Chapter 12
12
MALLORY
I make it home just in time. Juan had another one of his fits that almost resulted in me spending half the night at the office. For the first time, I stood up to him and told him that he can't dictate my life like that, that I have a life outside the office too. He doesn't need to know that was an exaggeration.
The most amazing thing was that he understood!
I didn't need to work like a maniac for the last five months if I had simply set boundaries from the beginning about not working around the clock. What a dimwit I am.
But I'm on time, can even change into something else—jeans and a t-shirt—and check my makeup. I powder my face again, and then the doorbell rings.
I open it. Wow. I'd almost forgotten how good this man looks.
"Hey," I say with a smile while half-hugging the door.
He grins. "Hey." He comes closer and closer and closer until he plants a kiss on my cheek. "You look great."
I deliberately wore something casual so it wouldn't look like a date, which it isn't. But evidently, I could wear a potato sack and he'd still think I look great.
And that gives me a real rush that tingles throughout my entire body. Like my blood suddenly turned to champagne.
"Thanks." I turn away slightly. "I'll just grab my bag. Then we can go."
"All right. Take your time."
I hesitate. "Do you want to come in for a moment?"
Grinning, he steps inside, and I close the door behind him. "Your place looks nice."
I reach for my bag, which means I have to pass by him. He doesn't step aside, causing my body to brush against his. Before I can get past him completely, his hands settle on my hips. I stop, feeling him close the distance between us. His hands move to my stomach, pulling me against his chest. His breath softly caresses my neck before he presses his lips to my skin. Just below the ear, where my pulse is racing much too fast.
"You're beautiful," he breathes before one hand travels up my arm, brushes past my breast, before settling on my chin and turning my face toward him.
My breath catches as his lips touch my cheek, before pressing against the corner of my mouth and then finding my lips. His tongue gently probes and with a soft moan, I open my mouth.
Brady's kiss is immediately deep and intimate and so full of fire that I'm afraid I'll get burned if I'm not careful. I want to turn around, want to wrap my arms around his neck, but he holds me tight. His hand caresses my stomach, slowly moving higher, a little higher. The other holds my chin before it wanders down a bit and settles on my neck.
He doesn't squeeze, but the idea that he could makes it so incredibly exciting. I try to return his kiss with the same passion as he's giving, while my body tenses because I don't know what will happen next. This isn't just a kiss. This is a kiss with intention. With the intention for more.
His hand cups my breast and I moan into his mouth. I've always loved being caressed there, and Brady's hands are perfect for indulging my ample chest.
"Such fantastic tits," he whispers against my lips before diving back in with his tongue.
I press against his hand, urging him to caress and cuddle me, to tease and indulge me.
And Brady? He delivers.
The kiss in the bar was already magnificent, but this one... Wow. No words.
His hand moves from my neck to my breast, replacing the other hand, which travels back down, caressing my stomach before he slips it between my legs. I open them so he can touch me better, while my breathing accelerates and I keep letting out quiet moans.
"Where's your bedroom?" he asks while his fingers tweak a nipple.
"Hm?"
"Bedroom."
And that's the cold shower I need.
I pull away, breathing heavily and with so much regret. Slowly I turn around, look into his eyes, see the absolute desire in his gaze that flows through me as well.
"We need to go or we'll miss the movie."
He tilts his head back, takes a deep breath before looking at me again. "Sorry, mo stóirín . That was definitely not planned."
"It's hard to stop," I admit, while trying to catch my breath.
"Fuck, yeah." He grins. "It was so good."
"It was."
I reach for my bag, half turning away, seeing from the corner of my eye that he's adjusting himself. So it definitely didn't leave him cold. I had felt that correctly.
He walks past me to the door, pressing a kiss on top of my head. "Way too sexy for my peace of mind," he mutters and steps outside.
I pull the key from the door. "Hey, I thought that meant Sleep well ."
He grins. "It can also mean sorry."
"You're messing with me."
Brady raises his hands and looks at me with his boyish charm. "I would never."
"So it means Sleep well and Sorry . What else?"
He shakes his head. "Can't think of anything else right now."
"Hmm."
He puts his arm around my shoulders, and I notice that we actually fit together quite well height-wise. He can place it there without any awkward contortions.
"Don't you believe me?"
"Not a word."
"Well, not a good sign."
He opens his car door for me before carefully closing it behind me.
Once he's also in the car, I ask: "I'm not quite up to date, which Marvel movie is currently showing?"
"There's nothing new out right now, but this one theater is currently showing all the movies in chronological order. One each week. Today they're showing the first Iron Man ."
"Oh, cool! I didn't know that."
He looks at me. "Do we have a standing Tuesday date then?"
"Absolutely." I grin at him.
"Spectacular."
"Yeah, I think so too. The movies are really great."
"I meant you."
brADY
How can a woman be so enchanting and so cool at the same time? And how damn amazing did she feel in my arms? Letting her go was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I actually wanted to lift her up, throw her over my shoulder, beat my chest, and drag her into my cave. And then never let her go again, somehow hoping she'd develop Stockholm syndrome so she'd never want to leave either.
Okay, I admit that plan sounds very creepy. That's why I didn't put it into action. But it was hard. It was hard not to keep kissing her, not to keep touching her, not to feel her tongue in my mouth anymore and hear her sexy sounds.
I would have kept going, definitely.
