Chapter 11 #2
We both approached the coffee machine. I leaned against the kitchen sink and immediately remembered being in the exact same position last night.
Sam had whispered in my ear, and I’d begged him not to kiss me, even though I had wanted it so badly.
God, I still wanted it now. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and saw him looking at me intently.
Was he thinking about those moments as well?
And then, all of a sudden, I remembered all my confessions.
"Sam," I murmured. He exhaled sharply. "I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have blurted everything out."
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "I wanted you to tell me. I wanted to know. I've wondered so often where things went wrong. Why you wanted to end things. The real reason why you left."
"I never wanted you to think it was your fault." I could smell his shower gel, so fresh and clean. "You still use Nivea Men Fresh Ocean?" It brought back many vivid memories of him.
"I switched back to it recently," he replied with a grin.
He smelled so good. I sniffed him. I actually sniffed him. Then I leaned in even closer and brought my nose to his neck.
He groaned again, and then his mouth was on mine.
I'd never felt anything like this before in my life. It was like he was kissing me for the first time, and yet it also felt like he’d never stopped.
He knew what I liked, and he'd always been a great kisser.
But now? Now he was perfect. His lips moved with precision.
His hands were all over my body, on my upper thigh and my waist. Then one of them moved to my lower back, pressing me against his abdomen, which, yes, was as hard as I'd imagined.
I was melting in his arms. I put my palms on his shoulders as his right hand brushed back down my upper thigh. On instinct, I lifted my leg, wrapping it around him.
He groaned against my mouth, and the reverberations shook my body.
Then he slid his hands under my ass and lifted me onto the counter.
I was towering over him now, but I liked this angle.
He kissed me until I was so turned on that there was no way he could mistake the tremors in my body.
I pressed my thighs against the sides of his torso.
I needed friction. God, I needed this man so badly.
He kissed from my mouth up to my ear.
"Avery," he groaned. “Fuck, how I missed this.”
He fisted my hair, tilting my head to one side and kissing my neck.
"Sam," I whispered. My voice was shaky, just like my body.
I curled my hands over his shoulders, tugging at his shirt. I moved closer to the edge of the counter, spreading my thighs wide. He pushed me slightly backward, and I gasped as a small explosion went through me.
Holy fuck. Did I just have a mini orgasm from pressing myself against the ridge of his jeans?
Abruptly, he pulled back. I blinked, confused, straightening up too. He looked at me intently and touched my face with the back of his fingers, feathering them down my chin and then the side of my neck. His eyes were on my lips.
"I want you, Avery. So damn bad. I want to keep kissing you. I want to make you come. I want to sink inside you."
I was done for. Every rational thought left my brain.
"I want you too," I admitted.
He dragged his eyes up to glance at me. "But I won't do any of that."
"Why not?" I sounded desperate, but I had no shame.
"Because last night, you begged me not to kiss you. Not to even remind you of our conversation." His voice was suddenly hard. "I don't want us to do something you'll regret."
I shifted on the cold granite counter, suddenly feeling out of sorts and uncomfortable and completely vulnerable in front of him.
He took a huge step to the right, reaching for the counter, gripping it tightly with one hand.
I had a strange sensation that it was all he could do not to come right back here and kiss me.
If I tempted him enough, he might. My body certainly demanded it.
I hadn't even known I'd missed him so much. But I knew he was right—it was too soon, and I didn’t want us to regret anything.
"I'm so embarrassed right now," I murmured.
"There’s no reason for that."
I hopped off the counter, tugging at the hem of my shirt for no reason.
"You’re looking at me with a wicked smile again," I stated.
"Yes, I am."
“You’re not even denying it."
"Why should I, Avery? I'm an open book."
"I'm not sure where we go from here. How do we forget about what just happened?"
"We don't," Sam said nonchalantly.
"But you just said—"
"That I don't plan to make you come right here, right now. Not that I don't plan to do it in the future."
My entire body instantly heated up.
"Wh-What?" I stuttered.
"You’re not ready. So I'm going to lay the groundwork. Find out exactly what's holding you back and dismantle every single wall you have."
I was too stunned to reply.
Judging by his smug smile, Sam was clearly enjoying my reaction. This was a completely new side of him. The boy I’d left hadn’t been smug. Well, the boy I'd left hadn't even been a dirty talker, so he'd definitely changed in that department. I liked it.
What other changes would I like?
None, Avery. Absolutely none, a voice said at the back of my mind. Focus on getting your life back on track and that's it. Falling for Sam Maxwell shouldn't even be part of that plan.
A loud sound rang through the living room. Sam dropped his chin to his chest.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"That’s a ringtone I have for the hospital. It means they need me back."
"But this is your day off," I said indignantly.
"I know. I should've shut off my phone. Now that I'm available, I can't ignore it." He walked to the couch, grabbing his phone and putting it to his ear. "Hi. Yes. And there's no one else who can do it? Fine, I'll be there in a few minutes." That was it. He hung up the phone.
"You're going to work now?" I asked. "But last night you were completely exhausted."
"Thanks to your Jack and Coke, I had a solid twelve hours of sleep. That's almost double my usual. Damn, I was going to take today to think about everything I want to do to you," he murmured. "In which order and when."
I swallowed hard. This day had taken an unbelievable turn.
"And now you'll be busy," I said. "So I guess you'll pencil it in at another time?" Surely if he could be so nonchalant about it, I could be too. Granted, I had to work on my dirty talk so I could put him just as on edge as he put me.
He smirked. “Nah, I’ll keep it in mind the whole time. Maybe I’ll even figure it out for this evening.”