“You’re sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure. I think I know where my own bedroom is.”
His chuckle was rough, somewhere between a groan and a growl, as she removed herself from his lap. He let her take him by the hand and pretend to pull him to his feet. When he was standing, she looped her arms around his neck and kissed him, and then she led the way to the promised land.
Ramsey flipped the light switch, which turned on the bedside lamp. She was pleasantly surprised that she’d made the bed that morning. She didn’t always, and until she saw that the duvet was smoothed over the top of the matching ice blue sheets and the pillows were all neatly arranged, she hadn’t been certain.
She tossed the decorative pillows in the direction of the corner wing chair. One of them actually landed where she intended. The others lay scattered on the hardwood floor. She gave them a glance, shrugged, and turned back the heavy duvet, cotton weave blankets, and the top sheet.
“Awful lot of work,” Sullivan said.
Ramsey turned, saw that he had stripped out of his shirt and socks and was preparing to step out of his jeans. “You’ve been busy.”
Sullivan grinned, shuffled forward, and gave Ramsey a nudge that toppled her backward onto the bed. He shucked the jeans and followed her down. “Your turn.” He rolled onto his side and came up on one elbow so he could watch her wriggle out of her clothes. She came out of her oversized taupe sweater as easily as a butterfly leaving its chrysalis. The leggings, though, proved to be a bit of a challenge, and her gyrations were entertaining if not exactly sexy, but the lacy black thong she was wearing underneath made the waiting worthwhile.
“Nice,” he said.
Smiling, Ramsey invited him under the covers. She removed the thong and dropped it over the side of the bed. A moment later, she watched Sullivan’s boxer briefs sail in the same direction.
“I would have helped you with those,” she said, rolling into him. “Delighted to do it, in fact.”
“Ah, maybe next time.”
“With my teeth,” she said and nipped his lower lip. Ramsey chuckled because whatever he said was completely unintelligible by virtue of her teeth worrying his lip. She released him and pressed a kiss against his mouth, which he reciprocated with enthusiasm.
They rolled, and rolled again. She was on top, then he was, then she was stretched out beside him, one leg raised over his hip and he was coming into her. She held her breath until he was seated and then gulped air and contracted all around him.
“Mother of God,” he whispered, and to Ramsey’s ears it sounded like a compliment. This time when he toppled her onto her back, she stayed there, hugging him with her raised knees and lifting her hips when he thrust. It occurred to her that they were a good fit, maybe better than that, though she stopped short of thinking about perfect. Still, he felt awfully good.
Rocking, their breathing joined in short bursts. Ramsey pressed her fingertips into Sullivan’s shoulders. The muscles of his back tensed and bunched when she spread her hands wide. She stared up into his face, watched his beautiful eyes darken but never glaze. He returned her stare with an intensity equal to hers.
His mouth twisted wryly. “We…forgot…the…condom.”
“I…know.”
He nodded. “I…guess…we’ll…just…oh, God…have to…” And his voice fell away.
“Yesss,” she said on a thread of sound, although whether she was commenting on her own spiraling pleasure or the fact he was no longer speaking, even she wasn’t sure of in the moment. But then she felt sparks of heat somersault under her skin, touch her fingers, her breasts, the sensitive back of knees, and she thought it was probably pleasure that she’d been foreshadowing with her soft cry.
His strokes came rapid and shallow and Ramsey went with him, skimming the surface of everything that was right about indulging her senses, then diving deep, throwing her head back and closing her eyes when the pinwheel of fireworks began to unwind.
Sullivan gave a shout that was wholly uncharacteristic of his usually quiet lovemaking and collapsed on top of Ramsey. At first, he thought she was still shuddering in the aftermath of what had been a pretty spectacular climax, but then he realized she was laughing and trying hard to keep it under her breath.
“Good thing my ego doesn’t bruise easily,” he said, pushing off her and flopping onto his back.
Ramsey pressed the back of one hand to her mouth and reined in her amusement. She turned on her side and tucked herself against him. “You have to admit that was some kind of shout there at the end.”
“What? You never heard someone cross the finish line?”
“Well, when you put it like that. You definitely earned it.” She was grinning again. “Do you suppose the neighbors heard?”
“Funny.”
She raised herself up on an elbow, leaned over, and kissed him full on the mouth. “Just so you know…I liked it.”
A touch embarrassed, he offered up a lopsided smile.
Ramsey dropped a kiss on the corner of that smile. “You’re a funny guy, Sullivan Day. And I mean that in a good way. You are definitely outside my experience.” She tapped his square-cut chin with a fingertip. “Before that goes to your head, recall that my experience is limited.”
