Chapter Ten #2
Slowly, his hands fall away. I undo his buttons one by one, note the pulse pounding at the base of his throat. I lean forward and brush my lips across it.
“You need to hurry.”
Thrilled at the effect I’m having on a man who’s usually so in control, I merely smile. His shirt parts, revealing a muscled chest and the dark curling hair I glimpsed earlier. I lay my hands on his skin, palms flat as I soak up his heat.
“You’re at work all the time.” I love the sensation of his hair scraping against my hands as I explore his body. “How do you have a body like this?”
“I swim,” he grinds out. “Every day.”
“I’m glad.”
His chuckle vibrates beneath my palms. I rise up a little more and push the shirt off his shoulders. The move brings me to nearly eye-level. I stare at Aiden, the familiar brown eyes and thick brows, the strong nose and fierce jaw.
My heart thuds. I lean in and brush my lips over his. Faint like a butterfly’s wings, a gentle caress that soothes some of the sensual tension crackling through me.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
“No.” One more kiss because I don’t think just one will ever be enough. “Just enjoying you.”
He was already so tense I almost miss it, the way his body tightens at my words. I glance up at him, but there’s nothing except need written across his face.
I reach down and undo his belt. My breath catches as I undo the button of his pants. He steps back, makes quick work of finishing undressing.
And then he stands before me, gloriously naked and wonderfully masculine. Broad shoulders, long, lean arms, a chiseled chest, and thick, strong legs. It’s incredible to think I’ve worked alongside him for three years and never knew what an amazing body he’d been hiding under his suits.
My eyes drop down to his erection. I wrap my fingers around the hard, silken length, shuddering as his head drops back on a groan. I stroke him, slowly at first, savoring the feel of him in my hand. Then, as I quicken my pace, I lean down and draw him into my mouth.
“God, Seraphina.”
I love the taste of him, how he swells in my mouth while I savor my effect on him as I give him pleasure. His hands slide into my hair, gently holding me as I move. I tease him, lightly grazing my teeth over the sensitive tip, long strokes of my tongue while I hold his gaze.
“Enough.”
His hands grip my shoulders and pull me up.
He slams his mouth on mine as his arms wrap around my waist and he yanks me against him.
He swallows my cries as our naked bodies press together.
My breasts press against his chest, his cock against my core, and the way he holds on to me as if he couldn’t bear to let me go, send me into a frenzy.
“Now.” I frame his face with my hands, my breath coming in short, frantic pants. “Now, Aiden, please.”
He tumbles me back onto the bed, covering my body with his. My hands roam over his back, up his arms, around his neck. His shaft is resting against me and I lift my hips up, wanting him inside me, needing him to fill the ache throbbing between my thighs.
“Seraphina, wait.”
Doubt floods in, takes control. Did I do something wrong? Has he changed his mind?
“Protection,” he grates out.
I blink as my lips part. “Oh. I… I got caught up—”
“Are you on a pill?”
When I nod, he shifts. He presses against my entrance and I instinctively part my legs, arching my hips up to take him inside.
“I’m clean.” His voice is like rough gravel. “I haven’t been with anyone since last fall.” He looks at me, the cords of his neck standing out as he fights for control. “Are you okay with this?”
My eyes burn. I reach up, one hand on his cheek, and kiss him as I lay one hand on his hip and pull him toward me.
He groans against my lips as he sinks his full length inside me.
My body clamps down on him as I cry out.
I can feel everything, every stroke, every pulse of his heart against my chest as we move together.
Pressure builds, deeper and more intense than before.
I climb higher as our hands and mouths roam, touching, kissing.
I explode. My body shudders as pleasure spirals through me. I’m holding on to Aiden for dear life, my arms around his neck, my face pressed against his throat. A few moments later he groans out my name as he reaches his release.
Slowly, very slowly, I drift back down to earth. Aiden starts to move off me, but I wrap my arms around his shoulders.
“Just a moment longer,” I murmur as my eyes drift shut.
“I’m squishing you.” His voice is amused, warm.
“It’s a good squish.”
He chuckles and drops a kiss on my cheek. When he tenses, I open my eyes and look up at him. His brows are drawn together in a frown as he gazes down at me.
“Are you all right?”
I can see the shutter drop over his eyes, feel his walls come back up even as he gives me a small smile.
“Of course.”
He brushes a kiss across my lips, but it’s brief, cold. I lie there as he gets up and walks out onto the terrace, confident in his body. I ease myself up and pull one of the mussed sheets up over my breasts as he pours us each another glass of champagne.
He’s distancing himself already. Even as he comes back into the room, I know the old Aiden is back. He hands me the champagne and I force myself to drink slow.
He told me. Warned me. The sex was incredible. So why am I feeling so low?
“Are you okay?”
He’s watching me closely. If he catches even a glimpse of internal struggle, he’ll cut off our affair before it even begins.
While I’m fairly sure I’m not going to leave this arrangement with my heart completely intact, I don’t want to give this up.
I’ve never experienced this kind of pleasure or intimacy before.
Even though I’m struggling right now, I also know this will help me.
Help me accept I’m still desirable, still capable of experiencing pleasure. That I can have a real relationship.
“I am.” I slip my own mask on, smoothing out my face as I give him a small smile. “A little worn out.”
His eyes narrow slightly, but he doesn’t push. He finishes his champagne before he pulls on his pants and shoves his arms into the sleeves of his shirt. I sit there, numbness creeping in as I keep my gaze focused on the sea.
He stops by my bedside, leans down and brushes his lips across my forehead. Another quick gesture meant to pacify, not arouse.
“Good night, Seraphina.”
“Good night, Aiden.”
He hesitates, as if he wants to say something more. And then he walks out, closing the door with a quiet click behind him.