I’d heard it said that sex was better when it was with someone you loved, and maybe that’s what was different, because every brush of his skin against mine, every touch of his hand, seemed amplified with meaning. I wanted to show him how I felt, how much he meant to me, and what our relationship had become without having to hide behind the persona of work.
Parker pressed me back, lowering me until my head touched the pillow. He followed me down, his chest against mine, still kissing me as he settled between my legs. His jeans were rough against my thighs, but I could feel him against my core and it sent a rush of heat through me.
Pulling back slightly, Parker looked me in the eye, his hand brushing the hair back from my face.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he murmured, “in every way. And I’ve been so stupid, all this time. It’s you. It’s always been you.”
I couldn’t help a small smile. Words I hadn’t even realized I’d been waiting to hear.
“You’re making up for it now,” I said. His eyes were hard to see in the dim light, but I could make out the gleam in them as he looked at me.
“This changes everything,” he said. “You know that. It’s not just sex. Not with you and me.”
“I know.” But it was a relief to hear him say it.
He kissed me again, his hands skating down my sides to the waistband of the shorts I wore. Pushing them down, he had to break our kiss and sit up to pull them off. When I was naked, I reached for him, but he took my hands in his, slotting our fingers together.
I was self-conscious with him looking at me. Why had he stopped? Had he changed his mind?
“What’s wrong?” I asked, nerves knotting inside my belly.
Parker shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to take a second and memorize this moment. I don’t ever want to forget it.”
If there was anything he could have said that would’ve made me melt more, I didn’t know what it could possibly have been.
Releasing one of my hands, he rested his palm on my stomach, slowly moving it up my abdomen and between my breasts. His gaze followed the path of his hand. Warmth spread at his touch as if by magic.
Stretching across me, he turned on the small lamp by my bed. I blinked in the light, though it was dim.
“Lights on?” I asked. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, but I looked best in dim light, especially naked. Full dark was even better.
“I want to see you,” he said simply.
Considering the view I was treated to, Parker shirtless and kneeling between my legs, I couldn’t disagree.
I reached for the fly of his jeans and unfastened the button. It only took a few moments for him to shed the last of his clothes, then he was climbing back into bed with me and I had one of those pinch-me-I’m-dreaming moments.
“Is this real?” I whispered. “Or am I dreaming it?”
“Do I feel real?” He was braced on his arms, his body resting atop mine, chest to chest, my hips cradling his, the hard length of his erection pressing insistently between my thighs against the most sensitive part of me. His eyes stared intently into mine as his knuckles brushed my cheek.
I was too full of emotions to speak, but I didn’t need to. He read it in my eyes.
He kissed me and it was like a drug. Now that we could finally kiss, I didn’t want to stop. But I wanted more. My hands were busy mapping the planes of his back and his lips trailed to my jaw and down my neck. Eyes drifting closed, I let my senses overwhelm me with him—his scent, the texture of his skin, the weight of his body, the touch of his tongue.
My heart was beating so fast it felt like the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings inside my chest. I sucked in a sharp breath at the gentle rasp of his tongue on my nipple.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, pressing soft kisses between my breasts. “I’ve imagined this so many times. My imagination didn’t do you justice.”
I memorized the words and the way he said them, wanting to have them later to replay inside my head. That Parker had felt this way about me all this time was still a shock to me, a revelation that left me reeling.
I didn’t want to wait, couldn’t wait, any longer. It seemed Parker wanted to take it slow, whereas I was burning from the inside out.
“Please,” I managed, lifting my hips slightly, hoping he’d get the hint. I wasn’t exactly capable of more speech at the moment.
Parker’s hand moved between my legs. My nails dug into his shoulders and I tugged him back up to kiss him. Our tongues tangled and I moaned into his mouth when his fingers parted my folds to stroke me.
I was wet and ready for him and he groaned, his kisses growing fierce as he slid a finger inside me. The thought was running through my mind in an endless stream that it was unbelievable that we were here together like this. Parker was kissing me, touching me, after all the time of wanting and wondering and obsessing.
My orgasm hit with the force of a tidal wave, unexpected and overwhelming. A keening sound was coming from my throat, but I was helpless to stop it. Tearing my mouth away from Parker’s, I sucked down air. His lips brushed my cheek, his finger still moving inside me.
Impatient for him, I pushed his hand away from my body and reached for his cock. It was hot and hard in my hand, and I wrapped my fingers around his length.