It Started with a Snap by Piper James

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ember

Dakota called to check on me, the ranch, and Kane as soon as I walked through the front door after work. I was a hot mess, stressed out about that scene with Ethan and wondering why he’d backed off so suddenly before running out.

She could tell something was wrong, and I ended up spilling my guts. I told her everything…and she laughed. Fucking laughed.

“What happened to the girl that told me to take the bull by the horns and go after what I wanted?” she asked before I could respond to her humor. “To not worry about possible rejection, stick my hand down his pants before he could protest, and get that D?”

She was fucking right. I had said all those things to her when she was thirsting after Noah but too afraid he might not feel the same. Because that’s who I was—a take charge, badass bitch who went after what she wanted, consequences be damned.

But was that who I was now? This whole situation with the boutique and the lapsed insurance policy had given me the most serious of reality checks. And spending time with Ethan had changed me, too. I felt calmer when I was with him. More settled.

And honestly, I didn’t hate it.

He was rubbing off on me just as much as I was him, getting him to open up and enjoy life a little more. Even though we were still on opposite ends of the spectrum, I now saw it as a good thing. We complemented each other in a way I’d never expected.

And, fuck, I wanted him so bad I could taste it.

I’d abruptly ended my call with Dakota after assuring her I’d take my own damn advice. I took care of Kane, showered, changed into a thin sundress with no bra or panties underneath, and rushed out to my truck.

By the time I was standing on Ethan’s porch, I was second-guessing myself again. All the bravado I’d felt after talking to Dakota had melted away, leaving nothing but anxiety and indecision. But before I could chicken out and leave, I forced myself to knock on the door.

A few seconds later, the panel swung open, revealing a bare-chested Ethan with a shocked expression. My eyes travelled down the length of him, over his muscular chest, skimming his abs down to the deeply cut V that disappeared beneath the waistband of his shorts.

My tongue darted out to wet my lips as I raised my gaze back to his face. His own eyes were exploring my body much as I’d done his. Neither of us had spoken, but when his gaze stopped on my breasts, my nipples tightened beneath the thin material. Ethan’s nostrils flared as he inhaled sharply and finally lifted his gaze to meet mine.

I was panting, my core throbbing as he stared at me with fire banked in his blue eyes. I wanted to say something, anything, but I was having trouble forming a single coherent thought. I opened my mouth, finally settling on a simple hello, but before I could speak it, Ethan’s arm snaked out, his fingers clenching around my wrist.

The world tilted as he yanked me over the threshold. The door slammed, and before I could take my next breath, Ethan lunged forward, pushing me against it with his big body as his mouth crashed against mine.

He pinned the wrist he still held to the door above me before grabbing the other one and doing the same. His mouth ravaged mine, nipping and licking until I parted my lips. Some half-groan, half-growling sound vibrated in his chest as his tongue slid inside to brush against mine, and I answered with an equally savage response.

Every nerve in my body was on fire, and my heart pounded rapidly as his erection pressed into my abdomen. He pushed my hand over so he could trap them both with one hand and tangled his fingers in my hair. Gripping it tightly, he tugged my head to the side and traced his nose along my jaw before pressing his open mouth to my neck.

I moaned, the hot, wet suction sending waves of pleasure through me. I could feel myself getting wet, my clit throbbing and begging for attention. I pushed my hips forward, and Ethan growled again, his hand releasing my hair to move down to my breast. His palm brushed over the sensitive nipple as he kissed his way down to my collarbone.

His fingers rolled the hardened bud, pinching softly as I moaned with need. Ethan bent his knees, bringing our pelvises together before pushing in and up. His hard cock slid against my swollen folds, and I bucked my hips, loving the friction even if our clothes were still in the way.

Ethan released my wrists, moving both of his hands under the hem of my skirt to grip my ass. When he realized I wasn’t wearing any underwear, he groaned and lifted. My hands gripped his hair as I slid up the door. My legs wrapped around his waist, and he grunted as the wet heat of my pussy pressed fully against his cock.

Suddenly, we were moving, spinning around and rushing across the room as Ethan’s mouth closed over my nipple through the material of my dress. My head fell back at the pleasure of it, my fingers yanking his hair to bring him closer.

