His smile brought out the dimple in his chin. "You're right. I was saving the best for last."
He led me through the quiet house and up the stairs to the third level. I couldn't imagine living here alone. Too many rooms. Too much space. I'd feel lost. Maybe that's what he liked about it.
My heart beat more frantically the closer we came to his room. We'd had sex, the night I killed Lucky. A hot, messy, needy affair that mixed sweat and blood and pushed away my pain with the endorphins of climax. And we'd had an intense moment in the hospital, when he'd bathed me. But this would be the first time we made love. This would be the first slow, deliberate joining of our bodies in something more than primal physical need, more than a one-sided pleasure. It seemed each time we became intimate, it was a first in some new way.
We stood in front of a mahogany door. "Close your eyes and wait here just one second." He disappeared into his room.
The darkness behind my eyelids turned a burnt red, flashing strange lights into my brain, sending a surge of panic through me. When he came back I was grateful, as I'd become afraid of the darkness in my own mind.
He held my hand, which I wiped against my pants to hide evidence of my nerves, and we walked into his room.
Candles of every size and shape glowed softly throughout. At the foot of the mahogany king-sized bed a fireplace burned bright with dancing flames skittering off the textured cream walls.
The room stretched wide and long, but had relatively little furniture in it. Ash liked open space, and his room reflected that. The bed, the fireplace, the side dressers on either side of the bed each with a small lamp, the large art pieces taking center stage on the sparse walls—each dramatic and engaging. A balcony overlooked the city and had a table and two chairs, and a walk-in closet held his clothes, all meticulously organized by style and color. The bathroom featured a Jacuzzi tub that could easily hold three adults, and a shower made for two with nozzles everywhere. I imagined sinking into the tub, soaking away my aches and pains, and smiled. Ash wrapped his hands around my waist. "I see we'll have to utilize the bath while you're here."
"You have an amazing house."
"It's more amazing when you're in it," he said.
We moved back into the bedroom, and I noticed red rose petals spread over the black bedspread. "You thought of everything," I said.
Next to the bed were two glasses of champagne and a bowl of strawberries. He handed me a glass and I sipped, enjoying the fizzy bubbles chasing themselves down my throat.
He pulled out a remote and with a click of a button music embraced us from everywhere—soft, lilting piano, something I'd never heard before.
"I wrote this," he said, his eyes devouring me. "For you."
"I didn't know you composed." I listened more carefully and wondered what emotions he'd brought to this piece with its minor chords and sad melody.
"I have many secrets," he said.
"It sounds like a sad song."
He pulled me closer to him, our bodies pressed against each other. "Sometimes love feels sad."
My breath caught. "Do you love me?" I asked, feeling thirteen again, nervous about my first crush.
He kissed me deeply. "I do," he said. "I love you."
A pressure inside me unlocked, like air being let out of a tire. "I love you, too."
Those were the last words we spoke as we peeled off each other's clothes slowly, deliberately, our eyes taking in everything, our hands exploring each other. We stood in front of each other naked, his cock hard and urgent in its need, his hands sliding down my body, thumbs grazing my aching nipples as his hands cupped my breasts, sending electric currents through me. I dropped my hands to his chest, running my fingers over his rock hard chest and abs, following the trail of hair from navel to cock until I brushed against him.
He moaned and I stroked him, finding a boldness I didn’t know I had. I dropped to my knees, missing his hands on me but wanting to feel him in my mouth. I flicked my tongue over the tender line of skin up to the head, swirling my tongue around him before taking him into my mouth, sucking and licking as I stroked his base and ran my fingers over his balls.