Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
G ive me a minute, and I ll do the dishes, Mary said as Alex lifted her empty dessert plate. I m too full to move right this second.
I ll do the dishes, he said, carrying both their plates into the kitchen. You re relaxing, remember?
Hmm. She leaned back in the padded dining room chair as the candles flickered. Do you even know how to wash dishes?
He set the plates on the counter and shot her an arch look over his shoulder. I think I know how to load a dishwasher.
Good for you. I could get used to this, you know. After their walk on the beach, they d watched the waves until her stomach growled. When they d returned to the beach house, she d taken a quick shower, and by the time she finished, the chef had been putting the final touches on a dinner of local sea bass with garlic mashed potatoes. The green salad had at least eight more ingredients than the salads she usually made herself for dinner on weeknights.
You should get used to it. It s about time someone took care of you.
It was a dig against her brothers, but she was too comfortable to argue. She tongued a raspberry seed from between her teeth and recalled the tangy taste of the berry tart they d had for dessert. It went perfectly with the California chenin blanc. She drained her glass, then stood and carried it into the kitchen.
You re not trying to help, are you? Alex had to know how fantastic his ass looked in his gray sweatpants as he bent to slot the plates into the bottom rack of the dishwasher.
Wouldn t dream of it. She reached out a hand to touch his taut glutes, then snatched it back. They d kissed last week, and he d given her a heartfelt hug on the beach today, but that didn t mean they were in an ass-touching kind of relationship. Is there more wine?
He straightened. Right here. He lifted the bottle from the counter and poured the last drops into her glass. Go sit down. I ll join you in a minute.
Okay. I think I ll figure out how to turn on the fireplace.
Are you cold?
Not with the smolder heating his eyes. It s more for the ambiance.
Ambiance it up. I ll be right there.
As she walked out, he started humming something, and she paused to listen. Was that Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars? She frowned. It could have been an out-of-tune version of Justin Timberlake s Cry Me a River.
The fireplace wasn t difficult to figure out. With a click of the remote control, gas-powered flames leaped in a bed of glass rocks. She nestled into the comfortable corner of the giant sectional. Someone could host quite the party here. It seemed a waste for only the two of them to enjoy the huge house by the beach.
Alex entered with two short glasses of something brown in one hand and two tall glasses of water in the other. She plucked the waters out of his hand and set them on the coffee table, then scrambled to find coasters. He handed her one of the short glasses, then touched his glass to hers. To you.
To a lovely afternoon at the beach, she said and sipped the drink. Ugh. The pungent aroma burrowed into her sinuses.
You don t care for scotch? he asked.
She wrinkled her nose. I m more of a wine girl.
He took the scotch from her. Can I get you more wine, then?
No, thanks. I m afraid I ll fall asleep. And sleep was the last thing from her mind with his gray sweatpants tempting her to find the outline of him, with the scent of vanilla that beckoned to her even under the medicinal smell of scotch, with his dark eyes tunneling into hers like x-rays. He d made her feel like a queen today. Was it only friendship, or did he want more, too?
Would that be so terrible? he asked. You re here to rest.
She set her hand lightly on his knee. It was warm and solid, just like the rest of him. It was time to be bold. That s not all I want to do.
He set his scotch on the table. Tell me what else you want to do.
Last week…on my porch…we kissed.
We did. He rubbed his hands on his thighs.
But nothing since. And now you ve whisked me away to this…paradise. With five bedrooms. I m not sure what to think.
The choice is yours, Mary. We re friends now, and the last thing I want is to fuck it up again. Nothing is worth that. Not that kiss. He swallowed. Not this getaway, not even the Richardson wedding.
Are you friends with the other women you…date?
I m sorry. I shouldn t have said we were on a date at the club.
I don t want to be your girl of the month, Alex. One of those women you date in public for a couple weeks. If I ran into you on the street, I m not strong enough to trade innuendos and walk away like it doesn t mean anything. When you ghosted me after prom, it broke my heart. If you do it again, I don t think… She stopped short of telling him her patched-up heart wouldn t survive a second break.
