My mind flashes with the memory of the last time we were on this couch. Such a nice memory.
"Stay here." He presses his lips to my forehead and goes to another room. A few minutes later, he returns with a pill and a glass of water. "A muscle relaxant. It will make you drowsy. You'll need to spend the night."
"Okay." I swallow the pill and drink half the water.
Nick sets the glass on the table. It's half empty. That's supposed to mean something, that I see the glass as half empty.
"I'll put something on. The Matrix or The Terminator?" He smiles, teasing me.
It really is a nice smile. I take a deep breath. I can't blame the car for the awful feeling in my stomach. "I just want to lie down. In your bed if that's okay."
He nods. Again, he lifts me, carries me into the other room, and sets me on the bed. Nick sits next to me. He removes my shoes one at a time then slides my tights off my feet.
His fingertips skim the waistband of my thong. "Do you sleep in that?"
"No."
Slowly, he pulls my underwear to my ankles. I manage to kick it off my feet as I roll over to my side.
"I suppose it would be too much trouble to ask you to get the bra too?" I let out something half-laugh, half-groan.
Being on my side isn't helping matters. I close my eyes, willing the drugs to work faster.
Nick rolls my dress off my shoulder. He drags his fingertips to my back to undo my bra.
Like it's easy as pie, he gets the bra off one shoulder.
I fall flat on my back, my dress halfway off, my breast exposed.
He leans down and presses his lips to mine. There's heat in the kiss, but it's more tender than demanding.
My body buzzes, desperate to latch onto a pleasant sensation.
Before I get the chance, Nick releases me. He slides my dress off my other shoulder, then the bra, then the bra is on the floor.
I lie still with my dress at my waist, my gaze on the ceiling.
I try to relax as Nick pulls my sleeves back to my shoulders. There. My dress is back in its proper place, nothing under it.
His hand lingers on my collarbone. "I'll let you rest."
"Will you stay with me?" I bite my lip, cursing the neediness in my voice. It still hurts and he's being so comforting.
"For a few minutes." He strips to his boxers and lies on the bed behind me.
All that warmth returns to my body. Nick pulls a soft comforter over us. Then he takes me into his arms.
I block out every conscious thought in my brain, especially the ones about how good his body feels next to mine.
The drugs work their magic. One by one, my muscles soften. My jaw relaxes. My eyelids grow heavy. After a few deep breaths, I relax.
I fall asleep in his arms.
Chapter Eighteen
It's two in the morning when I wake. I'm still in Nick's bed with his arms around me.
Without the magic of the muscle relaxants, my back is stiff. It's tolerable.
Nick stirs. He slides his arm around my waist and pulls me closer.
Warmth spreads through my body, tensing and relaxing me at once
I take a deep breath. I'm in Nick's bed, in his arms. This is dangerous territory.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
Overwhelmed. "A little tense."
"I can run a bath." He drags his hand down my stomach. "Or I can release some of that tension."
I play dumb. "What do you mean?"
He shifts, bringing his other hand above my head. "You can't pull off coy."
"I'm not sure what you're referring to."
Nick slides his hand over my thigh and just under the hem of my dress. His fingertips slide between my legs to stroke my clit. "God dammit, Lizzy. You're going to kill me."
"I think you have that backwards."
His fingers skim my sex. "Your body is so responsive."
"Only because it's you."
He shifts, pressing his crotch against my ass so I can feel his erection. "I'm not going to tie you up tonight."
I fight a frown. How is it possible I'm already craving releasing control?
"What feels better—arms above your head or at your sides?"
That sounds a lot better. I pull them over my head, shifting until I'm comfortable. It stretches my chest muscles, but it's in a pleasant way. "This."
"Tell me if your back hurts."
"Not if it means you'll stop."
"I'll make sure you finish." He pulls his hand away from my sex. "Do you want to come?"
"Yes."
"Then promise you'll tell me if your back hurts."
"I promise."
With one hand, Nick holds my wrists against the pillow. The other strokes my inner thighs. Up, up, up.
His touch is light as he drags his fingertips over my sex. It feels like he's teasing for minutes. I stop breathing, and all my muscles clench. I need his hands on me.
I arch my back to break up the tension in my muscles. It's enough to relax them. Nick's touch is so light. It's driving me out of my mind.
I close my eyes, soaking in the sensation. I'm not tied up, but I'm still at his mercy.
He rubs my clit. The shock of the pressure sends pangs to my sex. I don't think. I don't resist. I breathe, and I feel.
My orgasm builds quickly. I arch my body into his, pressing my ass against his cock. His boxers are in the way, but they do little to contain him.
I want that hardness against me, inside me, mine.
Not yet.
I focus on the bliss building inside me. A few more strokes, and I'm about to go into freefall. I climb higher and higher.
Then I'm soaring.
"Nick," I moan. "God, Nick."
Pleasure rushes through me. It starts at my core and works its way up my stomach and down my legs. The stiffness in my back and neck relaxes. My legs and arms are jelly, his to move or not.
He presses his lips to my neck, holding me close for a moment. Then he shifts, pulling something from the dresser drawer. A condom.
Lust returns to my body with great force. I'm greedy, I know, but I can't help it. He's fucking irresistible.
"Nick." I reach back and run my hands over his well-defined stomach. "I want to touch you."
"Not tonight."
"Soon?"
"Ye
s. I promise." He unwraps the condom and slides it on. "Put your hands back over your head."
His cock strains against my sex. The tease is horrible and wonderful at the same time. I'm aching for him inside me. I groan, my arms shaking.
His fingers dig into my hips. "Tell me what you want."
"I want you inside me. So deep inside me I can't breathe."
"Close your eyes."
I do.
He holds my body against his. "I want you to feel this. Every second. No rushing to get to the next part."
Nick slides inside me slowly. It's a hint then he pulls out.
He does it again.
Again.
He teases me until I'm panting so hard I forget to breathe.
Again.
I resist my impulse to rock my hips into him. Every second is agony and ecstasy at the same time.
I focus on the ecstasy, the pleasure spreading through my thighs, the tension collecting in my core.
Again.
My sex clenches. I bite my lip, shifting my arms to keep my hips steady. Almost. Almost.
There. He shifts inside me. All the way. No more teasing. My body relaxes. I let out a low sigh.
Nick's groan reverberates against my neck. He keeps his movements slow as he thrusts into me. Every impulse begs me to push him deeper.
Instead, I melt into him.
The ache inside me builds slowly. Every time he thrusts into me, every time he groans, I'm closer. I can feel his pleasure in the shaking of his chest, the way his fingers dig into my skin. I turn my head to press my neck against his mouth. He sucks hard.
My impatience melts away. The buildup is too good to rush. I never want it to end. Everything in my world is beautiful—the string lights on the walls, the soft purple sheets, the feeling of his hands on my skin.
It can't be much more than a few minutes, but it's so intense it feels like hours.
His lips stay on my skin.
His motions stay controlled. All the pressure in my sex builds until I'm at the edge again.
This time, I'm not rushing into free fall. I'm soaking in every second of bliss.
His next thrust sends me over the edge. My eyelids squeeze together. My hips shake of their own accord, desperate to feel him a little deeper.
He groans like he's just as desperate.