She grimaced, looking like she wanted to argue with him. When she reached behind herself and slid her bra off, he caught his breath.
Then he bit his lip as he grinned. Stella didn’t seem to know it, but she had the kind of nipples men and babies dreamed about. Rosy-tinted areolas gave way to extravagantly protruding tips that—no question about it—had to stay pointed 24/7, hot or cold, rain or shine. Stella Lane, conservative economist, had porn star nipples. And he wanted them in his mouth.
“What now?” she asked in a near whisper.
He slipped his shirt off and tossed it on the far side of the bed. “I think you get to check a box.”
She peeled her eyes from his chest and stared at him like he’d spoken another language. After several hard blinks, she shook her head and said, “Right.”
Leaning over, she checked a box at the top of the list. She adjusted her glasses and paused. The glasses came off, and she pulled the tie from her hair and shook out the mass so it framed her face. Vulnerable brown eyes searched his before she focused on the wall to the side.
The air seeped from his lungs as his internal organs melted and the rest of him hardened. So gorgeous.
And scared. How did he ease her fear?
“Let me hold you.”
She inched as close as she could get without actually touching him.
He suppressed a smile. “It might help if you sat on my lap.”
Biting her lip, she crawled onto him and straddled his hips. Fuck, so close. That part of her, opened wide. He went hard in an instant but forced himself to take things slowly. This was about Stella. He expected her to sit stiff as a board until he thought up some kind of sorcery to make her relax, but she immediately settled in close and rested her cheek against his shoulder. When his arms encircled her, she released a ragged sigh and went boneless.
Seconds stretched into minutes, and he let himself savor the moment—not speaking, not fucking, not doing anything, just being with someone. The room was so quiet he heard the cars driving by outside. Talking voices passed their room, receded.
“Are you falling asleep again?” he asked finally.
“No.”
“Good.” He ran his fingertips down the length of her arm and smiled when goose bumps rippled outward. Nuzzling her neck, he breathed in the soft scent of her skin and kissed the sweet spot just behind her jaw. Her lips called to him, but instead of trespassing, he sucked on her earlobe and bit it, startling a shaky sigh from her.
“This is foreplay?” The breathy quality of her voice sent satisfaction curling through him.
“It is.” Even though he knew the answer, he asked against her ear, “Do you like it?”
She shivered and burrowed closer to him as additional goose bumps dotted her skin. “Yes, but it’s not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
She shook her head.
“Tell me if you want me to stop or there’s something specific you want.” As he spoke, he threaded his fingers into her hair and angled her head back. He trailed kisses along her jawline, nipped her chin, and kissed the corner of her mouth.
Too close to the temptation of her lips. His body ached at the thought of taking her mouth in a deep kiss, and he almost did it despite everything. He’d been dreaming of that mouth all week. Feeling like he was swimming against the tide, he forced his lips down to the column of her throat.
“Touch me.” He brought her hands to his chest.
She scraped her palms over him until they encountered his nipples. As if fascinated by the texture, she rubbed her thumbs on the hardening tips. His muscles tightened, and he shuddered with pleasure.
“Is that right?” she asked.
“I like that. And this.” He cupped dainty breasts in his palms and pinched the nipples just so.
Her breath broke, and she gazed down at her chest. With his tanned hands on her pale skin and her decadent nipples captured between his fingers, it was an erotic sight, indeed. He couldn’t resist pinching her again and enjoying her sharp intake of breath.
“Why does it feel so good when you do that?” The wonder in her voice had him grinning.
“Want to try something even better?” At her hesitant nod, he said, “Come up on your knees for me.”