"Okay," she said breathlessly, her fingers working on his shirt buttons.
They inched their way to her bedroom, too consumed with undressing and kissing each other to walk in a straight line. By the time they got there, they were both naked.
He gently pushed her on the bed and crawled on top of her. "How lucky am I to get sex on the first date?" he teased.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Ari gave Dylan a mock frown. "I could still change my mind about sleeping with you tonight."
"Please don't," he chuckled as he proceeded to kiss her neck and her shoulders. Then, slowly but surely, his hot mouth made its way toward her bust.
Oh, yes.
She was touched that he had waited for her signal before starting to make love to her. That was such a sweet thing to do. But she was just as hungry for him. How could he even think she'd let him go home tonight?
Her thoughts dissolved when she felt his tongue lick the area around her nipple, while his hand gently kneaded the other breast. She clutched his shoulders and caressed his back, revelling in the attention he was giving her body.
When his tongue flicked her already excited nipple, she gasped, as desire raced with pleasure in her veins. His mouth closed in, sucking gently as his tongue continued to tease her erect bud and his fingers played with its twin. She mewled, feeling the sensation all the way to her now soaked centre.
He left her breasts and moved down her body, his lips leaving butterfly kisses along the way. He pushed her legs wider apart and settled himself in between, as he paid attention to her inner thighs. She panted in anticipation and tried to keep still. It was sweet torture—enjoying his slow lovemaking but eager for him to reach her wetness.
Unexpectedly, a finger started rubbing her swollen clit.
"Dylan," she gasped. Then his mouth was on her. Oh, God, he's so good at this.
His tongue tasted her before moving up to lick her sensitised nub. She moaned lustily as his tongue flicked and his mouth lightly sucked. When he inserted a finger inside her, her hips bucked off the bed.
"Ahh!"
"Mmm," he murmured in approval as he continued his delicious ministrations.
She surrendered herself to the sensations, gasping, panting, and moaning. She peered down and discovered him watching her as his mouth worked its magic. His hot lips closed on her clit once more and she flew over the edge.
"Ohhh! Dylan!"
She panted to catch her breath as he kissed her way back up her body. When he reached her face, he gazed down at her, his eyes warm and tender.
She touched his face with one hand while the other travelled down his body. She found what she was looking for. Not that it was hard to find. It was big and hard and standing up to attention.
She stroked him, delighting in the way his lips parted and his eyes hooded. Oh, he felt good in her hand. Velvety smooth and hard as steel. She brought her hips closer to his and slung her leg around his. Perfect. The tip of his cock hovered on the entrance of her wet pussy.
"Oh, God, Ari," he groaned, throwing his head back and tightening his arm around her. "Let me get a condom, baby," he grunted.
"You don't have to. I'm on birth control," she whispered.
Dylan's face registered surprise for one second before it transformed to heated delight. He grabbed her hips and drove himself inside her.
Their moans mingled as Dylan moved slowly, deliciously.
"You're so wet, baby...so hot...so good," he gasped, exciting her further.
He shifted them so he was on top, able to move with more ease. She pulled her knees up and wide to give him better access and he pushed all the way in, groaning loudly.
Their pleasure sounds filled the room as Dylan moved harder, faster. Oh, he was doing it to her again—taking her upwards...upwards...until she reached the stars and clenched all around him, calling his name.
Dylan followed within seconds. "Ari! Arghh!!!"
He exploded inside her as she floated in the clouds from her own stunning climax.
*******
Ari smiled contentedly as she listened to Dylan's even breathing. It was crazy. First, she thought there was no way they'd end up together, given that he was only interested in something casual. Now, here she was, dating him, and being spooned by him while he slept.
She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. She was physically tired—and very much sated—but her mind refused to rest. While she was joyful about being with Dylan, she was worried about the dresses for Jasmine and the girls. There was less than two months to go before Jasmine's wedding, and experience had taught her things always took longer to finish than expected. Her designs were quite elaborate and delicate, involving many hours of stitching and beading by hand. She would need to knuckle down and work fast.
Not delivering on what she promised to Jasmine was not an option. Having those orders were a lifesaver for her. Not only was she able to let her creativity soar, but she was also getting paid good money for her handiwork. But on the flip side, she hadn't been able to set aside much time to look for another job.
If it was just herself she was supporting, she'd be fine for a while. But there was also Kenny. She just hoped Kenny's rehab bills wouldn't come in until much later. She and Sylvie would be hard pressed to find the money if the rehab centre demanded immediate payment. She sighed heavily at the thought.
Dylan stirred beside her, shifting to his other side before settling back into a deep sleep.
Carefully, she stretched and lay straight on her back. It was ironic that money problems were keeping her awake while her boyfriend—she guessed she could now call him her boyfriend—drove a luxury sports car and lived in an expensive apartment.
Quite frankly, that aspect made her uncomfortable. Her ex-boyfriend was also wealthy, perhaps even more than Dylan. He'd given her loads of presents and taken her on expensive holidays. But he'd also acted like he owned her. When she caught him in bed with that bitch she used to call a friend, the arrogant bastard had the hide to tell her she should be grateful he'd even considered going out with her. He rattled off the cost of the gifts he'd bought her as if they were reason enough to overlook his cheating ways. In the end, she'd returned every single item he'd given her. Even now she felt like she owed him something—and she hated that.
