by Hammond, T.
We were all in agreement, so David pulled out his cell phone and called Detective Stephens. The conversation was short and David's voice turned harsh when it appeared the detective was unaware of the pictures. David ended the dialog abruptly with the expectation of a return call providing more information.
“Damn it! I can't believe I dropped my guard and let someone take pictures.” David growled, angry with himself.
“Don't beat yourself up. Red didn't notice either. It was a fluke he saw what was on the computer screen.” I squeezed the hand he had fisted on the tabletop. “Be thankful Red caught him. Let's be patient and wait for news from Stephens.”
“Yeah, you're right. Not much I can do but wait.” He loosened his fist and flipped his hand over to interlock our fingers. “But I worry.” He lifted our hands toward his mouth and he kissed my knuckles, and laid his cheek against my fingers.
I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his. “This will work out. I hope we get an opportunity to work with the police, but if it falls through, then maybe we can do something else. Red would love to work with kids.”
“I'll be right back,” he said, leaving a little kiss on the tip of my nose, and scooting his chair away from the table.
I smiled. What's up with this man and his nose kisses?
“There will never be an us with David in the picture, will there?” Bas asked softly from his chair.
“David is not the reason I don't think there will be an us, Bastian. We are the reason I don't think there will be an us. I don't believe I can fall in love with you, Bas. I like you, and feel affection for you, but I don't think it will ever be more than friendship. The pressure of dating you, knowing you want more, is stressful.” I reached a hand out to touch him, and ended up wrapping my fingers around his bicep. “Give yourself a chance to see what else is out there for you, Bastian. Let's be friends, hang out together, and focus on enjoying this new camaraderie we’ve built. As for David, well, I do think there might be something with him.”
Bas leaned forward and wrapped me in a tight hug. “I'm going to get out of here to let you have the rest of your date in peace. Put the man out of his misery and take him to bed, will you?” I felt a feather light kiss against my cheek.
“I'm outta here, David. Let me know what Detective Stephens says. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and I'll see you tomorrow.”
“See you later, Bas,” David replied, a definite surprised tone in his voice.
David sat down and said carefully, “Does that mean he's not planning to hijack us tonight?”
I ate a cold French fry and considered my answer choices. “Bas told me I should put you out of your misery and take you to bed.”
Insert lengthy pause. “I see.” I could hear him draw in a deep breath. “And, how do you feel about that?”
“Nervous,” I admitted. “Scared.” My turn to sigh, “Excited.”
David brushed my hair back from my cheek. Oops, I hadn't even realized I was hiding. His hand stroked around to cup my jaw and lift my face toward his. He whispered, “Me too,” against my lips before his mouth claimed mine in a tender kiss. Our lips broke apart, and I was tempted to pull them back to mine, but he added with a husky groan, “Please. Come to bed with me.”
My hand came up to stroke his face. “I thought you'd never ask,” I whispered back.
Chapter Twenty-One
Red disappeared as soon as I let him into the house. With the addition of a glass panel dog egress to the sliding doors, he had the freedom to go in or out when he wanted. A lot of his time was invested in keeping the yard cat free, although he didn't seem to mind the raccoons who visited the shallow end of the pond.
We were still in the entryway when David pulled me into his arms, sliding fingers through my hair, canting his jaw to the side to seal his lips over mine. His mouth was hard and hungry, demanding a response. My body flared to life at the uncommon show of aggression. David was usually so calm, and relaxed; this tiny loss of composure turned my muscles to butter. It was heady to think he wanted me so much.
He drew his lips away from mine, inhaling a sharp, fast breath before exhaling it slowly in a warm draft against my cheek. His tongue made a soft, leisurely stroke across my lower lip. Savoring me. “I hate to change the mood here,” he said, his voice gravelly with unspent passion, “but we should discuss birth control and condoms.”
I chuckled. “Not a mood breaker at all, David. One of the advantages of not being eighteen is we can be more practical about sexual things.” I gave him a soft kiss, and hugged him, enjoying the feel of his chest against mine. Thanks to the few inches of additional height from my heels, I was able to press his erection to the juncture of my thighs. Reveling in the undeniable proof of his desire, I ground my hips deeper into the hard ridge of his cock. “I'm on the pill; have been since my mid-twenties to regulate my periods. I haven't had a partner in years, and I know I'm disease free.”
“I had no doubts about you. I wanted to assure you I'm clean too. I have never had sex without a condom and the military tested us regularly for STDs. Since it’s possible to get HIV from oral sex, I wanted to assure you, you won't get anything from me.”
I laughed at him. “Ah, so sure I'll go down on you, are you?”
“Woman, I have absolutely no doubt you'll want to touch and taste everything. You are a very tactile, and sensual person. You're always running your mouth and tongue over me when we snuggle. I'm a smart guy. I can make the leap in logic you’d run your tongue over every piece of skin you can get to. I'm looking forward to it,” he added, burying his face in my neck and licking a spot below my ear.
