I stepped aside. All reservations were gone. “Forget what I said. Open the door.”
There was a flurry of hands and lips and movement toward the bed. Neither one of us made any motion for a light switch. The Coronado Bridge and San Diego Bay were on display through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the room with a magical glow. He reached behind me and lifted me to straddle him as he backed me toward the bed. I pulled my mouth away. “God, it’s beautiful out there,” I said, panting.
“It’s beautiful in here.” My shirt went flying across the room as he kicked off his shoes. He set me down on my feet with the backs of my legs against the bed. His deft hands were unbuttoning my jeans with ease, and a moment later I was standing in just my bra and panties. I undid his belt and tugged at his pants and boxers, pulling them down as I dropped to my knees.
When I took ahold of him, he hissed out a breath. “No,” he said. He bent, bracing my arms and pulled me up to stand. “What are you doing?” he said.
My face flushed. I was heated but embarrassed. “I thought . . .”
“No, let’s kiss.” His lips were on mine again, urgent. He somehow managed to undo my bra without me even knowing he was trying. It fell to the floor as he cupped my breast. He bent, kissing it while running his hand up the small of my back. I arched into him. Seth was in charge, smooth, strong, and commanding, the way he played baseball. He laid me on the bed and then stood up straight, drinking me in. When he reached for my panties I covered his hands with mine. “Wait.”
“What is it, Charlotte?” His eyes were drowsy with desire.
“Do you really like me?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t be here with you right now if I didn’t.”
He crawled up beside me, propping his head on his hand. I looked down and noticed how painfully turned on he was. “Just give me a second,” I said, my chest heaving in and out.
“You were about to go down on me without even hesitating.”
“I know.”
His fingertips danced across my belly before his hand went sliding down under the waistband of my panties. He dropped his head to my breast, kissing and sucking at my nipple.
After several moments, he whispered, “I’m going to worship you now. Tell me to stop if you want me to stop.”
“Ahhh,” I breathed out when he touched me down below. I held his hand to me, pressing and guiding.
“Don’t,” I whispered.
“Don’t what, Charlotte?”
“Don’t stop.”
A second later my panties were gone and then his mouth was on me and my back was arching off the bed. “Jesus. Don’t stop. Don’t stop!”
When I pressed his head to my body, he hummed in satisfaction, making my body explode into a million tiny pulses of light. I couldn’t make a sound, couldn’t breathe; I was falling apart, trying desperately to ride out the waves without screaming. I felt the back of my head digging into the bed while my body quaked and shuddered.
When my brain was able to register my surroundings again, I looked up to see Seth between my legs, sitting back on his heels, looking mesmerized. I was embarrassed, but all I could see on his face was desire. “That was good, right?”
“Yes,” I choked out.
“You’re stunning,” he said. I shook my head. His hand was still on me, moving in slow circles across my sensitive skin. “You are, Charlotte. Why don’t you know that?” He blinked. “I want to make love to you.”
Warmth spread from my chest to my limbs. My throat tightened. I moved his hand from my body and pulled him up to cover me while I opened my legs wider, inviting him in.
Once we were joined, his mouth was on mine and he was moving gently in and out. He sucked on my bottom lip and then moved to my neck and up to my ear. “God, Charlotte, you feel so good. Too good.” He picked up the rhythm.
“Ah” was all I could say. His breath near my ear was making my brain malfunction. I was losing it again, feeling my body tingling around his. He thrust into me once more and then collapsed. I held him to me until our bodies stopped pulsing.
He put his weight on his elbows and leaned back to look at me. There was just enough light in the room to see his serene expression. “That was amazing.”
“Yes,” I said with conviction between gasps. “Very good.”
He pecked me on the lips and then kissed my cheek and lifted himself off me. “Shower?”
“Okay.” I followed him into the bathroom, neither one of us self-conscious of our nakedness. I admired how well built he was. How young, virile, and enthusiastic he was once I realized he was turned on again just moments after we were done having sex.
In the shower, he lifted me, pressing me against the cold tile. I wrapped my legs around him and he was inside of me again. “I want to stay here inside of you for a long time.”
“I want you to stay there for a long time.”
He moved harder, pressing me against the wall. “I really like you, Charlotte. I’m falling for you,” he said through ragged breaths. How could he be so open, so honest?
I kissed him, answering his passion without words.
After the shower, we fell asleep naked on top of the covers, tangled up in each other.
16. Good or Bad Timing
Seth was leaving to go on the road in two days. I invited him to come up and stay at my house before he left, and he agreed. I was letting it all happen.
When Seth and I got to my apartment, I was surprised to find Chucky sitting at the bar, eating cereal and reading the newspaper.
“No hot date?” I said, walking through the door.
“Not tonight, Fatbutt.” When Chucky spotted Seth behind me, he stood up from the barstool and quickly swallowed a mouthful of cereal.
Seth immediately approached him, hand out for a shake. “Hey, I’m Seth.”
Chucky gave him a firm handshake in return. “Nice to meet you. I’m Charles.” He pulled Seth toward him and then whispered loud enough for me to hear, “We have mafia ties. Don’t forget it, man.”
“Oh shut it, Chuck,” I snapped.
He shrugged and went back to his cereal. Seth followed me into the kitchen. “You want a beer or something?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said. Seth stood awkwardly next to Chucky on the other side of the bar while Chucky flipped through the newspaper. My brother and father read the newspaper every single day. It was like brushing their teeth—and for Chucky and my dad, that’s saying a lot. When I handed the beer over the counter to Seth, he smiled his sweet, boyish smile and said, “Thank you.” But something caught my eye as I reached across the counter. It was the voicemail notification on my phone.
“Will you excuse me?” I said to Seth.