Phillip Madden longs for me the same way I long for him.
CHAPTER 31
FLIP
Take it slowhas been my mantra since Tally and I started down this path.
Yet one taste is all it takes to unravel my control. She radiated sensuality on the dance floor. And as soon as I had her in my arms, my reason took a vacation. I can’t say I’m disappointed that she and I share similar kinks. The feel of her, the taste, how gorgeous she is when she comes… I’m desperate for more.
Every new first with her replaces a painful memory. It’s like we’re rewinding time, back to before I married the wrong person for the right reasons, and my views on love and relationships took a dark turn. I need every step forward with her to count, even as I’m agonizing over what that means for me.
My hands are unsteady as I open the door to our suite. I usher her in, toss the keycard on the side table and flip the safety before I turn to her. We both shrug out of our winter coats. I take hers and toss it over a chair. We move toward each other, magnet and metal. I lift her into my arms, and she winds hers around my neck and her legs around my waist.
“God, I love it when you’re close to me.” I press my face into her hair, breathing her in.
“Me too.” She peppers kisses along my neck and the edge of my jaw.
I carry her across to the bathroom. “Thank you for letting me take things slow.”
“Thank you for making every new experience feel special.” She pulls back, her expression impish as she runs her nails down the back of my neck. “But no rewinding. Fingerbangs in public or private spaces are now on the table, and they can’t be taken off.”
“I’m already addicted to the way you feel, backtracking would be impossible.” I set her on the vanity. “Want to shower with me?”
Her eyes flare. “Fully naked?”
“That’s generally how it’s done.”
She rolls her eyes but smiles. “I get to wash all of you?”
I push her hair over her shoulders, fighting to steady my hands. “And I get to wash you.”
“I would love that,” she whispers.
“Let me turn on the water, then we can undress each other.”
“Okay.”
I drag myself away from Tally so I can start the shower.
Tally slides off the counter as I turn to face her again, my nerves resurfacing.Take it slow.
I can get naked with Tally and not have sex. I can touch her and make her feel good, and that can be enough. It’s about connection, intimacy, being vulnerable with each other.
I close the distance between us. “I can’t wait to see all of you.”
She shivers and runs her trembling hands up my chest. “Me, either.”
I kiss her cheek as she loosens my tie and bend so she can pull it over my head. She runs her fingers through my hair,taming it and calming me, then starts to unbutton my shirt. Her eyes lift as she presses a soft kiss to the center of my chest.
I shudder at the tender affection, exhaling a breath that matches her unsteady hands.
“You’re just so beautiful.” She pushes my shirt over my shoulders and tugs it free. “Everything about you, Phillip, but especially your heart.”
The water hitting tile dims until there’s nothing but the sound of our breathing, the staccato beat of my heart and the gorgeous woman in front of me, looking up at me with complete adoration.
“You heal me.” I steady my hand and cup her cheek, giving in to the need to kiss her, but I don’t deepen it. Not yet.
Tally works my belt free, then pops the button on my dress pants, dragging the zipper down and pushing them over my hips. I step out of them, kicking them aside. Her fingertips rest on my abs as her eyes drop to the outline of my erection, pressing against the fabric of my black boxer briefs.
