Falling for Autumn (15 page)

Chapter 16

A
utumn yawned and stretched her aching muscles. It was a good sore, but she definitely needed to take a bath sometime today. Last night, she'd decided to stay in Ajay's room. Jaleen and Danni had bragged about winning the hiking game all last night, leaving out the part about Ajay and Autumn letting them win.

The vibrant sunrise lit the dark room, reminding her that they would eventually need to shower and change for the day. She couldn't believe the wedding was tomorrow. They had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner, so the day would be packed with final wedding details.

She felt Ajay stir beside her and looked over to see if he was awake.
He even looks sexy when he sleeps.
She swore, the man didn't have an ugly bone in his body. She brushed her hand down the side of his face before running her fingers over his abs. He stirred again, but he didn't wake up. The sheets were twisted around their bodies, but the most appetizing parts of Ajay were covered, and that just wasn't acceptable.

Oral sex had never been something she was really into, but she was realizing that with Ajay, she was enjoying a whole lot of things she didn't normally relish. The challenge that they'd agreed upon entered her mind. He'd successfully been knocking down the walls she'd built around her heart, and the past couple of nights he'd knocked down yet another as she'd experienced her first real orgasm through sexual intercourse. There was no faking it with Ajay. She didn't have to pretend to have a passionate release and then pretend to be asleep. With him, she could only give in to what she was feeling. Unleash the passion she'd always hoped was there buried deep inside.

Since she'd arrived on the island, she'd made a promise that she would enjoy herself without overanalyzing a situation. There was no room for overthinking in paradise.

She moved the sheet that was covering the part she was searching for and was surprised to see him enlarged. Clearly, even in his sleep, he had a high sex drive. She hesitantly moved fingers up and down his shaft, enjoying the feel of his skin rubbing against the palm of her hand. She stopped touching him long enough to move the rest of the sheets from his body.
Lord have mercy.
She didn't think she'd ever tire of seeing his magnificent body in all its naked glory. As she ran her hands over his muscular thighs, she got an idea of how she could collect on her end of the bet.

As carefully as she could, she eased his legs apart and nestled herself right in between both limbs. She wasn't positive, but it seemed as if his erection grew even more before her eyes. As if he knew what she was about to do. His body was still slowly rising and falling, so he was definitely still asleep.
Good. If you stay asleep long enough, I'll have you right where I want you.

Ever so slowly, she eased her mouth over the tip of his erection and lightly sucked before sliding her tongue down one side of his shaft and then down the opposite side. She watched his face twitch, so she slowed her movements so that he would fall back into a deep sleep. When she was satisfied that he was back in dreamland, she continued her plan to please him to the point of no return. Since Ajay had a problem losing control in the bedroom and he was a lot stronger than she was, she knew she couldn't get away with doing whatever she wanted to him without him seductively turning the tables, as he'd done last night. She loved that he'd rather please her than please himself, but it was time for her to give back, and she was going to do so one lick at a time.

She got into a nice rhythm and figured it was time for her to add her hands to the mix. By the time he woke up, it would be too late for him to do anything about it, and he'd have no choice but to release the orgasm that he'd deprived her of last night.

* * *

Off in fantasyland, Ajay refused to wake up from the amazing dream he was having about Autumn. Dreams this good were meant to last, and even though he felt himself being tugged awake by sounds and noises that he couldn't understand, he refused to open his eyes.

He tried to stay in the moment and keep his dream alive, but the noises were really starting to bother him.

“Keep that, oh, yeah, there.”
What in the world was that?
It sounded a lot like his voice, but he couldn't make out the words.
Maybe you should wake up...
He shook his head and ignored his thoughts. He didn't want to wake up. Men never woke up from great dreams like this. In his dream, Autumn was sexily kneeling in between his legs, sucking him so good, he couldn't help but wonder what she'd do when his dream turned to a reality. He usually didn't care for oral sex because he liked remaining in control. But for Autumn, he might reconsider, if the way this dream was going was any indication of how liberating it would feel to have her mouth on him.

