One Day for a Valet

Chapter 31

She followed him silently, then climbed, still naked, into the enormous bed. They found one another beneath the blankets, and he pulled her close to rest her head on his shoulder.

Christopher stroked her back beneath the covers and she began to relax. “You asked if I can climax again if I…” He stammered. “I honestly don’t know, Sofi. But if I came before and then I tried again and I couldn’t…” He stared up at the ceiling and sighed. “If I was twenty, I’ve no doubt I’d be up again before you were ready for me, but that’s not the case. I’m nearly thirty-seven and this isn’t a problem I’ve experienced since I was an untried young man.”

She listened to him intently, then took her time considering her response.

“If you didn’t fight so hard to hold back and you climaxed whenever it happened, you could find other ways to bring me pleasure. I’ve enjoyed all the other times. So much. And even if that was the end of our evening, so to speak, we’d just try again another time.”

His hand stilled.

“Would that be so bad?” She hated the weakness in her voice. The uncertainty in its quiver.

“Yes, Sofi. It would. It would be bloody terrible.” He sounded exhausted.

She sat up on her elbow and looked down at him. “How? Why? Help me understand.”

Swiftly, he raised his hands up to cradle her jaw, then twined his fingers into her hair, pulling her forehead down to press against his. “Because I need to be inside of you,” he growled. “My God, can you not understand how desperately, how fucking madly I need to…” He grumbled a series of expletives. “I need you. It’s not about orgasm. I could get off in twenty different ways, and I could get you off in twenty more.”

His hands gentled and he brushed a curl from her face. “I thought that if you didn’t touch me before, that if I focused only on pleasing you, I might be able to last long enough to…” He closed his eyes and sighed again. “But pleasing you pleases me. So damned much. To the extent that standing there, pressed against your naked body for half a bloody second had me ready to spend.” He trailed off again as the blush swiftly returned to his cheeks. “It’s not going to work, Sofi. I want you too much. Fucking worthless overzealous cock. Last night I had a dream that you walked into the dining room while I was eating poached eggs. Love, I came in my trousers the moment you said good morning.”

A laugh slipped out of her, and he shot her a look then cracked a smile too. “It’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny.” She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Christopher, I know it’s hard. I know you want to make love. I want that too. But even more than that, I want you to relax and enjoy whatever we do. I want that for both of us.”

“Christ, would you please stop saying hard?”

Sofia pressed her lips together to contain her smile.

“Can we do that? Will you let me kiss you and touch you, and you let yourself feel however you feel?” She kissed his jaw, then slid one long naked leg over his hip. Beneath the towel, his cock leapt.

“Can I take that as agreement?” Sofi asked.

“My cock does not speak for me, madam,” he said with a lopsided grin.

She sat up, then straddled him, rocking her hips against the towel and the bulge beneath. “You lay there and think about it then. Let me know when you come to a decision.” She offered him a saucy grin and began dropping kisses across the curve of his shoulder and down his chest. She nuzzled into the hair on his abdomen, sliding down his body, licking and nibbling just above where the towel was tucked tightly around his hips.

Running her hands inside the soft fabric, she lightly scored his thighs with her nails and he bucked against the air with a groan.

“So good,” he murmured, tossing his head to the side.

Peeling the towel open, she took in the sight of him, thick and jutting towards his abdomen. Slowly, she teased the tips of her fingers from root to tip once and he sucked in a breath, reaching down to stroke her curls. A bead of moisture gathered at the head and she leaned close, touching her tongue to where it clung.

“Sofia.” Her name broke across a helpless gasp of air. “Slow down. You have to slow down.”

“You are meant to be relaxing and considering my proposal. Stop fighting me. Can I kiss you here?”

He groaned like a man tortured, but hissed out a “yes.” She lightly sucked once at the tip of his cock. His hands left her hair and gripped the sheets on either side of him, knuckles white.

Sofia brushed her parted lips back and forth across the velvety soft head, then took him into her mouth. Her tongue slid along the underside of his shaft in a few long, greedy strokes before she took him deeper.

