The Pairing

by Katie Ashley

  Megan shuddered at the intensity of both his words and the way he delivered them. Taking her by the hand, he led her off the dance floor. They snaked around the tables in the dining area until they reached the exit. Weaving through the people, they went into the hotel that adjoined the restaurant. It was actually more of a historic bed and breakfast than a hotel. As they neared the reception area, Pesh dropped her hand to reach into his coat pocket. Once he retrieved his wallet, he stepped up to the desk. “I need a room please.”

  “Credit card and identification please,” the inn keeper droned. As she sized him up, Megan couldn’t help thinking he looked rather pompous—the usual type of person who worked in a high-end place. “Would you prefer queen or—”

  “A king please,” Pesh requested through clenched teeth.

  “Do you need help with your luggage?”

  “No, we don’t have any.”

  The man typed something into the computer. “And how long will you be staying with us?”

  “As long as we need,” Pesh replied, drumming his fingers on the marble counter.

  Megan watched as the man’s eyes widened and a flush entered his face. He quickly finished the reservation and handed Pesh a key card. “We have you in one of our balcony king suites.”

  “Thank you.” Taking her by the hand, Pesh led her over to the elevators. When Megan dared to glance over her shoulder, she saw the man peering curiously at them. As they stepped onto the car, Megan couldn’t help the nervous giggle that escaped her lips. When Pesh looked at her in surprise, she laughed even harder. “What is it?”

  “By the way that conversation went down, he probably thinks I’m a prostitute.”

  Pesh’s eyes widened. “You don’t seriously think that?”

  “Okay, maybe a high-end escort?”

  A growl came from low in his throat. “Do not demean yourself like that.”

  “I’m not demeaning myself. Think about it. We come in during the middle of the day with no luggage, and we want a hotel room with a king sized bed.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “Hmm, what could we possibly be doing?”

  The corners of his lips turned up in a smile. “I probably should care what the man thinks, but right now, I frankly don’t give a shit.”

  She laughed. “Me either.”

  The elevator dinged, signaling they had reached their floor. They stepped out and read the signs to find their room. Once Pesh opened the door, Megan walked inside. She took in the cozy décor of the room with its brick fireplace, antiques, and four-poster bed. Going to a hotel could have been sleazy, but this room had such a romantic feel to it.

  When he came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, she couldn’t help suddenly feeling shy. “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  His breath warmed against her ear. “You tensed when I touched you.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I guess I’m just nervous.”

  Pesh turned her around to face him. “You don’t have anything to feel nervous about. If you don’t want to do this anymore, we don’t have to.”

  “No, I want to do it,” she assured him.

  Without another word, his fingers went to her hair. After he undid the clasp, her hair tumbled down over her shoulders. An appreciative shudder rippled through her when he nuzzled his face into the strands at her neck. From there he sought out the zipper at the middle of her back. Slowly, he slid it down. When the back of the dress gaped open, he took the spaghetti straps and eased them over her shoulders and down her arms. Megan felt his breath warming her back as the dress pooled onto the floor. She stepped out of it, and then turned to face him.

  The heat of his gaze stoked the fire burning deep inside her. His expression was fierce as he drank in her strapless black bra and panties, along with her heels. “You are so beautiful.”

  For some reason, she felt the urge to blush at his words. Guys had told her she was beautiful before, but it didn’t feel the same or sound the same coming from them as it did Pesh. The way he said she was beautiful, coupled with the way he looked at her, made her tingle in all the right places.

  Her hands came to his tie. After she loosened it, she ripped it off him and slung it to the floor. Deftly, her fingers worked the buttons on his shirt. When she opened it, she sucked in a breath at the sight of the dusting of dark hair covering his chest. It trailed down over his washboard abs and down into his pants. “You’re pretty beautiful yourself,” she said with a smile.

  As he shrugged off his shirt, her fingers went to his belt. The entire time she unbuttoned and unzipped him, his burning gaze took in everything she did. “Why do you keep staring at me?” she questioned quietly.

  “I’m afraid if I look away, you won’t be real.” His hand cupped her cheek. “I’ve wanted this for so long—I’ve wanted you for so long. It’s hard to believe that you’re really here.”

  “Touch me,” she urged. She took his other hand and brought it to her breast. “Touch me and feel how real I am.”

  Lowering his head, his mouth hovered over hers. “Breathe me in,” he instructed, as he kneaded her breast over her bra.

  At the feel of his breath against her lips, she inhaled while his heated gaze almost singed her cheeks. Even if she had wanted to, she couldn’t bring herself to look away from his eyes. When she exhaled, he inhaled, and it was like they were doing a dance. It was both relaxing and somewhat erotic. She’d never spent time just breathing and gazing into someone’s eyes. “Now you’ve had your first lesson in Tantra,” he murmured against her lips.

  She jerked her head back to stare at him in surprise. “Are you going to do more?”

  “Maybe.” He reached around to undo her bra. “Do you want me to?”

  “I think so.”

