19. Nineteen
Nineteen
Henry
W ith a smile, I rounded the counter, watching her eyes darken as I closed the distance between our bodies. An involuntary shiver ran through her and I recognized it immediately, knew it for the aching need it represented.
I felt it just as keenly myself.
As I moved to stand between her knees, she shifted on the chair, spreading her legs to make room for me, and I had to remind myself to go slow.
Even if every inch of my body wanted to capture that sweet mouth and ravish her until morning.
“And now?” I asked, my voice low and husky.
“I’d like to touch you,” she said simply.
I spread my arms wide in invitation. Without hesitation, she reached out to smooth her palms over my shoulders, down my biceps, and back up again, the hunger in her beautiful eyes intensifying throughout the exploration. I stood perfectly still, watching her face and realizing she wore the same look of wonder I’d noticed that day at the beach.
A guy could get used to dating an artist.
Her expression alone was thoroughly arousing, nevermind the trail of heat left by her fingers. It might kill me to keep still, to be patient, but it was worth the effort just to watch her watching me.
“You’re beautiful,” Juliet told me as her hands splayed over my chest.
A groan dragged from my throat when those soft fingers moved through the rough hair there. Even with my gaze focused on her expression, I could feel the weight of her regard on my skin. This bold intensity from her was electrifying.
When I couldn’t bear to stand still for another moment, I set my hands on her knees. I hadn’t seen her bare legs since that day in the forest and wasn’t sure if the tenderness of the bruise was completely gone, so I kept my touch light as my hands slid slowly upward from her kneecaps, coasting along the outside of her thighs.
Once they reached her hips and cupped those perfect curves, Juliet finally lifted her eyes to meet mine. I held her gaze for a moment, then lowered my lips to graze her jawline, nuzzling the soft skin.
“So are you,” I whispered against her ear.
This time I felt the tremor go through her, and a swift rush of satisfaction coursed through my veins. Her hands left my chest to twine around my neck.
“I can take my shirt off, if you’d like a better view,” she breathed, echoing my offer.
“Yes, please.”
A laugh escaped her lips, a hint of sound that was breathless and so erotic I wasn’t sure I could wait to get my hands on her bare skin. It took all of my strength to straighten up and let her lift the shirt over her head, revealing the turquoise bra I’d caught sight of in her bathroom that first night when I brought her home—and the creamy, freckled skin I knew would feel like silk under my fingers.
I growled as a bolt of raw desire shot straight through me.
My eyes feasted on her, stroking over her skin in a way that made her breath come a little faster, a visible sign of my effect on her. When my gaze landed on the dainty silver ring hanging on a chain, nestled in her cleavage, I had to bite back a groan. Instead of burying my face there as well, I touched the ring with a careful fingertip, fully conscious of her sharp intake of breath when my knuckle brushed the swell of her breast.
“What’s this?”
“It was my mother’s.”
When I traced the edge of her bra with my fingertip, she broke off, apparently having no desire to talk about her mother at that moment. I read the sentiment in the way her head fell back slightly as I retraced the path again, and I didn’t comment on the ring any further.
“This color brings out your eyes,” I murmured as I swept my thumbs lightly over her satin-covered nipples, watching her eyelids flutter.
“Does it?”
“Damned if I know,” I groaned, finally setting my mouth to hers.
As I kissed her, I lifted my hands from her breasts to follow the same path along her shoulders and biceps that she had explored on me, equally intent, equally hungry. When her arms tightened around me, the brush of that turquoise satin against my chest was torturous. My palms coasted up her spine, spreading across the bare skin that had haunted my dreams since that night I spent on the couch, then back down, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.
We’d been moving slowly these past weeks, cautiously, as though one of us might spook. It had seemed important to learn more about one another before rushing ahead, but now I could think of nothing more vital than learning her body.
“I want to touch you,” I whispered, letting my lips drift over her cheekbone.
A quick nod from her was permission enough—I unclasped the bra and she shrugged it off, letting it fall to the floor. My exploration grew ravenous as I drew back to look at her, admiring the way her skin flushed under my gaze.
“So, so lovely,” I said hoarsely as my hands slid upward to cup her breasts again.
I was no artist, but I couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful than those rosy nipples growing taut as my thumbs swept lightly over them, back and forth. Her head fell back on a sigh and I kissed her again, sinking deep into the lush heat of her mouth.
She barely noticed when I leaned her back more, supporting her with one arm wrapped around her waist, until I kissed a path down her neck and took her nipple into my mouth.
Juliet gasped, then tangled one hand in my hair, clutching me there against her racing heartbeat.
I gloried in the soft whimpers that burst from her lips as my tongue worked over her skin, teasing and then sucking deep, circling and soothing, spiking the pleasure higher with each pass.
