I reach for the gift bag I put on the table before I left for the party, hoping that she’d be with me in this moment. I hand it to her. “This,” I simply say.
She opens the bag slowly.
Her breath catches.
She looks up at me, eyes searching. “Ethan…”
“It’s for stress relief,” I say evenly, hoping like hell I haven’t misjudged everything. When I bought the present, it seemed like a great idea. Now I’m not so sure.
Silence stretches. Her throat works as she swallows. She sets the bag down carefully, like it’s something precious…or explosive. Finally she looks up at me. “What did you think?”
Fuck.I did misjudge. I bite my lip, frantically searching for a way to not fuck this up further. “It’s not a joke,” I say. “I’m not making fun of you.”
“I know. You wouldn’t do that.” She watches me steadily. “But what did you think when you heard that I’d used a vibrator to get myself off while thinking about you?”
I huff out a breath. I should say something smart here. Something insightful. But my brain is not presently engaged because her words have painted a picture in my mind that is so tempting, words are hard to shape. “It turned me on,” I whisper hoarsely. “That’s why I bought you another one.”
“But I already have one at home.” Her gorgeous eyes shine in the low light as she watches me intently.
I swallow, forcing moisture into my mouth. My dick is rock hard. “Yes, but this one is for here.”
“For here,” she repeats. “Why would I need one here?”
“For us to play with together.”
Her tongue darts out, tracing her bottom lip, mesmerizing me. She leans forward, placing her forehead against my chest. I can feel her breathing even out, like she’s borrowing my calm.
I desperately want to kiss her. But instead, I wrap my arms around her.
She melts into me, tension draining from her frame in real time.
“This is what I wanted to give you,” I say quietly. “A place to land.”
“And a place to relive stress,” she says.
“Yes,” I answer. “I would love for us to relieve stress together.”
“With the vibrator.”
“Sometimes with the vibrator. But often with the…human model.”
She laughs softly, then tilts her face up. Our mouths hover close, breath mingling.
“Ethan,” she whispers.
“Yes.” I’m about to bust out of my pants, and it’s very hard to keep breathing.
“I would love that,” she says.
I brush my thumb along her jaw. “I’m so fucking glad.” I finally claim her lips, desperately pulling her closer.
She kisses me back.
I force myself to go slow, because I’m very aware of the significance of crossing this line. There’s no going back after this.
Her lips are warm, soft, a little tentative at first, but then she exhales. Her fingers curl into the front of my shirt, and she moans as I deepen the kiss.
I’m acutely aware of everything. The warmth of her body, the smooth feel of the fabric of her gorgeous dress, the way her breathing syncs with mine, like we were always meant to be together.
