Author's Notes: 1) We have now officially entered major canon divergence territory. The rest will basically be an "AU" version of S4 events. Some things will be similar, but with a definite twist. The conflict that arose at the end of S4 that centered around Joey's shiftiness in her relationship with Pacey and her apparent circling back to Dawson will not exist here. Ever. Dawson will still be Dawson, however. The show tried very hard to turn Pacey into a jerk at the end and Dawson into the chivalrous hero, thinking the audience would buy it and root for D/J. (Laughable at best seeing as how Dawson went right back to his whiny, self-involved, manipulative ways in S5-6.) Dawson will continue to be the same character he's been since S1. There will be no OOC Promicide-style breakup. In fact, not that I want to give anything away, but seeing as how going forward with my version of S4 I don't want to worry anyone prematurely, Joey and Pacey will not break up while they are still students at Capeside High School. Nor will they break up because one or both come out of left field and decide to fly off the handle and be an asshole. Their relationship deserved that much.
2) I apologize for the length of this chapter. There was just no way to split into two, which strictly length-wise speaking, probably should've been. But I didn't have the heart to split it as everything here occurs in the same day and I'm anal-retentive about how I organize things. Seeing as how nobody complained about the length of the last chapter, then maybe this one won't be so bad either. Although, this one is sitting at 1.5K more than the last one.
3) It was incredibly difficult to follow that last chapter, as I'd worked on it for so long to get it just right (at least in my mind) and the response to it was so great. Thank you all for your wonderful comments and feedback. I do hope this chapter also lives up to expectations for Pacey and Joey's "morning-after," since the way the show handled it was absolutely dreadful.
4) This chapter contains a really embarrassing amount of sexually explicit material.
February 3. Pacey was totally unaware that he had fallen asleep until he awakened, but even without opening his eyes, he knew Joey was lying beside him. He could feel her there, the slender shape of her naked body pressed against his side, her head pillowed in the crook of his arm, her leg hitched over his hip, her arm around him. He could smell the warm, enticing female fragrance of her skin and hear the soft, even cadence of her breathing. He made her feel good. She loved him.
He opened his eyes. The gas fireplace had gone out, but the soft gray light of early morning filtered in around the curtained windows. Turning his head, he saw Joey was still asleep, eyes closed, lips parted slightly, and the sight of her sent lust coursing through his body. Her profile in the dim light was extraordinarily beautiful, and yet it wasn't her beauty that reignited his desire, it was memories of last night that came flooding back at the sight of her beside him.
Those memories overwhelmed his senses: the taste of her mouth, the touch of her hands, the feel of her skin, the sounds of her passion. Most of all, the sweet erotic admissions she'd made while in the throes of orgasmic pleasure. He made her feel good. She loved him. She'd said it over and over again. Lust rocked through him, and he started to move toward her, intending to kiss her awake, but then he remembered.
He'd only had the one condom.
Mastering control over himself, he moved back and sighed. They would definitely need to make a trip into town later. Closing his eyes, he listened to the sound of Joey breathing, and soon he drifted back into unconsciousness.
Joey woke before Pacey. The room was bright, and she wondered what time it was. He was spooning her from behind, and she eased out from under his embrace, wanting to escape to the bathroom, but was unable to tear herself away. So, she turned to lay on her other side, and watched him sleep. He was beautiful. Even in slumber, his muscles flexed, revealing his strength. Not a scratch or bruise or blemish marred his perfectly smooth skin. Just a sprinkling of dark hair, in all the right places, inviting her to sample the fine tastes and textures and pleasure she'd grown to love.
Love. It hit her like a ninety-seven-mile-per-hour baseball. Her love for Pacey was powerful and terrifying and intoxicating at the same time, and made a thousand times more intense now that it came with amazing sex. The kind of earth-shattering and all the other cliché stuff she'd thought only existed in movies.
He'd told her he loved her so many times last night. He'd said it as he was plunging deep inside her and sending her over the edge. She thought she had said it, too. She was trying to remember the blissful, emotional haze of the aftermath. She hoped Pacey knew just how much she loved him in return. That now, she loved him all the more. That now, if she were to lose him, it'd be like having her very soul ripped from her body.
And that's where the fear came in. Her love had been made all the more intense, but so had her fear.
Watching him now, she felt butterflies in her stomach. Scratch that, more like a thousand hairy spiders. She wanted to escape to the bathroom and make herself presentable before he woke up. Still, she couldn't tear herself away. She brushed a kiss across his forehead. His eyes fluttered open, and upon seeing her, a smile spread across his face. The way he looked at her sent her heart soaring, made her entire body flush with warmth.
"Good morning," she murmured quietly.
"Good morning."
Joey melted inside at his tender, loving gaze. She leaned forward and kissed him. When he pulled away, she saw his face had scrunched up. "What?" she laughed.
"Morning breath."
"Like you're one to talk. The Morning Breath Monster, himself."
He chuckled, and then kissed her. "Then I guess we'll have morning breath together. You okay?"
She nodded, smiling a little sheepishly. "Yes. I'm more than okay."
"Are you sore?" he asked, concern etching across his face, suddenly feeling a little ashamed at his loss of control, afraid things had gone a little too hard and fast there at the end.
She hadn't noticed anything, but now that he'd said the words, she shifted her hips and felt it, that slight twinge. Was she sore? A little. Did it matter? Not to her. She decided to tease him. "Oh, I'm extremely sore, Pacey. I hope your back is broken."
He burst out laughing. When his laughs subsided, he sighed heavily. "But seriously, Jo, are you?"
His worried look made her frown. "If I say yes, does that mean we're not gonna do it again?"
The corners of his mouth twitched. "Well, that depends."
"On?"
"On just how sore you are, and just how soon you wanna do it again."
She gave him a reassuring smile. "Only a little, I promise. Not enough to prevent me from doing it again as soon as possible."
Pacey heaved a happy sigh. "So, I'm thinking I should get you something."
She frowned at his changing of the subject, and then her brows knitted. "Get me something?"
"Yeah, you know, to commemorate last night's events. It wasn't an equal exchange, after all, and I'm kinda thinking I wanna make up for that."
"Well, if I had known there were prizes involved, I would've done it months ago. How about a car? I mean, nothing too expensive, just, you know, something to tool around in."
"How about the Witter Wagoneer?"
"The Witter Wagoneer? Do I look like some two-bit floozy to you?"
He laughed. "No. No, you don't. I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful than you do this morning."
"Then you're easy because I'm a mess." Joey attempted to smooth her hair back behind her ears.
"That's what makes you even more beautiful. Your hair is messy from me running my fingers through it. Your lips are swollen from my kisses. Your cheeks are pink from my whiskers." He smiled, a heady mixture of love and lust and pride welling up inside him. "I'm the only one who gets to see you like this."
"Well, have you ever stopped to think that maybe you're just the first of many, Pace?" she teased.
He smirked. "Oh. Well, in that case, I guess I just have to be satisfied with being the Neil Armstrong of the bunch."
She laughed, rolling her eyes, and his love for her welled up inside, filling his chest, and he pulled her closer. "Oh, man, I could do this."
"What?"
"This—the back and forth, the sweetness and the sarcasm. I could do this for the rest of my life, you know? With you as my partner in irreverence."
She leaned toward him, letting the tip of her nose brush his, and kissed the corner of his mouth, before leaning back and smiling at him.
"I'm still trying to decide what you deserve."
"Oh, really?" she laughed.
"Yeah. It's got to be something… oh, something big… something… no other girl in Capeside has."
