Chapter 13 #3
“No… But Jess.” Her gaze holds mine. “I want you to know. What happened back then? It’s in the past. I’ve let it go. And now… I’d really just like to have my friend back.”
A few tears break free as I nod at her. “I’d really like that, too.”
We stare at each other for a few seconds, or maybe longer, as unspoken words move between us.
I’m sorry.
I know.
I still want to be friends. I’ll do anything to fix what I did.
You did. And we are.
“Are you sure you had a good time?”
Kane glances over at me once he shuts the car off. While the garage door rumbles down behind us, I answer, “I had an amazing time. Everyone was so nice, and the food was great, and the games?—”
“You mean the ones you didn’t tell me you were a ringer in?
” He looks over his shoulder at the box filled with all the prizes I won.
There’s an adorable stuffed kitten with a sweet pink nose, several oversized mugs with the Headless Horseman printed on them, and a giant pillow in the shape of a hop flower, courtesy of the Hop-less Horseman .
“My mom would always take me to the arcade to celebrate the end of the school year,” I explain. “Ever since I started school. She’d take the day off and we’d head to a different arcade every year. I got pretty good at them.”
His features soften. “I’m glad you have that memory of her.”
“Me too.” And while I still feel that same twinge of pain at her loss, it’s not as bad as it used to be. “She’d really like you, you know. My mom.”
“Jess.” He strokes my jaw, then cups it to draw my lips to his. “I’m sure I’d love her too.”
Then he sits up straight and casts another quick glance into the backseat. “We should probably get all these gifts inside. And then?—”
“The blindfold?” I pluck the blue silk fabric from where it’s been waiting in the console. “Maybe we could do this first? And then get the presents?”
His jaw goes tight. Heat flares in his gaze. “Are you sure? If you’re too tired…”
“I’m not.” Handing the blindfold to him, I add, “I’ve been thinking about this all evening.”
“Oh.” A slow smile curves up. A smile filled with the promise of things that make me feel weak in the knees. “Well. Since it is your birthday, and I said you get to do whatever you want… How can I argue?”
“Unless you don’t want to.” My courage dips. “If you’re too tired, or you’ve changed your mind…”
“Fuck no.” Almost as fast as I can blink, Kane jumps out of the car and rushes around to my side.
He practically rips the passenger-side door open and lifts me out and into his arms. Then he kicks the door closed as he strides to the door that leads to the kitchen.
“I am definitely not too tired. And I haven’t changed my mind. ”
As he carries me inside, his face all intense and hot with desire, my ovaries almost explode from how sexy it is. How sexy he is.
Not once in my life pre-Kane did I ever imagine a man carrying me like this. Like I’m the heroine in some romantic movie, instead of just ordinary Jess, the woman who’d probably end up alone at sixty with only her ten cats for company.
“Kane,” I breathe while he speeds down the hall towards his bedroom. “I really like it when you do this.”
His gaze lowers to mine. “When I do what? Carry you?”
Heat touches my cheeks, but I tell him the truth, anyway. “Yes. It’s really… hot. Like you can’t wait to get your hands on me.”
“Jess.” It’s low and husky. “I can’t wait to get my hands on you. And my mouth. And my tongue. And later, to feel your sweet heat wrapping around me. To hear those sexy sounds you make when you’re close. And the way you call my name… It’s the most perfect thing I’ve ever experienced.”
OH.
My panties—blue satin, one of the new pairs I bought just for Kane—go damp.
While my mind is still spinning with his words, Kane lays me on the mattress and places the blindfold beside me.
Then he goes over to the nightstand and pulls several blue scarves from the top drawer.
Looking more intense than I’ve ever seen him, he says, “Jess. I know this is something different for you. And honestly, it’s new for me, too. ”
“It is?” I can’t hide the surprise in my voice. A guy like Kane, who I know has dated plenty of women, finding something like this new?
“It is.” He perches on the edge of the bed and looks at me solemnly. “I’ve always liked the idea of it. Being with someone who trusts me enough to give me control. But there was never anyone… you’re the first woman I really wanted to trust me.”
Joy expands so quickly in my chest, I’m breathless from it. “I do. And yes, this is new for me. But I want it. The scarves. The blindfold. All of it.”
“Okay.” He kisses me before standing. “If you’re sure. Then let’s get on with your next birthday present.”
My core tightens in anticipation. “Okay.” As he sits me up and starts to take off my sweater, I touch his arm to stop him. “But first.”
“What?”
“Before the blindfold. I want to see you naked. So I have a fresh image in my mind even when I can’t see.”
“Ah.” Kane kisses me again. “I think I can do that.”
And then.
As he stands beside the bed, he starts to peel off his clothes.
First revealing his broad chest, sculpted with planes of thick muscle and covered with a dusting of deep auburn hair. His biceps flex while he unfastens his belt and tosses it to the ground, and I have another fantasy of the length of leather being used in other, more sensual ways.
My eyes follow the trail of hair down to his waist, over the eight-pack I’ve traced with my fingers and tongue. And then when his pants fall to the floor, I swallow hard as his hard length springs free, already slick with need and jutting towards me.
And then—oh, thank you—he turns around to flick on the lamp on the nightstand, revealing the sexiest ass I’ve ever seen. Tight and muscular and just the right size to squeeze while he’s on top of me.
Not that I’ve seen a lot of men’s butts in person. But I’ve seen enough in movies to know that Kane’s has them all beat.
He turns back with a sly smirk on his lips. “Were you checking out my ass?”
“Maybe,” I admit. “Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay. What do you think I do whenever you turn around?” He grins. “I’m always looking at your sweet ass. You just don’t know how often.”
Then he peels off my sweater and pants, leaving me in only my matching bra and panties. “I think I’ll leave these on at first,” he says. “I love taking them off slowly.”
“Whatever you want.” And I love the surge of heat in his gaze whenever I say that.
It’s the most perfect incongruity. Outside the bedroom, the positions are reversed. Though Kane can be gently pushy about certain things, the second he knows I want something, he’ll drop everything to get it. And he would never, ever expect me to do something just because he wanted me to.
But in here? I like giving him control. And I know he enjoys taking it.
“How about this first?” Kane kisses me, nipping at my lower lip before teasing my mouth open and plunging inside. Our tongues perform a sensual dance; a preview of what’s soon to come elsewhere.
After he breaks the kiss, he carefully ties one wrist to the headboard, then the other, testing the bonds to make sure they’re not too tight. “Is this okay?”
I’m already so turned on, it’s hard to form actual sentences. “Yes.”
“Alright.” He kisses me again. Then he places the silky fabric across my eyes, lifting my head slightly so he can tie it from behind. “Just remember, if you?—”
I appreciate how cautious he’s being, but I’m about to implode here.
“I’m fine,” I say with emphasis. “Really. Now. Will you please touch me?”
A low growl rumbles from his chest. “Fuck, yes, sweetheart. You don’t have to ask me twice.”