  “Then I will. I want to do whatever is pleasing for you.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He eased her over to the four-poster bed. After removing his pants and boxers, he slid her panties down her legs. As Megan sat on the edge of the massive king sized bed, she widened her legs to allow him to step between them. When he brought his hand to stroke between her thighs, she moaned and let her head fall back. Two fingers entered her and began a slow, teasing assault. She began to rock her hips against his hand, adding the friction she desired. When she felt his erection rubbing against her leg, she reached between them to take him in her hand.

  Her eyelids fluttered open, and she stared into his face as they worked each other into a sweaty, panting frenzy. When Pesh curled his fingers inside her, she bit down on her lip to keep from screaming out in pleasure. Her orgasm rocketed through her lower half, causing her head to fall forward onto his chest.

  When she came back to herself, Pesh was sliding her body up the mattress. Then he was hovering over her, kissing her breasts and licking her nipples into hardened peaks. “Now, Pesh,” she urged. “I want you deep inside of me.”

  Just as his head nudged against her opening, he stopped. “Oh no,” he murmured before rocking back to sit on his knees.

  Megan propped herself up on her elbows and gazed up at him. “What’s wrong?” She hoped that after giving in, he hadn’t decided to back out at the last minute.

  He rubbed the stubble on his cheeks. “I, uh…we can’t do this without a condom, and I don’t have one with me.”

  “Oh,” she murmured. In the heat of the moment, she had totally forgotten about that.

  “You don’t happen to have one?” he asked hopefully.

  She shook her head. “Sorry.”

  “It’s me who ought to be sorry for putting you in a position like this without protection.” When he started to pull away, she sat up to grab his shoulders, urging him to stop.

  “We can still do this. Neither one of us has been with anybody in at least two years—we’ve had tests for the hospital.”

  “That’s all well and good but what about pregnancy? Are you on the pill?”

  “No.” She chewed
on her bottom lip momentarily. “Wait a minute,” she murmured. In her mind, she began counting down the days since her last period. “Twenty.”

  “Twenty what?”

  “I’m on day twenty, so we should be safe.”

  “I’ll still pull out.”

  “If you say so,” she replied. Gripping his biceps, she urged him to cover her again with his body. She loved the feel of his chest hairs rubbing against her nipples. Pesh widened her legs, and then he eased inside her, filling and stretching her walls. It had been so long that she couldn’t help feeling a bit of a sting.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He withdrew and flexed his hips, thrusting back inside her. This time they both moaned. Setting up a rhythm, he began rocking in and out of her. The pace was slow and sensual, and while he was hitting all the right spots, she wanted more. The entire time he moved in and out of her, he kept his eyes locked firmly on hers. His gaze was so dark with desire that she didn’t dare look away. The longer she stared into his eyes, the more connected with him she felt. The old saying was that the eyes were windows to the soul, and she was getting a pretty good glimpse into his. And that scared the hell out of her.

  Wanting to make things less sensual, she gripped his biceps. “Harder,” she panted.

  Rising on his knees, he slid his forearms under the backs of her knees. This enabled him to pull her back against his pounding thrusts. While their connection at first had been so intimate, this was more about lust and desire. She reached up and clasped his face in her hands, bringing his head down to hers. Their mouths and tongues met in frenzied kisses.

  When he pulled out of her, Megan whimpered at the loss of feeling. He quickly flipped her over onto her stomach. Pulling on her hips, he raised her up onto her knees. When he reentered her, Megan moaned. With each thrust, he went deeper and deeper. Her fingers fisted the sheets as he leaned over her back, kissing a trail down her spine. She didn’t know how he was able to be so many places at once. While his mouth licked her back and teasingly left love bites, his hands were rubbing her thighs and then sliding under her to squeeze her breasts or tease her clit. He was giving her so much that she couldn’t stay silent. She moaned, chanted his name, and cried out as the sounds of their wet skin slapped together.

  Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. Dropping her head, she screamed into the mattress as she found her release. Once her walls finished clenching, she felt Pesh withdraw from her. As he groaned, Megan felt warmth spurt onto her back and buttocks. After seeing him come before, she hated she couldn’t see his face. He was so beautiful when he was finding release.

  Once he finished, she eased down onto her stomach and curled a pillow under her head. After a few seconds, Pesh lay down beside her. She turned her head and met his gaze. Exhausted and completely sexually satisfied for the first time in her life, all she could muster to say was, “Wow.”

  A slow grin spread across his cheeks. “You seem to say that a lot around me after orgasms.”

  She laughed. “It’s because you render me absolutely speechless with your talents.”

  “Thank you. I could say the same about you.” His gaze left her face and trailed down her naked back. “We need to get you cleaned up.”

  Rolling her shoulder blades, she said, “I kinda like it. Makes me feel marked or something.”

  He smiled shyly at her. “I like the idea of marking you—making you mine.”

  He wanted her to be his. She didn’t know quite what to think about that statement. Did she want to be his? She certainly couldn’t imagine belonging to anyone else. Besides the amazing physical chemistry they shared, she was starting to feel such a deep connection to him.

  Staring over at him, she couldn’t help wondering what was going on in his mind. “We’ve really done it now, haven’t we?”

  “Yes, I do believe that was the universal “it” that we just did,” he teased.

  She smacked his arm playfully. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know,” he murmured.

