Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
OSCAR
Ikeep my hand on Freya’s thigh as we drive back to my house. Tension crackles between us in the silence of the truck, so thick that I almost can’t breathe around it.
I’m hyperaware of every tiny movement Freya makes, of the soft violet scent that comes my way when she brushes her hair over her shoulders.
By the time we pull into my driveway, I’m almost coming out of my skin with how much I want her.
I fumble with the keys as I turn off the engine and it’s all I can do not to sprint round the hood and haul her over my shoulder the same way I did at the lake.
As I open the door, I see her looking up at me with those big, blue eyes, desire roiling in them, and I’m a goner.
“Come on,” I whisper, holding out a hand to help her down. I keep our fingers laced as we move toward the front door. I go to release her when we get inside, but she just grips me tighter, keeping that point of connection.
“I have to take off my jacket,” I murmur as I slip off my shoes.
I shouldn’t have even bothered wearing it, it’s been one of the warmest days of the year, even up in the mountains.
Freya huffs, but releases me long enough for me to hang it up, along with her cardigan.
I look at them side by side on the hooks.
Something about the sight of them together makes my chest ache in the best way.
Harvey starts shuffling around, hearing us come in. She pads over to his hutch and crouches down. “Hi, buddy,” she whispers, poking her finger through the wire to scratch his nose. Harvey turns and backs his rear up to the front to get some butt scratches. Freya giggles, obliging. “So demanding.”
“Do you want something to drink? Food?”
Freya shakes her head and I catch the flash of teeth as she bites into her bottom lip.
“Okay,” I whisper. We don’t need to say anything else, I just reach out my hand and she comes to me, linking our fingers together again.
The door of my bedroom rasps against the carpet as I pull it open, revealing the bed, lit only by the faint moonlight streaming through the open blinds.
There’s not much here, just an oak dresser I found when I drove my mom to an antique fair, a nightstand on either side of the bed.
I move over to the side I usually sleep on, still towing Freya behind me, and flick on the lamp, bathing her in amber light.
“You want this?” I ask.
She nods, her mouth splitting into a grin. I match it with my own before I kiss her, pulling her flush against me. She grips the collar of my shirt like she’s trying to get even closer.
It takes a few tugs before I realize that she’s not trying to pull me to her, she’s trying to get it off.
I chuckle against her lips, releasing my hold on her to help her with the buttons.
Together, we make our way through them, hands clashing in our hurry.
Freya giggles as she gives up on trying to kiss me, focusing only on her task.
Once she gets it off, she starts on my belt.
I stop trying to help, happy just to watch.
She gets it off without much trouble, but her hands falter when she gets to the button of my jeans. I catch her fingers in mine and place her palms on my chest.
I slide my hands to the back of her dress, fingertips grazing the top of the zipper. “Can I take this off?” My voice comes out husky in the silence. She nods and I turn her.
I run my hands through the long fall of her hair.
This never gets old. I let myself have just another second of feeling it, before I gather it up and drag it over her shoulder.
She turns her head, just slightly, but I take the invitation and press my lips to the curve of her neck, reveling in her soft little gasp.
I drag the zipper down slowly, savoring every inch of creamy skin as it’s revealed. I can’t stop myself from dipping down to run my lips down the column of her spine. She arches into me, a needy whimper escaping her.
I slide her dress off her shoulders, letting it pool around her ankles.
She steps out of it and kicks it aside in a move that’s so unlike her that I almost laugh.
She’s greedy as she turns against me, pulling my face back down to hers.
I give her everything she wants, our tongues clashing together as the sounds of our breathing gets louder in my ears.
I step forward and her knees buckle as they hit the edge of the mattress. I barely manage to get a hand out in time to stop myself from crushing her. Freya bursts out laughing but doesn’t stop kissing me, her hands snaking into my hair, tangling into the strands the way I like to do to hers.
I break away with a huff, both of us panting.
“Still good?” I ask breathlessly.
“So good.”
“Alright.”
I stand, swatting away her hands when they reach to pull me back.
Staring out at the long line of her, I unbutton my jeans, shedding the final layers of my clothing and tossing them away.
