9. Chapter 9
Hump me like a ladybug
Reno’s eyes stay on my face for a long moment, but he doesn’t ask me any more questions. Instead, he stretches out on his back beside me and sweetly links his fingers with mine.
“Enthrall me with your cloud acumen, Juliette McNamara,” he says.
With the vastness of the sky above me and a hulking hockey player beside me, I relax. “The fluffiest clouds are called cumulus, and they’re the best for finding shapes. Like those over there,” I say, pointing up at a collection of bright white clouds against the brilliant blue of the sky.
“What kinds of shapes?”
“Anything.” I swivel my head toward him, and he does the same. “You’ve really never found shapes in the clouds before?”
“No, and now I feel wholly inadequate,” he says wryly.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” I tell him, and his eyes soften on mine, glistening like pale emeralds, and is he closer than he was a few seconds ago? Dragging my gaze away, I point to a long cloud on the right side of the grouping. “What do you think that one looks like?”
“Ummm, a white blob?”
I laugh. “No, use your imagination, silly.”
“Why don’t you help me out with the first one since I’m a newbie?”
I study the pale fluff. “Hmm, I think that one looks like a sexy bunny.”
A laugh bursts from Reno’s mouth, and it’s deep and seductive. “A sexy bunny?”
“Yeah. You can see the ears there.” I trace them with my index finger in the air. “And he’s lying on his side like this. ”
Releasing his hand, I turn on my side and strike a pose, resting my jaw on my fist. “It’s like he’s saying, ‘Hey, ladies.’” I wiggle my eyebrows for effect.
Reno mirrors my position and, in his best Joey Tribbiani voice, says, “I’m Sexy Bunny. How you doin’?”
That makes me giggle. “Exactly. It’s like a whole new world opens up in the sky when you set your mind free to imagine.”
His lips crook up into a devastating smile. “You really are a dreamer, aren’t you?”
“Does that bother you?” I ask in a feathery voice that I’ve never heard come from my mouth before.
“Not a bit. I like it.” He brushes the backs of his knuckles down my upper arm, and my entire limb feels like it’s been doused in lava… in a good way, not in an I’ll be spending the foreseeable future in the burn center way.
“Good because other than me undergoing a complete personality transplant, I don’t envision it going away anytime soon.” And since he seems to be okay with touching, I reach up and smooth that glossy curl between my forefinger and thumb. It’s as soft as it looks, like rich silk against my skin.
“You should never change for anyone, Juliette.” Reno’s voice goes a bit raspy, and my name on his lips is a soothing melody. “You make me want to dream with you.”
Flipping hell. He is seduction personified in a six-foot-something frame of muscle and sexuality.
“Anyone can dream,” I tell him. “Why don’t you go solo on the next cloud analysis?”
He makes a little hum of agreement and rolls onto his back but not before sliding his arm beneath my head.
It’s a smooth-as-hell move, but I allow it, resting the back of my head against his biceps.
His big, muscular, strong, hard, delicious biceps.
I’d wager a month’s salary that Reno Swain’s upper arms could give those veiny forearms a run for their money.
“What are you doing?” he asks when I pull out my phone and snap a quick picture.
“Getting a pic of Sexy Bunny. I want to remember him forever,” I say dramatically.
Reno laughs. “Send it to me too.” He rattles off his number, and I program it into my phone before sending the photo.
For the next few minutes, we stare silently up at the sky until he points to a misshapen oval cloud. “That one looks like the Grinch’s head,” he proclaims. “See that little tuft on the top that looks like his hair?”
“That’s a good one,” I praise, and for a long while, we lose ourselves in the clouds, the left side of my body pressed against his right side. We manage to find Tony Soprano, a Big Mac, a bird smoking a cigar, and two very cheeky ladybugs having sex.
“Who knew ladybugs liked it doggy style? I would have taken them as missionary fans,” Reno muses as we regard the rounded shape that appears to be mounting a similar one.
“Oh, the wonders of the animal kingdom,” I laugh. “Cloud gazing isn’t usually so… erotic.”
“Maybe it’s the company,” he ventures, pivoting his head to look at me. All softness is gone from his eyes, replaced with flinty green fire. As if our movements have been choreographed, we both roll until we’re facing each other.
“Perhaps it is. I’ve never cloud gazed with a man before.”
Reno lets out a low growl and grasps my hip, hauling me closer with the ease of moving a stuffed animal. “Come here, dream girl.”
And ohhhhh. That’s a really good nickname.