Grinning wickedly, Joey slid her hand beneath the sheet. She reached for his penis and gave it a gentle squeeze. "What did you have in mind?" she asked, teasingly wetting her lips.
"Well, that, of course," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "But I meant something I'd like to buy for you."
"I don't want anything." She licked her lips again. "Well, other than this." Her hand wrapped around his penis again and then began to stroke him.
Remembering, Pacey's eyes went wide, and pushed himself back, putting much-needed distance between them. "You're asking for trouble, Potter."
She smirked. "Maybe that's the kind of trouble I want," she said suggestively, and then reached for him again, but his hand grasped hers, preventing her from touching him. A knot of worry suddenly tightened in her stomach. She'd told him she wasn't that sore. Didn't he want her?
He saw the look come over her face, and sighed. He cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb moving over her with reassuring caresses. "Jo, I only had the one condom," he said, brows arching pointedly. "I'll need to get more before we, uh, resume last night's activities."
She pursed her lips into a hard line, her face going red. She turned to lay on her back. Closing her eyes, she buried her face in her hands and groaned in embarrassment. "Pacey," she muttered into her palms. "Open my bedside drawer."
He sat up and looked past her to the wooden stand on her side of the bed, hesitating. What?
Sensing his pause, she nodded, still hiding. "Yes. Open it."
With a look of utter confusion, he shifted to lean across her. He pulled open the drawer, and then froze at the sight of three condoms sitting inside it. He reached down and picked one up. "Now I know that I didn't put those there."
Joey shook her head, her face burning, and she still hadn't uncovered it.
Pacey sat back and stared at her. "Explain."
She lowered her hands from her face and looked at Pacey. With a deep breath, she clutched the sheet around her and sat up, trying not to let that sore twinge she felt show on her face. "Where do I start?"
"Okay, well… when did you decide to bring condoms with you on the ski trip?"
She felt like her face was getting hotter. "Um… the night before the Worthington party."
He gaped. "But… that was like…"
"Six weeks ago."
Stunned into silence, he thought for a long moment, this new information swirling inside his head, starting to change everything he thought he'd known. "So… six weeks ago… you just assumed you'd be ready to sleep with me by the ski trip?"
Joey inwardly cringed, worrying that he would be mad at her. She gave him a repentant look. "I was ready, and desperately wanting to sleep with you, six weeks ago."
Why would she have kept them both waiting so long if she'd wanted to? He slid his hand across his mouth and looked around the room. His gaze fell on the candles on her bedside table. They'd gone out, and now he vaguely remembered they'd been lit the night before, but he couldn't recall if they'd been there when they first checked into the room. He turned to his own bedside table. More candles. He knew for sure there hadn't been any candles there. His gaze turned to the dressers and the mantle.
And just like that, more pieces of the puzzle that was Joey Potter began falling together.
"The mix-up with the room keys… wasn't a mix-up, was it?"
"Planned with Jen and Jack, also the night before the Worthington party, when we went Christmas shopping in Provincetown."
Their friends were in on this? He could only shake his head. His thoughts turned to her behavior over the recent weeks, how he couldn't make sense of it, how it had filled him with doubt, with worry, that she didn't want him as much as he wanted her, that some part of her was still foolishly clinging to Dawson. It now seemed as though the reason for it was something else entirely—the exact opposite, actually.
"Avoiding being alone with me as much as possible for the past month?"
Pursing her lips, she nodded sheepishly. "I was trying very hard to hold out for this weekend, and the waiting was killing me."
Pacey stared, his tongue firmly planted in cheek. "Unbelievable," he breathed incredulously. "You planned this whole thing."
She watched as a smile began to play about his mouth, and relief spread through her. "Yes. Well, sort of. Last night didn't exactly go to plan, but… I wanted to surprise you."
"I'm officially surprised." He laughed, but then he remembered the events of the day before. "Then… what the hell happened yesterday?"
"Well, Anna—" She stopped herself, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and tucked her hair behind her ears. "No. It wasn't Anna's fault. I'd been so obsessed with making everything perfect, that when things started going not-so-perfectly, I freaked out… and panicked and… I let my insecurities get the better of me."
He was still shaking his head, dumbfounded. His mouth curved into a smile as he looked at the candles again. "You're incredible, Potter."
She blushed. "Well, I wanted our first time to be romantic and perfect and… really special, and not just for me—for you, too. I wanted to show you how much I love you and how much you mean to me. But then, of course, in typical Joey Potter fashion, I got in my own way. I got so caught up in making the setting and timing perfect, that I forgot that there was nothing more important than just being with the perfect person…"
The conversation she'd overheard last night between Pacey and Anna came to mind, his fears and anxieties about Dawson, his hesitancy last night, the look of shock and disbelief that she'd actually want to have sex with him. Tears pricked her eyes, her chin quivered. "And I ended up driving my perfect person crazy with frustration and doubt," she said, her voice thick with emotion.
Pacey shook his head and gathered her into his arms, the sheets bunching up around them. He held her in his lap, her legs going around him, and sighed deeply. "What am I gonna do with you, Jo?"
"Well, I hope have more sex with me, for starters," she quipped tearfully.
He laughed. "That I can guarantee. Last night… that was the best sex I've ever had."
Her face flushed hot, and she couldn't meet his eye. "But… I didn't know how to do anything."
"Yes, you did," he replied, kissing her cheek. "You knew how to love me, and that's exactly what you did. So, you can forget all about that first of many nonsense. You're stuck with me, Potter. I ain't ever letting you go."
"Good. You better not."
"I won't. I promise."
Her throat tightened and fresh tears pricked her eyes. "I hope you know I'm gonna hold you to that promise."
He breathed deeply and kissed her cheek again. "I want you to."
"You can't leave me, Pacey," she choked, her voice full of emotion. "Not ever."
"Don't talk like that, Jo. Don't even think it. That's not going to happen. Not ever."
"Why are you so sure? I mean, a lot can happen…"
"Because I can't live without you, that's why."
She smirked, suddenly remembering a conversation they'd had months ago. "But not in a Romeo kind of way, right? I know my love is powerful, Pace, but you should never resort to suicide."
He laughed, softly brushing his lips along her jawline. And then Pacey remembered. He remembered her telling an oblivious Dawson in that Saturday detention sophomore year that she'd go to her grave a virgin, lonely and desperate for her best friend to open his eyes and want her instead of the exciting, experienced Jen Lindley. He remembered the night Dawson sexually rejected her, and he had sat with her on her dock while she'd cried on his shoulder. He remembered later that same night, lying on her bedroom floor listening to the fears and insecurities of a heartbroken sixteen-year-old girl who felt unloved and unwanted.
"Was it worth the wait?" he asked seriously, searching her soft brown eyes. "And I don't mean six weeks."
Lifting her hand, she caressed his face with the backs of her fingers. "Yes," she whispered. "It was worth waiting all my life for."
Relief spreading through him, Pacey captured her mouth in a long, deep kiss. They both had morning breath, so they canceled each other out, or so Joey told herself as she lost herself in his kiss, banishing thoughts of her toothbrush on the bathroom sink.
Soon their kisses turned sweetly frantic, and they fell back down on the bed, trying to disentangle the sheet from around and between their bodies, laughing and kissing. "Are you sure you're not too sore?" he asked, caressing his lips along her throat, his hand sliding down the soft skin of her belly to reach between her legs.
"Yes, I'm sure!" Neediness was making her breasts ache and her body eager. Then her stomach growled, offering its own opinion on what her priorities were, making her grimace and Pacey chuckle.
"Well, I suppose we do need sustenance to fuel this kind of activity," he smirked, moving off the bed and heading for the bathroom.