“I can’t get enough of you,” I whispered, desperate to fill my hands and mouth with every inch of her soft skin.
“I was thinking the same,” she replied with a strangled laugh, then my teeth grazed her nipple and she arched over my arm.
I drank in every response, delighting in each sweet sound I drew from her. Just as I suspected, her skin here was even more exquisitely sensitive than the rest of her. I'd just shifted to her other breast, swirling my tongue over its peak, when a cold, wet nose pushed between our bare stomachs.
“Oh!” Juliet yelped, jerking back just in time to avoid a collision with the top of my head as I stood upright.
Blue’s tail wagged and she offered a canine smile that normally would have charmed us both. At that precise moment, though, we were not amused.
I rubbed my hands over my face to clear my head. Juliet’s cheeks were flushed, her lips rosy from my kisses. Though I tried to keep my gaze from dropping to her breasts, heaving as she struggled to catch her breath, I gave up, taking in the perfection of her bare skin before me.
Blue woofed impatiently. Juliet stifled a laugh while I cursed beneath my breath and strode to the door to let the dog out into the yard.
Once I returned to stand before her, she laid a hand on my chest. I sighed as I sank down onto my stool. Her curls tumbled wildly about her bare shoulders, but I knew the look on her face meant we wouldn't be picking up right where we’d left off. I took her hands in mine, running my thumbs over the back of her knuckles.
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling a rush of guilt that threatened to kill the mood. “I didn’t mean to push you.”
Juliet arched a brow, still looking a little dazed and distracted. “I’m not stopping you because I don’t want to . . ." She lifted one hand from mine in a vague gesture and I bit back a smile. “But I feel like there are some awkward conversations we should have first.”
“Okay. Let’s move this somewhere more comfortable, then,” I said, lifting her down from the stool.
She grabbed her shirt off the floor, clasping it to her chest as we transferred to the couch. This spot was probably even less conducive to conversation than the stools, but at least I wouldn’t be staring straight at her bare skin. The shirt barrier was reminiscent enough of that night in the bathroom to make me laugh softly as I sat beside her.
“Probably for the best you have a shield, if you expect my brain to function,” I said, stretching one arm along the back of the couch so my fingers were close but not quite touching her.
As tempted as I’d been to tug her back into my arms after letting Blue outside, it was clear that she wanted to get solid ground back under her feet.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t really know how this kind of thing goes,” she said, waving her hand between us.
My brows lifted as I waited for her to continue. When she stayed silent, I murmured, “What kind of thing?”
“This. Us. I’ve never had a . . . casual relationship.”
I drew a sharp breath as her words struck home. Did she think I was just sticking around for a roll in the hay?
“Oh, Juliet,” I said gently, reaching over to cup her face in my hand. “My feelings for you are anything but casual. If I’ve given you the impression that they were, I really, truly apologize.”
“Oh,” she said in a small voice, then a little louder, “Oh.”
She jerked slightly then, as though startled, and her cornflower eyes searched my expression for a moment. A flash of something that might have been panic crossed her face.
“Easy,” I said, keeping my tone light even as I wondered why that would frighten her. “I’m not pushing anything, I hope you know that. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Juliet sucked in a deep breath, but she nodded while she let it out. “I didn’t think you were pushing, I just . . . I don’t have a great track record with relationships of any kind, period. You know about my ex, and the ones before that weren’t much better.”
I stroked her cheek gently, a soft movement meant to soothe. Maybe her admission shouldn’t have made me want to sucker-punch the past partners who’d hurt her, but it did. Especially the one who’d proposed on her mother’s deathbed.
On the other hand, I couldn’t ignore my relief at the fact that things hadn’t worked out between them.
I was dedicated to making sure we were both clear about exactly what she deserved, and I was more than willing to let her determine how she wanted this to play out, even if she worried it was my heart at risk rather than her own.
“If you’re not sure about anything, you say the word and it stops. Physical or emotional. What you want is important to me. I’m not asking you to profess your undying love, I just need us to be clear on what you want.”
The smile she gave me was heartbreakingly vulnerable, so I rubbed my nose against hers until a soft laugh escaped her lips.
“So, are we getting dressed, or do you want me to kiss you some more?”
“Oh, I want you to kiss me some more,” she said, tossing the shirt aside and rising to her knees so she could throw one leg over and straddle my lap.
“Excellent choice.”
She draped her arms around my neck, her nipples brushing my chest as that smile blossomed into an expression of exquisite promise. “Then I guess we’ll see where things end up.”
“I like the sound of that.”
In fact, as my hands explored the softness of her skin, I could think of nothing better than following her lead.