He leaned forward. You mean so much to me, Mary. This is different. Tell me what you want, and I ll…I ll see if I can give it to you.
I want friendship. And.
He tilted his head. You don t mean friends with benefits?
No. She shuddered. Even worse than being his arm candy would be being his U up text. I mean more than friends. Friends…and.
You think I m capable of friends-and? His gaze went sharp, crackling the way the silent gas flames didn t.
You opened up to me today on the beach. She d been shocked and so, so proud when he d told her how he felt about the Paradise. She d felt connected to him when he hugged her. He d never been so unrestrained, not even when they were kids. She knew he wasn t like that with that Violette woman at the club. I think you could be what I need. If you re willing to try.
The years dropped away from his face, and he was the teenage boy who d paused the video game they were playing in his parents fancy media room to ask her to prom. For you, I ll try.
Her heart filled with warmth and overflowed. Leaning forward, she kissed him. At first, it was the same kiss they d shared on her porch last week, tentative, closed-mouth, a test of what could be. Then his lips parted, and so did hers. The bitterness of the scotch had dissipated on his tongue, replaced by a smoky-sweet taste like the mesquite bonfires they used to build in the desert.
His tongue flicked against hers for the first time. Ever since he d asked her to prom—hell, at least a year before that—she d imagined what it would be like. Reality surpassed her imagination. His jaw was hard, but his lips were soft, moving gently against hers. His cologne filled her nostrils as his taste danced on her tongue.
And his hands! Big but cautious, they stroked the side of her neck and her waist, hinting at all the places he could use his mouth on her. Warmth settled in her core.
When she opened her mouth wider to lick inside, he groaned like a starving man who d been presented with a feast but was bound in manacles. Why should either of them be restrained? What they wanted was here for the taking.
She broke the kiss so she could swing her leg over his and straddle him. From her new perch on his lap, she bent and kissed him again, and this time she added a roll of her hips that put his erection right where she needed it, against the crotch of her yoga pants. He loosed a relieved moan and gripped her waist.
She tunneled her hands into his thick hair and rubbed her core against him again, gasping at the pleasure that sparked inside her. He kissed down her neck and as far as the neckline of her shirt would allow.
Lose the shirt? he asked.
She found the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, revealing his broad chest. She stroked her fingers across the subtle hills of his abdominals.
I meant your shirt, he growled.
She traced a finger through the thick hair on his pecs, then circled his nipple, making him hiss. She didn t spend time in the gym like he obviously did, but if she wanted this to go farther, she d need to expose more skin. Slowly, she rolled up her T-shirt and dropped it on the couch.
His hungry eyes leaped from her lacy bra to the deep valley between her breasts to the swell of her stomach, disappearing into the high waist of her yoga pants.
His gaze flicked up to her face. He set his palms on the cups of her bra and made circles, waking up her nipples. Then he slid his hands around the back to the clasp. May I?
She braced her hands on his shoulders. Go for it.
There was a pinch, then the pressure around her ribs released, and her breasts hung free. They weren t as perky as those skinny girls —
Oh, Mary. He dropped her bra on top of her shirt and stared. Then, cradling her breasts with his hands, he buried his face in her cleavage. I may never leave.
A laugh bubbled out of her as her nervousness evaporated. His scruff burned her skin briefly as he turned his head to lick his way to her nipple. The combination of pain and pleasure made her head spin.
He took a long pull on her breast as he gazed wickedly into her eyes. He watched her as he pinched her other nipple, then petted it, then pinched it again. The sensation rocketed into her core, and her hips bucked against his. She moaned.
He pulled off her nipple and rubbed his stubble against it as he spoke. Was that a satisfied moan or a frustrated moan?
I, um, a little of both?
Use your words, Mary.
For most Catholics, words and sex don t go together.
We re not most Catholics, and we re going to talk while we do this. How else am I going to know exactly what you want?
I, um. You won t, exactly like every other partner I ve had? Okay. I like the pinching, but your beard is a little intense right there.
Perfect. He lifted his chin from her nipple and replaced it with his tongue. At the same time, he pinched her other nipple. Hard.
