“I have family there, as well,” he says. “My sister Clarabel and one of my best mates from school have been a couple for some years now. They keep me busy when I’m not working.”
His fingers slide around to the back of my knee and an involuntary gasp escapes me. I swallow hard as his hand slides up my thigh. The loose pajama pants were a good call. I bet he could reach all the way…my thoughts jutter to a halt as his hand glides around to the inside of my thigh and stops. I’m practically panting. It takes everything in me not to squirm. His gaze is as much of a physical weight as his hand on my thigh. It penetrates me, takes my breath away.
“Hugh.” His name sounds like a desperate gasp. My body moves without permission from my brain, my hips lifting slightly off the couch. His hand inches higher on my thigh, and then withdraws entirely. I’m about to voice my displeasure when he rises to kneel on the couch so he’s hovering over me. I reach up and lock my arms around his neck, shifting so his body is between my legs. He lowers himself until he’s lying on top of me, his weight supported on his forearms on either side of me.
I draw him down until our lips meet in a hungry kiss. I’ve never kissed someone with this much urgency before, never wanted someone the way I want Hugh. Sensations throughout my body are magnified—the flushed, almost feverish feeling heating my skin, the ache between my legs, the desire to bring him closer until our bodies merge. My senses are on high alert. Which is probably why I’m able to hear the jingle of keys before they’re inserted in the front door.
Hugh must hear it too, because he pulls away. His eyes are glazed, the pupils so dilated I can barely see the beautiful mossy green ringing them. A thrill zips through me at the sight. A thrill that’s doused the moment the door opens and Celia sees us.
Her mouth pops open in a silent O and her eyes go just as round. It would be funny if I weren’t silently cursing her bad timing. “Oh. Shit. I’ll just—” She backs into the hall, then comes inside again, closing the door with a bang. Facing away from us, she hastily sheds her coat while kicking off her boots. “Sorry,” she yelps as she rushes past us, keeping her eyes averted.
Hugh has slid off me by this point and is lying squished between my body and the back of the couch. I press my lips together and slide my gaze to him. When our eyes meet and I see the mirth in his, laughter tumbles out of me.
“Think we traumatized her?” he asks.
I take advantage of his proximity and snuggle against him. He wraps his arms around me, resting his chin on top of my head. The heat I felt just moments ago is still there, reduced to a low simmer now. More manageable and less all consuming.
“At the rate things were going, I think she would have been far more traumatized if she’d come in a few minutes later,” I say.
His chuckle ruffles my hair. “Seeing my bare arse, you mean?”
The simmering heat kicks up a notch at the thought of Hugh’s bare ass. Bare anything. “We could go to my room and pick up where we left off.”
He groans. “Ivy.” He gives me a squeeze before releasing me and pushing to a sitting position. “I want that. I truly do. But tonight’s not the time.”
“Not tonight or not at all?” I hate how small my voice sounds. This is all so foreign to me. Casual dating, the possibility of casual sex. All I know is I want Hugh and if the hardness that pressed against my stomach while we made out was any indication, I’m pretty sure he wants me too.
He pulls me into a sitting position and cups my face. “I want you, Ivy. Don’t doubt that for a second. But when we’re together, I don’t want any interruptions.” I perk up at his use of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. “I also don’t want it to be on your couch. Privacy and space are two musts. I plan to take my time with you and savor every moment.” He nuzzles my neck, sending shivers through me. “It’s also my goal to make you scream my name.”
I cover my answering gasp by burying my face in his shoulder. His quiet chuckle tells me he heard it anyway. I cling to him for a second, enjoying his warmth and the scent of his cologne before releasing him.
“I’ll say goodnight now,” he says. I’m pleased to hear the reluctance in his voice. I wonder how much convincing it would take to get him to spend the night after all. He’s right about the privacy, though. I’ve never been all that vocal during sex, but I don’t doubt Hugh would be more than capable of drawing out that side of me. Knowing Celia was in the next room would definitely be a mood dampener.
I walk with him to the door and watch silently as he puts on his coat and boots. I love watching him, especially when he bends to lace his boots. The way his jeans hug his thighs and butt makes me think a cold shower might be in order by the time he leaves. He catches me staring, and I mentally give myself a gold star for grinning without blushing. He leaves after a lingering kiss and a promise to see me tomorrow.
I’m thinking about Hugh’s promise of ‘when’ and what that will entail as I lock up and turn off the lights. A rattling sound from outside draws my attention to the balcony. A quick inspection through the glass door tells me there’s nothing out there.
“Skip the shower and go to bed,” I mutter to myself. The little pink battery-operated gadget I keep in my nightstand comes to mind, and suddenly going to bed seems like the better idea after all.
