Chapter Twenty-Seven
Iawoke toa hand stroking up and down on my bare thigh. Still hazy from the nap, I remained still and enjoyed the way my skin heated beneath the touch. I was warm and comfortable and felt the steady rise and fall of Landen’s chest beneath my cheek.
The light pouring through the windows seemed to gild the room with gold. We must have slept for several hours. I felt more rested than I had since the day Landen left.
The leisurely slide of his palm on my thigh changed as it glided upward so that his fingers skimmed the bottom edge of my panties, skating close to my core.
I sucked in a deep breath and opened my eyes, tilting my head back to look at him.
“Hey,” he whispered.
“Hey.”
His dark blue eyes were sleepy and hot, staring at me with both reverence and hunger. The arm beneath my neck shifted and his other hand tangled in my hair, tugging lightly so that I arched my neck back even more.
“I want to touch you,” he murmured, his voice rough with sleep and desire.
“I want to touch you too.”
He shifted beneath me, turning his body toward me and lifting my leg so that my thigh rested on his hip. As his lower body came into contact with mine, I could feel the hard length of him against my abdomen.
I slipped my hand beneath the hem of his t-shirt so that my palm rested against his side. His skin was hot and firm under my fingers. His muscles trembled against my palm as my hand moved up and around until I could knead the muscles beneath his shoulder blade.
His gaze never left mine as he used his gentle hold on my hair to lift my face toward his. With our eyes still open, our lips touched, tentatively at first.
After a week of feeling hollow and lonely, it wasn’t long before I opened my mouth and touched the tip of my tongue to his lips. I didn’t even notice when my eyes grew heavy and shut because my entire being was focused on the warm press of his lips and the soft, wet swipe of his tongue against mine.
His free hand slid up my leg, over my hip, to the back of my dress. I heard the quiet rasp of the zipper as he drew it down. I shifted against him as I tugged my arms free from the straps and he helped me push the material down to my waist. The bra I wore beneath the light cotton was nothing more than a concoction of mesh and lace. It was too hot for anything more substantial.
Landen’s fingers curled into the material at my waist and pushed further until I had to bend my knees to free my legs from the bunched fabric of the dress.
Suddenly eager to feel his skin against mine, I grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, our lips breaking apart as he lifted his upper body and tugged it over his head.
Sitting next to my prone body, Landen tossed the shirt aside and looked down at me, his hand cupping my waist. His eyes moved over my nearly naked form, pausing where the sheer material of my bra cupped my breasts.
He moved then, kneeling between my thighs so that he hovered over me.
“I like this,” he muttered, skimming a single finger across the top edge of the bra and making me shiver.
I sucked in a sharp breath as his thumb moved downward and swept over my nipple through the mesh. The extra layer of material added friction to his touch as he lightly pinched the tip of my breast between his thumb and forefinger, making a line of fire magically appear between my breast and clit.
“Landen,” I whispered.
His eyes lifted from my breasts to my face and I shuddered at the hungry expression on his face. He didn’t speak as he slowly leaned forward and closed his mouth over my nipple, sucking strongly. His tongue lashed me through the material and my back arched at the slightly rough sensation.
My hands cupped the back of his head and my nails scraped his scalp as he continued to lick and suck at my nipple. When his teeth closed lightly over me, I clenched handfuls of his hair and moaned low in my throat.
I lifted my legs, my bare thighs scraping at the denim on his legs, and I remembered he was still partially clothed. My hands shook as I released his hair and ran them down his sides to the waistband of his jeans.
I fumbled with the button and zipper for a moment before they gave way to my clumsy fingers. Landen lifted his head and studied my damp breast as he helped me shove the denim down his hips and thighs. I placed my foot into the tangled material when we reached his knees and pushed them down past his ankles.
A small smile played around his lips as he kicked the jeans from his legs and I hooked my thumbs into the top edge of his briefs. They quickly followed the same path as his pants until he was gloriously naked.
When his bare skin met mine, I sighed. This week had been painful in many ways. I missed his presence at night when I ate dinner and watched TV. Or when I got ready to go to sleep. But I also missed his skin, the taste of his kiss, and the weight of his body against mine.
As if he read my mind, Landen lowered his mouth to my other breast, muttering against my flesh. “I missed you.”
He nipped at the inner curve of my breast before latching onto the nipple, pulling it deep into his mouth.
