The Jock and the Wallflower Read Free Page B

“Christ, Avery, you’re perfect.” The words escaped before I could think to stop them, and I was pleased to see Avery blush at my truthful outburst; I liked knowing I had the same power over him that he had over me. That only fueled my already raging desire, and I reached out, almost tentatively, to place my hands on his chest. At the contact, Avery sucked in a breath. I looked up to see that his eyes were wide, dark with desire, and I wanted more. Needed more. I wanted to touch, taste; it was a need unlike anything I had ever before experienced, but Avery seemed willing to give me the freedom to explore, and my hesitation melted away—if my touch could bring Avery pleasure, I wanted that. I could hear both of us breathing heavily, intently, as I moved my hand over him slowly. Reverently. I was completely in awe. His skin was so warm and taut over his hard muscles, but his skin was also surprisingly soft. I adored how it felt, how he felt , trembling, ever so slightly, beneath my touch.
    I brushed fingers over his already budded nipples. He jerked in reaction, and again, I smiled at him. “I like touching you.” I whispered the admission, and Avery caught one hand in his, easily lifting it to his lips and kissing my knuckles gently. It was such a tender gesture. But that was Avery; he was wonderfully tender, respectful. I knew without asking that he was waiting for me to determine the pace, and that meant a lot to me; it told me he respected me and how far I was ready to take things between us and honestly, I knew what I wanted. Needed . I wanted Avery in every possible way, and I wanted him to know that, but despite the information he had gleaned from my good buddy Scarlett, there was still a great deal he didn’t know, and I wanted to be upfront with him.
    He seemed to notice something in my eyes, and again he cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone. “What’s wrong? Decker, if we’re moving too fast, we can slow all this down until you’re more comfortable.”
    “It’s not that.” I whispered, my fingers playing idly with the hair at the back of his neck, mostly because I loved how soft and silky it felt. “You think you know me, but I… well, there’s a lot you don’t know, and I guess I don’t want you to move forward with whatever this is until you understand certain things about me.”
    “Decker—”
    “I don’t have contact with my family,” I blurted out baldly.
    “Okay.” Avery watched me closely and I drew in a breath, feeling a little sick, because this wasn’t a subject I enjoyed.
    “The short version is this: my dad is a drunk and he can be a real ass and I… well, when I came out, he disowned me right then and there.”
    “Baby….”
    “And my mother, she cried and she was so upset, but she’s never been able to stand up to my father.” I tried a casual shrug to appear more at peace with the situation than I actually was, but I suspected Avery saw through my bravado. “Scarlett’s the closest thing I have to family. It was her family I stayed with when she and I went home over summer break, and I just wanted you to know that I’m a little screwed-up and if it bothers you, I understand.” I just needed to get it all out there. It was time for full disclosure before I ended up completely losing my heart, and I didn’t doubt that I could tumble head-over-heels in love with Avery before the night was over, because I was already halfway there. Maybe more than halfway there, truth be told. He had this intense hold on me and my heart and honestly, I didn’t know what I would end up doing if he decided I wasn’t worth his time thanks to my less-than-ideal family history. I silently prayed I wouldn’t find out, as Avery shifted our position so I was stretched out on his bed and he lay down beside me.
    He braced his weight on his elbow and looked down at me, one hand resting on my chest. I reached up to cover that hand with my own, and Avery laced our fingers