All Over Again

| Chapter Fifty-Four |

Ruth couldn't breathe.

She couldn't think, couldn't comprehend, and couldn't very well move, much to her pleasure. Her body was entrapped between a wall and, quite literally, a hard place, and though Raffo stole her breath away from her, she wouldn't have their position any other way.

Ruth didn't know how her legs could hold up much longer around Raffo's waist as he dove between her ample thighs, especially with how jello-like they felt, but she knew Raffo's sturdy hand must have been helping somewhat. The fabric of her brown dress was bunched high over her hips on the bottom, and her cleavage spilling well over the top. Raffo's bare chest slammed up against hers the harder he pushed them against the wall, his lips ravishing her open skin as she exposed her throat. His free hand had her wrists pinned well above her head so he could plant kisses where he wanted, with her permission, of course.

Ruth moved her hips in rhythm with his circling half and a throaty moan pushed its way from her lips, followed by his hiss through his teeth. Her body trembled and clenched, getting ready for the next wave of pleasure to spark like fireworks from between her legs.

"You—you must—have really," Ruth gasped. "Loved the dress."

Raffo pulled back just enough to glaze his vision down her straining chest and exposed brown thighs, which were partly covered by the bunching fabric. A sexy smirk graced his swollen lips and if wasn't between her thighs right then, her legs would have clenched together at such a look. His fingers released her wrists to wrap around her throat as he drew her closer for a kiss he controlled. And if it wasn't the sexiest thing she ever experienced—

The way he made love to her lips should have been illegal. With the slow caress of his mouth to hers, and the skilled movement of his tongue, she was nearly a goner as he held her throat with enough pressure to have her wanting more. Her vision glazed over dreamily when he finally pulled back enough to look at her, and she lazily licked her lips.

"Fuck, you've been driving me crazy all day," he admitted darkly, pressing a kiss near her covered nipple. His tongue dipped down and brushed against it, sending a shock of pleasure down her body. She whimpered. "Especially in this dress."

"Then show—" Ruth couldn't even finish the sentence.

Raffo was quick to fix his grip on her body and finish exactly what he started until she was crying from the floor shaking orgasm that spasmed throughout her lower half. He came not long after she did, sagging his body against hers with his arms under her to support her weight. She wrapped her arms around his neck and dove her shaking fingers into the beautiful strands of his hair, holding him to where her shoulder met her throat. His soft pants of air against her skin helped draw the roaring from her ears as she suddenly wanted to listen to the song his breath sang. Something about the way he breathed made her want to keep the sound on repeat for the rest of her life, and she would never grow tired of hearing it.

Ruth wanted moments like then to last forever. To make love and breathe one another in as if they shared one body instead of two. She could never imagine giving their connection up.

Raffo pressed his lips to the base of her throat, his arms squeezing her to him. "I love you."

Ruth wrapped her hands around his face and drew his lips up to hers in a soft kiss. "I love you, Raff."

His crooked smile nearly stopped her heart. He pulled out of her not long after with a quiet groan, followed by her whimper, and then carried them both over to her bed, laying her carefully in the center. Before she could protest against him leaving her, he laid out on top of the bed beside her.

Ruth comfortably morphed against his chest and curled into him as he propped his head onto his hand so that he could look down at her. She shyly looked up at him and he smiled with a teasing tilt of his lips.

"We've been seeing each other for months and you still get shy around me?" He said, playfully.

Her cheeks warmed. "I can't help it! It's only when you look at me."

His eyebrows furrowed. "But I always look at you."

"You do but not like . . . this."

Like I'm everything you could ever want in this world.

"You want me to stop looking at you, aiukli?" He whispered, brushing a curl off her chest. To make a point, he turned his head to look up at the ceiling.

Not even lasting half a second, Ruth reached up and brought his head back down so he was looking at her again. "Hey, I didn't say all that now."

Raffo laughed, the sound husky and deep; something dreams were made of. Or perhaps just hers. Oh, well.

"I'm going to miss the hell out of that sound," she murmured, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone as she searched his expression for something she didn't know. She just knew she wanted to stare at him for as long as she could while she had the chance. Even if he thought it was creepy, which he never did, she didn't care. She could gladly look at him for the rest of time.

Raffo pressed his lips to her forehead soundlessly. "I'm going to miss the hell out of you."

"I'm sure time will fly. It's been speeding these last few months already, hasn't it?" Ruth tried to sound more positive, but she wasn't sure it came out as cheerful as she wanted it to.

"It has," he agreed. "When you're out there, maybe we can plan—I don't know . . .  a day for one of us to visit the other? It might be awhile to save up enough money at the shop with Johnny's dad, but I'll just put in extra time over summer. There's no school, anyway, and I'll be applying for other jobs after we graduate."

"I would love that," she smiled, her heart leaping at the thought of getting to plan a visit with him. "What are you planning to apply for?"

"Not sure yet. I'm meeting with a job coach on campus to talk about it in a few weeks, so I guess we'll see where I end up," he said. "Hopefully with a tribe somewhere."

"Any tribe would be lucky to have you, Raff. Seeing how hard you fight for the best of everyone around you, I know any field you go into is going to be perfect for you."

Though it was a sappy sentiment, she meant every word of it. Raffo was one of the most caring people she's ever met. He'd advocate for anybody who needed it, and she knew anyone would be lucky to have him. He would be nothing short of a hard worker, she knew that much.

Raffo pressed a chaste kiss to her awaiting lips. "Thank you, baby," he whispered against them.

"Of course. You know I have your back no matter what you decide to do," she promised, pulling back enough to look up at him. "Our future's right around the corner, and I care about yours just as much as I care about mine. You're one of the greatest people I've ever known, Raff, and I'd be damned if I'm not there to watch you be all that I know you will be."

"You'll be there," he reassured her, smiling beautifully. "I won't allow it any other way."

"Neither will I," Ruth said, then paused, as something occurred to her. She blinked, surprised she hadn't asked him yet. "Also, I have one more request to ask of you before I forget. It won't be for some time, but I still want to ask."

He furrowed his eyebrows, his gaze calculating. "Anything."

"Will you come to the airport?" she asked, her voice soft with urgency. "To see me off?"

Raffo's eyes smothered. His throat bobbed for a moment before he pressed his forehead to hers, his arm wrapping protectively around her waist like he wanted to keep her cages there forever. In his favorite dress, with her unruly curls tangling with his long strands around her waist, and her eyes rounded with hope. If both got their way, they would stay comfortable in their secluded cocoon.

"Of course," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "Of course I'll be there, aiukli."

"Thank you," she choked, moving to claim his lips in the sweetest, saddest song her body could offer him. "Thank you."

*****