then the other, starting near my knees and reaching all the way to the trim of my thong. By the time he reached my apex, I was panting, my hands running wild as they traced over my stomach, up to my breasts. The anticipation was killing me.
Joshua hooked his fingers through my panties and pulled them off my legs, discarding them and baring me to him. I lay there, watching him, seeing his eyes enlarge as he took me in. He murmured, “Fuck, Liberty. You’re gorgeous,” and then, his mouth was on me, and everything else about the world faded away.
He worked his tongue over my heated skin, lapping and sucking, probing, driving me insane. I threaded my fingers through his hair, arching my back and leaning into him as he found my most sensitive area. Joshua continued to work me over until I couldn’t handle it anymore. Panting and pleading, I fell over the edge and floated down in a cloud of euphoria.
When he was finished, I looked up at him, my eyes bleary with want. Joshua smiled and slipped his boxers down, his thick cock springing free. I wanted to reach for it, to return the favor, but he was clearly in control this time.
He moved me up the bed and situated himself between my legs. Still taking his time, he unhooked my bra and tossed it aside, once again using his tongue to bring me to a fever pitch as he licked and sucked my nipples to hardened peaks.
Lifting his mouth to mine, he kissed me deeply. My own flavor punctuated the feel of his tongue wrapping around mine as he pushed inside of me. I let out a low moan as my body stretched to accommodate his massive size.
The two of us moved together, increasing our speed until we were humming in a rhythm all our own, hands wandering aimlessly over sweat-slickened skin, our mouths weaving in and out of kisses as we explored one another’s bodies. It didn’t take too long for Joshua to send me over the edge again. I held on for dear life, my fingers splaying on the bed, my entire body contracting, curses and pants spilling from my mouth.
Soon, Joshua joined me, his body growing rigid as he grunted, groaned, and finally filled me with his warmth. Even after the storm subsided, the two of us lay there, wrapped up in one another, his head on my shoulder as I lifted a leg to toss over his hip.
“Liberty,” Joshua whispered, pulling me even closer. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I didn’t even hesitate to say the words I’d been thinking for so long. I had no doubt in my mind that this man was meant to be mine, that we were intended to be together. No one would ever manage to keep us apart again.
We fell asleep still tangled in an embrace. Even when I was fast asleep, I was still conscious of the fact that Joshua and I were together. I could sense his arms around me in my sleep, hear him breathing, knowing that I was safer and happier than I’d ever been in my life.
My eyes fluttered open just as the sun was beginning to appear over the horizon outside of the window, the warm rays spreading sprays of gold across the ocean. Joshua slumbered on, his eyelashes moving slightly the more I moved.
I needed to get out of there. I couldn’t see the clock, but I knew it was nearing the time of day when the early risers of the group would be up and about. The thought that Landon might see me, even though his room was far down the hallway, filled me with panic. I had to free myself of this marvelous man—for now—and get back to my own room.
Somehow, I managed to pull my arm out from beneath Joshua’s torso and pull my leg off his. The blankets and sheets, which we’d pulled up hastily in the middle of the night, were also twisted, so I had to be careful not to trip. Somehow, I managed to get out of bed without waking Joshua, but he was tossing and turning a little as I looked around the room for my clothes.
Rather than trying to put them back on, I grabbed a robe from Joshua’s bathroom and slipped that on, finally finding my wet thong crumpled up beneath the corner of the bed. With all of my belongings in my arms, I tiptoed toward the door.
Out in the hallway, I managed to close Joshua’s door and then spun around, still tiptoeing toward my own door. Halfway across the hall, I heard a creaking sound and held my breath. It sounded like a door opening. Slowly, I turned to look down the hall, but it seemed all the doors were closed tightly. Thinking it must’ve been a loose floorboard, I continued to my room, flying inside and closing the door behind me.
My heart pounding in my chest, I dropped my dirty clothes on the floor and headed to the shower, praying no one had seen me.
After a quick shower, I went about getting ready for the day, not sure what Luke’s family had planned. That pink bikini Joshua had asked me to bring was burning a hole in my suitcase, but I decided not to put it on. Last time I’d worn it when Landon wasn’t around, and I had no guarantee my brother wouldn’t be with us today. Instead, I put on another sundress, thinking I could always come back and change later if we decided to go to the beach. I was hoping we would. The ocean beckoned me from outside, and I longed to feel the warm sand beneath my feet.
“Are you coming to breakfast?” I read Poppy’s text just as I was finishing up my makeup. I hadn’t realized we were all meeting for breakfast, but I hastily replied that I was on my way, my growling stomach pressing me on.
A few minutes later, I walked into a large room on the first floor that was set up like a dining room, even though I thought it was normally a conference room.