#taramiah

[hauntedbysmut]

Where Love Blooms

In the background of Caleb and MC's fake dating whirlwind, Tara and Jeremiah find each other and embark on their own beautiful love story.

Tags: fluff and smut, romantic fluff, falling in love, making out, grinding, blow jobs, cunnilingus, smut, clothed sex, vaginal sex, switch! Tara, switch! Jeremiah, love confessions, aphrodisiacs, mutual masturbation, premature ejaculation, HEA

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Read below the cut or follow the link to AO3.

This fic is a spin-off oneshot from the Caleb x MC/reader longfic I wrote, Immutable Gravity. This oneshot follows the events in Immutable Gravity, but you don't need to read it to understand what is happening in this story.

The party was just as loud as I remembered them being. With a swipe over my eyes and down my face, I rose slowly from my bed and locked the bedroom door. It was already almost midnight so the party was in full swing. 

I picked up my phone from the side table and opened it up. The group chat with my fraternity brothers had over 30 new messages and I sat on the edge of my bed and scrolled briefly through them. 

From “can’t wait to see this year’s crop of new frosh chicks” to “can y’all at least clean up after the parties this year?” my housemates ranged in their level of enthusiasm. My best friend hadn’t responded, so I pulled up our texts to shoot one off to him. 

Me: you participating in this?

He responded almost immediately. 

Xavier: fuck yeah man. R U?

Me: I’m just not feelin’ it this year. 

Xavier: who cares? there R a ton of new girls down here ready to break UR heart. 

Xavier: one drink

Xavier: I’ll meet U in the kitchen in 10

I sighed and flopped back on my bed and ran my hands through my disheveled hair before getting up and walking over to the full-length mirror along the wall by my door. The vibration from the music downstairs was enough to tickle my feet slightly, and I slid on a pair of shoes to mitigate the weird feeling.

I ran my hands through my hair, rumpling it until it laid a little more flat and didn’t look like I had just rolled out of bed, despite the fact that I had. I swapped shirts into one of my favorite band tees and scrubbed the sleep out of my eyes. 

I had quickly learned how to sleep with noise my freshman year living in the house. Being a sophomore now came with the additional perk of not having to share a room with anyone anymore. It was something that was typically saved for seniors, but after Xavier and I had shared a room as freshmen, we made friends with the exiting seniors and managed to convince some of the other upperclassmen brothers that we were contributing more than any other freshmen were. As a “thank you” for kissing their asses, Xav and I got our own rooms. The only two underclassmen to manage it. 

Thankfully, there were no hard feelings among the other junior upperclassmen. Many of them had been bunking together for years and looked forward to the camaraderie and shared space with someone they considered their best friend. While Xav and I had managed to become unlikely friends through our shared room arrangement, it was clear he was more of a “lone wolf” type, and enjoyed his own space. He was the one who had come up with the idea of befriending seniors to get our own rooms, and honestly, I loved coming to the house and having a space to unwind and fuck around on the computer and grow my plants without the restriction of a roommate. 

I took one last look at myself in the mirror before letting out a long sigh and telling myself out loud, “Just be yourself. Don’t try too hard.” 

I unlocked and opened the door of my bedroom, grabbing my library card and putting it in my pocket before locking the door again and shutting it behind me. Don’t want any sex crazed psychos fucking on my bed… Another benefit of living in a frat house: shared learning experiences. One of the upperclassmen hadn’t locked his door the first party of the year and came back to find not one but three different couples fucking on his bed. He had invested in a lock and changed the doorknob within 24 hours afterward. Now all of the single “dorm” doors had locks, though they were of varying utility. Take mine for example. I could lock it from the inside, but it didn’t have a keyhole, so I had to use an old library card to get back inside when I locked it. 

I scanned the loft area as I exited my room, noting how full it was before pushing through the throngs to get to the stairs. I spotted Xavier’s hair in the doorway to the kitchen as I moved through the packed living room and raised a hand. He nodded to show he had seen me and moved farther into the room. As I crossed the threshold, he grabbed a can of beer out of the cooler by the central island and pulled the pop tab, the sound lost in the thumping of the music behind me. 

He took a long pull and his eyes moved over the crowd slowly. He’s still waiting for her to show up. I smacked my hand on his arm as I sidled up next to him and he looked over at me with a blank stare. Neither of us said anything. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned my gaze to the room at large. 

“Insane turn out for the first one of the year,” I said. “Or maybe I just think so because I’m seeing it with different eyes this year.” 

Xavier nodded and took another drink. He tilted his head slightly to the side before turning back to me. “Grab a drink. Take a breather. Get out of that big head of yours.” 

“Speak for yourself,” I said, but he was already moving out of the kitchen and into the hallway. 

I moved toward the table with all of the mixers, shoes sticking slightly to the floor around the table where soda and alcohol had spilled. This will be fun to clean up later, I thought derisively. 

Singing that I thought was coming from the living room was getting louder and coming my way. I looked up as I finished pouring root beer into a plastic cup and my heart stuttered for a second. A girl with short brown hair, the sides pulled up into two buns on top of her head as the rest brushed her shoulders, was dancing her way toward the table, hands in the air and hips shifting even as she moved. Her eyes opened and she gave me a big smile as she scooted up next to me. 

“Hi!” Her voice was loud and her breath smelled like alcohol, but I couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of me at her confidence. 

“Hey!” 

“Whatcha makin’?” She leaned over and peered into the cup in front of me. I held the root beer in stunned silence. Her hip bumped against mine. 

“It’s uh, it’s a tootsie roll.” 

Her brows raised and she looked me up and down. “Shouldn’t you be dressed as a slutty pumpkin?” 

My eyebrows jumped into my hairline and I scoffed. “Shouldn’t you be wearing a hanging chad?” 

Her eyes filled with mirth. “Touche!” She leaned in and turned her face up to mine. “You’re kind of tall.” Her body pressed into me and my cock jumped with interest. Shit. 

I took a gentle step backward so as to not throw her off balance, and she dropped her lower lip into a semi-pout. “I’m the proper height for my genetics,” I retorted. 

She smiled at me again and I let my eyes wander down her body briefly. She had on a tight tank top, a little gold armband around the bicep of her left arm. The tank had been cut slightly in the middle, and I could see the tops of her breasts through the v. 

“I’m Tara!” She held out her hand and I switched the root beer to my opposite hand to take hers. 

“Jeremiah.” 

“That’s such a cute name!” She squealed. The song changed and she seemed to forget where she was for a second. Her hips moved before the rest of her did, and she put her hands back up in the air and shifted her hips in a circle as she sung the words to the song. 

I was mesmerized. 

“Hey! Jeremiah!” I nodded as she peeked at me over her shoulder and shook her ass slightly, drawing my eyes downward. I ached to adjust my cock in my jeans, but didn’t dare pull her attention to that part of me out of fear of her thinking me a creep. “Can you make two of those drinks?” 

A flush rose on my cheeks as she winked at me when I finally dragged my eyes back up her body to her face. I nodded, not trusting whatever might come out of my mouth and potentially scare this fascinating creature away from me. 

She continued to dance near me while I made the two drinks, her ass rubbing on my hip and my hands shaking as I tried to focus on the drink proportions. When I finished them, she turned, squealed, kissed my cheek, and grabbed my arm to pull me along behind her. 

She stopped in the living room, finding a pocket of space, and took one of the cups from my hands, tapping it gently against mine before she took a long swig. She made a face and handed the cup back to me before leaning in again. I found myself bending to meet her, eager to hear anything she had to say. “That’s disgusting!” She giggled and the puffs of breath against my ear sent goosebumps down my spine. 

“I have to find my friends really quick. Don’t move, ‘kay?” Before I could agree or disagree, she had disappeared into the crowd. I stood, aroused, confused, and more than a little intrigued as I waited for her to return. She burst back into the room with a girl trailing behind her, and an even bigger man following behind her friend. My eyes widened slightly as I took in his scowl and narrowed eyes. 

Tara took the half-drunk cup from my hand and handed the full one I had made to her friend. Her friend’s boyfriend immediately took the cups from her and Tara’s hands. Tara let out an indignant sound, that pout reappearing on her mouth. “He’s cool! He wouldn’t spike them!” She yelled above the music.

“I don’t take chances with guys I don’t know,” he replied, putting the drinks down on a table nearby. 

“His name is Jeremiah!” Tara called. “There! Now you know him.” 

I watched as the man shook his head and bent to check on his girlfriend. While he was distracted, Tara grabbed the drinks from the table and handed the full one back to me. She gave me a wink before she downed the entire thing in one long set of swallows. I sipped my own and grimaced. Fuck, that is nasty. I took her empty cup and slid mine into hers, putting them back on the table. 

Her friends were dancing and as soon as Tara’s hands were freed, she slid them over my shoulders. She leaned in and her lips brushed my earlobe as she spoke. “The girl is my roommate and best friend, and the guy is her boyfriend, Caleb. He’s a bit territorial and protective.” My hands fell to her hips and I leaned my head briefly into hers, her hair tickling my cheek. 

She giggled again and her teeth scraped my earlobe. I felt the blush rising on my neck and up to my ears, feeling incredibly grateful for the dimmed lighting in the living room. Her body moved against mine and for the first time in a long time, I let myself just enjoy the moment. Maybe I would never see her again after tonight, but maybe, hopefully, I would. 

The music changed, a slower sultry beat replacing the upbeat one. All around us, people paired off, some moving from the room to refill drinks. But not Tara. Tara shifted her body so that her legs were on either side of one of mine, her hips rocking into my thigh. My hands tightened on her waist and one of her hands tangled in the hair on my nape, pulling my head down to her shoulder. 

