30
Josie
"You spoil me," I tell Florence as she cleans up the table an hour later.
"No." She looks at me with a long sigh. "I'm taking care of you because you've had a hard day. A hard week. It's what people who—" She stops herself. "—people who care about each other do."
It's been a long time since someone took care of me when I needed it. It's been a long time since I've needed anyone.
I close my eyes, swallowing hard. It's hard for me to wrap my head around all these feelings. I never felt like this for Mel.
I stand up, coming up behind her at the sink. I lean my chin over her shoulder, wrapping my arms around her and nuzzling the side of her neck. "Will you sleep by me tonight?"
She stiffens in my arms.
Oh.
I let go of her, stepping back and letting out a long breath.
"I— I'm sorry." I swallow back the burning in my throat. "I'm sorry." I thought she wanted…
She turns around and looks at me for a long minute. "Josie." My name on her lips is just a soft breath. "I don't want…" She purses her lips together and sighs. "I don't want you to be thinking of her while you're with me."
"Did you hear me earlier? I want you."
She shakes her head, her breath shallow. "You want her, and you're using me as a substitute. And my heart is getting in too deep."
"I want you, Florence." I realize how true the words are as soon as they're out of my mouth. I want her—not Mel. "I don't know where that leaves us. I can't make promises. But I want you." I take a step toward her. She closes the gap between us, taking my face in her hands.
"Are you sure?" she asks. I lean into her, my lips an inch away from hers.
"One hundred percent."
Just being this close to her takes my breath away.
"You need to rest." She presses her lips against mine.
"I can rest later," I murmur against her lips. "Please." My voice is raw.
"Okay," she laughs softly, pushing me toward the bedroom. "Will you let me touch you?"
The idea of her hands and her mouth on my body makes my pulse race. "Yes, but I'm going to come undone the moment you do," I breathe softly, pushing her onto the bed. I tug at the hem of her shirt. "Can I…"
As she pulls her top off, I realize I haven't really seen her yet. When I fucked her on the dining room table, all I had was her neck.
I want all of her tonight.
"Naked." I tug at her slacks.
She slips out of them, leaving her on my bed in all her beautiful glory. "You, too." She pulls my shirt over my head, then pulls my bottoms off. She stops, her eyes raking across my bare skin. "Can I touch you?"
I swallow, my heart in my throat, as I trace a fingertip across her collarbone. "I want to make love to you first." I push her down on the bed, straddling her. I can feel the heat of her between my legs. "I—" I close my eyes, trying to catch my breath. "I'll fuck you again later, but…"
I lean forward, my bare breasts against hers, and kiss her. Just her breath, her lips on mine, sends heat to my core.
She wraps her legs around me, pulling me down on top of her. Her breath speeds up, and I close my eyes.
"I'm too big to be on you," I whisper against her mouth.
Wrapping her arms around me, her fingernails rake up my spine, and I feel myself tighten. "God, I'm going to come if you do that." I pull her hands off me, holding her wrists down on the bed. "Just wait, okay?"
She chuckles. "I thought that was the point, but okay. You just want me to lay here then?"
"Yes," I breathe.
She gives me an amused look. "Okay. Tell me when I can participate."
"Not until you come for me first." I tilt her chin up, my lips finding the pulse point at the hollow of her throat.
She swallows.
I move to taste her Adam's apple.
"There are other parts of my body that are more sensitive," she says, her voice throaty.
"I'll get to them. I promise." My mouth finds her neckline first, and I inhale the scent of her soft skin. Familiar territory, but I don't know if I'll ever tire of it.
My teeth find her collarbone, and I nip gently across her chest. Her skin is so soft. She's so beautiful she takes my breath away.
She moans softly under my kisses. She tries to wrap her legs around me again, but I shake my head, straddling her leg. Grinding into her.
"Josie." She's desperate, grabbing fistfuls of the sheets beneath her. "Please."
I look into her eyes, bringing my lips to hers. "I promise," I tell her softly, "I will get you there. Try to enjoy the journey, okay?"
She groans. "I'm not used to this."
I cup her cheek. "Have you ever felt like this about anyone before?"
She shakes her head.
"For once in your life, quit worrying about efficiency," I tease her. "Turn over."
She looks at me curiously before rolling onto her stomach.
I straddle her lower back, leaning over and brushing my lips over the back of her neck. Her shoulders. Down her spine. Every inch of her.
I lose myself in the taste of her skin, in the scent of her, the feel of her against my lips.
I lose control, coming hard against her.
Fuck.
I kiss her back, lower, down to her perfect ass. I nip at the fleshy part of her cheeks. Her squirming turns to moans. Louder now.
