The Truths about Dating and Mating

by Jaycee DeLorenzo

  I rolled toward him and tangled my legs with his. Our mouths fused together again, our tongues tangling in a greedy give-and-take that made me breathless and well-near mindless.

  His hands… his extremely gifted hands roved my body, stroking down my back, my hips, my thighs, caressing every one of my curves as if he wanted to commit the way I felt to memory. I took some liberties of my own, touching his chest, his back, his arms, even that small triangular area of his hip that I’d been unable to look away from the other day.

  His hand came up and tangled into the hair at the base of my neck, while his other hand slid beneath my pajama top. His fingers stroked up and down my spine, causing me to shiver.

  Frames still locked together, we rolled so that I lay on my back. We broke apart and his mouth nipped down my chin and up my jaw before sliding down to the curve of my neck. He captured my earlobe in his mouth and scraped at it with his teeth. I closed my eyes and writhed against him, throwing my arms back over my head and hugging the arm of the sofa.

  He pulled back to look at me. Heavy gasps fell from his mouth as his eyes moved over my face. A small smile appeared on his face as he brought his mouth down to just above mine. I raised my head to meet him, but he held back, just out of reach. He turned his head the other direction and did it again, pulling back at just the last moment.

  Tease.

  “Ian,” I complained, thrusting my lower lip out in a pout.

  His eyes glittered with amusement. He leaned down and caught my protruding lip between his teeth, nipping and tugging on it, driving me insane. I closed my eyes and tried to deepen the kiss, but he backed away again.

  I groaned and huffed out a breath. “You’re such a butt.”

  His chuckle made me chuckle as it occurred to me that, even in the heat of the moment, we were still being us.

  I started to lift my arms, wanting to pull him closer, but he caught them, trapping my wrists and pushing them back down. He kissed me hard and fast, and then stared down into my face again. Something fierce and possessive appeared in his eyes, causing a thrust of excitement to shoot through me. My lips parted, and I sucked in several quick breaths in anticipation. A rumble sounded in his chest, and he dropped his mouth to my neck, sucking the skin into his mouth.

  My hips thrust upwards and a long, keening wail of pleasure erupted from my lips. He increased the suction on my skin until it almost hurt, but the pain went right through me, zinging down my body and centering between my legs. My thighs tightened like a vise around his hips.

  Lowering his eyes, he brought his hand down to the top button of my shirt. With quick and deft movements, he undid the rest of the buttons and pushed the fabric to either side, leaving me opened and exposed.

  I bit my lip as he looked down. He’d seen a lot of naked female bodies in his day, most of them skinny and perfect, and mine was neither. Gravity made my heavy breasts hang at an unattractive angle and they were attached to a rounded stomach and love handles. I watched his face, waiting for a look of revulsion. But his hooded eyes seemed to be savoring the sight of me, melting away my insecurities, making me feel desirable. Beautiful.

  The flat of his palm skated over one of my nipples. He lowered his head and took it into his mouth. Shuddering as his tongue swirled around, I clutched at his shoulders. He toyed with the waistband of my pajama bottoms, and I released my legs from his waist, holding my breath in anticipation of him touching me.

  He moved his mouth to my other breast, and his fingers traveled a little lower into my pajamas. I sucked in a breath, feeling like I might lose my mind if he didn’t touch me soon. His hands lowered still…almost there…almost…

  An outside sound drew my attention.

  Alarmed, I stiffened and tightened my hands on his shoulders. “Wait.”

  He looked up, confusion clear on his face. “What? Why?”

  “Did you hear…?” There it was again. A faint ringing sound, like a bell…or a…set of keys! The grind of a key sliding into place sounded in the apartment.

  “Shit, it’s Chelsea,” I hissed, pushing him off of me.

  I jerked into an upright position and scrambled to close the buttons on my top.

  Ian echoed my curse and added a few extra epithets of his own. He sat up on the couch and raked his hands through his hair. Looking around, he grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and pulled it over his lap.