Well, she wouldn't let that happen to her and Dylan. For starters, she wouldn't accept too much from him. She'd rather they eat in than dine out too often, for example. And while she would be grateful to get the occasional gift, she wouldn't take anything a boyfriend of average means wouldn't be able to afford.
Except for the sex. She'd be more than happy to keep getting more of his way-above-average lovemaking.
With that gratifying thought, she fell asleep.
*******
Ari looked up from her dress patterns as Dylan came out of the bedroom looking bright and fresh from the shower.
"Are you working all day today? It's Sunday," he said.
"I have to. Jazzie's dress is very labour intensive. Plus, I still have to finish your mum's outfit for Faye's wedding."
"My siblings' nuptials are keeping you busy."
She smiled. "I don't mind. I love it."
"Well, I guess I better leave you to it. Can I see you sometime this week?"
"Are you asking me out again, Mr. Summers?" she asked in a flirty tone.
"I sure am, Miss Mitchell. I'll call you later, after I check my work schedule."
"If I call you, would you call me back?" she asked with mock seriousness.
"Am I still not forgiven for that?" he asked worriedly.
"If you call me tonight I'll forgive you," she said with a grin.
Dylan let out a relieved sigh. "Then I'll call you tonight," he said, bending down to give her a kiss. "By the way, you wouldn't mind if I invite Trey and Adam along to join us for dinner sometime, would you?"
"No. That would be good. They seem like nice guys, although Trey is a little funny. But don't tell him I said that," she w
arned.
Dylan laughed. "Both of them can be a bit funny, sometimes. I seem to recall you mentioning you find me funny, too."
She made a face. "You know what I mean. Anyway, they're your best friends, so I gather you're very close to them."
"Yes. We've been friends for more than fifteen years. We went to school together, then became business partners. Anyway, I'll tee up a date with them and let you know."
"I'm looking forward to it," she said with a sincere smile.
She walked him to the door, and he kissed her so sweetly it made her knees weak. She exhaled a great sigh as she closed the door behind him. She missed him already.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"All I'm asking is that you be gentle with her," Dylan said to Trey and Adam.
"What do you mean, specifically? It's not that we bash girls or anything like that," Trey said.
"You know what I mean," he said with exasperation. "Don't bombard her with some of the ridiculous questions we've asked some of the other girls."
"Like what?" Adam asked.
He sighed. "Maybe I should write a script."
"A script!" both of his friends exclaimed.
"Are you all right, Dyl?" Trey asked, reaching over to touch his forehead with the back of his hand. "Well, your temperature seems fine."
"There's nothing wrong with me. What's wrong is this ISAG. This scheme is years old. It needs revising. We were immature beings back then."
"Oh, we've grown up now, have we?" Trey asked with an innocent look.
"Come on, guys. I'm serious. I don't mind you asking Ari some questions just so you could set your minds at ease that she's not like the kind of girls Adam's attracted to."
"Why, thanks a lot," Adam replied with sarcasm. "Don't forget, I may have the quantity, but you, my friend, had the quality."
Dylan inhaled deeply. "I know, I know. No need to remind me."
"So how do you want us to go about this?" Trey asked.
"Just take it nice and slow, like you're talking to the sister of someone you really like. Nothing offensive, please. She doesn't deserve that."
"How do you know? She hasn't gone through the ISAG yet."
"I just know, okay?"
"Oh. My. Fuck," Trey said. "You're in love."
"Don't be ridiculous," he retorted. "I like her, but love is nowhere near the equation yet."
"Yet?"
"Yet. Never. I don't know. All I know is I like her a lot."
"Well, for your sake, I hope she passes, Dyl. But be warned. We will be gentle, but we won't take any short cuts."
Dylan shook his head, hugely irritated. He was dumb to arrange this dinner with Ari and his friends tonight. He hadn't seen her for a week and now there was a possibility that their night could be ruined by his too-well-intentioned pals.
*******
"Hi," Dylan said as he watched Ari get out of her car.
"Hi," she replied with a gorgeous smile. "Didn't you think I'd find the spot?"
"It wasn't that," he chuckled. "I wanted to come down so I can properly say hello to you."
"In the car park of your building?" she teased.
"Better than having Trey and Adam watch us kiss," he said as he pulled her to him and captured her lips.
They were still kissing sweetly when a voice intruded. "Hey, we were wondering what was keeping you two."
Dylan sighed and released Ari. "What do you mean, Adam? I came down here less than five minutes ago."
"Actually, I wanted to borrow the picnic blanket you have in the back of your car," Adam said. "Since you were down here already …"
"I don't have my car key with me," Dylan said.
"Oh. Later then," Adam said then turned to Ari. "Hi, beautiful. Great to see you again."
"Hi, Adam. Great to see you, too."
"Isn't it handy being able to park in Dylan's extra car spot?" Adam asked conversationally as they walked to the elevators. "It's ridiculously hard to find parking around here on Saturday nights—at any time, in fact."
