Page 66 of Trial and Error

“You close?” he asks breathlessly, his face taut.

I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter.”

He slows his pace and frowns. “Of course it matters.” I go to speak, but he cuts me off. “I want you to enjoy this just as much as I am.”

I urge him to keep going as I lock my legs around his hips and pull him into me. “Elias, you have no idea how much I’m enjoying this. Please, don’t stop.”

Elias groans, his eyes rolling as he picks up his speed again. His thrusts become sloppy and sporadic.

“Come for me, Elias,” I whisper in his ear, and those four little words are his demise.

His pushes in with one last rough thrust as he chases his release. Elias moans my name quietly as he buries his face in the crook of my neck and his heavy body falls on top of mine.

We lie there for a few minutes, the only sound between is our heavy breathing as we cool down. He wraps his arms around me and rolls us on to our side and pulls out of me slowly. I press a gentle kiss against his shoulder and curl into him.

“Can I ask you a question?” Elias asks, his fingers drawing circles on my lower back, and I know where this conversation is going.

“Of course.”

He pulls me on top of him until my arms fold over his chest and I’m looking up at him. “Do you usually have a hard time coming?” I shrug, suddenly feeling shy. “Don’t be embarrassed, I just want to know if it’s me so I can do better next time.”

I shake my head and lean forward to place a kiss on the tip of his nose. “I’ve never come from penetrative sex. I think it’s because I’ve never felt completely comfortable with the men I’ve had sex with, and I think my brain creates this mental block that stops me from getting there. I felt really comfortable with you but it might take a little while for me to fully open up to you in that way.”

Elias shoots me a sleepy smirk as he places a chaste kiss against my lips. “Luckily, I’m a patient man.” He yawns. “I’m going to get rid of this condom, but when I get back, we can cuddle and sleep.”

I smile up at him and nod. As I watch him climb out of bed and head into his bathroom, I feel a warmth spread across my chest and into dangerous territory. The warmth courses through my body as he comes back into the room and falls into bed next to me.

When he pulls me against him and throws his leg over mine, I know it then.

I know I’m well and truly fucked.

elias

The scents of lavender and musk wrap around me like a warm hug when I wake up and nuzzle further into it.

A sleepy smile pulls at my lips as Bridget stretches in my arms, her back arching away from me slightly before she turns and tucks herself against my chest. I haven’t woken up with someone in my bed for a while, and knowing it’s Bridget makes it so much better. She’s warm and cozy and spent most of the night clinging to me in one way or another. I woke around two o’clock and saw her on the other side of the bed, but she still had one leg intertwined with mine, not wanting to break the contact.

Her arms are tucked in between our chests as I pull her close and she sighs in contentment as we curl around each other. Her blonde hair is splayed on my pillow like strands of gold, and I reach behind her to run my fingers through it. Silky locks slip through my fingers, and I can’t get enough of it.

I can’t get enough of touching her.

Her eyelids remain closed as she tilts her head back when I pull on the strands slightly. The morning sun peeks around my curtains and dusts over Bridget’s pale skin and golden hair—and she looks radiant.

Slowly, she peeks her eyes up at me from underneath her lashes. The smile that pulls at her lips is nothing short of extraordinary, and I revel in the warm energy that seeps out of her. She pulls her right arm from in front of her and loosely throws it around my neck, her fingers weaving into the hair at the nape of my neck.

I can’t help but move my hands to cup her face and lean forward to press a gentle kiss against her lips. She hums softly and shifts closer to me until our chests are flush against each other. Feeling her bare skin against my own does something to me and the growl that rumbles in my chest has her smiling against my lips. I pull my head back to get a good look at her, still in disbelief that she’s curled up in bed with me, as her leg hooks over my thigh, trapping me against her.

I move one hand down from her face to run up her thigh and higher until my hand palms her ass and give it a squeeze. Bridget rests her head in the crook of my neck and inhales deeply.

A deep chuckle vibrates through me, and I feel her lips curve against the skin of my neck. “Are you smelling me?”

“You smell good,” she says, her face still pressing against my skin. “You smell like autumn nights—like the first rainfall and bonfires.”

I love the poetic way she describes my scent, and I almost tell her how she smells to me when she props herself up on her elbows and presses a kiss against my mouth. Her eyes are bright, yet slightly bleary as she presses a featherlight kiss on the tip of my nose. I brush her hair over her shoulder and watch as she sits up, clutching the duvet to her naked chest.

“I’ve never slept naked before,” she says, looking down at my bare chest and exposed hips. I watch as she swallows, her gaze roaming to where the duvet barely covers me. “God, you are just so sexy.”

I chuckle. “Well, I’ve never had a fake fiancée before, so I guess we’re both doing things that are out of the ordinary for us.”