STORY EXCERPT

“Hey! Have you seen him?” Nicole asked, sliding into the leather bucket chair. A rich, fragrant gust of Chanel No. 5 blew between them.

“He’s in my Intro to Lit class,” Mattie told her. She bit into her Nutri-Grain bar, pushing a bag of pretzels toward Nicole.

“He’s back from Pennsylvania.” Nicole popped a few sourdough nuggets into her mouth. “He’s living with his father again.” She crunched around her words. “I wonder what happened. I’d figured we’d seen the last of him after graduation.” Nicole shrugged, rolling her heavily made-up eyes. “Did you know he’s half-Brazilian?” Her dark brows lifted. “I never knew that.” Nicole stared at her, tongue in cheek. “That’s where those looks come from. I always wondered.” Her brows waggled. “He’s not my type, though.”

Mattie laughed and just listened. She didn’t want to interrupt Nicole’s flow. Mattie’s unspoken question was answered in the next informative breath.

“Maybe I’ll invite him to the party, a sort of welcome back, you know.” Nicole’s eyes flashed. She always had a plan. Her mind never fell short when it came to spinning an elaborate web, though this one didn’t seem to really benefit her.

“So”—Nicole’s hands rotated through the air—“did you talk to him?” Nicole’s mouth tipped into her famous seductive smirk, her wine-colored lipstick settling in the cracks of her lips.

“No. I just scoped him out.”

“Ah, come on, Mattie.” Nicole nudged her hand across the table. “Reacquaint yourself. Come to think of it—”

Mattie cut her off. “I can handle it, if there’s anything to handle, thank you.” Mattie waited, thinking Nicole might be trying to sell her the benefits of an exclusive relationship. Nicole and Cody had been together for years, since junior high. Now that they were all in their early twenties, it seemed as if Cody was Nicole’s “forever man.” Cody was a mechanic downtown. Nicole’s parents weren’t happy with the fact that Cody had been around this long. They’d hoped for a more polished man for their daughter, but after Nicole’s parents accepted that their daughter wasn’t going to heed their advice, they let the issue die.

Nicole’s parents immersed themselves in their jobs and their money, giving Nicole whatever she wanted so there was no friction. They were white-collar workers who commuted to New York and often stayed at their condo in Manhattan during the week, leaving Nicole alone to run things as she saw fit.

“Have you heard from our valedictorian?” Sometimes Nicole was just a bit too candid and sarcastic.

“Not since she went back to school, no.” Mattie leaned on the table, inhaling the smell of grease, suddenly craving a cup of fries from the café. The line was thinning out. While debating whether to ingest the additional three hundred calories, Nicole nudged her leg.

“There he is.” She turned, watching Seth stroll out of the café with a pretzel dotted with gobs of mustard in his hand. He had a brown, suede backpack hanging off his shoulder. “Just look at the heads turn.” Nicole’s wide eyes flashed back at her.

“It’s the hair,” Mattie muttered. “It’s got everyone in an uproar. It did get long.”

Nicole faced her, raking the stiff, black strands of her own hair out of her eyes. “Gotta go. See you.” Nicole darted across the lounge, her pencil-thin legs skirting through the crowd, disappearing through the double doors.

Mattie opted out of getting the fries, picked up her tote bag, and went outside. The campus had an outdoor eating area. In the spring it was always busy, but on a raw day like today, she could be by herself, which was what she wanted.

College had turned into a big disappointment. Mattie just wanted to stop this mundane nonsense and start her life. What that entailed she wasn’t sure. She sat down at the table, the cold wood seeping through her jeans. A frigid wind blew, poking her cheeks like millions of frozen needles. When she thought about what type of job she’d like, it was always bittersweet. Her thoughts would always lead back to her mother, numbing her insides as if injected with Novocain. By the time her mother finally got the confidence to try her hand at running a business and run with her talent, a tragic car accident had taken her life.

The void Mattie was nursing was only thirteen months old. She reached into her pocket, fingering the wishing stone her mother had given her. It was a pale-blue stone with white, crystalized rings swirled through it. The whole point of the rock being called a “wishing stone” was that the rings, of course, were a series of closed shapes and they were all intertwined. No ring or circle stood alone. When one wanted to make a wish, they were supposed to hold the stone and caress it with their fingers.

She took the stone out and stared at it, running her thumb across its smooth surface. She silently voiced her wish. Mattie hoped that she had the opportunity to maybe talk with Seth. Though they never hung out with the same crowd when they were younger, a new social outlet might be nice. He did sit right in front of her. Something was definitely missing. She knew the empty space that her mother had left behind could never be filled with anything else, but there was another space, a void that was growing, consuming her with an ache that had her body feeling dormant and lifeless. It was a feeling Mattie didn’t think a twenty-one-year-old woman should have.