My lips skimmed the bare skin around her tank top straps, one of my hands inching up her back to rest between her shoulder blades. The other moved farther onto her back, pressing into her lower back, just above her tailbone. Her breaths were harsh in my ear, my lips growing bolder and wandering to her neck. 

Her little mewl almost made me moan out loud, and I bit her neck lightly instead of letting it out. Her mouth started moving before I realized it, her face turning toward mine and lips skimming my jaw. I turned my face toward hers in response and tilted my head slightly so my lips wouldn’t meet hers when we locked eyes. Our foreheads touched and I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of her body pressed to mine. 

A little hint of panic clawed at my throat. This felt too easy, too good, too right. I barely knew her. I knew her name and that she had a friend with an overprotective boyfriend. I opened my eyes and looked down into hers. They were dark and reflecting the string lights along the ceiling. Her lips tilted up in a soft smile and I felt myself falling into their depths. Fuck it. If I was going to be alone for the rest of my life, at least I could enjoy this moment of connection. 

She seemed to understand my inner turmoil. Her nose nudged against mine lightly and I leaned in. The instant our lips touched, she sighed into me. The hand I had between her shoulders moved up to cup the back of her head as we slotted our mouths together. Mouths opened, tongues tangled, and I held her to me through it all, each subsequent press of our bodies driving me crazy in the best way. 

We kissed for long minutes, forgetting the music and the crowded room around us. Her hands were gentle as they carded through my hair, and I let mine wander over her back and waist, letting her set the pace and show me what she wanted. 

When we eventually parted again, I pressed my forehead against hers. She gave me another quick peck and pulled back, sliding her hands down my arms until she took both of my hands in hers. She led me to the kitchen and made us two drinks of her own, handing me the cup. I took a long swig and my eyebrows raised at how mellow and fruity it was. 

“Way better than yours,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at me. 

Without thinking about it too much, I grabbed her waist and pulled her back into me, nipping her lower lip in a light reprimand before pressing my lips to her ear. “Guess you’ll have to make the drinks from now on.” Her body shook with laughter and I pulled back with a big grin on my face. 

Taking a brief look at the clock on the oven, I realized it was only 1:30 a.m. I took Tara’s hand and tossed my head toward the stairs. “Trust me?” 

She nodded with a little wink, calling over the music as she followed me. “I do! After all, what are the odds we’re both serial killers?” 

I guffawed, running into someone’s back as I looked back at her. I quickly redirected my gaze forward, yelling a quick apology before I started fighting my way upstairs into the loft. 

Stopping outside of my bedroom door, I let go of her hand and fished in my pocket for the library card. I slid it into the doorjamb and her eyebrows lifted in surprise. She leaned into my back and giggled. “Are we breaking into someone’s bedroom, Jer?” 

As the door popped open, I looked at the room behind us, pulling her inside the bedroom with a quick, “Yeah, mine,” before closing and locking the door again, dropping the card on my desk nearby. 

She laughed and took another sip of her drink as she wandered into my space. 

For all of my bravado, I was still largely sober and having a woman in my room wasn’t something I had done since I was in high school. I waited awkwardly for her judgments to come pouring out, but she was quiet, pensive. She spent a long time looking at my bookshelf, pulling books off and making little sounds of interest as she read covers and replaced them. 

She dragged her hand along blankets and fluffed my pillow before kicking off her shoes and placing her drink on my bedside table. She leaned back against the pillows and headboard, giving me a big smile from her seat. 

I stared, not knowing what to do or say. She had made herself so at home so quickly, and the fact that she hadn’t said anything about any of my stuff had me weirdly on edge. 

“Why do you look so stricken?” She looked around my room again before snapping her gaze back to mine. “Shit, did I touch something special?” She looked over the edge of the bed, giggling to herself. “Did I step on your ‘special’ sock or something?” 

Her joking snapped me out of the limbo I stood in and I used my toes to push the shoes off of my feet before crawling up the bed toward her, sitting in front of her and crossing my legs to mirror hers. “I don’t have a special sock you pervert,” I laughed. 

She gave me an exaggerated wink. “Sure. You just have a lot of women over then, huh?” She eyed my side table. “I don’t see any lotion or tissues here, though maybe…” she leaned over and started opening my side table drawers. “Hmm… no condoms either.” 

I mentally smacked myself. Who doesn’t have condoms just in case? 

“Soooo… you’re either involuntarily celibate, raw dogging every girl you bring home, or expecting your ladies to provide protection.” 

“None of the above,” I said quickly. 

She sat back up and leaned forward. “I’m sensing a tragic backstory somewhere here. Do tell.” 

My face heated and I leaned toward her, booping her nose. Her brows scrunched and she grabbed my shoulders, pulling me forward until I fell into her. 

Her chest caught my face and I untangled my legs from the sheets as I pushed myself up again. She looked down at me amusedly. “If you wanted to motorboat me, all you had to do was ask.” The teasing tone was back in her voice and I heated further. 

“Dammit woman…” 

She let out an amused laugh. “Here, you can lay in my lap, since I’ve thrown you all off kilter now.” Her voice had softened, and her hands coaxed me into laying my head against her pelvis. I shifted onto my back and looked up at her from the cradle of her thighs. “Isn’t that better?” Her hand skimmed along my cheek and my heart fluttered. This blush is about to become a permanent fixture. Her hands sifted through my hair, her eyes somewhat unfocused. 

I stilled. She was somewhere else. I could see it in her eyes. Wherever it was she had gone, when she came back, her eyes were sad. It seemed like a bad time to say anything, so I reached up and cupped her cheek with my hand. Her eyes closed and she leaned into the touch. My heart ached. The sorrow I saw in her eyes matched a similar hole in my own subconscious. 

“It’s been a while since I’ve let anyone touch me like this, or even since I’ve been close to someone other than my best friend physically.” Her voice was a velvet murmur in the dim light of my room. 

Her hand covered mine on her cheek and she pressed a kiss to my palm. I hinged my arm up so that I could wrap it behind her back, holding her even as she held me. 

She leaned down over me and gave me a little peck on the lips. 

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what happened?” My voice matched hers, quiet, even while the continued noise of the party just outside my door filtered into the space. 

We spent the next several hours talking. She shared the story of her ex, and I shared mine. I was relieved to know she hadn’t been with anyone for almost a year, and she wiped away the tear that escaped when I shared my fear of being alone forever after what had happened with mine. We switched positions at various points of the night, her in my lap, laying on our sides and facing each other, hands tangled together between us, spooning with my head resting in the crook of her neck, her laying across my chest while I ran my hand up and down her back. 

The night was insane. Incredible. Like nothing I had ever experienced before. As the sun started to peek over the horizon, I held her and we kissed. Her eyes were drooping with exhaustion, and my own were barely open. With the last of my consciousness, I pulled the blankets over us and wrapped her closer in my arms. 

A few hours later, I felt her pull away and heard her put on her shoes. I waited for the sound of my door opening and closing, willing my heart not to break after only one night with her. 

When I felt her hand against my cheek, I could hardly believe it. “Hey handsome,” she murmured. I nuzzled into her hand and reached for her, my eyes cracking open to see that she was squatted next to me on the floor. Her hand stroked my face and I hummed in happiness. She chuckled softly. “Can you tell me your phone number?” 

I rattled off the numbers and waited as she read them back to me, nodding as she repeated them correctly. My phone buzzed on the nightstand and she looked over at it. “Now you have mine too, so you’d better text me, or I’ll hunt you down.” 

I chuckled and my voice came out rough and sleepy as I asked, “Do you have to go?” 

She made a sad little sound. “I need to make sure my roommate knows I’m alive, and my phone is almost dead, so I need to charge it.” She kissed my cheek. “Text me later though, yeah? We can meet up and grab dinner or hang out again.” I pulled her in, pressing my lips to hers. 

When we broke apart again, I let out a sad sigh. “Okay. I guess that works.” 

She pushed back onto her heels and stood up, dragging her hand along my face and down my body as she walked to the end of the bed. “Get some more sleep, sweetheart. I’ll definitely see you later.” 

As the snick of my door closing reached my ears, I flipped to my back and let my arm rest against my forehead, a smile stretching my lips as I thought about the night we shared. I let out a long groan as I realized how gone I already felt for his woman. I am so fucked. 

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Tara-bear: What’s up sexy? Doin’ anything later? 😉

Me: studying for my first test of the semester. 

Me: when did you change your name in my phone? 

Tara-bear: Lame! I could help you study. 

Me: I have a sneaking suspicion that your version of helping would be far more distracting than helpful. 

Tara-bear: Only if you want it to be, baby. 😈

Tara ground down on my lap as my desk chair creaked and I let out a moan. 

“You said you were going to help me study,” I groaned as her lips latched onto my neck and sucked. 

“Mmm, I am helping. I’m getting your blood flowing.” She pulled back and looked at the hickey she’d left behind, smirking. Her eyes flicked back to mine. “Increased blood flow helps with brain function.” 

She pressed her hips down against me again. “Not if the blood is flowing in the wrong direction,” I grit out. 

She laughed and flipped her hair out of her face before leaning in and kissing me with her eyes still locked on mine. “Then tell me to stop.” 

I closed my eyes and let my head fall back against the chair. 

She gave a triumphant little wiggle against me. “That’s what I thought.” Her hands skimmed over my chest, pulling my shirt off and dragging her blunted nails down my chest. My hands gripped her hips and helped her move against me, my cock straining to be closer through the sweatpants I’d put on earlier. 

“Tara…” My voice was a whispered prayer. I couldn’t decide if I wanted her to keep going or to stop. My head was a mess of fevered thoughts, almost all of them pointing toward me hoping she would keep going. 

She hummed happily against my throat, sucking another hickey into my skin. Pulling back, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and smirked down at me. She pushed up fully onto her knees, pressing her breasts against my face. My hands tightened on her, holding her far tighter than I should, but she just moaned. “What’s the matter, baby? You seem distracted.” 

