“Can I kiss you now?” he asked, finally slicing through the quiet. His focus was on my mouth, raising his eyes to mine for only a second before he was back to staring at my lips.
Words bubbled up in my throat, but I couldn’t give them the air needed to bring them to life. All I could do was stand there, staring back at him. After several deep breaths, I nodded. There was no time like the present to get this started.
The moment he stepped closer, my blood rushed faster, and I wasn’t sure if it was because I wanted this to happen or if I dreaded what would happen because of it.
He cradled my face in his hands, tilting until he positioned me how he wanted, his mouth brushing over mine. He pulled away as I leaned into him, and when he came close again, he only hovered.
“Are you going to just tease me?”
“I haven’t decided yet.” Lowering his hands to my waist, he dug his fingers in, and yanked me forward, his mouth covering mine. His lips were soft yet firm, and he tasted of mint and scotch. The first slide of his tongue made me dizzy, the second intensified the ache between my legs. All my senses went into overdrive, but before I could enjoy his kiss, he severed the connection and retreated several steps, his eyes pinned to mine the entire time.
Without saying a word, he bunched the neck of his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it on a nearby chair.
He had the most amazing chest, all sinewy and chiseled. I could spend forever staring at those sculpted abs of his. But my favorite part of his physique were his arms. They were perfect. Not too muscular, just the right amount of bulk and tone.
Instead of giving him a compliment, however, all I said was “I can work with that.”
He licked his lips in response. “Now let me see what I’ll be working with.”
I realized since we were going to be having sex, I’d have to get naked. But standing in front of him, still clothed, with him waiting for me to disrobe, my stomach did a few somersaults.
Resting my fingers on the belt of my wrap dress, I tugged the one side, but not enough to unravel the tie. “If I take this off, I’ll only have my bra and underwear on.” I waved my finger up and down his body. “You’ll still be half dressed.”
Was I trying to buy more time? Absolutely.
Would it work? I hoped so.
He was silent as he kicked off his shoes, pulled off his socks, and popped the button of his jeans. The corner of his mouth curved upward when he slowly dragged the zipper down through its teeth, the sound reverberating in the small space. When his fingers disappeared beneath the waistband, he shimmied both his jeans and underwear down his legs, his thick arousal pointing directly at me when he stood back up to his full height of six one.
I didn’t want to stare, but I was powerless to stop myself. His body was perfection, so much so he made me feel much more self-conscious. His skin was a gorgeous shade of golden brown, and because I didn’t see any visible tan lines, I wanted to ask him if he sunbathed nude, but I didn’t utter the words, too enraptured with soaking him all in.
His fingers locked around his shaft, tossing me out of my own head. “Can you work with this?”
He wasn’t lying when he said he was above average. No wonder the guy was so cocky, all puns intended. Again, I didn’t stroke his ego. Although, I was sure he wanted me to stroke something else.
I lifted my shoulder in a half shrug. “It’ll do, I guess.”
His eyes narrowed and I waited for him to say something, to call me out, to make me compliment him. Something. But he simply continued to stare at me, reveling in the silence that followed, his expression one of expectation.
“Come on, Ollie. I showed you mine. Now it’s your turn. Take off your clothes.” There was a time all I dreamt about was hearing such a thing tumble from his mouth, and while they thrilled me now, I wasn’t the same person I was ten years ago. There was a bit of irritation, mainly from the nickname he insisted on using, that swirled with my excitement, forming a whole other emotion altogether. He took a single step toward me, and I held up my hand to stop him. “Do you want me to help you? Because I would have no problem with that.”
“No. I don’t need your help.” He drew a quick glare from me that didn’t seem to faze him.
“If you don’t want to do this,” he said, advancing another stride in my direction, “we don’t have to.” Why did it irritate me that he gave me the option to change my mind? “But you’ll never know if you can come.” His bottom lip disappeared between his teeth before popping free. “During sex, I mean.”
“I know what you meant.” I blew out a breath. “I don’t want out, and I don’t need your help to get undressed. I just need a minute.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not sure I can follow that,” I said, gesturing up and down his incredible body. “I mean, come on. It’s like you’ve used some kind of filter on yourself.”
“I assure you everything about me is real. Wanna touch?” I said, “No,” and nodded at the same time. When I didn’t make a move to undress, he said, “If you don’t get naked, we can’t get on with it. So, what do you say?”
Numerous responses rattled through my overactive brain, but when I finally settled on one, a surge of courage churned inside me.
“All right. I’ll take off my dress.”
“And the rest of it.”
“I’ll take off everything. But I’m warning you now, my chest is small, and my butt is big, so if you make any derogatory comments about either, I’m leaving.” For as confident as I wanted to appear, I couldn’t stop the tremble in my hands as I separated the fabric belt that held my dress together.
“Lucky for you, I’m an ass man.” When I didn’t say anything in response, his eyes softened. “I would never say anything negative. In fact, any guy who did should be kicked in the balls. I know you think I’m going to judge you, but trust me, the second I see you naked, it’s going to take every ounce of my self-control not to pounce on you. I bet you’re perfect. In fact, I’d stake my life on it.”
His words helped to ease some of my anxiety. When the sides of my dress parted, I pushed the material off my shoulders, and I was left standing there in my purple bra and my white, polka-dotted panties. Had I known the night would lead to sex with Luke, I would’ve worn a matching set. But obviously, I could’ve never predicted such an occurrence.
Deciding it was best to get this over with, I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra, tossing it to the floor as soon as the cups had fallen. Seconds later, I hurriedly pulled down my underwear, kicking them to the side.
With my head down and my eyes now closed, I counted my shallow breaths. I wanted to cover my breasts, but I didn’t want to let him know the level of my insecurity, so I kept my arms at my sides.
“See? I knew you’d be perfect.”
My eyes snapped open, and for the first time since I laid eyes on him tonight, a genuine smile caressed my lips.
5
Luke
Like I knew she would be, she was perfect. And there was something about the timid way she stood before me that turned me on even more. I wanted to touch every inch of her, reassuring her I loved each part, because I did.