Every muscle tensed as he whimpered and then moaned. He came without warning, startling them both. Continuing to caress him as if nothing had occurred, she kissed the top of his thigh and then kissed her way back up his body.

Christopher was docile beneath her, breathing heavily for a few long moments before flipping her unceremoniously onto her back and kissing her hard. Deep, drugging kisses that left her toes curling into his calves. His knuckles traced the outside curve of her breast and down her belly before changing directions back up to her sternum again. “You are a wonder. The mere thought of touching you, of being inside you, propels my body to exquisite madness. And the miracle that you are mine to cherish sends my heart careening into breathtaking joy.”

Christopher’s mouth closed over her nipple with a delicious pull of heat that left her gasping, and she rocked her hips against his stomach when her body clamoured for more. His hand trailed down, stroking between her open thighs with delicate caresses that had her biting her lower lip to keep from crying out.

“No. Don’t hold back. I want to hear you, Sofi. Show me what you want.” She sighed when he slid a slick finger into her core.

“Such a good girl the way you take me inside you. If I kiss you here, will you come for me?” He gently rotated his finger, and she felt her walls clamp down, gripping him.

He kissed the inside of her thighs until she spread her legs to accommodate him, then travelled higher, sucking and nibbling along the petals of her sex, plying her with kisses. He built her pleasure unhurriedly, gliding his tongue against her sensitive bud, his fingers stretching her deliciously until her legs were quivering. Nuzzling into her curls, he made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat.

“So perfectly wet for me. Christ, you’re beautiful.” He pressed the flat of his tongue against her clitoris, leisurely dipping his finger in and out of her most sensitive place.

“Can you take more for me, sweetheart?” She felt a second digit against her opening and lifted her hips in answer. Softly petting her stomach with one hand, he eased a second finger inside. Sofia’s legs splayed wide, her fingers curling into the sheets at the stroke of sensations deep within her. Christopher sighed as if the pleasure was his.

“How does that feel, Sofi?” His question rumbled across her sensitive nerves and her hips lifted off the bed, pressing her into his mouth like an offering. “Mmm. You know how I like that.” Dropping his jaw, he latched his mouth to her centre, lapping and sucking at her delicate folds as if he were famished.

“It feels—” She moaned. “Yes, just like that.” She released her grip on the counterpane, propping herself up on her elbows to watch his head dipping rhythmically between her thighs. She threaded one hand through his hair, urging him closer with the press of her fingertips. The muscles of his back and shoulders flexed, his lust and urgency tethered to her own, rising alongside hers as she surged ever closer to her peak. The sight of him—hands, muscles, mouth all diligently working to pull every ounce of sensation from her body—it was too much.

“Now Sofia. I want to feel you come against my mouth.”

Her body responded to the command as if it were waiting for his words. Her back arched and ecstasy spiralled through her as her climax crested.

Sofia lay there, soft and languid, barely aware of his body as he settled on top of her, his length every bit as ridged as it had been at the start. He slid his cock through her folds, coating himself in her spend, then waited there. She met his eyes and nodded, and he let out a shaky breath. “Hold on around my neck, Sofi.” Notching himself against her still-swollen entrance, he nudged the slightest bit inside and let out a hoarse curse. His arms were shaking but he remained still. “All right?” The words emerged through tightly gritted teeth.

“It’s perfect. More.”

He advanced further, then retreated. Short, careful movements that lasted only a few strokes before they grew less coordinated and he thrust hard, seating himself fully inside her with a curse. When his eyes refocused on hers, she read concern in his gaze. She shook her head, too embarrassed to tell him with words that she liked it. She wanted him crazed with lust, exuberant. Wanted all the rough edges he was working to contain. They made her feel safe and grounded, they excited and pleased her. Again, he tried to moderate his movements, but within moments, he was thrusting hard, burying himself inside her then dragging back slowly.