"Josie. Please." Desperation. "I don't know how much more I can…"
"Turn over," I say hoarsely. When she does, her hand comes up to cup her own breast, rolling her nipple as she lets out a needy moan.
I pull her hand away. "Mine." I climb up to kiss her. Her eyes are glazed over. "Not yet," I tell her. I take both her breasts in my hands, their weight perfect. "You're beautiful, Florence." So beautiful. My lips wrap around her nipple.
Her hands tangle in my hair, holding me to her as she moans, pressing her body into me.
I could stay here all day.
I circle her nipple with my tongue, scrape it with my teeth, suck her. Her entire body comes off the bed as she cries out. She's so close already.
I want to see her eyes when she comes for me. I lick my lips, my eyes meeting hers as I reach for her heat.
"Florence," I breathe, sinking a finger into her. Closing her eyes, she gasps.
"No," I whisper, "I want you to look at me." She opens her eyes as I slip another finger into her. She gasps—opens her soul to me the moment her body clenches around me.
"Josie! Fuck, " she groans through her orgasm. Her head falls back, eyes closed, as she catches her breath.
While she's laying there, I trace my fingertip around her erect nipple. I bring my lips to the soft skin of her breasts, the valley between them. I avoid her most sensitive spots, at least for now, so I can explore this side of her. Her soft skin pebbles at my hot breath, under my lips, my fingertips.
Her fingers slide into my hair—not to control me, but to hold me.
I'm somewhere between the curve of her breasts and her belly button when she starts begging. "Josie." Her voice is like warm honey, soft and sweet and slow.
I lift my eyes to meet hers, my tongue and my teeth nipping gently at her skin.
"Florence." I grin against her skin, kiss her, run my fingertips along her sides.
"You're killing me," she whimpers.
"I'm almost there," I promise her, pressing a knee between her legs to make room. I kiss along the crease at her hips, slow and torturous. Judging by the noises she's making and the way she's twitching at my every touch, she's not going to last much longer.
I move my kisses to her knees, slowly moving my way up her thighs, and she opens for me, beautiful and swollen and wanting. Waiting for me. I inhale the scent of her, licking my lips, and glance up at her. She's watching me, holding her breath.
"Josie." It's almost a growl this time. Her fingers are in my hair, pulling me into her.
I kiss her swollen lips, still skirting around her most sensitive parts. I want to savor this—every inch of her, but she's too desperate, too aroused for me to make her wait any longer. I lick up her folds, lapping up her nectar. My eyes find hers again, and her short, shaky breaths freeze for a heartbeat.
Wrapping my lips around her clit, I watch her as she loses control of herself, of her breathing. My name is a desperate feral noise from her lips. Through it all, her eyes are locked with mine, even as her quaking slows.
"Josie." It's a whisper this time, a question and a prayer and a plea.
I take her clit in my mouth again, relishing in the taste of her, the feel of her softest parts. Her hands tighten around my head as she comes again, harder and longer. Her body shakes under my mouth, and I lightly scrape my teeth across her nerves, teasing and cajoling her through until she can't breathe anymore.
She gently pulls me up to her, softly brushing her lips against mine, as her body relaxes. "We have to stop," she whispers, her hand cupping my cheek.
"I'm sorry," I say softly, a hand cupping one of her breasts. Her skin is so soft and warm, her flesh so perfect.
She puts a hand over mine, stilling it. "We have to stop," she whispers again. "I need to go to work, Jos."
"You need to sleep first," I say gently, glancing up at the clock.
I blink.
What the fuck?
"How is it six o'clock in the morning?!"
The corner of her mouth curls up. "You've been busy kissing me for the past nine hours."
"No wonder you came so hard." Nine hours? "Can you call your person and tell them you won't be in today?"
"My person?" She laughs softly against me. "You mean Gwen? I probably could. I've never called in before, but there's nothing pressing today that she can't handle. She'll know why I'm calling off."
"Stay with me," I whisper into her neck. I wonder if I'll ever be able to get enough of her.
"This is the one and only time," she warns, sitting up and reaching for her phone. She types out a message and sends it off.
She leans over me, taking my nipple in her mouth.
"Okay," I gasp, taking her head in my hands. "I won't keep you up all night again. I promise."
Her teeth scrape against my nerves, and my already-charged body jumps.
Fuck. Sex with Ruby never felt like this.
Her eyes meet mine as she reaches between my legs.
I stiffen.
She freezes for a minute before cupping my face and looking into my eyes.
"Talk to me."
I purse my lips together. I thought I could deal with this.
