Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ABBY
F or about the thousandth time today, my nails catch me off guard, the burgundy color stark against my pale skin. I never bother with nail polish, but Harper wanted us all to get manicures that match our bridesmaid dresses.
I smooth my hands over the soft cotton of my shirt as I pace the length of my living room and pull my gaze away from my nails toward the clock by the TV. Grayson said he’d be over after having dinner with his family. It’s seven-forty now, but I force myself not to pick up my phone and clarify what specific time he’ll be here. I don’t want to come across as clingy or overeager.
This is a hook-up. Nothing more, I remind myself. A continuation of what we started yesterday. Something worldly adults do, rather than small-town girls who’ve only had one boyfriend.
And no sexual partners.
Actually, strike that. I’ve had one now. Grayson.
I bite my lip as the remembered sensation of his fingertips trailing over my skin spreads over me, raising pleasurable goosebumps. What will he do tonight? Better yet, what will I do? How far am I willing to go?
The doorbell rings, leaving me momentarily scrambling. I’m the same as I was Saturday, a nervous wreck at the thought of him coming over. Except, so much has changed since then.
He’s gorgeous in his normal attire of faded tee and jeans, and my mind goes blank as I realize I don’t know how to greet him. A wave like I would normally do? No, that’s too casual. A kiss? Would that be too much? It’s not like we’re dating. Maybe a hug, in the middle of the two extremes.
Grayson solves my dilemma, though, by stepping in and giving me a toe-curling kiss. All the anxiety drifts away, no room left in my head for anything but the way his warm mouth feels on mine, the way my stomach pleasantly dips as he gathers me close to him.
When he breaks away, he shuts the door behind him. Did my neighbors get a free show?
“I missed you today,” he says, kissing me again, slow and relaxed. Like we have all the time in the world.
“I missed you, too,” I whisper against his lips, curling my body into his. “I… I kept thinking about the stuff we did yesterday,” I admit. “How much I liked it.”
His gaze alights with interest. “Yeah?”
I nod. I guess there was no need to get nervous about how tonight would go. I should have known Grayson would make things easy. It feels so right being with him.
“You want to go to your bedroom?” he asks, those slow kisses making their way down my neck now. A tingle races down my spine in response. Are we really doing this so soon?
I find his hand and lead him down the hallway to where I’d drunkenly stripped for him the other night. This time is a different story, though. This time I won’t make an idiot of myself.
Hopefully.
I close the door behind us, the soft glow of my bedside lamp illuminating the desire already on his face as he threads a hand through my hair and brings my lips to his. His kisses are languid and drugging, my body relaxing as he coaxes me back under his spell.
“What are you willing to do tonight?” he asks.
His question implies there’s no limit for him, but then again, I was the one who set restrictions when I said I wasn’t ready yet to have sex.
Am I tonight?
I don’t want to put pressure on myself, but this is a limited-time opportunity. If not tonight, then when?
“Ah, shit,” he says. “I didn’t get condoms.”
A trickle of relief runs through me at the imposed limitations. “That’s okay,” I murmur. “I’m sure we can find other things to do.”
I have no idea where I’m pulling this alluring voice from, but he seems to like it.
He nods, kissing me again, and backs me into the edge of the bed. “What are you comfortable with? Fingers again? Oral?”
I suppress the squeak that wants to escape my throat. “You—you want to go down on me?”
Why am I questioning this? I should be screaming yes, please as I rip my panties off.
He gives me a sly smile. “Give me some credit. I make sure a girl has a good time, too.”
“That’s good to know,” I manage, arching my neck as he presses long, sensual kisses there. God, that feels amazing.
“So can I show you a good time?”
I swallow hard. “Yes.” I want that more than anything.
His hands run down my back, grabbing the hem of my shirt, and I lift my arms to help him guide it over my head. He unclasps my bra next, his palms covering my breasts.
“Have I mentioned how much I like these?” he murmurs, bending his head to trail kisses over my upper chest.
I let out a sigh as he teases my nipple. “You said you like sucking on them.”
His tongue circles me, then gently laps. “That’s right, I did.” He takes the hard bud of my nipple into his mouth and sucks, and I grip his shoulders for balance as my knees weaken.
It’s just as good as yesterday. Maybe even better knowing what lies beyond the horizon, how incredible he can make me feel.
