Chapter Twenty
Mike’s bedroom was utilitarian and anonymous in the way of temporary flats, but it had a queen-sized bed which was crisply made. This was one of the little upsides of being single at her age – the men were less likely to have beds that were just mattresses on a bare floor. They were also more likely to have clean sheets. Or indeed to have sheets in the first place.
He came up behind her, his arms going loosely around her waist, as he tucked his face against her neck and shoulder. Not doing anything. Just holding her for a moment and seeming perfectly content to do so. Sophie thought this might be the most perplexing thing about him – while he seemed wary of entering a relationship, he also clearly craved the physical intimacy, or at the very least enjoyed it.
And that was dangerous to Sophie. Even now, she wanted to tempt him into wanting more. She liked spending time with him. Talking with him. If the hallway was any indication, she was going to enjoy having sex with him. She just liked him. He obviously also liked her, but the danger lurked in the next step. Sophie could easily see herself wanting more with Mike, maybe not now, but at some point, and she still wasn’t sure he was ready for that.
What she needed were some firm boundaries. Rules in place, a plan for how to deal with the eventual fallout, much like Edie had said.
And she had better bring it up fast, because Mike had brushed her hair aside so he could nibble her neck and his hands were no longer still. His fingers danced along her stomach and hips in a very distracting manner. She cleared her throat. ‘Mike?’
His response was a hum.
‘We should probably go over some things.’
Mike found a spot that made her weak-kneed and hovered there, raking it with his teeth.
‘Mike.’ His name came out in a gasp.
‘I got a test about eight months back. No one since then. I can pull up the results on my phone if you’d like.’ His voice was a low rumble, his hands kneading her hips.
Gratitude filled her at the offer. After what Andrew had done, her trust was fragile when it came to sex. ‘Please. Thank you. Why did you request a test?’
‘I had a suspicious rash that turned out to be from a new detergent. I’ll leave you with that amazingly erotic image in your head while I go find my phone.’ He squeezed her and kissed her again, then pulled away, making it only a few feet before he stopped, pulled a throw off the bed and wrapped her in it. ‘Be right back.’
Sophie sat on the bed and waited, wondering at the fact that she hadn’t thought of the blanket first. She wasn’t shy, but she hadn’t exactly paraded around naked for the two men she’d slept with after Andrew had left. She’d had a few drinks in her for courage for the first one, and it had been mostly dark, for which she’d been grateful. For the second one, she hadn’t even managed to get fully undressed, and that had partly been why she hadn’t asked for a repeat performance.
With the exception of Andrew and a few doctors, she hadn’t shown a man her naked body in full lighting since she was twenty. Things had changed since then, certainly, her body shifting with time, not to mention the fresh and shiny dents in her confidence that her ex had left. There had been that nagging doubt that he’d left because she was no longer a person worthy of love or desire, even if Edie repeatedly told her that those things weren’t true. Had in fact followed Sophie through the house one day with a novelty megaphone, shouting that at her until Sophie had burst into a fit of giggles.
With Mike, she simply hadn’t thought anything of it. He wasn’t even fully undressed yet, but there was something about the way he looked at her, the way he touched her, that told her more than any words how much he desired her. The man made her feel beautiful.
Mike returned holding his phone. ‘Sorry, I took a moment to put the food in the fridge. I don’t like my dates to end with food poisoning. Or to start with it. Really, food poisoning is unwelcome at all stages.’ He handed over his phone to her, the screen showing the part of his medical file that listed his test results, which were when he’d said they were, and were indeed negative.
‘I don’t know – I’ve had some dates where I would have welcomed food poisoning,’ she said, staring at the screen. Relief seeped into her that he’d been telling her the truth. ‘Do you want to see mine? After Andrew…well, I requested them again after the antibiotics just to make sure.’
Mike shook his head, taking the seat next to her on the bed. ‘Only if it would make you feel better for me to see them. With your history, I trust this wouldn’t be something you’d lie about. I also bought condoms today. They’re in the bedside drawer.’
She handed him back his phone. ‘Very prepared.’
‘Just hopeful.’
‘Thank you, for all of this.’
He was watching her now, eyes assessing. ‘What else do you need, Sophie?’