Joey watched his naked body move across the room with a nonchalance that surprised her, and remembered the night before with a smile. When he emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, still naked, and picked up his jeans from the floor, she started to get out of bed, but he put his hand up and pointed, halting her.
"No, you… you stay there. Don't you dare move." He got into his jeans and zipped them up. "Well… maybe go brush your teeth," he said as an afterthought, and she started laughing. "But when I get back, I wanna see you right in that spot."
Biting her lip, she smiled.
He pulled on his socks and put on his sneakers. "Okay, so… I'm gonna go over to the restaurant in the main lodge," he said, picking up his green corduroy shirt from the floor. He shrugged it on and started doing up the buttons.
"I'll get us some breakfast and bring it back here…" Pacey reached for his room key on the dresser and then his wallet on the vanity, shoving them in his pockets. "And then we'll…" he said as he moved toward the door, where he turned to look at her.
The way she was gazing at him made him stop and stare. Joey was propped up on her elbows, naked beneath the sheet, grinning at him suggestively, lust in her eyes, licking her lips, biting them, and rubbing her legs together playfully. Fire shot through his blood. Butterflies erupted in his gut. His cock twitched as a thrill radiated through him. His mouth went dry, and he had to swallow in order to speak.
"And then we'll, we'll… we'll… we'll do whatever you want."
Unable to take his eyes off her, he practically tripped going out the door.
It was cold outside, but it wasn't until he was halfway to the ski resort's main building that he realized he'd forgotten to put his coat on. He walked faster. His classmates were also walking about the property, some still in their pajamas just emerging from their cabins, others walking to or from breakfast, or making their way to the shuttle, skis and snowboards over their shoulders.
As he approached the entrance to the lodge, Jen and Jack walked out. When they laid eyes on him, they exchanged brief, knowing smirks.
He shook his head accusingly as they drew near. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the co-conspirators."
Jen's lips pursed and her eyes went wide, before she broke out in breathless laughter. "Hey, Pace."
"So, uh, how was your night last night, Pacey?
"Best night of my life, Jack. Thanks for asking."
He blew right by them and kept walking toward the entrance, still listening to the sound of their laughing voices as he opened the door.
Once inside the lodge's restaurant, he saw it was busy. He glanced up the clock and saw he'd made it in time, as the complimentary breakfast buffet was soon going to shut down at eleven. Capeside seniors went around the buffet, choosing from a variety of hot and cold selections. There was a pretty decent spread, he thought. Pacey grabbed a to-go container and then started moving around the buffet. Tongs in hand, he was placing strips of bacon inside the Styrofoam when a voice from the pits of hell filled his ears.
"Have fun sleeping on the floor last night, Witter?"
Rolling his eyes, Pacey turned to see Drue Valentine standing there with a smug look on his stupid face. "That's what you think, huh?" Choosing to then ignore him, he turned back around and tonged some sausage links into the container, before walking off to the pastry table.
Drue followed him. "You know, I just don't get why a guy like you would stay in a relationship for so long with that frigid shrew," he said behind him as they moved down the table.
After last night, the idea of anyone calling Joey frigid almost made him burst out laughing. Wouldn't Drue Valentine just love to know what he had waiting for him back at cabin twelve? His chest shook with suppressed derisive laughter. Still ignoring him, Pacey went about lifting two cinnamon rolls into his container. He then moved further down to inspect the other offerings.
"I mean, I get that she's cute and smart and pretty and all, sure," Drue said, still following him around the table. "But man, it must suck dating a girl who's such an uptight prude."
With that last word, a light bulb turned on above Pacey's head, and he stopped walking. With a look of dawning realization, he turned to stare at him. "Of course," he scoffed. "Of course. Why didn't I figure it out sooner? I mean, me, of all people."
"Figure out what?" Drue replied with a sneer.
"You. Constantly antagonizing Joey—goading her, ridiculing her, particularly when it comes to her inexperience and supposed disinterest in sex. So desperate for her attention, knowing the only way you're gonna get it is if it's negative…"
Drue eyed him warily, as if unsure where he was going with this.
Pacey fixed him with a knowing, self-satisfied stare, brows arching. "Just how badly do you wanna fuck my girlfriend?"
Gulping, his mouth fell open, and for a moment he looked caught out. He laughed nervously.
"Bad, right? Real bad. But she thinks you're shit, and deep down, you know she's right."
With a look of contempt, Pacey turned back around, ignoring the guy's stunned silence. "Have a good day, Drue," he called out boisterously as he walked away. "I know I will."
When he returned to cabin twelve carrying the container with their breakfast, he saw Joey was in the exact same spot he'd left her in, sitting up in bed, still naked under the sheet. His gaze quickly fell on her bedside table, where the three condoms were now sitting, having been removed from the drawer. She tapped her front teeth with a fingernail. With a shit-eating grin, Pacey kicked the door shut behind him.
A little while later, his eyes locked with hers as his fingers teased and stroked and circled, and sent her spiraling over the edge. She soon lay gasping, half on top of him, her clit still throbbing with small aftershocks of sensation. Joey looked down at him. He was still hard and wanting and unsatisfied. She reached down and took him in her hand, stroking and exploring him the way he explored her. He shuddered and stiffened, gritting his teeth and bracing his legs, as if resisting.
She ran her hand up and down the length of him, caressing the sensitive tip, running her fingers over the small bead of fluid, smoothing it over him. She loved the hot, satiny feel of him, and her palm tightened around him. Pacey groaned. She paused, not sure what to do. She wanted to do lots of things—she wanted to stroke the pleasure from him with her hands—she wanted to feel him come undone against her tongue—she wanted him inside her again—but she didn't know what she wanted most.
Her body then clenched and throbbed, making up her mind for her. She wanted him inside her, now. She felt hot all over, and ached inside, but he wasn't moving, just watching her, letting her play with him, not even reaching for a condom, even though his body was racked with barely-controlled need. For a moment, she didn't understand why. She wanted him, and he obviously wanted her, so why wasn't he…?
And then she knew. "Pacey, I'm not that sore."
He wanted her so badly he'd resorted to doing multiplication tables in his head to keep from exploding just from her fingers on him, but if she was hurting more than she let on, or if he lost control again and then made her soreness worse…
"Pacey, please. You said we could do whatever I want."
A solution came to him. "Do you want to get on top?"
"Me? On top?" She was intrigued even as her face flushed red hot, suddenly feeling shy. The bright light of day inside the cabin looked a whole lot different than the firelight last night.
"Yeah. You'll have more control."
"Well… okay."
Pacey shifted over a bit, lifting her as he did so she straddled him in the center of the bed. The sudden action startled her a little. After a second of battling embarrassment at the uninhibited position, she relaxed as she sat on his upper thighs. He was warm and solid—very, very solid—beneath her and she realized she truly would have a lot more control over the pace of their lovemaking.
"Like it up there, do ya?" He grinned up at her, and she laughed.
She smiled and set her palms on his chest, rubbing his nipples in tiny circles, feeling the little nubs rise beneath her hands. "It's… interesting. I think I could get used to it."
"I'll let you practice on me anytime, Potter." He lifted his hips slightly beneath her, and she clutched at his shoulders for balance. "Your turn to do the work," he said roughly. His eyes roamed over her body above him. "Fuck. Look at you."
Joey paused in the act of scooting forward towards his cock, and looked down at herself. Her nipples were hard and erect. Her skin was blotchy and red from her orgasm. Her curls were damp from her juices, still dripping from her hot center. She let out a breathy laugh. "Do you want me to put on the condom? If I'm the one doing the work?"
Blood surged in his veins. His cock throbbed. "Do you want to?"
