He kisses his way back up my body, looking smugly satisfied as he reaches my face. I can taste myself on his lips when he kisses me, and the intimacy of it makes me moan softly. His erection presses against my thigh, hot and insistent.
"I need you," I whisper against his mouth. "Inside me. Now."
He nods, shifting to position himself between my thighs. I feel him, hot and hard, pressing against my entrance. He pauses, his eyes finding mine in a silent question.
"Yes," I breathe, lifting my hips in invitation.
He pushes forward slowly, giving me time to adjust to the stretch and fullness. My breath catches at the initial pressure, then releases in a long, shuddering sigh as he sinks deeper. When he's fully seated within me, he goes still, his forehead pressed to mine, his breathing ragged.
"You feel incredible," he murmurs, his voice strained with the effort of holding still.
I answer by rolling my hips, taking him impossibly deeper. A groan tears from his throat, his control visibly slipping. He begins to move, setting a rhythm that has me gasping with each thrust. My legs wrap around his waist, changing the angle until he's hitting that perfect spot with every movement.
His strokes are measured at first, deep and deliberate, his eyes never leaving my face as if gauging my reaction to eachmovement. The intensity of his gaze is almost too much, there's nowhere to hide, nothing to conceal.
"Harder," I breathe, digging my heels into his lower back.
He complies, his hips snapping forward with more force, driving the breath from my lungs. The sound of our bodies coming together fills the room, along with our mingled gasps and moans. Sweat slicks our skin, making everything hot and slippery and perfect.
I can feel another orgasm building, this one deeper, more encompassing than the first. Arthur must sense it too, because his rhythm falters slightly, his movements becoming less controlled. One hand slides beneath my hips, tilting me upward to change the angle.
I'm trembling beneath him, hovering on the brink. One of his hands slides between us, thumb finding my center with unerring accuracy, and the added sensation sends me flying.
I come with a cry of his name, my body clenching around him in waves of pleasure so intense I can't breathe. He follows moments later, his rhythm faltering as he pushes deep one final time, his body shuddering against mine, my name a prayer on his lips.
Chapter 6 – Arthur
I stand at the kitchen counter, pouring a fresh cup of coffee while watching Lori through the open doorway. She's sitting on the edge of the couch, her hair damp from the shower we shared, wearing my flannel shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her legs are tucked under her as she gazes out the window at the snow-covered town below.
I pick up my phone and dial the station. Chief answers on the second ring.
"Gray, where the hell are you?" His voice is gruff but not angry. "Bradley said you'd be in after the engine check."
"Something came up," I reply, keeping my voice low. "Personal matter. I need a few more hours."
There's a pause, and I can practically hear him weighing his options. "The engine still needs looking at."
"I know. I'll be there by noon." It's a promise I intend to keep, even as part of me wants to stay in this apartment with Lori for the rest of the day.
"Everything okay?" Chief asks, his tone shifting slightly. For all his gruffness, he looks after his crew.
I glance at Lori, who has turned to watch me, a small smile playing at her lips. "Yeah," I say. "Everything's good."
"Alright then," he replies, and I hear the understanding in his voice. "Noon. Don't make me send Logan to drag you in."
"Copy that," I say, and hang up.
Lori raises an eyebrow as I walk over with two mugs of coffee. "Are you in trouble?"
"Nah." I hand her a mug and sit beside her on the couch. "Chief's bark is worse than his bite. Usually."
She accepts the coffee, her fingers brushing mine in a way that feels deliberately lingering. "I'm sorry if I'm making you late."
"Don't be," I say simply. "This is exactly where I want to be."
Her smile widens, and I'm struck again by how naturally beautiful she is.
"What happens now?" she asks, blowing gently on her coffee. The question has layers, she's asking about the immediate future, but also something bigger, something neither of us has named yet.