In his dream, she increased the movements of her tongue and appeared to be trying to take him in whole, which was no easy feat. She started humming, and he didn't know if it was to drive him insane or make room in her throat for him. Either way, it was sexy as hell and he felt the pleasure all the way to his toes.

“Baby, what you do.”
What the hell?
Once again, that gibberish sounded a lot like his voice. His entire body tensed and he started shaking his head from side to side. He was going to release himself, and the power of his orgasm was going to be forceful. More forceful than any orgasm he'd ever had in this position. He'd never recalled a dream feeling so real. So right.

Shit, I can't hold back any longer.
Even in his dream he was trying to hold back, but Autumn's mouth was too demanding. His erection had grown considerably and her tongue hadn't eased up at all.
You have to wake up for this. Wake up!

His hazy eyes flew open and the sight that he saw was absolutely breathtaking. Kneeling in between his thighs relentlessly sucking his erection and fondling him with her hands was Autumn Dupree. The woman who'd been the star of his latest dream.

He realized that the jumbled words he'd heard had actually been his. He felt caught off guard, and there was nothing gentlemanly about the way he was thrusting his hips into her mouth. Her eyes twinkled in amusement. She knew what she was doing and she knew there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He was already too far gone.

“Autumn,” he said as a warning. He was on the brink and he couldn't stop it. Instead of slowing down, she sucked him even harder. He released a powerful orgasm followed by a range of grunts and growls that didn't even sound human. He was still convulsing from aftershock when he felt her hands on him again, only this time, she was rolling on a condom.

“What are you doing?” he asked when she began crawling up the bed.

She smiled slyly. “What does it look like I'm doing?” She straddled him and brought her mouth to his right ear. “Right now, I'm easing you inside me.” And, oh, man, was she! It was the slowest entrance he'd ever experienced, and his erection was already sensitive from the orgasm he'd just had. His hands flew to her butt as she began moving up and down in a slow rhythm.

“If you want me to stop, then tell me right now.” He heard her words, but he wasn't about to respond to them. There was no way he wanted her to stop what she was doing. He started rolling his hips to meet her movements.

“I'll take that as a no.” With that, she briefly kissed his lips before leaning back up and slightly increasing her pace. When she dropped her head to the ceiling and placed her hands behind her on the bed, he made a mental note to see what other twists and turns she could do as a result of all that yoga she did.

Her breasts bouncing in front of his face looked too appetizing to leave unattended. He moved his thumbs in a circular formation over her sensitive nipples and was rewarded by a piercing moan that echoed through the spacious room.

She was so responsive, and not just sexually—although her moans were definitely becoming the sweetest song he'd ever heard. She was responsive when it came to everything they did and everything they were learning about one another. She didn't just offer advice and comfort when he discussed his past. She empathized with his pain. She shed tears of sadness for what he'd experienced. Everyone had certain fears they had to face, and every time he spoke to Autumn, she made him feel as though she wanted to be by his side to face them, as well.

When she finally leaned up and looked back down at him, he couldn't hold in his emotions any longer. He needed to switch their positions. Snaking an arm around her waist, he pulled her to his chest before gently laying her on her back, making sure he remained buried deep inside her.

She glanced up at him, her eyes a little uncertain. “Is this your way of stopping me from giving you another orgasm?”
She's so adorable.
That definitely wasn't the reason. He didn't want to express any serious sentiments in the act of making love, but he wanted to put her mind at ease, as well.

“In case you haven't noticed, I'm completely captivated by you, Autumn Dupree. So to answer your question, no, I don't plan on stopping anything.” He watched the worry leave her features, replaced by the passion he'd been witnessing all morning.

His thrusts into her body were slow. Precise. Calculated. His eyes held hers as he tried to show her through his eyes what he felt in his heart. He'd often heard men say that they knew they'd found the one when they couldn't imagine their life without that person. They were great together. The perfect combination of a challenging and exhilarating relationship. He didn't know if she thought that anything that happened in Bora Bora would end here, but if she did she was sadly mistaken. He was fine with easing into dating, but he wasn't fine with being friends, and before they left paradise, he would make sure she knew that.