But of course, she's in control. And if she doesn't want to, I stop. Even when it's difficult for me. Or maybe especially then.
A man should never assume that a woman is... well... available just because he wants her to be. Orla would nail my balls to the wall if I ever disrespected a woman's wishes. And thinking about it, Tara and Leah would help her.
So it's always she who has the fundamental power over yes and no. Without exception. Unless you've agreed on a safe word. Or made other arrangements.
But fuck, I wanted to keep going.
And now she's sitting next to me, lips red from our kisses, hair a little messy, eyes shining. She's a damn siren. And I don't have wax in my ears.
Once I remember how to drive a car, I do just that and take us to the movie theater, feeling like a kid on Christmas morning because she agreed to go on a date with me every Tuesday. And there are plenty of Marvel movies. The first Iron Man is chronologically the second film, and there are over thirty. So I can see her for months.
And somehow... I like that idea.
* * *
I buy the tickets and just barely manage to prevent her from paying for the popcorn.
"Why can't I pay for something too?" she asks with a sweet pout that I desperately want to kiss.
"Those are the rules."
"What rules?"
"The universal rules of the universe."
She grins. "The universal rules of the universe? So humans and Martians and people from Venus all agreed on these rules and they're generally accepted?"
"Exactly." I grin at her as we slowly walk to the right room.
"When was this negotiated?"
"1947."
"That's oddly specific."
Laughing, I answer, "That's when the UFO crashed in Roswell."
"I'm not sure if it impresses or frightens me that you know that."
"The former, of course." I guide her to our row and our seats.
"Sure, sure. I'm basically impressed by you all the time."
She says it in a joking tone, but without mockery. So there's definitely truth in that statement. At least that's how I choose to interpret it.
I lean toward her as she sits, looking into her eyes. "Likewise."
She swallows hard, making her throat tremble. Not too long ago, I had my hand there. I'm really glad I'm not the only one of us who wants the other person.
"We were supposed to get to know each other slowly," she reminds me.
Grinning, I hold out the bag of popcorn to her. "It doesn't get any slower than this."
"That's actually light speed."
"I think that's an exaggeration. Half warp speed at most."
"So about 0.365 light years per hour?" she asks, grinning.
I widen my eyes. "Wow. Now I'm impressed. Not just a Marvel fangirl, but a Trekkie too. You're absolutely my dream woman." I put my hand over my heart to emphasize these words.
Laughing, she responds, "I'm not really a Trekkie, but that's just common knowledge."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Okay, maybe I've seen a few things."
"Impressive. Honestly."
She stuffs popcorn into her mouth, and all I can think is that I just had my tongue there . And I want it there again.
When the movie starts, I watch her hand, waiting until she reaches into the popcorn bag before I do the same so our hands touch completely by accident. I intertwine our fingers and place them on her thigh. Okay, now she can't eat popcorn anymore, but she doesn't seem to mind too much because her hand squeezes mine.
My heart beats faster. Much too fast.
I lean over to her, caress her cheek. She looks at me in surprise before licking her lips. Our kiss starts sweet, but then it gets more intense. The theater isn't full, with only one row behind us that's empty, which is why I stroke down her back, grab her ass, and lift her onto my lap. She gasps in surprise before snuggling against me, cupping my cheeks with her hands, and kissing me like she's starving. And fuck, I am, totally starving, and I fear I'll never be able to turn off this feeling, I'm so hot for her.
I push her legs apart a bit so I can put my hand where they meet. She gasps and I get hard because it sounds so sexy.
Mallory presses her tits against my chest, which I take as an invitation to touch them. She's sitting sideways on my lap, so one is easy to reach. And I do just that.
She feels so good.
Her small hands stroke down my upper body, find the hem of my shirt, slip underneath.
I pull my hand away from between her legs, catch hers, and place it on my hard-on. "Stroke me."
She runs her hand over my jeans with almost no pressure, torturing me. It can't be anything else.
I growl against her lips, which tugs at the corners of her mouth. She's enjoying this.
Little tease.
When she finally gives me relief, I almost come in my jeans immediately. Great performance, like I'm thirteen. I just barely averted disaster, but now her fingers are wrapped around my cock and they feel so fucking perfect that I'd leave them there all night.
I kiss her lips, let my tongue dance with hers, caress it, dive deep into her mouth, then just let the tip play with hers and gently lick her lips. Her panting is so sexy that I imagine what it would be like if she were under me now and I were sliding into her slowly and deeply. Would she make those little sounds then too? Or would she beg me to fuck her and nearly go crazy from my slow pace?
And then I'm so there, so I quickly pull her hand away, grasp it, bring it to my mouth, and give her a kiss on the back of her hand. Then I rest my forehead against hers.
"I don't want to come for the first time in a movie theater," I whisper.
"Oh, I didn't know it would be your first time," she whispers back.
I grin. "Of course it is. I'm still a virgin."
"For that, you sure know exactly what to do."
"YouPorn."
She laughs. "Ah, I see. You've had a theoretical education."
"Exactly. With you, I'm putting it all into practice. But not here. For that, I want a bed, lots of space, and even more time. And then I would..."
"Shh!" comes from one of the front rows.
She smiles, presses her index finger to my lips before fluttering her mouth against mine. A kiss as delicate as a butterfly's wing.
Mallory wants to go back to her seat, but I like her on my lap, so she repositions herself a bit so she can see better, and then we watch as Tony Stark saves the world.