Chapter 38
38
I didn’t expect Ethan to leave my bedroom and return with the chessboard we had bought together in Paris. I laughed as he climbed onto the bed wearing just his jeans, his chest and feet bare, his hair tousled from our activities, his face flushed, looking extremely delicious, and set it up between us. ‘This is what you want to do now?’
‘I’m thinking while you’re distracted, I might just be able to win,’ he said, smiling as he placed the pieces on the board.
‘Oh, you think I’m distracted?’ I had pulled my thong back on, but my top half was naked under the covers so I sat up, letting the duvet fall off me, revealing my bare chest. ‘Two can play that game.’
Ethan stopped what he was doing to look at me. ‘You have to put a top on; that’s blatant cheating.’
‘There’s no referee here. You first,’ I said, a smile playing on my lips.
Ethan’s breath hitched. He shook his head but forced his eyes down onto the board. ‘Fine. I can do this. And when I win, I will claim my reward,’ he said, reminding me of the reward he’d given me back in Paris. A very satisfying reward. My breath hitched this time and I saw him smile when he heard it as he moved his first pawn.
‘What if I win, I also get a reward?’ I asked, reaching for my first piece and moving it forwards.
‘Loser decides what it is,’ Ethan said. He looked up and our eyes met. ‘Really struggling to keep my eyes up,’ he said softly.
‘Good.’ I leaned forward and took his pawn. ‘I’m actually getting chilly.’ I grinned at Ethan, who groaned.
‘Nope, not looking,’ he said, focusing on the board. I saw him adjust himself and I bit my lip. ‘Stop it, Tessa.’
‘No idea what you’re talking about,’ I said innocently. Then I watched as he took a knight from me. ‘Hey!’
After that, we lapsed into silence, concentrating on the board, trying not to look at one another until only a few of our pieces remained.
‘Check,’ I said in triumph when I moved my queen. I looked up at him then.
Ethan frowned and sat for a moment but then I saw his lips curve into a smile. ‘Actually…’ He moved his queen. ‘Checkmate.’ Only then did he meet my eyes.
I stared at the board in shock. ‘How did I not see that? That was a sneaky manoeuvre, Taylor.’
‘I actually won,’ he said in disbelief.
‘No one likes a gloater,’ I said sulkily.
‘And now I can look…’ His eyes drank in my naked top half. ‘I really deserve a reward for getting through that with you in front of me looking that sexy. Look at you.’ He shook his head.
‘Okay, I might let you off for wining,’ I said, my body humming from his words and attention.
‘I have a confession to make,’ he said, lifting the board off the bed and placing it on the floor. He crawled across the bed towards me. I laid back down as he leaned over me on his elbows.
‘What’s that?’ I asked, my mind already rolling through ideas for his reward for winning that game.
‘I’ve taken a few chess lessons online,’ he said, looking sheepishly down at me.
‘What?’ I squealed. I grabbed his arms and rolled us over. Laughing, Ethan flopped against the pillow and I leaned over him. ‘I got hustled?’
‘I’m not sorry. I guess I thought if I ever was lucky enough to play you again, I wanted to be able to give you a good game,’ he said, reaching up to push my hair off my face.
‘God, that’s actually so sweet,’ I replied, thrilled that he had thought of me like that. ‘Even though I left Paris?’
‘Maybe I didn’t think all was completely lost, I don’t know,’ he said. ‘And we had a good game, right?’ He moved his hand down my cheek and neck to my chest, moving slowly down to touch my breast.
‘Hmmm,’ I said, trying not to lose focus, but he started stroking me, and my nipples became even harder. ‘But I might withhold your reward now.’
‘That would be very mean, very unsportsmanlike behaviour,’ he said huskily, pulling me towards him for a deep kiss.
I sighed against him and kissed him back, sliding my hands against his bare chest, moving them down like he had done to me, enjoying the curve of his muscles until I reached his jeans where I found him as excited as I now was.
‘Hmm, you are very good at rewards,’ he said, pulling away from my lips to look at me as I stroked him over the material.
‘I decided on my reward,’ I said, enjoying him writhing beneath me now. ‘I want you in my mouth.’
‘I’m not sure I can handle that,’ he said breathlessly .
‘You don’t want it?’ I asked, stopping touching him and leaning down to kiss his chest. I leaned over him and trailed kisses down towards his belly button.
‘Fuck, I’ve never wanted anything more.’ He gasped. ‘Tessa…’
I looked up at him. ‘Beg me,’ I commanded.
Ethan reached down to touch my chin with his fingertips, his eyes dark, his breath short. ‘I’ll do anything you ask me to, sweetheart. Please, Tessa, God, I need to be in your mouth.’
I smiled, every part of my body alight with fire again. ‘Why is this begging thing so hot? Is this now our kink?’ I asked as I hooked my fingers into the waistband of his jeans and pulled them down.
‘Hmmm. Along with half-naked chess,’ he said, eyes fixed on every move I made, lifting his bum so I could strip him fully naked. ‘And handcuffs.’
‘Oh, that’s a good idea.’ I threw his jeans and boxers on the floor then bent down to find the discarded handcuffs. ‘Arms up.’
‘They didn’t hold you; they won’t hold me,’ he said with a chuckle, but he still lifted his arms on the pillow above his head.
‘Just pretend,’ I said with a wink. I put them on him and moved down his body again. I eyed him. His chest was rising and falling rapidly beneath me. ‘This is seriously hot, babe. I like being in control this time.’
‘It’s working for me, as you can tell,’ he said, writhing beneath me again. ‘You’re driving me crazy.’
I smiled. ‘Good. Beg me again.’
‘Please, please, Tessa, I need your mouth on me.’
I slid down his body, enjoying how it made him gasp, ache building between my legs, which I knew he would take care of again soon. I had never felt this comfortable in bed with a man or as turned on. It was as if we had our own secret language together, and that was incredibly sexy. Hearing Ethan cry out my name or tell me, ‘Yes, just like that, sweetheart,’ drove me crazy and I knew I would soon be begging him to touch me again. This slow burn between us was now alight and sparkling and stronger than any flame I had ever ignited. I couldn’t get enough of it. And Ethan seemed just as hooked as me.
Neither of us would be getting much sleep tonight.
And I didn’t care one little bit.