  I’d just barely managed to fasten the last button on my top when the door opened. I jumped into a standing position and spun around, breaking into a wide grin as Chelsea pushed the door open.

  “Hi, Chelsea!” I said in my brightest voice, smoothing down my hair as an afterthought.

  My eyes darted to Ian, whose mouth was curved on one side as he stared at my torso. I looked down to see the buttons on my top were totally screwed up. Sucking in a breath, I wrapped my arms around myself.

  “Hey, Ivy… and Ian,” Chelsea said as she walked through the door, her nose a bright pink. She lifted her hand to her hair and brushed some snow from the crown of her head. “What are you guys up to?”

  “Nothing,” I said quickly. “We were watching a movie and fell asleep. What about you?”

  “Late night at the library.”

  “Did you get lots of work done?”

  “Everything I needed to.”

  Ian made a strange noise and I looked down to see him watching me with pursed lips. I could practically hear him in my head: Small talk at a time like this?

  “Are you okay?” Chelsea asked me with a squint. “You look a little flushed.”

  “I’m fine! Just hot. It’s hot in here, isn’t it?” I asked, turning my eyes on Ian, imploring him to agree.

  “I’m certainly burning up.”

  I bit down on the manic laugh rising in my throat.

  Chelsea looked between us, a small smile playing on her lips. “Well, I’m off to bed,” she said through a yawn and a wide stretch. “Sleep tight.”

  “You, too.” I watched her until she disappeared into her bedroom, then looked down at Ian and inclined my head in the direction of my bedroom.

  Ian tossed the blanket aside. I started walking to my door, but he pulled me back.

  “Wh--? Oh.” I leaned in to meet his kiss.

  His hands slid over my hips. Mine went to his neck where I toyed with the hair at the base of his skull.

  The intensity of our kiss quickly transformed into kisses shared with our whole bodies - lips, tongues, teeth and arms. Ian lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He walked us back toward my room and my eyes opened when my shoulder blades touched the door.

  “Mmm… think she… suspected anything?” I whispered between kisses.

  “Does it matter?”

  I shook my head and brought my mouth to the pulse point right below his ear. His pulse thundered under my lips and I flicked my tongue over the delicate skin before whispering, “No.”

  “Good answer.”

  I tilted my head back and tapped my head against the door. “We should…”

  Ian reached behind me to turn the knob. Carrying me into the room, he kicked the door closed. I gasped into his mouth when he pushed me up against the door.

  A strangled growl rolled over his tongue, the vibrations of which rumbled in his chest and through mine. He lowered me to my feet and his hands went to my waist, where he fumbled with the drawstrings of my pants.

  My legs trembled in anticipation. I felt like my entire body was on fire, having slowed to idle after Chelsea’s appearance, and hummed back to full-throttle again as soon as she was gone.

  I hissed as Ian released the knot on my pajama bottoms and hissed again as the material spilled down my hips with a soft swish. My skin was so electrified that even that slightest amount of contact had me going crazy.

  I kicked the pajama pants aside and tugged at the waistband of his sweats, pushing them down his hips. He lifted me up again. Before I knew it, he was poised at my opening.

  He suddenly
blinked. “Wait,” he murmured.

  “What?” I asked, startled. Was he going to tell me we needed to stop? That we shouldn’t do this? That we were making a huge mistake? “Protection,” he breathed, his face screwing up. “I didn’t…”

  A shrill laugh of relief exploded from my mouth. “Bedside table.”

  Our mouths fused together again and he walked us to the bed, sitting down with me still above him. Pulling away, his hands reached out to the top button of my pajama top, and for the second time that night, he undid each one, finally peeling the shirt back from my shoulders and flinging it aside.

  And then it was just us; hot, damp and naked flesh.

  His gaze drifted down slowly, taking in my shoulders, my breasts, my stomach, and lower still. They rose again, but instead of stopping at my eyes, he looked higher and lifted both hands to unfasten the rubber-band from my hair. His fingers shook my hair out and I shivered as the damp strands tumbled around my shoulders.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered.

  I blushed.

