I forget about the three small tattoos on my hip. “It was on a whim in South Padre, spring break after senior year. Too much tequila . . . you know the drill.”
The smile that reaches his eyes is so sweet as he stares down at the little bunch and kisses it again. “A trail of strawberries.” Glancing at me, he adds, “I like where these are leading.”
I giggle. Yes, giggle like a schoolgirl under his admiring gaze. My cheeks are heating, and it feels so good to release the tension. “Glad you like.”
“You know what I like better?” The shorts reach my thighs, and his gaze travels to the apex of my legs. It’s not a lingering look, but it’s potent in its powers, making me want to clench my thighs together and rub feverishly. He doesn’t let me. His fingers drag down my legs, making claims that he doesn’t verbalize.
I don’t know how I thought this would play out, but I wasn’t expecting a sweet seduction from him. It rouses my yearning for him, pulling it to the surface as if it’s been waiting for the opportunity.
He gets off the bed, taking my pajama bottoms with him and dropping them to the floor. Standing at the end of the mattress, he explores my body slowly, leaving the cool air to brush over my skin. But it’s not the temperature that makes me want to beg him to return. It’s the way he’s taking me in.
Desire.
Approval.
Need.
A delicious combination burns in his eyes as he licks his lips. His eyes reach mine again, and he says, “Take off your top for me, Lauralee.” His voice is firm, a command not a request that I’m more than happy to oblige. Especially since he’s already taking his briefs off in front of me.
All’s fair.
I sit up and strip my shirt away and toss it at him. He catches it with a grin as I settle back on my elbows. “You going to stand there all night and stare?”
“It’s not the worst idea.” He kisses the inside of my left thigh, then makes sure the right one isn’t left out. Looking back up at me, he says, “I can’t wait to watch you come.”
I’m left lifeless, dead to the world, seduced to death with that simple phrase.
He flattens his hand over my stomach and kisses closer to where I really want him but stops shy of the spot. Nudging under my leg, I lift. He settles in with it draped over his shoulder and takes a lick like he’s been dying to his whole life—eyes closed, deep inhale, and savoring right after.
I fall flat on my back and lie there with my arms wide open as this man’s hunger for me gets the better of him, and he starts devouring me like I’m his last meal. I grab the pillow above my head and smother my moans though I know there’s no stopping my body from wriggling under his tongue and lips, his mouth as he latches onto my clit.
“Oh my God,” I whimper, the intensity striking like the lightning outside. My body feels alive, electrified as his mouth takes me, teases me, fucks me, and tempts me toward the edge. My mind is nothing and everything at once. His tongue, the feel of his hair between my fingers as I tug, the scruff along the soft skin of my inner thighs and that look he gave right before diving in that told me to get ready to hold on tight.
When he hums against me, his fingers tease my entrance before he slips in. The pillow is discarded as my back arches and my thighs clamp together. “It’s too much. Too much,” I plead to myself.
“Do you want me to stop?”
I bolt my head upright. “God, no. Don’t you dare.” I push his head down, and he laughs but then circles my need until I can’t take much more. “I can’t hold on.” I shake my head, wanting to let go and float to the beautiful abyss.
“Let go, baby. Just feel. Feel how good?—”
His voice, the tone, him. He sends me spiraling toward myrelease. I reach the peak, and my body tremors beneath his warmth and care, his slick mouth, and big hands. I bite my lip to stop the blissful moan that wants to escape.
And as soon as my body finds peace in the stillness, he kisses my lips and my forehead before he falls beside me to lie. I roll my head to the side, and when he looks my way, I say, “That was better than any electronic.”
We both laugh, and he says, “Good to hear.”
But when his hand finds mine, and he takes hold of it between our bodies, I catch the beat of an errant feeling entering my heart. One that is new to me. One that’s blooming only for him.
The laughter stops, and I look up at the ceiling, finding it safer in this space than staring into his eyes. I’m not sure what to say while we lie together like this. He’s just as quiet, seemingly with as much on his mind when I steal a glimpse of him staring at the same boring ceiling.
I roll over and kiss his chest. I want to break the ice, but more so, I want him to feel as good as he’s made me feel. I rub over his hard abs and start going lower, but he catches my hand and brings it to his mouth. He places a kiss on it, and says, “I know we keep saying all’s fair, but you don’t owe me anything, Lauralee. I wanted to do that for you.” Slipping his hand under my hip, he pulls me into his arms. “Let’s get some sleep.”
Arguing doesn’t feel right, so I believe what he says and snuggle against him. When I close my eyes, he kisses my forehead and whispers, “You taste just like shortcake. I think that’s what I’m going to call you from now on.”
A few years ago, heck, even a few months ago, I would have laughed him out of the Pass. But lying in his arms that hold me like precious cargo, I smile instead.
CHAPTER 5
