She’d never believe that I’m right under her nose, Christy thought as she felt Anthony’s warm arms surround her from behind.
He softly kissed the side of her temple. “We’re out of Lourdes’ meals. You wanna help me in the kitchen?” he inquired.
“Yes, as long as you know to proceed at your own risk,” she teased.
He led her by the hand to the kitchen, picked her up and sat her on the counter. She watched him pull some things from the refrigerator and cupboard, admiring his strong jawline and silky black hair that swayed just above his belt as he worked. Hair that a shampoo model would envy.
At first, she’d been grateful that he hadn’t tried to do anything but kiss her in the last five days, but she started to wonder if something was wrong with her. He lay down beside her every night in his king-sized bed, and she fell asleep in his arms. She woke up alone every morning and usually found Anthony at his desk or in his shop. She still wasn’t sure if she was ready. She’d been a little intimidated after hearing Anthony’s stories about sleeping with so many women. Women that she was certain were skilled in physical intimacy. An intimacy that she knew only on the most basic level.
As if reading her mind, Anthony swung around and looked at her. She sat up straight when she recognized the look in his eyes.
“I don’t know if I can hold off too much longer, Christy,” he said, his voice thick. He walked to her, and she wrapped her legs around him. “I’ve done my best to stay back, give you time to come to me, but I don’t think I can climb into that bed with you one more night without touching you.” He kissed her, and she groaned into his mouth.
She pulled back from him and relaxed her legs. “Why haven’t you tried anything?” she asked and leaned back on the counter. She chewed on her lip, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
“I can feel you aren’t ready. Am I wrong?” he asked, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. He couldn’t tell her the real reason that he hadn’t pushed her. Yes, he found that he respected her, unlike any woman he’d ever been with. But there was more to it. He knew that taking their relationship to a higher physical level would bring it to a higher emotional one as well, and he wasn’t ready to face what he might learn. He didn’t think he could bear to realize that she might be nothing more than another lay. He was afraid of waking up the morning after and feeling nothing. He cared enough about the girl to not want to hurt her in that way. Then there was the other side of the spectrum. Waking up the next morning and knowing that he didn’t want to live one single day without her. He wasn’t sure which scenario scared him more, and playing house for a week had brought him to a place he’d never been before. He'd be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he liked it.
Having Christy in his home felt right, and for now, he wasn’t ready to give that up should it come to light that he didn’t care beyond what happened between the sheets.
“A little. In the beginning. But…” She paused and then looked away. She took a deep breath and looked back at him. “But not anymore.”
He could no longer deny his physical desire and made the instant decision that he was ready to go to the next level with her. He wasn't concerned about taking her virginity since her brother had already told him about the older boyfriend she'd spent months with. When he asked Christy about him, she refused to go into detail but insisted that it'd been over for years. She may not have opened up about the man, but she also didn't deny his existence. This told Anthony that she was experienced and he felt a stab of disappointment at not being her first, but tried to convince himself that it was a good thing in the event this turned out to be nothing more than physical attraction.
Anthony leaned into her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist again, this time locking her feet behind him. He started to kiss her neck as he unbuttoned her blouse. She threw her head back and moaned when he lightly bit her nipple through the fabric of her blouse and bra as he made his way down the buttons. Without warning, he roughly picked her up off the counter and effortlessly carried her to his bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed and removed his shirt, never taking his eyes off her.
She looked up at him, and he saw the uncertainty in her expression. He climbed on the bed and straddled her, bending down to kiss her. He drank her in slowly, hardening as he made his way down her neck and she groaned. She helped him remove her blouse, and he undid her bra like an expert, tossing it aside. He sat back to look at her, careful not to rest his full weight on her. The pain of his erection strained against his jeans.
She rubbed her hands against his smooth brown skin, lingering at his abdomen where she traced the muscular lines of his stomach. Her fingers followed the contour of a long, raised scar. He scooted back a little and swallowed thickly before undoing her pants and sliding them, along with her panties, down her perfectly tanned legs. He was admiring her when he saw her hand creeping downward. He thought she was going to touch herself and realized she was trying to cover her most intimate place.
"Christy?"
She didn't answer and he told her, "Don't cover yourself. You're beautiful."
He gently took both her hands and held them to her sides as he arranged himself between her legs. He still hadn't removed his jeans. He wanted to take his time with her and started at her neck, making his way slowly to her breasts where he lingered at each one. Her arousal was obvious as his hand found its way between her legs. The anticipation of tasting her was too much, and he kissed his way down her stomach, below her belly button. He was kissing the inside of her thigh when he sensed her stiffen and he felt her hands pulling at his hair. He looked up.
She had a look of horror on her face. "W-what are you doing down there?" she asked.
"I'm trying to go down on you," he said, the confusion on his face obvious.
"You mean put your mouth there?" she asked. "Like, you want to kiss me there?"
Kiss her there?
He shook his head as if to clear it and sat up. She did too and scooted back from him, reaching for her clothes and using them to try and cover herself.
"Christy? Are you a virgin?" he asked as he sat on his haunches.
She looked away from him. "No. I'm not a virgin, and you already know that," she huffed.
He nodded. "Okay. I believe you. I know about the older boyfriend."
She continued to look away.
"Are you telling me that the entire time you were with him, he never went down on you?"
"Do you mean put his face there like you were doing?" she asked without meeting his eyes.