  He held my eyes as he leaned over to reach into my bedside drawer, retrieving one of the foil packets from the bottom. He brought it to his mouth and ripped it open with his teeth. Then, palming the condom and using his arms, he pulled us back so that his head lay against the pillow.

  I took the latex sheath from his hand and moved back so that I straddled his thighs. Without looking away, I wrapped my fingers around him and squeezed. His breathing grew shallow and fast. His hips jerked. Loosening my grip, I stroked him up and down, before finally releasing him to roll the condom over his length.

  This is it. The point of no return.

  Placing my arms on either side of him, I crawled up his body and hovered just above him. His hands came up and gripped my waist, the tips of his fingers biting into my skin as I rubbed against him. I folded forward and our mouths met in one more kiss. Then, inhaling, I sat back up and pushed my body down on him. I froze.

  We both did.

  Neither of us breathed, moved, made a sound for several seconds. We merely stared at each other in stunned amazement as small tremors shook our bodies. Finally, I released a ragged breath, and he followed suit.

  His hands slid from my waist to my hips. His own hips pulled back and lifted again. He gradually pushed up until he was buried within me as far as he could go. My lips parted on a gasp as I sucked in several short and hard breaths. I didn’t exhale again after his hips sank back to the bed.

  I swallowed and blinked in a daze, releasing a shuddering breath. Now, that was…

  The thought was lost to me as he did it again, this time rotating his hips in a deliberate circle before once again going slack.

  Hot jolts of fire shot into my groin, down my legs, and spread outward. Ian started rocking his hips more steadily, and each time he moved, the flames climbed higher and higher, licking at my skin with a searing intensity that almost brought me to tears of delirium.

  I started to close my eyes, but he reached for my face, forcing me to look at him. Grounding me. Wanting me there with him until the end – one which wasn’t far away.

  Sweat beaded his forehead and upper lip as he thrust into me, and I met him at every point. My inner muscles started to clench at him, pulling him deeper inside, signaling that my climax was on the horizon.

  I fought it off, wanting to wait and prolong the moment for as long as I possibly could, but my body wouldn’t obey. Before I could stop it, I shattered into a million pieces, exploding like a firework in a thousand different directions. My individual pieces hung suspended in the air as wave after wave of ecstasy rolled over me. Eventually, the individual pieces rejoined, but I was fairly sure that I came back together different than I had been before.

  Once my eyes focused, I realized that Ian hadn’t sailed over the edge with me. I could see – feel – his desperation to climax. His hand came up to my neck and together we rolled so that I was on my back. He reclaimed my lips as he tucked my curves neatly into his contours. My eyes closed as his fingers trailed down my side, tucking under the curve of my knee and urging my leg up and about his waist.

  Something unexpected swelled in my chest as I realized how well our bodies fit against one another, as if we had been sculpted just for this purpose.

  Maybe we were.

  My eyes opened and I peered into his face, searching for some sign that this was more than just a physical thing for him. In the low light, it was hard to tell. But there was no mistaking the message that passed between us in that moment, the recognition that this night was really happening and we both wanted it.

  At the exact same instant, we began to move. Arms and hands clutched at shoulders and backs, pulling and pushing, trying to get even closer. I settled on cupping his ass, feeling the tight muscles move beneath his skin, flexing and releasing as the duration of his strokes grew shorter and shorter. Though I didn’t think it possible, pressure started building in my pelvis again.

  I dug my heel against the back of his thigh as his hips drove forward one last time. And then, just as he buried his head into my neck and groaned his release, an unbelievable second orgasm rocked my body, sending me skyrocketing into the stratosphere.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  I was awoken abruptly by the sound of the house phone ringing in the next room. My natural phone-reflex had me ready to jump out of bed, but the moment I attempted to lift my head, I groaned in exhaustion and let it drop again.

  Let the damn thing ring.

