Chapter 20 #2
Mouth connected to hers, I hoisted Tessa into my arms, and her legs wrapped around my waist. There was nothing I could do to hold back the groan that escaped from me, so I didn’t even try.
Tessa whimpered in my hold as I shoved the door closed behind us.
Then I stood there, holding and kissing Tessa, her fingers in my hair, thinking how much I wanted this to be my reality every day for the rest of my life.
Tearing my mouth from hers, I searched her face. Pouty lips and a heated gaze stared back at me. One half of my mouth quirked. “You make a great case for getting me to convince you to make your move here permanent.”
She arched a brow. “All I did was open the front door.”
I nuzzled my face into her neck. “I know. I always liked that at your place, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I’d like seeing it at mine.”
Her arms tightened around my neck, her thighs squeezing my waist. “Well, how will it make you feel to know you’re coming home to this and a home-cooked meal?”
The moment she mentioned it, I realized something smelled wonderful. “It’d prove I was the luckiest man in the world.”
“The whole world? That’s all it would take to make you feel that way?”
I laughed. “Tessa, I felt that way long before this moment. What I’m saying is that you telling me that now proves my theory.”
Her fingers lightly scratched the back of my scalp. “And I had something to do with this feeling?”
“You had everything to do with it.”
She licked her lips as she tucked her chin toward her chest. “You’re going to make me blush.”
“Telling you that makes you blush, but what happened the moment you opened that door to me doesn’t?” I questioned her. “And may I remind you that they’re your beautiful legs that are still wrapped around my waist, squeezing me every time you get excited.”
Tessa’s lips parted. She hesitated for a moment, then squirmed in my hold, a silent demand to put her back on her feet.
I did as she wanted, clearly reading that I’d taken things just a bit too far. This was going to be part of what I had to navigate with Tessa moving forward, especially now that she was living with me for the time being.
We’d only just decided to shift from a close friendship to a romantic relationship.
Tessa had revealed that she was a virgin until about a week before she learned her ex was cheating on her.
She’d had that one experience, and it had taken her eight months to get to that place.
It was obvious she had no problem with the kissing we’d done or the physical closeness we shared when cuddling.
But anything beyond that appeared to be off-limits for now.
I’d have to keep that in mind every time she did something that drove me wild.
“Are you ready to eat now, or do you want to shower first?” she asked. Her voice was softer than before.
“Is the food ready?”
“It can be.” She fidgeted with her hair. “But I can also delay it another ten minutes if you want to take a shower.”
Sensing her uneasiness, I thought it might help to give her a bit of space. “If it’s cool with you, I’ll grab a quick shower.”
Tessa nodded and smiled. “Okay. I’ll have it ready once you’re finished.”
I felt an overwhelming urge to clear the air, but the last thing I wanted to do was make her more uncomfortable by bringing it up. So, I pressed a soft kiss to her cheek and whispered, “I’ll be back.”
Though I’d promised to be quick, I couldn’t simply hop in and out.
After having Tessa’s body wrapped around mine while she fell asleep last night, waking up to her ass nestled against my dick this morning, and being greeted by her at the door like I had been just now, I needed to find some relief.
At every turn, she was doing something to get me riled up, and sometimes, it was as simple as giving me a sweet look or a soft touch.
Curling my fingers around my cock as I stood beneath the spray of the shower, I stroked myself and thought about Tessa.
About the way she looked when she stepped into my bedroom last night wearing nothing but that nightie.
About the way her legs felt circling my waist only moments ago.
About how she tasted and the way she smelled. About the way she moaned or whimpered.
Vision after vision of Tessa danced in my mind until, with one palm resting on the wall of the shower, head bowed, I came.
As quickly as I could, I finished up, got dressed, and met Tessa downstairs for dinner. The tension I’d seen in her shoulders just ten minutes ago was gone. I walked up behind her, gathered her hair in one hand, and moved it to one side so I could kiss her neck. “I’m back.”
“That was perfect timing. I just got everything plated.”
I glanced over her shoulder, saw the plates, and said, “You go grab a seat, and I’ll carry these in.”
She did as I requested, and once we were seated, I asked, “Now, can you tell me why you felt it necessary to cook dinner tonight?”
“We have to eat, don’t we?”
Nodding, I said, “We do. But you could’ve waited until I was back. We could’ve done it together.”
Tessa smiled at me. “I know. But I figured since you’re going out of your way to help me right now, I should do something to show my appreciation. It means a lot to me that you’re looking out for me like you are, and I want you to know that I’m grateful.”
“I know that you’re grateful, Princess. You don’t have to take on duties in this house to prove it to me.”
“I made dinner, Ace.”
My hand reached out and covered hers. “I know. And it’s fine.
I’m happy with it, and it’s delicious. But I don’t want this to turn into you taking on household chores because you think you owe me.
You’re my girl, and I’m doing what I’ve got to do to ensure your safety.
It’s my honor and privilege to do that for you. ”
Her eyes dropped to her plate, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “You make it difficult for me not to want to do even more for you when you say things like that.”
“I’d settle for a kiss instead,” I teased.
Tessa didn’t hesitate. She leaned in and brought her mouth to mine in a chaste kiss, allowing her lips to linger a bit.
When she lowered herself to her seat again, we simply stared at one another for several silent beats. Feeling that sexual tension crackling between us, I broke the silence. “You cooked tonight, so I’ll be cleaning up.”
“I can help.”
I shook my head. “No. Right now, I want to hear about your day while we eat. Then I’ll clean up, and you can grab your shower. Afterward, we can cuddle up and watch some television.”
“Okay.”
So, that’s what we did. Tessa told me about her day while we ate. After, she went up for a shower while I cleaned up. Then we curled up together and found something to watch.
But it didn’t take long for the closeness with each other to lead to gentle caresses and sweet kisses.
Even though I knew I was going to have to stop us before things went too far, I didn’t mind at all. A night like I’d had with her tonight was absolutely everything I wanted to have for the rest of my life.