She's wearing a soft, leather-pleated dress that hugs every curve from the waist up before the pleats taper down in a flowy pattern, cutting off at her knee. She continues to struggle with the zipper, the tip of her tongue touching the corner of her mouth. My eyes pause on the long, creamy expanse of bare skin exposed by the zipper halfway up her torso. My groin tightens painfully at the knowledge she's didn't put a bra on for this dress.
I inhale deeply, praying for calm.
“Here, let me. Before the girls start slangin’ or whatever you said,” I joke, seeing her pretty smile as she twists to the side to let me have access to the zipper. She holds her arm up in the air and puts her other hand to her ribcage and pushes.
“It’s gotta freaking goup,” she mumbles, looking down at my hands on the zipper. "Oh God, please don't accidently zip me up in it; I'll scream!" she says, sounding half like she's going to cry. I meet her eyes, giving her a teasing smile as my fingers brush her skin softly. I tug, hearing the teeth of the zipper lock together.
It's going up alright, not because it can’t, but because I'm going perfectly slow, enjoying my fingers caressing her naked flesh and the goose bumps that are pebbling on her skin that she probably isn't even aware of. When I get to the top, I fasten the tiny hook and then step back, giving her a thorough perusal.
“Spin,” I say, twisting my finger, pleased as she does so easily. I watch the pleats in the dress spread. “I didn’t know leather could do that. You look wonderful.” My eyes land on her five-inch heels, the tiny straps fastened delicately against her ankles. A little fissure of displeasure enters me because I don't know that she should be wearing heels this high with her back possibly still bothering her.
“Aww, thank you, Alex,” Sarah coos, obviously in a good mood and effectively quieting my desire to bring up my unhappiness at her possible discomfort.
She flicks her hair behind her suddenly and bends forward, trying to adjust the top slightly. There's only so much willpower a person gets a day, so I squeeze past her, knowing if I watch her touch her breasts, then I'm a goner.
I pull out my phone and grab a nice pair of slacks and a white button up shirt before heading back into the bathroom. I line up my permanent five o'clock shadow and splash on someaftershave before changing my clothes. Glancing over at her makeup bag again I grin.
Because I definitely have a type, and it's high maintenance women. And it's putting me through hell that Sarah's checking all my boxes but is currently unattainable.
“Alex, it’s three-forty! We have to go!” Sarah's soft voice calls through the bathroom door, interrupting my thoughts.
I quickly step out with my travel clothes, put them all into a laundry service bag and grab my wallet off the small side table.
“Well, let’s get going then, Ms. Promptu,” I tease, flashing her a smile as she walks past me and out the door I hold open for her.
Dinner is a success, and I'm pleased that she doesn’t pout anymore after our initial conversation regarding who was paying for dinner. Truthfully, I'd expected more pushback and just knew it was coming when she saw the prices at the resort restaurant. Her face fell slightly as she desperately tried to find something cheap to order, but everything was expensive, so she took a deep breath and ordered a salad and an entrée.
Accompanied by exactly two alcoholic drinks. A red merlot.
We ate together over a small candle on the white linen cloth-covered table, going over things to do in Vancouver, and found she really wanted to take a day just to sight-see. So, we looked up a few things to do on her phone and reserved what we wanted. At the end of the meal, we shared a chocolate cake dessert. The napkin I’d sprayed with her perfume suddenly began burning a hole in my pocket.
I ate the dessert slowly, instinctively knowing how well it would go mixed with the taste of her skin.
If I ever get to, that is. The two licks I got when I’d lost my mind and lapped up the droplet of syrup off her collarbone doesn’t count in my opinion.
When we get back to the room, Sarah falls immediately into bed, high heels and all. I chuckle, crouching down to pick up one foot, taking the shoe off before repeating with the other one. “Sarah,” I grasp her hand, shaking her gently. “Sarah, you need to get into your pajamas.”
It's like she doubles down on being limp, so I haul her up by both of her arms and sit her up against my chest. She scrunches her face at me and opens one eye.
“But I’m sotiirreed,” she moans, trying to fling herself back, but I catch her before she can hit the mattress.
“I know, sweetie," I say back quietly. "But you’re not going to blamemefor the reason you have a pimple on your face tomorrow. Let’s get up; I’ll help you get your makeup off and unzip your dress.”
I pick her up, carry her into the bathroom, set her on the vanity, and pull open her makeup case, finding the makeup remover wipes. She wakes enough while I take her makeup off that I can give her privacy for her to change into pajamas. Then we both fall into bed. Exhausted.
Chapter thirty-four
Birthday Wishes
Iwakeupinthe middle of the night sweltering hot. I try to turn my head but realize I'm weighed down. Disoriented, myheart races in my chest before I realize it's Alexander wrapped around meagain.
His arm is wedged under my neck and bent at the elbow. One hand is cupping my breast, and his other hand is wedged tightly in the leg of my shorts that had ridden up and is currently trapped between my legs, cupping my pussy. Like,allof it.
My breath hitches as heat suddenly floods me all the way from my cheeks to the flesh between my legs that he's encompassing in his wide hand. Biting my lip hard, I realize that's why I’d woken up; I'm aroused. I bite back a whimper, feeling one of his fingers pressed deeply against me, resting against my clit and in between the lips of my sex.
Holyyyy shit. Oh my God, how do I get his hand out without waking him up?
I force myself to be still, realizing my shorts and panties are snagged tightly around us both, and every wiggle of my hips ensures I'm a hair's breadth away from waking him up. I try to move gently, cutting off a surprised cry with a hand to my mouth as he suddenly tightens around me, pulling me flush against him as he buries his head into the crook of my neck on a deep groan before settling back into sleep.
