Chapter 40 #3
I instantly freeze and pull away. Finding her eyes, I hold them because I need her to understand how serious my words will be.
“Nora, if you are not sure about this. About me.” I swallow.
“All you have to do is say it. I’m a patient man, and I can wait until you’re ready.
We can do other things in the meanwhile. ”
“Like what?” Her lips twitch.
Wiping my hand over my face, I give myself a moment to breathe and calm my overstimulated body. “Play chess. Read books. Go hiking.”
“Naked?” she adds with a mischievous smile.
“Nora,” I groan. “You’re not helping. Here I am, trying to be a gentleman and give you a chance to escape until you are sure about this.”
She looks away. “I’m sure about this.”
“You’re absolutely sure?”
She nods, still avoiding my gaze.
I pause. “Then what’s the matter?”
She mumbles something incomprehensible.
“Nora?”
She lets out a loud sigh and starts speaking, focusing anywhere but me. “I want you to not let me change my mind because I wasn’t ready today.”
“Okay.” Isn’t that what I just said? “If you’re not ready, we’ll wait.”
“I’m ready.”
All I can do is blink because I have no idea where this conversation is going and why it’s circling back. “You’re saying you’re ready, and then you say that you aren’t ready today. I’m confused. Help me out here.” I chuckle, scratching the back of my head.
She mumbles something under her nose again.
“What?”
“I haven’t shaved today!” she cries out, throwing her hands in the air. “There. You have it. I haven’t shaved today.”
I’m watching her, blinking. “You lost me there, darlin’.”
“I’m about to change my mind.” She pauses. “Actually, I think I have changed my mind already because I haven’t shaved my moon cave today.”
“Moon cave?”
She points her index finger down to her front. “Moon cave.”
“Oh!” Realization hits me, and I let out a loud chuckle.
Then another. A moment later, I start laughing because I can’t help myself.
Which is the wrong move since her brows draw together, and she crosses her arms over her chest. When I don’t stop laughing, she blows a lock of hair away from her face in obvious frustration and starts tapping her foot on the floor.
“Are you done?” Her tone suggests no one is getting lucky tonight.
I blow air out, trying to stop myself from chuckling more. “Is your unshaved moon cave the only reason for changing your mind?”
“Well, it was.” She taps harder. “And now it’s your very annoying face too. ”
“All right then.”
I move forward, bending down and grabbing her in my arms bride-style. She lets out a loud squeak, and I climb onto the bed with her. Placing her on my sheets, I situate myself over her, holding my weight on my hands.
“Darlin’,” I start. “I hate bringing Dick into this, but if he was the one who put this idea into your head, I’ll have to introduce you to a real man.
” I pray I can deliver on that promise—I’ve been dreaming about Nora’s body under mine for far too long to last more than an embarrassing number of minutes.
“You promise?” She playfully bites her lower lip, and I feel it in my groin. I imagine her tongue hiding behind those lips right now, stroking them. “I think you do,” she giggles, wiggling the lower part of her body, pressing herself even closer to my already stiff cock.
I capture her mouth with mine, swallowing her giggle as I kiss her deeply. My tongue traces the seam of her lips until she opens for me, and then I’m tasting her, claiming her mouth the way I’ve wanted to claim all of her.
“God, Nora,” I breathe against her lips. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
My hands find the hem of her shirt, fingers skimming along the soft skin of her waist. She arches beneath me, a soft moan escaping her throat that goes straight to my cock.
“Show me,” she whispers, unzipping my jacket to reveal my bare chest—I really didn’t bother dressing properly when I stormed over there earlier.
I sit back on my heels, shedding the jacket and tossing it aside because patience is not my strong suit right now. Her eyes rake over my chest, her tongue darting out to wet her lips in a way that makes me want to forget about taking this slow.
“Your turn,” I say, my voice rougher than I intend.
She sits up, crossing her arms over her stomach to grab the bottom of her shirt. For a moment she hesitates, and I can see that flicker of uncertainty in her eyes again.
“Hey.” I lean down, pressing my forehead against hers—even though I want to see the show of her pulling her clothes off for me, she’s not ready for that because of that stupid fucker Dick. “Look at me.”
When her eyes meet mine, I see the vulnerability there, the years of someone else’s expectations clouding her confidence.
“I want you,” I say simply. “All of you. You are as perfect as I want you to be.”
“Perfect?” She sounds doubtful.
