At that moment he would’ve done anything she asked, of course, but what she was begging for would be nothing but pleasure for them both. He pushed her legs wider and lowered his mouth to her hot center. At the first swipe of his tongue, her hands flew out to grip the back of the couch, and by the time he’d settled into a rhythm that pulled shuddery breath after shuddery breath from her, she was rocking against him in time to his strokes. The material of her skirt draped around his shoulders, and he lost himself to the blue of her dress and the pink of her pussy, all of it so much hotter than his fantasies over the past weeks.
He followed the cues her body gave him, slowing down when her movements slowed, speeding up when they became frantic, sliding his fingers inside her when she started to whimper. The more she lost her mind, the more he lost his, and before he knew it, his unfiltered thoughts came spilling out of his mouth.
“Like one of my cakes,” he said after he’d given her a long, hard suck that practically levitated her off the couch.
“H-how so?” Her eyes had fluttered shut as he worked, but he wanted her to know thathewas the one doing this to her, so he took his mouth away and replaced it with his fingers, delivering a light spank that made her whole body jolt. She hissed a curse as her eyes flew open, and there was a chance that she’d actually driven one of her pointy heels straight through his couch cushion. She panted out, “Pleasepleasetell me how I’m like one of your cakes.”
Two “pleases.” Fuck if a compliant Josie Ryan wasn’t the biggest turn-on yet.
“The slogan. The business cards.”
She shook her head helplessly, her face a mixture of confusion and arousal, so he took the opportunity to remind her.
“Delicious on the outside.” He reached for her hand and pressed a kiss on her palm before twining their fingers together. Then he rewarded her sweet obedience with a long, slow lick down her center that ended with another hard suck where she most wanted it. “Delicious on the inside.”
The combination of his talk and his touch pushed her over the edge. She gripped his hand and fell apart against his mouth, and the sight of her, half in and half out of her fancy dress, her hair a vibrant, disheveled mess and her cheeks glowing pink because of him, was too much. With a groan, he gave in to the demands of his straining dick, yanking open his zipper and stroking himself in time to her ragged gasps until his breaths matched hers and he came hard and fast with her name on his lips.
After a few long moments, Josie’s eyes fluttered open to survey the mess he’d made, her mouth curving with a lazy, well-pleasured smile. “Delicious,” she agreed, and he bit his lip to keep from saying anything more. Because he was starting to wonder about the shape of his life once she’d moved on with hers. Would any future sexual encounters ever live up to what he’d just experienced? Likely not, and for one simple reason: he’d never find another woman like Josie.
Twenty-Two
It took a little time for Josie’s soul to return to her body after Erik was through with her. Seriously, what woman could be anything but boneless and satisfied after that experience?
“I think we ruined your couch.” The words emerged from her mouth slightly slurred, but that was only because their shared marrow-rattling orgasms had temporarily shut down her fine motor control. She’d be okay in a few minutes. Probably.
“No regrets.” He was reclined against the arm of the sofa, looking relaxed and maybe even a little smug. He still wore his suit jacket over his unbuttoned shirt, and he’d straightened but not refastened his pants.
She’d never imagined she’d see him looking so undone, and all she wanted to do was drape herself across all those thick muscles and big, heavy bones. Yet when she tried to shift off the back of the couch, she found her right foot stuck.
“Um.” She tugged at it, but the heel had actually sunk into the nubby orange upholstery. “Shit, Erik, I reallydidruin your couch.”
“This couch was ruined long before you stabbed it.”
He leaned forward, the muscles in his stomach rippling in intriguing ways, and gently circled his hands around her ankle, tugging until she was free from the predatory furniture. Then his big, blunt fingers fiddled with the straps, loosening first one buckle and then the other. There was nothing overtly erotic about his actions, yet she could barely breathe as he slipped the shoes off her feet and set them to the side. As soon as he straightened, she gave a little growl and launched herself at him, driving him backward. Just as her brain was processing “warm” and “strong” and “man,” the sofa gave a loud crack and the bottom hit the floor with a jarring thud.
Erik broke the startled silence first with a burst of laughter that rippled through his body. “Okay, youdefinitelyjust ruined my couch.”
“I’m so sorry!” She rolled off the cushions and onto the floor to see one of the arms sticking out at a crazy angle, a splintered couch leg underneath. She slapped her hands over her eyes and curled into a ball of embarrassment, aware that she was witnessing an unusually literal manifestation of her penchant for chaos. “I’ll… buy you a new one?” She cracked open one eye and found his face still alight with laughter.
“This was a one of a kind, babe.” His matter-of-fact tone made her giggle, and with a graceful movement he stood and pulled her up alongside him, adjusting her dress so she was fully covered again. Her skin heated as his hands brushed the tops of her breasts. This quiet, self-contained man had just assumed total control of her body and then shamelessly worked himself until he came, his eyes on her the whole time. She’d already known that his everyday stillness hid depths, but she hadn’t expected him to be so commanding once he had her naked from the waist down.
She cast a playful glance in his direction, and what she saw hit her like a spray of cold water. The enthralled, passionate man from a few minutes ago was gone, replaced by the stranger she’d met on the train: aloof, bored, indifferent.
She crossed her arms over her chest, the uncertainty from the past two weeks kicking its way into her psyche. With any other guy, she’d either have him in bed already, or she’d be on her way out the door. Of course, most other guys probably wouldn’t have bothered moving off the busted couch before doing the not-so-subtle “nudge your head south” move on her for round two. But Erik’s whole vibe was screaming that one round was enough and he was ready for her to get gone. He definitely wouldn’t be the first guy to hit his limit with the Josie show, but it hurt to think he’d already gotten there so quickly.
“So, um, should we call it a night?” She was aiming for breezy lady-about-town, giving her casual hookup an easy way out. Instead, she remembered the last time she’d stormed out of his apartment, how utterly rejected she’d felt, and it made her voice emerge creaky and small.
He tucked his hands into his pockets. “If that’s what you want.”
“Is that whatyouwant?” she shot back.
When he didn’t reply, her heart sank. Hedidwant her to leave. Jake’s question had an answer: Erik wasn’t a second-date guy after all. He looked thoroughly uninterested in the prospect of her coming and then going, and she wanted to sink back onto the floor and howl at the unfairness. But just as the buzzing started to build in the base of her skull, threatening to sweep through her body and propel her out the door in a frenzy of bad feelings, she realized how ridiculous she was being.
“Oh my God, I’msonot this girl.” When he raised his brows in a question, she clarified. “You know, the girl who doesn’t say what she really wants. That’s not what I do. That’s whatyoudo.”
He shrugged. “I took your shoes off.”
“What does that have to do with anyth—” It took her a second, but once she realized what he meant, it spun her sideways. Hehadtold her what he wanted, but he’d done it in his wordless Erik way. She slowly turned to face him.
