“You didn’t say anything about sleeping over before—”
He wrapped his arm around my back and lifted me off the ground. “You like it when I sleep over,” he reminded me. “Big spoon, little spoon.”
“Yeah, but I thought you hated being the little spoon.”
He pinched my side, and I squeaked in surprise. “She’s got jokes.”
“I have immunity,” I taunted. “Girlfriends get to say whatever they want.”
He hauled me toward the staircase door. “Fine, but boyfriends get to do whatever they want.”
A flutter spiraled through me. “Oh really?”
“Let me show you.”
He didn’t have to invite me twice. I unlocked the door, and we hurried up the stairs, a tangle of hands and groping and stripping off clothes.
We kicked our shoes off inside the door and came together like opposite-facing magnets. I could have sworn sparks flew. Fireworks exploded. Stars were born in the universe somewhere.
God, why did this feel so right? So perfect?
There was no fumbling around with Charlie. He knew. Oh my God, heknew. My dress was already loosened, and with a deft tug at the sleeves, it fell to my ankles. I held out my hands, and he helped me step out of it. Then he pulled back to admire my body in the moonlight.
I was stronger than I had been five years ago. Fit and muscled in places I hadn’t been before. His eyes darkened as he took me in, lingering on the still-full swell of my breasts and the small scrap of lace I called underwear.
His finger dipped inside the thin band and swept toward the apex of my thighs. I struggled to breathe evenly.
He was still dressed.
Stepping toward him, I unbuttoned his shirt slowly, savoring each new reveal of his chest, lightly sprinkled with a dusting of hair. When it was fully opened, I pushed it back from his shoulders, admiring that he was more muscled too. Firmer. Broader across the chest.
We’d been young before, early twenties. Now we were full-grown adults. And it showed in the best way.
He reached for the clasp of my bra and flicked it open. I let it fall off, tossing it aside.
“I shouldn’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to do this,” he murmured, his eyes lingering in a way that made my cheeks heat.
I licked my lips and reached for the button of his shorts. “Oh really?”
“Only every night we closed together.” He circled my nipple with his thumb. I shivered at the rougher-than-expected touch. “And every afternoon we opened together.” He tugged at my thong and pushed it down over my thighs, kneeling to help me step out of it. He stayed there, brushing sweet kisses over my hip. “And every time you used that smart mouth to tell me off.” His kisses moved lower. “And every time you laughed at one of my jokes or smiled at me when you forgot you hated me.” He gently pushed my hips back against the kitchen island and hooked my leg over his shoulder. “You’ve made me suffer, Ada.”
I trembled with anticipation, with desire... with nerves. “Charlie...”
He looked up at me. One of his hands gripped my ass in a way that was very familiar, very intimate. The other wrapped around my hip and held me still. “So I’m going to take my time.” His tongue drew a line along my inner thigh. “I’m going to fucking savor you.”
And then he did. His mouth found my most intimate place and sucked and licked and kissed until I could hardly stand. He supported my weight with his tight grasp, or I would have collapsed. He was too good at this.
No man should be this good at this.
I dug my hands into his hair, clutching the strands in a desperate kind of way as if he could help me find the ground again, help me find a center again. His tongue moved in lazy strokes, then delved inside. He adjusted my leg so he could go deeper. He knew what to do with his teeth in a multitasking kind of way that literally blew my mind.
He tipped me closer and closer toward an edge I was desperate to jump off. But he refused to let me rush. My legs were jelly by the time he finally released my hip and slowly, oh, so fucking slowly, slid two fingers deep inside. Then he sucked tightly on my bundle of nerves, and the darkness behind my closed eyelids exploded with a full-on fireworks show.
Every muscle in my body tightened and flexed. And my muscles shook with the hardest, fiercest release of my life. Charlie pumped his fingers into me slowly still, dragging out this free fall off the cliff for as long as my body could stand.
When I finally relaxed, I looked down to see him grinning up at me. “Girlfriend privileges,” he gloated, his mouth glistening.
“Is that so?” I asked, breathless.