I tilted my head forward and pressed my forehead to her sternum, my cheeks touching her breasts on each side, before slightly shifting my head back and forth. “I am,” I mumbled, my voice muffled by her shirt and my movements. 

Cold air rushed between us as she suddenly pushed back off of my lap. She stood in front of me and reached out to stroke my cheek. My hands reached for her, and she stepped back farther, that same hand raising a single finger and swiping back and forth as she said, “No, no, no. Now what kind of study buddy would I be if I didn’t make sure you were properly motivated to finish?” 

A little growl of frustration built in my throat. 

She giggled and walked backwards until she sat down on my bed. Her bag was only a foot away, and she pulled a book out of it. “You can’t be serious,” I ground out. 

“As the grave.” She placed a hand over her heart. “When you finish studying for your test, I’ll be right here, ready to give you your reward.” 

I couldn’t help the kick my cock gave at the hint of more, her voice teasing but sultry. She gave a pointed look at my crotch before bestowing a wink and a kiss in my direction. 

“Focus up, ‘Miah. I’d hate for you to miss out.” 

I spun my chair around to face the desk again, forcing my eyes to look at the study guide on my screen. My hands pushed into my hair and my elbows hit the desk. I groaned. Tara’s tinkling laugh answered. 

For the next hour, I pushed myself to finish. Every rustle from behind me made me want to turn my head and see what Tara was doing. She was letting out little gasps and laughs at whatever she was reading, and her continued movements drew my attention back to her over and over again. I was still hard. Throbbing at every reminder of her. 

When I finished the last question, I slammed my laptop shut triumphantly, spinning in my chair to fill my eyes with her again. 

I wasn’t expecting to find her half-naked and laid out like a vixen across my sheets. Her book was on my nightstand, her chest fully on display in a lacy pink bra that made her skin look even more flushed. She was wearing matching panties. 

“Oh fuck,” I whispered, frozen in place. 

She bit her lip. “All done?” 

I shook my head before quickly switching to a nod. “All done with studying, yes.” My eyes trailed slowly along her body. “All done with you? Not even a little bit.” 

The smile she gave me was beatific. 

I stood from the chair, still shirtless and hard, and her eyes tracked over me just as hungrily as I had looked at her. I took the few steps to the bed before climbing on and over to her. She laid back and arched her chest up to me. 

“Ready for your reward?” 

Our eyes met, and without thinking, I said, “Just being near you is a reward, Tara.” It was probably far too early to say such things, but I was addicted to her. Every lunch we spent together, every evening curled up next to each other watching some true crime show, and every text message she sent me… I wanted more of all of it. More of her. 

She blushed. In my limited experience, very few things could make my girl bashful, and a swell of pride that I could get her to react in such a way rose in me. 

I leaned down and kissed her. It was slow and deep and made goosebumps pop up on my arms and chest. Her hands were soft against my skin, sliding against my back and shoulders as we explored each other. 

For as much of a rush as I had been in to finish studying, I wanted to take my time with her. 

Pliant and responsive beneath me, she shifted into me, pushing me onto my back as we amped up the pace of our kisses. Her lips pulled away from mine to plant kisses from my jaw to my ear before she whispered, “You were such a good boy.” She nipped my earlobe. “Let me help you with this.” Her hand skimmed over my erection through my sweats and my hips bucked, a hiss exiting my teeth. 

My brain wasn’t responding. Blood was pounding in my ears as she moved down my chest, kissing and licking her way to the trail of hair that disappeared into my sweats. She looked up at me as she hooked her fingers into the elastic waist and started to pull them down. My breaths were coming hard and fast. My hands twitched against the sheets, scared to touch her and make her stop. Even still, I managed to groan out, “You don’t have to, baby.” 

She looked up at me with something akin to adoration in her eyes. “That’s exactly why I want to.” 

I clamped my teeth down on my lower lip as her lips dragged along my pelvis, my dick straining toward my belly and skin twitching the closer she got to it. 

Her nose brushed the fevered length of me and I tried not to buck into her. She felt my legs flex and smiled up at me. “So needy, huh?” 

I nodded, my lip still trapped between my teeth, my neck straining to watch everything she was doing. 

When her tongue finally reached out and swiped against me, my head kicked back and smacked into the mattress. Immediately, I pulled it back up and watched as she licked up to the tip and kissed the slit. Her lips came away shiny with my precum and for a brief, panicky moment, I feared I would come immediately. 

She watched me closely, touching me experimentally to see what different things did to me. Her hand worked my shaft as her lips and tongue pressed against my balls and sucked them into her mouth. Without much effort on her part at all, I came. Her mouth and hand were a lethal combination. 

Cum sprayed all over my chest and pooled in my belly button, but my little vixen wasn’t done with me yet. She let out a sad mewl before giving me a slow smile and licking me clean, letting out little hums of pleasure the entire time. By the time she reached my lips, I was half hard again. Kissing her when she tasted like me gave me a deep sense of satisfaction, and the caveman side of my brain screamed, Mine, mine, mine! 

Wanting to make her feel good too, I reached for her and pulled her in, my hand sliding down her side and into the edge of her panties. 

She pulled back and grabbed my hand before it could slide around to her front. “No, baby. This was just for you.” 

Looking into her eyes, I felt like pleading. I wanted nothing more than to return the favor and have her taste on my tongue while she writhed against my face. She shook her head again and turned so that I was spooning against her back. As a consolation, she pulled my hand up to cup her breast through her bra. My arms pulled her in as closely as I could so that we were melded together. The feeling of her skin against mine was one of the best feelings I’d ever had. My lips pressed into her neck again and again as we laid there in comfortable silence. 

As much as I wanted to touch her, I understood the reason she had asked not to this time, and I knew that when she was ready, I would be more than willing. 

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Tara’s Sweet Ass: picture

Me: what the fuck? when did you change your name in my phone again? 

Me: hang on… is that…

Tara’s Sweet Ass: A tentacle dildo? You betcha baby! 

Me: why? 

Tara’s Sweet Ass: You’ve never watched tentai? 

Me: I don’t frequent animated porn… or porn at all for that matter.

Tara’s Sweet Ass: Mhmmm… sure you don’t.

Me: so, why am I getting a picture of this dildo? 

Tara’s Sweet Ass: Just thought you’d like to know what gets me off 😉

I knocked on Xavier’s door and he looked up from where he was laying on his bed. At the apparently obvious look on my face, he put his phone down and sat up. 

“Can I ask you a question?” I asked, leaning against the doorframe. 

He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, mirroring mine. 

“Are girls…” I paused and cleared my throat. “Do you have… what do you know about women?” 

Xavier’s brows furrowed slightly before his face relaxed and his lips quirked. “She’s got you fucked up, whoever she is.” 

I blew out a long breath. “You have no idea, man. She drives me crazy in the best way, but I don’t know how to predict what she’s going to do or say at any moment, and that terrifies me.” 

He chuckled and his arms loosened. “Welcome to the club. Talk to any other guy and you’re gonna get the same answer from ninety percent of us. Women are a mystery.” 

“What about the other ten percent?” 

“Liars who think they know what women want and like.” 

His phone buzzed and he grabbed it with a flash of movement. “Speaking of… did you see her again?” 

Xavier typed silently on his phone for several moments before he looked up at me again. “I did. I have no idea what she wants.” 

I nodded and watched as he reread whatever he was looking at. 

“Maybe one day I’ll figure it out, but apparently not today,” he mumbled to himself.

Sensing that it was best if I left him to his thoughts, I turned and walked away from his room, his frustrated groan following me down the hall. 

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Tara’s Sweet Ass: What time are you coming to get me tonight? 

Me: I’ll be outside of your dorm at 7. 

Tara’s Sweet Ass: Such a gentleman. I guess I’ll let you live another day. 

Me: … what?

Tara’s Sweet Ass: 💋

I stood just outside of Tara’s dorm, watching as her little location dot moved closer and closer before I put it back in my pocket. The doors opened and she sashayed toward me with exaggerated sways of her hips. Despite the sun being almost fully out of the sky, warmth filled me as I watched her come toward me. Her arms flung around my shoulders and she gave me a long, wet kiss. Both of us forgot all of her friends for a moment as we savored the feeling of our lips moving together until a sharp cough broke our focus. I looked over at Caleb’s stony expression and gave him an apologetic smile.

The walk back to the frat house was quick. Everyone had good energy tonight, and the earlier tension had melted away as soon as we were on the move. 

This particular group had never done game night together before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, though Tara had assured me that they would be a great group to play with. 

Mecha Racers was a favorite among my frat brothers, and as I explained the rules of how we were going to play with rounds of elimination, I could see that Tara was right. 

As the rounds started, Tara and I cuddled into each other. The further into the tournament we got, the more people were eliminated, until just Simone and Caleb were left in our first finale race. Tara and Caleb’s girlfriend cheered for Simone and Gideon and I cheered for Caleb. Despite multiple losses, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the bubble of pleasure at hosting a successful game night expanded within me. 

Tara stuck close to me the entire time, her hand wandering along my leg and against my knee, gripping me occasionally when she was nervous about whatever someone was doing on the screen. It was adorable. 

Who knows how many hours and rounds of play later, Caleb finally managed to win against Simone, and everyone subconsciously agreed that was the end of the night. Gideon kissed Simone sympathetically, and Tara cuddled further into my side, our lips meeting a few times softly as she looked up at me with a tired smile. 

Caleb grabbed his girlfriend and carried her from the house, and Simone and Gideon followed them out a few minutes later after helping clean up the few wrappers and cans from the sodas we’d drank and candy we’d eaten. 

