“Sorry,” she said thickly before trying to pull away from me.
I held her fast, not wanting to release her.
I didn’t say anything, but I picked up the remote again and turned up the volume, a silent indication that she could continue watching her show. It was her birthday, after all. I could at least let her enjoy her insipid drama.
She went still beside me, her attention returning to the screen. After several minutes, she zoned out, her body relaxing. As we continued watching TV, her head canted to the side, dropping to rest on my shoulder.
The warmth in my chest glowed hotter, an almost uncomfortable sensation. I’d never shared physical contact like this with anyone. I’d been with a woman before, but that had been for my sexual satisfaction. This was more intimate than burying my cock inside a hot cunt. It set my teeth on edge, but all my muscles relaxed. My grip on her waist eased, my hold firm but not bruising. She felt good tucked beside me, fitting against my body perfectly.
I spent the rest of the afternoon cuddled up on the couch with her, my furious lust finally cooling somewhat. I still wanted her, but my maddened desire was soothed.
Her breathing turned deep and even, and I realized she’d fallen asleep with her head resting on my shoulder. Finally giving into the temptation that had tormented me for weeks, I touched her hair, trailing my fingers through the dark, silky locks. She was just as soft as I’d imagined in my fevered fantasies.
She sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer to me. My hand stilled on her head, but when she didn’t wake, I resumed stroking her, exploring. She smelled good. Not artificially sweet like Mariana, but a natural, feminine scent that called to my more primal instincts.
I squeezed my eyes shut, cursing my unruly body as my cock began to stiffen. I drew in several deep breaths, but that only made her scent suffuse my senses.
I stood abruptly, putting distance between us. She let out a little surprised squeak as she slid down onto the couch, no longer supported by my arm around her.
I had a heartbeat to register her wide, shocked stare before I tore myself away and stalked out of the room. Even in her sleep, Valentina tempted me to the edge of my control.The air was hot and heavy, my sweaty t-shirt sticking to my skin. I slowed to a jog as I neared the house, decreasing my speed from sprinting. My lungs burned from exertion; I’d been running as though I could exhaust my desire for Valentina from my system. I couldn’t stop thinking about how soft she’d been against me yesterday, how good she’d smelled as she sighed and snuggled closer.
Frustrated and overheated, I stripped off my wet shirt and tossed it aside, pausing to stretch out my overworked muscles.
After a few minutes, the back of my neck prickled with awareness. Someone was watching me.
I jerked upright, searching for the threat.
I froze, my body going rigid in response to her wide-eyed stare. Valentina stood only a few yards away on the front porch, her lips parted as she looked at me. Her dark gaze wasn’t fixed on mine. Her eyes roved over my body, studying me with open fascination. My arms flexed, my abs rippling as tension rolled through my body. Her tongue darted out to wet her pouty lips.
I remembered the way she’d rubbed her lips while she’d watched the couple kiss on TV. Did she know what it felt like to be kissed? Had anyone ever tasted her lush mouth?
Judging by her shocked study of my body, I doubted it. Her innocence made something dark coil in my chest, and my gut tightened with desire.
I studied her body, in return. She wore a tight white t-shirt that strained over her breasts, and her tanned legs were on display beneath the far-too-short exercise shorts she wore. If she turned around, I’d be able to see her thighs all the way up to the lower curve of her ass.
I should have been enraged that someone had bought these skimpy clothes to display her body, but all I could focus on was the hunger that made my mouth water.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked, my voice deeper and more gravelly than I’d ever heard it.
She swallowed and licked her lips again, her eyes straying to my heaving chest. “I… I thought I’d go for a run.”
“With me?” Surprise flickered through my mind. Yes, she’d let me hold her when she was vulnerable yesterday, but she also feared me. She thought I was mean.
And I supposed I was. I could be cruel, and my fantasies about her certainly bordered on sadistic.
“Um, yeah,” she said breathily. “I didn’t feel like swimming today.”