"I think… I wanna try. I mean, I mastered that banana in class, didn't I?" she grinned. Then she glanced down at his erection, a feeling of uncertainty rising inside her. "Of course, I think this is a little bigger…"
He chuckled and reached for one of the three condoms on the stand.
Having him watch her so intently made the whole process nerve-wracking. She handled the wrapper carefully. When it was time to roll the lubricated latex down his shaft, her hands trembled.
Pacey, on the other hand, didn't move at all. He was rigid, braced as if to withstand mortal torture. Her inexperience in this arena made the act unintentionally provocative. His chest heaved, and nearly coming undone, he closed his eyes, groaning. Then he heard a popping sound. When he opened his eyes, Joey was gaping at him.
The condom had a hole in it. "Damn."
"I think I did something wrong," she frowned, feeling mortified.
"Not necessarily. Could be the product." When he saw the worry lines etching across her face, he caressed her legs reassuringly. "Jo, it happens sometimes. It's not a big deal. Let's just be thankful it broke now and not… you know, later." He quickly reached for another condom.
"I think you should do it." She still felt embarrassed.
He smiled, shaking his head. "Nope. You can do it. I know you can."
Taking a deep breath, she took the second condom and unwrapped it. This time, it rolled down with no problem. She flushed at the lust in Pacey's eyes, more than a little turned on by how much he loved her touching him. "I'm done," she said.
"You're just gettin' started."
Joey laughed, and then moved forward. Nothing he did was what she expected. Instead of lifting her onto his erection, he used his thumb to caress her sensitive flesh. She was embarrassingly wet. "I guess you can tell I'm ready," she muttered, her face burning, suddenly a little mortified at doing this in broad daylight, with all of her parts on full display above him.
His wicked smile calculated every degree of her insecurity. "You should see this from my side. Sheer perfection."
Lust flowing through her, she lifted her hips over his. But she didn't put him inside her. Instead, she rubbed her pussy over his cock, sliding his shaft against her clit. Her eyes fluttered shut as she repeated the motion. Her heat penetrated the condom, a tease of what was to come. Finally, she lifted her hips high enough to position him at her opening. There was an ache inside her that only he could soothe.
"You look incredible right now…" Pacey said distractedly as he shifted and lifted his hips in one movement. "Jesus…"
She gasped when the blunt tip of his erection pushed against her, seeking entrance. He slid in, slick and easy, the stretch no less shocking than the first time they did this. She bit her lower lip and let her head fall back, inhaling a shuddering, pained breath.
"Breathe," he told her, eyes going wide. "Fuck, baby, I'm sorry! Exhale. Joey. Exhale."
More helpfully, Pacey let his hips drop back down to the bed, pulling out part way, leaving only his engorged tip nestled in the sensitive flesh of her entrance. Air left her lungs the same way it came in, trembling like her arms. Tension seeped from her body, relaxing her muscles; Joey eased down, taking him inside.
They both groaned as she enveloped him, inch by slow inch, his hard cock stretching her soft, wet inner walls, until her hips rested against his. Molten heat surrounded him and he wanted to thrust up into her. At the same time, he wanted to draw this out, wanted her to have all the control. His fingers twitched, tightening against her hips, then relaxing.
"You okay?" he asked after a long humming moment, his voice tight, his teeth clenched.
Her breathing returned to normal. His smooth, hot length filled her, so tight, so complete. The sensation of fullness from this position was indescribable. And he was so hard. It felt amazing. She let her head fall forward, and then opened her eyes. Her hair was stuck to her cheeks and lips, partially obscuring her vision, but she could see the dark red flush in his face spreading down to his chest. Their eyes met, and neither of them moved. Pacey's body was a live wire waiting to spark, and from the look on her face, he knew Joey was nearly as far gone as he was.
"Don't move," she whispered.
"No problem." His gaze roamed from her mouth, swollen from his kisses, to her perfect breasts, down to where her tight, wet heat surrounded his thick hardness. "If I move, it'll all be over."
She made an amused sound, and focused on the way his hip bones jutted against her inner thighs, the brush of coarse hairs against her thighs and bottom, the throbbing, electric pulses deep inside her as her body adjusted to his. Joey gazed down at him, her hands running up his stomach to his chest. He was so gorgeous, and he was all hers.
"You keep looking at me like that, and I'm done."
"Close your eyes, then."
"Are you kidding me, Potter? You know how long I've waited for this?"
"I know, since 1999," she grinned, remembering what he'd said to Anna last night.
Pacey thought of his realization about Drue at the breakfast buffet. He knew exactly what had been underneath all the antagonizing pervert-prude back and forth that had peppered their relationship over the years. Long-forgotten, half-remembered memories from his youth began rushing forward. His face flushed and he bit his bottom lip.
Then he shook his head. "A lot longer than that."
"How long?"
"Since puberty."
Unable to speak, she gazed at him. She saw the truth of it in his face, and felt the truth of it in her own heart. She'd realized her jealousy over him was nothing new, that she'd been battling it all through her adolescence, despite how hard she'd suppressed her own feelings and pretended as though Pacey's attention was the last thing on earth she wanted. She should've realized what her constant angry reactions to his attention being drawn elsewhere actually were: denial.
Why had she wasted so many years clinging to what was easy and safe and predictable, when she'd known deep down what she'd really wanted all along? Joey knew the answer: fear. She'd start making up for it now. He was her soulmate. Her other half. Her match. In every way. And right now, in the most delicious of ways.
She smirked down at him. "Did you, uh, think about me a lot when you were going through puberty, Pace?"
"Uh, yes, I did, Jo. Sometimes several times a day."
"Oh, my God," she giggled.
Pacey's hands tightened around her hips. "Don't laugh," he gritted out through clenched teeth, fighting the sudden urge to climax coursing through his body as she clenched around him.
She took a deep breath and relaxed her muscles. "Sorry."
Then she closed her eyes and just felt the way his cock pulsed inside her as he fought for control, listened to his murmured curses and what sounded like counting in another language. Spanish? She listened closely. He was definitely counting backwards in Spanish. She fought to keep from giggling; didn't quite succeed. He swore again, and she smiled at the coarse words coming out of his mouth. She liked that he could be a bit filthy, that there was a dirty mind under there that came out when whipped into a sexual frenzy, so very different from his usual easy-going gentleness.
Without lifting herself off him, Joey swiveled her hips as she squeezed her inner muscles around his cock. The dual action sucked the breath from him, and he wanted nothing more than to pound up into her. His body clenched tight with restraint.
"You're a tease."
She opened her eyes and smiled down at him. "Hardly."
Using his grip on her hips, he urged her into motion. "Slow," he said, lifting her up and then gently back down. "Take it… take it easy."
At first, she did, because it felt good to absorb each shift and glide, to feel her body adjust to his cock. "Is this right?"
"Yes," he breathed as his entire body shivered. "Oh, baby, you have no idea how good it feels."
Joey burned at the sensation of him deep inside her as she gazed down at him. His blue eyes were intoxicated as he looked up at her. They were like a dark storm at sea. "I think I have a pretty good idea, Pace."
Then she lifted her hips a little higher and dropped back down, forcing a groan from his throat. Her breasts bounced with the movement. She leaned forward, setting her hands down on his sides at the bottom of his ribs and did it again. Sensation pulsed to the edges of her skin, electric. He moaned and thrust upward and the sensation spiraled inside her. And then she couldn't stop.
It didn't take long for Joey to set a steady rhythm, riding his body purposefully. He shuddered beneath her, his muscles bunched, his body tight between her thighs. With effort, Pacey forced his eyes to stay open, so he could watch her face, the sway of her breasts, the contraction of her stomach and thighs as she moved over him, the way his thick cock disappeared past her slick folds into the tight, wet sheath of her pussy. He could watch her for hours.
