Swinging a leg over his hips, she realized that he was still wearing his jeans. With fumbling movements, she unsnapped his jeans and wiggled them down over his hips, pulling his boxers along with his jeans until the man was completely naked. “Oh my!” she thought, but she must have said it out loud because he chuckled.
Climbing back onto the bed, she hesitated, worried about something. “I um…I can’t get pregnant. I have…” she blushed at such an intimate conversation with a man she didn’t really know all that well.
“You have what?” he asked, sliding his hand down her arm, her side, curving around to cup her breast. His thumb reached to caress her nipple and Carrie shuddered, slapping a hand down over his hand to stop him.
“I don’t need that,” she told him.
“Condoms are in the bedside drawer,” he told her.
She bit her lower lip again, but twisted around to search for protection. When she had it in her hands, she looked at the foil packet, not really sure what to do with it. Oh, she knew in theory, but looking at Derick, there was so much more of him than her theoretical assumptions. A lot more!
“I don’t know…”
“Give it to me,” he said, his voice gravelly.
Carrie handed him the condom and he tore open the package, then rolled it down his shaft while Carrie watched, fascinated. “Does it hurt?” she asked, curious.
“Only when you look at me like that,” he replied.
Carrie pulled her eyes away from his erection. “Oh,” and she moved, swinging her leg over his hips again. “I’m not exactly sure…” She stopped, positioning herself over his shaft, but he grabbed her hips to stop her.
“Why don’t we take this a bit slower?” he offered. “I don’t think you’re ready for the main event.” He kissed her gently again and Carrie felt his stomach muscles against her core. And enjoyed it!
“I’m fine,” she promised, wanting to just get this all over with so that they could get to the snuggling afterwards.
“Right,” he replied and she felt his smile. “I don’t think I’m ready though.” With those words, he slid his hands up against her waist. His hands were so big, they almost circled her. They moved higher, cupping her breasts. His hands were big and her breasts didn’t completely fill them up, but he knew what to do with those thumbs.
Carrie felt bolts of need shoot through her. Closing her eyes, she whimpered when his mouth covered one nipple, his tongue teasing and lashing at that sensitive peak.
“Stop!” she gasped, pulling away from his mouth. “I don’t…I can’t handle that.”
“You don’t like it?” he asked, his hands trailing over her back, down her spine and around to cup her bottom.
“I like it. But…”
“Then just relax and enjoy it,” he soothed. His mouth returned to her breast, sucking this time and she screamed at the shocking sensations shooting through her. She clung to him, grasping his hair as he moved from one breast to the other, then back again.
“You drive me wild when you move against me like that, Jolene,” he told her.
She startled at the strange name and almost sobbed at the need to hear her real name on his lips. But she had enough presence of mind to keep her mouth shut and protect her past. It wasn’t just herself she had to protect, but Derick now too.
Pushing the thought aside, she kissed him, grinding herself against his erection in an unconscious rhythm. Finally, he growled and laid back. He guided her hips so that his hands could slide against her, one finger entering her wet heat and she moaned at the same time he did. “Now you’re ready, honey,” he murmured with that sexy, husky voice.
He shifted her hips again, lifting them up and positioning her at his tip. Slowly, he lowered her down, his eyes watching her face for any sign of discomfort. When he saw it, he stopped her and soothed her with his hand. “Just relax, honey. You can take all of me. Just relax.”
She shivered, wanting desperately to please him. Taking a deep breath, she positioned her hands against his chest and…lowered herself down a bit more. And then a bit more. When she felt his hands against her thighs, her body trembled and she took all of him into her wet heat.
Carrie felt stretched to the max, her whole body tight and quivering. Looking down at Derick, she felt as if she’d accomplished something amazing.
Then he moved. The friction was surprising! She was so full, so tight that even the slightest bit of friction caused pleasure to echo through her! Carrie moved again. Then again. After that, her body shifted instinctively, tingling all over with every shift against him. He took her hips with his hands and lifted her high off of his erection, then down again.
“Ah!” she gasped, surprised that it felt so good. So, she did it again! And again! Over and over, she controlled their movements, riding his shaft. With completely selfish movements, she shifted again and again.
When his hands moved up to cup her breasts, she couldn’t hold back any longer. He pinched one nipple lightly and she arched her back, spirals of pleasure making her writhe against him.
She grabbed at his shoulders when he suddenly shifted their positions, but Carrie didn’t feel threatened. Not with Derick. When he started pounding into her, she felt the pleasure rise again and new sparkles poured over her. All she could do was wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and hold on as the pleasure became almost painful. When he finally found his climax, there were tears in Carrie’s eyes. That had been the most beautiful experience of her life. Never could she have dreamed anything like that was possible.
Derick rolled over, pulling her right along with him so that she was draped over his chest. “Sorry about taking over at the end there,” he murmured, stroking her hair as he draped her tresses over his naked chest.
“I liked it,” she whispered, surprised that it was the truth. She also liked that she was still connected to him. That he was here, touching her as they both worked to get their breath back.
Derick knew the exact moment that “Jolene” fell asleep and he smiled up at the ceiling, still running his hands through her hair, soothing her.
Another piece of the puzzle, he thought. But he didn’t know what this one meant. She liked control during sex. Not control, exactly, but she didn’t want to be vulnerable.
The thoughts swirling through his mind twisted his gut, making him want to find who had done this to her, whatever “this” was. Because he knew that something bad had happened to her, even if he didn’t know the specifics.
After a while, Derick yawned, but he still didn’t want to lose this connection with his lovely neighbor. Still, they needed sleep. He’d ask her in the morning. Shifting, he pulled out of her body, smiling when she muttered a protest even in her sleep.
Moving to the bathroom, he cleaned up, then came back to bed, pulling a light, cotton blanket over them. He arranged her against his side, making sure that, if she woke up, she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by his weight, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 8
Carrie slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Derick. Grabbing her tee shirt and her panties, she tiptoed out of his bedroom and down the stairs, wary of making any noise. She was halfway across the lawn when she felt him watching her, but she continued walking back to her house, needing a shower. She also needed to curl up with a cup of coffee so that she could process what had happened last night.