Chapter 7
seven
. . .
Cutler
“Well, I’m certainly not going to touch myself while I’m sitting on your lap, so you can tell your overzealous erection to calm down,” she said with a laugh.
Clearly, she could feel him responding to her nearness.
“Hey, you’re talking about what gets you off and you’re sitting on my lap. I’m only human, Jeege.”
“Fine. If I say one thing that I think about, will you just give me a few simple tips, and we’ll call this lesson done for tonight?” Her cheeks were pink, and it was cute as hell.
There was nothing I wouldn’t talk about with Gracie, but I’d be lying if I said I ever thought we’d be talking about this.
And I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I liked it.
“Yes. Tell me.”
She tapped her finger against her lips as if she was deep in thought.
Her eyes looked up at the sky for several beats, and then she turned to me.
“It could be the wine talking, but I think I might like it if a man took charge, you know? Like not in a way where he rushes things, but in a way that he just knows what I need and what I want, and he tells me what to do so he can please me. That probably makes no sense.”
Holy fuck.
Hearing what she wanted. What she longed for. It was sexy as hell.
How had any man not been able to give her what she needed? She was eager and curious and passionate.
What a fucking privilege it would be to please this woman.
It took everything in me not to react physically, so I schooled my features, not giving anything away.
I placed a hand beneath her chin and turned her until her gaze met mine.
“It makes perfect sense. You’ve never had a lover who was tuned in to what you wanted, what you needed.
You want a man who can read your signals.
A man who can sense what your body needs and wants.
And that’s a good thing. But you need to give him those signals so he can do that. ”
“Okay,” she said, the word coming out very breathy, which made me even harder than I already was. “So I need to show him what I want with my body language, right?”
“Yes.”
“And how do I do that?”
“Do you want me to show you?” I asked, and now it was my voice that was gruff. “I mean, I can show you without doing anything.”
She’d had a lot to drink, and I was not that guy. Never had been, never would be.
But I could give her something without crossing a line.
She nodded. “Yes. Please show me.”
“All right, I’ll give you an example.” I tucked her long dark hair behind her ear and pulled her closer as I used the tip of my tongue to trace a line down her neck, and then I trailed my lips over the same path before leaning close to speak against her ear.
“So if you like this, you show the person by tilting your head back just the way you’re doing right now.
You’ve arched into my touch, which tells me you’re enjoying it. ”
Her eyes were closed, and I moved to the other side of her neck and repeated what I’d just done, and she nearly fell against my body. It seemed to startle her, because she sprang forward and nodded before jumping off my lap.
“Okay. I can do that. Arch into it.”
I froze for a moment, taking in the way she’d responded, how instinctively her body had reacted.
I’d barely touched her, yet she’d reacted, and it was sexy as hell.
My pulse spiked, and I bit back a groan, unable to think of anything but the way she’d moved, the way she’d trusted me—the way it made me ache to do it again.
She’d liked it.
And so did I.
Her skin was soft and smooth.
Strawberries and coconut flooded my senses.
I shook it off, schooled my features again, and looked up to meet her gaze.
This was my best friend, after all.
“Yes. Little things like the way that you respond to touch. If you don’t like something, you let the person know immediately by pulling away. If you enjoy it, you lean into it. You can pull him closer, make a noise that communicates what you’re feeling.”
“I don’t think I did much of that in my past relationships.” She started stacking the dishes on the table.
She was done.
This was too much for her, I could tell.
“Well, who could blame you? I don’t think anyone was touching you in a way that you liked. So, don’t be afraid to take charge, Jeege. You can tell them or show them what you want.”
“Dirk asked me out to dinner, but I’m not even remotely attracted to him, so I don’t think this plan would work with him.” She gathered the plates, and I stood up and took them from her.
Dirk fucking Roberts.
The audacity of this asshole to think he had any business asking Gracie out.
“I’ll take these in. And that’s a terrible idea. You can’t go out with Dirk.”
“Why not?” she huffed as she carried the wine bottle and glass while she walked beside me.
“Because it’s a conflict of interest. You’re an authority figure at the office.”
She set the bottle and glass down on the kitchen island, and I placed the plates in the sink before turning to look at her.
“I don’t even work there,” she chuckled. “How am I an authority figure?”
“Because he’s a subcontractor for us, and you’re a VP. That causes a power struggle, and we can’t have that type of shit going down in the workplace.”