Coming back into the loft, I found Tara curled up in a ball against the warm spot I had vacated like a cat. Her eyes were closed, and the throw blanket she’d donned was wrapped around her tightly. 

I brushed some of her hair from her face before leaning down and giving her a peck on the cheek. Pushing my arms under her shoulders and legs, I squatted and lifted her from the couch. She made a small sound of annoyance, but nuzzled into my chest and settled as I carried her the few feet to my room. 

I pushed the door open with my foot and deposited her on my bed. She shivered as the cool sheets interrupted her warm burrito, pulling my arm to bring me down to her. I shifted my arms away, moving to close and lock my bedroom door before I slid in behind her and held her close.

She turned in my arms, eyes bleary and unfocused as she looked up at me. “You’re the best,” she mumbled. 

I kissed her forehead and tucked her head under my chin. I listened as her breaths evened out and light snores started before I whispered into her hair, “I think I love you.” Even knowing that she was asleep, my heart pounded as I said the words. Here’s hoping she doesn’t leave me when she realizes how little I can offer her. With a little shake of my head, I shoved the thought to the back of my mind and wrapped around her as much as I could, sleep taking me as I soaked in her heat like a plant in the sun. 

-------------------------------------

Peg Me Mommy: Let’s go on a proper date. 

Me: Tara… what is this new name? 

Peg Me Mommy: I don’t know what you’re talking about. What new name? 

Me: Peg Me Mommy? 

Peg Me Mommy: Well, if you insist, baby. I’ll bring my strap over. 😉

Me: fuck no. but yes to the date! I’ve been thinking about it and I already have a plan. 

Peg Me Mommy: I love a man with a plan. And we’ll revisit the pegging thing later. 

Me: no we won’t, but thanks for offering. 

Me: are you free tomorrow night? 

Peg Me Mommy: I can be. 

Me: be ready at 7:30. I’ll pick you up. 😘

Me: wear something warm, but nice. we won’t be walking much. 

Peg Me Mommy: I love that you knew I was going to ask what kind of shoes I’m allowed to wear. 

Staring at myself in the mirror, I ran my fingers through my hair one more time. No matter how I tousled it, there was a single hair that kept standing on end. With a frustrated groan, I gave up and pulled my jacket on over the pale blue striped button-up I had pulled from the back of my closet. The black turtle neck underneath it made my skin look even more pale than usual, and I swallowed heavily, wiping my hands against my khaki pants. I snapped one of the suspender straps against my chest and mentally gave myself a pep talk. 

She wouldn’t be going out with you if she didn’t like you. Just because you’ve seen each other naked before the official first date doesn’t mean anything. She doesn’t just like your body, she likes your mind. You are handsome and smart.

I pointed at myself in the mirror, adopting a hard stare. “Don’t fuck this up.” I nodded to myself before picking up my phone and checking the time. 7:15 p.m. 

Shoving my phone in my pocket, I opened my bedroom door and moved onto the landing. A couple of my frat brothers were hanging out in the loft and playing video games, and I gave them a little wave as I passed in front of them. 

“Have a good night, Grandpa!” One called. The others looked up, and suddenly, I had the attention of the entire loft. 

“Those suspenders are real cute.” 

“Which nursing home are you visiting tonight?” 

“Did you bring your denture cleaner in case you stay the night at her place?” 

Briefly pausing, I turned to them and extended my middle fingers with a smile. “At least I have a date, fuckers. Peace.” 

“Your ass looks good in those khakis, Jer!” 

Their heckling comments followed me until I got to the front door, slipping outside and shutting it behind me before taking a swift pace across campus to Tara’s dorm. 

I ordered the rideshare as I walked, my heart pounding. I stopped outside of the double doors of her dorm and started to text that I was outside when the doors opened. 

I froze. My heart and lungs stuttered in my chest. Tara tucked a strand of her short brown hair behind her ear and smiled at me. 

“Right on time, handsome.” 

I don’t know when my legs started moving, just that they did. My arms opened and pulled her into me, my hand sliding up the side of her face and cupping her jaw. 

“Gorgeous,” I murmured, kissing her softly. 

A blush rose to her cheeks and spread over her chest. I put a hand on her waist as we turned to walk toward the curb, the rideshare already waiting for us. My hand skimmed against the silky material of her black dress, and the sound of her heels clicking against the pavement matched the staccato beats of my heart. 

After opening the back door and helping her in, I climbed in on the opposite side and reached for her hand across the backseat. 

“Where are you taking me?” She asked, squeezing my hand. “A fast food place?” She winked. 

I squeezed her hand back and nodded solemnly. “Absolutely. You think my college student salary can afford to take you somewhere better than that?” 

She giggled. 

“It’s a surprise.” I lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. 

We spent the rest of the ride talking about our day. 

When the driver stopped outside of the high-end pasta restaurant I’d chosen, Tara let out a little gasp. 

“I’ve wanted to try this place!” I took her hand and helped her out of the car and we walked toward the door. The hostess took my name and led us to our table. 

Tara wiggled happily in her chair as soon as we were seated, beaming at me across the table as our waiter read the specials of the day. 

“Do we have a budget?” She asked once he left. 

“Whatever you want, sweetheart. No budget.” 

Together, we picked out an appetizer, our entrees, and a couple of “dirty” sodas to try. Each bite she took as our food came out filled me with an immense satisfaction. Providing something so small that gave her so much pleasure was like a shot of serotonin straight to the heart. 

As she licked chocolate from the fork she had been using to eat a decadent piece of chocolate cake, she smiled at me and dragged the utensil along her tongue. My eyes followed the motion. She giggled. 

“Still hungry?” Her voice was quiet, but the words reverberated through my skull nonetheless. 

Tracking the movements of her lips around the fork, I nodded. She set the fork down and reached over the table for my hand. She dipped one of my fingers in a smear of chocolate frosting on the plate in front of her and raised it to her lips. 

My breath caught. 

Her lips wrapped around my finger. She let out an ungodly moan as her tongue wrapped around it and sucked. My mouth dropped open and all sane thoughts fled. So hot… 

Pulling my finger out with a little pop, she flagged down our waiter and asked if he would bring us the check. 

“I think it’s about time we head home, don’t you think?” 

I managed to nod at her and she let my hand go. I paid as soon as the check hit the table, and then we were outside, waiting on the curb for the car. 

“You look so handsome tonight,” she murmured, her lips moving against my neck as we held each other. Her hands slid down my back and grabbed my ass, her nails digging in as she pulled it to bring us even closer. 

Words… say something back. She looks amazing, you loved going out like this, you’re happy to be here with her… ANYTHING! 

My mouth opened and closed uselessly. I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when the car pulled up and I had an excuse to get some distance. Being close to her always had a way of making me feel like I was slowly depriving my brain of oxygen, unable to focus on anything but the weight of her in my hands and the lewd things I wanted to get her home and do to her. 

As soon as I was in the car, she moved to the middle seat and her hand found my thigh. Staring straight through the windshield and talking to the driver, that hand moved up and down the inner crease of my pants, brushing against my balls and teasing my rapidly hardening cock. Radio static filled every sense except for the one laser focused on where that hand was going next. 

When she grabbed my dick through my pants and stroked me once, I let out a groan, immediately coughing to try to cover it up as the driver looked in the rearview mirror at me. I gave her a little smile and she looked back out at the road. 

Tara teased the fuck out of me the whole way back to campus. 

Out of the car and sucking down the cool fall air, she took my hand and led me toward the house. “We need a private room tonight, I think,” she said, walking backwards for a moment as she pulled me along. I nodded dumbly back at her and she smirked. 

She knew exactly what she was doing to me. Wily minx. 

Walking into the house, the sounds of my brothers yelling filled my ears, but my eyes were locked on the sway of her hips as she moved up the stairs ahead of me. To my surprise and relief, most of my brothers glanced over at us and smirked to themselves or nudged each other quietly as we passed. A couple of them reached out and smacked my legs or my ass when I got close enough to them. 

Tara didn’t glance at a single one of them. 

She pushed open my bedroom door and closed it immediately after I was inside. With the momentum of my forward movement, she spun me around and pushed me onto the bed. I landed heavily on my back and she was on me in seconds. 

My hands landed on her hips and the material of her dress bunched under my grip. Her lips parted over mine, her tongue spearing into my mouth as my brain tried to catch up. I wrapped my arms around her back and rolled us, my legs pinning her down with the fabric between her legs. She gasped and laughed against me before pulling back. 

“Someone is all worked up,” she said, her voice breathy with the kisses we’d shared. 

I let out a little growl and kissed her again, palming her breast and pinching against the hardened peak of her nipple poking through. She moaned and dug her hands into my hair, kissing me back frantically. 

“Take this damn dress off, Tara,” I whispered in her ear, nipping her neck. 

She smirked up at me and wiggled her trapped legs. “How?” 

With a grunt, I heaved myself backwards, releasing her, but instead of letting her sit up and pull it off, I shoved my hands up her thighs and moved the dress to her stomach on my own. A red g-string greeted my eyes and I immediately zoned in on the large wet spot across the front of them. 

I looked up at her and bit back a whine. “Let me touch you, Tara. Let me make you feel good, baby. Please.” 

With a soft smile, she nodded and spread her legs even more. I dove forward, kissing her with gusto, my fingers trailing toward her inner thighs. She was shaking beneath me. Mentally, I pushed myself to go slower, to draw the moment out, to make sure she was still okay as we took this step forward together. 

I kept my eyes on hers as my fingers brushed her panty-covered slit. Her eyelids fluttered and she nodded for me to keep going. I pressed against the length of her lips and groaned as the wet fabric of her panties dampened my hand. 

Sliding the pads of my fingers up and down, I pressed against her clit with my thumb, savoring the little sounds that leaked from her mouth. I listened intently to each motion, watching her facial expressions and noting twitches or winces that meant I was being too rough or too fast. 