He grabbed her hands and placed her arms above her head as his thrusts quickened. Her labored breathing and the way she clenched her thighs were the signs he'd been waiting for. He was close himself.

He closed his eyes at the onslaught of passion flowing through his body. When he opened his eyes, a lazy smile was present on her face. It wasn't lost on him how monumental their moment was. Within seconds, she released a moan that he felt throughout his entire body. His own orgasm quickly followed, and was just as powerful as the first. The last thought to cross his mind as his spasms subsided was that Autumn had finally done it. She'd shown him what it felt like to lose yourself in someone else.

Chapter 17

“W
hat do you mean we aren't meeting up with the group?” Ajay was leading her to a boat and away from the main villa, where she thought they were meeting a few people for breakfast.

“I already told Winter and Taheim that we will be taking the morning off. They didn't mind as long as I promised to be back in time for rehearsal.”

“Are you sure?”

“I'm positive,” he said with a laugh. “Now get in this boat so I can show you your surprise.”

She shivered, and it wasn't from the cool breeze that had just wafted through her hair. Normally, Ajay was the guy whom everyone ran to when they had a problem. He was strong. Kind. He cared about those he loved and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them. But he also had a dominating side that made her turn into a pile of mush when his voice grew all deep and husky. It was the same voice she heard when he released an orgasm loud enough to rock the villa.

She couldn't be sure, but it felt as if they were on a twenty-minute boat ride before a gorgeous green mountain came into view. Ajay got out of the boat first and lifted her out with ease. She followed him through a small crowd of people and down the dirt road to an open-window trolley that had a symbol and name on the side indicating that they were going on some type of tour. He held her hand as he led her to a couple of seats toward the middle.

“Are you going to tell me where we're going now?” she asked when the trolley began going uphill and passing an array of colorful plant life.

“You'll see soon,” he said as he placed a soft kiss on her mouth. Convinced he wasn't going to give her a clue as to where they were going, she leaned into his arms to enjoy the beautiful view. Fifteen minutes later, the trolley stopped and passengers began exiting the vehicle.

“This is so adorable,” she said as they walked through the small island village with a variety of souvenir huts, a couple of restaurants and a group of Polynesian dancers and singers entertaining the crowd.

“I thought we'd get off the resort grounds and experience more of the neighboring islands.”

“I love it,” she said, leaning up to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Where do you want to go first?”

“How about over there?” She followed the direction he pointed to and couldn't make out what it was. He led her over to a couple of men who were placing harnesses on a few other people.

“What is this?”

“This is the activity we're signed up for.” He went to a man holding a clipboard and signed some paperwork. She walked over to glance over his shoulder right as he was signing the last page.

“Zip-lining! Where? We are practically at the top of the mountain.”

“Exactly.” He flashed her a sneaky smile. “We're zip-lining down the mountain.”

Her jaw dropped and she looked around at the others seemingly excited about this adventure. “You've got to be kidding me.”

“Are you afraid of heights?”

“No.”

“Then, what's the problem?”

She studied his eyes, not sure if she had an answer for him. “I don't know. I just wasn't prepared to zip-line down a mountain today.”

“Baby, you'll be fine.”
There he goes calling me “baby” again.
How the heck was she supposed to focus when he spoke to her in such an endearing way? He pulled her away from the crowd.

“I know this isn't what you had in mind when I said I had a surprise for you, but I didn't want to tell you. I haven't told you this, but I'm terrified of heights. I don't even like roller coasters that go too high.”

She squinted her eyes in confusion. “If you don't like heights, then why do you want to zip-line?”

He averted his eyes before peering back down at her. “I never like losing control, but I lost control with you, and now I can't imagine being with you any other way. When you were in the shower, I called Winter and Taheim and asked for permission to skip the morning activities, and then I called the concierge desk and asked them to book this zip-lining tour. I've been experiencing a lot of firsts lately and I'm really enjoying this feeling... I don't want it to end, and I'd love to experience another first with you by facing my fear of heights.”

