Spring Tide (Coastal University Book 1)

“Do you really want this?” I ask, lips pressed against the hollow spot near Harper’s collarbone.

We’ve made our way into the back bedroom of the condo, brushing lips and touching hands along the way. There’s a queen-sized bed covered in throw pillows and about a dozen photographs of Harper lining the walls. Fake sunflowers sit in a hand-painted vase on top of the dresser.

My heartbeat jumps into my throat.

“Of course I do. Do you?” There’s a hint of insecurity in her voice now. It makes my stomach clench to hear it, knowing I’ve put doubts in her head about how much I want her.

I swallow hard, forcing my eyes to lock onto hers. “There’s nothing I want more right now than to be inside of you.”

Her eyes widen. One hand wraps around my neck as she pulls me in for another kiss, lips so fucking soft. When I feel her smile against my mouth, I can’t help but form one of my own.

I pull back, dipping my fingers underneath the tiny straps of her sundress. Slowly, I drag the material across the curve of her shoulders, watching as it slides off her body. Her feet shuffle in closer. She’s blushing now—peachy and perfect—so I brush my hand across her cheek to feel the warmth.

“Luca?”

“Yeah?”

“I really like you.”

I grab her hand and bring it to my mouth, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles. “I like you, too. A whole fucking lot.”

“Is it my turn to take your clothes off now?”

“All yours.”

Her hands slide underneath my shirt, the muscles in my stomach clenching at her featherlight touch. She takes note of my stiff posture, pausing as she says, “Sorry, I forgot. Firm hands.”

I lift my arms, pulling my shirt off the rest of the way. Her hands reach around my body and smooth over my lower back, moving toward the front of my jeans. With trembling fingers, she carefully pops the button open.

My brow furrows. “You’re shaking.”

“I know.” She laughs, standing there in her underwear, clumsily yanking at my zipper. “I’m trying not to. I guess I’m just nervous for some reason. I’m acting like this is my first time or something, when I’ve actually done this loads of times. I mean, not loads. God, I mean like a normal, healthy amount.”

“Hey.” I grip her hand, sliding her palm up and over my heart. “Feel that?”

She nods as she stares up at me. My chest heaves with each calculated breath, heart drumming chaotically beneath her fingertips.

“You’re nervous, too?” she asks, eyes shining.

“I just want to make you feel good.”

She squares her shoulders and shakes her head, lips lifting in a self-assured smile. “Then take your pants off and get in the bed.”

With a chuckle, I tug my zipper down and slide out of my jeans. My hands grip Harper’s waist, signaling for her to wrap both legs around me. Once her thighs are securely tucked against my hips, I walk us both toward the bed, dipping forward until her back hits the mattress.

Her perfect body is spread out before me now, fully flushed with desire. I take a long, drawn-out moment to soak in her appearance. She’s wearing a thin, strapless bralette that matches her panties—periwinkle blue, my new favorite color. And it’s mostly transparent, so the flimsy lace pattern reveals a hint of her rosy nipples.

She lifts her arms, pulling the scrap of fabric up over her head. I shift into place and prop myself on one elbow beside her, before I duck down, my lips meeting the swell of her breast as I kiss the tender skin.

“Did you wear that for me?”

“I wore it for myself.” Her eyes stray, gaze focused on my plain, black boxer briefs. “Why? Did you wear those for me?”

“Clearly.”

With a soft giggle, her fingers trail down my chest, across my abdomen, and dip barely underneath my waistband. “Very hot.”

“And you—” My teeth graze over her nipple, sucking it between my lips. “—are so fucking beautiful.”

A tiny shiver racks her body at the contact. Her fingers curl, still barely tucked inside my boxers, mere centimeters from my growing erection. I’m aching to sink inside of her, but I want to savor this moment for a while longer. After all, we only get one shot at a first time together.

My hand slips from the curve of her breast, brushes across the side of her body, and lands on the swell of her hip. I grip her there, hooking my thumb underneath the elastic string waistband of her panties. “Can I take these off, too?”

“Mhm.” She lifts her hips, helping me remove the last shred of fabric.

Goddamn. If I wasn’t already painfully hard, my cock would be tripling in size at the sight of her fully naked beside me. Harper’s body—from her glowing, freckled skin to the sweet curve of her hips to that perfect, blinding smile—is the stuff that wet dreams are made of.

I draw in a harsh breath. “Harper, can I . . .”

“What?”

“I want to feel you come on my tongue again.”

She smiles, teeth sinking into her bottom lip. “Me first.”

Her hands slip out from my boxers. With both palms pressed flat, she pushes at my chest until I shift onto my back, perched halfway up against the headboard.

“Take those off for me,” she demands, nodding below my waist.

