And Take #2
“The fantasy?” What the hell did that mean? Like fantasy fantasy? Like sexual fantasy?
“This is going to be TMI, and the timing is all wrong, but just your smoky laugh got me hard. It was a bitch and a half if there were people around.”
Inspecting his face closer, the words sounded like he joked, but his expression was dead serious.
“You had me at a disadvantage. I never got to see what you looked like. All I got were the jokes and the voice. Always pictured a sexy computer nerd with wire-rimmed glasses, reflecting the glow of monitors in the wee hours of the morning—pale, living off energy drinks, and listening to thrash metal.”
He chuckled. “Pretty close, except for the thrash metal. I only wear the glasses at home now when I read in bed.”
Now there was an image. Holy fuck. Glasses, a book, and six feet of handsome nakedness.
The quiet settled between them again, but this time it was comfortable. Talking without speaking. Being.
She wanted more.
Tentatively, she reached a finger up from where it lay on his chest to trace his upper lip. “They’re so soft.”
She watched his Adam’s apple bounce convulsively. “Asking isn’t normally my way, but this feels too important. If I kiss you again, will I have to apologize?”
She rocked her head from side to side the best she could on the pillow. “Kissing you right now is all I want to do.”
When his lips touched hers, instead of fairy dust, sparks zinged across her skin, like when a Fourth of July sparkler rained down on the flesh. It stung and tickled at the same time, creating an odd balance of pleasure and pain.
He didn’t kiss. He claimed. He dominated.
One hand held the side of her face. The other curled around the nape of her neck. This hold was meant to be firm and prevent escape.
He held her steady while he slanted his mouth to meet hers, his lips sucking and pulling at her, teeth grazing the tender flesh and eliciting a gasp from her. And while it was the same type of kiss as earlier, this was harder. Edgier. It drove her need to the danger zone.
She did not want him to stop.
No sooner had she opened her mouth in surprise, his tongue darted inside, stroking over and over. Each time the tip swept across hers, he flicked it lightly, and she imagined him doing the same to her nipples.
In the background, a soft keening sound underlined the rainfall. It wasn’t until a knee nudged her legs, insinuated itself between them, and tucked tight against the vee at the top of her thighs that she realized the noise emanated from her.
“Jesus, Glennon, you test me.”
His hands framed her hips, pulling her in and wedging himself even tighter into the cradle of her body. Holy crap, she was grinding on him like a stripper during an illegal lap dance.
“Gently, now.” While his grip held her steady, he didn’t stop her movements. He simply controlled them. “That’s it. I don’t want to explain to Demon how you ripped out those stitches.”
She buried her face in his chest, embarrassed by her behavior yet helpless to stop. Where was this coming from? “Triumph,” she wailed into his skin.
His voice came out dark and ragged, as if he were holding on by a thread. “Take what you need, gorgeous. Fuck, you’re so hot between those legs. I can feel how soaked your pussy is for me.”
The walls of her core clenched around nothing, practically screaming for him to fill the void, and the rasp of the coarse hair on his leg against her bare clit was too glorious to resist. She wanted it.
She needed it. As crazy as this desire was, as depraved and wanton as it was, she lacked the ability to care.
Pressure deepened, and she realized he thrust his leg in time against the apex of her thighs to get her to her peak.
He whispered in her ear, against her skin, but what he said was lost in the noises she made.
At the last second, she managed to slap a hand over her mouth to muffle the cry bursting forth as she pitched over the edge and into bliss.
Her body was strung tight, but he continued to move against her, carrying her through the waves of pleasure that crashed through her.
When she was finally able to think straight, the hand over her mouth moved to her eyes, and her gasps for air became less pronounced. All throughout, his mouth varied between calming praise and gentle kisses to the side of her face.
Finally, her heart rate returned to normal, and her breathing evened. She could now feel his hand brushing up and down her back while the other anchored her at the hip. Exhaustion swept through her once more.
“Is it my turn to apologize?” she asked.
“Don’t you dare.” His voice was breathy.
Satisfied. He shifted slightly, his head pulling back on the pillow, but his hands stayed right where they were, his thigh still tight against her core.
“I definitely enjoyed it. And if it released some tension, I’d say that’s more than appropriate given what you’ve been through the past few days. ”
“How could you enjoy it? Nothing came out of it for you.”
A grumbling chuckle vibrated in his chest, passing to her body.
Rolling her eyes, she said, “Okay, Mr. Computer Fetish, bad choice of words.”
He apologized. “Sorry. That was inappropriate.”
Frowning, she looked him in the eye. “What was?”
“Poking fun at you. No one should be laughed at, on any level, based on what they say after an orgasm. All good sense flies out of someone for at least fifteen minutes when they come.”
They lay there in the quiet for a few minutes. She tried to process what she’d just done. Between the close quarters, the vulnerable sharing about her family, and then lying together in the small bed, it felt like she should be experiencing guilt over their actions.
She was not. But that was what brought her to actually feeling it.
“Hey.” He broke through the low-rising anxiety. “You’re thinking so loud, the guys can probably hear you next door.”
She groaned. “Oh fuck, the guys.” Her hand went back over her eyes, and she could feel the heat blooming across her face. “Do you think they—”
“No. You were pretty quiet. I can hear them moving around a bit because these walls are pretty thin. But there were no squeaking bedsprings or headboards banging off the wall, and you muffled your sounds pretty well. Even if you didn’t, I doubt they would say anything to embarrass you.”
“I’m not used to having to keep my reactions quiet.
I barely remembered where I was or who might potentially overhear.
If anything, Guillermo wanted people to hear.
” The admission was mortifying, and why she brought it up was a mystery.
Was she trying to sabotage the intimacy they’d shared?
“Ugh, and now I’m sorry I said that. So attractive to get myself off on your body, then talk about a past lover. ”
She tried to roll away from him and escape the awkwardness, but he only gripped her tighter.
“Glennon,” he admonished. “We need to unpack a few things here. One, I most certainly did get something out of that. You needed a release. Way too much stress built up over getting outed, then having to escape, and now recovering from your wound. Orgasms provide a dopamine hit and rushing endorphins. I was more than happy to provide that. It made me feel useful, which I’ve got to say, I haven’t felt very much since we got here.
If anything, I’ve felt like I’ve been in the way of the guys and how they’re capable of helping you.
“Two, guys are guys. We get off on hearing we’re making our partner feel good. Caters to all that testosterone, the Neanderthal instinct our evolution hasn’t quite gotten rid of yet. Even vicariously. I bet if you asked Demon and Steel, they’d actually be glad you’re able to relax a bit now.
“Three, I have a feeling there’s a lot you need to talk about to clear out bad shit. If I’m the one you talk to, great. I’m not qualified to diagnose or treat trauma, but I know it when I see it. Trust me. I got a crash course with Tilly. I’m a good listener, and I don’t judge.