Chapter 25
Jake
“Thank you for what you did today for me. For Chic,” I said as I stood in the middle of my darkened living room. The pendant lights over the kitchen island were dimmed, the low light holding the soft hush that whirred through the silent house.
We’d just made our way back from a full day of celebrating and socializing.
And secretly plotting our escape so we could be alone.
Even in public, though, I was finding it hard to keep my hands off her.
At least I was able to control myself enough to keep my touches sweet and, shall we say, socially acceptable.
But the heat under every touch was anything but innocent.
But now that we were alone, I had no idea where to begin.
“Of course,” she said.
We seemed to have a collection of false starts that were interrupted by some cosmic force—or me. Being rational about not wanting our first time together to result in regret after sobering. But I noticed today neither of us went big with the drinking.
It was quiet for a beat. Then two. She was holding the door with her hands at her back. Facing me. Eyes downcast. But she looked nervous. Ready to flee if needed.
“You okay?” I took a step closer toward her.
Her voice came out soft and breathy. Her eyes lifted toward me.
“I . . . ahh . . . I bought this dress a couple weeks ago. It was a stupid purchase. I didn’t have an occasion to wear it then. But when I tried it on, the only thing I imagined was you . . . seeing me in it.” Her confidence building, she straightened against the door.
“Your eyes on my body.”
She let go of the door handle and pulled her hands by her sides—decided. Here. Ready.
“And then today . . . I wore it. For you. Because I want you . . . I want you to take it off me.” She finished her statement shyly but looking directly at me. There was no doubt there. No hesitation. No fear.
One of her brows cocked a little higher than the other. My move.
I walked closer, never letting my eyes drop from her gaze. I reached my hand to the dip in her neck and clavicle, the tips of my fingers hovering over her skin, feeling the electricity transfer between us without even touching. I could feel the heat of her soft, sun-kissed skin.
I hovered my fingers just above her skin, moving down the space of her breastbone and across the neckline of the dress.
It was a delicate fabric that lay perfectly against her.
I followed the fabric like I was letting it guide me to the next spot.
Her strap. I lifted the flimsy fabric and looped my index finger under the thin piece of gauze, careful not to touch her skin.
“If I were being polite and practical, I would carefully help you out of your dress. I would be careful not to touch you. My hands would shake the entire time, holding back from you, but I would suffer if that’s all you wanted. All you needed.”
I looked back into her eyes.
“Is that what you need, Ali? A friendly gesture to help you out of your dress?”
She shook her head no. Licked her lips. Ready to play.
“What then, Ali? What do you want?”
“I don’t want it polite. I don’t want you like a friend, Jake. I want you to touch me. I need you to touch me. I need you to take this dress off me like it’s the only thing you’ve been thinking about all day.”
I slipped the strap off her shoulder and let it fall gently down her biceps and finally touched her with the tips of my fingers.
She sucked in a breath like it shocked her. I retraced my finger back the way it came. This time letting it caress her skin softly across the neckline, up the center of her chest to her clavicle and up the side of her neck. I cupped the side of her face.
“Like this?” I whispered.
She nodded slowly.
I lowered my face toward her, our lips inches apart.
“Can I use my mouth to help?”
She nodded again.
I leaned my head down to her cheek and gently kissed the spot below her ear. Her head tilted in response, giving me more space.
“Is this okay to do too?”
She nodded.
“I want to hear you tell me.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
I pulled away and moved my forehead to hers, my other arm framing her against the door. We still hadn’t even moved away from the door. We were both breathing deep, shaky breaths. Anticipation. I was beginning to ache with it. I wondered if she was too.
“Do you want to hear what I want?” I asked.
She nodded.
“I want to remove this dress from your gorgeous body one inch at a time.
“I want to trace every inch of you with my hands.
“Then with my lips.
“I want to find each spot on your body that makes you shiver, then shake.
“I want to explore you. Learn you. I want to fucking worship you.
“Does that work for you, Ali?”
Her slightly parted lips moved together. She bit the side of her lower lip.
“Yes,” she breathed.
I took her hand and led her deeper into the house. Away from the front door. I planned to take my time. I wanted her to stay the night. I invited her into more of my home and, if I was being honest with myself, more of me. My heart.
She let me lead her.