His hands continue southward, unbuttoning and unzipping me, then he unexpectedly picks me up and tosses me on the bed, a delightful frisson of lust spearing through me at the way he looks at me, like he wants to eat me up, the front of his jeans noticeably bulging.
I did that. I put that bulge there. And not even by touching him, just him getting turned on by my body.
He strips my jeans off, my panties next until I’m fully nude. I resist the urge to cover myself as his hands slide up my thighs, parting them.
“Ah, fuck, baby.”
Warmth curls in my chest at the reverence in his voice as he stares at me, as if I’m something to be admired.
He drops to his knees, his mouth following the same path his hands took up my thighs, that warmth inside me burning hotter the closer he gets to my core. His thumb swipes through my folds and I shudder at the brief contact.
“Already wet for me,” he murmurs.
I nod shakily, unsure what to say, what to do, on edge anticipating what he’ll do next.
His hands wrap around my legs, pulling me closer to the edge of the bed, where he waits for me. Bending his head, he licks me along my seam, and I gasp in response, a flood of endorphins rushing through me.
Holy shit. I lean up on my elbows, watching his dark head at my pussy, licking me again, deeper this time. It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, ever experienced, and it’s Grayson doing it. Grayson .
His gaze flicks up to meet mine. “You like watching.”
Crap. Busted. But it’s not like I can pretend I don’t. He didn’t even phrase it as a question.
“Yes,” I admit in a low voice. “You’re really sexy doing that.”
He makes this mmm sound that has me quivering, especially as his big palms come up to hold my legs open wider.
He builds me up over long minutes until I’m a trembling mess, my fingers clutching at the duvet, my thighs shaking. The man knows how to use his tongue, licking and sucking at me in a perfect tempo that—
He backs away abruptly, pressing kisses to my lower belly.
“What are you doing?” I ask, unable to keep the demand out of my voice. I was so freaking close.
“You were about to come,” he says, as if that’s a complete explanation.
Um, yeah. Isn’t that the point? “And?”
He nips at the juncture between my hip and thigh. “I’m not ready to be done.”
“What?”
“I want to take my time with you.” A fleeting kiss to my pussy has me arching toward him. “We have all night.”
All night? He wants to prolong this that long? I’m so ramped up, I need release now. “How about you make me come now and then spend the rest of the night doing it a second time?”
I feel his smile more than see it. “I didn’t know you were so bossy.”
I’m not. Not at all. But something about being with him like this over the past few days has made me lose all my normal inhibitions. When he gets me past a certain point, I can’t seem to control my mouth anymore and every little thing slips out.
I lean forward and slide a hand through the thick, silky strands on his head, guiding him down. “Make me come, Grayson. Please. We have all night. Just give me this first one.”
There’s so much longing on his face, it nearly breaks me.
He nods, licking me with a renewed fervor, and the desire within me quickly rises again, reaching critical mass. As his tongue flicks rapidly over my clit, it sends me over the edge, my fingers gripping his hair, keeping him with me.
I moan, letting the waves wash over me, delighting in my triumph as I go boneless against the bedspread. Aftershocks twitch through me as he kisses his way up my torso, pausing for a minute at my chest until another thread of desire weaves its way over me.
When he finally reaches my mouth, I return his kiss with enthusiasm.
“You taste like me,” I murmur against his lips.
He pulls back. “Oh, sorry. I—”
“No, I like it.” I bring him back down to me and wrap a leg around his hip to keep him close. “It’s hot.”
His hips push into mine, his hardness reminding me he’s turned on, too. That I should do something about that. Giving him a handjob yesterday had been a first for me. A blowjob would also be a first, equal parts thrilling and terrifying. I can do this, though. I want to do this. I want everything with this man.
I snake a hand under his shirt, lightly scratching up his back, and he makes a sound of encouragement. He leans away so I can remove it, and I take my time roaming my hands over every inch of his muscled torso, the same as I did yesterday, committing it to memory.
“You’re so sexy,” I whisper, not even fully aware of what I’m saying until he responds.
“That’s the second time you’ve said that tonight.”
I glance up at the amusement on his face, and though I should be embarrassed at the admission, I’m not.
“You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever met.”
His amusement fades as he continues to look at me, until his seriousness matches my own.
“Abby…” His palm slides along my cheek until his fingers thread through my hair, cupping the back of my head. He kisses me like he’s starving, like I’m the only thing that can slake his hunger.
I want to be that for him. I want to be the one who gives him everything he needs.
And that starts with tonight.