“So no one has ever done this?” I trailed my fingers down his chest, along the indention that created a path to his abdomen.
Once again, his eyes closed, as if he was basking in the slight tickle of my fingers against his flesh. “No.”
My gaze drifted to the clock on his dresser, the second hand ticking steadily away. A sharp shard of pain pervaded my chest when I envisioned how his future would be once I was no longer a part of his life, taken if I was unable to find a way to end my debt to Zagan. The impact the realization created was startling. Paine and I had days to spend with each other, perhaps nothing more than this very night.
This time, I went to him.
Our lips met and the kiss was no longer about grief or fear. This was about taking solace in each other, in embracing the fact that we were alive—here, now, together.
We devoured each other as our hands wandered, wrapping and cupping, sliding along bared skin. When his fingers skimmed the buttons of my jeans, I arched my hips, assisting him even as my own hands drifted to his pants to do the same. Within moments, with the exception of my bra, we were both nude.
My skin heated in the areas Paine’s gaze drifted. Slowly, he reached behind me and unlatched the clasps that kept my breasts from view. I slid my arms free of the thin straps, and he tossed my bra to the floor. For several seconds, we remained as we were, staring at each other. Then Paine leaned forward and brushed his nose along my right areola, over and over again.
“You smell so good,” he said and moved to the other side, repeating the motion.
When he finally sucked my nipple into his mouth, it was with a tentative, unpracticed motion. He was unfailingly gentle—no nipping or playful tugging. As I arched my back and pressed against his mouth, he became bolder, more certain. I groaned when he bit down lightly and skimmed his teeth across my skin without breaking it. My reaction caused him to become more aggressive, until I was pressing my fingernails into the skin on his back.
He pulled away, looking up, unsure once more. “Is that too much?”
“No,” I breathed the word, shaking my head.
“I’m…” Shaking his head, he grappled for words. “As you can probably tell, I’m new to this.”
I brushed my fingers along his temple. “We all are at some point.”
He smiled, full on, and my heart spasmed. Paine was never one to smile, not really, regardless of the situation. I’d never seen more than a half-assed grin here and there. Never this. It was a shock to the senses, locking us together in a moment that left no room for anyone else.
“I want this to be good for you.”
I continued stroking his hair. “Then it will be.”
He nuzzled my palm, so tenderly I worried my heart would break. “Tell me if I do anything you don’t like.”
Then his lips were on me, creating a path along my ribcage, up my arm, along the arch of my shoulder and neck. His hands cupped my breasts as he brought his thumbs to my nipples. Pressing forward, I placed light kisses along his shoulders, noting each shudder from him as I did. Eventually, we moved until I was on my back across the bed. He rose over me but didn’t rush, exploring my body as if it was something new and undiscovered. I continued running my palms along his sides, his arms and his back.
“That feels incredible,” he groaned and kissed a path to my neck.
Keeping my touch light, I moved from his back and slid my fingers along the front of his body. Reaching down, I took his cock into my hand. He gasped, exhaling loudly, and pressed the engorged shaft into my fingers. Squeezing softly, I ran my fingers up and down his length, keeping my fingers loose. Within seconds, he stopped the motions with a firm hand around my wrist.
“It’s too much.”