"Come closer," he managed to mutter. She was too far, there was too much space between them. He wanted her body pressed against his. "Joey, please."
She fell forward, her hands landing hard on the bed on either side of his head. Her hair curtained their faces as her mouth closed over his, kissing him ardently. A tangle of tongues and teeth and breath.
He shifted his focus to her breasts, capturing one with his hand and lifting it to his mouth. The moment he sucked her nipple, her pussy tightened around him. He knew she was there, close to orgasm, her body primed and ready to be pushed over the edge. Her walls squeezed and soaked his groin with her wet arousal, but he only wanted more. He pushed his free hand to her clit, adding a bit of pressure for her to move against.
"Come for me."
"Oh, Pacey…. yes, yes, yes." Joey moaned into the pleasure of rubbing her clit against him. She held his head tight to her breast, wanting him to suck at her harder as she rode his body. Suddenly the orgasm rolled through her like a wave, growing, building, then sweeping her up and over.
He felt her pussy clamp down on his cock before a cry of pleasure erupted from her. Just like last night, the ecstasy on her face and the sounds of pleasure coming from her imprinted on his heart and soul. Then he felt his own climax gathering swift momentum, felt the liquid release surging through him.
He watched her body moving over him, loving every second of it. Logic, emotions, his fantasies and desires mixed as pleasure began to ram through his body. And then he looked down at where they were joined to see the condom wrapped low around his thick base. "Shit! Joey…"
She was still coming when Pacey grabbed her hips and lifted her off him; she didn't want to get off, didn't want the throbbing pleasure to end so soon, and didn't understand what was happening until she sat on his hips and looked down to see the gorgeous sight of his orgasm pulsing from the swollen tip of his cock. Her mind filled with wanton lust and her body throbbed harder.
"More…" she breathed, saying the first thing that came to mind.
Groaning, a look of pure ecstasy in his face, he stroked himself, giving her more, before gathering some of his release on his fingers and bringing them to her swollen clit. It was shockingly intimate, and Joey's eyes rolled and her body clenched and soon she was crying out again as Pacey's touch sent her soaring to another peak, and this time there was nothing to interrupt her pleasure.
They clung to each other afterwards—breathing hard, hearts pounding, the fire of lust fading—reveling in the powerful, blissful feelings of love and intimacy between them.
After a little while, they lay facing each other. Pacey smiled at her, and Joey smiled back. "You tired?" he asked. "Do you wanna take a nap?"
"I don't want to waste my time here sleeping," she said. "I just wanna look at you all day."
His thoughts turned to what happened not too long ago. "Uh, Jo… how long have you had those condoms?" He nodded his head to the one remaining condom atop her bedside stand.
"Well… since I first went to the free clinic, and I think that was back in October. Yeah, October. But aren't condoms supposed to last a really long time?"
"Yeah, but how long did the clinic have them before they gave them to you?"
"How should I know?"
"Hmm. Well, I don't think I'm gonna try my luck with the third one. That was too close a call."
She hesitated—she knew a condom breaking was not good, but she also knew those things could happen and was prepared. "I'm on the Pill, you know. So, it's not like it would've been an utter catastrophe."
Pacey eyed her warily. "Well… still… I don't want to risk it. I've never done it without a condom, and I'm not about to start now."
"Never?
"Nope. Not once."
A feeling suddenly rose up from somewhere deep inside her—probably from that weakest part of herself she kept fiercely protected with her defense mechanisms, her fears and insecurities and neuroses—and she found herself wanting him to. She wanted him to come inside her, without wearing a condom. Wanted to feel his male hardness moving within her, no latex between them. She wanted him be a part of her, and her to be a part of him, two halves completing the whole, with no barrier in between.
"Pace, remember when you said that you wanted to give me something… something that would make this more of an equal exchange?"
"Yeah?" he replied, brows furrowing. He watched her bite her lower lip, searching her face, the look in her eyes, and then he knew what she was getting at. He stared, giving her a warning look. "You really are asking for trouble, aren't ya? Well, I'm not giving you that."
"It'd be something neither of us have ever done before…"
"That's just your post-coital bliss talking. You'll feel differently in a couple hours."
She lowered her gaze, feeling her face grow hot with embarrassment. "Okay. I mean, if you don't want to, then it's fine."
Pacey lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "I want to, Jo, believe me. But I'm not going to take stupid chances with you. You're too important. Your future is too important."
She nodded—she knew he was right, and that it was a foolish suggestion, and she now felt like an idiot for even opening her mouth. The desire was still there, though. "But… maybe… someday?"
"You're trouble with a capital T, Potter." He grinned and pulled her closer. Then he gazed at her tenderly, a warm smile playing around his lips. "Someday."
Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed him fervently, letting her feelings for him pour into her kiss. She kissed his lips, his chin, the tip of his nose. She kissed his temple, his brow, the scar on his cheek. They spent the next several minutes kissing, and it was like discovering the art of kissing all over again. She knew the intimate makeup of Pacey's mouth, even the manner in which he breathed, how his lips tasted and felt and their unique shape. How his touch always made her open up like a morning glory at dawn, ready to experience everything the day would bring. She felt that way with Pacey, that anything was possible as long as they were together.
His arms came around her and held her in a tight embrace, and they reveled in the feel of their bare skin pressed against each other. She hugged him tighter still, held him possessively, but it wasn't close enough. It would never be close enough. She wanted to melt inside him until they were one person. Wanted to be part of him. To be his in every way.
A little while later, Joey watched him walk across the room with a contented smile on her lips. She felt not the slightest bit wicked enjoying the view. That butt, those muscular legs, the way his shoulder blades moved. Emboldened, she followed him to the bathroom.
"A shower would be refreshing," she suggested with a grin.
With a happy, surprised smile, Pacey reached a hand to her and pulled her with him into the shower, where for the next few minutes they enjoyed washing each other's bodies and generally exulting in being young and in love.
Freshly showered and dressed, Joey collected her pajamas from the floor and carried them to her duffel. Then there was a knock on their door.
"Housekeeping."
She turned to stare at Pacey. He shrugged. She walked over to the door, and opened it to see a woman standing there wearing a uniform and holding a large bucket of cleaning supplies. "Hi. Um, we'll be out in just a minute."
"No problem."
She closed the door to see her boyfriend putting his sneakers on. "Let's take the shuttle into town, get something to eat, otherwise distract ourselves for a little while, find a drug store and get some more condoms, and then…"
She smirked. "And then…"
"And then we'll pick up where we left off." He waggled his brows and grinned.
They were soon snuggled quietly together on the lodge's shuttle, heading for the downtown drop-off spot. Neither of them had spoken for several minutes. Pacey kissed her head. "Tired?"
She smiled. "No, just pensive."
"Do you want to share your thoughts?"
"I guess… I was just wondering why I keep doing this to myself. Why I seem to always let fear prevent me from being happy, when I know deep down what would make me happier than anything. I'm sitting here wishing we could've done all this on the boat last summer, and thinking about all the time I wasted spent feeling afraid. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are still things I'm scared of, but not enough to hold me back from living the life I want."
"The hammocks wouldn't have been nearly as comfortable as that bed back there."
She laughed, laughed until she cried, and was wiping the tears from her eyes when Pacey spoke again.
"You're ready when you're ready, Jo. There's no sense in looking back and wishing things to be different because you can't change it. What's done is done. You just have to move forward. Besides, last night was perfect and I wouldn't change anything about it."