“Wait, I can take my shoes off here,” she said, knowing I preferred no shoes in the house. Tonight, though . . .
“Leave them on.”
At the top of the stairs, I pulled her in close to me.
“Hey,” I whispered and put my hands on her waist.
Her eyes met mine again.
“Hi.”
She grinned and whispered, “Hi.”
I pulled her against me and brushed my lips against hers. Then I worked my mouth down her chin. I stepped up and lifted her with me, wrapping my arms around her waist tighter. She let me take her. I could feel her surrender into me as I kissed her gently but with more hunger this time.
I walked us into my bedroom, never parting from our kiss, and kicked the door closed behind us. I let her body slide down mine as I placed her on the floor and stepped back from her.
My eyes roamed her body.
She brushed some hair from her face and behind her ear.
“Turn around,” I commanded.
She complied.
“Are you wearing panties?” I wasn’t sure what I wanted the answer to be.
She nodded yes.
“Take them off . . . slowly.”
She hiked up her skirt to just under her ass. Reached her fingers under the fabric, tugging at the sides of her panties. She inched them down one side and then the other until they gathered just above her knees. She swiped them down to her ankles and stepped out of them.
“Pick them up and hand them to me.”
I put them in my pocket.
“For later,” I said.
I took a step toward her. I reached my hands to her arms and traced the sides of them with my thumb. I could see goose bumps rise down her arms.
“Is there a zipper to this dress, or can I peel it off you?” I asked.
“No zipper,” she replied, a little out of breath.
“Mmm. It’s taking everything in me not to rip it off your body. It’s pretty, but I have a feeling it’s nothing compared to what’s underneath. I could barely maintain control all day with you in this dress.
“Hmm. But that was your plan, wasn’t it? You wanted to drive me crazy tonight, Ali,” I said, still caressing her exposed skin.
“I did. That’s probably fucked up to admit, but I did,” she replied. I loved how her words came out breathy. Like she was already winded.
“The only thing fucked up is that you had to question what you wanted.” I turned her around to face me. “Don’t do that again. Not with me. You want something, I want to know. Got it?” I gently nudged her chin up.
She nodded slowly again, her lips parting slightly, a look of surprise on her face. Maybe she didn’t expect this side of me. Good.
She reached up and placed her hand on the outside of mine rested on her chin.
She lifted it slightly, bringing my thumb to the opening of her mouth.
She wrapped her lips around the tip of my thumb and gently sank her mouth down.
On the way back up, she let her tongue swirl the tip again. Then guided my hand to her chest.
“Got it,” she said. “I thought I already asked for what I wanted, though, Jake. For you to take this dress off me.”
I whipped her around my body, pressing her back against my front and now also facing the full-size mirror I had in my room. My hard-on pressed against her back.
“You feel that? You feel how you drive me crazy?”
“Jake, please,” she begged. My cock twitched.
I gave in. And pulled her straps from her shoulders and let them fall down her arms. Her tits offered just enough hold for the neckline of the dress to fall to the tips of her hardened nipples, the gentle slope of her breasts exposed.
I reached my arm around her front and released the silky fabric from the swell, and the entire dress fell to her navel.
I lifted her arms from the straps. She instinctively bent back her arms, grabbing my hair with her fingers.
I kissed my way down her neck and glanced up into the mirror.
Seeing us like this. Seeing her perky tits.
Nipples hard and textured. I traced my finger down the side of her breast with one hand and let my other hand press against the soft skin of her stomach.
“You’re incredible,” I said, looking straight into her eyes in the reflection of the mirror.
Her head leaned back into my chest and her eyes closed.
I took the break in eye contact as a chance to shed even more of her dress. I stepped back and let her drop her arms. I inched that dress over her hips and down her ass, falling to my knees to guide the fabric to the floor.
“Step out of it.”
She did as she was told.
I sat back on my heels and took in the sight of her curves.
Her Venus dimples. The baby hairs raised all over her skin.
I let my hands roam the inside of her thigh and move to the outside of her legs.
I made a path over both hips. I reached my hands to her hips and made to stand up, but before I did, I let my tongue drag along the curve of her ass.
I continued placing small, breathy kisses up her spine as I continued to stand.
I took my hand and slowly worked my way around to her front. To her center.