“The perfect nightcap,” I said approvingly. She sat down on the couch beside my knee, handing me a glass.
As we sipped our drinks, I looked around her living room. There were many books, family photos, nature photos, and some guide books on local hiking trails. There were plants on nearly every surface, and a leafy vine that started from a hanging pot near the window and stretched along the top of the wall in two directions.
Looking down, she was wiggling her toes into the fluffy purple rug. Over the back of the couch was an unbelievably soft blue-gray blanket. The pillows were all different textures.
Reaching out, I placed my hand at the small of her back, stroking upward very slowly. “Everything around us is very cozy,” I observed.
“I like to bundle up when I’m watching movies,” she said.
We set our glasses on the coffee table, and I pulled her against me so that she was lying across my chest. Now I could stroke her back and hips easily.
“Molly, I know I’m a bit of a jerk about personal boundaries, so please feel free to let me know if this crosses any line. I have a feeling that you need to be touched a lot more than you have been.”
Her arms slid around my shoulders as she nodded against my sternum. “I guess you’re right. In university, I was relieved that my group of friends were all very huggy people.”
Rocking her gently, my lips moved to her forehead. “You can touch me as much as you want, baby. Anytime you need to be held, you let me know. All right?”
She looked up at me, her pretty eyes wide. “Really?”
“Absolutely.”
She seemed to sink into me even further, making a strange little purring noise. Then she looked up at me with a saucy smile. “Would it be better for your leg if you didn’t have to drive any more tonight?”
My hand slid down to give her a feather-light spank. “What I just heard was, you want me to stay over so that you can sleep wrapped in my arms.”
Molly nodded, her chin bumping on the buttons of my shirt. To my absolute delight, she reached up to unfasten the top three buttons, opening the fabric and tucking her cheek flat against my skin.
“You smell so good,” she murmured.
Holding her this way was putting pressure on an area that had been completely ignored for the past several months, and I hoped that she wouldn’t notice the resulting swelling. But from the way she casually leaned in a bit, she definitely did, forcing me to choke back a moan.
Although she seemed a bit shy sometimes, Molly seemed to appreciate directness when it came to physicality.
“Just ignore that,” I said, shifting her slightly to the side, but she leaned right back, sliding her hand down to stroke my erection lightly.
“Is this okay?” she whispered.
There was no way to explain that I hadn’t been touched by a woman in several years, and that area had been pretty much ignored since I was injured.
“Sure, if you like.”
My intention had been simply to cuddle her, then perhaps move to her bed and hold her all night. But Molly swiveled so that her lips met mine, her quick hands unbuckled my belt and unfastened my pants, and I could tell that my plans were suddenly about to change.
I absolutely loved that she was being so bold. Her sweet little tongue entered my mouth just as her hand reached into my boxer briefs.
Her delicate fingers wrapped around my shaft, stroking all the way from the head to the base in a slow, sensual rhythm. There was no way I could stifle my groan and the deep shudder that ran through me.
“Is this all right?” she asked nervously.
Squeezing her in my arms, I smiled. “Baby, you can touch me however you like. That feels incredible. But I should warn you, it’s been a very long time since—”
I inhaled sharply, giving my head a shake. I didn’t deserve this sort of pleas
ure. Any pleasure.
“Hey,” she said softly, likely noticing the distress in my eyes. “I’ve never done this before, so I’m going to need you to tell me what to do.”
Something crackled and shifted deep within me. Love wasn’t something that I’d ever truly been searching for, and would never have thought that I deserved. Although it was too early to tell Molly’s true feelings, the emotions I had long suppressed were surging to the surface like a volcano erupting.