"Yes. I was just thinking that," Ari responded. "The last time I was here was when Jasmine took me to Dylan's birthday. We had to park at that public car park a few blocks away because we couldn't find any street parking nearby."
"That would have been a fair walk for you," Dylan said with a frown.
"It was," Ari said with a short laugh. "It was tough on the feet when you're wearing party high heels."
He put an arm around her shoulders. "Well, you don't need to worry about that anymore. My friends do bay for my extra spot whenever they drive to this part of town. But all you need to do is tell me when you'll be around and no one else can take it."
She smiled at him, then turned to Adam.
"Where did you park, Adam?" she asked.
"At the public car park you were talking about," Adam responded.
"Oh. Do you usually park in here when you visit Dylan?"
"Yes."
"So I took your usual spot?" Ari's face was pink.
"Yes. I wrestled with Dylan for it earlier, and I lost. So you get the spot."
"Sorry," she said in a small voice. "Maybe next time it should be first come, first served."
Adam laughed. "Don't worry about it. I don't wear high heels."
"What about Trey? Where does he park?"
"He only lives a couple of blocks away."
Dylan hid a smile as he listened to Ari and Adam's conversation. He knew Adam came down to begin the ISAG and that extra parking spot was a good place to start. Women he'd allowed to park there always ended up acting princessy and got all miffed when he turned them down subsequently. Like he said, Ari was different. Adam seemed to accept that. He wasn't probing anymore.
But Adam had always been a softie. Trey was another story.
*******
"So Ari, do you like living in Burwood?" Trey asked as they ate Dylan's passable attempt at homemade pizzas.
"Yes. Where I am is convenient. It's a couple of minutes walk away from the shopping mall."
"Dylan and I love living around here. What do you think of Potts Point?"
"I love this area. It's convenient, vibrant, a short walk to the CBD."
"Which would you prefer, Burwood or Potts Point?" Trey prodded.
Ari gave him a "you're kidding, right?" look. "If I could afford to live here, I would prefer it here. But having said that, I don't mind living in Burwood at all."
"You plan to stay there for a while, Ari?" Adam asked.
Ari took a deep breath. "Well, I hope I can stay where I am. I really like it there."
"You hope?" Dylan asked.
"Well, I'm thinking of moving," Ari said cautiously.
"Why?"
"I don't really need two bedrooms so I thought I'd find a one-bedroom place."
"But your other bedroom is your work room. It has your sewing machine in it," Dylan said, confused.
Ari shrugged. "The machine's not big. It can fit anywhere."
"Is it because you haven't found another job yet?" Dylan asked with concern. Was she having financial problems?
"There's not a lot of opening for what I do, so times are a little tough for me," she said with a nervous laugh.
Dylan caught how Trey glanced at Adam before his buddy gave him a warning look. He could almost hear what Trey wanted to say out loud. "Don't bite. Don't offer her anything at this point. You don't know her well enough."
"We can talk about it later," he said to Ari.
Trey narrowed his eyes at him.
"Hey, I've been considering renting out my spare room. It could be cheaper than you paying for your two-bedder in Burwood," Trey said to Ari.
"What?" Dylan exclaimed in shock. "Where did that come from?"
"I'm just saying," Trey replied. "I do have an extra room."
"So do I," Dylan said. He couldn't see where Trey was heading with this.
"Sure, but that's not the same. If Ari were to share with you, it would be akin to the two of you moving in together
, and I think you two are still far from that. If she were to share with me, it would just be like a flatmate arrangement."
"Why are you considering getting a flatmate all of a sudden? You don't need the extra money and you love your privacy," Dylan said, trying to sound neutral although he was miffed with Trey. What if Ari took Trey up on his offer? If she were to share with another guy, it would be with him. He didn't care that Trey was one of his oldest and most trusted friends. He wouldn't be happy if his girlfriend lived with another man.
"You know me, Dyl. Always looking for income-earning opportunities," Trey said with a ghost of a smile. "What do you think, Ari?"
"I don't think so, Trey. But thanks for the offer."
"I guess you'd prefer living with Dylan than with me, huh? I'm sure he won't charge you any rent, unlike me," Trey said innocently.
Ari blushed and her brows furrowed. "Like you said, Trey, Dylan and I are still far from that. We just started dating, you know. That kind of discussion shouldn't even be brought up," she chided.
Dylan breathed a discreet sigh of relief.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear about your situation, Ari," Adam said.
Ari shrugged and smiled. "Thanks. I'll be fine."
"This moving thing: is this something you're just thinking about or is it something that has to happen?" Adam queried. "The reason I ask is I'm good friends with a couple of real estate agents. I could ask them if they have one-bedders on their lists."
Ari's eyes lit up. "That would be great, Adam. Thank you."
"So which area are you looking at? Burwood and surrounding suburbs?"
"Preferably. I don't mind going further away from the city as long as it's a decent suburb and a well-maintained apartment block."
"How far away are you considering?" Dylan asked. Surely, she wasn't so cash-strapped that she needed to move to the outskirts of Sydney just to lower her rent?
"I don't know. It would really depend on when I find another job," she said, looking a little embarrassed.
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