“Wrap your legs around me, sweetheart.” He paused only long enough for her to comply before picking up a steady rhythm again. His cock teased something inside of her, drawing out a long, guttural moan.

“Right there?” he nudged again, slightly harder this time, but still not enough. Not nearly enough. Sofia grasped his shoulders, raising her hips to meet his and pressing into his length. Demanding more.

“That’s it, Sofi. I want you to come for me again, sweetheart. What do you need?”

“I can’t. I don’t know.” Her cheeks heated at the thought of telling him what she wanted.

“You know what you want. Tell me,” he growled against her ear.

She moaned in frustration and threw her head to the side.

Christopher pulled nearly all the way out, the tip of his cock nudging just inside her entrance. He held there, waiting. She could feel her walls fluttering against the rounded head, reeling at the loss of his delicious girth. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage, her nerves zinging beneath her sweat-dampened skin.

She whimpered, then wrenched her hands up to her breasts, pinching and rolling one nipple while she kneaded into the other. Rough, not gentle. Sofia arched her back and panted, on the verge of begging him to thrust back inside her again. To give her the pressure she craved. He was watching the movement of her hands, his expression thunderstruck.

“You want my mouth on your breasts, needy and sucking. You want my teeth scraping across your skin and my fingers unrelenting despite your halfhearted pleas for release. You want all of me, unravelled and single-minded in my pursuit to have all of you.”

Sofia had stopped breathing, as if his words alone could sustain her.

“And you want my cock throbbing inside you.” All at once, she remembered to inhale, drawing in a ragged breath, then releasing it in a single, stilted puff of air.

Biting her lower lip, Sofia looked away, heat flooding her cheeks.

Christopher halted her retreat, reaching to cradle her face with one hand, the pad of his thumb gentle against her skin. His tender touch in the wake of such wicked, perfect words brought on a rush of longing that left her quivering.

“No, sweetheart, none of that now. You are always to tell me what you want. What you need. And I will know no greater satisfaction in this life than endeavouring to exceed those expectations.” He kissed her, then leaned back and took himself in hand.

Fitting his length just inside her, he filled her in one firm stroke. When he gave her some of his weight, pressing her into the mattress, she sighed. “Is this what you need, Sofi?” he asked. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling his body flush with hers.

“I can’t reach those delectable breasts from here, love.” Christopher rolled them over, reversing their positions. With his hands on the curves of her arse, he squeezed hard enough to elicit a gasp, and she reflexively rolled her pelvis. “That’s the way. Do what feels good. I’ll help you.” She rocked against him, grinding her clitoris against his pelvis and he shuddered beneath her.

Covering her breasts with his palms, he kneaded deeply as she had done herself. He strummed his thumb across one nipple and her lips parted, breaths quickening.

“You like a little pain with your pleasure. There’s no shame in that, Sofia. No shame in anything that happens between us in this bed. I only ever want to please you as you please me.”

Cautiously, he slid his hands up to the wings of her clavicles then dragged his nails lightly down the gradual slope of her breasts and over both hardened peaks. She whimpered with pleasure, the steady rolling of her hips stuttering in its rhythm before becoming even again.

“I see you, sweetheart,” he murmured.

Drawing her close, he nuzzled against the outside curve of her breast, opening his mouth and briefly dragging his teeth across the tender flesh there before sucking hard, working his way towards her nipple in deep, wet pulls. When he latched his mouth around her taught peak something between a mewl and a groan vibrated in her throat. Her lust intensified his, feeding his urgency.

“My God, I want to devour you.”

He readjusted the angle of his mouth, allowing her to feel the edge of his teeth, becoming less restrained as a steady stream of satisfied sounds fell from her lips. He pinched her opposite nipple, then repeated the movement when she moaned his name. This time, he kept the bud clasped between finger and thumb while he drew in the other with long, sharp pulls of his mouth.

Her pelvis rocked frantically. He slid his hands down to steady her hips, then rolled her onto her back. Taking the lead, he worked himself inside of her at a frenzied pace. Her nails bit into his flanks as he took her without reprieve.

