I laughed. Over the last week, the time we spent together we spent studying for our own exams. “But shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
“I was lonely.” Her lips curved up as she tugged on my hands. “And I missed you. And I miss . . .”
She didn’t have to finish her sentence. I knew what she was thinking, what she wanted. Knowing the truth about what had happened was a blessing, but I wasn’t sure how to . . . well, how to really initiate things. The last thing I wanted to do was push her into something she wasn’t ready for. So I hadn’t pushed at all.
“Miss me?” I quickly changed the subject. “I know. Going even a few hours without my presence can cause heart palpitations, abnormal sweating, the occasional—”
“I think your arrogance is actually a disease.”
I gave her a cocky grin. “I like to think it’s a character strength.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Sliding her hands free, she rose onto her knees in front of me. My mouth dried as I looked down at her upturned face. “Actually, keep telling yourself that quietly. Right now, try not talking.”
My brows shot up. “Well . . .”
She grinned, but I could see the deepening color spreading across her cheeks as she reached forward, placing her hands on my bare chest, and then she stretched up, sliding her fingers to my cheeks. She guided my head down to hers.
“I’ve missed you, Cam.” The tip of her nose brushed mine. “Haven’t you missed me?”
I closed my eyes as I wrapped my fingers along her slender wrists. “I have.”
“Good,” she murmured.
Her lips grazed mine once and then she kissed me softly. There was nothing like her kisses, especially when our positions were flopped. She pushed, working at the seam of my lips until I opened. The taste of her clouded my thoughts. I didn’t realize she had let go of my face until I felt the tips of her fingers slipping under the band of my nylon shirts.
My grip tightened around her wrists as I lifted my head. “Avery, maybe we—”
“Maybe you should let me do this.” Her chest rose sharply as her gaze dipped. There was no hiding that I wanted her to do this. The corners of her lips spread into a winsome smile. “I think you really want me to do this.”
“I do. God, I do, but—”
She silenced me with a kiss that told me that I needed to let her do whatever she wanted to do. Removing my fingers one at a time, I dropped my hands to the sides.
This was all her.
Avery broke away and then placed a kiss on my chest, above my heart. I tensed as she tugged my shorts down. Loosened, the shorts pooled on the floor in a second. I stiffened, aching, as she placed her hands on my hips and kissed her way down my abs. When the edges of her hair brushed me, my hands curled into fists. And she kept going, sliding one hand around my front, causing my body to jerk as she wrapped her fingers around me. I pulsed—my entire body pulsed. Then her breath danced over my hardness.
I cupped her cheek, stopping her. “Avery, you don’t have to do this.”
She lifted her head. “But I want to.”
My mouth opened, but the words—whatever the hell they were—died on my tongue as she took me into her mouth. Sensation exploded in several points. I kicked my head back, groaning as her hand moved, steady and strong in rhythm with her mouth.
I didn’t want to last. My back bowed as she worked me. Fuck. I couldn’t last. There was no way. Release powered through me as my hips jerked. I tried to pull her away, but she was latched on. She wasn’t going anywhere. I came, shouting her name.
After what felt like forever, she pulled away. As my chest rose and fell raggedly as I dropped a damn near out-of-breath kiss on her forehead. “Avery . . .”
“You liked?”
I coughed out a laugh. “I loved.”
“I’m a quick learner.”
Damn straight she was. Placing my hands on her shoulders, I guided her onto her back. “Avery?”
She let her hands fall beside her head. “Yeah?”
“Get ready.”
A puzzled look crossed her face. “Get ready for what?”
I captured her mouth, letting my lips and my tongue tell her exactly what to get ready for and it was a hell of a long time before I used those two things for anything other than loving her.
“Cookies! I got cookies!”
“Oh! What kind?” Shortcake’s voice floated from the bedroom.
She’d left the door unlocked for me, something that I was going to have to talk to her about later, but right now I had a warm plate of special delivery. I headed back to the bedroom, finding her lying on her bed, hands folded across her stomach.
“Peanut-butter cookies,” I told her. “But special.”
She grinned as she stretched her bare feet. “How are they special?”
“Well, besides the fact that I just baked them in honor of you finishing your last exam, they’re not just any kind of peanut-butter cookies.” I sat the plate on the nightstand. “But Reese’s peanut-butter cookies.”
Her brows rose. “And that makes them different?”
“Hell’s yeah.” I jumped on the bed, grinning as Shortcake bounced. “What are you doing in here?”
“Being lazy.”
I studied her closer. “You okay?”
“Yes.” When she smiled and it reached her eyes, I relaxed. “Cookie?”
“Cookie . . .” I reached over, eyeing the plate for one that appeared moist. Once I settled on one, I handed it over.
Holding one hand under her chin, she bit and immediately moaned. “Oh my God, these are . . .” She took another bite. “So damn good.”
“I know, right?” I picked up one, popping the whole thing in my mouth.