“Since we don't need condoms to prevent a sexually transmitted disease between us, let's address birth control,” I said. “I've been on the pill for years, and although the chance of pregnancy is very low, maybe two percent, it’s still there. But I don't want to use a condom with you David, I want to feel you inside me.”
David groaned into my throat, and then pulled me into a ravenous kiss. His breathing was ragged when he said, “I so did not expect to hear you say that when I brought up this subject.” This next kiss was consuming, David’s passion meeting mine with open mouths and thrusting tongues. He gasped when we came up for air, “Statistically speaking, the pill is more reliable than condoms. I would love to be inside you, skin to skin.”
****************
I don't know why I felt so anxious. Maybe because David had become incredibly special over the last few months, I didn't want to mess up a good thing. I worried he would find me lacking in experience and confidence; then my brain re-engaged. This man would not be so superficial. If he was, I wouldn't be in a bedroom with him now.
The passion from the hallway hadn’t died, but we managed to bank it long enough to get upstairs to my room. As he held me in the loose circle of his arms, forehead resting against mine, I laughed nervously. “I'll have to admit, I'm not sure what to do David. I would like to be elegant and sophisticated, but all I want to do is get you naked so I can feel your skin against mine.”
A chuckle shook his body. “I am feeling a lack of finesse also. All I can think about is how much I want you. I want my hands and mouth on every inch of your skin, and then I want you to learn every inch of mine.” After another thorough kiss, he rasped, “I want to be buried in you so deep we can't tell where my body ends and yours begins.”
Oh my, I think my heart skipped a beat. I traced delicate fingertips over the shape of his jaw, trailing them softly over the line of his neck, to rest against the pulse beating rapidly in his throat. My smile kicked up one side of my mouth as I reveled in his response to my touch.
“I've never undressed a man,” I admitted, in a husky whisper, “but I would very much like to undress you. I want to run my hands over your skin, as I peel away each layer of cloth that covers you.”
“I would like that,” he agreed earnestly. “Let me pull the covers back on the bed, then I'm all yours.” I listened to him move about
the bed for a moment before he approached me. He slid his fingers softly down my arm until he wrapped them around my wrist, lifting my hand to the top button of his shirt. “I took care of the cuffs already. The rest is up to you,” he teased.
I deftly popped the top two buttons at his collar, then I brought my free hand up to wrap around the nape of his neck. Leaning in to inhale the scent of his skin, I loved the clean crisp lime undertones of the soap he used. I licked the base of his throat and was rewarded with a little shiver. His involuntary reaction did wonders for my confidence.
As I released each button on his shirt, I pressed a line of open-mouthed, sucking kisses down his exposed chest toward his stomach. There was a light dusting of hair over his pecs, so I rubbed my face against his breastbone to enjoy the coarse texture against my cheek. When I reached his belt buckle, I tugged the tails out of his pants and undid the last two buttons quickly so I could slip the shirt over his wide shoulders and down his beautifully corded arms. Before the shirt hit the floor, I caught it and held it out for him. “I could try to be cool and toss this at the chair behind me, but I'll probably miss,” I told him, wryly. Wordlessly, he took the shirt from my extended finger.
I placed both hands on his chest. His skin was hot to the touch, but soft over hard, defined muscle. I splayed my fingers to cover as much of him as possible, then playfully brushed his nipples with my fingertips. His sharply in drawn breath, and the way his pecs pulled tight under my palms, indicated they were sensitive. With that happy discovery, I bent forward to flick my tongue over each nipple, taking pleasure in the increasing heartbeat under my hands. I tested his responsiveness by gently nibbling a hard peak and was rewarded with a deep moan, and his fingers threading into my hair, holding my face close. Using my mouth, I alternately sucked and licked until he fisted his hands and push me away, just far enough to swoop down and kiss me with sharp-edged passion.
His kiss was demanding, and I felt another slight loss of his control in the wild press of his tongue through my lips and the groan which seemed to reverberate from the back of his throat. He ended the kiss in a gasp, leaning back from me with obvious effort. “I like the way you undress a man, Teresa. Remember, what goes around comes around. This slow teasing of yours will come back to haunt you.”
It was my turn to shiver at the erotic promise in his tone. My palms slid lower to the metal of his belt buckle slowly working the fastening before I pulled the belt open. My knuckles rubbed gently against the fine hairs covering his abs as I threaded a couple of fingers into the top of his jeans to unsnap the button. Encouraged by how still he held his body in anticipation of my touch, I pushed my hand farther down into his jeans to cover the erection pressed insistently against the zipper.
Oh my. Two questions answered, and the second one was briefs! My fingers curled to shape around the firm column of flesh through the thin cotton. David pressed his hips harder into my hand, and his fingers flexed in my hair. The closed zipper held my hand tightly against the hot swelling of him and he seemed to grow a little more as I squeezed gently before withdrawing my hand so I could lower the zipper. He groaned again, a deep rumble in his chest as the placket separated and he swelled out through the opening of his jeans.