“Perfect.” My tone is firm.
Her smile is small but genuine. “Even my unshaved moon cave?”
“Especially that.” I kiss her cheek softly. “I’ve been dreaming about your moon cave since the moment I saw you trespassing on my property.” My lips move to her ear. “When I got a peek at your moon cave.”
“You did?” She laughs, the tension melting from her shoulders.
“Yes.” I nibble on her earlobe, making her body shudder. “I was curious to see if you were a real redhead.”
“I am. Wanna see?” She starts giggling and grabs the bottom hem of her shirt.
She hesitates only for a moment before quickly taking it off over her head and tossing it aside.
A golden necklace with small, blue stones she wears more often than others adorns her beautiful neck.
She flips her hair over one shoulder, revealing all of her.
The moment she does, I sit back on my heels, just watching her. Taking all of it in. Feeling it being mine .
I blow the air out of my lungs. “Shit.” My hand goes into my hair to tug on it to remind myself that this is real. “No wonder the rooster couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
“He was enjoying the view.”
“I bet the little fucker was.” I rise to my knees and move closer to her. “Beautiful,” I murmur, tracing the curve of her collarbone with my finger.
“Your turn,” she says, her hands moving to the band of my sweats.
She hooks her finger over it and pulls it away from my skin.
Her eyes dip down with a mischievous smile when she starts pulling the sweats down.
I stand to help her push them down, leaving me in just my boxers.
The hunger in her eyes as she looks at me makes my cock twitch against the fabric.
“See something you like?” I ask, my voice husky.
“I’m still deciding,” she teases, but her eyes betray her, lingering on the outline pressing against my boxers.
I come back to her, my fingers finding the button of her fuzzy pants she seems to love on especially cold nights. “May I?”
She nods, lifting her hips to help as I slide them down her legs. Her skin is pale in the moonlight filtering through the windows, and I can’t resist trailing my fingers back up her calves and her delicious thighs.
“You’re still wearing too much,” I murmur, my eyes fixed on the simple green panties that somehow look sexier than any lace ones I’ve seen.
“So are you,” she counters, her fingers hooking into the waistband of my boxers.
We shed the last of our clothes together, and then she’s fully naked beneath me, all creamy skin and curves. Her red hair spills across my pillow, and for a moment, I just stare. She looks so good on my sheets, it makes me dizzy.
“Jericho?” Uncertainty creeps into her voice. “You’re staring.”
“Can’t help it,” I breathe, trailing my fingertips down her side. “You’re everything I remember and more.”
I lower my body to hers, skin against skin, and the contact nearly undoes me. Her breasts press against my chest, nipples hardening as I settle between her thighs. The heat of her against my cock makes me groan, and I barely stop myself from moving forward.
“About that moon cave,” I murmur against her neck, kissing my way down to her collarbone.
She tenses slightly. “I told you?—”
“I’m about to worship every inch of it,” I continue, moving lower to capture a nipple between my lips.
Her back arches off the bed, a gasp escaping her lips. “Oh!”
I take my time, savoring the weight of her breast in my hand while my tongue circles the taut peak. Her fingers thread through my hair, alternating between gentle tugs and desperate clutches. I’ve never known my head to be so erogenous, but looks like every inch of my body is if she touches it.
“Jericho,” she moans, her hips rising to seek friction against me—something I’ve been holding out on because it would be game over very quick.
I continue my path downward, kissing across the soft plane of her stomach, feeling her muscles flutter under my lips. When I reach the juncture of her thighs, she tries to shut them closed.
I pause, looking up at her. “Trust me?” I half say half ask, my breath warm against her skin.
Her cheeks flush pink, but she nods, her legs parting slightly for me. I press a gentle kiss to her inner thigh, then another, working my way closer to where she’s already slick with want. The closer I move to her core, the wider her thighs spread.
“God, you’re perfect,” I murmur, blowing cold air on her hot skin, before using my tongue to taste her properly. She shivers and bucks her hips against my mouth.
I grip her thighs, holding her steady as I explore every fold, every sensitive spot that makes her gasp and moan my name. Mine.
The taste of her, the way she responds to every stroke of my tongue—it’s better than any fantasy I’ve ever had. And I’ve had plenty over the past few months. Especially when I was away from her. I fantasized about it nearly every single time I put the phone down.
“Please,” she whimpers, her fingers tangling in my hair. “I need?—”