Like every breath I took mattered. Like my pleasure was a puzzle he had to solve. Like he was memorizing every sound I made so he could play me like an instrument.
I tried to find something to hold onto, grabbing aimlessly at his hair, the sheets, anything as my body began to tremble.
But then I realized what he was doing.
He was pulling back every time I got too close.
He was toying with me.
"Please," I whimpered. "West, please let me come. Please make me come."
My voice broke. And that was all it took for him to give in.
His mouth latched onto my clit with full pressure, his tongue flicking mercilessly. My back arched, my hips lifted, but he held me down watching me unravel.
And when it hit, it was blinding. My whole body shattered. My cry echoed off the walls. It was too much and not enough and everything I hadn’t known I needed.
Tears welled in my eyes from the sheer intensity.
"I have a really hard time believing you don’t have a black belt in that," I panted, making him laugh as he climbed over top of me, then settled beside me in the bed.
His chest brushed mine as he rolled to his side, one arm slipping beneath my head, the other coming to rest over my stomach. I didn’t expect him to touch me like that. I didn’t expect anything soft from him. But there he was, quiet and still and warm.
His breath slowed against the side of my face, and I felt the gentle shift from lust to something else. Something that scared the hell out of me.
I turned my head to look at him, half-expecting that faraway guilt to be clouding his eyes again.
It wasn’t.
There was no tension in his brow. No shadows. Just the glow of moonlight catching on the gold flecks in his eyes and a softness in his mouth like he wasn’t at war with himself.
“You okay?” I asked softly.
He nodded, then whispered, “Yeah. I think I am.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
WEST
I hadn’t meantto sleep. Not like that.
I was usually up by six. Earlier, if I had meetings. And even if I didn’t, my body didn’t know how to rest past sunrise. I ran on habit and discipline. But when I opened my eyes and saw afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows, I panicked.
When I sat up quickly, I realized the sheets were tangled around my waist and my hair was probably sticking up in five different directions. My heart kicked up like I’d missed a flight, a board meeting, and the end of the world all at once.
Until I looked down and saw Blue.
She was curled into the warm spot beside me, her cheek pressed against the pillow, her hair a chaotic halo around her. Still asleep. Still breathing slow and deep.
And just like that, every thought of emails, phone calls, and missed deadlines vanished. Because for the first time in maybe forever, I slept. No nightmares. No cold sweats. No pacing the floor or checking the locks or staring at the ceiling until morning.
Just Blue.
I ran a hand through my hair, leaned back on the pillow, and tried to breathe normally. But I couldn’t stop staring at her.Not until she stirred and made a small noise, then mumbled something about garlic knots before rolling over.
I blinked.
“Are you dreaming about Marco’s?” I asked quietly.
