Page 16 of The Present

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Hal shifted his body slightly, trying not to crush the beautiful woman beneath him. He preferred other positions than the missionary for just that reason. Chairs, tables, standing, sitting, on the side, sixty-nine. Hell, he’d even have one of those swings installed if she was game. But for now, until he knew what she might be up for, he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. New relationships were always a process of getting to know your partner both in and out of bed. He’d seen the slight panic in her eyes when he’d asked what she liked. He didn’t mind if they took it slow. Although right now, he wanted—hell, needed—to take her fast before he burst.

She slid her arms around him, pulling him toward her, saying “More than good.” Then she wrapped her legs around him, opening herself in the best possible way.

With a groan of thanksgiving, he thrust home. She was still slick from her previous release, and he surged forward easily as far as he could go. God, she felt fantastic to his throbbing cock. “How is that?”

“Good.” Her voiced had deepened to a guttural sigh. “Very good.”

Slowly, he began to move, taking time to build a rhythm even though what he wanted to do was pound into her like there was no tomorrow. But there would be a tomorrow, so he’d attempt to go slow. At first, anyway.

Her little sigh quickly turned into panting. Good. He stepped it up a notch, thrusting more quickly. Damn, he really wasn’t going to last very long at all. And when Tess began to moan and push back in response, he knew the end was near. His body flushed, sweat popped out all over him, and his heart felt like it was coming out of his chest. He reached down and managed to find her clitoris. She’d been so sensitive there before, he hoped she still was. Continuing to thrust, he pushed gently on her nub.

At his touch, she writhed and moaned his name, then her channel gripped him fiercely as she released around him.

That was all it took. He pounded into her shuddering flesh twice more, then let out his own strangled cry as he spent himself deep inside her. Not wanting to crush her, he flipped over onto his back on the other side of the bed, panting and hoping his heart didn’t explode. That had been fucking fantastic. But did she think so?

Hal rolled over, propping himself up on an elbow. Tess still panted, but that seemed to be slowing. “Was it good for you too?”

The old cliché line made her grin. “Good is an understatement.” She sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “I never knew I could do that—you know…finish—that way twice in one night.” She turned to look at him, her blue eyes soft. “Thank you for that. I don’t usually…well,” her cheeks became rosy once more, “most times I don’t even finish once.”

Frowning, he slid closer, put his hand on top of hers. “You mean your previous lovers didn’t take care of you? Just their own needs? Selfish bastards.” He always made his best effort to be sure his partner was satisfied before he allowed himself to release. Not the easiest thing to do with some women, but he’d developed some techniques for keeping himself in check that were successful most of the time. Of course, with Tess that hadn’t been necessary at all.

“Well, I have to tell you, there haven’t been that many.” Her color heightened, hectic spots of red on her cheeks. “And one, I’m pretty sure, was a virgin at the time.”

“Huh.” She seemed pretty open to talking about this, so Hal was all ears. “I suppose that excuses him, somewhat. But the others,” he shook his head. “Worthless and selfish.”

“Maybe. But a couple of them were just one-night stands.” She shrugged and turned toward him. “I knew what I was getting.”

He cupped her chin and slid his thumb down the curve of her face. “What you should have been getting was pleasured, no matter how long the relationship—one night or a thousand.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips against hers. “Would you like to try for number three?”

Her eyes grew big. “Really?”

“I’m game if you are.” He scooted down in the bed, flat on his back. “You ever been on top before?”

Slowly she shook her head, her face filling with excitement.

Hearing her speak about the men who had left her hanging, he’d wanted nothing more than to satisfy her at least one more time tonight. He grinned at her as he pushed the covers down, revealing his already rampant erection. “Merry Christmas! Hop on.”

* * *

The alarm on his Apple watch sounded in Hal’s ear at five-thirty, pulling him immediately out of the exhausted sleep he’d finally dropped into sometime after two. He and Tess had made love several times after their initial coupling. Three times in one night was usually his limit, so he’d been surprised he had that much stamina, but something about her had made him insatiable. He just hoped she wasn’t too sore this morning.

Yawning, he sat up. He really needed to focus on getting the hell out of Dodge. His flight to Aspen left at ten, so he had precious little time to shower and dress. Of course, he’d much rather waken Tess with a little morning delight but shook off that idea immediately. There’d be hell to pay if he missed that flight. Instead, he rose quietly and padded into the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later, Hal stood threading his cuff links through the buttonholes of his shirt. Tess must be a deep sleeper, or else he’d thoroughly exhausted her because she hadn’t stirred the entire time he’s been getting dressed. Well, he’d rouse her to say goodbye in a minute.

He headed into the kitchen, although he had no intention of making breakfast. He’d grab coffee and a bagel at the airport. But he wanted to make sure Tess would have no problems with the logistics here when she eventually woke and needed food. After making sure all was in readiness, he grabbed a pen and paper and left her a note, then ordered his Uber and went back to the bedroom.

Tess had actually turned onto her back, so he hadn’t incapacitated her permanently. He bent and placed a kiss on her lips, then deepened it just enough to wake her up.

Her eyes flew open, and she sat up in bed, faint panic in her face. Then she recognized him, and relaxed. “Good morning.” She peered around and yawned. “What time is it?”

“Early. You need to go back to sleep. I just wanted to say goodbye.” Her face fell a little, which made him strangely happy. “I left you a note in the kitchen for when you get up.”

“Ok. I promise not to stay too late.” She pulled the covers around her shoulders.

“Stay as long as you like. I’ll call you after I get to Aspen, but it’ll be late tonight as I go straight into meetings after I get there.” Irresistibly drawn, he leaned in and kissed her again. “I’d much rather stay here with you, you know.”