That thought sent a ripple of anxiety through her, making her belly dip. That felt like a lot of pressure. On one hand, she could feel special. He wasn’t inviting anyone else to his bed. On the other hand, was he so interested in her because she was the only woman who was an actual possibility right now? If he was able to live openly as himself and not Lucas, would she factor in so high on his radar? She’d basically propositioned the guy. What if it was a “yeah, this one will do” situation?
Ugh. Second-guessing was the worst, but her brain was prone to analyzing things to death, a researcher’s cross to bear. Maybe she shouldn’t have slept over. Maybe they should make some rules. Maybe they’d moved too fast too soon. Maybe…
Soft lips pressed against her shoulder, yanking her from her panicky thoughts. “You smell good,” he mumbled.
She smirked. “I smell like you.”
“Mmm.” His hand traced over her thigh with featherlight touches. “That’s the best way to smell. Means I got to rub all over you.”
“Ha. Like a dog marking his territory?” she teased.
His hand cupped her behind the knee, bending her leg so he could fit his knee behind hers, bringing her in even better contact with his hardening erection. “You’re not territory, but marking you with my scent? I’m not going to lie. That’s kind of hot.”
She laughed, but the sound caught halfway in her throat because his fingers slid down and touched the increasingly aware spot between her legs. He groaned when he discovered her warm and slick.
“You are so damn sexy,” he said against her ear as he expertly teased her with lazy strokes, making her fingers dig into her pillow. “Thanks for staying. It’s a helluva way to wake up.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m glad you’re here.”
With those words, the anxieties she’d awoken with melted away. I’m glad you’re here. Maybe she shouldn’t pick everything apart so much. Maybe she should try simple for once, accepting things at face value. They enjoyed each other. He’d wanted her to stay. She’d wanted to stay. Now they could have a little more time to indulge.
He rocked against her slowly, rubbing his cock against her, only the thin layer of his boxers between them as he used his fingers to drive her to the brink and then easing her back before she could go over. Up and down. Back and forth. Tiptoeing on the edge. She was writhing against him by a few minutes in, desperate for more of him.
“Shaw, please…”
“Please what?” he asked, his voice full of gravel, his own arousal evident.
“I want you. Now.” But then a mood-killing thought hit her. “Hell.”
“What?”
“No condoms.”
He groane
d. “I am such a stupid, stupid man.”
“Where are the ones you had? We could check the expiration date. I think they have pretty long lives.”
He moved his hand away from her. “The drawer beside you.”
Taryn pushed up on her elbow and reached over, yanking the thing open. She had to squint without her glasses but could see enough to determine what things were. There were remote controls, ink pens, extra batteries. Come on. She kept digging. A big, black bottle of something rolled forward. The label had bold red letters on it, easy to see even without her glasses on. Lubricant. She couldn’t help it. She snorted like a kid who’d found something naughty.
“What?” Shaw asked warily.
“Nothing.” Her voice was innocent. “That’s just…a lot of lube, my friend.”
Shaw groaned dramatically and rolled onto his back. “Mental note: Don’t ask anyone to dig through your bedside drawers. I’ll just lie here in my humiliation now.”
She laughed and peered back over her shoulder at him. “Don’t worry. I’ve got my own secrets in my bedside drawer. Plus, now I’m picturing your really dirty alone time and am even more turned on.”
He smirked and ran a hand over the erection tenting his shorts. She found it unbearably sexy, the way he handled himself, lazy and confident. “You might be watching that show live and in person in a minute if we can’t find a condom.”
That wasn’t a totally unappealing idea. Shaw sliding his hand over his cock, getting it slick and shiny, watching her watch him give himself pleasure. Hot. But right now, her body was aching for him. She needed that condom. She went back to rifling through the drawer and finally found the crinkled box in the back of the drawer. Hallelujah. She pulled a foil square out of the half-full box and lifted it to her face to read the date. “November. We’re good!”
Shaw pumped a fist in the air. “Praise the gods of prophylactics!”