Chapter 37
Tim
I wanted to erase anything that wanker said to her that made her feel less than important.
At the same time, a raw hunger welled up in me at the sight of her.
In front of me stood the demure Tabitha, her curves encased in a black dress that cinched in her waist and flared over her hips, falling to a modest length.
But below her pearls, the neckline of her dress showcased generous scoops of her creamy breasts.
My eyes dipped to see the red flash of her spiky heels. Fuck yeah.
My whole body vibrated, and I wanted to get my hands on every beautiful inch of her.
It was all I could do to maintain self-control.
I wanted to growl out, “Everything off but the heels and pearls.” Rip off my clothes, throw her over my shoulder, carry her to that pristine white bed that hadn’t felt the imprint of even a hand, dive our bodies into the downy softness, and just devour her.
But I knew she needed for me to take it slow. I wanted this to be good for her, the best. And this was not a one-off.
Settle, mate, I said to myself, the same way I coached the overeager bull-at-a-gate young bucks on the team. It’s a whole season. I wanted more than a season with her. I scared myself with the thought of how much longer I wanted with her.
Slanting my head, I moved toward her and laid my lips on hers.
I used all my restraint to kiss her softly, gently, but then, as if impatient, her tongue parted my lips and slid inside my mouth, searching.
She met the pressure of my mouth with force and fisted her hands in my shirt.
Our tongues flicked and swirled, chasing each other in a dance that became about more than just feeling.
As I kissed down her neck, she undid my buttons and slid the shirt off my shoulders.
As she flattened her hands against my chest, my pec muscles contracted against her smooth touch, and I let out a small groan.
Then she scratched into the contours of my muscles, up and down.
I reached behind her and slowly slid down the zip of her dress.
It drifted from her lovely shoulders and flowed to the floor in a pool of black, leaving her in a shiny black bra and knickers and those red heels.
Her slippery black underwear glided against my thighs, her smooth skin seeking mine from all angles, and my control wavered. This was going to be too quick, and I was determined to make this the best night of both our lives, so I needed to slow down.
She raked her hands through my hair, and I gathered her silky locks in my fist and tugged hard.
She let out a little cry of surprise then moaned her appreciation.
We pressed and licked and grasped each other’s flesh hard, me kneading, her scratching, and I let out a strangled groan.
She answered with one of her own. As if showing me what she needed next, with delicate fingers, she tried to undo my belt.
Impatient, I pulled the belt swiftly from its loops, dropped it on the floor with a clank, and pulled down my trousers, leaving me in my black boxer briefs.
She looked down and sucked in a breath.
That was when I realized Tabitha wanted me as much as I wanted her.
She’d responded to me at the river with the sort of passion I knew she had, but I guessed I’d questioned whether that was just because she’d felt emotional.
The revelation was heady and overpowering.
I’d missed out on years of Tabitha, but I intended to spend years making up for that loss.
I moved my thigh between her legs, and she gasped, sending my mind reeling.
Plunging my hands into her hair and down her spine, I found the clasp to her bra, and with one pull, it fell away.
Her bare breasts bounced plump and soft against my chest, thickening my pulse.
I ducked my head and slid my lips and tongue down her chest, sucking, scraping my teeth and trailing my tongue against her.
“Oh God, yes, keep doing that,” she said.
My chest swelled at her approval.
After some time, she slid her hands to my hips and tugged me to her, showing that she wanted more.
Smiling at her confidence, I trailed my hands down her back until I found her full, round bottom and grasped her flesh.
The feel of her in my hands, that I was finally allowed to do this, wound my body into a spiral of anticipation.
I hoisted her up, wrenching her to me, and walked us to the bed.
I wasn’t sure if she was up for what I had in mind, but I needed to see all of her. At the bed, I set her down on her feet and sat in front of her.
“I want to look at you,” I said.
“Oh.” She stepped backward and fidgeted slightly with her hands.
My mouth dried. I soaked all of her in—the deep hollow of her clavicle, down farther between the valley of her breasts, around her stunning curves shining in the low light.
The fevered anticipation of sinking my face and tongue into every inch of her made my heart race like I’d done an hour of wind sprints.
I couldn’t believe that she was here, that this was really happening.
“You are fucking gorgeous, you know that?” I gritted out.
A blush burned on her cheeks. She shifted, a question in her blue eyes, as though she didn’t believe me.
“I’m going to show you exactly how hot you are,” I said. “Or die trying.”
She smiled, like she was now savoring the power she felt over me, and I loved that.
I openly stared, my eyes moving down her body again. This time, she stopped fiddling and let her hands fall to her sides.
Until.
Until she lifted a finger to her pearls and stroked one, lifted the strand to her lips, and rolled it around her tongue.
Oh, fuck yeah, Tabitha. Her hips swayed, a small motion at first, then wider, then in circles.
The fingers on her pearls, her tongue on her necklace, the sway of her hips.
I stared, mouth dropped, breathless, mesmerized.
Each of those small movements meant more with her.
Baring her beautiful body was also exposing her fragile, tender heart to me.
“Come here.” I was sure she could hear the glaring hunger in my voice that promised her we had plans. Plans to do everything I’d thought about for three months. Years, if I was honest.
She stepped slowly toward me and stood between my spread legs.
She bent over, rested her hands on my thighs, and kissed me slowly.
The heat of her hands warmed my skin and spread up into my torso.
My pulse pounded as she drove upward with her hands until she found what she wanted.
Blood slammed to one specific point in my body.
Argh. This was going to be over before it started.
I had to take control to make sure she was first.
“You’re going to bring me to my knees again.” I slid off the bed, knelt in front of her, and grasped her hips tightly, bringing her to my face.
“Tim,” she gasped. I hadn’t realized how much I’d wanted to hear her say my name like that. But now that I’d heard it, I planned to hear it many times more tonight.