With one last hard swallow, I do what she asks. My dick is alarmingly erect at this point, throbbing for attention, and I have to resist the urge to cover myself as she openly gawks.

“It’s so pretty,” she murmurs, moving to caress me with her open palm.

“Jesus, Harper.” I hiss at the contact. “Pretty?”

“Handsome?”

A groan accompanies the roll of my eyes. “Sure.”

She strokes me up and down, two gentle passes that already have me gripping at the sheets. Her grasp is tentative, slow at first. Then she squeezes at the base, dips her head, and wraps her pouty lips around me.

“Fuck, that feels good.”

My head tilts back, and my fingers thread through her hair. I struggle to keep my eyes open, enraptured by the sight of her head bobbing up and down on my cock but completely overwhelmed by the feeling. The pressure’s already building low inside my gut, the threat of release forcing me to tap out early.

“Harper, baby,” I mumble on a groan. “You have to stop.”

She lifts off my dick, mouth parted, eyes glistening as my hands tangle in her hair. With her left thumb, she quickly swipes at her puffy bottom lip—it’s a mental picture I plan on keeping for the rest of my life.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, concern welling behind her eyes.

“I just don’t want to come yet.”

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She shifts again, my arms falling to either side as she moves to straddle me on the bed. Her slick, wet folds press against my lower abdomen, and I nearly come on the spot.

“But I haven’t . . . I mean, are you—”

“I’m ready,” she says, cutting me off. “I’m so wet for you, Luca. And I need to feel you inside me.”

Another low groan forces its way up my throat. “Protection?”

“Oh!” Her eyes widen, a spark of guilt settling in. “Oh, I nearly forgot. Let me grab something from my purse really quick.”

In the next breath, she slides off me and bounces over to retrieve a condom. I will my heartbeat to steady as I watch her bend at the waist, her perfect ass on full display.

That’s when I rifle through a series of horrible events inside my head—Jaquan tackling me during our preseason game, the feeling of my knee bending in on itself, the sharp popping sound that rang inside my eardrums—but none of it can subdue the excitement coursing through my veins. God fucking dammit, I’d sure like to last longer than five seconds tonight.

By the time Harper returns, my palms are full-on sweating. She parts her thighs on top of me, rips the condom package open, and slowly, painstakingly rolls it over my throbbing erection.

As she sinks herself down on top of me, I lift my hips to meet her halfway. There’s a moment of brief clarity where I can feel everything—from the tight, warm suction to the low, steady pulsing of her inner walls—before it all fades away into an overwhelming cascade of sensation.

She lifts up and sinks down in a steady rhythm, grinding and slapping against me. Her palms press flat against my chest, so I grip her waist with both hands. My gaze shifts to all my favorite spots—her breasts, her hips, her eyes, her lips, that tiny divot beneath her rib cage—ultimately locking on where we’re joined.

I watch, groaning deep in my throat as she rides me.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” I rasp, squeezing her hips until she’s lifted a good few inches above my waist. As her head tilts back, I fuck into her from below, pounding harder as those little whimpers fade into heavy moans.

With a breathy pant, she begs, “More.”

I grind into her, steadily pumping my hips off the bed. My grip tightens, easily holding her in place while I use my other hand to find her clit.

“Is that what you needed?” I ask.

She scratches at my chest, one hand moving up to tangle into my hair as she pulls me in for a kiss.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

My hips snap up to meet hers, deep and frantic. I rub tight little circles into her clit and feel so fucking proud of myself when I hear the sound she makes. It’s a low, deep moan that nearly has her collapsing on top of me.

“Luca, I’m gonna come.”

“Come for me, baby,” I say, the words barely scraping out of my throat. I force myself to take a breath, refocusing on Harper’s pleasure. The last time I made her come, she told me she wanted to hear my thoughts while we’re together like this. “You’re doing so well,” I say. “Feels so fucking perfect.”

She whimpers and tightens around me then, moaning my name one last time before she falls apart.

“That’s it, Harps. Let me feel you squeeze around my cock.”

Her walls flutter and tighten once more before I’m met with a sweet gush of liquid heat. At the same time, I tip over my own edge, releasing into the condom in heavy spurts.

It takes a few long heartbeats for her to slide into the spot beside me. We’re both breathless now, panting as we come down from our mutual high.

“Wow,” she murmurs, shifting so her head’s resting on my heaving chest. We’re both damp with sweat, hot to the touch, faces flushed. She stares up at me, asks, “Can we do that again?”

“As many fucking times as you want,” I chuckle, wrapping one arm around her shoulder. “Just give me a little time to recover.”

“Five minutes, then?”

I choke on my own saliva. “You really want to kill me, don’t you?”

“No, I want to fuck you,” she says with a cheeky smile. “And then I want to kill you.”