“I think it’s best if you don’t say anything. It might go to his head and it’s already big enough,” he responds with a small chuckle.
“Right,” I agree. “But thank you for listening. It means a lot.”
Henry’s smile lingers, soft and understanding, but there’s a tension building between us now that wasn’t there before. It’s subtle at first, but the way his gaze flickers between my eyes and my lips makes me sit up a little straighter.
I swallow, suddenly aware of how close his lips are to mine. It’s been far too long since our first kiss, and my body knows it. My heart rate picks up and my eyes drop to his hand that’s still on my thigh. My breath catches.
“Anytime,Pajarito,” he says while rolling his r’s. “I’m always here if you need to talk. Or even if you don’t want to talk.”
The empty suggestion sends chills down my spine. I nod, grateful but also distracted by the feel of him next to me, the heat from his body, and the way my chest tightens just being near him.
And then it happens—his hand moves slightly as his thumb brushes over the surface of my thigh. The small motion sends a jolt through me.
It’s like a switch flips. Everything that’s happened over the past few days boils over and becomes too hot to ignore anymore. I can hear my pulse racing in my ears as the urge to close the distance between us grows stronger and stronger. Without thinking, I lean in, my breath mingling with his.
And then, his lips are on mine.
The kiss is familiar this time—no longer tentative butdeep, urgent, and full of something we’ve both been avoiding for too long. The last kiss had been a spark, something electric but quick. This one is different. It’s slow and deliberate, like we’ve finally decided we’re not turning back.
His hand slides up to cup the back of my neck, drawing me closer, and I respond without hesitation. My hands find their way to his chest, anchoring myself to the moment. It’s everything I’ve been holding back, every inch of me wanting to feel this connection, to let it unfold without fear or doubt.
His lips mold perfectly to mine, and without hesitation, his tongue pokes through the seam of my lips, asking for entry. I oblige and open my mouth to his. When he deepens the kiss even further, a moan erupts from the base of my throat and that encourages him to grip the back of my neck even tighter.
At some point, his hands start to slide south and suction to both sides of my hips. He starts to pull my body toward his, and again, I’m more than eager to follow orders. I swing my leg over his lap and straddle him on the couch.
Now there’s nothing separating us and I can firmly press myself against him. I grind into his lap and feel the hard outline of his length under his pants. The friction starts to glide seamlessly between my legs.
Henry’s hands slide from my hips to my ass and firmly encourage me to grind harder. A whimper threatens to slip from my mouth when his lips disconnect from mine. But then I realize he’s focusing his efforts elsewhere.
When his lips connect with the side of my neck, another moan melts from my lips. I tilt my neck to the right to give him better access and encourage him to keep going.
I felt like a teenager. Desperate for him to touch anything, but shy enough to maintain boundaries. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted Henry to strip every article of clothing off my body and have his way with me on thiscouch, but the mom voice in the back of my head warned me not to let this get too far.
Henry’s tongue dances effortlessly across my neck as I ride the stiffness between his legs. Suddenly, I despised the articles of clothing separating us. I wanted it gone, but I still had some self-restraint left.
“Emma,” Henry moans my name as the rhythm of his thrusts increases. He was as desperate for this moment as I was. All those moments of denying this feeling felt fruitless. I wanted this man. I needed this man.
“Emma, if you don’t stop grinding against me, I’m not sure I’ll be able to control myself for much longer,” he whispers into my ear.
I pull back from him and try to catch my breath. At some point during our sporadic make-out session, he must’ve taken his glasses off. Lust and need fill the two pools of amber staring back at me.
“Shit,” I mumble, trying to get my heart rate under control. “Yeah, we should probably slow things down.”
Henry hooks his finger under my chin and lifts my eyes to his. “The last thing I want to do is slow things down,Pajarito. But as much as I want to hold you close and get lost in those deep green eyes, Milo is sleeping in the other room.”
I gently ease myself from his lap, not trusting my body not to restart what we were just doing. “I’m sorry.”
“What did I say about apologizing?” Henry says while picking his glasses up off of the coffee table. “I should probably get going.”
I glance at him, trying to regain my composure. “You don’t have to go,” I say quietly.
Henry raises an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at his mouth. “Yes, I do,Pajarito.I would love to spend more time with you, but unfortunately I can’t trust myself to make good decisions right now.”
I close my eyes for a moment, feeling a blush creeping upmy neck. When I open them again, he’s already standing, his hand lingering on the back of the couch as he watches me. “Plus, I want our first time to be special. I want to go slow and savor every moment. I want to memorize every little sound you make.”
His eyes lock onto mine one last time, the heat between us still smoldering. Before he turns and walks toward the door, he leans over and places one chaste kiss on my lips. “Goodnight.”
“Wait,” I say, reaching out for his arm. His eyebrows raise slightly in a suggestive way, but I shake my head. “I wanted to thank you for the hummingbird feeder. I—” I pause, the words getting caught in my throat. “I loved it.”
