Chapter 18 - Mary
Mary
The soft rumble of Cat’s moan settles deep in my chest and makes me want to pull her even closer to me.
Her pulse beats fast and strong under my fingertips, and her hands steady me as much as they anchor her.
I arch slightly into her to feel her soft, pillowy lips even better, my thumb brushing her sharp jawline.
She huffs out another breath against my mouth while her hand glides up my shoulder and into my hair, her fingers pressing gently into my scalp.
I gasp softly, and Cat leans back instantly. Her eyes are heavy-lidded, but her hands go still as she scans my face.
“Are you okay? Is this okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” I hum softly. “More than okay.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. Not victorious or gleeful. No. It is warm and safe. Knowing, almost.
“Good,” she whispers as she caresses the bare skin just above my waistband.
I blink. When did my shirt ride up? Cat lets out a chuckle as she follows my gaze, her umber eyes sparkling with amusement.
Her face is so open, so sincere, that I go completely still, taking my time to look at her.
At her beautiful hair that now falls in waves, framing her face, at those eyes that are so warm and intense, her lips that are slightly parted, begging me to love them.
This is the woman who came running to me when she was in pain, and she is now looking at me with no outside distractions, no disruptive thoughts.
Just her and me. Yes, she really, really wants this.
My hands glide down Cat’s stomach, slowly and deliberately. I want to savor every second of this moment. Her lips part a little more, and she trembles under my touch. Her eyes roam over my face, and the spark between us burns even hotter.
I kiss her softly, narrowing the world between us, before finding the hem of her shirt and sliding my hands under the soft fabric.
I push the shirt up slowly, but when her breath hitches, I pause long enough for her to stop me.
She doesn’t. By the time it reaches her chest, she breaks the kiss and lifts her arms so that I can take it off.
My fingers tremble a little when I do, and the shirt ends up somewhere on the floor.
“Okay?” I breathe, my voice unexpectedly scratchy, and she lets out a soft chuckle.
“More than okay.”
I bite my lip as a smile spreads across my face, and I shake my head softly in disbelief. Her playful quip was the last thing I expected, but I love it. Then my smile falters as my brain registers what I am seeing.
Cat’s chest rises and falls unevenly as she tries to steady her breath.
Her breasts are held in a simple black bra and partially covered by strands of her dark hair.
I try to keep my hand steady as I gently brush her hair back.
I want to see all of her. Her smooth skin breaks out in goosebumps at the slight contact, and her throat bobs in silent anticipation.
I notice a small freckle just below the hollow of her throat, and I brush my lips against it.
Her ribs flare out with the ragged breath she takes, revealing the contours of the muscles lying right under the surface of her soft belly.
I run my finger along her sternum and watch her arch into me. She is so beautiful.
All that time, her eyes stay on me, watching me watch her. It is with such intensity that it almost shatters me.
“You are so incredible…” I rasp, and her eyelids flutter a little.
A soft blush creeps up her cheeks, and her eyes dip toward my lips. I lean forward to kiss her, but this time it isn’t frantic. It isn’t laced with a need for her to reassure me or for me to console her. This kiss is meant to fuse us. To connect us at the seams.
I drink in the taste of her mouth, that faint caramel mixed with a hint of the savory noodles she had earlier.
She tilts her head back in response so that I can deepen the kiss.
I bring my hand up to her jaw again, holding it there, brushing my thumb softly over her cheekbone as I lose myself in all that is her.
We both look a bit dazed when we break the kiss, as if we are waking from a dream. Cat licks her lips agonizingly slowly before she moves her hands to my shirt. She holds still for a moment, her gaze warm on me. Only when I smile at her does she lift it to get it off me.
When her breath hitches, I realize I am not wearing anything underneath it, and I move to cover myself out of habit. Her fingers wrap around my wrist, though, and she shakes her head.
“Please, let me see you? All of you?”
I quiver under her questioning gaze and draw in an unsteady breath.
My head spins so fast that I feel lightheaded.
Not because she makes me feel uncomfortable, but because she makes me feel seen, feel wanted.
I nod, and she runs her fingers over my sides.
Her movements are slow and steady, as if every touch is a question asking me to stay with her.
When her fingers reach the top of my rib cage, she looks at me.
She doesn’t ask, but I know she is tracking every single reaction she pulls from me.
That she will stop if I need her to, even before I realize it myself.
Her thumbs carefully stroke the delicate skin under my breasts, before gently caressing the sides. The touch sends little jolts of electricity through me, and I gasp in response. Cat’s eyes narrow for a fraction of a second before the corners of her lips tug up almost as quickly.
“Eso…” she whispers. “Just like that.”