She gave a little laugh, the sound coming out tinny and false to her ears. ‘Am I that transparent?’
‘No,’ he said slowly. ‘I don’t think you are. I just know you.’
She dropped her gaze, suddenly very interested in the floor. ‘I think we should set expectations.’
He leaned back on his hands, his expression thoughtful. ‘What does that mean to you?’
‘You’re only in New York for what, two or three more weeks?’
He nodded. ‘More or less – possibly a little more.’
‘What if we didn’t think about after that? Neither of us are very sure what we want long term, and I’d like this to be a pleasant memory when we’re done.’ She frowned slightly. ‘Do you think that’s cold?’
He watched her, his expression thoughtful. ‘No, I don’t think it’s cold. Smart, probably, because you’re right.’ His voice softened. ‘I want this to be a good memory, too. I’d like to think we’ll be friends in the end, no matter what.’
‘So we have fun while you’re here. Enjoy our time. When you leave for the airport, we can let it naturally transition into whatever we want. Not a hard and fast rule, but at least we’re on the same page.’
‘I can live with that.’
They regarded each other quietly, neither of them speaking. Sophie couldn’t help but notice that Mike’s ardour had, ah, cooled . ‘I killed the mood, didn’t I?
Mike’s lopsided smile was wide and genuine. ‘Oh, sweetheart, it would take a lot more than a five-minute – and very necessary – conversation to turn me off. I have an almost entirely naked woman in my bed. Wild hounds couldn’t keep me away.’
She glanced rather pointedly at the front of his jeans.
He laughed before rolling onto his side, nudging her down onto the mattress. ‘We can fix that .’ He peeled back one side of her blanket cocoon. ‘It’s not like it’s a hardship.’ He pulled back the rest of the blanket, his eyes blazing with anticipation. ‘Oh no, we have to do foreplay. Such a travesty,’ he murmured, drawing a finger down her sternum before tracing along the line of her bra. ‘Whatever will we do? However will we cope?’ He kissed her chest, eyes sliding closed as he breathed her in. ‘Never have two people had to overcome such odds. Now sit up so I can get this bra off.’
She pushed him away with a laugh so she could do as he asked, nodding at his jeans. ‘Those off as well.’
Mike rolled off the bed, landing on his feet, and immediately started pulling off his jeans.
‘And you might joke, but most men want to get straight to the good part,’ Sophie said, reaching around to unhook her bra.
Mike froze with his trousers at his knees so he could look at her, his expression bewildered. ‘It’s all the good part.’
She frowned at him. ‘You really mean that, don’t you?’
‘Yeah,’ he said, stepping out of his jeans. He straightened, his thumbs inside the waistband of his boxer briefs. ‘These too?’
She nodded, tossing her bra onto the floor.
‘You don’t think this is the good part?’
‘Oh, I do, it’s just that a large proportion of the penis-wielding population would disagree with you.’
He shoved his boxers down. ‘They’re welcome to their incorrect opinion.’
Sophie forgot whatever she’d been about to say as he stood up again, fully naked before her for the first time. Her mind completely whited out, the mental equivalent of elevator music taking over as she drank him in. He wasn’t chiselled, but he had the definition of an active man, with broad shoulders and good proportions. She was already fond of his chest, her hands itching to run through the hair there again. He turned for her perusal, hands out, blushing almost boyishly when he faced her again. He cracked his knuckles, an anxious gesture that somehow made him more attractive to her than any amount of grandstanding would have done.
‘Do I pass muster?’ He looked down at himself, moving restlessly, like he might bolt from the room if she gave him a negative answer.
She could only do what he had done for her and show her honest appreciation of him. ‘You are quite possibly the most attractive man I’ve ever met.’
His head snapped up at that, his flush spreading to the tips of his ears. ‘I’m what?’
She shook her head. ‘Michael Tremblay, you are entirely worth looking at, and this is the best dinner date I’ve ever had in my life.’
He cracked a laugh. ‘I haven’t even fed you yet.’
‘Am I wrong?’
‘No,’ he said, climbing towards her onto the bed until she was flat on her back with him above her, his weight on his elbows. ‘You’re not wrong. Best dinner ever.’ His grin turned wicked. ‘But then, I’ve already eaten.’