With more patience than I had ever exerted, I waited, following her lead. When she pulled her panties to the side for me, I finally broke eye contact and looked down. She was swollen and pink and soaked. Scooping her hips into my arms, I pushed her back farther on my bed, settling onto my stomach between her legs and looking up at her with the first press of my tongue. 

Her head fell back and she reached out to run a hand down my face. “Fuck, Jeremiah…” 

Encouraged, I licked from the bottom of her pussy to her clit, the taste of her exploding across my tongue. The rational side of my brain slid back, and I dove in. My tongue licked and fucked her, one of my thumbs circling her clit. Her sounds were music. A divine symphony I had been waiting to hear my entire life. 

Her cunt clenched against my tongue and her whole body arched upward. Looking up at her, I was almost positive that she wasn’t breathing. When she dropped back down to the bed and her whole body shook, her gasp of air proved that she hadn’t. I gave her a few more licks before crawling up her body and kissing her gently. 

She hummed happily against my lips. I brushed some of her hair away from her eyes. 

“That was amazing,” she mumbled, kissing me again. 

“You’re amazing,” I whispered back. She hugged me close. 

“Help me get this dress off?” 

I nodded and sat back on my heels, helping push the dress up her torso until it was at her shoulders. We pulled it over her head and she extended a slender leg into the air, resting it against my chest. Looking at the heels still on her feet, I undid the straps and dropped them on the floor. 

“Now you.” She pointed her finger and moved it up and down, gesturing to my body. “Take your clothes off.” 

I slid the suspender straps off of my shoulders and unbuttoned my pants. Tara’s fingers worked on unbuttoning my shirt and within minutes, I was in nothing but my underwear too. 

Tara sat up and unhooked the clasps of her lacy bra, her breasts tightening in the cool air. Tossing it to the side, she pushed her fingers into her panties and moved them down her legs, pointing her toes so they could also drop onto the floor. 

I was hard as fuck. My fingers hooked into the waistband of my boxer briefs and I pushed them down my legs, my erection smacking my pelvis after it had been pulled downward with the cloth. 

She let out another contented hum. Her fingers skimmed across the head of my cock. I grabbed her wrist. “You don’t have to do anything for me, Tara. You’ve given me so much tonight already.” 

Her smile was soft. “You’ve given me more than you realize, Jeremiah. Tonight, and otherwise.” Her hand cupped my face and pulled me in for another kiss. Her other hand reached down and gripped me, swiping through the precum on my tip and rubbing it into my fevered skin. 

“Tara,” I groaned out, dropping my forehead to hers. 

Tugging me forward gently, she rubbed my cock through her pussy lips. I bit down on my lip, hard. 

My teeth were gritted as I ground out, “What are you doing?” 

She kissed my cheek, then my jaw, and finally, my earlobe. “Giving you a taste.” Her breath tickled my ear and I shivered in her hold. 

With firm strokes, she continued to slide the length of me through her soaked folds. My hips moved with her, thrusting lightly to press closer to her. It didn’t take much. A few minutes maybe. Then I was coming, my cum landing on her chest and stomach and pelvic bone and pooling along the divots of her body. 

Dazed, I watched as she dipped two fingers into one of the puddles and brought it to her mouth, licking them clean. Her eyes were locked on mine the entire time, and for an insane moment, I thought I might come again. 

Before I leaned in to kiss her in thanks, I reached up and grabbed the box of tissues from my bedside table, cleaning her off with long swipes. She watched me, amusement dancing in her eyes. 

Cleaned up, I gathered her in my arms and rolled onto my side. We faced each other, her arms tucked up under her face. 

“You’re mine, right?” The words were barely audible. I almost wanted to snatch them back as soon as they slipped out, but I needed to know. 

“Your what?” Tara whispered back. 

“Girlfriend?” 

She nuzzled her nose against mine and her face split open with a huge smile. “Definitely.” 

My whole body relaxed and I kissed her forehead. Tara giggled. 

“Awh, baby. Were you worried there might be someone else?” 

I didn’t say anything. Just looked into those sparkling purple eyes. I shook my head. 

She kissed my nose and bumped the side of my face with hers, pressing our cheeks together. “I’ve been yours since the first night we met.” 

Somehow, those words, no matter how quietly they were said, soaked into the very marrow of my bones, and filled me full of light. “Same here.”

-------------------------------------

Me: what are you up to tonight? 

Strap of Kings: I was just about to text you. 😘 

Strap of Kings: Coming to see you, I hope. 

Me: I feel like I don’t even need to comment on this new name you’ve somehow swapped (yet again. seriously, when the fuck do you do it????)

Me: I’m all yours tonight though, babe. 

Strap of Kings: Perfect. I’m going to have a little fashion show for you. 

Me: fashion show? 

Strap of Kings: You’ll see 😉

A nervous buzz of anticipation had settled under my skin the later in the evening it got. Tara hadn’t specified a time, so I didn’t know when to expect her. Her texts had left me curious and slightly horny. With a couple of months of dating under our belts, she still threw me curve balls, and I both loved and hated not knowing what was coming next. 

I checked the tracking app we had both added each other to, blinking in surprise when her dot updated and jumped on top of mine. 

I sat up on my bed and moved to my door. As I turned the knob, it moved beneath my hand and she and I opened it together. 

She looked up in surprise before her face split into a grin and she launched herself into my arms. I grabbed her with one hand, pulling her into the room and closing the door with my other hand before wrapping them both around her. 

I took a deep breath against her hair and sighed in contentment. She kissed my cheek before giving me a peck on the lips and separating from me. 

Her jacket was loose around her shoulders and I helped her remove it before she pushed me back onto the bed and draped it over my desk chair. She quickly followed me, straddling my legs and hugging me loosely. 

“Hi!” She chirped happily, tangling her fingers in the curls at the nape of my neck. 

“Hi,” I replied, my own smile blooming as I wrapped my arms around her waist. 

“How was your day?” 

I brushed a strand of hair out of her eye and tucked it behind her ear. “Boring. Got a lot of homework done though. How was yours?” 

“It was fun! We went to Paradise and got some new stuff.” 

My whole body took notice of the store’s name. Paradise was a store I had learned about from another of my fraternity brothers my freshman year. A local sex practitioner's “paradise.” They had everything from sex toys to sex furniture and everything in between, including lingerie and their own line of lubricants. Tara’s tentacle dildo had come from there, and without having gone myself, her “fashion show” suddenly had new implications. Stiff dick implications. 

“Your pupils just got really big,” she announced, poking me. 

I mentally shook myself and looked up at her. “What did you buy? More tentacle paraphernalia?” 

She wiggled her ass against my crotch. “Not quite.” She leaned in and pulled my head to the side, touching her lips to my earlobe. “Something a little more… sheer.” 

My cock, which had been holding at half mast as soon as my brain caught on, jerked sharply. My mouth popped open and I could hear my own ragged breath as I attempted to take in more air. 

“Sheer?” My voice squeaked. If I had any presence of mind left, I would have felt embarrassed for the vocal crack I was supposed to have kicked during puberty, but my head was blissfully empty of everything except the image of her in see-through lace. 

“You wanna see?” She took my earlobe between her teeth and dragged them down, making a shiver skitter down my spine. 

I nodded fervently, looking up at her with wide, glazed eyes. 

She giggled. “You look so eager.” 

I nodded again and she laughed. My hands fell away from her waist as she pushed back to stand up, grasping the hem of her shirt and pulling it off over her head. 

I devoured her with my eyes as she shimmied her pants down her legs. The body suit she wore was almost entirely sheer. Her torso was covered in a small mesh, showing the pale expanse of her skin beneath it. Thick black seams outlined the edges of the suit, four coiling, slithering snakes spreading up the torso in delicate embroidery. A thick band surrounded her throat, and her pussy was covered by a black triangle of fabric. Her pert little nipples pressed against the mesh section between the bodies of the snakes.

I swallowed heavily. It felt like my mouth was coated in dry soil. 

She turned and cocked her leg. The back was plain, but the mesh I was expecting to be covering her ass was not. The damn thing pulled between her cheeks into a thong, connecting with the mesh from her waist. 

Tara’s eyes tracked my reactions, her own hooded and sultry. By the time mine made their way back to hers, she gave me a saucy wink and turned forward toward me again. 

With the full weight of her attention on me, any words I was trying to say halted in my throat. My mouth flapped open and closed like a fish out of water. She let out a sexy little laugh. 

“Speechless already?” She reached out and trailed a single finger along my jaw. Her voice was low and smooth and felt like silk caressing my face as she breathed down onto me. “This is just the first piece, baby.” My head tilted backward and I closed my eyes, stretching my neck up for a kiss. Her lips grazed the corner of my mouth and I let out a little whimper. 

“But based on this reaction, maybe I should save the others for another time. I like getting you so worked up you can’t speak.” 

Opening my eyes, I tentatively reached out my hand to feel the material. She stepped closer and watched each movement closely. 

The dark black embroidery and edging was velvety, so smooth and supple that it almost tickled the pads of my fingers as I traced over them. The mesh was surprisingly soft too, and I let my fingers follow the pull of gravity downward until they ran over the triangle between her thighs that was hiding her from view. 

Her breath caught when I increased the pressure and dragged them over her center. 

Both of us were breathing heavily as my fingers traced the edge of the crotch up her hip and onto her back, skimming over the bare skin of her asscheek. I watched as goosebumps rose on her lateral hip and spread onto her thigh. 

Leaning in, I kissed the soft, inner crease of her thigh, the brief prickle of her short pubic hair poking the right side of my lips. I slid down off the mattress until I was kneeling in front of her. 

Looking up into her partially shadowed face, I felt like I was kneeling at the feet of a dark goddess, and all I wanted to do was worship her.