She melted. Literally melted into a puddle of mush on the ground. Never had she
ever
heard someone talk to her so honestly. With Ajay, she didn't have to push him for more information or ask him to clarify how it felt. With Ajay, she just
felt
. She didn't want to lose that feeling.

Once they were strapped in, they both were secured onto the first zip line. During this round, two separate zip lines would be released at the same time, giving individuals the chance to zip beside their loved ones or friends.

“Are you ready?” she asked when the countdown began.

“Are you?”

“I'm ready for whatever you're willing to give.” Those were the last words on her lips before they were released to fly through the canopy of lush trees. It felt amazing. So freeing. She heard Ajay yell and was able to glance over at him just as he pumped a fist into the air and extended his legs in front of him. They were in the air for only about fifteen or twenty seconds, but she had a feeling the impact of actually facing his fear of heights would offer hours of countless memories.

When they landed and were unclipped, they walked to the back of the wooden platform to prepare for the next round. Ajay had her in his arms within seconds.

“I can't thank you enough for experiencing this with me. I could
not
have done this without you.” He squeezed her a little tighter. “Lately, there's not much in my life that I want to do without you. We just fit... As if we were made to fit perfectly together.”

Did I just moan?
If not out loud, she'd definitely moaned in her head. There was no denying it now. Absolutely no point in lying to herself. She'd fallen in love with Ajay Reed, and the thought brought tears to her eyes. At one point in her life, she hadn't known if she would ever experience true love. She didn't know how he felt, but even if he didn't feel the same way, she was glad that she'd allowed herself to fall for a man as amazing as Ajay.

“You're very welcome,” she whispered as he continued to hug her. She could stand there hugging him forever.

* * *

They made it back in time for the rehearsal, although Ajay would have preferred to skip that, as well. He was excited for the wedding, and as sentimental as it sounded, he was even more excited to see the look on Taheim's face when Winter walked down the sandy aisle to join his hand in marriage.

Despite his excitement, his mind was occupied with thoughts of the woman walking down the beach with her arm linked to his and a bouquet in the other. It was hard to walk down the aisle and not imagine being in his brother's place one day. He had a feeling he wasn't the only one imagining that scenario.

He looked to his left and noticed Autumn's father observing them closely and wearing a smile. When they'd returned from zip-lining, they'd been informed that Autumn's father had arrived, and as soon as they were introduced, Mr. Dupree had wasted no time making small talk with him. He hadn't asked him too much; just enough to imply that he could tell he was interested in his daughter. Even though it was only a twenty-minute conversation, Ajay already liked him. He knew Mr. Dupree was French, but he hadn't imagined a six-foot-five man who looked a bit intimidating but was really easy to talk to.

His eyes gazed down at Autumn, and just as he'd hoped, she met his gaze as a soft smile formed on her lips. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked over in time to see his parents share a knowing look.

The rehearsal lasted only an hour. It took only a few minutes after it ended for him and Autumn to get pulled in opposite directions. He didn't like it, but he understood that the entire reason they were in Bora Bora was to witness the union of Winter Dupree and Taheim Reed.

Now the rehearsal dinner was in full swing. The hotel staff had suggested they dine in a secluded private area of the resort grounds that sat mere feet away from the soothing water. Different groups were conversing with those in the section of their table, and Ajay was pretty sure he should be doing the same thing.

He wasn't being antisocial. He just couldn't keep up with all the conversations when the only person he wanted to talk to was seated ten people down from him. She was wearing a red sundress that dipped low in the front, and her curly hair was free and flowing in the wind. She looked gorgeous, just as she always did.

While he was getting dressed for dinner, he'd had a chance to think about how he would approach Autumn about continuing their relationship. Technically, they hadn't even had a conversation about being in a relationship, so maybe he should start with that. In his mind, they'd been together for months because somewhere along the line, Autumn had become the center of his thoughts...the center of his world.