Joey sighed contentedly and leaned her head on his shoulder, sliding her hand inside his and entwining their fingers. "It really was perfect, wasn't it?"
He hummed and pressed his lips to her head. "Are you still sore?" he asked quietly.
"I can't tell." When she clenched her inner muscles, she smiled at him. That twinge was gone. "No. Not anymore. I'm fine."
A mixture of relief and lust spreading through him, Pacey leaned towards her and captured her mouth for a tender kiss. She tugged him closer, her hands gripping his coat to pull him against her. Her pulse raced in tandem with his as she parted her lips, inviting him to deepen the kiss. They were too wrapped up in each other to notice when the shuttle had come to its first stop, unloading skiers and snowboarders at the mountain drop-off.
A few minutes later, the shuttle arrived at the mountain pick-up stop, and more Capeside students boarded. Engrossed in each other, they considered little else. Joey's lips were at his ear, and her hand on his thigh, when suddenly a voice from the abyss interrupted their bubble of intimacy.
"Cory, Topanga… sucking face, as usual. Well, might as well take what little you can get. Right, Witter?"
They had looked up to see Drue Valentine carrying a snowboard, smirking at them with an air of smug superiority, before he kept walking towards the back of the shuttle. A couple of their classmates followed him, also smirking in their direction.
"The guy literally showed up at school five months ago and thinks he's the king of Capeside," Pacey carped. "He's begging me to punch him in the face at this point. Mark my words, Jo. It's gonna happen sooner rather than later."
"Please don't let Drue goad you into another Matt Caufield-type incident."
"Well, it doesn't have to be on school property, Jo. I'll punch him up here."
She pursed her lips and arched her brows with an impatient look.
A few minutes later they arrived at the downtown stop, and although they could feel his eyes on them, they exited the shuttle without a single backwards glance at Drue. Walking hand-in-gloved-hand, they checked out an art gallery, a homemade clothing store, and a jewelry store, where Joey practically drooled over a 2.6-carat oval-cut canary diamond ring priced at sixteen thousand dollars.
She tapped on the glass case. "You said you wanted to buy me something big that no other girl in Capeside has."
Laughing, Pacey walked over and looked down at the ring. "You like that? Well, there goes my Boston nest egg."
"Sometimes the sacrifice is worth it for something so beautiful," she teased.
"I didn't think you were much of a jewelry person, Jo. At least not that kind of jewelry."
Placing her hand back in his, she shrugged. "I don't know. I think it might be growing on me."
He smiled as he pulled Joey with him toward the door. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
They then found themselves perusing a cozy bookstore that smelled like apples and cinnamon. It was very warm inside and they quickly removed their coats, carrying them around over their arms. According to their tradition that began over the summer, they eventually wandered over to the self-help section and laughed together over some of the more ridiculous titles.
Pacey picked up a copy of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus from the shelf, and chuckled to himself. He'd known for a long time that the sparks between him and Joey could ignite something powerful, but he hadn't fully realized just how effortless, just how perfect, things would be once they reached that stage. There was no real morning-after awkwardness or embarrassment, at least not the painful, crippling kind. There was no discomfort or uncertainty over how they felt or what this meant or where they stood. Thrown together at the start of junior year, with the greatest of ease they had become true friends; now with even greater ease they had finally become real lovers. And it was all so comfortable, so natural, and felt so right.
"What's that look?" she asked quietly.
He placed the book back on the shelf and then closed the distance between them, aware of her quickening breaths and the darkening of her gorgeous eyes. Sliding a hand around her waist, he whispered directly in her ear—because he loved the way she held her breath every time he did.
"I'm thinking about how I'm head over heels in love with you."
She chewed on the corner of her mouth, blushing. "Really? I was thinking about the same thing."
"You don't say," he grinned. Joey was looking at him with a sultry, slightly shy gaze that made his insides soften and his outsides harden. Then he kissed her right there among the book shelves.
They decided to return to Grecco's Pizzeria for an early supper. Once inside the place, Pacey led her past the dining area near the front windows, with its noisy crowd of Capeside students, to a booth in a quiet corner in the back. Joey was scarcely aware of ordering her meal. She was completely focused on the young man who sat on the other side of the table. When their order of chicken parm sandwiches arrived, she gaped.
"There's no way I can eat all this," she told him. "This is twice the size of any sandwich I've ever seen, which, these days, is saying something."
It wasn't very long before they had paid the check and were walking back toward the exit at the front of the restaurant when Pacey came face to face with Anna Evans. At the sight of him, her eyes went wide and she gulped, but then she quickly recovered and flashed him a friendly smile.
"Hey, Pacey."
"Hi, Anna."
"Did you, uh, enjoy your first night at the lodge? You know, other than that whole thing where I made a complete fool out of myself? I'm really sorry about that, by the way."
He smiled kindly and shook his head. "It's water under the bridge, so don't even think about it. I'm not. And yeah, we had a great night."
Anna smiled. "Good. Thanks for being so nice, Pacey." Joey then saw the girl's smile falter somewhat when she finally noticed her standing behind him. "Oh. Hi, Joey. You're here, too."
"Sorry to disappoint," she snarked, moving to her boyfriend's side and grasping his hand possessively.
Pacey snorted and clenched his jaw, trying to keep a straight face. "So, did you have a good day, Anna? Are you enjoying the trip so far?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, it was pretty good. I went skiing and then hung out with some guys in the hot tubs for a little bit. Drue is supposed to meet me, but he's not here yet."
"Okay, well," he sighed. "I hope you have a nice night."
"Thanks," she smiled, her usual friendliness returning. "You too. I guess I'll see you guys on the bus tomorrow."
As they left Grecco's, Anna's departing words went around and around Joey's head. She almost couldn't believe they'd be leaving in the morning. Time had passed by so quickly. She wanted to make the most of the time they had left. "Pace, let's just find a drug store and catch the next shuttle."
Warmth flowed through him as he took in the look on her face. "Sounds good to me."
After asking directions on the sidewalk from a married couple with three small children, they found Snow Mountain Pharmacy just two blocks from the downtown shuttle stop. When they stepped inside, they paused and looked around. The place was large, and it wasn't laid out like any of the chain pharmacies they'd been to back home.
"Where do you think the condoms are?" Joey asked quietly.
He then laid eyes on the associate behind the counter at the front of the store, a gray-haired older man wearing a green short-sleeved button-down with the Snow Mountain Pharmacy logo in the upper left breast. "The easiest solution is just to ask."
Her face burned. "Oh, God."
Laughing, he pulled her by the hand. When they reached the counter, the older man blinked and stared, his gaze flickered between them. "Hi sir," Pacey greeted. "Where are the—"
"Aisle six," the associate said monotonously.
He scoffed. "You don't know what I was gonna ask for."
"High school students from Cape Cod? Staying at the Spruce Pines?"
Pacey exchanged a look with Joey. "Uh, yeah."
"Aisle six."
"Okay, then. Well, thank you, sir."
As they walked away from the counter, they heard the man mutter, "Every goddamn year."
Walking as fast as she could, Joey's face flushed and she tried not to laugh. "Oh, my God," she snickered as her boyfriend laughed beside her. They were still quietly laughing when they found the large number six hanging from the ceiling. As they rounded the corner into the aisle, they froze at the sight of Drue Valentine and Jim Connelly standing in front of the rather large selection of condoms. The two boys appeared to be deliberating something, and hadn't noticed their appearance at the end of the aisle.
"We can go meander around the other aisles until they leave," Pacey whispered, backing up.
