Page 21 of The Hang Up
Jason unwrapped another candy and stuck it in his mouth. He bit down on it, rewarded by another flash of blue in the mirror.
“This is so cool!” Miriam gushed.
“It is,” he agreed, though it had never seemed quite this cool before. Something about her childlike delight made the whole experience like the first time he’d ever done this.
He chewed the last little tiny pieces of Life Saver as the chilled flavor of wintergreen slid down his throat. Miriam’s breath felt warm on the back of his hand, or was that his breath? They stood so close in the darkness, still cheek to cheek. He should probably pull back, but he felt melded together with her here in the mint-tinged darkness.
“Got any more?” Her voice was warm in his ear, her mouth so close he could feel her breath against his lips.
“No more candy.”
She lowered the hand holding the mirror and slid it to her back pocket. That was probably his cue to let go, but he didn’t. He kept his hand on hers, letting her guide it to the back of her jeans.
“You’re aware that you’re grabbing my ass right now?”
“Yes.”
“Just checking.”
He hesitated, giving her a chance to push him away, to tell him this was a bad idea. Miriam didn’t move, so he lowered his head. His lips brushed hers in the darkness, and their helmets bumped softly against each other. He tilted his head, getting the angle right, feeling her lean into him.
“You’re aware that I’m going to kiss you now?”
He felt her nod against him, lips light against his. “Yes.”
“Just checking.”
Then he did it. He started slow at first, getting acquainted with the softness of those lips, the gentle pressure of her tongue touching his. He’d never kissed anyone in a cave before, and felt struck by the contrast of it all. The coolness of the air, the heat between their bodies. The softness of her mouth, the hardness of the rock as he leaned her back against the cave wall, bracing them both with his free hand.
She gave a soft moan and tilted her head to the side, kissing him deeper. Her hand bumped his hip in the darkness, fumbling for—what? He wasn’t sure at first, and his cock throbbed with anticipation. Her palm opened and moved over his hip and around to cup his ass. She pulled him against her to bring their bodies tight together as he deepened the kiss.
Something about the darkness made him bolder, and he moved his hand from the back pocket of her jeans into the small of her back. Her body felt lush and hot against him, despite the thick layers that separated them, but he ached to feel more of her. At the edge of her coat, his fingers found the hem of her sweater. He lingered there for a moment with his fingertips grazing the soft cashmere above her belt loop. Then he slid his hand up, tunneling under the sweater until he found bare skin.
“Oh,” she gasped against his mouth, her breath soft and minty as her body arched against him.
He explored her skin with the tips of his fingers, taking his time to catalog every ridge of her spine, the hollow of her waist, the deliciously abundant curves. He brushed the clasp of her bra, aching to undo it and then slide his hands around to cup her breasts as they spilled out into his palms.
Miriam moaned again as though responding to his thoughts, and Jason let his hand slide back into that narrow dip at her waist. She felt so warm, so lush, so unlike the rock-hard fitness fanatics he usually dated. Girls with chiseled bodies who ran ten-milers before breakfast and could bench-press as much as he could.
But Miriam felt soft. Soft everywhere, a delectable playground for his fingers. She was all female, a scrumptious buffet of curves and flesh that he wanted to sink into and lose himself completely. Her body moved against him, so he let his hand drift up to graze the underside of her breast.
“Yes,” she breathed, which was all the encouragement he needed. He flicked open the clasp of her bra, pretty impressed with himself for doing it one-handed. As the bra popped open, his fingers moved beneath the underwire and freed the soft globe into his hand.
“God, you feel good.” He moaned against her mouth as he cupped her breast in his palm. In response, she pressed her pelvis against his, grinding into the hardness that strained against the front of his jeans.
“So do you,” she murmured, sliding against his hard-on in a way that left little question which part of him she found favorable.
He went back to kissing her, moving from her lips along the edge of her jaw and down. She gasped as his lips grazed the hollow of her throat, and she threw her head back to?—
“Ow!”
Her yelp of pain came at the same instant he heard the crack of plastic on rock, and Jason clutched her tighter to keep her upright.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Holy crap. I thought the helmet was supposed to protect me. I’m seeing stars.”
He drew back, putting some distance between them without letting go of her. “From the sound of that hit, you wouldn’t be seeing much of anything right now if you weren’t wearing a helmet.” He slid his hands to her waist, testing to see if she felt unsteady on her feet. “Are you hurt?”
