I shuddered, thinking he was being kind of perfect, but I glanced down and there was no mistaking the bulge in his pants. Hands still shaking as I rocked back, I reached between us, half expecting him to stop me.
He didn’t.
A lazy, sated smile pulled at my lips as I ran my fingers over the covered length of him, feeling my insides clench all over when his hips popped up in response. I glanced up at him, breathing deeply. “You didn’t get off.”
He shook his head, jaw locked down.
My heart was racing all over again as I undid his button and carefully tugged down the zipper. The material parted, revealing black boxer briefs. Without saying a word, he lifted his ass and me right off the couch, a silent demand. I wasted no time, tugging down his jeans and boxers.
I stared as he sprung free, thick and heavy. Truthfully, this part of a guy’s body wasn’t always the most attractive thing in the word, but Reece . . . oh yeah, it was just as yummy as the rest of him.
Speaking of the rest of him.
As he settled back down, I tugged up the hem of his shirt and he lifted his arms, letting me pull it off. I tossed it somewhere where I hoped he never found it, and got a huge eyeful of what it looked like when a man was no longer a boy and worked his body hard to stay in shape.
Golden skin stretched smooth and tight over his pecs and then down on a chiseled, rock-hard stomach that was tightly rolled. A trail of dark hair ran under his navel, down to where he waited. I dragged my gaze back up. There was a scar just to the left of his navel, skin puckered in an irregular circle. There was another above that. And I knew if I got his pants off, there’d be a third.
My breath caught as I thought about how close I came—how close all of us came—to losing him. Leaning forward, I kissed him, wishing I could take back eleven months of being stupid, because time . . . it was short and never promised.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked again.
His eyes searched mine. “There’s a lot I want you to do, Roxy.”
“Pick one.” Or two. Or three. I’d do them all.
Reece reached down, wrapping his fingers around his cock. Holy smokes, I felt the need to fan myself as his grip tightened. My lips parted as he slowly brought his hand up to the head and then back down. “This is what I want you to do.”
Blood was pounding in my ears and I barely heard myself say, “You . . . you are so freaking hot, Reece.”
He groaned as his hand swept up again and his back bowed, and I couldn’t help it. I moaned. His gaze flew back to mine, a different kind of fire burning in their depths. “I think I know what you want.”
“What?” I breathed.
Reece reached out with his other hand, curling it around the base of my neck as he stroked himself again. A bead appeared at the tip. “You want to watch me.”
Every part of my body burned. Not out of shame, but because it was true. “I’ve never watched a guy—”
“That’s all I need to hear,” he said, moving his hand.
My breath shortened in my chest as I watched him, his grip getting stronger and stronger. I couldn’t believe that I was doing this—couldn’t believe how arousing it was—or that I was still in his lap, my cami forgotten around my waist, my skin flushed. I started to look up.
“No. Watch me,” he ordered, and I shivered at the demand in his voice.
And I watched him as his hand pumped and his hips moved more furiously. I had to place my hands back on his shoulders to hold, and I didn’t look away, not until his hand around my neck yanked me forward.
Reece kissed me as he found his release. No—he didn’t just kiss me, he devoured me as he rocked into his hand. “Fuck,” he drew the word out as his one arm closed around me, gathering me close to his bare chest and holding tight. I buried my head in the space between his neck and shoulder, breathing in the crisp scent of his aftershave as I felt his heart start to slow.
Neither of us spoke for a long moment and then he laughed softly, the sound bringing a smile to my lips.
“Damn, Roxy.” He cleared his throat. “You’re going to make me want to keep you.”
My heart was tugged in two opposite directions as my befuddled head tried to make sense of what that meant. Already, I was beginning to apply a crazy amount of meaning to what he said. Did it mean that he wasn’t planning on it? This was just for fun? But he’d said he wanted to be more than friends. Did it even matter? No, it didn’t, because there was no lying to myself.
I wanted him to keep me.
Chapter 11
I hadn’t meant to doze off, but somewhere between watching Hilary remodeling an old farmhouse and David showing a peculiarly picky couple houses on HGTV, I’d fallen asleep on my side, with my back curled against Reece’s front.
I’d never fallen asleep on a couch with a guy before. Seemed like such a simple thing that I imagined millions of people took for granted, but it was something entirely new for me.
At first, I wasn’t sure what woke me up. I blinked open my eyes, confused. There was an infomercial on TV, selling the newest Bowflex machine. I stared at it for a moment, seconds from drifting back to sleep, when I felt Reece jerk behind me.
My heart jumped at the unexpected movement. His arm was lax under me, but when I looked over my shoulder, I could see the tension practically pouring off him. He was on his side but his face was turned up to the ceiling. His jaw was locked in a tight, hard line and his brows were furrowed. Every couple of seconds, those thick lashes would twitch. His lips moved, the words silent, but his chest rose with a sudden, ragged, and broken breath.
“Reece?” I whispered, but he didn’t hear me. His chest rose again, the breathing more rapid. I twisted onto my other side, facing him as I pressed my hand on his chest. “Reece.”
He jolted away, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, and for a moment, he looked so far away, as if he wasn’t even aware of where he was. Seconds ticked by and then he turned his head toward me. His expression relaxed. “Hey,” he murmured.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
He swallowed. “Yeah.”
I didn’t really believe him. “You sure?”
Reece’s arm curved around me as he tucked me against his side. “Yeah, sweets, everything is fine.” As he threaded his fingers through my hair and guided my cheek to his chest, he sighed deeply. “Everything is good now.”
“You got some this weekend.”
I nearly choked on my soda as I looked up. Katie slid into the booth across from me, a bright pink-checkered bandana wrapped around her head. Her off the shoulder fuzzy blue sweater looked like it had it out with a bedazzler and lost the battle. She wasn’t alone.
Calla sat down next to Katie. She’d come back into town yesterday morning and had worked at the bar last night. Grinning, she tugged her blond hair up into a ponytail. I remembered, when I first met her she’d always kept her hair down to hide the scar. Not so much anymore.
Ignoring Katie’s somewhat astute comment, I nodded at Calla. “I’m surprised Jax let you out of his house to have breakfast.”
“He knows better than to get between me and food and my friends.” Flipping open the menu, she raised delicately arched brows at me. “So, is Katie right? You get some?”
Katie grinned. “I’m always right.”
I rolled my eyes as I sat back against the booth. Reece had fallen back asleep after what I guessed was a nightmare, and I’d taken him home yesterday morning. Before he’d climbed out of my car, he’d leaned over and kissed me. Just thinking about that scalding kiss made me want to fan myself, and then it made me think of what I’d watched him do.
Goodness, I needed a cold shower.
He’d worked the night shift, and I figured he was probably sleeping right now. He’d texted me right before I’d gotten off, a quick message telling me to let him know when I got home, and I did. The request was . . . cute, like he was thinking of me, and it made me feel all girlie.
“The tips of your ears are burning,” Calla pointed out, eyes narrowing. “Come on, fess up.”
The waitress saved me for a few minutes while she took our orders. Katie ordered half the diner, going for every version of bacon and sausage they had. “I need my protein,” she said as Calla and I gaped at her. “Dancing and climbing a pole is one hell of a workout. You guys should try it.”
I giggled. “No thanks.”