“What were you getting at?” I cling to his shoulders, rearranging myself to get better access.
He swallows roughly when I kiss the spot right beneath his ear while reaching for the hem of his shirt. “Mmm,” he hums, shifting to move with me to take off his shirt.
“Boone?” I murmur, reminding him there was something he wanted to say. By this point, I’m kneeling behind him and very much enjoying the view of his back. At some point, I’m going to take more time exploring each of his tattoos, but right now, I need to feel him more than see him.
He looks over his shoulder, watching me kiss the back of his neck. “No pressure,” he finally says. I know exactly what he means and have no doubt he means it, but I’m not interested in hearing them.
I place another lingering kiss on the muscle on his shoulder, then I give him my full attention. “I know. Do you want me to stop?”
His blue eyes, lazy with lust, flare for a brief moment before he spins around and faces me. “Hell no, I just need you to know you can, could, whenever.” He shakes his head from left to right while holding my gaze.
I give him the absolute truth. “I know. I trust you.”
“I won’t take that for granted,” he answers solemnly. It makes me smile while also feeling like I want to tear up too. Ihave to look down when it becomes too hard to hold his intense gaze, which means I get a good look at his bare torso. This isn’t the first time I got a glimpse of his chest, but I was a little distracted when we were at the condo. I didn’t notice the light smattering of hair over his chest that leads down his belly. His stomach isn’t washboard flat, but it is tight. The only words that come to mind are solid and damn sexy.
Boone climbs back onto the bed, and I stay rooted exactly where I am, enjoying every second of his approach until he’s so close I can reach out and touch him, and that’s exactly what I do. “When did you get this?” I trace my fingertip along the edge of an intricate tattoo that looks like it’s half compass and half something mechanical.
“A while ago.” He flattens my palm over the tattoo on the left side of his chest.
“What does it mean?” I want to know when and why he got every one of them. I want to know everything about him, and this is the best place to start.
He lifts one wide shoulder in a smooth shrug of what seems like indifference. “It’s a reminder to never get lost.”
I search his eyes, seeing his seriousness despite his dismissive tone. “And this one?” I point to another tattoo with my other hand, this one about halfway between his sternum and belly button. It looks like a circle of knots.
A half smile tugs at one corner of his mouth before he leans forward and softly confesses, “I just liked the way it looked.”
“I like it too, but I think I’m partial to the model, so I’m probably biased.”
“Model?” he scoffs.
“What else would I say? I like the skin it’s on?”
He takes my hand, still trapped under his, and slowly drags it down his body. “How about you just kiss me instead?”
I tip my head back while stretching so I can, in fact, kiss him softly. Boone rolls his tongue over mine in a way that has my thighs clenching together. I keep exploring when he releases my fingers, finding a small scar on his back. It’s a few inches long and thin. He doesn’t react when my touch dances over the slightly raised flesh. I want to know how he got it and when, but I save the question for another time. He lets out a little groan and leans into my caress when I slip my fingers into his hair. I take the opportunity to kiss down his chin. It would be easy to get addicted to the feeling of him under my lips and tongue.
I almost stop breathing when I feel his hands run up my legs until he reaches the hem of my borrowed shirt. He glides his fingers up my sides under the shirt, prompting me to lift my arms so he can tug the fabric over my head. The heat of his skin is so close to mine, but it isn’t enough. I need to feel more of him.
He tosses the shirt to the side and drops his gaze down to my chest. My bra is the same one I’ve had on for the past two days—boring cotton by any stretch of the imagination—but the way Boone rakes his eyes over me as if he can’t get enough doesn’t feel boring. His hands wrap low around my waist, drawing me nearer with the slightest pull. We’re joined from groin to chest, and the only thing I can think about is how much better it would feel if we were both naked.
He leans down, dropping sweet little kisses on my neck and shoulder before splaying his palm over my back and forcing me into an arch in front of him. His lips trail lower, kissing a path across the top of my chest and down to the swell of my breasts. I realize he’s fiddling with the clasp of my bra seconds before I feel the band release. For a single heartbeat, I wonder how he accomplished that so deftly. The obvious answer brings insecurity with it. Boone clearly has more experience than I do. My love life could best be described as a series of amateurishattempts followed by stagnancy for the past two years. What if I’m not good enough?
His lips find my nipple through the thin fabric of my bra, and I let out a soft sigh of surrender. His grip tightens on my back, holding me in place as the wet heat of his mouth dampens my bra. A cascade of sensations causes me to shudder. He turns his head just enough to peer up at me with a smirk so wicked, a wave of pure lust tightens my core.
“Cold?” he taunts playfully.
I lower my arms, allowing my bra to slip farther down. His smile is quickly replaced by something darker, something that tells me I may not have the skill he does yet, but I have nothing to worry about. I affect Boone just as much as he affects me.
“Maybe a little.” I shrug, removing the bra completely and tossing it onto the shirt. His eyes, filled with the same desire I feel, rake over my newly exposed skin.
“Goddamn, you are beautiful.” Boone’s eyes jump up to mine right before he lunges forward and seals his lips to mine. This kiss is harder, nearly desperate, as he slides his tongue into my mouth, demanding in a way that feels more than right. It feels like he can’t handle the intensity of the moment any longer. I hang on for the ride, feeling vulnerable yet confident that this is exactly what we both want.
My heart is beating so hard against my chest, I’m certain he can feel it when I reach down and find the button on his pants. He sucks in a breath, and I almost lose the nerve to continue until I feel his grip on my hip tighten, spurring me on.
When I have his zipper all the way down, I ease my mouth from his to look down. Sadly, his underwear doesn’t allow me to see much, but he looks damn sexy like this. Hand trembling, I slide my palm down his stomach with clear intent. Just as my fingers slip under the waistband of his shorts and I find himhard and thick, Boone grabs my wrist, stopping me. The sting of rejection hunches my shoulders.
He lowers his head until his forehead touches the crown of my hair. “If you… I really don’t want to… If you touch me right now, I won’t give you a very good first impression.” He shakes his head slowly, and stubble catches in my hair.