“Let go. Give me your pleasure. I want to feel it.” With a savage growl, he latched his mouth to the top of her shoulder, sucking and biting down. Not enough to cause pain, but offering exactly what she needed. Her orgasm tore through her body. Her quim spasmed as she came, pulling his powerful release along with hers, his throbbing length drawing out long waves of unspeakable bliss.

Christopher collapsed beside her, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her hair, then tipped her mouth to his. She met him there, unable to stop kissing him as he lavished her with praise and stroked soft fingertips across her body.

“How you please me. Your body responding so sweetly to mine. My God, I’ve never known such euphoria. I lose myself in the feel of you… the taste of you. You’ve pulled every drop of seed from my cock and already my body’s responding to the thought of having you again.” He grinned wickedly. “I may never let you out of this bed.”

“Eventually we may require food.” She laughed.

“Debatable.” He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed some more.

They lay entangled for long minutes, warm and content, his fingers carding through her curls and smoothing the tangles formed in their exuberant bed sport.

“I’m afraid it’s a lost cause. I should have plaited it before bed,” Sofia said.

“I would have taken it down anyway.” Christopher worked his fingers through a snag. “Where’s your comb?” He stood, pausing long enough to clean himself with the towelling and then hand the cloth to Sofia with a sheepish smile.

“You don’t have to. It’s tedious, time-consuming work.”

He shook his head. “Scoot forward sweetheart.” He found her brush and slipped behind her body, untangling her curls in slow, careful strokes. “Your hair is magnificent. You are magnificent. I’ve wanted to pluck out every pin and sink my fingers into those wild curls since the moment I met you.”

She could feel her cheeks warming as old wounds began their steady throb. Sofia did not want the memories of her past intruding on this moment and casting their ugly shadow on her unfiltered, luminous joy. But they were there, and she could not entirely push them away. “It’s not magnificent. It’s a nuisance. Ten minutes after I’ve combed it, it’s in disarray again.”

“Then in ten minutes, I’ll do it again. And again ten minutes after that. Caring for you, Sofi, it brings me so much pleasure. Here, I’ll plait it for you. Gabriel can do it, so how hard can it be?”

Sofia didn’t dare respond. If she opened her mouth, the sob lodged in her throat would burst free. Instead, she focused on the path of his fingers, basking in his all-encompassing love, centred solely on her.

His strokes slowed. In the silence that followed she could almost feel him searching for a topic to extend her reprieve from the feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. This man. How he saw her. How he nurtured her, even in ways so different from what he, himself, required. “You know, your brother sent me to find you here tonight. After making such a pest of himself this morning.” Christopher divided her hair into three segments and began fumbling over his own hands.

“Left over centre, right over centre,” Sofia instructed with a wobbly smile. “He was just excited to show us the house.”

“Hold still, Sofi, this is complicated work.” He sighed theatrically, untangled his knot, and began again. “Given the choice between receiving this beautiful house and watching you pleasure yourself… well, the house could have waited for ten more minutes.”

And suddenly, she could breathe again. She laughed, and, for her squirming, Christopher gave a quick tug of chastisement to the hair gathered at her nape.

“Be still, woman.”

She wiggled again just to be contrary and he chuckled softly.

Christopher’s hands slowed in their work, nearing the end of her plait. “I’m afraid I’m in want of more practice. Lucky for me, I have an hour each night to court your friendship, so I’ll get a lifetime’s worth of practice. Pass me that ribbon.” He indicated to a white slip of satin, then tied off the bottom and surveyed his work.

Sofi felt her plait droop, curls sliding from both sides. Turning slowly to prevent the fruit of his labours from falling loose entirely, she twined her arms around his neck and brushed a kiss across his lips. “In case you were wondering, I have decided that I’ll be your friend tomorrow.”

With aching tenderness, he met her gaze. “Those words are my favourite part of every day.”