I heard wood slam against wood as he kicked a door open, and after a few more steps, my back landed on an unbelievably soft mattress. My legs locked tighter around Ethan’s waist as he tried to pull away, but he reached back to gently untangle them as his mouth pressed against mine in a deep kiss.

Pulling away slightly, he whispered “Scoot up,” before gripping my hips and helping me slide further up the mattress.

He pinched the hem of my dress and slowly pulled it up, his fingertips trailing over the sensitive skin of my thighs as he went. He whispered directions, quietly but firmly ordering me to lift my hips before telling me to sit up so he could pull the dress over my head. Tossing it to the side, he stood, his gaze travelling over my naked body as if he couldn’t decide which part he wanted to devour first.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured as he bent over me, running his hands up my stomach to cup my breasts while his hips pushed between mine to rub his still-covered cock against my pussy.

My fingers tangled in the comforter beneath me as his mouth followed the same path, closing over one nipple and sucking the flesh before his tongue flicked against it rapidly. He moved to give the other one the same treatment until I writhed beneath him.

“So delicious,” he said licking the bud with the flat of his tongue. “Just like I imagined.”

My breath hitched at those words. He’d imagined this? Oh, God. A fresh wave of moisture soaked my slit, and Ethan hummed, obviously feeling it through his shorts.

He slid down my body, planting kisses against my skin before dipping his tongue briefly into my navel. Then he continued his downward path to kiss my mound while his hands pushed my thighs further apart.

“Ember, look at me,” he said, waiting until I lifted my head to meet his eyes. “I’m going to taste you, now. I’m going to lick and suck your pussy until you come, but I need you to teach me what you like.”

“Holy shit,” I breathed, my eyes widening.

I never in a million years expected this from him. Ethan Perry, the sweet, quiet man I’d grown to like and admire, was a fucking talker in the bedroom. And not just that. The firm directness in his tone hinted at some alpha-male instincts that nearly had me coming at just the sound of it.

I didn’t know what I’d expected when I came over here tonight, but it wasn’t this.

“Tell me,” he said before licking my slit in one long swoop.

He hummed as he rolled his tongue around in his mouth like he was sampling the finest of rare wines. I blacked out for a second, my entire body trembling with need. When my eyes refocused, Ethan was staring at me intently, his hands creeping up my inner thighs.

“My clit,” I groaned. “Lick it.”

His smile was practically feral as he dipped his head and pushed his tongue through my folds to find my clit with unerring accuracy. My head fell back against the mattress as I moaned his name. His tongue moved faster, flicking relentlessly before swirling around the bud, only to repeat the process again. I spread my legs even further, lifting my hips in need.

“What else, Ember?” he asked between licks.

I was so fucking far gone, any inhibitions I may have still been holding onto evaporated. Pushing up onto my elbows, I watched him devour me for a moment before reaching out a hand and pushing his head down.

“Fuck me with your tongue,” I said. “I want to feel you inside me.”

Ethan’s tongue pushed into me before I got the last word out, and my eyes rolled back into my head at the pleasure of it. I fell back against the mattress, the pumping of Ethan’s tongue bringing me close to the edge of ecstasy. As if he sensed it, he swirled his tongue before pulling it out and moving his mouth back to my clit.

He sucked the sensitive nub between his lips as he plunged a finger into me, pumping it twice before pulling it out and pushing another in beside it. My entire body started to tingle, my muscles tensing as my core clenched.

“Ethan,” I groaned, pumping my hips in time with the movements of his fingers inside me.

“I want you to come, now,” he said, his voice strong and firm before his tongue attacked my clit and his fingertips curled up, hitting a spot inside me that made me buck forcefully.

Bright lights flashed behind my eyelids as my body exploded, wave after wave of electric pleasure washing over me as Ethan pumped his fingers inside me. Then he pulled them out completely, replacing them with his tongue. He lapped up every drop of my release as he moaned with satisfaction.

When I finally stilled, completely wrung out, he licked one last long stroke along my slit before straightening to stand over me. I could feel his gaze on me, so I opened my eyes to look at him. He gave me a sexy smile, pushed his fingers between his lips and sucked them clean before pulling them out with a pop.

“Like I said…delicious,” he growled, his words and actions making me shiver.

Holy fuck. I thought I’d grown to know Ethan pretty well over the last week, but I realized now I really knew nothing at all.

And I couldn’t wait to find out more.