She gasped. Yes!
He chuckled. Excellent feedback.
What about…you? It was difficult to think while he alternated licks and pinches on her breasts. What do you like?
I really like these. He kissed the side of her breast. Please tell me you didn t have them in high school.
Of course I had them in high school. But they weren t as…
Abundant? No, I think I couldn t have spent as much time playing Grand Theft Auto with you if they were. I want to come on them later. Will that be okay with you?
Oh my god, Alex. Do you have to talk like that?
Like what? If I offended you, just say it.
You re so…matter-of-fact about sex.
Nothing is matter-of-fact about sex. Certainly not sex with you. We ll enjoy it more if we tell each other what feels good and what doesn t. Isn t that worth a little embarrassment? He took her nipple between his teeth and bit gently.
Harder, she said.
He obeyed, and pleasure coiled in her center. Then he licked her nipple to soothe the pain away. See?
She shuddered with pleasure.
I like this position a lot, he said, and I want you to ride me later. But for now, I d like to suggest a different position.
Okay, she said quickly. She d never liked being on top. It put her body on display and made her boobs bounce.
With a scoop and a lift, he flipped them so Mary sat on the couch and he kneeled on the rug. When he turned to push the coffee table farther away, she admired the bunch and strain of the muscles in his shoulders and back. He turned back to her and set his hands on the waistband of her stretchy pants. May I take these off?
She nodded, and with a flick of his wrists, they were puddled on the floor. Her underwear, too. Carefully, he pushed her knees apart and gazed between her legs with the same reverence as he d admired her breasts.
So wet for me already, he said.
Do you have a condom? His sweatpants didn t appear to have pockets. They barely had room for his erection, which strained at the waistband. She couldn t wait to get a peek at it.
We won t need one for a while, he said, tugging her until her hips teetered on the edge of the sofa. He rubbed his cheek against her inner thigh. Is my stubble too much here, too?
She shivered. No.
Good. Now, I m going to eat out this pretty pussy. Tell me if I do something you don t like.
He didn t give her time to think or object before his tongue descended on her, tracing all her secret places. His hot breath skated across her skin as he used his fingers to spread her and explore.
At first, she was too self-conscious to enjoy it. She d had a few serious boyfriends, and none of them were into performing oral sex. Though they enjoyed receiving it. She d assumed she didn t taste good, or she did the wrong kind of grooming. But Alex seemed to be enjoying himself, feasting at her wet center.
When he trailed up to her clit and tapped it with his tongue, she forgot to be embarrassed. She moaned, loud and long.
That s it, baby, he said between licks. Tell me what you like.
That, she said. I like that.
How about this? He worked a finger inside her while he tongued her clit.
Yes. Yes. Her voice rose into a squeak.
She stopped caring about the wet sounds her pussy made as he moved his fingers in and out of her. Her consciousness narrowed down to the sensation coiling inside her. I—I m so close.
He didn t change a thing he was doing, just kept going as her body tightened. Finally, when she thought she couldn t stand another second, her release shuddered through her. He stilled his hand when she squeezed around his fingers. He softened his licks on her clit and, when she stopped shaking, planted a gentle kiss on it.
When she opened her eyes, he pulled his hand from between her legs and gave his fingers an obscene lick. That s my new favorite flavor.
She clapped her hands over her burning face. Oh my god. Was it wrong to be turned on by something so dirty?
No fair hiding. He plucked a hand off her face. I want to memorize what you look like right after you come.
You do? Her face was hot and a little sweaty. Her eyeliner was probably puddled around her eyes. And he d already remarked on the dark shadows under them.
You re gorgeous. He gazed at her, a satisfied smile on his lips. Now, let s put you to bed.
Wait. What about you? She nodded at the bulge in his sweatpants.
I can wait until tomorrow. You re tired.
She knew it. She did look terrible. She felt her lips droop. If you don t want to…
He surged up to kiss her lips. Of course I want to. But you need rest.
You told me to tell you what I want. And I want your cock.
His eyes blazed. Since you asked so nicely, you can have it.