  Unfortunately, each additional ring was more jarring than the last, and by the fourth, I opened my eyes with a sigh. The bookshelf above my desk swam in blurry focus. I blinked to clear my vision. My eyes widened as the entire night came back to me in startling clarity. Shifting my gaze down revealed my cheek resting against Ian’s bare chest, just where it had been when we’d finally drifted off, sated and exhausted, sometime near dawn.

  Capturing my bottom lip between my teeth, I tipped my head back to peek at him. He was still asleep, his face awash in a shaft of blue light breaking through organza curtains. His features were soft in repose, the lines and shadows that were his constant waking companions smoothed, making him appear very young. Slow and even breaths passed between his parted lips, and his long, lashes cast shadows upon his high cheekbones.

  My chest swelled with emotion and a deep attraction that took my breath away.

  He’s so gorgeous.

  I’d never been oblivious to Ian’s attractiveness, but it was like my eyes had snapped into focus after all this time. He was just plain hot. And speaking of hot, our night together had been smoking hot. And passionate and intense… and now that I really thought about it, a little scary.

  I’d always held back a piece of myself during sex. With Ian, I’d let myself go completely; thrown myself into it and put myself at his mercy to do with as he wished.

  I could only wonder now if that had been a mistake.

  I dropped my cheek down to his chest again. I wanted to believe that Ian wouldn’t have crossed that line between us if he didn’t intend to see this through. That he valued our friendship too much to make this just another lay. But I couldn’t deny the fact that he was essentially a player. Sex had never been a barometer of his feelings for a woman.

  The dull rapping of a single knuckle on the door pulled me from my conflicting thoughts.

  Careful not to wake Ian, I drew my knee out from between his legs and rolled back into a sitting position. Blood rushed to my head, and I held a hand to it as I looked for something to throw on. The knock came again just as I spotted my robe lying over the back of my desk chair, this time accompanied by a muffled, “Ivy?”

  “One second,” I said in a hoarse voice, crossing the room and pulling the satin material over my naked body. I released a soft groan. It took a crazy amount of effort to lift my leaden arms. They felt like someone was pushing down on them. Either that or gravity had tripled in force in the last hour; my body did feel weighted down and sore; pleasantly so, but s
ore nonetheless.

  Chelsea stood outside my door with an apologetic grimace on her face. “Sorry to wake you…” Her eyes darted over my shoulder to where Ian lay naked in my bed.

  Clearing my throat, I pulled the door closed behind me and tied the belt at my waist. “No, it’s okay.” I yawned as I wrapped my arms over my chest. “What’s up?”

  “That was your mom on the phone. She asked me to make sure you were up.”

  I rubbed my face. “Huh? What for?”

  “Something about you two going to brunch?”

  “That’s news to me.”

  Chelsea shrugged and held out her hands. “I’m just the messenger, and the message she asked me to pass along is that she’s going to be here in fifteen minutes.”

  “Crap.” Why now? I didn’t know why I was surprised. Mom’s timing had always been rather impeccable. “Okay. Thanks.”

  “Sure.”

  I reached for my door handle, about to got back in my room, when I realized Chelsea wasn’t leaving. She watched me with a small Cheshire grin, her eyes glittering. “What?” I asked innocently, though I could tell she knew.

  Chelsea’s mouth opened, closed, and then she shrugged. “Nothing.” She walked back towards her bedroom. “You know, it snowed all night. I imagine it’s pretty cold outside. You should probably dress warm.” Her smile evolved into a full grin as she placed her hand on the doorknob and a small giggle passed through her lips. “May I suggest something in the turtleneck-variety?”

  Okay, that was random.

  Shaking my head, I turned the doorknob and entered my room. Ian was still asleep, having rolled onto his stomach while I was outside. One of his legs was bent to the side and the spheres of his taut buttocks were outlined by the sheet around his waist.

  I took a moment to admire the view, before sighing and teetering on my feet. Should I wake him now or…?

  After, I decided. I just wasn’t ready to face a potentially awkward morning after just yet.

  I stopped by my dresser for some undergarments, and then went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. My arm and shoulder muscles made their protests known as I peeled my robe back over my shower. I reached for a comb to brush out my hair and then looked into the mirror.