I shivered at each dip of his tongue and roll of his hips against me. My nails dug into his sides to ground myself, because I wanted to hold onto this moment and not think about the future, just live in the now. Tomorrow would be coming soon enough.
My heart raced as I went onto my toes to get closer to him even as he was backing up.
“Room.” He swallowed as if he was trying to find oxygen. “I need you under me.”
“Yes.”
He walked backwards down the hall, watching me the entire time. His seductive eyes drew me forward, but the low light of the hallway didn’t give anything away. Was he thinking about how quickly he could get me naked? It seemed like it was so much more than that.
Silly. It was just because we were alone and worked up. Nothing more.
He stopped at a door with sunflowers and a tiny family of sparrows nestled into a wreath. That was me, the sparrow that was used to doing her job, staying in the safe confines of her world.
Mercy, I was getting fanciful.
Maybe it was the wildness of the moment. The way he touched me like he couldn’t stop. But it was just a moment.
And that was all this could be. It was enough. It had to be.
He opened the door and flicked on the light then turned to me with his hand outstretched.
I told myself that again and again as I put my hand in his and let him lead me into the softly lit room. The fire was going, flames licking up from a wash of colorless, glittering stones. This room wasn’t as cozy as I’d been expecting.
It was cool and modern with touches of the sunflower on the door to warm it up. It suited the situation. Pretty lies wrapped over cool perfection. Neither one of us were bringing our truths. We’d just found a connection to hold onto.
It had been so long since I’d felt an instant connection with someone. I’d been working toward my future for so long, I forgot to look at the now.
I turned to Rory. His blue eyes were full of heat—for me. It seemed so overwhelming and alien, exciting and incomprehensible. My fingers trembled a little as I unzipped my vest, tossing it on the warm yellow chair in the corner. Rory’s gaze never wavered even as I slowly tugged the end of one of my braids free.
He walked toward me, the bulge in his jeans still as impressive as it felt against me in the hall. But there was no hurry in his step. All the rushing seemed to have been left outside these doors.
He drew me deeper into the room toward the fire. My fingers weren’t trembling from cold, but it was sweet that he thought so.
Coming closer, he took my other braid and mirrored my slow unwind of hair. My one vanity. It wasn’t practical to have it so long considering all the jobs I had, but watching him spear his fingers through it and lay it over my chest made me shiver all over again.
When both braids were done and the waves fell down my back, he leaned in and kissed me, filling his hands with my thick hair. He massaged the back of my head, and each kiss went deeper until I couldn’t resist the urge to lean into his touch for more.
He tugged at my shirt and tossed it aside, his lips going for my neck as he tugged lightly on my scalp to keep my head tipped back. With his other hand, he softly drew the backs of his knuckles along my midriff to the line of my breasts, but never over them. I thanked all the gods I knew that Kinleigh had demanded a full treatment for the sixties’ outfit I was wearing. The bra was a little more modern, but the smooth silk made my okay breasts look way better than the ill-fitting bras I was forever fighting with.
He dropped into the high-backed chair by the fireplace and drew me down to straddle him. My hair was a curtain of fire, thanks to the flames behind me.
Rory’s hands slid down to my waist to tug me as close as possible, making sure I felt just how hard he was. I rolled my hips lightly as we kissed until we were both breathless with it. His fingers slipped up my back and undid my bra. The straps fell forward, but he didn’t look at my breasts. No, his gaze was on mine as he slowly stripped everything away from me.
I wanted to feel him too.
I pushed at his sweater until it was up and over his head. We both hissed as my breasts swayed against his hair roughened chest. His fingers sunk into my hair, dragging my head back to get to my neck and finally, the tips of my breasts.
I let out a harsh, surprised groan as he sucked the tip of one. After all the sweet, soft touches, the harsh pull and tiny bite seemed to catapult me past the dreamy veil of lust into a technicolor reality. My nails dug into his chest, sliding down to his hard belly, to his pants.
He cupped my breasts and ravaged my mouth as I ripped at his belt and zipper. I needed him closer. Needed to know he was just as wound up as me.
He filled my hand as I finally looked at him. Finally met his gaze and found crackling intensity where there had been patience.
“It’s been too long, Ivy. I’m hanging on by my fingernails here.” He nudged my hair out of my face. “I want everything.” He coasted his thumb across the hard tip of my breast, then pinched it until I gasped. “I want to take my time, but I think I’m going to go mad if I don’t get inside you.”
I stroked down the impressive length of him. “You’re not the only one.”
“Maybe we’re not ready for you to get inside of me tonight, yeah?”