I stepped into the heat of his body, pressing myself along his chest and groin as I glided my hands over his hips to his rear, diving my fingers under the waistband of his briefs. My nails dug into his ass and held him against me for a moment before dragging the underwear and jeans down his thighs. I curved my hands to the sides and drew the pants down long hard thighs to his feet.
My voice was hoarse when I directed, “Step out of the pants.” Kneeling in front of him, I inhaled his musky, male scent, and rubbed my face lightly over the hot, velvet length of his erection like a scent-marking cat. My lips parted and I breathed a gust of hot breath over his cock. Letting my open mouth brush against him, but making no effort to otherwise acknowledge his swollen state. I tossed his jeans behind me, not caring if they hit the chair, then removed his socks with the same impatient efficiency.
I curled my hands around his ankles then slowly drew my nails up over the backs of his calves, into the hollow behind his knees, and finally over the firm swell of his thighs and ass. The freedom to touch him, and run my hands and blunt nails over his flesh, was intoxicating. He was magnificent.
I loved the feel of the goose bumps and tremors that rolled over his body as I breathed, once again, gently against his groin before standing and trailing my hands over the muscles in his back. As I stood, David nuzzled his nose into my hair. “My turn,” he whispered, in devilish glee.
David's right fist was still balled into my hair, but his other hand came up to my back and pressed me firmly to his naked body. He held me in his arms for a minute, enjoying the press of his erection into my mound. I slid my hands over his hips to dig nails into his ass as I rubbed my pelvic bone against all that swollen goodness.
In a move which surprised me, he released my hair and turned me so I was facing away from him. David slowly lowered the tab of my dress' zipper to just below my waist, the air in the room felt cool to my skin as the fabric parted away from my spine. He splayed his hands low on my back then drew his hands upward, slow and teasingly, to my shoulders where he used his fingers to delicately flick the garment’s straps over my arms. The fabric fell heavily to a puddle at my feet and I stood before him, still facing away, in a thong and thigh-high stockings.
“God, you're killing me,” he groaned. “I can't believe this is all you were wearing under that dress all night.” His fingers curled into the thin strings of the thong and lowered it down my legs. The rough need in his voice when he instructed me to step out of the dress and undies, spiked in my groin, and I moaned with the exquisite pleasure of wanting him.
As I had done with him, David ran his hands up the backs of my legs before pausing to trace the curve of my ass. His first kisses pressed into the two dimples at the base of my spine, and then he continued, by licking a slow trail up to the nape of my neck. I shuddered as he pulled my body backward, flush with his own. His right arm created a cage across my stomach to settle me firmly against his erection. His left hand slid over my ribs and came to a rest, fingers splayed between my breasts. His hold tightened. “The shoes and stockings stay,” he said, “they make your legs look so hot.”
David set his teeth into the meat of my shoulder, not biting, but holding flesh firmly while he gently ground himself into me. He released his mouthful and nuzzled the hair near my ear. “I was there that morning,” he whispered, his voice so quiet I had to strain to hear him. “When you were at Janey's,” he clarified. “I was sitting in the recliner when you came into the room and started talking to Cat.”
I stiffened in his arms. “What? Bastian told me he was there at Janey's. He told me he had overheard me, and never mentioned you were there.”
“Bas was asleep in the spare room until your phone woke him up. He only caught the tail-end of the conversation,” David explained. “I asked him not to say anything about my presence because I didn't want you to be embarrassed.”
“Well, the Bas-hole led me to believe he heard more of the conversation than he had,” I said wryly. I didn’t struggle, but I could feel myself stiffen in his arms; a not-so-subtle distancing of myself while I considered what this meant. It was confusing that David had been in a room with me and I hadn’t felt him there.
His grip tightened a little more and his right hand slid lower over the curve of my belly so his fingers brushed the soft down of hair between my pubic bones. His left hand curved over the mound of my right breast. David buried his face in my neck and started to rain a series of biting kisses across my jawline and down my throat. His lips began a dance over my shoulders by alternating sharp little nips with soothing swipes of his tongue. Pinching my nipple between forefinger and thumb, at the same time he bit harder into the meat of my shoulder. My breasts arched up into the sting of his fingers as I gasped at the feel of his teeth. God th
at felt good. Intense.
David released the pressure of the bite, to say, “I had been attracted to you for years, through the pictures Janey sent to Bas. I was fascinated by your smile, and the laughter in your eyes. I would listen for hours as Bas told me stories about his sister, Janey, and her know-it-all best friend. I went drinking with him the night Janey sent pictures from the accident, and I was ready to fly back with him when he mentioned taking leave. After three years of pictures and Bas’ commentary, I felt I knew you. I wanted to meet you, and sit across a table from you, so I could try and coax that gorgeous smile out.
“But, when you sat in that room talking to Cat? That’s when I started to fall in love with you,” he confessed.
By way of demonstration, he placed a soft kiss to the nape of my neck, the sensitive spot I have always loved to have touched. He tilted his head, opened his mouth wide over the kiss, and sucked firmly before raking his teeth gently down each vertebrae of my neck. I trembled, and my knees threatened to buckle from the strain of standing acquiescent under the weight of his seduction.
