I glance behind me. “What is it?”
He bursts out laughing. “You, Paige.Youare wow. I...” He comes closer, taking both my hands—with some careful navigation of the splint—and looks at me with a mix of desire and wonder that makes my knees get all shaky.
“I know you don’t like people saying things about the way you look, but I...I just have to tell you, Paige. You are beautiful.” He raises our hands to his chest and holds them there. “Beautiful.”
That stupid heat pricks my eyes again. “I...I like it when you say it.”
He grins, and we just stand there for a second, like the two clueless teenagers we were all those years ago. Finally, he drops one of my hands and uses the other to lead me to the bed.
“Shall we?” he says when we reach the end of the cream-coloured comforter.
Now it’s me who starts laughing. “Did you seriously just say ‘Shall we?’”
He shifts on his feet. “Uh, yeah. I really just fucking did that, didn’t I? Wow.”
I’m still laughing when I lower myself to the mattress and roll to lay flat on my back. He flops down on his back beside me, and we both lay there, laughing and staring up at the ceiling. After a moment, he kicks his shoes off, and I start to do the same with mine before I remember I’m wearing heels with ankle straps.
Not my area of expertise.
I start to sit up, but Youssef beats me to it.
“I’ll get them for you.”
He shifts himself down to the edge of the bed before guiding me to bend my knee so he can reach my foot. His touch on my leg sends a thrill all through my body, and watching him slide the tiny black strap through the thin metal holder is way more erotic than I expected. He rubs my ankle once the strap is undone, and I let out a moan before I can stop myself.
He glances up at me, and something dark and hungry slips into his gaze. He pulls my other foot into position, and by the time my second shoe is off, I can feel every brush of his fingers sending a pulse between my legs.
I expect him to lay back down now that he’s finished, but instead, he skims his hand up my shin, over my knee, and along the top of my thigh until his fingers come to rest a few inches under the hem of my dress. My hips buck instinctively, and he draws a hiss in through his teeth.
“I really need to touch you.”
All I can do is nod as he uses his other hand to spread my thighs apart. My dress slides up a bit. The hem has almost reached my hips now. His fingers tease the inside of my thighs, trailing fire wherever he touches me. I need to feel him. I need him all over me.
By the time he starts shifting my hips, I’m about ready to just grab his hand and put his fingers where I need them. He has me paralyzed, though. I’m aching for him, but I’m mesmerized by his pace, by the way he gives just enough hints of what I want to leave me totally helpless on the bed.
Being with him this way, kissing him and feeling him touch me—it’s everything I remember, but a thousand times more intense. It means more now. He means more now.
He slides my dress all the way up to my waist, revealing my plain black thong. The cool air of the room combined with the anticipation of what he’ll do next makes me tremble.
I’m so soaked I’m sure he can see it.
“Beautiful,” he says again as he stares down at me. “Paige, you are so fucking beautiful.”
And then he runs a finger up the narrow triangle of my thong.
“Oh, fuck.” My curse comes out low and breathy. “Fuck fuck fuck. Youssef. Fuck.”
One side of his mouth twists up into a grin, and he starts to rub me harder. “Does that feel good?”
“So. Fucking. Good.”
I close my eyes and bite my lip to keep from getting any louder. He hasn’t even moved under the fabric yet, and I’m already going crazy.
“Need you...” I murmur as my hips start thrusting against his hand.
“Hmm?”
“I need you.”