Her hands moved into the curls on top of my head, tugging lightly to bring my mouth back to her skin. Her chest rose and fell with each harsh breath she took. Her pupils were huge and dark and the little iris left around the edges looked almost midnight purple, as dark and fathomless as the night sky. 

“Use me,” I murmured, need unlike anything I had felt before surging through me. “Please…” 

The corner of Tara’s mouth quirked up slightly, her brows raising in an almost haughty expression. 

“Lick me.” Her demand went straight through me, my cock pressing insistently against the pajama pants I still wore. 

Eagerly, I leaned in and licked against the velvet material of her body suit, soaking it with my saliva and tasting her through the material. She stroked my face with one of her hands and whispered praises. “Mmm, such a good boy, aren’t you?” 

I nodded up at her, my tongue still pressing. 

“Move the fabric to the side.” 

She lifted one of her legs and rested it on my shoulder as I reached up to shift the material from her pussy, notching it in the crease of her thigh. 

As soon as my tongue touched her soaked slit, I moaned, pressing my tongue between her lips and gathering up the slick dripping from her in fevered licks. I placed a hand on her hip above her raised leg, digging my fingers into the supple skin, my other hand joining my tongue and pushing into her. 

She let out a keening mewl. My fingers thrust into her faster, my tongue circling her clit, driven on by the blissful noises she was making. Her pussy clenched around me. I looked up and made eye contact with her. Her face was slack with pleasure, her hands tight in my hair, almost painful as they gripped it. 

“You look so good on your knees like this for me, baby,” she praised. Deep pleasure signals fired all over in my brain at her words, and I redoubled my efforts, wanting her to come in my mouth, come all over me, her eyes locked on me as I raised her to new heights of ecstasy. Me. Nobody else. 

I could feel when she was getting closer. Her thighs contracted against my shoulder and hand, her walls squeezing my fingers, the muscles of her stomach rippling. Her voice got louder and her head dropped back, her throat straining with a heavy swallow. 

I held my pace, even as my tongue started to cramp and my fingers grew fatigued. My eyes were starting to water when I finally heard her cry out and felt the rhythmic pulse of her climax. She rode it out against my face and I shifted my tongue to gather each drop. 

Her face was slack with satisfaction when she looked down at me again. She dropped her leg from my shoulder and walked past me to my bed. Still on my knees, I turned and watched as she crawled onto it. She looked back at me over her shoulder and smiled before dropping her chest to the mattress and pressing her ass into the air. 

“Take off your clothes and come here, baby.” Her voice had a hoarse edge to it, and pride, harsh and heavy, filled me. 

I did that. She sounds like that because of me. 

I stood and shucked off my pants, pushing them off of my legs with my feet while I ripped my shirt off over my head. She winked and wiggled her hips at me, her pussy glistening in the light from my bedside lamp. My mouth watered and I had the urge to dive forward and bury my face in her again. 

As if reading my thoughts, she said, “Stay focused, baby. Come here and kiss me.” 

I took the few steps toward the bed, crawling up behind her and leaning over to press our lips together. Our tongues met and tangled. My cock jumped in the cleft of her ass, precum beading and trailing down to pool on her skin. 

“Do you want me to get a condom?” I mumbled between kisses. 

She shrugged. “You haven’t been with anyone else and neither have I. I’m on the pill.” Her eyes softened. “And I want to feel you, all of you,” she whispered. 

“I’ve never done that before.” Our voices were so soft for how intense this felt. 

“Neither have I.” A blush rose on her face. “We don’t have to if you aren’t comfortable with it.” 

“No, I want to…” I touched my forehead to hers. “Fuck me… I really, really want to.” 

Tara smiled before I leaned in again. With that agreed upon, everything between us seemed more potent. 

I kissed her harder, deeper, spilling all of the words I wanted to say into her with passionate enthusiasm. She pushed me backwards with her hand. 

“Fuck me, Jeremiah.” 

I was powerless to resist her. 

Swiping my head through her wetness, I coated myself in a mixture of our juices, pressing against her entrance with a slow shift forward. The tip slid in and I pushed air through my teeth as the tight grip of her cunt enveloped more and more of me. Once I was fully seated, I bent over her and kissed her back, my mouth open and lungs struggling for air. 

Nothing had ever felt as good as she did wrapped around me. 

I started slowly, savoring the connection of our bodies and committing every second to memory. My hands held her hips lightly, and I watched as her ass jiggled with each little smack of my hips against it. 

“Faster.” 

Her demand came with her starting to rock her hips back against me. I sped up slightly, reaching one hand up to rest on her shoulder and pulling her up so she was fully propped on her hands and knees. Her hands clenched against the blanket, fisting it lightly. 

Driven by her reactions, sounds, and my own clawing need to move more urgently, I accelerated further. My other hand moved to her opposite shoulder, hips smacking against hers faster and harder. Her moans got louder. My heart pounded against my ribs. Sweat beaded along my back and head. 

Tara grabbed one of my hands and put it on her neck, her back arching more to allow me to hold her the way she wanted. A ragged groan was all I could muster when she pulled my other hand to her neck as well, both now lightly wrapped around the delicate column of her throat. I recognized how much power she was giving me in that moment, and I felt my heart inflate with love for her and the trust she willingly bestowed me with. 

Bracing my hands on her clavicle, I tightened my fingers just enough to feel her pulse moving against my palms. Her head tilted back, the arch in her back so deep I thought I might snap her in half if I wasn’t careful. 

She rocked back against me with each thrust I made into her. 

My balls tightened and I could feel my orgasm coiling at the base of my spine. Removing one of my hands from her neck, I scooped it under her armpit and pulled her upright against me, her back pressing to my chest, and my hand grabbing one of her breasts through the mesh of her bodysuit. 

She called my name brokenly, her head tilting back to rest on my shoulder. My mouth latched onto the exposed side of her throat and I bit down. She let out a little scream. 

Fully releasing her throat with my other hand, it shifted down to strum against her clit. I was desperate for her to reach her peak before I did, and as I clung to the last thread of sanity keeping my climax at bay, she shivered and clamped down on me. 

I exploded. In what was the hardest, most intense orgasm of my life, I clung to her, rocking against her shallowly through our combined bliss, our voices echoing in my ears. 

Her legs shook against mine, her hands clasping my arms. Her bodysuit stuck to her skin, sweat poking through the mesh and mingling with mine. 

“That was amazing,” she breathed. “Next time, you can be on the bottom, and I’ll give you the ride of your life.” 

I let out a playfully exasperated groan. “Not gonna happen. We’ve talked about this three times already. I don’t want to be pegged.” 

She giggled somewhat drunkenly. “Yet.” 

I shook my head and planted a kiss on her shoulder. “Ever.” 

She patted my arm and turned with a mock pout on her kiss-swollen lips. “You’re no fun.” I gave her a slow, lingering kiss before sitting back on my heels, my softened cock slipping out of her with a rush of my cum. 

She tilted forward, dropping heavily back onto the blankets. 

Her hair stuck to the sweat along her brow, and she gave me a lazy smile. “Just give me five minutes and we can go again.” 

I chuckled, moving toward the edge of the bed and grabbing the tissues. Gently, I cleaned the mess from between her legs, wiping myself off as well before laying down next to her. 

She turned toward me, her eyes glistening slightly. “I love you.” 

Feeling my throat clench and my heart beat erratically with her confession, I leaned in until our noses touched. “I love you too.” 

We moved our noses against each other in a light eskimo kiss, and I wrapped my arm over her waist, pulling her into me again. Our lips touched. Unfettered joy spread throughout my body, lighting me up like a plant in the noonday sun. She loves me. 

We kissed a few more times, soaking in our afterglow. 

We made love several more times that night, Tara in various states of undress until her bodysuit was finally divested from her body and both of us lay in a sweaty, tangled heap and sleep took us. 

Before I drifted off with her in my arms, my mind was consumed with how this night would be burned into my memory until the day I died. 

-------------------------------------

Me: when oh when will my girlfriend return from war? 

GILF: Soon! Just finishing up with the girls. We went to brunch. 😊

Me: oh yum! you’re bringing me something right?  

GILF: Is that a requirement for coming to see you today? 

Me:  not a requirement, but for sure a perk.

GILF: I might have something to share with you if you’re up for a little adventure today. 

Me: ????

GILF: 😉

GILF: (No comment about the newest name?)

Me: (if you want to be the grandma I love to fuck, I’m not gonna argue with you.)

Tara walked into my room and kicked the door shut with her foot. 

“Have I got a sweet treat for you,” she said, shaking a paper bag in her left hand. 

Sitting up on my bed, I looked at her excitedly. “You actually brought me something? Baby, you didn’t have to. I was just kidding.” 

She dropped the bag at the foot of the bed. “Well, I wasn’t.” 

I leaned forward, reaching for it to peek inside. Her hand came out and smacked mine away quickly. 

My interest rose. What the hell is she hiding in there? 

Keeping her eyes on me the entire time, she kicked her shoes off and climbed onto the bed. “Are you ready?”

I nodded slowly, apprehension rising slightly as my brain helpfully supplied images of a tentacle strap on being magicked from the small paper bag like some kind of voodoo wizardry. My heart rate spiked, and I shifted away slightly, suddenly not as keen to find out what she was hiding in there. 

A long, rectangular red box with gold stripes appeared as she pulled her hand out. I just barely caught the writing on the front in gold calligraphic font: Sugar & Spice? 

She waggled her eyebrows at me as she held it up for me to see. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked back down at the box, focusing on the smaller print at the bottom. “Sensual chocolates filled with a tantalizing chocolate creme.” 

Tara nodded excitedly. “What do you think?” 

