Stripped Down (Tap That)

Sloane just nodded, not sure what to say. She trusted Rick. And frankly, she was glad she wasn’t emotionally invested in this. Or him. She realized the pressure would be too great then, expectations too high, if she waited and dated and really fell for someone. This was getting back on the horse, after you’d been thrown, but with an animal you trusted.

Rick would never hurt her. She knew that, because beneath the muscles and the grin and the big old flirt, he was still Little Dickie. A nice guy.

He kissed her again and this time she did relax. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of his big, strong body over her, his mouth doing amazing things to hers. When he shifted his hand under her shirt, she didn’t even flinch. As he brushed his hand over the side of her breast, shifting closer and closer to her nipple, her only thought was how enormous his hand was, not that it was unfamiliar.

He sat back and eased her shirt up over her chest and urged her, “Lift your head.” He pulled the tank top off and tossed it aside.

When Rick kissed the swell of her breast over her bra Sloane gave a soft moan. Having his body over hers was such a turn on. His beard scratched her delicate skin and it reminded her how masculine he was, how he had stood on that stage half-naked with total confidence. And now he was here, with her, for the next few hours. It was amazing and crazy and when he shifted her bra down so that her nipple popped free, she arched her back in invitation without even thinking. He didn’t hesitate. He covered the taut bud with his lips and drew her into his mouth.

It was such a simple thing and yet, it made every inch of her ache. Deep down in her core her body reacted instinctively. This. That’s what it was saying. This was what bodies were meant to do. Touch and tease and stroke each other to pleasure. He popped her bra open and let it shift naturally as he tasted her. What intrigued Sloane was that he seemed to be enjoying it as much as she was.

“Damn, you taste so good,” he said

, as if he’d heard her thoughts.

Yeah, she had no idea how to respond to that. Thanks, it’s just my skin didn’t seem like a cool answer. So she kept her mouth shut and just concentrated on letting go. Letting him dictate how this went down. Then a memory popped into her head and she laughed. “Do you remember that time I was changing and the wind blew my door open and I caught you standing in the hallway staring at me in my bra?”

She’d been so ticked off though even at the time she’d realized he hadn’t done it on purpose. He’d just happened to be walking past, the door creaked and he’d turned to register where the noise had come from. They’d locked eyes.

“Yes. It was over before I could even appreciate it. You threw a hairbrush at me.” Rick glanced up at her. “I deserved that. And now, here we are. Never thought I’d see this day.”

“Me, either.” Sloane touched his shoulders, wanting to feel the warmth of his skin. “I just broke my rule about not engaging in small talk. I’m sorry. I’m just… not good at this.”

Rick studied her intently. He lifted himself up and moved closer to her face, giving her a soft kiss. “Hey.”

“Yes?”

He ran a callused thumb over her bottom lip. “No apologies. Seriously. Don’t apologize for being you. There are no rules, Sloane. Just go with whatever feels right. There is nothing you could do that would be wrong, do you understand that?”

Her ego was dented and she was uncertain, but she also believed that Rick would never lie to her. He was an honest guy, flirt or not. She also realized it didn’t really matter if he were telling the truth or not. This wasn’t really about him. It was about her.

This was about her moving on with the rest of her life. This was about letting go of the past and the hurt and the doubts. It was about saying she was entitled to enjoy herself.

“I understand.” Because she finally did. She owed Rick nothing. And he owed her nothing. They were just living in the moment. This skin-on-skin, pleasure-in-the-dark moment.

Rick didn’t say anything. He just divested her of her bra and tossed it in the general direction he’d sent her tank top.

Happy Birthday to her.

Five

Rick cupped her breast with his big palm, kneading it rougher than she was expecting. It almost hurt, except that it didn’t. Which made no sense. But all she knew was it turned her on. Big time. Man hands. Manhandled. It was hot. He swept his tongue into her mouth while he pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

They kissed for what felt like forever. No hurry. No rush to get to the “good stuff.” It felt delicious. Wet and sexy and dirty. She wasn’t even sure how a kiss could qualify as dirty but this one did. It made her want to rock her thighs against his and take what she wanted. She wanted him inside her already, easing this deep urgent ache.

But Rick wasn’t making any move to get there fast. He did pause to take his shirt off and Sloane eagerly ran her hands over all that hardness. In her early twenties she had taken up rock climbing out of pure boredom and too much free time. Finding a grip on that gym roll was about the same as exploring Rick’s chest. Except his skin was warm and he smelled like whisky and fresh summer air.

He popped open the snap on her jeans and took her zipper down. Sloane grabbed his hand, panicking. Then she wasn’t even sure why she was panicking. She released him. But it was enough that Rick paused.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

It made her feel more than turned on. She felt just a little soft inside for Rick. She hadn’t been wrong. He was a good guy. “Yes, it’s okay. It’s more than okay.”

Rick said, “You fucking got that right.”

She laughed and it sounded breathless and sexy. The sound of her own voice so relaxed that she was amazed. “Kiss me again.”

“You got it, beautiful.”