"But how long are they gonna stand there?" she whispered back, impatient. The red light of the digital clock on the wall told her they had fifteen minutes to catch the shuttle, or it'd be another half hour wait for the next one. Then she sighed. "You know what? Who cares? Just go get the condoms."
"He'll know why I'm getting them, Jo."
Her thoughts turned to the way her cretin of a coworker had been goading and ridiculing them about their relationship for months. Maybe he should eat his damn words for once. She smirked. "I know. It's okay. Go get them."
He grinned and kissed her on the cheek before walking back into the aisle and heading straight for the display of condoms. "Excuse me, fellas," he said, cutting a path right between Drue and Jim, and ignored their stunned, wide-eyed stares.
His gaze fell on the small, four-pack box of Durex Maximum lubricated condoms, but as he started to reach, his eyes saw a larger box below and, smirking, he quickly changed course. He bent slightly to grab the twenty-four pack. Turning to look at a speechless Drue, he shook the box of condoms and then walked back towards Joey. She stood at the end of the aisle, watching, and put a hand to her mouth to hide her smile and muffle a giggle. Pacey took hold of her other hand. She turned with him to head back towards the front of the store, but not before noticing a look of pure hatred and hostility on Drue Valentine's face.
Joey turned to her boyfriend. "You really enjoyed that, didn't you?"
He gave a growling laugh. "Let's just say that… if we weren't gonna have sex later, I would've said that was the best thing to happen to me tonight."
She shook her head, smiling, and then took the box from his hand. "And did you really have to get a pack of twenty-four?"
"Oh, well, there was a value pack back there with forty-two. You want me to go get that instead?"
She laughed. "You'd just love that, wouldn't you?"
He chuckled, wagging his eyebrows at her.
"Let me pay for them," she then told him as they approached the counter. "Seeing as how the ones I brought were decrepit. It's a good thing you had that condom in your wallet."
Pacey was still laughing when they came face to face with the older pharmacy associate behind the front counter. While her boyfriend was grabbing sodas from a nearby cooler, Joey set the twenty-four-pack of condoms down and pulled her wallet from her coat pocket. She inwardly cringed, feeling embarrassed, but she refused to act like the skittish kitten everyone expected her to be, refused to be mortified over being a normal, sexual human. She inwardly smiled to herself, knowing that if Jen could see her now, she'd be so proud.
The man looked at her. He looked at the box. He looked at her again. For a split second, they shared what was nothing short of a struggle for dominance. She wasn't going down with embarrassment first. He would have to be the first one to avert his gaze.
After two bottles of soda—Cherry Coke for her, Sprite for him—were set on the counter next to the condoms, along with some packs of chips and a couple candy bars, the associate rang them up. Their items were placed in a plastic bag and when they turned away, they saw Drue Valentine and Jim Connelly walking towards the counter. Without a word passing between any of them, Pacey took Joey's hand in his, entwining their fingers, and then walked out of the pharmacy.
They returned to their cabin just before sunset. While she took her time in the bathroom, he turned on the gas fireplace and got undressed, trading his jeans for a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. Looking around the room, he took in the glass candles dispersed atop the various surfaces, and smiled. She'd obsessively planned for weeks to make their first time perfect, and then, as she'd said, got in her own way. It was perfect anyway, because getting the small details right didn't matter so much as the rightness of the two people involved. He knew she still cared about the small details, though. With a quick glance at the closed bathroom door, he got to work.
Pacey pulled two large, heavy wool blankets from the bottom drawer of the tallest dresser and laid them on the floor next to the fireplace. He gathered up the candles and set them down along the hearth. Knowing she must've brought something to light them with, he went to her duffel bag, where he quickly found matches. The candles were then lit. After he opened the box of condoms, the setup was soon complete.
When Joey emerged from the bathroom and took in the sight of Pacey sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, the blankets spread out beneath him, the candles lit, her insides melted and warmth spread through her. She smiled as he looked her up and down, his brows raising slightly in surprise. She was only wearing underwear and a tank top. There was no point in anything else, and she was nothing if not practical. Now that she thought of it, she probably should've just walked out naked.
She joined him on the blanket and his arms quickly pulled her to him. The firelight bathed their faces in a warm, golden glow. Their hearts swelled with emotion. She gazed at him, inching closer. He slowly brought his face to hers, kissing her softly, slowly, passionately. Heat spread through them, sweet and thick like warm honey, and a completely separate feeling from the warmth of the fire.
He broke their kiss to move his lips to her throat, his arms tightening around her. Joey's nearness, her sweet scent, the taste of her skin, turned his blood into flames. Her hands grasped Pacey's bare shoulders, before letting them slide down his arms, across his chest. She could feel his heart pounding, and she could feel him trembling just as she was trembling.
She turned her body towards him, her arms going around him, basking in the warmth of the fire. "Isn't this nice?"
"There you go with that word again. It's a lot more than nice."
"You know what I mean, Pacey."
He smiled, and then his lips sought hers, passionately kissing her, and they moved to lay together on the blankets. It wasn't long before his pajama bottoms and her tank top had been tossed aside. Soon she was squirming and arching her hips towards him. He watched her bare skin glow as she laid sprawled on the blanket covering the floor. The flames flickered across her curves, darkening her shadows and highlighting her perfect roundness. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Tender desire flowed through his veins, and he needed to touch her, to feel her skin under his hands.
Pacey leaned down, his lips opening against hers. Joey opened to him, and he slid his tongue into the warm softness of her mouth and caressed hers. She moaned into him, wanting more. He trailed kisses down her neck, her collarbone, to the swell of her breasts, tasting her skin. His hands caressed her arms, sides, the skin of her belly and hips, before moving to fondle her soft breasts. They felt heavy and full in his hands, and he reveled in the feel of her nipples when they hardened into taut, peach nubs as his thumbs grazed over them. She closed her eyes, bathing in the warmth of the fire, hot desire pooling at her center at the feel of his mouth on her breasts. Her back arched and she moaned in pleasure as he took her nipple in his lips and sucked hard.
Then he lifted his face to hers and kissed her. Joey reached down to find his hardness, and took him in her hand, the whole thick, hot length of him, stroking him. He groaned.
"Jo, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. Did you know that?"
"Yes," she replied matter-of-factly, and then her hips arched again. She was wet and swollen, and the throb at her center ached.
He laughed. "Okay, good. Glad we got that cleared up." His eyes roamed over her, at her hips squirming. "What do you want?" he asked quietly.
"I want you inside me," she breathed, still stroking him. "And let's try something new we haven't done yet. Well, maybe not new to you…"
"New?" He gave her a surprised smile. "Um, what did you have in mind?"
"I don't know. Everything's new to me. I just thought… well, this is our last night in the cabin, and I want to make the most of it before we return to the real world tomorrow."
Graphic ideas flooded his mind, which sent wanton lust coursing through him. Finally, he settled on something, but he hesitated. It was something Tamara had enjoyed and taught him how to please her at it, just as she'd taught him most everything else, but it was something Andie had hated. They'd done it once and then never again.
"What are you thinking of?" she asked.
He swallowed, still deliberating. "Are you sure you're not sore anymore? I mean, absolutely sure. Not even the slightest."
She shook her head, smiling. "I'm not sore at all, Pacey. I promise."
His mind made up, he moved off the blanket and returned with a pillow. He gazed down at her. "Turn over onto your stomach, Jo."
Her eyes widened. Nodding, Joey did as he said, pushing away the slight twinge of embarrassment at being in this position with him behind her. Her body clenched with anticipation and need. Butterflies came alive inside. Her heart pounded beneath her ribs.
"I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to do, Jo. And just like I said last night… if you ever want me to stop, tell me immediately, and I'll stop."
