Which was how it should be.
“You haven’t told me how it went with Henry,” she said, shifting so my thumb grazed her clit, enjoying her shiver.
“You want me to talk to you about my day while I’m getting you off?” Did couples do that?
She smiled then pressed a kiss on my cheek. “No, but I do want to hear about it.”
“Orgasms first,” I said, and pulled my hand away and lifted her onto her feet. She looked confused and then I began to undress her, lifting her t-shirt over her head. “And then we’ll talk shop.”
“If you insist. I’m not going to complain.”
“No, I’ll make sure you have nothing to complain about.” I released the clasp on her bra, and she shrugged off the straps as I knelt to unbutton her skirt. These clothes were for the people outside of this room. They were part of the act—a mask, armor—but this space, the private time between her and me, that was real.
Once naked, she lay back on the bed, her arm bent, and her head resting on her hand as she watched me undress. “I like hanging out with you,” she said, and my heartbeat skipped, giving emphasis to what she was saying—painting the words in bold type.
I wanted it to mean more.
I wanted her to feel more.
“I like hanging out with you, too.”
I peeled off the last of my clothes and took her in, naked and waiting for me. I couldn’t rush this. I wanted to breathe in every curve, every dip and arc of her. To map her body with my tongue and then try to explain how fucking insatiable she made me. I stepped forward and trailed my fingers up her body like a blind man reading the secrets of eternal life. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything, that I’d taken in every last word she told me.
“You okay?” she asked. “You seem intense. You want to talk about Henry?”
She didn’t think it was possible that I was intensely fascinated by her. “I’m not thinking about Henry. I’m thinking about how sensational your body is.”
She slid her hand over mine. “Really?” she asked.
“Is that so difficult to believe?” I supposed when the man you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with ended up cheating on you, it was easy to believe you weren’t worthy of . . . admiration? Worship.
She didn’t answer and I continued my exploration.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever taken my time with a woman the way I did with Stella. I never liked to rush things, but that was so the end result was intensified. I liked to take my time with Stella because I wanted to savor the moment—not just build up to orgasm. I needed to squeeze out every last drop of being with her, soak myself in her. I’d never experienced anything like it before.
“Flip onto your stomach,” I said, guiding her over.
I swallowed as the lines and curves changed, her skin highlighted by the hazy, setting sun coming through the windows. “Let’s skip dinner,” I said. “We have all day tomorrow to spend with these people. Tonight, we should do this.”
She glanced over her shoulder at me, as if checking she’d heard me right. A small smile turned up the corners of her mouth—part suspicion, part unease. I got the uneasy part. The feelings Stella stirred in me were unfamiliar. I’d never spent much time fully clothed with the women I dated. But it was more than just knowing her well that set her apart. It was because Stella was Stella.
Unselfish.
Thoughtful.
Sexy.
There were a thousand things I liked about her.
I lifted her hips and pulled her back so her legs hit the floor. “Like this, I think.” She went up onto her forearms, her breasts grazing the mattress, and I growled at the memory of how they felt in my mouth.
Later.
I reached for a condom. I needed to fuck Stella hard and quickly tonight. Needed to claim her—to make her see what I saw in her.
Leaning over her, I whispered in her ear, “I’m going to make you come so hard, you’re going to forget everything bad and only remember the good stuff.” I wanted her to forget her suspicions and bruised heart. I wanted her to know what being able to trust someone felt like. I slipped my hands over her shoulders, stroking my thumb over the dip at the top of her neck with one hand and then I trailed down the valley of her spine with my other. When I reached the base of her back, I kept going down between her arse cheeks, over her arsehole and into her opening.
She was soaked; her wetness fueling my lust. I was done just feeling her on the outside. I needed to be inside.