ADULT EXCERPT

Seth dropped to his knees and opened her jeans, his appetite for her overwhelming. Matching panties lay behind the zipper as the teeth separated. He traced a thumb over her clothed clit. Her arousal seeped through the silk, raising his need to a whole new level. Seth eased the panties and denim down her legs, freeing her of her boots and clothing. He glanced up at her over the expanse of her creamy flesh. Mattie’s head was still tipped to the ceiling, her breaths rushing.

When his fingers threaded slowly through the creases of her pussy, she cried out to him, “Oh, oh God.”

“Are you sensitive?” His voice was heated.

“It’s been so long,” she whispered.

“You’re in good hands.” Seth kissed the sandy curls that covered her dewy creases. She smelled sweet, with a slight tang that had him swallowing hard. He separated her folds. Seth slowly licked her clitoris, wanting to be tender and gentle.

“Yes,” she breathed. Mattie widened her stance, his technique pleasing. She leaned back on the edge of his nightstand, arching for him.

“You like that?” Seth licked her again slowly, wanting to arouse, yet pacify. Her honeyed essence exploded on his tongue. “You’re opening right up for me. You’re so beautiful.” Seth burrowed through her again, his tongue dipping deep into her wet, thermal center. “Mm,” he moaned. He sucked in her liquid heat, drenching his tongue with her.

Seth unbuttoned his jeans and pushed his briefs and jeans down. He yanked out his cock and stroked himself. He had both his hand and his mouth in sync now, wanting the rhythm to be perfect. Mattie’s faint moans drifted through the air above him, sounding like an erotic symphony. She was a long, silky trail of smooth skin. He rested his hands on the back of her legs, her curves firm and toned. Her heat surrounded him, feeding his frenzy as he licked the soft insides of her pussy, relishing the delicate tissues, her fragrance and taste. His balls were as tight as a beanbag, his cock an aching rod that needed to let loose and fire. She was sedating him, spurring him on. Everything slowed, his eyes hazy. He pulled away, high from the experience, and stood.

Her heavy-lidded eyes were dangerous, burning holes right through him. Seth sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his jeans the rest of the way off. He met her fiery gaze as he rose to his feet. Her suggestive words rocked his insides.

“I can’t wait for you to fuck me,” she whispered.

“Have I unleashed a lioness?” Seth asked. His lips curved into a lazy grin. “If so…then please, allow me.”

* * * *

He’d turned her into a madwoman. It’d been so long, too long since she’d felt a guy inside her, thrusting, pushing, his mouth licking and kissing. Seth had her strung out.

“Should I set the pace?” Seth stalked her like a panther, circling around her. His nakedness was magnificent. He was tall, lean. His tawny flesh stretched over his limbs with a trace of pleasing muscle looking as smooth as paper. His cock was as trim as he was, sprouting from a small patch of black hair. It bobbed in his palm as he stroked himself. Mattie’s mouth dried, her heart racing at the display.

“Make your presence known.” Her tone hardened with impatience. Seth grabbed her upper arm. Mattie thrived on the thrill, the excitement of having him building. He pressed her up against the wall. His long fingers gripped her chin as his mouth took hers. Their teeth hit. He bit her lip. She shuddered at his desperate need. Both his hands slid under her ass, lifting her off her feet, his movements rushed. Her instincts kicked in. Her legs wrapped around him, latching on for the ride. Seth’s cock pushed inside her. His body rammed into hers, knocking them both into the wall. Her body opened, accommodating him. His hair grazed her face. Mattie bit the strands, sucking on them. His gravelly voice bellowed in her ear.

“I’m fucking smitten already.”

His pleasure broke through her like water flooding into a dry tributary. She absorbed him, her parched bones consuming him. Seth pressed into her deeply, his hands gripping her ass. His body stilled. Tendons twitched under her hands as his body worked to pleasure hers.

“How I’ve waited for this.” His brow creased in concentration. “Fuck, it’s so good.” He pulled out slowly, then thrust back into her, the force of their pent-up passions taking them away to parts unknown. Mattie gripped his shoulders, raking her hands down the smooth panes of his back, scratching, digging, wanting to keep whatever she found. Seth’s harsh whisper tunneled into her ear.

“I’m gonna come. You’ve got me so hot,” he said, his breath heaving. His forbidden scent rose between them. Mattie pulled in a rush of air. She could feel his body. His dick flexed inside her, pulsating, raining on her insides with his release. Her clit slid against the slick dampness of his cock. She was almost there, her orgasm hovering. She reached between them, not wanting to miss this ride with him.

“Yeah, baby, touch it, make it fire.”