Our bodies are pancaked together, and he’s all hard muscle and warm skin when I rest one hand on his broad shoulder. His forehead tilts forward to touch mine.
“Can I kiss you, Juliette?”
I enter my Marilyn Monroe era when my breathless reply leaves my mouth. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t. ”
His lips curve into the hint of a smile before they brush across mine like a whisper.
Then he pulls back, his eyes exploring every inch of my face like he’s trying to memorize me.
I do my best to hold back my frown. That is not what I expected when he asked to kiss me.
I was hoping for some tongue action with a side of groping.
Or maybe I was wishing he’d hump me like a ladybug, which is honestly the most bizarre statement I’ve ever thought.
“Reno…” I start, and his eyes drop to my lips. That’s right, buddy. Focus on the target zone.
“Shhh, dream girl. Just let me look at you for a second,” he murmurs.
Oh. Well. Alrighty then.
His hand trails from my hip and up my arm, leaving a path of hot goosebumps on my bare skin.
Then he cups the side of my neck, his thumb drawing ovals against my jaw.
I’m mesmerized by his eyes moving over every inch of my face.
I’ve written about characters being eaten up by someone’s gaze, but I’d never experienced it in real life. Until now.
Until Reno.
He’s so intense, his irises darkening as he takes me in. His voice is a rumble that I can feel as much as I can hear it. “You are… so beautiful, baby.”
If not for his big hand spanning my neck and lower face, holding me in place, I think I could melt through the blanket and be swallowed up by the earth.
Then his mouth is on me, lips pulling against mine with tender sucks as his fingers close around the back of my neck. It’s a show of possession and dominance, and I’m not complaining about it a bit.
When his tongue slips out and seeks entrance against the seam of my mouth, I open for him, welcoming the glide of his tongue over mine. We let out simultaneous groans, and I feel my nipples pebble through the thin fabric of my top.
My hand slips around his waist, and I anchor our bodies together with my palm against his back.
When I feel him harden against my stomach, my brain short circuits with little sizzles and pops that seem to override any rational thoughts.
But who the hell needs pesky-ass thoughts when you’re kissing Reno Swain?
I arch my back to press my belly against his length, and oh … What a length it is. Even beneath our layers of clothes, I can feel that he’s… substantial. The noise he makes from the back of his throat vibrates into my mouth, a feral hum wrapped in lust and need.
Gliding his hand down my spine, Reno brushes briefly over my ass on his way to my knee, which he grasps and pulls over his hip. His thick cock nestles between my legs, directly against my heated center, and my hips move of their own accord in small, pulsing thrusts.
I’ve never been so attracted to a man in my entire life.
I’ve never met a guy and instantly wanted to take him to bed.
It usually takes a few dates so I can get to know him better, but what I do know of Reno Swain, I’m drawn to.
On top of being hotter than a Hemsworth, he’s also sweet and funny, a man I can laugh and joke with.
Our chemistry bursts around us in lively bubbles, and my hand ends up in his soft curls as he deepens the kiss. Reno is a stellar kisser, not too wet, not too eager, only a strong confidence that turns me right the hell on. But I want more. Need more.
With a little moan, I tug at him and roll to my back. He follows without complaint, wedging his hips between my thighs as he covers me with his big body.
Our tongues twist and dance as our lower bodies segue into a slow rocking motion that positions the head of his dick directly against my clit. I draw my knees up and lock my ankles around his waist as he sets a rhythm. Forward. Back. Circle.
Reno pulls back with a long, delicious suck before pressing soft kisses to each corner of my mouth.
“Is this okay?” he asks, those stunning green eyes glued to mine.
Answering his question without words, I rub against his hardness in a dirty grind that draws a low groan from his chest .
“Fuck, baby. I’ve never needed someone like this,” he says, mirroring my thoughts from a couple minutes ago. Thankfully he doesn’t stop that forward, back, circle motion that’s driving me wild. “You’re making me lose my mind.”
“You’re not the only one,” I pant. Damn, I’m seriously close to coming already. “This is even better than in my fantasies.”
Realizing what I’d just said, I start to backtrack when the biggest grin covers Reno’s face. “You fantasize about me, dream girl?”
My eyes roll away so I don’t have to look at his damn handsome face. “Yes, okay? Are you happy? I thought about you as inspiration while I was writing yesterday.”
I didn’t think it was possible, but his cock seems to thicken between my legs, as if my admission turns him on. “Please tell me it was a sex scene.”