When her thumbs brush inward over my already swollen nipples, my hips buck involuntarily into her.
Her eyebrows lift in amusement, but she doesn’t say a word.
Doesn’t tease or taunt me. Instead, she presses a warm kiss against my sternum before flicking her thumbs over my nipples again. This time, I whimper, and she smiles.
“So responsive,” she murmurs, a hint of awe in her tone. “So gorgeous.”
Her words land somewhere in my chest and slowly spread throughout my body.
I swallow hard before I press my lips against her.
She keeps her hands pressed against my rib cage, even when I reach behind her for her bra clasp.
My heart pounds so hard that I can hear it drumming in my ears, but I glance at her anyway. Asking the question with my eyes.
Cat gazes at me and tilts her chin so subtly that I almost wonder if I saw it at all, but when she arches toward me, she gives me all the access I need.
A moment later, her bra lies somewhere on the pile of clothes, but I have no time to think about that.
All I can do is stare at her, at how beautiful she is.
How utterly present she is, here with me.
“Come here,” she whispers, and her hand finds mine.
She guides it over to her left breast and carefully places it there. Her nipple presses against the palm of my hand, and my fingers fall along the curve. The sensation does so much more than arouse me. It fills me with a feeling I don’t know how to name yet, but one I never want to lose again.
Cat watches me, her hand splayed over mine in a warm and inviting gesture.
The sound that escapes me is something between a mew and a whimper, caught halfway down my throat.
She frowns, but I am already squeezing my eyes shut while breathing heavily.
I feel her chest move with a soft chuckle, and her hand leaves mine to brush a strand of hair out of my face.
“Open your eyes, querida.”
Her voice is so husky and inviting that I comply instantly. She smiles, satisfied, and gives me a small nod.
“Sí, just like that. No hiding.”
I let out a soft chuckle, my cheeks burning crimson at being called out.
But she doesn’t laugh. Cat just smiles, warm and full of amusement.
She isn’t relishing the fact that she caught me, but she is clearly grateful she managed to pull me back to her.
Her eyes say it all. And at the sight of that, I feel a warm, swirling sensation spread throughout my body so fast that my mouth drops open.
“Oh,” I breathe as I blink rapidly.
This time, she does laugh. A clear and full sound.
Something in me sparkles when I kiss her again, deep and slow, my hand still on her breast. Cat’s laugh quickly turns into a hum, and I feel her shiver when I gently squeeze her tender flesh.
She takes in a sharp breath, breaks our kiss, and throws her head back, leaving her neck bare to me.
I take in the strong tendons that are now visible under the strain of her pleasure, and I realize I made that happen. I am making that happen.
My lips move to kiss her right beneath her ear, as my fingers move a little more deliberately now. I take my time to explore her, to feel her respond. A caress here, a soft squeeze there. It pulls a satisfying growl from Cat’s lips, and I hum with pleasure against the skin of her neck.
“More, please,” she sighs in my ear as her hands come up to my shoulders.
I trail my lips even lower to her pulse point, lightly scraping at the skin with my teeth, and she instantly arches upward.
My tongue laps once over her faintly salty skin, before I sink my teeth in and nip her deliberately, my hand gliding over her.
Her body wiggles beneath me, and her nails dig into the flesh of my shoulders while a needy moan escapes her.
“Dios, Maria…”
Her voice is barely recognizable, but the tone and need in it send a tingling feeling down my spine.
She wraps her arm around my waist, pulling me even closer, and a breathy sound escapes me against her.
Her other hands come up, cupping the hinge of my jaw, and she guides my mouth to hers. I instantly melt into it, into her.
When we break the kiss, we are both panting heavily, but there is a lazy smile on her lips regardless.
Her thumb brushes the corner of my lip, before she leans back.
I blink and open my mouth to say something, but the faint blush on her cheek catches me off guard.
She drops her gaze for a beat, inhaling a slow, shuddering breath, before gazing up at me again.
Her arm is still draped around me, holding me pressed against her.
“Tell me what you need,” I ask more than I say, and her eyes widen slightly before she breathes a laugh and caresses my cheek.
“You notice everything, don’t you?”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
“Isn’t that the whole point of what we are doing?” I quip with a grin, and she laughs again.
“Yes, querida, it is,” she says in that matter-of-fact tone that makes me bristle and want her all at the same time.
I trail my fingers over her collarbone, tracing the dip beneath her smooth skin. My tongue darts over my lips before my eyes meet hers again.
“Then…” I drag out the word. “Tell me what you need...” I pause. “Please.”
She blinks and, much to my amusement, her cheeks flush even darker. What in the world is she thinking about?