"I trust you, Pacey."
He pulled her up onto her hands and knees, his lips tracing her tailbone. He knelt behind her and removed her panties, then ran his large, warm hands over every inch of her body in long strokes, shoulder to hip, over her breasts, stomach, knees and thighs, between her legs, around her ass. Everywhere. His touch was everywhere. Her arms trembled, but she didn't want him to stop. She didn't ever want him to stop. She felt protected, safe. Cherished, and loved. She felt wanted. The intimacy made her heart swell with love for him.
When he spread her thighs and brought his hand between them, she dropped to her elbows, pressing her face into the blankets. She felt overwhelmed, feverish, and he made it so much worse and so much better. He dragged one finger over her swollen flesh, exploring her slick folds, further arousing her. Half draped over her back, Pacey breathed against her neck as he pushed two fingers deep inside her. With a strangled moan, Joey arched into his hand, wanting more. So much more.
"You like that?" he asked.
"Yes. Please, Pacey… I want…"
He teased her clit with glancing touches, light pressure, then firm, perfect, yes, right there, just like that—and then his fingers would slide away to sink back inside her. Over and over again, his mouth at her nape and behind her ear as tension began to build and her stomach tightened in anticipation.
"Oh, God… you're gonna make me come," she said, shocked and excited at how quickly and easily he'd brought her to this point. How easy and comfortable Pacey made everything, as if the two of them had done this together a thousand times before, as if he knew precisely what she needed and wanted to give it to her.
"Not yet," he said, his voice husky with arousal. She felt so hot, wet, and tight around his fingers. He couldn't wait any longer. "I want to be inside you."
Her inner muscles spasmed and she moaned, but he withdrew his hand from her center, shoving the pillow under her stomach as he moved away. She heard a condom wrapper tearing open, and he hooked one hand behind her knee and eased it up, flattening her onto the pillow, opening her body wide for him.
He shifted again and entered her from behind, inch by inch, stroke by shallow stroke. Pacey took his time, waiting for her to adjust to his size, to the glorious feeling of stretching to receive him. He slammed his eyes shut. She was so tight in this position breathing was near impossible.
"Oh. My. God," they both groaned, almost in unison.
Amazing. Just mind-blowingly amazing, the sensation of Pacey deep inside her, the rigid, hot length of him, and his soft stomach against her back, his warm breath on her neck. His weight. His scent. His everything. She thought she might die from it. Every part of her was tense and throbbing, ready to shatter.
She was squeezing around him and he wasn't gonna be able to take much more of that before he unraveled. When he couldn't hold out any longer, he grabbed her thighs to lift for a better angle and thrust. Joey cried out and gripped the blanket, her knuckles going white. His cock was hitting a completely different spot inside her than anything she had felt before.
He began to thrust, in and out, hips against her ass, her inner walls like a glove milking his shaft. So hot, so tight. Perfection. "Does that feel good?"
"Yes," she whimpered, pleasurable tension building at her core, her release hovering over the edge. His chest was pressed into her back. His mouth was at her neck, her ear. "You feel so good, Pacey. You make me feel so good."
"God, Jo, so do you."
She felt Pacey slip a hand beneath her and press one finger to her clit. That was all it took—four or five pulses of his fingertip and she came, sudden and hard. Her entire body contracted around him, tearing a cry from her throat, some combination of incoherent language and mindless ecstasy.
When her orgasm subsided, he quickly removed the pillow from underneath her stomach, and turned her over onto her back. Joey pulled him down to her, spreading her legs, and kissing him passionately as he entered her again.
And then she was begging him to go harder, faster. The sound of Joey instructing him, being assertive, telling him what she wanted, needed, made his head burn and his groin tighten, and he could feel his own climax building quickly. He wasn't going to last much longer.
The dying embers of her first orgasm roared to life again, and by the time Pacey worked himself into a swift, steady rhythm, she was falling apart again. His hand palmed her breasts and rolled her nipples as he pounded into her, driving her climax higher and higher until she could hardly breathe through the throbbing spasms.
Fire raced from his lower back straight to his balls as Joey quaked in his arms. He dropped his face to her neck, releasing hard and fast, until every last ounce of him had been wrenched dry.
Pacey held her through the last of her aftershocks, depleted but determined to control his emotional reaction. But it was the same as last night. The onslaught of raw emotion was no different. His chest cracked wide open and his throat seized. The powerful, gratifying ache ripped through his gut and welled behind his eyelids. He wanted to weep for the love of her, but he forced himself to breathe through it.
When Joey went limp and collapsed on the blanket, Pacey pulled out and grabbed the box of tissues he'd stashed nearby, removing and wadding up the condom. Breathing heavily, he then dropped down beside her, his eyes still pricked with tears. "Holy shit."
She chuckled, wonderfully languid and limp. "I can't move, Pacey. I can't. It's physically impossible."
"Me either. But at some point, the floor will get uncomfortable and we'll have to move. If we sleep down here, we'll get a crick in our necks."
"The fire will keep us warm, though."
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yeah." Her voice came out weak. She was more than all right. She was stripped down, naked and reborn. She was rippling with pleasure from her toes to the roots of her hair. Pacey had just blown her mind.
"You're a freaking goddess," he said, smoothing one hand over her breast and leaving it there for a long moment, a warm, comfortable weight.
Oh, he was so perfect. Two orgasms and a compliment. If she could bottle and sell him, she'd make a fortune. It was a good thing she couldn't because he was all hers and she wasn't about to share. Joey turned her head to the side and looked at him. He was on his back, eyes closed, his chest rising and falling from the exertion. Last night he'd held her through her first time, pleasured her in a love-and-life-affirming sort of way. Earlier today, while their lovemaking had been fun and exciting, it was still somewhat tentative and careful. But tonight… tonight was different.
Tonight, they came together as equals, with equal wants and desires. There was no need to be careful, to be gentle, to go slow. There was nothing holding either of them back. And it had blown her mind. Joey watched as Pacey's breathing returned to normal, lying there, eyes closed, with a satisfied smile on his face. She was unable to tear her eyes away. His gorgeous, naked body was on full display. Even soft, he was impressive.
"What are you thinking?" he asked. "I can feel you staring at me."
"I'm just wondering how long it takes for you to be ready to go again. I mean, that's one condom down, twenty-three to go."
He opened one eye, turned his head a bit, and laughed. "I'll let you know as soon as I get the feeling back in my legs."
She tried not to giggle, but didn't quite succeed.
It was nearly midnight when she emerged from the bathroom one last time, exhausted, and Pacey suddenly lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the bed. "I can walk, you know," she said stubbornly.
"When I'm old and wrinkled and weak and can no longer lift you, then you'll walk. Until then, I'll carry you to bed."
"My hero," she deadpanned, and he laughed.
Once they were in bed, he pulled her against him, legs tangled together beneath the covers. Joey caressed his face, gazing into his eyes. "What are you thinking about?" he whispered.
"How happy I am. How much I love you," she answered. Pacey smiled at her and tucked some loose tendrils of dark hair behind her ear. "What are you thinking about?"
"How happy I am and how much I love you," he said quietly, grinning. "I'm thinking about how I want to sleep next to you every night and wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life."
She sighed and brushed the tip of his nose with hers. "Too bad tomorrow we'll be back to the real world."
Pacey shrugged. "Well, someday we will."
"What?"
"Someday we'll get to sleep next to each other every night and wake up next to each other every morning."
Joey smiled, tucking herself against his chest, reveling in the warmth and safety of his arms holding her against him. She closed her eyes and breathed in his comforting scent. "Yeah. Someday."