He looked amazing like this, the tendons in his neck straining, abdominals tensing.
Heat spread through her. And suddenly she got it. Why he looked at her the way he did, why he seemed so desperate to touch her and make her come.
A hot spark of understanding lighting off inside her, she tightened her grip, and fluid beaded up at his tip.
“Everything you’re doing feels really good,” he revised, biting back a groan.
Triumph echoed behind her ribs, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more.
She let him go, drifting a hand over his thigh. She felt too hot all over, while at the same time prickles of cold dotted her skin.
She dropped off the bed and sank to her knees between his legs.
His moan was loud this time as she took him in the circle of her fist. “Whatever you want to do,” he said, sounding earnest, and like it was killing him not to tug her down and guide himself between her lips.
So she turned it on him. “What do you want me to do?”
He cursed aloud, fisting his hands into the bedspread beneath him. “I wanna fuck your mouth.”
Lightning blazed through her abdomen and up her ribs. How would that feel? Part of her remembered exactly how it felt to be used that way, but this was different. Rylan was different.
Rylan would make sure it was good.
Still, she shook her head. “What do you want me to do?”
“Lick it.” There was no hesitation. “Right at the head—yeah.” A noise punched from his lungs when she did just that. “Fuck, that’s perfect. Get your tongue all over me. Nice and wet.”
He tasted like salt, marred by a hint of bitterness, but the warm feeling in her sex and in her chest more than made up for it. He put one hand on her shoulder, light and stabilizing. Just heavy enough to ground her to the earth.
His thumb stroked over her collarbone. “Now open up. Let it slide inside. That’s it. Oh.”
She knew this part. But it had never felt so good to her before. The way his hips flexed and the noises he made all fed the fire deep inside. Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her lips around the solid flesh, taking him in.
“Jesus. Looks better than I thought it would.” His other hand came up, fingertips soft against her lips where they were stretched around him. He stuttered out a long breath as she took him farther. “Fuck looking good. You feel . . . oh shit . . . wet and warm . . .”
She remembered this—the weird shame of his praise and how it turned her on in spite of herself. She squirmed, pressing her thighs together.
“You like sucking me?” he asked.
Desire burned through her as she popped off long enough to nod.
His fingers tightened on her shoulder. “So good . . .”
He trailed off, letting silence fill in around them, pierced only by the soft, slick sounds of her mouth on his flesh. By his breathing and by how much she liked this. How much she loved it.
“Move your hand,” he urged.
And she loved that even more. The motion was easy, a wet glide as she followed her mouth with the tight curl of her hand, up and down. His hips rocked up into it, not enough to choke her. She followed his pace, and she was lost in it. Wanted so much for him to—
“Baby—” he started. The muscles of his legs were coiled, his abdomen tight, and the way he sounded . . . “I’m gonna—” His fingers threaded through her hair, a light tug of warning as his voice cut off, the desperation in it making her burn.
She stayed right on him. Let the first hot pulses coat her tongue, swallowing what she could. When he twitched and pushed her off, she swiped her wrist across her mouth and he growled.
“Holy hell, Kate.” He hauled her up bodily, sitting up as he got her on his lap. He kissed his own release from her mouth, practically devouring her as he slid his hand back under her skirt.
No easing in this time, thank God. His thumb pulsed over her clit, and she was too sensitive—he’d just made her come with his mouth, but when his fingers pushed inside, she all but sobbed against his lips.
“Beautiful.” He broke their kiss to stare right into her eyes, his lips parted, gaze fiery as he worked her faster, pressed deeper.
Her climax shocked her with how suddenly it came over her. Hot liquid boiled inside, and when it burst, she dug her nails into his skin. Buried her face in his neck and screamed.
All she could think, as he held her, was that she’d never known.
Twenty-two years old, and two partners under her belt, and how, how, how had she never known?
chapter FOURTEEN
Sunlight filtered through the gauzy curtains over their window. They must’ve forgotten to pull the heavier shades the night before.
Just as well.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Rylan turned over in the bed. Kate was still asleep, her hair mussed. She’d insisted on wearing a tank top and some pretty, lacy panties to bed, but the way the sheets were tangled around her, he could almost imagine she was naked.
God, her skin was so smooth and soft. His morning arousal gave a little twitch, and he reached down to adjust himself inside the boxers he’d resigned himself to keeping on for her. All she’d had to do was give him that look as he’d been undressing.
All she ever seemed to have to do was give him a look, and he was doing a whole host of things he normally never would.
That should probably be bothering him more.
She made a little sound in her sleep, snuffling and burrowing her face against the pillow. She was resting on her side, twisted away from him, the sheets tucked under her arm and rucked up across the middle of her thigh, leaving her long, bare calf exposed.
He didn’t want to wake her, but he couldn’t resist. Propping himself up on one elbow, he reached his other hand out, skimming it along her shoulder and pushing her hair aside. A huff of a sigh escaped her lips, but she barely stirred, so he shifted closer.
His chest fit to her spine like they’d been made to lock together that way, and he set his lips to the side of her throat. Trailing a line of soft, sucking kisses along that sleep-warm skin, he let his erection graze her rear and swallowed the groan the contact pulled from him. If they were fucking already, he could pull the panel of her panties to the side. Be buried in all that nice, slick warmth. Take her nice and slow, rocking them to a sweet morning peak.
If they were fucking.
He breathed his want into her skin and grazed the backs of his knuckles down her arm. She hummed, finally showing signs of life as she let him entwine their hands.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“Early.” He had no idea, honestly. All he knew was that she was beautiful, and she felt so good against him. He could stay there all day, kissing her and trailing his hands across her skin.
But Kate had other things in mind. Lifting her head, she glanced around. “Ugh, it’s after eight,” she said, flopping back down and covering her eyes with her arm.
That had him looking for the clock, too. He never slept so late. Sure enough, though, the bright red numbers read 8:17.
Huh.
He shrugged, then resituated himself on his stomach, his hard-on pressing into the mattress as he held himself over her, dipping to kiss her cheek and her ear and her chin. “Day’s a-wasting?” He peeled her hand away from her eyes.
But what waited for him wasn’t the easy flirtiness he’d been hoping for. Instead, there was actual anxiety. “Yeah, actually. It kind of is.”
“Nothing opens until nine anyway. So we grab croissants to go. No harm done.” He leaned in to kiss her mouth.
She let him, for a minute, but all too soon she was pulling back. “We should get up.”