Erik kissed his way back up Chloe’s body as she panted. She meant to tell him that she was on birth control, but it came out as a garbled collection of syllables. And then, she no longer cared. His mouth was devouring hers, and that thick erection was pushing into her, stretching her, filling her. His arm looped under her leg, pulling it up higher, and he sank even deeper inside her as Chloe clung to him.
Wave after wave of pleasure surged through her as he retreated and thrust forward again, and again. Her voice was hoarse from calling his name. Had he said he’d never done this? If he was this good now, she wasn’t sure she’d survive him becoming a master.
Chloe was sprawled on top of Erik like a blanket. Her limbs felt liquid, all the tension in her body having drained away, while a delicious tenderness between her legs made her lips curl in a satisfied smile. She’d lost track of how many orgasms she’d had. Erik had been insatiable, barely needing more than a minute of recovery time before he’d been ready to go again.
One of his hands stroked over her hair, while the other one skimmed gently over her shoulder, drawing patterns. His eyelids were so heavy, she was surprised he hadn’t fallen asleep.
“Why didn’t you take your father up on his offer to move closer to him?”
Chloe frowned. She thought when he finally got around to speaking, he’d say something like ‘That was amazing,’ not bring up her dad. “Let’s not talk about my father when I’m naked.”
Erik’s chest moved beneath her as he laughed quietly. “I don’t want to get dressed, but I’d still like to know.”
In a disgruntled voice that was only partially feigned, Chloe muttered, “We need to work on your pillow talk skills.” With a grunt, she rolled off of him and covered them both with a blanket as she lay at his side.
Turning to face her, there was pure curiosity on his face. “What are you supposed to talk about after?”
Chloe’s mouth opened to reply, but she hesitated. She didn’t want to sound like she was fishing for compliments.
“Chloe?”
“Aren’t you tired?” Honestly, she was amazed Erik was still awake, especially after what they’d just done, and after the man had stayed up all night in a cemetery, of all places. He should be exhausted.
He nodded. “I am. But I’m also curious. Your father could’ve protected you. Instead, you struck out alone. Why?”
Chloe plucked at the blanket. “Part of it, I suppose, was that I thought returning home would make me feel like a failure.”
“Why?”
She shrugged her shoulder. “I guess it’s just the way society views it. You know? Once you reach a certain age, you should be making it on your own.”
“I would think under the circumstances you would have been excused.”
“Probably.”
“And the other part?”
“What?”
“You said part of it was societal. What was the other part?”
Oh, right. Chloe gently cleared her throat. “My father is a great man, and I love him, but he can be controlling. He’s used to giving orders and having them obeyed. He and I didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of topics, and that led to a great many arguments. We get alongnowbecausethere’s distance between us. If I’d moved out there, he would have tried to take control of my life again, and I didn’t want to risk losing what ground we’ve gained.”
“And your mother?”
“My mom and I get along great for the most part, but she’s very old-fashioned. She doesn’t like to make waves and didn’t like it when I did either. She strove to be the perfect officer’s wife.”
“I’m not sure what that means, but then, I have no real frame of reference for parental dynamics,” Erik told her with a small, thoughtful frown.
Chloe thought of growing up with her parents. She hadn’t known it at the time, but she’d been a bit spoiled. Going to the theater with her mom, and the frequent get-togethers with the other officers’ wives, while Chloe played with their children. The dance and music lessons, the voice coach that probably cost a fortune, and the theater rehearsals after school. Her mom was constantly chauffeuring Chloe around, but she never complained, even when she’d probably rather be doing other things. Then there was her dad. Yes, they’d argued, especially during her teen years – some of them heated – but when she’d been little, and he’d been stationed stateside, he’d carry her around on his shoulders, play with her, tuck her into her bed, and read her bedtime stories. If he could help it, he never missed one of her performances. Whether it was a dance recital, chorus, or a theater production, if she looked out in the audience, she would see her parents’ faces proudly beaming at her,or on their feet, clapping. She’d had a great childhood, one many would envy. Erik hadn’t had any of that. She probably sounded like an ungrateful wretch to him.
Not liking the dark cloud that had suddenly invaded this space that had been all about pleasure and intimacy just a few minutes before, Chloe changed the subject. “So what’s your latest art project?”
Erik propped himself on his elbow and looked down at her, his lips quirked up into a smile. “Do you want to see it?”
She nodded eagerly. “Yes, please.”
Getting up from the bed, he strode naked to the closed bedroom door, and Chloe drank in the sight of all that skin on display; the breadth of his shoulder, the strong back, the line of his hip, and the long, muscular legs...
