"That went really well," Sky remarked once we were back at his apartment.
"Really?" I asked, walking toward the bedroom. "You think that went well?"
"I don't think. I know," he said. "My father isn't exactly the warm and friendly type, Raven. It's honestly hard to tell if he likes someone or hates someone, at least when he first meets them."
"Oh. It wasn't hard for me to figure that part out," I continued. "Your dad hates me, and he also thinks that I'm a gold digger who's hellbent on stealing every last penny from your family's fortune."
"He doesn't think that."
"He pretty much said that, word for word." I frowned. "But that's okay. You don't work for your dad, anyway, so it's not like he can fire you or something--"
Sky turned me around by my waist, cutting me off with a soft kiss. "Just... give him a chance, okay? I really think he'll come around."
"And what if he doesn't?" I pressed. "What if your father hates me forever and spends the rest of his life trying to break us up?"
"He won't."
"Okay, but what if he does? What happens when he pops back up in your life -- in our life -- dangling that sweet inheritance over your head?"
"God, you made that sound so gross." He grinned.
"You know what I meant." I rolled my eyes, not in the mood for jokes.
"Raven, listen to me," he went on. "My dad doesn't get to pick who I'm dating, or god forbid, who I'm marrying. He doesn't get to control my life, at all. And as long as you want to be in my life, that's how long you'll be in my life. Okay?"
"Okay," I said, even as doubt after doubt piled up in my mind.
I just didn't know if Sky would really be able to say no to his dad, not when it came to something like that. What was he going to do if he ever needed money for something big, like an unexpected emergency or if he ever wanted to start his own business?
Was he really going to ignore the fact that he was guaranteed millions of dollars, and all he had to do was marry the woman his dad picked out for him?
It felt impossible to believe.
"Stop," Sky commanded.
"Stop what?"
"Stop overthinking." He smiled. "I can see it on your face, Raven."
"Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize," he continued. "You just have to stop." He took a step closer to me as he stared down into my eyes. "Do you think there's anything I can do to help you with that?"
I innocently hummed, pretending like I didn't know exactly what he was getting at. "I don't know. Maybe one of those big puzzles? The ones that have like, three hundred pieces? Those usually help when I'm stressing out about something."
"Sorry. All out of puzzles."
"Okay. How about a really big cup of green tea?"
"Possibly. Somewhere in the kitchen cabinet, maybe?" he answered. "But I don't know. I think I put it on that super high shelf, the one that's hard to reach without a stepstool."
He then leaned against me, pressing his forehead close to mine. "Can't you think of anything that might be a little more... accessible?"
"No," I lied.
"Ha." He grinned again. "And you call me a tease."
I beamed up at him before planting a kiss on his lips, letting my hands rest on his shoulders as I did. And as a minute or so passed, I didn't let up, not moving my mouth away from his even an inch. As the kiss continued, Sky's breathing changed from something slow and shallow to deeper, ragged breaths.
Suddenly, he was pulling me off the ground as he unceremoniously slung me over his shoulder. I yelled in surprise, my screams turning into laughs, utterly amused by the strangeness of the situation.
"Am I supposed to pretend that you're a caveman or something?" I joked.
"With the kind of thoughts that I'm having right now, baby, there's no need to pretend," he replied, his footsteps carrying me closer to the bed. He then slipped me away from his shoulder, and within seconds, my back landed against the soft mattress below.
I didn't have time to collect myself as Sky was soon on top of me. His mouth was on mine again, his tongue exploring my own. The combination of landing on the bed and being kissed so intensely left me breathless, my body taking every opportunity it could to come up for air.
Just then, his fingers traveled down my sides until they were cradling the crotch of my jeans. I moaned as he rubbed against the fabric, and I was growing harder in response. And as his palm steadily moved against me, I started to get an idea.
"Wait..." I whispered, my words coming out in a pant.
His hand stopped moving as a look of concern came over his face. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just want to try something," I replied, rolling away from Sky's frame. And as I got on my knees, quickly pulling down my jeans and boxers, I felt him watching my every move.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"It won't work if you don't do it, too," I said, making my way up to the headboard. I then leaned my back against it and motioned for him to come sit beside me.
He grinned and quickly pulled down his pants and boxers. He joined me at the headboard, his eyes wild with excitement. "Okay. What's next -- fuck!"
I didn't let him finish his question before I wrapped my fist around him. I was pumping his shaft, careful not to go too fast sans lube, but fast enough that I was hopefully going to cause a visible reaction.
I smiled to myself as he threw his head back, obviously enjoying himself. "Shit. Raven. Fuck!"
"You can do the same thing to me, too, if you want," I murmured, my focus remaining on his shaft.
He took me up on my offer, reaching his hand over toward me. I moaned at the contact and moved my hand away from him, bringing it up toward my mouth and licking a long stripe of wetness from my wrist to my fingertips. I put my hand back on him, and he let out a groan that sounded more like a growl.
"Raven... you need to stop... if you want me inside of you..."
"I want to watch you come. That's what I want," I whispered, my hand still moving against him.
"I want to watch you come, too," he groaned again, his fist still stroking my cock as he spoke. "Raven, I really want you to come for me. Are you going to come for me?"
"That's not fair..." I whimpered. "You know what happens to me when you talk to me like that..."
"I know." His reply came out with a rasp. "Fuck. You look so fucking beautiful right now." He paused, his mouth hanging open as if he was going to say something else. "Raven... I..."
"Are you coming?" My question was half curious and half hopeful, as I felt myself getting closer and closer to the edge.
"I just..." he started again. "You... I wanted to tell you something..."
"What is it?"
"It's bad timing." He shook his head. "Never mind."
I was deflated by that, even though I had no idea what he was going to say to me. Of course, I knew what I wanted him to say, but since he'd just recanted on saying anything at all, I couldn't just ask him to say it.
Besides, if he had been about to tell me that he loved me, I wanted the phrase to come naturally to him, not wrested out of him in the middle of a handjob.
After a few more strokes from my hand, Sky's eyes closed, and I knew that he was done for. His torso trembled against me, as he let out a final, satisfied groan.
And I came, too, unable to hold myself back any longer.
There was a moment, right after we both finished, our eyes focused on each other, our palms still resting in each other's most intimate places, when I knew that we were supposed to say that we loved one another. It seemed as natural as a heartbeat, that moment, the connection that remains in the air after two people who fit so well just finished making love.
But neither one of us said it.
And as Sky and I shifted away from the headboard, making our way back toward the other end of the bed, I'd never felt so far away from him.