I ran my hand through my hair and scratched at the back of my head. “Uh, I don’t understand. They’re just chocolates?” 

She let out a disappointed sigh. “Not just chocolates.” She handed me the box. “Read the back.” 

Taking the box, I flipped it over and started to read the description near the ingredients. “Curated from the finest cacao beans, these pleasure chocolates are filled with a decadent aphrodisiac laced creme guaranteed to get you and your partner primed for passion?” I set the box down and looked up at Tara again. “So, these are sex chocolates?” 

Tara scrunched her nose. “It sounds very unsexy when you say it like that, but yes. They’re aphrodisiac chocolates. I saw them at Paradise last time I went, but didn’t buy any, so I went back and got some today.” 

I set the box down between us. “And I’m guessing you want to try these out and see how potent they are?” 

She tilted her head like a bird of prey, sizing up a mouse she was about to play with before devouring it, bones and all. The back of my neck tingled with goosebumps. “My idea is a little more creative than just eating them.” 

I could feel the concern creasing my face as she continued to stare at me. 

Seeming to take my silence as interest, she forged on. “I think we should make some hot chocolate with them. Warm up some milk, drop a few chocolates in, drink our cups, and then not have sex.” 

“Wait, what?” 

Her head bobbed in an excited little nod. 

“What’s the point of eating them and getting ourselves all worked up if we aren’t going to enjoy the payout?” 

Tara smirked as she started to crawl toward me on the bed. “I’m thinking we give ourselves a little challenge. We’re obviously very attracted to each other.” Her face stopped inches from mine and her breath fanned over my cheeks. I felt my face heat as her hands started to travel from my knees up to my hips. “So, wouldn’t it be fun to see how long we can hold off on the urge to touch each other and resist the aphrodisiac?” 

I shook my head, my voice coming out in a squeaky whisper. “That sounds like the opposite of fun.” 

Her hands shifted in from my hips to my pelvis, one finger drawing swirling patterns above my rapidly swelling cock. 

“Come on, ‘Miah… let’s take on this sexy experiment together.” She cupped my balls and gave them a small squeeze through the fabric. Her lips brushed my cheek and slid to my ear. “You can fuck me if you can last longer than I do.” 

My head spun, and I put my hands on her waist, nodding against her head as the intoxicating closeness of her body threw my entire system into chaotic need. 

She bounded backward off the bed as I tilted my lips up to meet hers, the sudden rush of air where she had just been sending shivers down my spine. She made an animated waving motion toward me and picked up the box of chocolates. 

Tara was a combination of giggles and mischievous smiles as she heated the milk on the stove. She poured it into two mugs before dropping 4 chocolates in each one. 

In the back of my mind, I vaguely remembered reading the serving size being only 2, which meant we were about to imbibe twice as much aphrodisiac as was recommended. If there’s anyone out there… help me… my dick might actually fall off today…

She pulled two spoons from the drawer and plunked one into my mug. Rivulets of chocolate were starting to float at the top of the milk, the aroma of rich cocoa filling my nose. Tara stirred hers slowly, and I did the same, watching as she took a deep breath of the steam wafting above our mugs. Once both of us had fully melted the chocolate and stirred the milk into a thick hot chocolate, we drank. 

It only took a few minutes for us to drain our cups, and as soon as we did, Tara took them both and put them in the sink, running water in them to rinse them out. 

She took my hand and practically ran back up the stairs to my room, closing and locking the door behind us before grabbing my laptop from the desk. 

“Let’s watch a movie.” 

My heart was beating rapidly, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the sex chocolate or the brief sprint up the stairs. I focused back on Tara as she plopped down next to me and navigated to a streaming site. Instinctively, I reached for her, wanting to pull her into my side like we usually did when we watched something together, but she leaned away suddenly. 

“Ah ah ah! Remember the rules, ‘Miah. No touching.” 

My hands tingled, and the back of my head felt kind of fuzzy. “Not even cuddling?” 

“No touching,” she repeated, setting the laptop between us and pulling a pillow into her lap. She propped herself up against the headboard and pressed play. 

“How long do we have to last with the no touching thing?” 

Tara smirked. “Struggling already, baby? How about until the end of the movie?” 

I mirrored her position, scooting up to lean against the headboard and pulling the other pillow over my legs. My mouth was watering, and I swallowed the excess saliva down quickly, stretching my neck to relieve some of the strange tingling that continued to prickle along the top of my spine. 

Throughout the movie, I felt hyperaware of everything Tara did. When she reached up to move some hair behind her ear, I wanted to move closer and smell it. When her eyes flicked to mine and I saw how big her pupils were, I wanted to kiss her. When her hands flexed against the pillow, grabbing the pillow case and bunching it, I wanted to push my hand under hers and feel that grip on my flesh. When she licked her lips, biting on the lower one for several seconds, I wanted to grab her neck and bite it for her. The need to touch her was growing with every minute, and my whole body felt like a livewire ready to spark. My cock was throbbing against my pants, and I pressed the pillow down harder, trying to stifle the urge to thrust against it. 

“How much longer?” I asked, rocking slightly up into the pillow. 

Tara’s eyes were locked on the motion of my hips, only slightly hidden from view, and she dragged her gaze up to mine slowly. Her eyes were dark and hooded, her pupils blown so wide I could only see the slightest ring of purple around the edges of her iris. Not so unaffected now, are you, baby? I thought smugly. 

She moved the mouse on the screen and we both looked at the progress bar. It’s only been 30 minutes?! 

I pushed a hand roughly through my hair and clamped my legs together. My balls felt heavy. My dick was practically begging for me to touch it… then, an idea formed in my head. 

She said I can’t touch her, but she didn’t say anything about touching myself.

Shifting up onto my knees, I readjusted the pillow so that it was resting between my legs. I dropped my hips down onto it, a moan slipping past my lips as I started to grind against it. 

Tara’s head snapped sideways, looking up at me in shock before her eyes locked on what I was doing to the pillow. 

“Jeremiah, you’re not al-”

“Not allowed to touch you. You didn’t say anything about me touching myself,” I breathed, another moan slipping out. 

Her eyes narrowed briefly before she turned her body toward me. “I guess you’re right. I didn’t.” A dangerous light filled her eyes and she got up onto her own knees. Her thumbs hooked into the top edge of her leggings and she began to pull them down her legs. 

My hips moved faster as I watched the soaking lips of her swollen, pink pussy come into view, a tortured groan the only sound I could make. 

She leaned back, spreading her legs so I could see every glistening inch of her. She used two fingers to spread herself before sliding those same two fingers through the slick pooling there. My eyes were locked on her hand as I whimpered and thrust harder against the pillow. 

“What’s the matter, baby?” Her voice was breathy and soft, hitching when she slid her soaking fingers over her clit and back down her crease. “You sound like you’re in pain.” 

I was mesmerized by the way her fingers moved so easily as she touched herself. “So wet,” I moaned, dropping my head forward momentarily and shallowing my thrusts. The friction of the pillow coupled with the wet sound of her fingers was driving me crazy. 

She moved her fingers faster, matching the speed of my hips and we watched each other, the movie entirely forgotten as we lost ourselves in mutual, but individual, pleasure. 

My whole body felt like it was at risk of combusting. I’d never done something like this with anyone, and the sight of her touching herself while watching me gave me a high I had never felt before. A combination of both love and pride mingled with the growing ecstasy; love for this incredible woman who constantly pushed me out of my comfort zone, and pride that I could drive her so wild just being near her and touching myself that she lost control enough to have to touch herself. 

Her noises increased in volume, and I closed the laptop, pushing it away to the foot of the bed. The pillow was kicked away from my legs, and I adjusted and angled myself so I was laying on my stomach, face level with her cunt. My hips shifted against the mattress, my hands slightly overlapping in front of me and fisted in the blanket. 

Tara moved faster, her fingers plunging in and out in rough thrusts, some of her juices spraying onto my face and neck as she did. I held my tongue out, desperate to catch even the slightest taste of her on my tongue. 

Seeming to forget our rules, she reached her hand forward and fisted it in my hair. Realizing that she had broken the restriction, I dove forward, my tongue joining her fingers and flicking against her clit. 

She let out a little scream, her hand tightening almost painfully against my scalp. 

Three licks in and I was coming in my pants. I plastered my mouth to her and sucked as I moaned and groaned against her, my hips still shifting on the mattress until I felt the warm spread of my cum against my skin and wetting the fabric of my underwear. 

Redoubling my efforts, I slid my arms under Tara’s legs and grabbed her hips, pulling her into me until she had to put a hand behind her to keep herself upright. My fingers replaced hers, and with full rein to do what I wanted, I crooked my fingers and went to town. 

Tara was shaking above me, calling my name and squirming under my focused attention, but I didn’t let up. I couldn’t stop. Not until she was as much of a mess as I was. 

With another long, drawn out scream, she came. A rush of liquid hit my chin, and I redirected my mouth to her entrance, sealing my lips over her and drinking down every drop, my nose pressing to her clit as she shook violently. 

Her hand on my head pulled, trying to detach me, and I released her with a wet pop, looking up into her eyes while her slick dripped down my chin. 

“Holy fuck,” she breathed, her chest rising and falling rapidly. I could see her pulse jumping against her throat, and her neck and face were a gorgeous shade of red. Sweat glistened along the column of her throat, and her eyes drooped slightly. That’s the face of a satisfied woman, I thought gleefully. 

I kissed her inner thighs and licked up every bit of moisture I could see. I kept the pressure of my tongue light, knowing she was still a bit sensitive, but wanting to draw out her pleasure as much as possible. She hummed in contentment, her hand loosening against my head and scraping her nails on my scalp lightly. 

I sat back, still fully clothed, wet spots along the collar of my hoodie where she had come on my face. Her shirt was askew, riding up on one side and pinned beneath her on the other. 