"Josie," she says softly. "Breathe." When I do, she bites her lip. "Do you want me to stop?"
My eyes drop to her lips, and I sigh. It's never been this hard to tell new partners. "No." I let out a long breath. "I don't like penetration. At least I never have in the past. We could try it—everything with you is different, but…"
She closes her eyes and releases an exhale. "God, I thought I did something wrong." She chews the inside of her cheek, frowning. "What else? I don't want to do anything…"
I shake my head, forcing out an awkward chuckle. "It's not you, it's me." I shake my head to clear it. "Just no fingers. No toys. Not inside me."
She grins. "I have toys at home you might like, then." She leans into me, brushing her lips against mine. Softly. Tentatively.
"I just want you right now."
"No tongue either?" She pulls back to look at me.
"Tongue is okay," I whisper, pulling her back for a kiss, my pulse racing at the thought.
She moans loudly in her throat. "You've been torturing me," she says against my lips, "all fucking night. Please tell me I can eat you out already."
"No foreplay?" I tease her.
"You've had nine hours of foreplay. You've literally been dripping on me all night. Even when you came earlier, straddling my back and kissing my neck." She reaches between my legs, making a shushing noise. "I know, Jos. You're safe," she whispers as she rakes her fingers through my folds. I close my eyes as the sensations overwhelm me—her soft, gentle touch. I swallow a curse as her finger circles my clit.
"I'm going to come if you—"
"Josie, look at me." Her breath is nearly as ragged as mine. As I open my eyes, look deep into hers, the emotion in her eyes pushes me over the edge.
A mischievous grin spreads across her face. "Good. Now you can enjoy it and quit fighting already." She knees my thighs apart, her fingernails raking up the inside of my thighs. Every brush of her mouth, every touch of her fingertips, every breath she exhales, fans the flames higher.
She looks up at me, holding my gaze, as she brushes soft kisses everywhere but where I want them. "I could do this for the next nine hours," she teases.
"Another night, Florence. Please." My voice is raw. I take her head in my hands, tucking a sweaty strand of hair off her forehead.
God. She looks wrecked.
She grins, her mouth against my wet flesh, her eyes on mine. She wraps her arms around my thighs, pulling me onto her face, and all of a sudden, her soft warm tongue is inside me. I lose myself in the sensation of her, the intensity of her eyes, her soul.
An earthquake ruptures through me, my body convulsing in a way it never has before. Fuck. Fuck.
Fucking—
"That's another thing you should warn me about," she says, her chuckle vibrating against me. Before I can catch my breath, she wraps her lips around my clit, sending another tremor through me.
She waits until I catch my breath before she crawls on top of me, her bare breasts on mine. She brushes her lips against mine. "Is this okay?" she whispers softly.
"I—" I inhale deeply, biting my lip. She starts to move off me, but I wrap my arms around her. "Stay. Please?"
"Are you okay?" She lifts herself up on her elbows, one hand wiping a sweaty strand of hair from my face. "Josie, talk to me."
"I've—" I shake my head. What was that?
She rolls off me. "Are you thinking of Mel?" she asks, sitting up on the edge of the bed.
"What?" I sit up, reaching for her. "No. Why would you think—"
"You're always thinking of her."
"No." I shake my head. "Not like that. Not anymore." I bite my lip, trying to think. "What I used to feel for Mel was a little flutter. What I felt for Ruby—" I put my hand on her arm. "Don't walk away from me, Florence. What I felt for Ruby was like someone turned a light on, took care of business, then turned the light off again. But you…"
She looks at me.
"You rock my foundations. I don't understand what I feel for you." I gently pull her back to me. "All I know is that I want you here." My throat tightens. "I don't even know what that was, that orgasm. It felt like I was ripping apart at the seams."
She laughs softly. "You squirted. Is that your first time?"
"I thought that was a myth."
She shakes her head. "Not a myth." She lays back down next to me, brushing the back of her hand across my cheek. "You should let future partners know… so you don't squirt them in the eye or something." She grins playfully.
I don't want any other partners. I only want you. Something suddenly hits me in the gut. "I should probably tell you something." I sit up, pulling the cover around me.
"You know I've seen all of that, right?" she says, gesturing to the cover.
"The other day…" I swallow, looking at her. "I asked Tilly if she would get me off. I was confused about my feelings, and I know she used to do it for Renna."
She blinks. "Mel's fiancée?"
I nod. "She told me she wouldn't fuck me just so I could avoid my feelings for you—I should go fuck you instead, but…" I look down at my hands. "I'm sorry."
She laughs. "I don't know her that well, but that sounds exactly like something she would say."