Slow music began playing and couples began standing up from the table to dance. Ajay glanced around the room and noticed that everyone on the floor was either married, engaged or dating. All the singles appeared to be at the bar, flirting or talking among each other. As he excused himself from the groomsmen he was talking to, he began walking to Autumn. Her eyes followed his every step.

“May I have this dance?” He held out his hand to her. She placed her smaller one in his.

“Absolutely.”

They hadn't shared a dance before, and even though Ajay enjoyed dancing, he'd never been into slow dances. At least, he hadn't been until he was dancing with Autumn. She felt perfect in his arms.

“I had a good time today. Thank you for surprising me.”

“I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.” That was an understatement. He was thrilled that she hadn't hesitated to embrace zip-lining after she realized how important it was to him.

“You've been surprising me since we met.” She gave him a soft smile as she curled her arms around his neck. It was true. There was so much that he hadn't expected to happen. Her eyes were filled with so much emotion, and he knew he couldn't have been alone in his feelings.

He had to talk to her. He had to know if she was as interested in continuing their relationship in Chicago as he was. When she laid her head on his shoulder, his arms pulled her in tighter, closer.
I can't let her go.
He didn't want to even contemplate letting her go. Emotions this strong could only mean that she'd captured him in ways he never saw coming. He hadn't just fallen in love with her mind and body. He'd fallen in love with the person she rarely let others see. The woman whose soul and spirit matched his.

* * *

Later that night, he was able to spend more time with her. He wasn't sure how they'd managed to get alone time when the wedding was only hours away, but they had. With their hands linked, he followed Autumn down the deck of her villa to the stepladder that led to the lagoon.

“Let's get in.” She motioned for him to follow her.

“You never cease to amaze me.” When she'd told him she wanted to put on her bathing suit so they could take a dip, he hadn't expected her to want to take a dip in the lagoon when it was already dark out. He followed her to the ladder and they both waded into the warm water.

The light from her deck and his was enough to illuminate a portion of the water. She curled her arms around one of his arms as she looked around at the water.

“Just so you know, going into the ocean or any body of water that I know is home to a host of fish is one of my fears. Even more terrifying if it's dark outside.”

He suddenly understood why she'd asked him to get into the water. He pulled her in front of him as he continued to tread water. He wanted her to feel comforted. Protected.

“Since I helped you face one of your fears, it seemed only natural that you help me face one of mine.”

Her statement was true, but it wasn't accurate. She hadn't been helping him face one of his fears. He'd faced so much more than that. He felt her shiver, and began rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

“Are you ready to get in the plunge pool?”

“Oh, my God, yes,” she said with relief. They were both still laughing when they slid into the plunge pool. Since Ajay could stand and Autumn still had to tread water, he used it to his advantage. He pinned her in a corner of the pool, and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. He dropped his forehead to hers.

“I love it when you do that,” she whispered. “When you place your forehead against mine.”

They closed their eyes as he breathed in her scent that had quickly become his latest addiction. He wasn't sure who opened their eyes first, but their lips mingled in a kiss that he felt all the way down to his toes. He didn't know if it was possible, but their kiss seemed to be filled with even more emotion than kisses they'd shared previously.

As their tongues tangled, demanding that they both give in to temptation, his hands roamed up and down her spine. She shivered beneath his touch, and her hips slowly, seductively began rolling her body over his groin.

Skilled fingers drifted to the string of her bikini top and untied the bow. The wet material eased down her breasts with her bikini bottoms quickly following. His swimming trunks were the next to be removed, and within seconds, he'd sheathed himself and positioned himself directly in front of her sweet spot.

His eyes were pinned to hers as he entered her in one
long
pleasurable stroke. There was no holding back when he was with Autumn. He wouldn't even try. Being embedded deep in her core didn't just feel like he was coming home... It felt much deeper than that. As if he was laying a foundation for their future. A future full of hopes and promises.

He wasn't sure how she did it, but it always seemed as if she could read his mind and knew exactly what he was thinking. Her eyes danced with desire, and he was sure the feelings floating through his body were evident on his face, as well. He wished he could bottle up this moment and hold on to it forever.