My eyes shoot open and I swallow anxiously. “I…I’ve never done that,” I admit. It’s not that I don’t want him to; it’s just inherently nerve-racking. It’s almost more intimate than actual sex, the thought of him getting up close and personal with that most secret part of me.
David frowns. “Never?”
And I know what he’s thinking. He’s wondering why Brian never did it. But we were young and inexperienced—or I was, anyway—and I was nowhere near ready for that. And Brian never tried.
“Nope,” I confirm.
David shakes his head to himself, silently admonishing Brian, muttering what sounds like “fucking idiot” under his breath.
His next move is sudden and purposeful as he guides me down onto the countertop. He grips the sides of my panties, slowly dragging them down, and I lift my hips to help him.
He is so turned on that I think he might just burst free of his boxer briefs. “Bea.” He rips my attention from his erection with a wry smile. “Lay back and relax, but lean up on your elbows.” His eyes flash with wicked intent. “I want you to watch me lick you.”
I nearly lose it from his words alone, and he doesn’t miss my reaction. But David’s excitement is palpable, and I do as I’m told, eager to learn what has him so enthusiastic.
And I do. I learn slowly at first, then faster and louder, and then violently and explosively.
And then I learn again. I learn until I can’t possibly stand another lesson, and even then, David doesn’t stop.
I gasp for breath, prying my eyes open to find him watching me with untold satisfaction, despite the fact that I am the only one who’s been satisfied.
David reluctantly lets me bring my legs together, running his hands over my outer thighs, even as renewed waves of pleasure pulse between them when he licks his lips and groans.
I giggle. “You really seemed to enjoy that…”
David smirks. He runs the pads of two fingers between my legs, tracing me all the way down and back again. “If I could survive on only this for the rest of my life—give up all other forms of sustenance and exist on a diet of just you—I would. And any man who wouldn’t isn’t a fucking man at all.”
I don’t miss the jab at Brian, and maybe he’s right. Because while Brian may not have been interested in going down on me, he sure insisted on being on the receiving end.
I laugh again, but I’m surprised to find David’s expression deathly sober. But he stays silent, and it’s unnerving.
“What if you didn’t go back to Standman?” he asks suddenly and tentatively.
I blink at him.
“When that fucker’s arrested,” he clarifies. But I don’t know if he’s just talking about me staying here indefinitely, or extending our benefits, or…something more.
“What are you talking about, David?” I ask, and David steps back to give me room to sit up.
His eyes wage an internal war. “I’m talking about trying,” he says finally. “Risking it.”
“As in…” I need him to be very, very clear.
David blows out a short breath. “As in doing what I should have done four fucking years ago, Beth, and taking you for my fucking self.” His tone is inexplicably self-recriminating, but I can’t dwell on it—not when he’s saying what I think he’s saying.
“Tell me, Bea,” he demands. “The truth. Do you want to stay?” He doesn’t just mean in his apartment, and David holds his breath as I nod hesitantly, fervently, terrified and thrilled and utterly disbelieving.
He exhales long and hard, nodding to himself, like he’s trying to muster something he’s not sure he has in him. “Okay,” he says to himself. “Okay. I have to talk to Cap.”
I gape at him. “You need to talk to my brother?” I glare at him, my words sharp with incredulity.
“Yeah, Beth. I do,” he says matter of factly. Like I’m the crazy one; like I should know better. But I do know better. I know he’s full of fucking shit, and in one fell swoop I’ve just exhausted my last ounce of patience.
“You’re full of shit, David!”
He frowns. “Bea—”
“Don’t Bea me! You are! You don’t need to talk to my brother, you just need an excuse—to prove you’re not the pussy. So you can blame Sammy for it not working out. You can be honest with me. Just admit you don’t want the same things I do. Or…you don’t want them with me.”
