Page 41 of Deking at Love
His eyebrows flew to his hairline, then knotted together in a frown that almost looked like disapproval.“Uh, okay.”
“Unless you’d rather not.”Her confidence teetered anew.
“No, I definitely want to.It’s just … God, how do I say this without sounding like a complete asshole?”
“Just say it.”
“You having condoms on hand kind of threw me.”
She placed her palms flat against his chest.“I try not to leave things like that to chance, so just in case … Oh, this is awkward.”She rushed to add, “They’ve been there for a while.”
What was she making excuses for, though?If she were at his place, she would have expected condoms inhisnightstand.Heck, she was surprised he didn’t have a three-pack tucked inside his wallet.
He leaned his forehead against hers.“I’m sorry, Angie.My poker face sucks.I didn’t mean to react like that.I should have expected that you … see people.It’s good that you take precautions.”
The spell was broken, and she didn’t know how to get it back.She bent to pick up her robe, but he stopped her.“What were you about to do before I opened my big mouth?”She stood and eyed his zipper.His eyes dipped, and he seemed to understand.“Can we go back and pick up there?Before I ruined the moment?”
She let the robe slip from her hand.This time he didn’t stop her when she pulled the zipper down and worked the sleeves of his hoodie from his sculpted arms, leaving him in a tight T-shirt that clung to every muscle on his chiseled chest.She traced them, loving the feel of his solid angles beneath her fingertips.She’d dreamed of touching him like this for weeks.
He rested his hands on her bare hips.“I would love to have you finish undressing me, but can we do it close to something with a soft landing?”One side of his mouth hitched.“My control is skating on thin ice here.I’m going to want to have you flat on your back as soon as my pants are off, and I’d rather that happened on a cushioned surface.This tile floor won’t do either of us any favors.”
Bubbles bumped together in her tummy, and she couldn’t stop from giggling.“Okay, Mr.Antsy.”
“Hey, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen you like this.You can’t blame a guy.”Stooping, he plucked her robe from the floor and settled it on her shoulders.“Here.So you don’t get cold.”
“So considerate.”
He broke out with a crooked smile.“That’s me.”He grasped her chin and tilted it up, pausing a moment.His fingertips feathered over her jaw while his eyes mined hers.Then he lowered his lips to hers.The gentle press grew heated within seconds.Soon he was plundering her mouth, staking his claim.She pushed up on tiptoe, and her robe began to slide from her shoulders.
Clutching it around her, he drew back, his breath sawing through him.“You’d better lead the way to your bedroom now, or Iwillhave you on the floor.Or your kitchen table, which doesn’t look too stable.Just sayin’.”
“It’s not,” she giggled.Taking his hand, she led him to her bedroom, where the only light came from the porch and slatted through the blinds.Shadows cloaked them as she lifted his T-shirt.She couldn’t wait to get her hands and mouth on his hot, smooth skin, and she began licking and touching, leaving him to remove the shirt the rest of the way.A mild chuckle rumbled through his chest, but she didn’t give a damn if he knew how badly she wanted him.
A gold disk the size of a nickel lay in the flat between his pecs, suspended on a gold chain.A memory struck her.The burnished locket had belonged to his mother, and he had worn it since before she’d met him.He always kept it tucked away, close to his heart.It seemed to catch the scant light in the room and radiate an otherworldly glow from within.
Angie leaned in, lifted the precious heirloom, and turned it over.She didn’t have to see it to know the initialsSDwere engraved there—Susan Durbin.
She kissed his warm skin beneath.In the dark, his eyes flashed with knowing and held hers for a breathless moment.Familiarity flooded her like a gentle cascade from one hot spring pool to the next.Closing her eyes for one heartbeat, she let the sensation soak into her being.
His hands began caressing her back, his touch electrifying the places the shared memory had warmed her.Urgency seemed to burst forth in both of them, and he began squeezing her ass while she fumbled with his belt.
“I got this,” he rasped, and he helped her along by unfastening the buckle and sliding the leather through it.“All yours.”Dangling his arms at his sides, he stood still, inviting her to take command.She didn’t hesitate.The tension rolling off him was like a spring that had been wound too tightly and was ready to whip loose and cause all kinds of havoc.And she loved it.
She unzipped his pants and pushed them down his hips as far as her fingers could reach, abandoning her task so her eager hand could seek and find the real prize it was after.When she stroked him through the thin fabric of his boxer briefs, his chest drummed with a groan.She dipped her fingers beneath his waistband and wrapped them around velvet-covered steel.He was long and thick and heavy in her hold, and she trailed her fingers along his length from root to tip.He shuddered, and she fought to school a Cheshire Cat grin.
Her exploration was cut short when he moved her hand away with a noise that bordered on distress.“You’re killing me here.”
“Did I hurt your ankle?”she squeaked in alarm.
“Thisproblem has nothing to do with my ankle,” he chuffed in amusement.
“Oh.”
She stood back while he wrestled out of his pants and underwear.She had no chance to admire him because less than a second later, he had her back pressed to the mattress.He hovered above her, his forearms bracketing her body, his warm shaft pressed into her thigh.
“My turn to driveyounuts.”He braced himself on one arm and with the other hand pulled her wrists above her head and pinned them there.Biting his bottom lip, he took his time looking her over, his gaze scorching a trail up and down her body.When he raised his head, a roguish smile curved his perfect mouth, and his dark eyes swam with lust.“Hmm.Where to start?So many enticing choices.”
She opened her mouth to give him a playful suggestion but sucked in a surprised breath when his hot mouth latched on to a nipple.Teeth, tongue, and lips toyed, sending liquid shock waves shooting through her.Soon she was writhing beneath him, able to do little else with her hands immobilized in his grip.When he moved to tend to the other side, his free hand continued the exquisite torment his mouth had just lavished.Her breathing came in short bursts, and whimpers of pleasure she didn’t recognize rose in her throat.