Despite having just come, I could feel the need still coiled beneath my skin. I reached for her, a flower desperate for her sunlight, and pulled her to rest in the center of the bed, taking the pillow from her side and arranging it underneath her head gently. 

She gave me a sweet smile, then furrowed her brow as I slid back onto my stomach and kissed across her pelvic bone. 

“Jeremiah?” Her hips shifted against my mouth, and I smirked into her skin. 

“I’m not done with you yet,” I murmured before dragging my tongue down her center. 

She cupped my face, protests dying on her lips as mine began a slow perusal of her, her body slickening again before my eyes. 

It could have been hours or days later by the time we finally came up for air. Tara’s skin was littered with hickies and bites from one of our more aggressive sessions, and I had raised marks all over my back from her nails digging into me. 

She giggled as she nuzzled her head into my neck. “We have got to do that again.” She kissed over a hickey on my clavicle. “Can you imagine how crazy things would get if we had our friends try them?” 

“I’m not having an orgy,” I mumbled, sleep pulling at my consciousness. 

“Not an orgy, you boob,” she laughed. “Just a fun accoutrement to a game night or something. Like… the loser has to eat a chocolate or something.” 

I hummed in response, and as she kept talking about ways to use the sex chocolates again, I fell asleep. 

-------------------------------------

Xavier: U ready? 

Xavier: everything is set up. 

Me: yep. just grabbing the last couple of things and I’ll be right over. 

Xavier: U nervous? 

Me: definitely. but also no. I’m positive. 

Me: she’s it for me. 

Xavier: happy for U man

Walking through the door of the flower shop I had been working part time at throughout college gave me a heavy hit of nostalgia. The sweet scent of roses and gardenias hit me first, before my nose picked up on the more subtle scents of jasmine and lilac. 

Phil stood behind the counter, arranging a bouquet with expert fingers. He glanced up at me and a huge smile broke out on his face. “Today’s the day, huh?” 

My own smile met his. “Almost four years in the making.” 

I still couldn’t believe I had graduated and was working full time for a tech company. College had been good to me, and when Tara and I got our own place, she had allowed me to dedicate an entire room to plants and flowers that I carefully cultivated with the skills Phil had taught me over my three years under his tutelage. 

This fall marked Tara’s senior year, and while it may have been prudent to wait, I didn’t want to. I wanted her to be mine forever as soon as possible. 

“Your friends got the back greenhouse all set up for you. It should be perfect. I checked it myself.” 

I chuckled and started to move that direction. Phil fell in behind me as we walked out to the greenhouse housed behind his flower shop. Philos was one of the most well-known floristry shops in town, and Phil was a master of his craft. 

As we walked into the already humid flower haven, I took in the fairy lights strung from the corners, and the table in the center, filled with the flowers I had spent two years cross-pollinating and creating. Tara spinosa or “Tara” was a mixture of foreign and local fauna, creating a beautiful ornamental plant with large, colorful flowers and pods. This particular batch had been germinating for weeks, and was finally in full bloom. 

Pulling the bag from my shoulder, I laid out the specially made charcuterie board and two glasses, filling them with champagne. I slid the plastic card stake into the damp soil of the nearest plant and placed the small envelope in the tines at the top. 

Turning back to Phil, I took a deep breath. “How do I look?” 

“Ready.” 

I scoffed. “Well, good, because I don’t feel like it yet.” I patted the slender box in my breast pocket, checking that it was still there. 

A ding sounded overhead and Phil turned toward the shop. “That’ll be the door. If it’s your girl, I’ll send her back. If not, well, you’ll still be back here alone.” He gave me a wink and wandered out of the greenhouse and back toward the store. 

Nerves started to take hold, and I paced in short strides in front of the table, looking up to see if she was coming out. 

On a turn, I saw a flash of her hair before the greenhouse door started to creak open. I moved toward her quickly, holding the door open as she stepped inside. 

She was in a long-sleeved dress, the rich wine color complimenting her amethyst eyes and pale skin perfectly. As she leaned toward me for a kiss, I felt all of the nerves fall away. Our lips touched softly, and she smiled against me. 

“What’s with all the secrecy?” She mumbled, wrapping her arms around me and tilting her head back to look up at me fully. 

I dragged a finger down her cheek and she leaned into the touch. “You’ll see,” I whispered, kissing her nose. I took her arms in my hands and pulled them from my body, walking backwards toward the table. She peeked around my shoulder and let out a little gasp as she saw the flowers. 

“Are these the ones you’ve been working on for two years?” She moved toward them and stroked her fingers down the petals reverently. “They’re gorgeous. So vibrant and so many colors!” 

She looked at me over her shoulder, beaming with pride. “My boyfriend is a regular Gregor Mendel!” 

I chuckled and walked up behind her, pressing myself to her back and wrapping my arms around her waist. She leaned into me with a contented sigh. We rocked side to side gently, as we often did in this position, swaying to a song only the two of us seemed to know. 

“They’re incredible, ‘Miah. I’m so proud of you.” 

“Do you want to know what their name is?” She shivered as my breath ghosted over the shell of her ear and nodded. 

“I named them Tara spinosa or Tara for short.” 

She froze. I froze with her, waiting. 

When her sob broke the silence, I spun her around in my arms immediately. “Tara, what’s wrong? Do you not like the name?” 

I cupped her face in my hands but she kept her eyes cast downward. Tears rolled over my hands and I felt a kind of powerlessness invade my mind. You fucked this whole thing up. Of course she doesn’t want some stupid flower named after her. This whole idea is stupid. 

She hiccuped loudly. My heart felt like it was cracking into pieces. 

Then, she finally looked up at me. Her eyes were glassy, limned with silver from the unshed tears that still sat along her waterline, and they were filled with so much love that everything inside of me went quiet. 

“I love it. Love them. Love you.” She closed her eyes and another sob punctuated her words. “Nobody has ever… I never thought someone would… I just can’t believe it…” 

My thumbs moved to wipe away her tears, and I pressed my forehead to hers. “How could I name them after anyone else when you’re the only one who has ever believed in me and cheered me on through everything?” 

She laughed as more tears spilled over her lashes. 

I had a plan coming into this day, but as the moment unfolded, I knew this was the right time. My hands moved down her arms to her hands as I slowly bent my knee and fell before her. 

Her sobs renewed as I started to speak. “Tara… fuck,” Tears started to gather in my own eyes as I looked up at her. “I have never loved anyone the way that I love you. You’re my little sun. You bring me so much light, and even when you’re feeling dark, you keep me watered and taken care of.” 

“That’s a lot of plant analogies,” Tara whispered, her hands clenching mine tightly. 

A tear slipped down my cheek as I laughed. “What I’m trying to say, well, ask rather, is… will you marry me, Tara?” 

I pulled one of my hands from hers to take the ring box from my breast pocket, opening it and holding it out to her. 

She shook her head vigorously, nodding so hard her hair covered her face and strands stuck to the tear tracks along her cheeks. She held her left hand out, and taking my other hand back, I pulled the ring from its pillowy nest and slid it onto her ring finger. She held it up in the light before surging forward and throwing her arms over my shoulders. I stood and lifted her with me, both of us crying with happiness. 

I bent back down and scooped her legs into my arm, holding her close and spinning us in a little circle before hugging her as tightly to me as I could. 

We stayed like that for a while. 

When we finally both calmed down enough to breathe again, I sat down in one of the chairs by the table and held her in my lap. 

We admired the ring on her finger together. 

“It’s perfect,” Tara murmured. 

I kissed her forehead and squeezed her. “I needed it to be. For you.” 

She smiled and kissed me. We poured all of our love for each other into that kiss. It marked both a beginning and an ending, and when I stood across from her only a few short weeks later in that dingy courtroom and called her my wife for the first time, I thanked any and every deity above for bringing her into that kitchen three years ago. 

Because even though I had never expected my little hurricane, she had ripped into my life with everything I didn’t know I needed, and her rain had woken me up and given me exactly what I needed to grow.

[taraandtarot]

I've got some new blooms! They're on your desk. Get to work safe ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

Gasp! Oh, Jer-Bear, you shouldn’t have!

Mums are in season right now, aren’t they?? They’re such a beautiful red… Should I look up what that color means in flower language, Mr. Florist? 🥰 And with roses, to boot!

I’ll be popping these in a vase the second I can find one! Captain Andrew is already raising his eyebrow at me all knowingly, hehehe.~

[taraandtarot]

Isn’t everything just so great? Life is great.~

La di dah di dahhhhh.~

Hmm? Did anything special happen?

Oh, well, I guess you could say that.~ You could ask @jeremiahofphilo if you’re really curious, hehehe. 🩷💜

[taraandtarot]

Are you a buttercup? Cause you butter me up and fill my cup with butterflies.

That one hurt. I'll see myself out, Tar'

You!! Are so!! CUTE!! 😍😍😍

I am going to cover you in smooches effective IMMEDIATELY, mister Miah! Get back here!! 💋💋💋

[jeremiahofphilo]

Tell me when? ~ @taraandtarot 🔮

She talked about you, often, and fondly. She loves you. It wasn't hard to feel like I knew you already just by proxy. It made me want to meet you, and it made me feel like I could connect to you easily when we did.

It came easy to like you, you have an attentiveness and determination, not to mention your strength and strong sense of justice too, coupled with warmth. You smile easily, genuinely, and often, and it makes me feel like I don't have to hide the clouds in my life anymore. You chase them away.

Liking you came easy. -- Loving you felt like falling through the floor, with nothing to grab on to, and yet landing softly with you somehow still. It must have been the first time we parted ways, the day I first held your hand in mine, the first time I realized I needed to see you one more time, and then some.

If she is Philo's heart, you must be the Earth's. At least, you have mine.