I catch a flash of nerves in her eyes but it’s quickly washed away by heat as I crawl over her, covering her body with mine.
Bracing myself on one elbow, I let my thumb trace over the line of her jaw, her cheek. I press a kiss to the tip of her nose, but when I pull back, I can’t quite catch her eyes.
I nudge her to face me but after another second, her gaze flickers away again.
“Freya?” I ask, pushing myself up, giving her space.
She palms the back of my neck, her grip firm as she goes to tug me back down. I resist, not knowing what’s happening. The memory of that first time plays back in my mind. I can’t ever do that to her again. I couldn’t handle it.
“Baby, tell me what’s happening.”
“I’m good, I promise.”
“Then, why won’t you look at me?”
She squeezes her eyes shut, letting out a frustrated sigh. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”
I get off of her completely, sitting next to her. She mutters out a curse and sits up, rubbing the heel of her palm over her forehead.
“What’s going on? Do you want to stop?”
“No.” She shakes her head determinedly. “Definitely not.”
“Honey, I’m going crazy over here, you’ve got to tell me what’s happening.”
“It’s just…” She stalls, trying to find her words. “The way you’re looking at me, it’s just a bit too much.”
Everything clicks into place, and I could almost weep with the relief of it. “The eye contact?”
She nods.
“That’s it? That’s the only thing you don’t like? You’re into everything else?”
“So, so into it.” She rests her forehead against my shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m being weird.”
“You’re not being weird, not at all.”
I hate that she feels that way about herself.
A thought occurs to me, something that might make this easier on her. I rub the tip of my nose against her temple, inhaling her sweet scent. If she wants to have sex without the eye contact, I can probably think of some solutions.
“Be right back,” I whisper, standing and crossing to the drawers.
“What are you doing?”
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
I open up the top drawer and dig around for a minute until I find what I’m looking for. A silk necktie that I bought for a cousin’s wedding.
I turn back to the bed. When Freya sees what I’m holding her eyes widen and her hands fist in the sheets. “Is that…?” She trails off, uncertainty threading her voice.
“Only if you want to,” I rush to reassure her. “It just seemed like, with the eye contact stuff, this was kind of an easy fix.” She looks from the tie, up to my face and back. “But, if you don’t want to, just say the word. I swear I’ll never bring it up again.”
She pauses for a long moment. I can almost see the cogs turning in her mind. “I mean…. I guess it’s worth a try?” she says, sounding more confident.
“You’re sure? Honestly, Frey, I’m good either way, don’t say yes on my account.”
“I’m not. I want to try it.” She takes the tie from me, running the silk through her fingers. My pulse quickens at the sight. Fuck, that’s sexy. I trust her to know her own mind. If she says that she wants this, I’m not gonna keep asking.
I take the tie from her and gently rest it across her eyelids. “Any time you want me to stop, you just say, or tap my arm, and I’ll stop.”
She nods, a smile creeping up across her face. I press a kiss into her cheek. “Say you understand,” I coax.
“I say stop, or tap your arm, and we stop.” Her words are breathless, needy, almost a whimper. Oh yeah, she’s fucking into this.
I tie the blindfold at the back of her head in a bow, firmly enough to stay put but easy enough to get off if she needs me to.
Once it’s secure, I wrap a hand around the back of her neck and guide her down until her head hits the pillow.
Her legs fall open ever so slightly and I can’t help the grin that escapes me as I lie with her, nestling my hips between her thighs.
Her hands come up, searching blindly until she finds my sides.
She slides her fingers up until her arms are wrapped around my shoulders.
“You say the word and it’s over, but otherwise I’m in charge,” I whisper into her neck.
A shiver runs through her body at my words, goosebumps forming under my lips.
I place a few more kisses against her jawline before lifting off her slightly. She gives a whine of protest, squirming beneath me. “Easy, baby.” I still her with a hand to her sternum. “I’m going to take such good care of you.”
She nods, a sigh escaping her. I trail my hands down her sides, enjoying every inch of soft skin until I hit the line of her underwear. She gasps as I tuck my fingertips under the elastic. “Can I take these off?”