“A VP of what?” she asked over hysterical laughter.
“You’re my VP of design. You’re in a position of power.”
“Cutler.”
“Gracie,” I mimicked her as she placed her hands on her hips.
“What’s your problem with Dirk?”
“Dirk is a jerk.”
“Thanks, Busta Rhymes. He does a ton of work for you. I thought you liked him.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“I like him fine. But he’s cocky, and he’s a player. He’s not your type.”
I mean, I know…glass fucking houses. I’m not worthy of her either. Maybe no one is.
But she deserved the best, and it sure as hell wasn’t Dirk Roberts.
“Well, that’s the thing. I don’t want to date my type. I don’t like the guy romantically, but he’s good-looking and he might be good to practice on.” She laughed even harder now. She was clearly tipsy from the two generous glasses of wine she’d had.
“That’s not you and you know it. And let’s not choose some fucker who I’ll have to fire because it’ll piss me off if he puts his hands on you.”
She stepped closer before reaching past me and pouring the rest of the wine into her glass. “Fine. I’ll find myself a temporary man, a no-strings-attached hottie, when we go line dancing this weekend. Maybe I’ll find me a cowboy,” she said, howling as she pretended to toss around an invisible rope.
I was grateful it wasn’t real, because she had no clue what she was doing.
Now it was my turn to laugh. “Great. I’ll help you choose. I know everyone in town, so I can fill you in.”
“Great. You can be my wingman, Bear.” Her lips turned up in the corners. “And I think I’m going to find me a cowboy, someone who knows his way around more than a horse.”
For fuck’s sake. She was being ridiculous.
But I kind of loved it.
Even if a little part of me hated the idea of her meeting someone.
Gracie was a relationship girl. She’d always been in one. And clearly they weren’t very good, so picking partners wasn’t her strength.
“You know you could be single for a little while.”
“That’s what the plan is. I’m studying at the school of Cutler ‘Bear’ Heart.” She winked at me. “I’m not looking for a husband. I’m looking for—a good time.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s a big stretch from what you’re used to.”
“That’s the whole point. Fresh start. New me. So bring your dancing boots, because we’re going to have some fun.” She stumbled a little bit, and I caught her by the shoulders.
“Okay, pace yourself, player,” I said, my voice teasing. “Let’s get you a water and get you to bed.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her down the hallway to her bedroom.
“I’m tired,” she said, pointing to the bed for me to sit, while she grabbed her jammies and walked into her bathroom.
She didn’t close the door, but I knew she was changing even though I couldn’t see her.
She walked out wearing little boy shorts and a white tank top, and I tried not to stare.
“Thanks for the lesson and for giving me a job and a place to live. I don’t know what I’d do without you. ”
“You’ll never have to find out. C and G for life, right?” I stood up and pulled back the comforter, motioning for her to climb in. I had the sudden urge to touch her again. I loved the way she’d reacted to my lips on her neck.
The way she’d tasted.
I wanted more.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
This was Gracie.
My Gracie.
She climbed under the comforter and smiled up at me. “C and G for life.”
“Get some sleep, Jeege.” I flipped off her light and started to move through the doorway.
“You know you’d be the perfect guy for this temporary gig, right?” she teased. “And there’d be no risk of anyone getting hurt, because we’re already best friends. And it would save me the time of finding a suitable short-term lover.”
Her laughter filled the room, and I was so stunned by her words that I was grateful she couldn’t see my face.
Also, I was now ridiculously turned on at the suggestion.
I adjusted myself slyly, because holy shit.
What the hell was she asking?
“You’ve clearly had too much to drink. These are verbal lessons.” I cleared my throat, but she was still chuckling at the idea.
I was not laughing.
I’d just lived out this scenario in the shower earlier.
This was a dangerous game, and I needed to keep my head on straight.
“Well, you did do the whole tongue and lips thing on my neck,” she said with a chuckle, like this was a big joke. “But you’re right. That would be too messy. But it would make life a lot easier on me. Because now I’ve got to find me a man.”
None of this was funny to me, though she seemed to find it all to be hilarious.
“Let’s just call it a night, lover girl.”
She sighed. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Always,” I said, turning around as the light from the moon made a halo around where she was sitting up in bed. I couldn’t see her face, but I knew her eyes were on me.