  “No matter what, this changes everything.”

  “For the better, I hope.”

  “I suppose.” The truth was she’d never really had casual sex before. There was one time her freshman year that she hooked up with a guy at work. It was the first and only time she’d ever done anything so crazy. In that instance, the sex had been over before she’d known it and without her coming even once. After that fiasco, she had never wanted a repeat performance with him or any other random guy, until she’d found herself in a sex slump after Mason’s birth. But with Pesh, the sex had been…she shivered as the remaining echoes washed over her. Before sleeping with Pesh, she could count the number of past sexual partners on one hand, as well as the times she had had even remotely good sex. For Megan, her experience with Pesh was seriously earth shattering and life altering. She couldn’t imagine just walking away now.

  Pesh sat up and edged to the side of the bed. He held out his hand to her. “Come on. Let’s shower.”

  “If you insist.”

  She slid over to him before throwing a leg over the side of the mattress. Although she should have felt a little bashful being naked in front of him, she felt surprisingly comfortable.

  When she got into the bathroom, she raised her brows in surprise. “A clawfoot tub?” she questioned.

  Pesh laughed. “All the old charm but modern conveniences.” He pointed to the detachable shower head.

  “Nice.”

  He turned on the water and waited for it to heat up. Once he decided it was warm enough, he took her by the hand and helped her inside. She turned her back to the spray, letting the water clean her up. Pesh didn’t seem to think that was enough because after he soaped up his hands, he began to wash off her back and ass. As his magic hands massaged in slow strokes, she couldn’t resist asking the question that was plaguing her. “Did I feel different?”

  His hands stilled on her lower back. “What do you mean?”

  Glancing at him over her shoulder, she replied, “That was the first time I’ve had sex since I gave birth to Mason. I just wondered if I felt different. You know, inside.”

  His face came to nuzzle her neck. “You felt amazing.”

  “Not any different?”

  “Did you hear me complaining?”

  “No, but I just worried.”

  “You have nothing to worry about, my love.” His hand skimmed over her ribcage to cup her breast. As her nipple hardened beneath his fingers, she sucked in a pleased breath. “I want nothing more than to be back inside you as soon as I can.”

  “Then why don’t you?” she challenged.

  “Fine then. Put your hands on the tile,” he ordered.

  “Yes, sir,” she teased before placing her palms on the cool, wet tile.

  Pesh slid the gleaming silver shower head between her legs, causing her to gasp at the contact. Then he flicked his wrist to the side, sending the jets of water pounding into her clit. She moaned and threw her head back against his drenched chest. Slowly he started moving the shower head to where it would rub against her. Each time she moved back, the water hit her in just the right spot. She arched her hips as the pressure began to build. Pesh slid his free hand up over her ribcage to cup her breast. He kneaded the flesh, pinching the nipples that were already hardened. She pinched her eyes shut from the sensory overload. Just as she would feel herself about to come, he would shift his wrist so the vibrations hit her in another area, building her again.

  “Please, Pesh,” she moaned.

  “What, baby?”

  “Please make me come.”

  “Have you had enough pleasure yet, or should we continue on?” he asked, moving the shower head away from her.

  She groaned at the loss. Rubbing her ass against his hardened erection, she begged, “You let me come, and then I’ll make sure you do as well.”

  With his knee, he nudged her legs even further apart. When he once again brought the shower
head between her legs, it reached even more sensitive areas. It took only a few seconds of the water coupled with his rubbing and her grinding to cause her to scream with the pulsing convulsions. She smacked her hands against the walls as wave after wave pulsed through her. When she finally stopped shuddering, she slowly slid around to smile up at Pesh. “Wow?” he said, with a smile.

  She teasingly pinched his arm. “I was going to say exquisitely amazing.”

  “I’m sure you were.”

  Reaching between them, she took his erection in her hands. “Good thing I’m about to get on my knees because I don’t think I could stand after all that,” she said, with a teasing wink. Bending her head, she began trailing kisses down his wet chest. As she stroked him, she took time to kiss and then suck on his nipples. His groan told her she was finding some of his most sensitive places. After teasing his nipples to erect points, she continued on down his delicious washboard abs and through the dark hair that crowned his erection.

  Sinking down onto the floor of the tub, she stroked him hard from base to tip. When his chest began to heave, she leaned over to slide him into her mouth. “Megan,” he groaned, his fingers coming to tangle in the wet strands of her hair. She took him as far back as she could before sliding him out. Her tongue flicked over the sensitive head before she suctioned it. When she released him again, she began long licks up his length. Then she once again slid him in her mouth and began bobbing her head up and down his length. His groans began to echo throughout the bathroom.

  “Oh, Megan,” Pesh murmured. His grip on her hair tightened as he flexed his hips to go even deeper into her mouth. When he started tightening up, he tried to pull away, but she gripped his thighs and held him in place. He cried out and then came in a rush into her mouth. She swallowed all of him before she glanced up to see him staring down at her with such adoration in his face.

  “Thank you.”

  As he fell free from her mouth, she smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  He helped her up off the tub floor. “We better hurry up before we use all the hot water in these old pipes.”