Chapter 26 #2
Because nothing could unwind him. Except Clover. But he knew that wasn’t on the table. Or on the bed, as it were. She’d made it clear that she wasn’t into him. Or she at least didn’t want anything more than friendship with him.
“You awake?” he whispered as he pulled the bathroom door shut behind him.
He left it cracked so only a sliver of light peeked out.
“Yeah. You can leave the door cracked wider open if you want.”
“Do you want the light on?” He was fine either way.
“Yeah,” she whispered.
He left the door where it was and made his way to the other side of the bed, ordering himself to calm the hell down.
“I used your body wash,” he admitted as he slid under the covers.
He’d forgotten to bring his own…and he liked smelling like her.
He swore his body was going into sensory overload as the sheets slid over his legs.
“You can use all my stuff.” She turned toward him as she lay on her side.
The desire he’d been locking down punched through him like a lightning bolt. She was inches away, looking at him in a way he recognized—she wanted him.
And he was ninety-nine percent sure he wasn’t projecting.
“Do you mind if I sleep shirtless?” He should have asked beforehand but hadn’t thought of it.
There was a long pause, one that felt charged. He didn’t want to be that asshole who thought someone was into them when they weren’t, but she was watching him with pure heat in her storm gray eyes.
“You could sleep naked if you wanted,” she whispered.
He went still, the sound of their breathing seeming overpronounced in the quiet room.
“Or not,” she added quickly.
“Do you…want me to?” What was wrong with him? Normally he could talk to women just fine, but with Clover he often felt like the most awkward version of himself. Though to be fair, this was a surprise.
Then he felt the sole of her foot tentatively stroke down his shin.
Okay, he was not projecting.
And he swore to all the gods and goddesses that might exist in any timeline, his entire body reacted to that simple touch. “Clover,” he growled, fighting like hell not to act on the countless fantasies of her he’d lived on for so long.
She sucked in a breath. Maybe at the way he said her name, he couldn’t be sure.
But he was sure about the tentative touch of her fingertips against his chest.
His heart thudded hard, his whole body coiled and ready to snap from the tension. This was the opening he’d been dreaming of and never expected to have. He’d been starving for her since they’d met and couldn’t hold back.
Sliding closer, he clutched her hip as he pulled her flush against him.
He wanted to pin her to the mattress, to kiss every inch of her, but didn’t want to scare her off. Didn’t want to move too fast. This wasn’t a sprint. It was a marathon.
As she stretched out next to him, she had to feel his very solid reaction to her. All the muscles in his body were pulled taut as he tried to steady his heart rate, his breathing. His annoying brain.
But his mind wouldn’t settle as she trailed her fingers up his chest and onto his shoulders.
He leaned close to her, inhaling that sweet scent that was all her. Walking a tightrope between desire and control. Still, he needed to make sure one thing was clear… “I want you so much. But if you tell me to stop, we stop. Okay?”
Her breathing hitched slightly as she nodded. “Okay.”
He couldn’t see as much of her as he wanted, but that didn’t matter as he claimed her mouth with his. He could taste her, touch her, bring her all the pleasure she deserved.
That slight kiss, the gentle touch, and she reacted with her whole body, as if she’d been waiting for this too.
He certainly had, from practically the moment he’d met her.
As he teased his tongue against hers, savoring the feel of her tongue flicking against his, her minty taste, he slid a hand down her hip, between her thighs and oh…
She spread her legs for him, hooking one over his hip as they faced each other.
He quickly realized that her pajama bottoms were skimpy and he had easy access to all of her… He slipped his hand underneath the leg of her shorts, surprised by how loose they were. “Is this okay?” he whispered, wondering if this was a huge mistake.
Not for him, because he had no doubts where she was concerned.
But he didn’t want her to have any regrets later.
Everything was so heightened now and she was hiding out from the Feds—this could just be her way of dealing with the stress.
And he didn’t want to be stress relief for her, he wanted to be her future.
In response, she rolled her hips against his touch, scooting even closer to him.
Her pajama shorts might as well not even be in the way as he cupped her mound through the silky material of her panties.
Her breath hitched, her breathing growing ragged against his mouth as he shoved the material out of the way, teased her slick folds with his middle finger.
God, she was already wet and they’d barely started. He was glad he wasn’t alone in his reaction, because he was rock hard too. But it didn’t take much to get him turned on when he was around her.
Sliding a finger inside her, he captured one of her groans as he kissed her again. Taking his time, he enjoyed the feel of teasing between her folds, knowing how turned on she was.
And she let him know with every stroke, her inner walls tightening around his fingers, the soft moans she made…
Rolling onto her back, she shoved at the covers because they were just in the way. Then she did one better and slid her pajama top off.
In that moment he regretted not leaving the bathroom door wide open because he couldn’t see everything he wanted. But he saw enough.
Her long, lean body, the gentle swell of her breasts as she lifted her arms above her head, as if she was stretching out for him.
Maybe she was.
“I want to taste you,” he rasped out, his words more growl than anything. He was lucky he could talk at all.
The slow smile she gave him was pure Clover, pure mischief, and he knew he was a goner. To be fair, he’d known for a while, but he loved everything about her.
She shimmied her pajama shorts and everything else off before he could blink, that little smile on her lips telling him everything he needed to know. She was into this and trusted him enough to be vulnerable with him—and he would never take advantage of that.
Hell, it wasn’t possible.
Moving slowly, he knelt in between her spread legs, took one ankle and guided it up to his mouth, kissed her softly.
She shivered, rolling her hips once as he continued a slow path up her inner calf and thigh. As he peppered her with barely there kisses, he savored the way she shuddered—and nearly jolted when she reached out with her other foot and stroked over his trapped erection.
“Hell,” he growled, which just made her laugh, the throaty sound pure joy.
By the time he made it to his destination, he felt as if he could crawl out of his skin for how tightly he was wound.
But then he tasted between her legs and all he could focus on was making her climax. He wasn’t sure how far she wanted to go tonight, but he was damn sure going to make sure she got off.
She slid her fingers through his hair, tightened her grip on his head as he teased her with his tongue and fingers.