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
Mike watched her for a moment, his expression turning into something warm and tender, before he lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss started out slow, lazy, and Sophie was starting to understand that when Mike kissed, he did it with his entire body. It wasn’t just an action of lips, tongue and teeth. It was hands in her hair, coasting down her sides, tickling the backs of her knees. She could feel the rumble of his response through his chest, which was pressed to hers. Their legs tangled and shifted. He was a tactile man, hell-bent on touching every nook, every hidden secret place on her body, mastering every bit of her topography.
While Sophie hadn’t had that many partners, she’d had a lot of sex over the years, and would have considered herself to be somewhat knowledgeable about the subject. Now, with Mike, she was starting to wonder if she’d been doing it right all this time – or, more accurately, if her partners had been. It wasn’t like he was doing new things, but more like he was going about them in an entirely different way. She’d been getting a scoop of vanilla ice cream, not realizing that there were places that would give you three scoops and unlimited toppings.
Mike took his time. If something he did made her moan, caused her breath to hitch, or got any reaction, he lingered . It was like he was starving for touch, the way he went after her. And to be honest, she was no less hungry for him.
He brought her to orgasm again using his fingers before he even reached for the condoms, his hands shaking with barely repressed need as he slid one on. He hitched up her leg slowly, his eyes never leaving her body, as he let out a breath. ‘Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.’
He lowered himself into the cradle of her thighs, his hands cupping her face. ‘We still good?’
In answer, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a kiss.
He eased into her, his movements measured, rocking deep with each thrust. She shuddered from the pleasure of it, her eyes drifting shut against her will. Everything felt so good .
Mike nipped her lip. ‘What did I say about eyes on me?’
‘Bossy,’ she murmured. ‘I would never have thought you’d be so bossy in bed.’ She must have liked it, however, because she was soon gazing up at him, watching his eyes darken like the fading light through the curtained windows.
‘You don’t like it?’
She smiled. ‘Didn’t say that, did I?’
He gave a low, breathy laugh as he lowered his head to her nipple and sucked.
Sophie cried out, arching, heat building rapidly inside her. Mike spread her wider, deepening his thrusts, but keeping the same maddening pace. Sophie writhed beneath him, gasping his name, trying to get what she wanted – she was so close .
‘What do you need?’
‘Faster.’ She practically sobbed the word. ‘And touch me. I need – I need you to touch me.’ She knew she was being vague, but her thoughts were jumbled, and she wasn’t used to asking for what she wanted. Worse, she wasn’t used to anyone giving a damn.
Mike seemed to understand, shifting so he was on his knees, placing his thumb over her clit and rubbing in circles as he thrust into her.
Sophie fractured into a thousand glittering pieces as pleasure shot through her, only to dissipate slowly, leaving her a puddle of sated human. Mike followed soon after, his body caging hers, and her name upon his lips. He collapsed on her when he was done, chest heaving like a bellows, his body deliciously heavy on hers. She had little energy left but found enough to stroke his back as she held him.
Then, surprisingly, his chest started to shake.
Oh no. Oh god. Was he crying ? She really hoped he wasn’t, not because she had an issue with men crying, but her ego couldn’t take it at this particular moment and – no, wait. He was wheezing.
‘Are you laughing ?’
He nodded, his face buried in her shoulder.
‘Why?’ Was laughing worse than crying? She supposed it depended on what he was laughing about.
‘I was thinking’ – he wheezed another laugh – ‘about when we met.’
Sophie couldn’t figure out the connection. ‘Okay . . .’
‘Even monkeys in the trees do it.’ That sent him into another paroxysm of laughter.
‘ That’s why you’re laughing?’ She smacked him playfully on the back. ‘It wasn’t even funny when I said it!’
‘Yes, it was.’ He leaned back to look at her. ‘It’s even funnier now.’
‘Why, exactly?’
‘I don’t know.’ He started shaking again with a fresh wave of laughter. ‘It just is.’
‘You’re ridiculous.’
‘I know,’ he said, tucking his face into the space where her neck and shoulder met.‘But I hope you like it.’
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘I guess I do.’ Then she couldn’t help it. She started laughing right along with him.