Clothes were the enemy, to be removed as quickly as possible, and then he was on top of me on the big bed. We were kissing as we moved against one another. I wrapped my hands in his hair to hold him there, needing his tongue in my mouth as his cock pressed against mine.
He eventually raised his head, propped himself on his hands and looked down at me, his eyes hungry.
“What do you want?”
A fresh wave of arousal surged through me. Both at the possibilities and the fact he’d asked.
“We probably should have had this conversation before we were naked,” I said. Or tried to say. He lowered his head and licked my nipple, his tongue warm and wet, which threw me off a bit. I wrapped my hands in his hair again and drew his head back up so I could look at him. I’d had a lot of casualhookups post-Charlie and had quickly learned to be clear about what I wanted and, more importantly, what I didn’t.
“I’m up for anal or no anal, topping or bottoming. Anything vanilla. Everything else is subject to negotiation.”
His eyes darkened even further. “Okay, but what do you want rightnow?”His mouth was busy against my neck, sending shivers through me. “What you said applies to me, too, though I do love anal.”
Oh, thankGod.“Fuck me.” It’s what I’d been dreaming of since the first time we’d kissed, and I’d experienced all that leashed strength and power pressing me back against the nearest surface. Down by the river had never felt safe enough to suggest it—I’d always been aware someone might investigate the lights.
It was even better than I’d dreamed. He took his time, teasing me with lubed fingers, and it was exquisite torture, promising but not quite delivering. “Please,” I got out.
He looked up at me, then licked a long, warm path up my cock as he eased a finger deep inside me. He started to work me, adding another finger, opening me up as he slid his mouth down on my cock.
I was whimpering with need by the time he pushed into me, a long, slow glide that didn’t stop and showed no mercy. He rocked slowly at first, getting me used to him. He was so fucking hot, the muscles in his arms shifting as he moved above me and theneedon his face when he looked at me.
I think I said his name, though everything was running out of control as I worked my cock in time with his thrusts. They were getting harder, and he was making a little noise every time he pushed home fully. When he hit the right rhythm, I lost awareness of everything except him deep inside me, fucking me, filling me.
He dipped down for a kiss that sent me over the edge. My orgasm hit so hard, it was as if I flew apart under him. And then all I could do was clutch at him as he fucked into me faster and faster until he came, a long groan wrung out of him.
He pressed his face against my neck for a moment, breathing heavily, before he extricated himself to deal with the condom. I was too boneless even to get under the covers before he returned, bringing a damp washcloth with him. He moved it over my skin in slow, sweeping movements that felt oddly nurturing.
When we slid under the covers together, I pulled him into my arms before realising I shouldn’t have done so. But he fell asleep so swiftly, I wasn’t sure he’d noticed. I lay holding him, floating in a sea of happiness.
Chapter Seventeen
ALEX
I woke to a warm body beside me and instantly remembered.Nate.He was still asleep, and I lay looking at him, the way that lock of hair tumbled over his forehead, stubble on his usually clean-shaven jaw, eyelashes curving dark against his cheeks. I remembered what he’d said by the river, that it didn’t mean anything. But it hadn’t felt like just sex last night. He’d held me afterwards. I’d felt wanted, and not just sexually.
When I woke again, Nate was propped up on one elbow, smiling down at me. “Morning,” he said, and I pulled him down to kiss me.
This time was slower, and we took the chance to explore one another at length. Afterwards, we lay in the light filtering around the edges of the curtains, exchanging kisses. I didn’t care what he’d said before—Iknewthis was more than just sex between us. All I had to do was find a way to persuadehimof that fact.
The sound of a door slamming in the corridor outside interrupted our peace. “What time’s checkout?” I asked. I didn’t want housekeeping to barge in on us like this.
“I requested a late one,” Nate said, and he looked suddenly uncertain. “I didn’t intend to make assumptions, I was—”
I kissed him to shut him up. “I’ve said it before—you’re a genius, Nate Mortimer.” I wasn’t up for anything else yet, but I longed to try out the big shower with Nate before we had to leave.
Nate reached out to the bedside table for the room service menu. Seemed old-fashioned to have it printed out, but maybe that was part of the period charm of the place. We had a four-poster bed, I noticed belatedly. In my defence, my attention had been on other things.
“Breakfast?”
“What’s on the menu?” I asked.
Nate grinned at me as he passed it to me. “Anything you want, so long as you allow me recovery time.”
Now that wasan interesting offer. And then I saw the prices.Howmuch for coffee and crumpets?
“Go wild,” he said. “Bim’s paying.”
I didn’t believe that statement any more than I’d believed it the previous night. Nate was thoughtful and sweet in his attempts to preserve my pride, but he wasn’t a good liar. Uncomfortable as I felt that Nate was paying for everything, the fact remained that I couldn’t afford this and he could, easily. And he didn’t seem to think less of me because of it.
